Sunny Times in the Sunshine State

Monday, September 20, we packed up in the rain and drove

farther south to Wildwood, Florida.  It was warm and sunny when we

arrived, and we were set up quickly.  Strangely enough, we weren’t

very tired from our travels, so we went a few minutes down the road

to The Villages.  The Villages was a super cool place, like a gated

community, but with stores, restaurants, and everything else you

would need.  All the residents drove golf carts around instead of

cars, and at night when everyone was in town, dozens of golf carts

would be parked at the curb.  We went to dinner at a fancy Italian

restaurant, where Mia and I got to make our own pizza.  The waiter

brought toppings and trays of pizza dough to the table and we

stretched out the dough (I had a bit of trouble with this part: the

dough was super elastic and absolutely refused to stay stretched out),

then we got to spread on the sauce and toppings.  The pizza was

delicious, and I made it just the way I like it, with a thick crust.

  Then we went and danced to the live band playing in the square.  We

had such a fun time that we went back to The Villages again another

night. 

Mia and I went swimming a few times during our stay in

Wildwood, and it felt super refreshing after the Florida heat. We also

got to visit friends that live in Florida.  They are preparing to

start RV-ing as well, and we are all looking forward to when we get to

spend time together as we’re traveling across the country!  Mia and I

always have a blast playing with them, and it was great to see each

other after months of being apart.

My mom signed us up for horseback riding lessons in Ocala,

Florida, which is hailed as the horse capital of the world.  I have

ridden a horse only once before, and it is the coolest experience:

much more fun than riding in a car, although it does hurt after you’ve

been sitting in a saddle for a while.  The trainers were really nice

and good at what they do, and Mia and I got to trot our horses.  When

you’re riding, there is a lot to think about at once, but once you get

the hang of it, there’s nothing more fun.  After our lesson, we went

to Silver Springs and kayaked. It was breathtaking, and so calm--

until we saw the alligator. It didn't bother us, but I was still

pretty scared.

Rinsing off my horse, Prince

               Mia and I riding in the ring 

                    

On Tuesday we went to Clearwater Beach. It was a really nice beach and there was a lot to do. Mia and I went to a marine aquarium and saw diamondback turtles, seahorses, and lionfish. I got to touch a sea urchin and a starfish, which I’ve never done before. There were also several microscopic displays, and it was so amazing to think of all the things that we can’t see, but are in the environment around us.  We ate lunch at an outdoor pizza parlor, then walked back to the truck and drove to Weeden Island Preserve, where we saw lots of unique animals and plants, like red mangrove trees, which help prevent erosion, and mullet, which jump out of the water (although the reason for this is unknown, it’s still really cool to see).  That night, we went to Clearwater Beach, where the sand is super soft and the water is, as the name suggests, clear.  We stayed until late, looking around in shops, and planned to go back on Friday to enjoy the beach more. 

       Dolphin near the shore

            Lunch at Clearwater Beach 

These giant spiders had multiple webs over the paths, Mia was freaked out and I was a mix of scared and                             intrigued

  The sunset was beautiful

Friday was a designated beach day, and the weather was

perfect for it.  Sadly the waves were almost nonexistent, so Mia and

I couldn’t ride our body boards, but we still had a fun time playing

in the ocean.  Later in the afternoon, we went back to Phoenix to eat

the dinner we’d packed from home and change.  Then we walked around

downtown Clearwater Beach.  There were all kinds of things to see; on

land there were street performers, on the beach there were people

surfing in the small waves near shore, and on the pier there were

stalls of jewelry, nightlights, and more.  There were two weddings

taking place on the beach that night, and the sunset was gorgeous. 

And before we left, we saw dolphins not far from shore, playing with

one another. So naturally, there was a rush for pictures. 

 My mom shot a perfect picture of a ship in front of the sunset. 

While in Wildwood, there have been several list completions,

not to mention a big list decision on my part.  I have loved

completing list items so much, and there were many things I wished

I’d put on my list, so I made a second 50 Things to Accomplish While

Rving list. A few of its listings are: Go to Mount Rushmore, Ride an electric scooter or bike, and Do something dangerous.  On my new list I’ve already completed Have a picnic on the beach. On my first list I’ve checked off Go kayaking and Ride a horse.  Mia has done Wear my shoes on the wrong feet outside and, one night as we were riding our bikes back from the rec center,

she saw a man walking his cat; so she checked off See an RV kitty again. 

                                                                    One of my 7 flower pictures

                                               Another of my flower pictures, taken at Clearwater Beach 

Wildwood was a fun stay, and we had some really memorable

times. But on Monday it was time to move on, so we drove to KissimmeeFlorida, and on the way got our tires changed.  It was a short drive

down, and everything went smoothly.  We have some fun things in the

upcoming week, which I’ll write about in the next post!