Where Gulf breezes blow

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Dunedin, FL – We’re in familiar territory again, two sites over from the spot we had last year here at Dunedin RV Park. It’s a nice feeling arriving at a park where you know how the washrooms work, where the laundry is and what the camp policies are right off the bat! And Val’s brother John, Fawn and Algarve the pooch welcomed us warmly with big hugs and an invitation to supper. Lovely!

The drive from Kissimmee took less than two hours, so we took our time getting organized before we headed out. Campgrounds don’t always like it if you check in too early, so that was another reason not to rush. It was a rather cool morning, but there was only a light cloud cover so the driving was easy. We smiled at the hydro pole by the highway as we left Kissimmee, designed in the shape of Mickey Mouse. There’s only one like it, so people use it as a landmark – “make your exit just after the Mickey Mouse hydro pole”!

It was a pleasure to see the beaches and coastal inlets on the west side of Tampa, lined with tall palm trees and populated by pelicans and turkey vultures flying overhead. We drove straight for the Gulf coast before turning north, with the water on our left, headed for Dunedin.

A bagpiper in full Scottish kilt and sporran welcomed us to the town – rather stiffly, since he’s on a signpost, not in the flesh – and we soon began to recognize some of the landmarks from our last visit. We already knew that “Dunedin” has “edin” in it because of its connections with Scotland’s Edinburgh. Highland games are also part of the local tradition.

Before long, we were settled at our site, hooked up, slides deployed and lawn chairs set out on our little patio. I finally got our backlogged laundry taken care of, and defrosted the refrigerator, so we’re all set for our month next to the beautiful Gulf coast, with sights to see, friendships to renew, fresh breezes to enjoy. We even sat outside and read our books for a while today – a nice change from tromping around theme parks for three days in a row!

Juicy hamburgers from the barbeque, a fresh salad, strawberries and home-made cookies tickled our tastebuds at John and Fawn’s spacious RV, with its brand new wood steps and railing that John built soon after they got here last fall. It was great catching up on all their news and getting them up to speed on ours. And Algarve pranced around chasing his tail for our entertainment. A great way to end the day!