First thing Monday morning we got up and around and headed off to the Truman medical center to have Brielle looked at. After we dropped off the girls at the medical center the boys and I went to Home Depot to try to figure out a solution to our suboptimal sewer situation. We found a part that we thought would work and went back to get the girls. They were not out yet so we took a quick stroll on the main drag of Key West…cigar shops, bars, art galleries, and tourist stuff. We got back just as Brielle and Steph got out of the doctors office with a prescription in hand.
Florida
Palm Sunday on Geiger Key
On our drive down to Key West we could tell Brielle wasn’t feeling too great and this morning she was worse. She had a fever and it was Sunday so doctor options were limited. We doped her up with Tylenol to try to get through the day. Despite the fever she was very excited because our friends Bill and Karen Miller (who we visited in Mobile) were in Key West on holiday along with some other church friends, Hollis and Rae. They were all going out to Geiger Key to stroll on Boca Chica beach and so we decided to tag along. We followed them as they rode their scooters and when the road ran out we hopped on our bikes and rode until even the trail petered out.
The Keys to relaxing
With a week of on site work with a client in Ft Lauderdale completed we were off to that set of dots off the southern tip of Florida…like an ellipsis placed by the great Author as His own thoughts drifted toward relaxation at the end of His creation sentence. Florida Keys, here we come!!
MODS = Amazing!!
We highly recommend The Museum of Discovery!! As I stated in the last post, if you have a membership to your local Science Museum you should check out the Passport Program that allows you to get into museums around the USA for free or reduced rates. In this case we got 2 people in for free.
This place is sooo cool!! You could easily spend 2-3 days here. The main floor starts out with an explanation about the Everglades, when and how they started to be destroyed by humans, what the results have been, and how Florida is dedicated to reviving this important place.
A Change of Plans – Again! MODS, Water Trolleys, Iguanas and the Beach!
This change of plans seems to be a regular thing for us. Sometimes we are disappointed, but that doesn’t seem to last long since we always seem to be blessed in some way, or happy we changed plans.
Today we had planned to go to the Museum of Discovery (MODS) and then to a State Park. We, of course, got a little later start than I wanted. And I forgot to look up where to park. We happened upon an amazingly lovely area, by accident, and I could pay to park by phone. And I was pretty sure it was one of the areas we could catch the FREE Water Trolley that goes up and down New River.
Fort Lauderdale
We stayed in Fort Lauderdale for six days. During this time we went on this boardwalk that had a bunch of wildlife. There were tons of crabs, a lot of clams, and a handful of fish including needle fish, puffer fish, and even a sea skate which is like a stingray only it’s got bones instead of cartilage I think, and I think their babies hatch live like us instead of in eggs. There was also a cool library we went to twice, where we got to read, and a state park where we played on a beach. It was fun doing all of that. Then we rode on a river trolley which was free and saw some huge iguanas which this nice old lady fed some sort of big yellow flower.
No love for bicycles?
Since we are in southern Florida I decided to spend a week with a client I have in the area. And let me pause to say that I am INCREDIBLY blessed to have 2.5 clients who have been very supportive of my reduced hours, crazy work schedule and remote office. To them I say, thank you thank you thank you!! We found an RV park only 3 miles from the office which means I can easily commute by bike AND the family still has the truck to use. Its a win-win!! I’m usually not a big fan of business trips: being away from your home, living in a hotel, eating out for every meal, being apart from your family, driving an unfamiliar car and not getting to commute by bike. But this business trip has none of those and its awesome!!
Okeechobee
Huck explained how we ended up here. It was kind of desperation. We just needed to fill in the gap between Orlando and Ft. Lauderdale. It was in the middle of nowhere, but it was cheap and we needed a rest, and to catch up on laundry and school.
The owner was super nice on the phone, but he warned there wasn’t a playground or anything for kids. He said his 4 year old was the only kid, but I saw at least 6 kids while we were there. The reason I bring this up is there is a FB page for Full Time Families and people are constantly posting about the RV Parks, especially in Florida and other snow bird states that don’t allow kids, or they charge “kid tax.” One place we considered was going to charge $7/kid, but that is the only time we’ve run into that so far thank goodness!
As we got closer to the Villa Margaret I got nervous. There were a lot of feedlots. And then we passed a juvenile detention center. Oh boy, what did I get us into? Luckily there was a river separating us (honestly it wouldn’t have done much good.) And it was only 2 nights.
We entered the RV park and it didn’t look too bad. I saw a couple of food trucks and I did wonder for a minute if this was the off season housing for carnies or something. In actuality, they currently have a lot of people who work for Florida Power living in this park (thus the kids I saw). Also, they had been very affected by the flooding 3 weeks back. That is why there was an opening. They had even had to turn people away. The ground we parked on was very soft. I just prayed for no more rain. 🙂 Huck referenced the grumpy old man who was a resident, but NOT the owner. In some ways the guy was right with what he said about where we parked – IF we were going to stay long term and IF we had a longer water hose. It was a great lesson in asking questions so you understand what needs to be done and why before you boss people around. 🙂 Luckily he didn’t live too near us.
As I drove away to go to the store I noticed a HUGE bird in the yard across the drive from us. The lawn was very decorated with lots of lovely plants and flowers. At first I thought it was a lawn ornament – like the big plastic flamingos you see. Then I realized it was walking around! I called Huck and told the kids to go check it out. It was very cool!
After Disney and Universal Studios we were tired and just needed to veg and relax so we didn’t check out the area. I was actually wondering why so many snow birds would choose this area to stay. It was not impressive on our way in. AFTER we left I found out we were right above the 2nd largest fresh water lake (in the US?). There is also a state park and a historical site there. I think there is actually quite a lot to see in the middle of the state, oh well we cannot do it all. As we were getting ready to leave we looked at the river that was literally across the driveway from us. And Caden spotted an alligator in the water! A Big one too! Sadly he was shy and swam away before we could really study him.
Overall, it was great. It was quiet and peaceful and the people, except one, were all very very kind.
Okeedokee Okeechobee
I’ve said it before, but moving day is tough. And since we’ve been in Florida its been harder and harder to find the next spot to move to. It can be stressful. All the state park campgrounds are booked up and RV parks aren’t our favorites (plus they are pricey and don’t have many other young families). Like the irony spoken by the Ancient Mariner: home home everywhere but not a place to park. So once we land in a new spot we begin trying to find the next spot to stay. But after a busy several days in Orlando I went to bed late on our last night in the city still with no idea where we would stay next.
Orlando…my 2 cents
Nothing in Orlando is even close to 2 cents so this post is a bargain. I may sound a bit crochety in this post but please don’t mistake it for dislike of theme parks or regret that we visited. I am frugal. A tight wad. Maybe even cheap. So I am a foreigner in this land of the hemorrhaging wallet and will share some of my thoughts from our visit. We had a blast in Orlando and the kids were overjoyed to do the parks so I’m happy we were able to share the experience as a family.
They get you even coming into the city on the toll roads…and I’m pulling 2 extra axles so my price is double. Welcome to Orlando! We were totally stoked to score a VERY reasonably priced campground in close proximity to Universal and Disney World…this would be our only bargain and we were grateful for it.