Left Lake Helen after a great breakfast and a rousing game of buttons(cards),before noon, before we drove 50 miles south, the temp read 80 degrees, drove on New Smyrna Beach for a short bit, then down HWY #1 to Sebastian Inlet, found a county campground, settled in, changed into bathing suits ,then the Sun went behind some clouds,people next to us were very friendly, turns out they a real Floridians from Orlando, they both lived there before Walt Disney arrived.  We ended up around their campfire, then they insisted we join them for Blue Cheese burgers ,and Budweiser!  He was an avid hunter,so the stories were many, he hunts in Alabama, mostly,while we are talking a buddy phoned from his property in Alabama to brag he shot a deer, the biggest yet on the property!

Still relaxing in Lake Helen , shopping, had to take the truck to the Ford dealer, my window wouldn't go down.  Drove around to see where my sister Elaine used to own a place in Orange City!  I've lost a few card games, so we are being tolerated a little better, ha, ha, !  Heading a little further South tomorrow, probably the northern end of Lake Okochobee, then up to Sebring!

We just thought we were decompressing when we stayed at the 3 state parks for a few weeks, we are in Paradise here at Jim & Marge's place in Lake Helen.  They are from Maine, they follow the Maine State motto: "The Way Life Should Be"  , four months in Maine and eight months in Florida. They have been doing that for 21 years!  We are so relaxed,can't sit out because it's so cold, but that gets us playing cards and having a ball! Florida is not living up to their motto: The Sunshine State, but we are not complaining, none of that white sh-t, to shovel!  Right now, looking forward to a small re-union with guys from Navy days at an American Legion branch on the Gulf Coast, a place called Madiera Beach!  Last night we broiled moose meat that Trish and I brought from home, taking moose meat to Leesville, Louisiana, also, long with Donair meat and sauce for Andy and Lucy. Aiming for Leesville around Valentine's Day!

Tomoka State Park is nice, fishing in the river at daybreak, met some people from Windsor, Ontario, had met them at another park, we shared a few stories around the campfire last evening.  We have an invite to ditch the camper for a few days with friends near New Smyrna Beach, look forward to not having to camperdance for a short while!  Working on a navy reunion near St. Petersburg at Madiera Beach Legion, this legion has over 9000 members, yes nine-thousand.  Four other guys from Shearwater all winter near there, looking forward to cold beer!  Salamanders, squirrels, red and gray, and mourning doves all around the park.  Will take a short drive on Daytona Beach tomorrow.

Were off to another State Park , closer to Daytona Beach, looking forward to tying up with friends from Maine!  Talking  to a Snowbird from New Jersey, he gave us a great quote, "America belongs to the very rich, and isn't wonderful that they let the rest of us live here!"  Sonny flies by each day and daily we see our hawks, today it was pelicans without the bag on their beak!  The park wants every RV lined up perfectly straight in the slots, we watched the Nazi park cop knock on a guy's trailer and ask him to straighten it up a bit more! Couldn't believe it!  They say it's so everyone can have the best view of the water, you can't see the water anyway,unless you go up on a deck, go figure!

Sleeping to the sound of the surf each night, so soothing!  When we said decompressing, actually we are vegetating, going to book a few more nights here on Flagler Beach, only a few miles above Daytona, of course we will drive on Daytona Beach for a while,like other years.  Wehave our own deck behind the campe overlooking the Atlantic!  Trish uses the glazed doughnut candle from Brian & Cathy to hide in the camper bathroom and puff away,rather then go out in the dark! We are staying in Florida until they run out of wine!

See Paul's footprints in the sand, he was jogging so fast ,I missed him!