arrived at Lee’s Travel Park in Largo, FL for 8 weeks. On 01/26/2008 we visited De Soto National Memorial in Bradenton, FL. On a swelteringly hot day in May 1539, Spaniard Hernando de Soto splashed ashore at Tampa Bay intent on capturing the riches of La Florida by any means necessary. His army was alternately welcomed and opposed by Native American tribes throughout what is now the Southeastern United States in a four year, four-thousand-mile odyssey of intrigue, warfare, disease, and discovery. The picture is of DeSoto National Memorial Trail Tabby House.
We went to a Concert at Ruth Eckard Hall on 1/27/2008 to hear the Florida Orchestra play Henri Dutilleux, Tout un Monde Lointain, Concerto for Cello and Orchestra and Peter I. Tchaikovsky, Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Op. 64. Pam was delighted!
We visited the Manatee Viewing Center in Apollo Beach, FL on 02/13/2008. For more than 20 years, visitors of all ages have enjoyed the Manatee Viewing Center, an ecological gem tucked among the mangroves beside the discharge canal of Tampa Electric’s Big Bend Power Station. This canal is where manatees gather in numbers that can top 300 when the temperature of Tampa Bay drops below 68 degrees Fahrenheit. The picture is of a manatee at the Manatee Viewing Center.
We also visited with Cliff’s brothers, Bill and Ken, and Pam’s Uncle Melvin, Aunt Sue, Cousins Gray, Kevin, and Gina.
We left Lee’s Travel RV Park in Largo, FL and started back to Washington DC on 02/27/2008 and stayed the first week at Casey Jones Campground in Lake City, FL. It was a relaxing time with no site seeing.
The next week, we arrived at King George RV Resort in Woodbine, GA on 03/05/2008 and while there we visited an old Spanish fort and a lighthouse on 03/08/2008.
The fort we visited was Fort Matanzas National Monument, which is South of Saint Augustine, FL. The fort was built in 1740 and was used to ward off British encroachments on Saint Augustine. There were guides that were dressed in Spanish Uniforms of the period and gave a talk on the history of the fort. We took a ferry to the fort from the Visitor Center.
The lighthouse is the Saint Augustine Lighthouse, which is in the city of Saint Augustine, FL. You can climb the tower and/or view the Museum. We did not climb the tower, because the day we were there it was very windy and the door to the balcony at the top was closed. The picture is of the Saint Augustine Lighthouse.
After a week in Woodbine, GA, we traveled to Comfort Inn RV Park in Saint George, SC on 03/12/2008. The park is run by the motel and is located behind the motel. As we were planning to leave on 03/19/2008, I noticed that the windshield on the motorhome was lose. It was bad enough that I did not want to travel until it was fixed. After 4 hours of calling to find someone to fix it, I did arrange to have someone come out and look at the windshield. When he arrived, he fixed the problem in an hour.
A day late we headed for Sleepy Bears RV Park in Lumber, NC on 03/20/2008. The next morning, I noticed that the right corner of windshield came down again but not as far. So we took the RV to Fayetteville, NC to a glass place to have it fixed again. Hopefully it will last a lot longer. On 03/24/2008, we traveled to Allstate Glass and after about 3 hours, we had both sides of the windshield reset. We stayed the night at Lazy Acres Campground just off I95 near Fayetteville, NC. The picture is of our Motorhome at Lazy Acres Campground.
The next morning 03/25/2008 we drove to Lake Gaston Club Resort in Gasburg, VA, a day earlier than planned. We did have to change the reservation.
On 04/02/2008 we arrived at ODW Williamsburg Resort near Williamsburg, VA. While there we put together 4 Jigsaw Puzzles, and our pets had their annual checkups at a local Vet. Pam went swimming 6 times.
We arrived at Cherry Hill RV Park in College Park, MD on 04/16/2008. During our stay we had our annual checkups, and all is OK. On 04/28/2008, we went downtown Washington DC to see the Navy Memorial and the National Gallery of Art. The Navy Memorial includes both a commemorative public plaza and a Naval Heritage Center. The plaza is a round ceremonial amphitheater paved in granite to form a 100-foot diameter of the world. Surrounding the deck of the plaza are fountains, pools, flagpole masts, and sculptural panels depicting historic achievements of the sea services. A symbolic statue of a Lone Sailor stands watch near the edge of the plaza. Construction began in December 1985, and the Memorial was dedicated two years later on October 13, 1987, the 212th birthday of the United States Navy. The picture is of the Navy Memorial with the National Archives in background.
The National Gallery of Art was created in 1937 for the people of the United States of America by a joint resolution of Congress, accepting the gift of financier and art collector Andrew W. Mellon. During the 1920s, Mr. Mellon began collecting with the intention of forming a gallery of art for the nation in Washington. In 1937, the year of his death, he promised his collection to the United States. Funds for the construction of the West Building were provided by The A. W. Mellon Educational and Charitable Trust. On March 17, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt accepted the completed building and the collections on behalf of the people of the United States of America. The Picture is of the Rotunda area.
