Social Butterfly

I spent a delightful week in Port Charlotte and saw my friends Don and Susie several times. I've no idea what these little creatures are, but they frequented my campsite several times a day.

Don made sure I had a copy of the local "Go" newspaper and there was a photo of a group of people drumming on the beach. They were called the Sunset Drummers and after I looked them up on Facebook, I found that they met every Sunday evening to drum on the beach. They welcomed me and I took my little drum ( the only one I have that I could bring in the trailer) and joined the circle. I had a very small voice compared to the folks around me, but I could feel the rhythm.

A lot of people got up to dance in the middle of the circle and if they couldn't or didn't want to dance, they grabbed hula hoops. I didn't see a single self-conscious person the entire evening. And realized I wasn't either.

It was a beautiful sunset over the Gulf of Mexico and a great way to end my stay in Port Charlotte after Don and Susie left for Myrtle Beach.

Sister Kim told me she loved Naples and I should spend some time there. So I booked a week at the Rock Creek RV Park. There are about 250 spots at this camp and about half are permanent or semi-permanent residents. Turns out I got here the perfect week. I was sitting outside the trailer Monday evening and a neighbor walked by and invited me to the community talent show that night. The hour-and-a-half show had about 45 minutes of acts in it and a lot of filling time while the next act set up and fumbled with the curtain, but there were some very good singers among the citizens.

The next evening, I was invited to the community "End of Season" hotdog roast and potluck. It was great fun to hang out with folks and talk about our travels. Of course, many of the snowbirds are leaving for northern climes this week.

 

If I didn't meet them at the potluck, I got another opportunity (every evening) to meet folks at the BYO Happy Hour at the gazebo at five. I've gotten a lot of tips from travelers about what to see and not to miss as I head south to the Everglades next week and then on into the Keys. Most of these folks have twenty years of traveling on me and treat me like the kid I am!

So, here I am with a nice camp in Naples and plans to hit the beaches tomorrow for most of the day. In the meantime, I'm writing like crazy (15,000 words yesterday) and editing a client's eBook. I'll be reading another client's first few chapters this week as well. Once again, one of my friendly neighbors stepped in to chat and take my picture with First Exit. This week has been beautiful all week with temperatures in the eighties and sun and blue skies all day long. Besides the grouper sandwiches, this was a good reason to come to Florida!