Back at the Beach and Shocking Shopping

Wednesday February 4 and Thursday February 5, 2015
Koreshan State Historic Site
Estero, Florida

 

Let me start this post with an answer to a question Judy asked about mosquitoes in the places we’ve been.  We did see a few mosquitoes at Highlands Hammock but nothing much.  Here in Koreshan and at Oscar Scherer we haven’t had any problem.  Winter seems to be the best no mosquito season in Florida.

 

Wednesday, February 4th

Another one of THOSE problems recurs.  When we arrive here on Monday and level up, everything is fine. But by this morning we notice that we are not as level as we were.  The back has sunk.  David goes out to look and our passenger side rear jack has retracted an inch or so.  We re-level.  When he checks an hour later it has snuck up again.  Luckily this site is asphalt and not terribly sloped so things aren’t too bad  with only 3 jacks but we call HWH.   Of course you can’t get a technician, they have to call you back.

 

 

We figure they can call us at the beach just as well.  Or at least we hope we have enough of a signal and if history is any authority, they won’t call until after 5pm anyway.  Off we go to Delnor Wiggins State Park for a day at the beach.  It was predicted to be a high of 78 and I’m pretty sure it makes it.  

Since the local beaches in Naples and Fort Myers all charge $2 an hour to park, we thought it would possibly be less crowded and nicer to just go to either Lover’s Key State Park or Delnor Wiggins.  The latter is closer, so that’s where we go.  My notes from our last time here said this was the beach we preferred.

$6 entry fee for the day.  Same cost for 2 people as for 8.  That seems rather unfair but I guess their thought is, a car is a car.  We park in parking area 3 out of 4 in an effort to be somewhat mid way between the high rises.  We pass two sandwich boards at the edge of the walkway to the beach.  One side advertises the rentals – paddle boards, kayaks, chairs, umbrellas  the other advertises the food.

 

 

 

 

The walkway boardwalk first takes us to the very nice shaded picnic area at the rear of the beach.  These must be coveted spots in the summer when the heat is blazing.   

 

 

 

At the edge of the beach are loaner children’s life jackets.   I’ve never seen this before but it’s an excellent idea.  I hope people do return them and not just consider them “free”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We stake out our spot and in a fairly short time discover that the sun is seriously acting like summer so David goes back to the car and gets the sportbrella.    Next comes our mistake of the day.  Not getting the sportbrella, but setting everything up without just hanging out a bit to check out the neighbors given the narrowness of the beach.

 

 

 

 

 

Turns out the neighbors just to our right and behind are big talkers and big smokers. That’s them just beyond David’s knee. 

But the shore has filled up and there now isn’t much of a place to move to.  So we stay.   Well David stays.   I go out into the water and find it REALLY COLD so I don’t go in, I just walk in a bit.  It cools me down.  I come back to try to read.   Smoking continues.  I know it’s outdoors but the wind seems to be coming our way unfortunately and there are several of smokers so it seems pretty constant..

 

I’m actually gritting my teeth here waiting for my feet to warm up.

 

 

Ok that’s enough, I’m cooled off.

 

Back to reading.  This is a great book on the importance of darkness in our lives.  Darkness as in after sunset with no artificial lights outdoors.  I picked it up at one of the National Parks on the Starry Starry Night Tour this summer.

 

 

 

 

 

We go for a walk down the beach to the state park sign and back.  When we return, clouds have rolled in and the sun has gone behind them so the umbrella isn’t as necessary. With the absence of the sun, things have thinned out so I can take my chair and move it far enough down the beach that I can’t hear or smell them.   Much nicer. I stop coughing.

 

 

 

 

 

We stay until about 4:30 and by then the smokers have left.  It’s wonderful here now with so many of the people gone.  I’d love to stay for sunset but we aren’t really prepared.  We brought lunch but that was a long time ago and we’re hungry.  The clouds are thickening up.  Rain is predicted for tonight.

We return to Winnona where HWH does call and diagnoses that we need a new solenoid to fix the problem.  Sounds reasonable except for the fact that we had replaced this one in January of 2012.  That’s just 3 years before failure for a jack solenoid?  We find out they only have a 1 year guarantee and HWH will be happy to ship one off to us for a mere $180 plus shipping.  It is supposed to cheer us up that if we return the old one they will give us a $50 rebate.  Thank goodness David can do this repair since it would be over $100 in labor to get someone else to do it.  So for now we are sitting on 3 jacks.   Anyone else had jack or slide hydraulic problems fairly repeatedly?  

After dinner David uses the second no oil pie crust we made for the infamous banana strawberry pie to make another pie.  The crust is actually very good.  He alters the recipe and uses blueberries.  It’s definitely much better with his alterations but we still aren’t that much for frozen pies.

So once this one is gone in slivers for me and pieces for him, that’s it for this vegan pie recipe!

 

Unhappily all those clouds which rolled in covered up the moon tonight.  Not a trace of it so my plan to go over to the settlement is thwarted again.  Those clouds bring rain all night long.  Heavy rain.

 

 

Thursday, February 5th

 

The rain lasts into the morning and spits most of the day.  What to do on a cloudy rainy day?   Seems like a lot of people consider those the days to go shopping.  We didn’t know when we came here last time that this area is a big outlet mall draw. 

The shopping isn’t actually shocking it’s just shocking that I’m shopping.  I avoid it at nearly all costs.   Those of you who know me know I am seriously not a shopper, not even in the grocery store,  but I have been wanting to go to the Columbia Outlet to look for some light weight hiking/kayaking shirts so we decide today is the day.

 

On our way over in Ruby, another one of our continuing problems reminds us.  The clutch has to be put all the way to the floor to shift into first.  Sounds like the reservoir needs to be filled again.  We are hoping we can keep it going until we get up near Tampa to a mechanic we trust.  Like the solenoid which didn’t last as long as it should have in my opinion, we just had the master cylinder replaced back in October.  What is this with junk for parts these days??

 

 

 

When we arrive, the acres of parking is packed.  I’m surprised then when we get to the actually fairly attractive mall, that it is apparently big enough to accommodate all the people since it doesn’t seem overly crowded.

For me the Columbia Outlet trip would have been a one hour venture but of course David has other stores he wants to look at.  I tag along for as long as I can manage and then use the exit strategy that works best, I suggest it’s time to go home and eat.   It works!

On the way out I just have to take a shot of this example of what young women are doing to their feet these days. It’s like walking around constantly in toe shoes.   I’m betting they will have hip, knee and ankle problems when they are my age and wonder why.

 

 

 

 

On the way home, we stop at Mother Earth Natural Foods to pick up some chia seeds I need for a tortilla soup I’m going to make tonight for dinner tomorrow.  We park in front of the store next door and I have to post this new to me enterprise.  Have you seen anything like Paw-radise?

 

 

 

Don’t think David’s going to find chocolate chip cookies or chocolate croissants in this bakery.

 

We have vegan burgers, big salads and broccoli for dinner and then make some delicious home made potato chips for dessert.   YUM!!   We call them Small Batch Hand Crafted Vegan Lightly Salted No Oil Potato Chips.   We both agree they are better than any chips we’ve ever had. 

 

Tomorrow I hope we can do the tour of the settlement in the morning and a paddle on the river in the afternoon as our last outing before the week-end sequester.  <grin>.   Way better than shopping!!