Home Again

I arrived back in Janesville April 28 (Tuesday) about 3:30 p.m. local time. Figured I should close out this blog series for my "Winter in Fort Myers."

Except for the last couple of weeks, the winter in Fort Myers was, in a word, FANTASTIC! I enjoyed myself very much. Lots of new experiences, and great fun enjoying old experiences over again. I felt much more "social" this time around, having connected with two different "meetup" groups, and having a met a very nice woman by the name of Nora through "ourtime" which resulted in several pleasant outings. Meeting new people certainly expanded my horizons and knowledge of local venues.

I would be hard-pressed to name a favorite activity, but certainly the Royal Caribbean cruise, the week with Dawn, the little side trip to St. Pete, and the Everglades adventure were right up there. Fort Myers Beach, Sanibel Island, the Lakes Park farmer's market, Big M floating casino (all told, won $475 at the table games there during my visit), and the Fleamaster flea market remain as favorites.

I took ill about April 15 right after returning from a second trip to St. Pete where I visited with friends. And from that point to April 26 when I left, I was pretty much miserable the whole time. Since I last blogged on April 21, I continued to nurse my cold, and didn't go out much at all. I tried to eat as much as I could of what remained in the fridge, freezer, and cupboards to minimize waste, and would supplement that a few times with some food out when I absolutely did not feel like cooking. Thank goodness for Mel's Diner, which is big on comfort food. Their chicken noodle soup is homemade and I swear is as good for a cold as penicillin. I also had a roast turkey dinner there one night, which was really the first solid food I'd had in a couple of days. It literally brought a tear to my eye.

My feeling crappy was also not helped by the fact that the weather in Fort Myers during the last couple of weeks turned unseasonably hot and humid; even to the point where the locals were complaining. I really could not enjoy the lanai room, and going outside anytime in general was like getting hit in face with a hot, wet sock.

I did go out on Thursday April 23 to buy a new Smart Phone because the old one was starting to act weird, and I absolutely need a reliable cell phone, especially for the upcoming trip home. It's another Samsung, this time a "Galaxy Prevail" operating on the Android system, with even more features that I don't understand or use, but it has larger screen, better camera, and bigger buttons. With tax, it came to $149. I am staying with the same carrier, which is the "Boost" network, which gives me unlimited talk time and data for $40/month plus tax.

I did make it to the flea market (Fleamasters) one last time on Friday April 24. I was in search of a watch band (which I did not find) and a clear cover for the screen on the new phone (which I did find) and I had a chance to say goodbye to my book buddy ("Chris the Book Guy") who provided me with many pleasurable hours of reading, in addition to the 1st edition copy of Sanibel Flats. I figured I read a least a dozen books while down here, which is a pleasure I don't get to indulge in as often as I'd like when I'm in Wisconsin. I also stopped one last time at Sun Harvest Citrus, because the first crop of Florida peaches were in, and I bought four of them. They were delicious ... sweet and juicy and taste like a peach should taste, as opposed to those mealy, tasteless shot puts we get  in Wisconsin. God, I am going to miss the delicious produce here.

But for those minor complaints about feeling lousy the last couple of weeks, I had a truly wonderful time. I renewed the lease on the apartment, so I'm all set for next winter and I'm sure the sunny warm temps will be welcome as the cold winds of November start blowing here in Wisconsin.

I left Fort Myers on Sunday April 26 at about 7:30 a.m. with a fairly light load in the Prius (compared to what I had come down with, because I wasn't hauling a big screen TV with me, nor the inflatable bed, which I left at the apartment). Made it to Macon, Ga., about 4:30 with a couple of quick stops for lunch, and for $30 worth of pecans at Adcock Pecans in Tifton, Ga. Abby was a wonderful traveler, sleeping through most of the drive. Dinner was at a place called "JL's Open Pit BBQ" next to the motel (Day's Inn ... very adequate), and I felt compelled to write a review of them on Trip Advisor (click on the link if you're interested in reading; my review is the one titled "I Demand a Recount!). Bottom line, the ribs were just so-so, but for $13.99 for AYCE pork ribs, I certainly couldn't complain about the price.

Monday night was spent in Paducah, Ky., at another Day's Inn. Played it more conservative for dinner that night and simply ate at "Steak and Shake" and enjoyed some of my candied pecans back at the motel. The next morning I had breakfast at Cracker Barrel because I didn't want another carb explosion at the motel's breakfast bar. Arrived Janesville as stated earlier. Mileage 1,436 door to door, and the Prius averaged 53 miles per gallon by keeping the speed at around 65 mph.

No regrets on the trip. I think this is going to be the "plan," at least for the foreseeable future. I did notice my body complained more with general aches and pains. Bicycle rides seemed more difficult; I definitely bicycled less and drove more. I also didn't visit Planet Fitness nearly as often as I had hoped to. Had thought I might lose a little weight while I was down there, but the best I managed to do was to maintain my present weight, which I still consider a "win," what with all the delicious food down there. If I had stuck around here during the winter, I have little doubt I would have put on 10 pounds. At least in Florida, I did engage in some exercising and bicycling, even though it wasn't as much as I had hoped to do.

So that closes the books on another winter in Florida. I hope you have enjoyed reading my blog!

Bruce