SKPs, Sumter Oaks, Super Bowl

The plan, which is always subject to change, was to stop at the SKP park in Bushnell for a few days, then head to Betty's with stops at a couple of our favorite places along the way. We settled in at Sumter Oaks and the weather along the gulf coast was not great so we decided to stay in Florida until the last minute and then make a 800 mile dash to LA. Sumter Oaks is a nice park and the managers, Wallace and Wanda, are the first SKPs we met when we went to Boot Camp in 2007. When we were setting up someone yelled hi Jim and it was Charlie who along with his wife Sherry we had met at Betty's. Joe and Marcia were coming up from the Keys so we had a lot of reasons to stay. We took advantage of being in a SKP park and I washed the salt mist off the rig and polished it while Nanc did some spring cleaning. We did a lot of just hanging out but also explored the area.

Next to the park is a field with a few donkeys and one pig. They are fun to watch and run to the fence for handouts every time someone walks by. Behind the park is a large swamp with many birds. We even saw a roseate spoonbill even though this is outside its normal range. There are two resident owls in the park and you can hear them hooting and see them every evening.
We were told a must do in the area is the Webster Flea Market. Honestly, I have never seen so much useless "stuff" in one place. There were booths with "antiques", new clothing, jewelery, a very large farmers market and just about anything else you could want but don't really need. There was even a booth selling only Steelers stuff. One thing I have not seen at other flea markets was the large number of people selling guns and the people who bought them walking around with there new firearms. I was not worried because I'm sure they all had a very thorough background check. Right!! We bought a few things including a wrench I needed, a new super squeegee and some fruit and veggies. As you can see by the flag above they even have beer, but we were not there long enough that I needed one to kill the pain of shopping.

We took advantage of the nearby Withlacoochee State Trail, a paved rails-to-trails. We had ridden this trail when we stayed in Port Richey three years ago. In Floral City we stopped at Hampton's Edge Trailside Bicycles so Nanc could buy a new pair of gloves. Turned out the owners are SKPs who close the shop in the hot summer months and travel in their RV. They were at the Escapade in Goshen last fall. If you are in the area and need bicycle repairs, rental or supplies make sure you stop and see Regis and Cindy.

We travelled with Joe & Marcia and Wallace & Wanda to the Margarita Grill in Homosassa. When we pulled into the parking lot we realized we had been there three years ago when we stayed in that area to see the manatees. Above is the see no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil trio who are enjoying their "medium" margaritas.

This is Sammy the son of the owner who without touching it twisted the fork Nanc is holding. It was truly amazing as we could actually see he was not touching it and the fork was twisting and turning. It wasn't a trick fork either because it was the one Nanc ate her lunch with and we brought it home. This alone makes it a worthwhile stop. Make sure you ask Sammy to bend a fork.

Since we were in the area we went to the SKP luncheon in Clermont where we had lunch with 07 mates Tom and Paula whom we met at the 07 rally in Boerne a couple of years ago. We also drove to have dinner with Nanc's sister Judy and her husband Bill whom we spent time with in December. We will probably not get another chance to see them for awhile.

We are looking forward to watching the Super Bowl as the Steelers shred the Cheeseheads during their climb up the stairway to seven.

HERE WE GO STEELERS HERE WE GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!