Glamping Days

I'm camping 2 nights in a pasture populated with cows & sheep.  Being Easter Sunday, it was a special treat to go to church with my cousin, & then join her friends for a family Easter dinner. We followed that up with a walk in a park (with flowers blooming), & a barbecue dinner. 

Today's drive was about 400 miles to Charleston, SC. I'm getting too old for these long drives; I need a chauffeur. ☺ No new pics from today, so here are a few from the last few days, which didn't fit into other posts.  This panther was at the entrance to the Collier-Seminole State Park, near Naples.  The Christmas RV Park near Orlando is in a town called Christmas; this theme is strongly embraced.      There are bison & more beautiful spring flowers in & beside the campground.            Love roadside kitsch like this ice cream stand.         

Spent a good chunk of today with my cousins near Orlando. They took me on an airboat tour this morning, & a hike through a wetland area this afternoon. Both were fantastic.  On the airboat tour... ...we saw many alligators (up to 14 in one little area)... ...cows grazing, an eagle, many other birds...             ...& a beautiful cypress swamp. At the wetland, there was an amazing variety of birds... ...flowers, & an area of palm forest.                                 The pics don't do any of this justice.

My trailer spent the last 2 nights in Collier-Seminole State Park near Naples. It's located in the Big Cypress Swamp.                                           I stayed 2 nights & a day with my cousins, who have a beautiful home, & an especially lovely yard.                          Today, I drove to the Orlando area. 

I visited with cousins in Naples today, & we toured the Naples Botanical Garden.  There were lovely water features...             ...many fabulous orchids...                         ...this palm with above-ground roots... ...& this whimsical statue. Each animal had a fun detail, like a bee on the bear's nose, & a koala in the kangaroo's pouch.   

The title pretty well says it all. Arrived in Naples, set up the trailer at a state park, & then went to my cousins' house, where I'll visit tomorrow. It's pretty hot & humid here, but lovely. 

Spent today with "trailer friends" in Lake City, FL. They have the same brand of trailer as mine, & we met at a couple of rallies. They spent a lot of time with me a couple of years ago showing me their trailer, & helping me get comfortable with the decision to purchase an Escape. They completely spoiled me today! Have "mooch-docked" at their place last night & tonight; boon-docking is camping in the boonies (not in a campground), while mooch-docking is camping at someone's house (mooching).

Spent the last 2 nights at Blackwater River State Park in the Florida panhandle. While the river water really is black, there are sand "beaches" along the shore. The adjacent forest has quite a few swamp areas. The state parks in FL are quite nice & heavily used.             

Spent most of the day with long-time friends from Pittsburgh who now live near Destin, FL. Their home & neighborhood are fantastic. We had a lovely lunch overlooking the Gulf, & a leisurely exploration of the stretch of the Emerald Coast from Destin to Rosemary Beach. The communities are all different, & the beaches are impossibly beautiful. I'm truly blessed.

Left Pensacola Beach this am. First took a pic of the beach (on the Bay) & tiki bar at the campground/RV resort I stayed at last night. Next pic is looking along the beach in the opposite direction. And last one is an unusual abode I stumbled on when exploring a couple of residential areas.                                                      A stretch of the beach is part of the Gulf Shores National Seashore. The water is a beautiful green color. It was especially gray looking back over the Bay.                Lovin' the spring blooms.