Goodbye to the Atlantic

We packed up Beluga and left Vilano Beach today, traveled south on I-95 to I-4 west to I-75 south and the Longboat Key area.  It was about a 5 hour drive including a lunch stop.

 I passed the time by watching the sides of the interstate for a look at one of the huge wild boars we've seen in the past.  A few years ago I saw one dead at the side of the highway, and a number of others milling around it, like they were attending its funeral.  Ever since then, I train my eyes on the shoulders, looking.

On I-4, before the huge Disney/Orlando "machine" begins its domination, we pass through large, flat fields filled with cattle, zone coverage provided by small white egrets.  With Orlando in the rear view mirror, the road passes through  a very populated and nondescript area with nothing much of visual interest.  Well, we did see two large digital signs calling our attention to a "Silver Alert".  Only in Florida!  Silver Alerts are like Amber Alerts, only they tell us to watch for the car (described in detail) of some old person who is missing......

Luckily, our Sirius radio provided some engaging entertainment.  We laughed and laughed at "Click and Clack, the Tappit Brothers" and "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell me".  We're always delighted when we manage to find these two programs. The time seems to fly by.

We are at Holiday Cove RV Resort in Cortez, Fl., just over the bridge from Ana Maria Island, which is the key (barrier island) north of  Longboat Key.  That is a convoluted way of saying we're near Longboat Key.
Its a beautifully landscaped place, very high end, but I think Lewis liked Vilano Beach's campground better.  Here there aren't many places to walk and not much to see, except scary people.  No armadillos, or squirrels, or raccoons.  He'll manage for the week we're here, don't feel too bad for him.

We  found only this one perfect sand dollar the whole time we were on Vilano Beach. We couldn't help but remember how we'd pick up hundreds of them on the Colony's beach during the heyday of our time there.  They would wash up and hit our feet as we strolled the beach, they were so plentiful.

We're retired now, its a new day -  can't expect all those dollars to just float in anymore!

We both agree though,  we wouldn't change a thing, not one thing.