Alachua, Florida

Staying a 2nd night with Nigel Watson, an old school friend of Doug's, and his partner Ruthie, on their 6 acre farm here in Alachua. It has been a great visit for the sunny weather, good company and hours of "horsey" entertainment for the girls -- especially Rose -- as they enjoy the two horses here on the property under (big) Ruthie's professional and watchful eye. We're about 30 minutes north of Gainesville and plan to head for Jensen Beach tomorrow with a night's stay in between (at a place we've yet to select but likely near Orlando).

Fort Clinch State Park, Fernandina Beach, Florida

We made it to Florida! The last two nights we were camped at Skidaway Island Park near beautiful Savannah where we experienced amazing southern cuisine (again) at Mrs Wilkes Boarding House. Denise and Doug ate there 12 years ago. The food seems only to have gotten better!! Today we cruised across the Georgia/Florida border just after 2pm during a balmy (69F) and sunny day. At our tree canopied campground we quickly parked then went for a 2 hour family walk along the long, white sandy beaches that wrap around the park. On our walk we saw two armadillo's in the woods, three jelly fish and a one puffer fish washed up on the beach, and dozens of huge dragon flies chasing mosquitos. We arrived back at our campsite for an evening outside around the camp fire. It's the first time in ages since we've been able to sit comfortably outside. Thank you, Florida.

Charleston, South Carolina

We pulled into Charleston on a wet and windy Sunday afternoon and found ourselves at a very pleasant campground on James Island at a fortuitous time of the year. The county run park has the Holiday Festival of Lights -- an annual event where millions of sparkling lights and hundreds of displays are available on a three-mile driving tour! All this is just adjacent to our campground and our camping fee includes price of admission to the show. Early on Sunday evening we did the driving tour with windscreen wipers on intermittent. The whole family was in awe of the wonderful light show we experienced as we drove around the park. It is a wonderful display of lighting and artistry where your head turns left and right to catch all the clever displays (many having an animated effect such as the circling shark that then jumps out of the water or Santa hitting a golf ball that then flies a hundred feet across an open space to "land" a hole in one at the flag or the falling autumn leaves as you pass through a small wooded canopy of trees). There are dinosaurs, christmas themes, underwater themes, deers and elves, bridges, flags and wildlife... the list is endless. It's all done so tastefully that we went out again tonight for a second viewing -- this time by foot since the rain had cleared. A $3/person train ride took us for a 15 minute tour of a "magic forest" that was particularly geared for kids. All in all, good wholesome family fun! We also spent some time today in historical Charleston and marvel at how attractive the town is. We splurged on lunch at a fancy restaurant to delve into the "low country" southern cuisine. All agreed that Fried Green Tomatoes was our favorite. Tomorrow we'll pack up and head to Savannah, Georgia. The rain has mostly cleared but the evenings remain cold. We're told it is unseasonably cold. Irrespective, we've had enough of cold nights and gladly await some (hopefully) warmer Florida evenings.