Nice Trip to Our New CG-Winter Garden Manatee in Bradenton

   We woke to cloudy skies but warm with the predicted high of 80 today.  By the time we were done with breakfast the sun was shining!  We pretty much had finished our prep for moving when there was a knock on our door.  Ernie and Noela stopped by to say good-bye.  I had just said to John that we need to go up to their rig and say good-bye to them.  It has been so nice spending time with them and getting to know them.  They are such nice people!!  Thanks, Bonnie and Ken, for introducing us.  We were on the road by 11:00 as we had planned and arrived at Manatee about 12:30.  They gave us a choice of 2 sights and we are very happy with the one we picked except there is no picnic table.  I'm sure they will get us one if we ask.  John backed in the site like a pro and by 1:00 we were all set up!  We're getting pretty good at this!!  John wanted to get more steps in, but I asked him if he would mind if we took a short bike ride around the CG instead.  I could hardly wait to try out my hip and foot, so we rode to the clubhouse where the pool is located.  John checked out the fitness room while I sat on a bench by the lake and watched the birds.

A anhinga drying his/her wings so it can fly again

 

 

I'm not sure what kind of bird this is, but look at its yellow feet!

  
The nasty little bugs started biting, so we left and rode around the rest of the circle and back to Harvey. 

This was a nice sized gecko we saw on the way out of the pool

Here he/she is closer up

This is the first time I rode bike since we left PA.  It went well, but I was happy to be back at Harvey!  John went for a walk while I worked on my blog.  He got back about 3:30 all hot and sweaty and said he wanted to go to the pool.  The temp got up to 80 today and was very humid!  So we changed into our suits, hopped in the Jeep, and headed for the pool.  We stayed for about an hour and a half and then the bugs started biting so we left.  John showered and declared that he could eat pizza.  We remembered a place called Fire and Stone pizza that we ate at while visiting Bonnie and Ken a couple of years ago.  It was about a half hour away and we were almost there when John realized he didn't have his wallet.  We turned around and went back to the CG to get it.  We arrived at the restaurant and there was a sign saying they only accepted cash or checks.  Well, you guessed it... we didn't have either one.  So, off we went again looking for a pizza place we had seen on the way called Joey D's.  We found it and it was delicious... kind of tasted like my homemade pizza just not as sweet.  We stopped in front of Office Depot to mail a birthday card for our granddaughter, Alexandra, who will be 18 on Tuesday.  Where did THAT time go????  Then we stopped at Publix to pick up a couple of things and headed back to Harvey.  I worked on my blog while John watched some TV and then he went to bed.  He was pretty tired from all the work setting up and the heat.  I'll get there soon, too, when I finish this.  Tomorrow we hope to get to the beach!