DJ and Tom Visit for Christmas at Seminole

In December 2014, of our usual Seminole Campground troop, just Charlie and Joyce and Linda and Dale, and Wayne and I were here. That's plenty of folks to have a good time though and we enjoyed being together immensely -- eating, visiting, nesting, planning to eat and then eating all over again. 

Joyce, Linda and I walked lots mornings and enjoyed having the campground's newly created lake beach walking area added to our route.  It was on one of these morning walks through a nearby neighborhood that we found a home for the kittens I wrote about earlier.  Added benefit of walking! 

The lake at Seminole Campground Beach.
No swimming, no fishing and feeding the alligators.

I was ready with the camera to snap
a campground Christmas tree decorating moment with Linda. 

The winter was fraught with unusual happenings in addition to the kitten adoptions to keep us busy. Linda had a couple of sick days, certainly out of the ordinary for her, including a week of flu which none of us caught, I'm happy to say. She made several trips home to take care of family matters and I missed her something awful when she was gone.  She is my hairdresser, after all.. Ha ha.







Wayne and I took our time settling in at our campsite, unloading the car and storing our bicycles, dog wagon, grooming table and other stuffs in the little shed we're renting from the campground. Life here was good, even though the weather was nasty hot and humid for a long while.  I suffer in humidity. I'm from the deep south and never, ever, could stand high humidity.

Wayne resting at the campsite on a hot December afternoon. 

Our friends DJ and Tom, who live in Panama City, Florida, finally found a 2004 Dutch Star that met their lengthy list of criteria and made arrangements to buy it from a dealer somewhere in Texas.

Tom and DJ
Their new Dutch Star in the background.

The purchase of the coach seemed to have taken a really long time but I think it just felt that way because I was excited they were coming to North Fort Myers to join us for Christmas.

DJ trying, again, to steal Lexie. No such luck, DJ. 

DJ and Tom arrived the week before Christmas and the banquet hall got into full swing with DJ's delicious shrimp linguine, venison spaghetti and fried fish dinners. Banquet hall breakfasts became another meal to look forward to and love, with bacon, sausage, gravy, pancakes and bacon.

"The Banquet Hall" is a name given to the large
area at the back of our campsite where
we string two or three picnic tables together.

Dale the bacon-ater

There's a huge Fleamasters flea market in North Fort Myers where we visited several times, buying odds and ends -- some of which we needed and some we didn't.  It's another great place for us because we can take the dogs in their stroller.

DJ found lots of stuff she liked.

Christmas decorations were in place at the campground and we anxiously awaited the Christmas activities that included food.

Me with Lexie and Ozzie 

DJ belongs to an international walking association, http://clubs.ava.org/. One day, she walked a route at Sanibel Island. Joyce and I tagged along to shop while she walked. Afterward, we reconvened to enjoy a delicious, albeit long awaited, lunch at Island Cow.

A tired and hungry DJ peruses the Island Cow menu while we wait, and wait, and wait to be seated. 

Island Cow Christmas decorations 

DJ, Joyce, Lexie and Ozzie at our Island Cow patio table. 

On Christmas Eve, DJ and I endured high temperatures and sweltering humidity to walk the slough at Six Mile Cypress Preserve in Fort Myers where we took a couple of hundred pictures. These are my favorites.

DJ shooting a Mother Alligator 

One of the alligator babies 

A very well hidden cotton mouth.
I zoomed in real close but he was only about 2 foot below and 2 foot out from the boardwalk.

Diane is an AVA walk pal of Diane's. We met her in November at our Panama City stop to see Tom and DJ. She's a retiree living full-time in a 17' Casita with her cat Houtie. She is in our area, camping at a nearby Corp of Engineer Campground. She joined us for several outings, campground meals and activities.

Left to right: Charlie, DJ, Joyce, Tom and Wayne.
Notice the fish frying in the skillet in the lower right... Yum. 

Diane, Tom and DJ, whose new coach is parked behind them. 

Diane and DJ in the foreground. Background is Tom, Joyce, Wayne and Charlie.
Just after that scrumptious fried fish feast.