Christmas

We moved out of the Keys to Christmas, FL for a one month stay.  The day we left we drove through very heavy rain in Miami so it took us over seven hours to go 300 miles.  The high point of the day was buying fuel using our fuel perks card.  We got 40 gallons of diesel for less than $16.00, an all time record low.  We chose to stay here because we are taking a cruise out of nearby Port Canaveral later this month.  Weather wise it has not been a good decision.  For the first three days there were record highs with temps in the 80's, but since then it has been wet and cold.

We are staying at the Christmas RV Park and that has also not been a good decision.  First, they charged us $90.00 more than we were quoted just six weeks ago.  Our friends Joe and Kathy came here on January 10th for a month long stay only to discover they only give the monthly rate if you come in on the first.  They are paying for a week at a time at a rate that will cost them $500 more than what we are paying at the newly inflated monthly rate.  The next thing we discovered was we did not have a clear sight line through the trees to connect our portable satellite dish.  That would not be a big deal if there were not sites where we could connect, but walking around we see many places with dishes out and many other sites unoccupied.

We discovered the third problem when it rained on Saturday and we had a lake right outside our door.  The rug is not under water because it is floating.  The water was at least six inches deep.  Once again there are many empty sites that were high and dry.  We are not very demanding when it comes to RV parks, but this has been one of the worst experiences we have had in almost nine years on the road. 

We did get to see and hear a rocket that was launched from the Kennedy Space Center.  We did not go into town to watch but we had a view in the park.  There is going to be another one at the end of the month so we hope to go to Titusville to watch it.

On a brighter note, we got together with Joe and Cathy for lunch at Grills in Cape Canaveral.  Joe wanted to try the lionfish and got the last order.  As you can see you get the whole fish and it is VERY ugly.  They are an invasive species that have poisonous spines (that are removed before cooking) and are only caught by scuba divers spearing them.  There is no limit as they are trying to get rid of them.  We all had a bite and were surprised at how tasty it was.  

After our late lunch Cathy and Joe came to our place to celebrate Cathy's birthday.  We had a wonderful evening swapping lies and sharing a toddy.

As I said, we are here to take a cruise out of Port Canaveral.  We checked out the port and I think this is the ship we will be taking for our first ever cruise.

Just kidding!  This is the Enchantment of the Sea, the Royal Caribbean ship that we will be taking for a four day cruise to the Bahamas.  We are looking forward to our cruise experience and touring Nassau.  Sure hope it's calmer for us than the Royal Caribbean ship that was hit with hurricane force winds and 30 foot seas and had to land here rather than continue to the Bahamas this week.  Nanc wouldn't even look at the pictures.  So it will be interesting to see what happens.  Here's hoping for clear skies and calm seas.