I know you all haven't heard from us awhile on Our Blog. That is because Joanna and I took a little journey down south to thaw out and visit some relatives. My brother, Ron, who lives in Winter Park, Florida (where I grew up) owns a condo in Daytona Beach. He graciously invited Joanna and I to stay there the first week of April. How could we resist? It was the worst winter on the books with a record of 10 feet of snow for us in Ignace, ON. I was ready to pack my bags and head for the beach, get some sand between my toes, hold down a lawn chair, bask in the sun and do some boogie boarding in the pleasantly salty ocean.
My sister Nicki also lives in central Florida, so we stayed with her when we landed in Florida and when we returned from the beach. She was also able to stay with us at Daytona Beach for most of the week. Every morning Nicki and I would head for the newly refurbished tennis courts at Ron's condo. Then, with Joanna joining us, we'd pack a lunch and head for the beach.
I wondered what the weather would be like the first week of April as I'd never gone to Florida so early in the spring and April can be unpredictable. We needed some good 80 degree days and lots of sunshine. I thank the Lord that He delivered it to us. It had been on the cool side when we arrived, but quickly the temps went up to the lower and upper 80's for the whole week we were at the beach. Then, the day we left, it began to rain and from what I hear from my sister, the temps went down from that week. So, we hit it perfectly.
My brother Ron was able to stay in the same complex in a friend's condo, so I actually got to see quite a bit of him during the week which was a treat.
Our body color changed from pale white to bright pink in just a few days and we felt very relaxed as we enjoyed all the fun things to do. Ron's complex also has a very large swimming pool and it's situated on the Intercoastal waterway. One day we watched a school of dolphins come in close to shore to chase some fish. They were leaping in the air and swishing about to catch their prey. What a view we had from the 12th floor! You could see both the ocean and the intercoastal waterway from his balcony. Yes, we felt very spoiled.
Meanwhile, we got word from John that he was battling a blizzard dumping 2 feet of snow at camp. He plowed from 6 pm till midnight and could hardly see the road with the windshield wipers constantly plugging up. He was completely overwhelmed the next few days with all the plowing and shoveling that had to be done to free the dogs from their houses and around the house. His back suffered terribly. We really felt sorry for him and couldn't imagine how it could be so different from what we were experiencing in Florida.
After flying back to Minneapolis, MN , we met up with our daughter Cherish and then drove down to Omaha, NE for a few days to visit Reseth (Jonathan's wife) and the two boys. They have both grown so much. Titus is now 9 months old and the sweetest, most gentle, loving little guy. We got lots of hugs and kisses to be sure. Aaron is almost 3 years old and really growing up. I had him play his drum set while I played a song on the guitar and it is amazing to see how well he plays. Reseth took us to a beautiful forest with a wooden boardwalk and the Omaha zoo which were both amazing. She also took us girls out for a night on the town to the Grey Plume, an extremely elegant place of dining. It was such a wonderful time with them. Jonathan is still deployed with the Air Force, so unfortunately, we didn't get to see him except through skype.
We ended our tremendous trip with a two day visit to John's brother and family at Timber Wolf Point Resort in Buyck, MN. Joanna's three cousins also came over to stay those days to visit with us. Family is so important and the cousins have been like brothers and sisters through the years.
Now that we are back at camp, we are rested and revved to begin some spring projects to prepare for opening fishing. Just to update all our guests.... the lake is still frozen and we still have snow on the ground. BUT, the temps are going up so we expect a quick meltdown. We will keep you posted here on Our Blog and on our Facebook page. So, stay tuned.
