Last day in Paradise

Sunday, March 22nd was spent preparing to get back on the road after over 11 weeks at our winter home, Elite Resorts, in Clermont, FL. I went food shopping and prepared a couple of dinners for quick meals while "on the road." There is nothing worse than driving all day (even as just a passenger) and then having to cook a wholesome meal once you set down stakes.

Tonight will be a delicious meal of meatballs and "gravy" from Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza located in Brandon, FL. I haven't had such tasty meatballs since I last ate the ones my grandmother made. I actually took a batch of meatballs and sauce "to go," which they packaged up in a signature "Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza" saucepan. Thanks to great Yelp and Trip Advisor reviews, "G" and I decided to met my aunt and uncle there for lunch yesterday. We found out that they have two restaurants close to Orlando, so now we know where one of our first stops will be in the fall!!! Fabulous food and service got a 5 star rating from me. If you are ever in the area of one of their restaurants, you MUST stop by for a fresh, homemade meal.  Everything is cooked just as Anthony's grandmother made it many years ago.

While that meal is simmering, I've already finished a crock pot recipe for French Dip Hogies that will serve as tomorrow evenings meal, chicken for the grill, shrimp for the bar-bee, and some nice baby back ribs for subsequent dinners. That will see us through until we reach Boone, NC, where we will see #1 son and family in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Before we reach their log cabin in the woods, we will spend a "vacation day" in Savannah, GA, taking in the sights and sounds of that lovely southern city. A future blog will document where we went and what we did.

"G" has all the outdoor gear packed and stored, whereas tomorrow, I will finish securing some loose items inside. It is actually getting easier with each trip. I have it ALMOST down to a science. Once I complete this blog entry, my desktop will be stored away until April 1st, when we settle down in Croton.

On December 17, we pulled up stakes in Croton to head south, and here we are preparing to head back. We feel very fortunate to have missed a terrible winter that was wrought with snowstorm after snowstorm. Our area saw snow totals measured by the foot instead of inches. Florida was unusually cool this winter, yet I never complained, because I knew how much worse it could have been.

So, here we are -  a bit sad, at the tail end of "G's and V's First Great Big Adventure." We are hoping for clear weather and smooth sailing as we head due north. The plans for the"Second Great Big Adventure" will be started soon! Go west, young man....Colorado, here we come! Yay!

Deep thought for the day:  "If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant..." - Anne Bradstreet  I hope our spring will be "so pleasant" even though we did not experience the bitter winter.