2010 Jan. 7, Thursday.
Things are now arranged for the sale of our 5th wheel on consignment. While we were in the office talking to them, we got a phone call from someone interested in buying it. They said they would stop by after lunch, but they did not. Our neighbor told us there were two different parties walking around it and inspecting it, but we have hear no more from anyone. It would be great to sell it on my own soon, because I would save a commission, but I don’t know if that will happen. Stay tuned!

For lunch, we went to Skip One’s for fried oysters and broiled scallops. They were terrific! This place is small, kind of scruffy, and we used to drive by it and think, “Wow, look at all the people at that dingy little place.” But we decided to try it, and the seafood there is terrific. They also have a small case of fresh seafood, so either he catches it himself or has a local supplier. The price is also great - Linda and I share the 9 large scallops and 13 nice oysters for $20, including salad and bread. They have fixed up the exterior, but inside is worn but clean. This is one place we will miss if we are not in this area in the future.

After lunch, we went to Lakes Park, about 3 miles from our RV Park. It’s our favorite park and close to us, so we visit it often. It has several miles of hiking trails, mostly between the lakes, but one part of the paved path goes through a woods. We always see lots of waterbirds, as we did today, and sometimes an alligator. Today there was a huge one sunning itself on a small island. (I send pictures to a list of people. If you want to be on the list and are not at this time, just let me know.) We also saw some small birds, like a red-bellied woodpecker, several yellow-rumped warblers, mockingbirds, and possibly a .

WEATHER: High 63, low 50. We finally got a warm day, sunny with no breeze. And after two record lows in the upper 30’s, tonight will be better. However, they predict another short cold snap with the lowest so far overnight low Sun. night. I feel sorry for the fruit and vegetable farmers.

FL NEWS: 1) The big turtle is doing well and will be released soon. Hopefully whatever caused it to act weird will be removed with antibiotics and good care. 2) FL manatee deaths reached 429 in 2009, with record numbers of deaths in several categories. Biologist documented 97 watercraft-related deaths and 114 new-born deaths. Cold stress during the winter of 2008-09 was a factor, with 56 cold stress related deaths, double the average. 3) The big front-page headline was “Freeze has crops in peril”. One vegetable crop expert indicated there are losses of tens of millions of dollars already, with more to come. Citrus is more cold-hardy, with 90% of the fruit okay. However, a hard freeze might tempt some growers to call it quits. They already are weary from fighting the lethal greening disease and fruit-scarring canker.

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2010 Jan. 6, Wednesday.
We went to Gulf Coast Mall this morning at 10:00 to the Border’s book store to have coffee and a donut, and to work on the computer, with a little looking at books. (Linda even bought one!) This mall is about 3 miles from our RV Park right at the interstate. We have watched this mall being built over the last few years, and it is now complete. It is very large with lots of stores and restaurants. This is where we go to the movies and where we shop at the Super Target. It has one of our favorite restaurants - Islamarada Fish Company at the huge Bass Pro store. We ate lunch there today - they have great seafood and a terrific clam chowder. After lunch, I put out our step-ladder with a sign on it indicating it’s for sale, along with other items. We will try to sell things we don’t want to bring home, and if they aren’t sold, we will donate them to the Goodwill store at the strip mall on the other side of the canal. We found out that there are NOT 2 Publix grocery stores so close - the one at that mall (to our north) closed when the one to our south opened. That only makes sense.

We have a sign on our 5th wheel RV saying it’s for sale, and I have posted it on the internet at a couple of web-sites, but we have had no response yet. We are going tomorrow to the place just down the road to sign up for them to sell it for us on commission. It will be a big relief knowing that they will come and get it on Jan. 30, and then we don’t have to worry about it anymore. If not for them, I would have to pay someone to haul it north if it didn’t sell before Jan. 30, and I would be making arrangements at home while I’m in Orlando. That would just be more headache than I want. Stay tuned, and you will find out how this story ends - kind of like a soap opera!

WEATHER: High of 58, low of 38, which will be another record low - 2 nights in a row. It always gets about 5 degrees lower inland and an agriculture expert predicted today that Southwest Florida’s cold weather this week will ultimately cause millions of dollars in crop damage. A regional vegetable agent for the Hendry County Extension Service said things really started turning bad Tuesday night. “Last night it was below freezing, and we had hard frost inland”, he said. “We’re going to see losses in vegetables. It’s not going to be catastrophic, 100 percent, but we definitely have burnt tops of tomatoes and peppers. Things like squash were completely wiped out. Beans, sugar cane and corn were hit pretty hard.”


FL NEWS: The following article is a follow-up from yesterday concerning the huge turtle.
Giant effort rescues giant turtle in Bonita Springs
Disoriented leatherback will recover at Sarasota lab

January 6, 2010
The rescue began as volunteers carefully moved the fragile, 787-pound turtle across the island sand into the water and into a boat. The leatherback measures 57 inches long and 33 inches wide. The group needed land access, so a ramp was floated to where the call went out. Need more help. Strong bodies. A crane and truck.
Five hours after it was found stranded on Big Hickory Island off Bonita Beach, the endangered leatherback turtle was on its
way to Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota. Indicative of its rarity is this: Mote has never had a leatherback at the facility.
The 40-year-old turtle, tagged in 1999 in Colombia, had small gashes on its head and one fin, and was bleeding from other small abrasions. It was moving in circles. "I'm sure she got conked on the head," said Eve Haverfield, president and founder of Turtle Time, a nonprofit organization that monitors sea turtles in south Lee County. Haverfield said she is optimistic about the leatherback's chances of survival. She said the creature looked well-fed and was alert. When the turtle was released from the crane and settled onto a pad in the back of the truck, she was covered with a blanket soaked with water to keep her moist for the trip. "Even though they are so enormous they are very fragile," Haverfield said.
"It is extremely rare for anybody to work with a leatherback," said Nadine Slimak, spokeswoman for Mote.
Slimak said the lab will have animal care volunteers with the turtle 24 hours a day. Experts will test its blood, but on a deep-water species such as leatherbacks, X-rays and MRIs are out. Signs the turtle was in distress began Monday when it came ashore at Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park in Collier County. It is rare to see leatherbacks on the west coast of Florida - although one did nest on Sanibel last summer. Usually, they nest on the east coast.