Florida, February 22 - 28

   We came home from Lake Worth, stayed a few days in Lake Worth and then left to spend a day and a night with Denise and Jack in Fort Lauderdale. Denise, Mark and I binged on 4 episodes of Downton Abbey. We watched two on the day we got there and then two the next morning before we left to head back to Vero.
     We took a nice beach walk with Denise the first day we were there. That evening we went to a Greek restaurant walking distance from their condo, called Thasos. Maureen and Dick joined us. A good time was had by all. The next morning we had all hoped to go in Jack's new boat up the inland waterway for a few hours, but it was far too windy, so we cancelled. (Hence - two more episodes of Downton.) Before we left, we had a lovely lunch with Denise and Jack at their condo restaurant by the pool.
     

L'Hermitage, Denise and Jack's condo

Mark and Denise, beach walk

Denise and Mark, beach walk

Maureen, Dick, Mark

Mark, Jack, Denise

  We got a nice message from Willy in Massachusetts on the progress of their Maine house. It is very exciting, so I am posting two photos here.

Maine House going up. This is a view of the back.

Maine House going up. View of the front toward the water.

We had a lovely day with Diane and Bob, but....did not take any photos! Darn! We went to see As You Like It from the National Theatre live from London. (It was at the Majestic Theater in Vero.) We really liked the production - the acting was stupendous and the set interesting. The entire set from the first act (set in an office) was lifted by chains to the ceiling for the rest of the play, making an eerie, dark set that was used as a forest. Intriguing. Then, we went to Toojay's Deli for dinner. A nice day.
   On the 26th, we left Cal and Alice and drove to Clearwater Beach to visit Ted and Bev in their condo. Michael and Nancy are also here, which is nice. We had a lovely walk on the beach although it was chilly and windy. The sand is extremely fine and soft.

Michael, Ted, Nancy, Bev, Me: Clearwater Beach

Bev at the Beach

Nancy, Ted, Bev, Michael, Me

Mark and I at Clearwater Beach

And....I had yet another birthday dinner! And, it was yummy! We all watched President Obama's last musical gathering at the White House. It was a wonderful tribute to Ray Charles.
   Michael and Nancy left on the 27th to go visit Nancy's brother, Bob. Ted, Bev, Mark and I went to Moccasin Lake Wildlife Preserve for a walk. They rehabilitate wounded animals, mostly birds. Beverly and Elvis, a black vulture mimicked each other in a way we have never seen before. We also saw yellow crowned night herons, ibis, egrets, yellow-rumped warblers, limpkins.

Barred Owl, blind in one eye

Beverly and Elvis seeing eye to eye

  Then, off to Columbia for tapas dinner and to the beach for the sunset.

Mark, Bev, Ted at Columbia's

One of our last sunsets in Florida.

  February 28 - left Clearwater Beach nice and early and drove to Chipley, Florida. We crossed our first time zone on this trip and have begun our westward trek!