Discovering Ozona

Who knew that the tiny village of Ozona existed?  GPS certainly doesn't know it exists!!  It took an article in our local paper to reveal its location and raise our curiosity to the point of making the hour and a half trip with three other couples to the Gulf Coast to discover this former fishing village tucked between Dunedin, Palm Harbor, and the Gulf of Mexico. Just a short distance away is one of the busiest roads on the west side of Florida, US 19 where lanes and lanes of cars whiz from one tourist location to another.

Two carloads of us decided to check it out.  And what fun we had visiting the little shops including a

huge antique shop with a very large "backyard" flea market sale going on that day.

 I'd been keeping my eye open for good items to put in gift baskets that our RV Club - MidFlorida Winnies - will put together in May to be used as door prizes at the big Florida State Rally.  In the antique shop I discovered a new still wrapped game similar to Monopoly but involved antique shopping something many RVers enjoy.  The price made it a real winner so it will now help fill a basket with a leisure time theme.

We enjoyed a wonderful fish lunch at Molly Goodheads

that sported these interesting decorations out front made by a local artist.

Two other couples checked out the Ozona Pig with its Southern style barbecued foods.  Both places were pronounced delicious.

A drive a couple of blocks toward the water and then along the street that parallels the gulf revealed gorgeous multimillion dollar homes yet we had just passed bungalows and run down shacks on the way.  What a variety!  But according to the real estate agent who also runs a little jewelry and gift shop in her office, it is hard to find anything for sale.  This is apparently a prize location loved by many.

The Largest RV Show In The USA

Yesterday we spent several fun hours at the Tampa RV Show which is billed as the largest in the country.  And large it is!!!!  A good many people take their RVs there, park and stay for the entire length of the show so they can not only take in all that is offered but enjoy 3 nights of great entertainment open only to those signed up for the full stay.  Many different RV clubs choose this as a point for a rally and are thus parked together in one of the areas around the outside edge.

Shortly after arriving we arrived at the Winnebago display where friends Dave and Donna Rumrill were manning a both encouraging owners to sign up for the WIT club, Florida State Rally, and WIT caravans and rallies.  We enjoyed visiting some of the new Winnebago models while waiting for their opportunity to go off duty.  Then we joined them and had lunch at a little restaurant sitting out on a dock on the tiny lake on the fairgrounds.

We enjoyed time seeing some of the other offerings at the show as well as chatting with friends spotted as we walked around.  When we stepped into a new Itasca we discovered a couple from our Mid Florida Winnies club making the final arrangements to purchase the motorhome. They were of course eager to show us all the special features that convinced them this was the model for them. We'll see it at our February gathering when they come ready to show it off to all the members present.

I had been in touch with Nick Russell, editor of the Gypsy Journal newspaper and writer of a daily blog we enjoy reading as well as many fiction and non fiction books.  It was my hope he would give us some of his newspapers to put in the goody bags we give out to all those who attend the Florida State Rally.  He not only agreed to give us 300 copies but also gave us four digital year long subscriptions to his newspaper that could be used as door prizes.  So we arranged to meet him at his motorhome in the vendor area (actually quite close to where the Rumrills were parked).  Dave and Donna joined us and in fact agreed to store the papers till our campout when they could be pass
ed along to our president and stored in his garage.

We had a delightful visit with Nick and his wife Terry, got to see all the interesting changes they've made inside to accommodate their needs for desks and shelving as well as Terry's love of weaving and hear a bit more about their 15 years of full timing.  I purchased one of his books that he autographed that we can also use for a rally basket gift.  Here we are with them outside their motorhome.

Birthdays

The new year barely begins and suddenly it is birthday time.  How could it be that another one has arrived when I just celebrated one not long ago.  Guess the older you get the quicker they seem to come.  Remember when you were young and you couldn't wait for the day and it seemed to take forever?  That was especially true if it was a "significant" one like turning 10 and being in the double digits, or being 16 so you could get a driver's license, or 21 so you could drink legally.  Somewhere along the way you reached a point where it wasn't so important anymore cause it just meant you were older and then there was that magic age when you could retire or receive Social Security.

Well, now I'm just grateful cause it means I'm still alive and enjoying life!!! There are still lots of new things to try, items to check off on my bucket list, friends to make, and experiences to share.
And that truly describes the last couple of days.  While my birthday was on Sunday, I've really "milked" that day and those around it for all it could offer :-)

Cards and calls have added joy to my life, three different bouquets of flowers have arrived adding beauty to our RV, lots of Facebook wishes have been posted, and friends have shared special moments making this just a wonderful week.

On Sunday, our choir director at church chose to include me in her birthday celebration (her birthday was the day after mine) by adding my name to hers on the birthday sheet cake she brought for coffee hour after the service.  What a surprise and how much fun to share the moment with her including having the choir sing happy birthday to both of us.

Good friends from Michigan, Bill and Elaine Patton, were heading to their place in Venice, Florida and called to arrange for us to meet them at the Cracker Barrel off I 75 for lunch after church.  So it was that we could enjoy a celebratory lunch with long time friends and catch up with all that has been happening in all of our lives before they continued on their way.

Our daughter Janet and her husband attended the playoff game between the Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions on Sunday and cheered herself almost hoarse trying to give me the gift of a Lion's win. Alas it didn't happen but the score was very close and the first half  really went well for the Lion's. It was fun reading all the text and fb messages flying between our kids as they rooted them on.  Even though we were in 5 different states, we were a family with one hope all watching the same thing. Isn't our communication system something that we could connect so easily and enjoy it together?

Then, today a whole gang of us (19) in all gathered at bd Mongolian in Lakeland to enjoy a stir fry lunch and celebrate not only mine but Jim Wilson's birthday.  People came from a variety of points in the area to share an afternoon of conversation and fun together.  Truly friends are best gifts ever.