Gotta leave...too bad

We're packing up today...heading out early in the morning. We've been here only one week but a very relaxing one. Well maybe watching the space shuttle launch and another rocket launch last Friday was not all that relaxing, but we made up for it by just goofing off. No real plans but sleeping in and doing whatever. This camp (whoops..definitely not a camp but closer to a real resort) http://www.tgoresort.com/ has all the amenities one could want. Plus it is real easy on the eyes. Like a pretty woman, this place is pretty too. Lush landscaping, immaculate buildings, more concrete and brick paving than your local mall, and management and owners who intend to keep it that way. Normally I'm a little critical of the claims many RV resorts advertise but this place is right on the mark. I know you're beginning to think I'm on the payroll or a site owner, but I'm not.

Not that I wouldn't love to buy a site here but just a little out of our reach. One of the neat things about this place is that once you buy a site for your RV you can do just about what you want with it. As an example my neighbor Dave from Massachusetts, owns a company that specializes in water ponds, waterfalls and the like. Like many snowbirds, he found he had a little spare time on his hands so he decided to create several small ponds connected by a babbling brook. It runs along his driveway and between where I was parked and his RV. Surrounded by lush, carefully selected vegetation, the little stream was so realistic. Frogs and hundreds of small fish inhabited the waters and took care of any bugs that may hatch there. I never gave much thought as to what it took to create one of these small water projects but this takes not only some physical ability, but mostly creative talent and a solid understanding of what plant materials work together. Dave has certainly created something special and I appreciated that he spent the time with me explaining his craft. I also owe him a big thanks for letting us borrow his WIFI signal. The service at the camp was a little weak at our location so Dave let us share his signal.

On many of the sites the owners have added RV ports to parks their rigs under or have fully enclosed garages. Some have small add-on rooms for visiting guests while some have $500k full size homes next to their $million+ coaches. A little something for everyone.

One of the attraction nearby was the Warbird Museum. A museum dedicated to preserving old fighter planes from the past. There was a scheduled air show this past weekend and rather than attend and fight the crowds, I pulled up a lawn chair on the driveway, got out my long telephoto lens and shot a few images. As usual there was one shot I missed and it was pretty neat. A very tight three fighter plane formation flew over: a current F18, a Vietnam era F4, and a WWII P51. Quite a sight. The image I did get was a stack formation of four Avenger (I think) WWII fighters/bombers. Anyway, the roar of old radial engines and scream of the jets made for very cool overhead sightseeing.

I did do something I seldom do, but thought it would be fun. The camp has a nature center and a standing group of regulars who manage the service and provide information to anyone interested and the flora and fauna in camp. This past Saturday they were holding a photo exhibition and I submitted three images for review. They had about 120 visitors to the showing and served wine and cheese and it was sort of neat. They had all the visitors vote on their favorite image and apparently the winner will be announced next month. There were some interesting work represented and it will be fun to find out what won. Sharon, of course is rooting for me. The grand prize is somebodies undying gratitude that a bunch of us brought our photos over so that the organizers could get together and drink wine and eat cheese, I think.

Speaking of flora and fauna...did I mention alligators, diamond back rattlesnakes, armadillos, raccoons, deer and who knows what else lives around and in the camp! I saw pictures of some mighty big rattlers but apparently not seen too often right in camp. What is pretty common are the alligators around the big ponds at the golf course and the nightly foraging of the armadillos. I saw neither but most regulars have.

No doubt about it but we could have stayed here longer. The great camp and the great weather is what we're getting used to in ...livin' the dream.