A week flew by and we have hardly noticed. I can’t complain because the weather had been great since we arrived here in Florida. Yes, there was an evening shower a couple of days ago, but daytime temps have been in the lower 80ties, which is quite nice for this time of year.
Of course we have been to town to do some shopping and yes, Harbor Freight (A chain retail store for tools and equipment that we don't have in Canada) had a visit from Benno not only once, but twice. We needed to restock some of our food and as usual I visited several grocery stores in the area just so I could get my bearings, so to speak, of what kind of merchandise the stores carry and to compare prices. I am so glad we have two of the Aldi chain stores here (which we don't have in Canada). They stock a few of the German type foods that we appreciate and their prices are very reasonable.
A web search for a specific product for "Albatross" that Benno was looking for pointed us to a Home Depot in Crystal River, Florida. The city is known for being the manatee capital of the world and a National Wildlife Refuge. We had been there a few years ago to watch the manatees and plan another visit this winter. However, this trip was a short one and we also spotted a West Marine store on the main strip that we quickly browsed through. Before leaving I quickly snapped a few photos so you see the touristy side of the place.
Many RVers have Christmas decorations out and at night the various colorful lights and displays look very nice. An end unit RV on the opposite row I remember from previous years has a whole lot of displays. I include some photos.
What I really like are the lush vegetation here around the park and the Spanish Moss hanging from the Oak and Pine trees is evidence that it must be very humid here for most parts of the year.
And to close out today’s blog I have included a photo of a little pine branch for Nancy that fell from one of the pine trees in our park where whole grassy areas are covered in needles! While I took that photo a lady from our park drove up and asked me why I took that photo. I then explained what I had learned reading the post at “Kissack Adventures – Trying New Things” read here. Nancy, if I sweep the ground I could mail some to you, ha ha.
Thanks for dropping by again until my next post.
Sounds like you are settling in. Christmas will be here before you know it. I'm not one for the big blow ups but they are fun to see on everyone else's site. :)
ReplyDeleteNice picture of pine needles for Nancy. She'll appreciate that!
The big blow ups are only good if there is no wind. Guess it works for these folks. There are pine trees left and right on the roads here. Nancy would be in heaven!
DeleteNow, that is funny! We have a full forest of pine needles up here for Nancy, just think of the baskets she could weave!
ReplyDeleteSo all along you had those treasured pine trees right outside your house. Guess when you look at them you could picture lots of weaved baskets.
DeleteThose are PERFECT! The ones I purchased for this project came from Florida!! Maybe I can sneak into Jim and Barb's back yard for a trash bag or two. That sure is beautiful country, and I love everyone has their Christmas decorations up. Thanks for thinking of me!!!!!
ReplyDeleteNancy now there is a reason to take a trip to get those pine needles. We appreciate when people take the effort at this time of year to make their surroundings festive.
DeleteI watched a youtube video of a young lady explaining how to make a pine needle basket this summer when we were in Colo and told myself that when we were back in FL I would gather some needles up and give it a try. Fun but frustrating like Nancy says. The park looks festive and great shots of the Crystal River area. Benno never met a Harbor Freight he didn't like, lol.
ReplyDeleteI bet you have already enough projects on the go and ideas for more crafts to do even without the pine needles. Yep, Harbor Freight is like a magnet for Benno.
DeleteYeah I can comment today. So fun walking about looking at others decorations. I really liked doing that in Kelowna last winter when we had to stay home. Here in Mexico we put up tiny with lights and then add some Christmas hanging ornaments. Lovely that you have so many stores to visit with lots of choices.
ReplyDeleteGlad the comments worked again and appreciate the effort. There must be nice Christmas decorations in Mexico, which would look different than what we do over here. Well, if anyone wants to shop, there are plenty of opportunities here.
DeleteLooks like you are in a wonderful place. The stores/shops look inviting especially the Tea House. Nice to see places decorated for Christmas and the temperatures are not bad either.
ReplyDeleteIt is funny but Tom and I had never heard of Harbor Freight until our Canadian friends started talking about it. We thought it was a Canadian store...lol
Next time we are in that area I will take the time to visit some of the stores to look at their merchandise. Harbour Freight I thought was known by all guys. In Canada we have "Canadian Tire" which also sell tires, but soooo much more so it is loved by the whole family to shop.
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