Wintering in Florida (again)

  This post finds me writing from the lower level of brother, Ed, and sister-in-law, Pat's home, just South of Miami. It's already February 2014, and the harsh winter up north is very much in fifth gear while we are living in unusually warm and humid conditions. Just proves the full-time RV'er credo that there's no such thing as perfect weather...anywhere, but we can try to move towards it and maybe get close! Anyway, we're not complaining since we get to have an extended visit and the weather surely could be much worse! Meantime, H2 may as well be a bear because he's hibernating, pulled up about a mile from us at friends Jim and Dee's house. They installed a 30 amp power outlet just for us, and H2's sitting inside the fenced area of their yard. This is giving me time to do some modifications and adjustments that are not easily done while we're rolling, like replacing the original flat screen tv with a larger, more upscale model (and a totally new sound system too!).


Mazzaro's Coffee Bar/St. Petersburg

 To catch up to the present, we have to go back to just before we rolled in to Miami in mid December of 2013. We did actually hit a cool, new foodie place in St. Petersburg that everybody should make a trip to,  Mazzaro's Italian Market http://www.mazzarosmarket.com/  . This is no ordinary little operation. It takes roughly a city block, comprised of various scattered buildings. There's the main market which houses the bakery, meat and seafood, grocery section, coffee bar, and wine area. There are prepared foods and delicacies and just a wonderful selection of stuff to munch on. In another building, there's a new gourmet cooking store. There are lots of good eating choices in Tampa and St. Pete, and we've added this one to the list.
  Next we rolled down to Ft. Myers and Naples and boondocked at Camping World. They even provided us with 30 amp power and a cozy space for the night, while we checked things out in town. Our find here is a chain!! OMG! Marty and Mary Ann eating at a chain restaurant? Yep, it can and does occasionally happen when all signs are aligned properly. This time they were, and we're glad we sought the place out. Name? Pizza Fusion http://pizzafusion.com/company, and they have locations in Florida, N. Carolina, Ohio, New Jersey, Colorado, and oh right...Saudi Arabia (guess the Saudis like eating healthy too!). Healthy? Pizza? You ask, "How can that be?" They use mostly organic ingredients, serve beautiful pies on big, rectangular white china (at least the one in Ft. Myers does), and have a short, but great wine list too. We had a terrific meal there and now are looking forward to visiting the next one in Miami Beach. Hope it's as good as the one in Ft. Myers. If you see one of these in your travels, this one comes highly recommended.


Midway Campground in The Everglades

  Ok, we're dead heading now for Miami, except for a last night on the road for awhile. This last stop is very nearby, right in The Everglades. We stayed along the Tamiami Trail, which, when you're in Miami turns into SW 8th Street (or more familiar to locals, Calle Ocho). This street has for years been known as the heart of Miami's large Cuban community. Before you get to that hustling part though, you couldn't be in a more different environment if you tried...The Everglades! We spent the night at Midway Campground, just about 35 miles west of the Miccosukee Resort & Gaming Casino and the very Western edge of the City of Miami. One night of listening to nothing but chirping frogs, night birds calls, and maybe even an alligator grunt (hopefully off in the distance?) before we gear up for big city life once again. We slept well, and the next morning we spent some time emptying all tanks and finalizing our planned short hop to Dee and Jimmy's, where H2 remains in "dry dock" for a good part of the winter. And here we remain until we pull out and begin the long trek back up the Florida Peninsula as the weather starts warming up a bit, and we look for new places to explore.