Saying Goodbye To Florida

We can't believe we have come to the end of our 3 month stay in Fort Myers. We don't know where the time goes but looking back on my January/February calendar, we were doing something every day. It would put you to sleep if I went into detail about everything we have done in Florida. Here is a brief list so you can get an idea of how we have spent our time here. Kathy was able to join us for a week. The weather was on the cool side but we still managed to have lots of fun. At the end of January I went to Los Angeles to the Craft and Hobby Association trade show. This is the second time I have been lucky enough to join my friend, Sharon, at this show. It is a dream come true for me and I hope to make it an annual event. When I got back we drove to Key West. The Keys have a margaritaville atmosphere full of bars, restaurants and galleries. We went back through downtown Miami and saw some of the beautiful art deco architecture. The Capitals were playing the Panthers that night so we stayed for the game. It was a chance to see Ovechkin play. On the drive back we stopped at the Everglades National Park and got some great pictures. One of the highlights was our jetski tour in Estero Bay. We were able to get close to some dolphins. The boys would probably say the highlight was getting the machines up to 45 mph and getting lots of air. It was great fun. One Sunday afternoon we watched a trick waterski club at a small lake near an outlet mall. They were a very talented group and it gave us a chance to experiment with our cameras. Our last night in Fort Myers we spent at the opening game for the Minnesota Twins spring league season. Is there anything better than having a beer on a beautiful warm night while you watch baseball? The weather the last few weeks has been fantastic with temperatures in the 80's (high 20's in C)every day. So we have spent lots of time at the beach, reading and collecting shells. Darcy and Trevor played golf at least 3 times a week while Brenda and I took lots of exercise classes. We decided to see as many of the Academy Awards nominated movies and found the best theatre ever in Naples. First you get a glass of wine or a beer and then enjoy the movie while sitting in seats that look like Lazy Boys. Is there anything more civilized? Are you asleep yet? I hope I didn't bore you. It is just that we have been having such a great time and much of that is because of our friends, Trevor and Brenda. All of us have had so much fun, we are planning a Panama Canal cruise with them in September. Tomorrow we will be in New Orleans and are hoping to eat lots of good food and hear some good music. Then, after stops in San Antonio, El Paso, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Palm Springs, San Fransisco, Vancouver and Oliver, we will back in Calgary on March 27 so Darcy can get to work on tax returns.