Happy New Year, 2024!

I decided to try a new recipe –  No Yeast Flatbread. I had seen the recipe on Facebook and thought it would be fun to try. I started getting the ingredients out and found I didn’t have baking powder. Bummer. Then I googled baking powder substitution and McCormick said 1/4 tsp baking soda and 1/2 tsp cream of tartar equals 1 tsp baking powder. I have those! This recipe was very fun and very easy to make. 😃 

Happy New Year’s Eve! Today was a short travel day from Orlando, Florida, to Wauchula, Florida. When Kevin called about check in time, the lady said the office would close at noon for the holiday but check in is at 1:00pm. He was told to go to the flagpole and I didn’t catch it if someone would come out or our packet would be there or something. Anyway, we pulled in, saw the flagpole at the entrance, and parked. We waited and saw no one around and no information packets. After a few minutes a couple came out and welcomed us. They said there is another flagpole by the office/clubhouse. Ah. We drove around the corner and parked at the check in. Kevin knocked on the campground host’s door and the lady checked him in. Her husband, David, got on his golf cart and led us to our site and directed Kevin backing in. David then invited us to the campground’s New Year’s Eve party tonight: hors d’oeuvres, visiting, music and dancing. He said “Midnight here is 9:00pm.” LOL

Dessert For New Year’s Eve Party, Wauchula, FL 12/31/23

For the party, I made Walking Dessert S’Mores and they turned out so cute! Teddy graham crackers, chocolate pudding, mini marshmallows and mini chocolate chips. We walked to the clubhouse at 6:00pm. There were tables and tables of all sorts of hors d’oeuvres and desserts. We sat with the nicest people and made new friends.

Visiting with new friends next to us and a guy said his passion and hobby is genealogy. I said I am on Family Search and oh yes, he said, he is on that as well. We both got out our iPhones, opened up the Family Tree app, and clicked to search relatives around us. All of a sudden the guy was squealing like it was Christmas! Turns out… we are 8th cousins, 3 times removed. Now when I see him, I say, “Hello 8th cousin 3 times removed!” HAHAHAHA

And Campground David was right – party was done at 9:00pm. 🙂 Kevin and I went home (footnote 1) and watched a little TV. We closed our eyes and went to sleep at 11:47pm.

Happy New Year! We decided to skip the campground brunch and went to Sarasota, which is on the Gulf Coast of Florida. We hadn’t been there before. It is a little over an hour and the roads are mostly farm roads until you get to the coastal city. We enjoyed the drive – lots of orchards around. Kevin had looked at the Garmin before we left and picked Siesta Beach. What a great pick! We were glad to find a huge beach with a huge parking lot for free! I We walked along and saw a tall deck and walked up there. It offered great views from above.

Sand Like Sugar At Gulf Coast, Siesta Beach, Siesta Key, FL 01/01/24

This sand has a different feel from the sand on the west coast. This sand is very fine, like sugar. It felt wonderful to walk in. We put our toes in the water and was happily surprised it was warm. I got clear in to my knees, with my pants rolled up. The water felt good and the soft sand was like a cushion.

Perfect 70s, Sun, Warm Water, Siesta Beach, Siesta Key, FL 01/01/24

I told Kevin the only shell I want to find is a sand dollar shell. We saw two that were broken and just left them. A man and his little granddaughter walked past us putting shells in her bag. He visited with Kevin for a minute and then Kevin showed the girl where the sand dollar shell was. She was excited. The guy said something else and then we walked along the beach. As we walked back down the beach, probably 15 or more minutes, Kevin started laughing and laughing so hard he could hardly talk! He just got a joke that the grandpa had told him!!!! He was laughing at the joke but mostly at himself that it took so long to get! The guy had said, “In New Jersey, we call that 25 cents” talking about the broken sand dollar. Oh so funny his laugh!

Hilarious – After More Than 15 Minutes, He Just Got The “We Call It 25 Cents In New Jersey” Joke A Guy Said About A Sand Dollar! Siesta Beach, Siesta Key, FL 01/01/24

We then decided to drive along the Keys south and west of Tampa area – a bunch of inhabited islands connected by bridges. What fun that was! The water was dark blue, beaches almost white. The day was full of people outside enjoying the sun and warmth, motorcycle groups, people with the tops down on their cars, trucks with long open trailers full of oranges and us. 

Happy New Year! Siesta Beach, Siesta Key, FL 01/01/24

The community that this campground has and we experienced at Rainbow’s End in Livingston is just wonderful. So many activities and so many friendly people. Not just wave as they pass but come and talk to you. A super group of people. This was a really fun New Year’s Day! We really like Florida, in the winter. Knock on wood, we haven’t had the bugs that people talk about down here – so thankful.

1. “Home” is where we park it. Home is our 2022 Alliance Avenue, 36 ft, 5th wheel.