Sunday, May 8, Salt Springs Florida – Our week has been filled with travel and sightseeing. Monday was our last full day at Abita Springs and we capped it off with a drive in the countryside where we were impressed with the many beautiful homes and plantation like settings. In my lowly opinion, no one should discount the beauty of the country and lifestyle that the people of the South enjoy.

We were told that the surrounding area of Abita Springs is one of the wealthiest parishes in Louisiana and much of it is “old money”. The countryside was inviting, the homes beautiful and a visit there brought forth all of my basic yearnings for a beautiful mansion located on a hill overlooking a valley of green grass, shaded by magnolias and pine trees. Maybe in another lifetime? Ken insisted that we should visit a local family museum in Abita Springs which was interesting and seemingly included all of the items that a family garners over a lifetime.

Tuesday we drove into Mobile, Alabama where we visited Battlefield Park and the battleship, USS Alabama and the submarine USS Drum. We explored both the Alabama and the Drum and were awed by the complexity of life aboard ship as well as the lack of privacy and tight quarters from which “wars are fought”. Many years ago Ken was a guest aboard the USS Redfish which he found similar to the Drum in its quarters and technical capacity. As a first time visitor to “life in a sub” or on a battleship, I was duly impressed. Anyone who takes for granted the great role that is played by our servicemen and women in preserving our freedom, suffers from lack of first hand knowledge of life aboard ship or on a military base. Our servicemen and women sacrifice their own personal freedom and privacy to preserve our freedom and we owe them a great debt of gratitude.

Wednesday, we drove to Fort Walton Beach where our dentist and good friend, Dr. Roy has purchased a house on the Gulf and is relocating. We stopped by to see his purchase and were duly impressed with his grand seaside home. The rear of the residence looks out upon the Gulf and the front faces the tennis courts located across the street. On days when fishing is not on his agenda, he can choose from a round of tennis or 18 holes of golf on the links of the adjacent golf course. I was startled as I walked around to the rear of the house by a fox which apparently lives in his front yard. I am not sure which of us was most startled, the fox or I, as it ran across the road and toward the golf course. Dr. Roy is moving to this residence within the next month or so and I am sure that the fox will be seeking alternative residence.

Thursday, we checked into the Spirit of the Suwannee RV Park on the Suwannee River from which we toured the Stephen Foster Museum and enjoyed the “spirit” as they put it here. We were too early to enjoy the music and the folklore of the special weekend attractions that begin later this month. At least, we beat the crowds which have been prevalent everywhere we go. We found it interesting that the State of Florida has invested millions in building a tribute to Stephen Foster and his great folk music when in fact, there is no evidence that Stephen Foster ever visited the Suwannee River or the State of Florida. We were moved to invest in a CD with renditions of Foster’s songs and ballads and came away feeling the spirit, as we listened to the renditions of his beautiful music.

Saturday morning we moved onward into Salt Springs, a lovely park next to a good sized lake with all of the amenities (except Verizon cell phone service) that are, in my opinion, required to qualify as a Gwelda park. The RV sites are grassy, shaded by numerous beautiful magnolia and oak trees, with a large club house, two pools (an adult and a “kiddy” pool) two restaurants and wifi that can sometimes be accessed from our coach. We have found that most of the wireless network systems are intermittent for reliability but at the club house, it is high speed and reliable. The park operates as a RV resort as well as a large percentage of the sites are privately owned and used either as second homes or as recreational enjoyment of the lake. Water skiing and fishing seem in vogue.

Wednesday we will move on into Orlando where Terri and our friend Helen will join us for the drive to Ft Lauderdale where we will leave the coach for the week that we are in Key West. Next week, the 15th, I will post from Key West provided access to the web is available.

Until then, have a good week, stay well and be happy!