Snowbirding in Florida

It is time to Join the Snowbirds in Florida

12/03/2022 – 03/18/2023

Time to move on to our winter home in Brooksville, Florida. We are staying at the same campground as last year, Campers Holiday. I am going to summarize our time here in one entry and hopefully it will not be too long.

December

December was spent mostly with family and preparing for Christmas, like shopping, making cookies and seeing some Holiday shows. This year, though, we decided to fly back to the PNW and spend Christmas with the kids. It was too hard on me last year being away from them at Christmas. Bill took a week off from work and we caught an Alaska flight to Portland.

Christmas

Chris met us at the airport and I am very happy he came in to the baggage claim to meet us. See, I packed some Christmas gifts in a cardboard box to bring with us on our trip. Well, that wasn’t such a good idea and the box fell apart. I saw this broken box wrapped in a clear plastic bag coming down the baggage belt and I just stared in disbelief and then started laughing. Thank goodness Chris was there and could help us drag the box to the car. I was shocked only one item in the box was broken. Note to self, either ship stuff ahead of time, or use a suitcase.

We had a GREAT time with everyone. I did a little more shopping, the guys made pizza, Weston and I made some hot chocolate bombs and we tried to do a trail ride. Oh yeah… and we had an ice storm!

Before we left for Oregon we celebrated Christmas with Mom and Steve and when we got back we celebrated with Dad & Ginny. So really, I had the best Christmas of all being able to celebrate with all my family. Oh and my Dad was thoroughly surprised with his 12 cans of chili 😊

January and February

I stayed plenty busy during January and February. My mom and I cleaned out her closets and get ready for a garage sale. I visited with my dad and I quilted with the ladies at Campers Holiday. We also celebrated my brother’s 50^th birthday and my 54^th. We also enjoyed a visit with our oldest son, did some wine tasting, alligator hunting and visited a few sites we have not been to before.

Garage Sale

Let’s start with my mom’s garage sale. On my first visit to her house in December she informed me of a “project” she had for us. Okay… let’s hear it. “I want to go through my closets and get rid of some clothes and I would like to have a garage sale before you leave”, she says. Hmmm….. I’m thinking of our kitchen cabinet cleaning project last year and the tears and stress it caused. Okay Mom, if this is what you really want to do, I’ll help, but in no way am I forcing you to get rid of anything. LOL

We spent several days going through her clothes and thinning out the closets. She had clothes HANGING on clothes! There were a lot of laughs and giggles over some ot the items we found, like a skirt of hers I wore when I was a teenager.

Once we got everything organized and packed up we (with Steve’s help) hauled it all out to Steve’s house since he gets more traffic by his house than she does. Then we start setting up for the big day. The signs were put out and we were open for business. We enjoyed the time we had to visit between customers and visiting with our customers. At the end of the sale, we ended up moving a lot of items out the door.

Birthdays, Beaches and Brocato’s

Birthdays

My brother flew in from San Antonio and Chris flew in from Portland (within just a few days of each other) to visit and celebrate a milestone birthday.

Friends and family came together at Papa Joe’s Italian Restaurant and we had a great time celebrating my brother turning the big 5-0. (We also celebrated mine and my friend’s birthdays) Then it was off to Bayport Inn and celebrate a little more.

Beaches

Chris wanted to hunt for shells, Gary wanted to chill by the water and I wanted to do both, so a trip to Honeymoon Island was planned. We started with lunch at Rusty Bellies in Tarpon Springs then headed on down to Dunedin for some therapy.

The water was gorgeous and cold, but the sun was nice and warm. We parked our behinds in the sand away from the crowd. My brother laughed and said, “I didn’t know we were going on a safari” as we are trudging through the soft sugary beach sand with our arms loaded down with a  cooler, chairs, umbrella and towels. We enjoyed the afternoon soaking up the sun and listening to the waves. Chris and I found a few treasures and we all enjoyed a beautiful sunset. Chris said he could get used to this winter-birding life. Hahaha!

Brocato’s

Last up on our to-do list was lunch at Brocato’s. I also had a special request for my mom. Since I had recently seen where my dad lived and grew up in Springfield IL, I wanted my mom to take us by some of the areas where she grew up. She was happy to oblige.

We all piled in her car and enjoyed stories about her childhood, playing in Turkey Creek, Sunday’s at Grandma’s house and how my grandparents met. We drove by several schools and a couple of her houses, including the one where her mother passed just shy of her 37^th birthday. I would have loved to have met her. We ended the tour with a visit to the cemetery to say hey to Grandpa Flip, Grandma Hattie and Grandma Lois.  Heart.

It is now time to grab some lunch and Brocato’s is a must stop on our list. Last year when we were here my visit to Brocato’s left a bad taste in my mouth, literally and figuratively. After Covid they cut their menu down to just a few items and jacked up their prices. It also seemed to me that the deviled crabs were smaller. So, I was a little apprehensive about giving them my business this year. But Chris and Gary wanted to go, so we did and Mom was kind enough to treat!

I am happy to say, even though I feel the prices are still on the high side, the Cuban sandwiches and deviled crabs were superb! I’m wishing I had one right now.

Bo’s Ice Cream

What would be the cherry on top to end a very nice day? Ice cream at Bo’s. We have been getting ice cream from Bo’s for as long as I can remember. My Grandpa would treat us as kids and my parents would sometimes stop when we came down to visit. And we still return as adults. They make fabulous shakes and sundaes with their creamy soft-serve. Thanks again, Mom.

Pioneer Florida Museum and Village

The Pioneer Florida Museum and Village is a fascinating living history museum in Dade City. I was looking for something to do and this ad for a moonshine festival at the Pioneer Museum came up on my FB feed. Sounded like something we would enjoy.

What a great find this little village was! The village contains the old Trilby Train Depot, a citrus packing house, a general store, a log house from 1910 and many other buildings. Bill’s cousin Alan and his cousin Jimmy met us at the museum on this cold January Saturday. Like cold, I had my thermal shirt on along with a puffy fest, scarf and light gloves. We spent several hours walking around the village and learning about the Florida pioneers.

Citrus Packing Plant

My favorite buildings were the citrus packing plant, the 1900s log home and the general store. Walking through the packing plant brought back memories of us helping at my father in-law’s grove in Scottsmoor. It was a lot of hard work but we had a lot of good times picking, washing and packing the fruit to fill those Christmas orders. I really enjoyed those times.

Placed around the historic packing plant were some vintage signs advertising Florida Citrus. I absolutely adore these old signs and it probably explains why I HAD to purchase all the fabric from the first Florida Shop-Hop fabric line. Not sure what I will make with this fabric yet, but it will be special.

General Store

The general store contained a US Post Office as well as goods you might expect to find in the early 1900s. What was most fascinating to me was a non-electric slow cooker aka the first crock-pot. Stone disks were heated and placed on the bottom of the cylinder, then the pot was inserted and clamped down. I wonder how long it took to make a Mississippi Pot Roast in one of these?

WPA Project

As we were getting ready to leave we passed by an outhouse. No big deal, once you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all, right? Well, we peeked inside and this one was a little more than a hole cut out of a piece of wood. It had a very rustic commode and a concrete floor.

This outhouse is actually a replica of a WPA outhouse. During the depression the WPA was formed by President Roosevelt to put unemployed people to work. Imagine that, a program that paid the unemployed to work. Hmmm…. Anyway, the WPA built a total of 2,309,239 outhouses in rural areas across the US. The outhouses were sanitary and helped stop the spread of diseases.

Need a little trivia on T.P.? Before toilet paper was sold commercially people used what was available; corn husks, corn cobs, pages from Sears and Roebuck catalogs (my dad actually said he remembers using the catalog pages at his grandma’s) All is can say is, Ouch!

In 1857 flat sheets of toilet paper were introduced and in 1871, rolled and perforated paper was patented. Scott paper started selling toilet paper on a roll in 1879. But, the rural people were still using catalogs. In 1930 when Sears started printing their catalog on glossy paper they received a lot of complaints! LOL

The day went very quickly and we did not even get to walk through the museum. Another trip might be in order.

Chinsegut Hill Historic Site

Just outside my hometown is Chinsegut Hill. Located on top of one of Florida’s highest spots, at 269’, sits the historic home and preserve. The house that now sits on the property was built in the mid-1800s by the Ederington Family. In the late 1800s the Shaw family acquired it and used it to grow oranges. But hard freezes in the 1890s destroyed their citrus trees.

In 1904 the Robinson Family became the new owners of the plantation and named it Chinsegut Hill. The family was prominent in Brooksville. They advocated for women’s rights and also the poor. Chinsegut Hill also entertained several “celebrities” over the years: Helen Keller, JC Penney and even Thomas Edison were all house guests of the Robinson’s. Hmph… my old boss, JC Penney was once a guest in little ole Brooksville.

The farm was eventually deeded over to the federal government and the USDA established a camp for agricultural research. The house and preserve are now operated by the Tampa Bay History Center.

We enjoyed our leisurely stroll around the property. The azaleas, in full bloom, were nestled amongst the old oak trees. While we were walking around, I noticed a lady kneeling down to have her picture made and draped around her neck like a scarf was a bunch of Spanish moss from the oak trees. I told her that wasn’t a good idea since there are little bugs called chiggers living in the moss and they like to burrow in human skin. She took the moss off pretty quick.

If you feel like a drive out in the country, head out to explore Chinsegut Hill and the Lake Lindsey area. There is a winery close by and the countryside views make for a relaxing afternoon. If you are looking for a little more excitement, head north a little further into the Citrus Wildlife Management Area.

Citrus Wildlife Management Area

The Citrus Wildlife Management Area contains many hiking trails, horseback trails and… jeep trails. The sandy trail we chose led us out in the forest. It was a nice little trail, nothing too exciting until we rolled up on two jeeps and a ford ranger. Thinking they might need some help, we pulled over to talk to them.

What they needed help with was deciding if they should attempt this large muddy run with deep ruts and a large hole half-way down. My husband, of course, goes for it. No problem At the end is a huge mud pit that he just rolls right on through. Before we knew it a train of jeeps rolled up and we all spent a little time going up and down the muddy, bumpy run. Boys will be boys.

Wrap Up

Let’s see if I can wrap up the rest of our winter stay in Brooksville quickly. We visited the mermaids at Weeki Wachee Springs but STILL have not kayaked the river yet. We enjoyed a 20-mile bike ride on the Withlacoochee State Trail from Silver Lake up to Lake Townsen and back. Did some wine tasting at Sparacia Winery and Keel and Curley Winery.

Boondocking with Cousins in Lakeland and Oak Hill.

Lakeland

 We had a great time catching up with the Lakeland family. It was nice down time swinging and rocking while enjoying the cool breezes and good conversations.

I attended a cookie decorating party and had a really good time. I’ve always admired these beautifully decorated cookies but never thought I could do something like that. My talent lies in fiber, not painting or drawing. I gave it my best shot and was pleasantly surprised with the results. Not bad 😊 It was nice being included in this activity and having some “girl” time. Being on the road does not allow much for that. Thanks, Tami!

Strawberry Festival

Going to the Strawberry Festival in Plant City is becoming a tradition for us, I think. It really is a good venue to catch a concert at a reasonable price. This year we saw Josh Turner. He put on a terrific conert filled with hits, some humor and some gold ole gospel songs. I enjoyed it very much. Then, naturally, we had our strawberry shortcake, followed by corndogs and a strawberry shake. I exercised a little more will power this year doing WW and kept my treats to the shortcake and a corndog. Oh and fries… (sigh) We closed the night out with a ride on the ferris wheel. It was peaceful looking down on the fair from high in the sky.

Oak Hill

Ocoee Music Festival

Now it’s time to head over and see the family in Oak Hill, but first we stopped in Ocoee to see Chris Janson perform at the Ocoee Music Festival. I don’t know what I was doing, but I stumbled across this free concert in Ocoee with Chris Janson headlining. I found us a Harvest Host to spend the night and we enjoyed an evening along the lake listening to some country tunes. Chris Janson rocked it but check out this group called Chapel Hart. I love their answer to Dolly Parton’s Jolene. Here is a YouTube video from their AGT audition. Take a few minutes to watch it and see if you love them too! I think they are going to be big in the next few years. Their show was filled with a lot of energy and love.

Good Food and Good Times

More good times were had with the Oak Hill bunch and yes, more good food. We were treated to some delicious chicken and dumplings and a low country boil with shrimp caught the night before. Can’t get too much fresher than that! Bill and I decided we would host a “build your own pizza night” Bill made up the dough and everyone had a blast making their own pizzas. There is always good times and good food with this crew!

I also had the opportunity to work on a quilting project with Lucille. 30+ years ago I mentioned to Lucille that I would like to learn how to quilt. She came to Michigan, where we were living at the time, and together we pieced together a king sized quilt and she left it for me to hand quilt. That was a big undertaking, but I got it done many years later and it fueled my love for quilting. This week we worked on a block called the Cathedral Window.

Kayaking

Our last day in Florida was warm, sunny and windy; almost a perfect day. We decided to go ahead and take the kayak out despite the wind and paddle around the intercoastal a little bit. Braving the winds, we found a little beach on the backside of one of the islands where it was a little more calm. We got out, explored the island a little bit and played with Kona in the water.

On our way back in we decided to go up the nasty, muddy, yucky canal to say hi to Aunt Lucille and cousin Marilyn. As we were padding up the canal a gentleman called out to us and warned us about the manatees , said they’d flip our kayak right over. Really? He said, “Yep, and there are bout 30 of them up there”. Okay… We get on up there, said our Hi’s and then headed back out to the Intercoastal watching for manatees along the way.

At the end of the canal I spotted one coming up fro some air. About that very same time our kayak rocked and I thought Kona had jumped out. Nope a manatee was under us.  That raised the blood pressure a tiny bit. Okay, so a manatee will flip your kayak if you’re not careful. Anyway it was a lot of fun and some pretty good exercise.

Update on the Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt

Before I close out Florida I want to catch you up on my mystery quilt progress and write a little about my new quilting friends at Campers Holiday. Every Thursday for two months we met at the pavilion and worked on projects. I quickly discovered three other ladies were also making the BHMQ. There were all the same but a little different, such fun to compare our projects.

I am happy to report I was able to finish the quilt top. It was a lot of little pieces and parts but I got it done. Chilhowie is the name of the quilt and it was inspired by the bearded iris blooming near Chilhowie VA. I really like it and plan to use it in my spare bedroom when we settle back into a sticks and bricks. Until then, it is folded up nicely and put away.

If you are curious for the piece count, here you go: (I can’t give out exact #s at the request of Bonnie Hunter but this will give you a good idea)

One – 70+ 9 patches and 60+ 4 patches

Two – 90+ Purple/white/orange darts

Three – 120+ hourglasses

Four – 120+ half square triangles

Five – 1^st part of block construction

Six – 2^nd part of block construction

Seven (Reveal) – Boarders are added and quilt is done!

It was a lot of fun and A LOT of work. When I wasn’t doing things with my family, I was sewing. The weather was perfect for sitting outside and working on my projects and I LOVED IT! I blame the mystery quilt and the joy I found sewing outside for falling so far behind with my journaling. I am going to try and not let that happen again. LOL

What’s Next?

Okay, folks, that’s a wrap! Winter in Florida was wonderful but we must start heading north before the love bugs and humidity return. Charleston… the Class A Nomads are on our way!