Clermont, Florida

January 19 - 26, 2010

Clerbrook Golf & RV Resort

Clermont, Florida

We've moved further inland...here we are at Clerbrook Golf & RV Resort.  This park is about four times bigger than the one we just left; I'm sure the golf course has something to do with that.  There were more people on this course than I have ever seen on any other course...at least 3 foursomes on every hole. 

We can't complain about rainy, drab days...those come about once a week.  We've had some beautiful blue skies but that hasn't stopped the cold.  To this point, I'm comparing this winter to a mild Cape Cod winter.

On day two we woke up to warm sunny skies and decided this was the day for the pool.  We made it into the 70's and soaked up some of that much needed vitamin D.  We even had some company at the pool!

And, oh what a night.  Big, beautiful, full moon!

We woke up after a day of rain to another day starting in the 30's and climbing only to the 50's.  (Yes, that's frost on the car and ground!!!) I know I shouldn't complain...New England is having record snow and cold and my poor family in Minnesota and South Dakota are enduring cold like I've never seen!  But, we did come down here for some warmth...I wonder if there's a RV route to Brazil; that may be our next destination!

Since we haven't been able to play as much golf this trip, our next most favorite thing seems to be visiting all those wineries!!  Some of them offer live, outdoor music.  

After a morning at a local (well 25 miles local) flea market (big disappointment...a lot of junk!), we headed over to Lakeridge Winery (only a mile or two from our park) to enjoy another "music fest".  JUST as we arrived, the band took a break...we have such perfect timing. 

The bandstand was on top of a hill at the winery and the sun was shining brightly, but the wind was howling!  The cymbals on the drumset were playing, but there was no drummer!  We haven't played golf, but thank goodness the golf bags were still in the car...I really needed a windbreaker from my bag in order to make it through a set.  

Here's the lead guitarist from the jazz group.  From the back he looked just like Walter Scano!  So now we have Walt and Mark Bucell as musicians...you only need a couple more to start your own band!!!

We were serenaded quite a bit by large sand cranes who made there home near the golf course here.  You find them quite a bit in Florida...they are quite large (3 - 4 feet) and they sound like the raptors we met on Jurassic Park. 

The night before we left was quite a tense one for me...Ken handled it all very calmly.  One thing we've dealt with weatherwise a few times while on the road that we just aren't used to is tornados!  Central and northern  Florida had major storms with high winds that night.  We were glued to the weather channel watching as the tornado warnings "swirled" around us...to the north, south and west.  I also kept watch on the neighbors to see if anyone was making any moves towards any different structures (sure wouldn't have been the laundry/bathrooms...that place was almost ready to fall down all on its own!)  We had the pillows and blankets ready, pulled in the slides and spent an hour "waiting".  Thankfully, the time went by and we were still "grounded".  After all those storm warnings, we learned the next morning that the heaviest damage happened about 4 miles south of us where 7 of 9 homes on one street were destroyed, not by a tornado touching down, but by high winds. 

Well, off we go to Kissimmee!!  Hopefully to warmer sun and much less wind!