Hello Family & Friends !
On Jan 13, Charlie and I left our home in freezing cold Missouri, to go south where it was warmer. Our initial destination was Florida, anywhere or everywhere in Florida. We took
our time getting here and 9 days later we arrived at
Clearwater FL. We spent a wonderful week just driving the coast, exploring the different beaches from
Clearwater to St. Augustine. One beautiful evening we went to Pier 60 at
Clearwater Beach for their sunset celebration. Every evening, as weather permits, they celebrate the beautiful sunsets. They have local entertainers, such as young
gymnast, dancers, jugglers, face painters, artists and various other people. All of this is free for the viewing.
On a couple
occasions we went to
Bubba Gumps Shrimp Company for dinner. Yes there really is a restaurant named from the movie Forrest
Gump, and the food is delicious.
When we left the
Clearwater area, we headed over to a town named
Casselberry, just a few miles north of Orlando.We spent two weeks in
Casselberry. While there, we drove over to
Titusville, to view the final night time space shuttle launch. It was only 39 miles from where we were staying. We were not able to get a room closer to
Titusville for the launch due to the thousands and thousands of other people wanting to see the launch. On the original day of the launch, we drove over to scope out the area and to pick a location that we could camp out in our car
until the time of the launch. When we got there at 11 a.m. everything was already filling up with
RV's, cars and trucks. So we found the perfect place in a park and decided that was our place to stay. We pulled out our chairs, cooler and books and expected to wait and wait. Soon we have three other couples our age coming up and asking us questions like we were the local tourist information center. Before we knew it they had parked their vehicles and pulled out their chairs and it was as if we had known each other for years. We even ended up walking across the highway to have dinner a a place called Dogs R Us. Honestly, there are so many dog grooming places in FL, we thought it was another one.
lol The food was good and the 8 of us had a great time. Later we all went to our vehicles to try and get a little sleep before the scheduled 5:39 a.m. launch. At 5, we all gathered in what we believed to be the best launch viewing spots, with our cameras and
binoculars in hand...... ;-( at 5:30 they
scrubbed the launch due to clouds.... WHAT???? ;-(( We said goodbye to our new friends and went back to the hotel. The launch was to be the next morning at 4:18. Oh and did I forget to mention, this is now Super Bowl Sunday???? So after SB, we got back in the car and drove back for what they were calling a 60% chance for a launch. At 4 a.m. there we stood with camera and
binoculars again.
THEN IT HAPPENED!!!! A beautiful night time space shuttle launch... WOW, it was
unbelievable and so worth the 2 nights of camping out. We planned to see a daytime launch on March 18
th but it has now been moved to May. So we will not see that one.
On Feb 13, we moved over to Palm Bay FL, just south of Cocoa. We are going to be here 4-6 weeks. We found a great
place to stay. Every day we have been driving the coast. In
Indialantic and
Melbourn, they are rebuilding their beaches. We have spent a few days watching them doing that. On the 20
th, we went to a Aerobatic Air Festival. What a great time that was. Only problem, Charlie got a bad
sunburn to his face and ears. So we are going to have to keep him out of the sun for a while. Some of his medications do not like the sun and warn against him being out in it.
(ouch)Speaking of Charlie, he is doing so incredibly well. He has not felt bad, a single day since we got here. We do pace ourselves, with everything we do. One good thing about FL is, we can park anywhere because we have a handicap plate and we do not have to pay to park. Most places down here have parking meters, even at beach parks. I am just so proud of how well he is doing. All of you know, I had been such a wreck worrying about being so far from all his doctors on this trip. I just know the Lord is with us, every step of the way. He knows how much Charlie wanted to make this trip, to see the shuttle launch, and He walks with us!Well, now that I have written a book, to catch you up on some of our exciting times, I will close for now. I will try to update more often, so there is not as much to report next time.Thank you everyone for you continued prayers, for our safe travels and for Charlie to remain well, while we are away. We appreciate your prayers. Love to all!
