Wesley Chapel - Part II

The good times of Saturday were muted on Sunday. Janice awoke with a harsh cough that had begun days earlier, but had not yet blossomed into a full-fledged nose-blowing, head-throbbing head cold; she was miserable.

The ladies had planned a corn beef and cabbage dinner Sunday night to celebrate St Patrick's Day which fell on Monday. For reasons obvious to all, they agreed that Janice's contribution to the dinner would be limited. The dinner was a huge success as we gathered around the picnic tables in the late afternoon. Larry and Dean had to leave us Monday, so we celebrated a day ahead.

We bid Larry and Dean safe travels on Monday. Don and Diane set out for Weeki Wachee, FL home of the Weeki Wachee Spring and Buccaneer Bay. We learned later that everything was closed when they got to Weeki Wachee. We went in an opposite direction to make a dry run to the Tampa International Airport where our daughter Karen would arrive on Tuesday morning at 9:20 AM.

City airports are always challenging, especially those under construction. Tampa was all that and more. We wanted a dry run because we knew we could not take the motor home to the airport and Janice would make the trip alone. We found the cell phone parking lot and successfully drove to the airport terminal pickup site. Getting out of the airport on the correct route was a greater challenge than getting in. Being in the correct lane is critical. We knew immediately that the dry run was worth the effort; Tuesday's trip would be during Tampa's morning rush hour.

Janice left the campground for the airport at 8:00 AM Tuesday. Both coaches left the campground about 9:00 AM heading south. Don and Diane would stop in Sarasota; I would stop at a rest area at mile marker 138 and wait for Janice. Janice arrived at the airport about 9:00 AM and Karen's flight landed ten minutes early at 9:10 AM. Everything went well, and we hooked up at the rest area around 10:45 AM. Travel home was uneventful. We enjoyed having time to converse during the ride down I-75 to Naples. We would visit the Tampa airport again next Tuesday when Karen departs.

Our stay at Wesley Chapel was fine. The campground, although isolated, was comfortable and provided good sites and amenities at a reasonable price. It served as a base from which we could travel to other places. The whole trip was pleasant because we were with friends who enjoyed mutual interests and being together.