Settling in for the Winter in Florida!

We're back in Winter Garden for the winter season and couldn't be happier about that.  

We bought our motorhome, Pearl, here last January and spent the next 2.5 months in the area getting accustomed to RV living and enjoying the warm (with a few exceptions) winter weather. 

We're about two miles from the charming downtown and the very nice bike trails that we so enjoy bicycling.

From our site, we have a perfect view of a small pond that hosts a variety of bird life.  We can walk to grocery and other stores and are right on the bus line if we need to travel farther for shopping.  

Life is easy and good here, and since there's no two-week camping limit as at most national and state parks, we can stay just as long as we like. And we plan to do just that! After traveling for months, staying anywhere from a day to two weeks in one place, we are ready to be settled for a bit.  We'll save money not buying so much fuel, and staying put gives us a chance to recharge, get some RV projects done, and make plans for next year.

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A Snowy Egret Contemplates Dinner

The view out our front windshield

We had a nice Thanksgiving here shortly after arriving.  The day began with Barry making an unexpected repair.  The right rear of our kitchen counter had been sinking over time, more than we even realized.  It had gotten to be about an inch below the level of the left side, so an intervention was required!  The previous owners had replaced the counter when they took out the gas stove and put in an induction cooktop, and they hadn't done a great job of it. Barry made short work of it, and we now have a sturdy, level counter again. Whew!

​Have I mentioned lately how lucky I am to have such a handy husband?  I can't imagine living in a motorhome without one.

Turkey Day repair

Repair completed, the turkey day cooking could commence.  This was our first major holiday feast in Pearl, and it went pretty darn well!  Planning and organization kept things running smoothly, and I had just enough vessels for all the dishes.  Barry had made a lovely pumpkin pie the day before as well   We were stuffed -- and very thankful.  We have so much to be grateful for, and we try not to lose sight of that.

One of the highlights of this area for us is the West Orange Trail.  We can ride east from Winter Garden to Apopka or west to Lake County, where the West Orange Trail joins the South Lake/Lake Minneola Trails.  
Lake County is actually moderately hilly (yes, I know we are in Florida), while Orange County is mostly flat with only occasional gentle rollers, so we can pick our direction depending on the type of workout we desire -- and the wind direction.

Since we hadn't been able to ride for awhile, we've begun with several rides to Apopka and back, around 32 miles round trip.  We just love this ride.  

I think we're now ready to tackle the hills of Lake County!

Riding the West Orange Trail in Winter Garden

There are new signs at the pond at our campground. We don't know if these were posted in response to actual threats or just to keep people out of the pond.  We've seen ducks on the pond, so it seems unlikely that there are serious predators lurking below, but who knows?  

This Belted Kingfisher doesn't seem to care; he's looking for fish!

In the meantime, rest assured that Paisley will be keeping a sharp lookout!