Moving on we took the road towards Tampa and then we wandered down the coast taking in Sarasota and enjoying 2 nights on a very luxurious resort campground with huge pool and wonderful grounds and gardens.
Naples was a drive through really as there is very little public access to the beach and the meters ran for 10 minutes for 15p .we felt out of place too as it was very upmarket!!!!!!!!!!
In the Everglades we encountered wonderful birds and alligators and found a free campground which was perfect for viewing the wildlife close at hand.
Monday saw us heading down to the keys and we found a lovely place which again has a huge heated pool and a beach too. Key largo is relatively quiet and more unspoilt than some of the islands further down the keys. All these resorts are full of snowbirds, people who come south for the winter, what a life! There is a strong community spirit and loads of activities every day.
We visited Key West at the very tip and enjoyed the town but it is very very busy and there were 2 cruise liners in town too.
We spent all day walking around and then we did the whole watching the sunset thing and were entertained by the street performers . We managed to find a quiet street to park in it was fine.
The prices of the campgrounds is ruinous and all the state parks are fully booked down here.
We drove back up to key largo and have spent 2 more nights enjoying ourselves.
We then met a lovely couple called Sue and Dennis and we first spent a great evening with them and then yesterday we were invited to spend the day with them on their beautiful boat. We motored out into the channels and then cut through from one side of the island to the other so we saw the Gulf and the Atlantic sides. It was so peaceful and then we had a lunch onboard in the middle of a ' lake' without anyone else there at all. We truly loved every minute of the day, fabulous company and wonderful scenery. It certainly felt as if we were living the dream!!!!!!
We are driving back up to the Everglades today and then we are so lucky, we have been invited to spend a few days with a couple we met at the Landrover weekend . They live in Fort Myers and have promised fishing and canoeing activities!!!!!! We are really looking forward to seeing them again.
We are trying to organise shipping Freddy home too and this is proving very time consuming with lots of e. mails and phone calls.
The weather is in the 70s and 80s and we are swimming and getting good tans. Life is wonderful!!!!!!!!! How can retirement be so good?