Wednesday, December 31st – End of 2014

Yesterday (Tuesday), we lingered a while in Kingsland and found three geocaches. One of them was hidden in a big tree.  I believe this is an oak tree that pushes out old growth to make way for new... it never goes completely or even noticeably bare.

 

As we continued making our way south, we began to see more and more RV’s on the main highway. I didn’t realize that Kingsland was so close to the Florida State Line. We made a stop at the Visitor’s Center to take a photo that we sent to our children so they would know that we really had arrived in the Sunshine State.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When I saw palm trees, palmettos and blooming flowers, I finally felt like I was truly in Florida.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There were lots of clouds and rain most all of this day. We made our way to Okeechobee which boasts of the largest lake in the southeastern United States. When we arrived around 5:30 p.m., we finally saw the sun breaking through the clouds.

 

 

We dropped our luggage in our room and then went immediately to dinner at a new restaurant recommended by a hotel guest. We were pleased with how quickly our meals were served. They were generous portions and we left there fully satisfied. The only problem was the restaurant is still waiting for their liquor license to be issued, so we were not able to have any wine with our dinner. It was a pleasant 81° at 7:00 p.m. which is the warmest temperature we have experienced thus far.

 

 

 

Today, (Wednesday) we woke up to a partly sunny morning. We certainly haven’t had to concern ourselves with using sunscreen since it has rained for the past three days. However, I could not complain about the 68° here compared to the temperature in Dunkirk or Mount Airy, Maryland, where my son lives. But, Fort Myers is looking pretty good.

 

 

 

There is a Flea Market located across the street from our hotel and I especially liked the welcoming message on their sign.

 

There were some geocaches near our hotel and we decided to get some much needed exercise by walking to them. It was really nice to be walking outside in warm air.

 

One of the stores in town has a beautiful mural depicting the Williams family cattle drive which was an important part of this town’s history. Cattle were shipped to Spanish Cuba until the Spanish American War.

 

Two other caches were placed in Okeechobee Veterans Memorial Park where there is also some very interesting army equipment on which kids probably love to play. Beside a tank, there was a helicopter, an artillery gun and a torpedo.

 

While we were at the park, a semi-truck passed by that was hauling a load of citrus. We did pass by a huge grove yesterday as we were driving toward Okeechobee.

 

We saw a drive through place that offered snacks and fast food. It truly was a drive through because the vehicles actually drive inside the building. I wish we had gone through there just to see what it looked like.

 

 



After lunch, it began raining again so we decided to chill out in our room while watching some of the college bowl games.



 

We have arranged with the hotel to have a late check out tomorrow so that I can watch the Rose Parade on television. This has been my most favorite parade since I was a young girl and I will never forget the year that Cordell and I were able to help decorate the floats. I can certainly appreciate the planning and detail that goes into them now that I have seen it firsthand.

 

And so as 2014 ends, we wish all our family and friends a most Happy New Year and pray that it will be filled with good health, happiness, prosperity and most of all God’s peace.