My next stop was to visit friends in The Villages. On my drive from Daytona Beach, I came across Ocala National Forest. I had read about this vast wilderness and decided to stop at the Clearwater Lake Recreation Area on the southeast edge of the forest. It is a beautiful area on a lake surrounded by pines and palms. There were postings warning of black bears and alligators in the area, but I decided a short hike was in order. A beautiful trail through the pine forest went around the lake and ended at a small white sand beach. A perfect spot for my picnic lunch.

My journey continued to The Villages, an enormous retirement community in North Central Florida. I had been texting with an old friend, Renee, a few days before. We hadn’t seen each other in probably 12 years. My first stop was to see her. It was wonderful to catch up on the past several years and to see each other again! Then I headed south to the newer part of The Villages. My friends, Erica and Stan, moved here a couple years ago after having enough of MN winters! They have a lovely new home and it was fun to spend the night with them. Stan made the best burnt beef butts I have ever eaten. The next day, Erica and I went on a short tour of the area. The Villages is enormous and it just keeps growing! Everywhere we looked there were new houses and communities being built. There was no end to the new construction taking place.

After saying good bye to Erica and Stan, I headed to my brother David’s place in North Fort Myers. He and Karen bought a home in a 55+ community last winter. They suffered some damage this fall from Hurricane Ian. Broken windows, roof damage, a carport that was nowhere to be found. There was debris all over the interior from the broken windows. But, the house is still standing and the damage has been repaired.

My brother David has worked since he was 15. Over the past 6 decades, he has built a successful general contractors business and he and Karen have raised four wonderful sons. David finally retired this year. In all my life, I have never seen him so happy and relaxed. He is like a kid in a candy store. Our days spent together were filled with laughter, memories and so much love. My heart was filled with joy when I left them.

An added bonus to being in Fort Myers was that I got to see my friend, Lourdes. She happened to be in Sanibel while I was at David’s. It was nice to have lunch together on the waterfront instead of looking out at snow!

The new tent I ordered had arrived at David’s. It was time to move on and try out the new equipment.