The photograph above is the Cape San Blas Lighthouse in Port Saint Joe all lit up for the holidays. A focal point in this little beach town we have made our winter home near, for three years now. We finally climbed to the top in March when Kevin, Beth & Gemma visited.

As with many lighthouses in Florida and around the country, this one has quite a history: https://www.capesanblaslight.org/.

We arrived back at our Florida property in October. With everything just as we left it, we settled in and enjoyed the fall weather. The next several months were a combination of a little travel, a few projects, lots of tax and accounting work, and some downtime.

First project was to add a partial fence wall to one side of our port. Jim and Darrell made quick work of this project to provide a little more shade and privacy.

In November we attended the Crooked River Lighthouse Lantern Fest; a fundraiser to benefit the lighthouse near Carrabelle. Just a small town festival with a little local entertainment. https://www.crookedriverlighthouse.com/

We also enjoyed a few days camping at St. Joseph Peninsula State Park, one of our favorites.

Also in November, a rare event for Florida; the aurora borealis (northern lights) were visible in our area.

With not much light pollution around us, so we got a few pictures from the back of our lot and a nearby road.

For the holidays, we stayed in Florida for Thanksgiving and flew to Michigan for Christmas with the whole family.

Always fun when we are all together. A little cookie baking was in order.

In early January, we traveled south to the Jupiter FL area with friends Darrell and Susan, hoping for warmer weather. Very nice area, including our stay at Jonathon Dickinson State Park.

Just before reaching the park, we had a tire blow out (front passenger side); a first for us.

Luckily no problem pulling off to the side of the road and no damage to the RV. Our roadside assistance took care of us pretty quickly, sending a mobile unit out with a new tire. We have since had the other tires replaced; it was time!

While in the Jupiter area, we enjoyed the nearby beaches of Hobe Sound, Coral Cove Park, and Lighthouse Park. The Jupiter Inlet Lighthousehttps://www.jupiterlighthouse.org/ stands tall where the Loxahatchee River meets the Atlantic ocean. View from the top was very pretty on a clear sunny day.

I kept busy from late January through mid April with tax and accounting work. A mix of my own clients and the contract work with the CPA firm in Port Saint Joe there was as much work as I wanted; still enjoying the work and the people I work with.

A nice break during tax season came in mid March when Kevin, Beth and Gemma came for a visit. We showed them around the area; our favorite places and restaurants and enjoyed a couple of days at the beach. I think they enjoyed their first visit here!

Jim got busy with annual RV maintenance and a project to replace all the RV house batteries. This along with the new tires, means we are ready for more travel!

For an after tax season trip in mid-April, we went west about 60 miles to Topsail State Park for several days. A beautiful park near Destin on the “emerald coast”. This is a large park with full hook up sites, cabins, and a stunning beach.

While we were there we got to see sea turtles being released. The Gulfarium CARE Center in Destin rescues and rehabs injured sea turtles and releases them back into the gulf. The CARE Center is part of the Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park; looks like it would be worth a visit.

We also visited nearby Eden Gardens State Park that features the Wesley House mansion filled with antiques. Guided tours are available.

Just turned the calendar to May! Time to head north soon for a stop in North Carolina before heading to Michigan for most of the summer. We will be staying in a different park this year, Hidden Lakes RV Resort, near Manchester.

Looking forward to several family events this summer and fall. We have plans for a fall trip that includes Banff and Jasper in the Canadian Rockies, Alberta Canada, after a stop in Colorado of course! This trip will start year 10 for us – unbelievable!

“Traveling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller” – Ibn Battura