Leaning Forward

Karen was happy to enjoy the sun and relaxed life style of Crystal Lake. Her job had been more stressful than usual in the weeks prior to her vacation so she welcomed the slower pace of activity. We very much enjoyed her being here and let her set the daily agenda. Good Friday and Easter services at our church were special for all of us.

We did eat our way around Naples during Karen's week here visiting some old favorites and an occasional new discovery. Such is the way of "Wrinkle City", as our neighbor Bob has dubbed Crystal Lake. Eat, sleep, eat, and repeat.

We took a scenic route to return to the Tampa airport. The Florida Skyway and the beach road took us to St Pete Beach, Treasure Island, and Medeira Beach before we turned eastward to the airport. Like most cities, traffic to and from airports are usually challenging; Tampa is no exception. Karen was there in plenty of time to prepare for her flight. All went well and she arrived home early Tuesday evening.

During our ride back to Naples, we began the 'what next' discussion, and the reality of going home to Virginia was upon us. Our plans include a trip to Columbus, GA to see Janice's mom and a stop in Concord, NC to get coach repairs. We also decided we would attend the April ODC camp out at Virginia Beach directly from North Carolina. All this means is that we will arrive home April 20.

So much to do, so little time. Now we remember all the stuff we moved into the shed from the coach back in January; it now goes back in the coach, but where? Farewells are never easy, but cannot be missed. We had our last BLG party at the church last night. Tonight we have our last neighborhood block party, and tomorrow our last church services. Our neighbors are departing daily, and most will be gone within next week.

We planned to leave Monday until we realized that the NCAA Basketball Final is Monday night; we will be going on Tuesday. We will take two days to drive to Columbus with a stop overnight at Wal-Mart. Our home in Columbus will again be Lake Pines Campground. We will not have wi-fi there and Internet access is difficult. We are sure to suffer withdrawal. Hopefully, cell phone coverage will be good, and we will not have a total communications blackout.

Our season in Florida has been different this year and very enjoyable. We have been talking with the Lohmans and Bodens about trip plans for next season. There are many things we will miss here as we head north, but it is time to go. We have so much to look forward to in Virginia and the other places we plan to be during the rest of this year.

We will be On the Road Again, Tuesday April 8.