Trippin' with Susan Straley

 Sunday, December 20, 2020   I did it again.  Some days my mind is just not in the moment and somehow I lose track of important stuff. I was looking forward to this trip.  I was traveling just two or three hours to the coast east of Orlando, FL.  I was excited because I would be spending my holiday with some up-beat and active friends.  We were to be camping in an area where there is water for kayaking, lots of nature for birding, and a trail for biking.  But this morning as I was packing I was in a foul mood.  My neighbor, Mari, commented, "Sue, you are frowning!  You should be smiling, aren't you excited?"   I hadn't even been aware I was in a foul mood, but then I realized that the thrill of going just wasn't in me.  I felt frayed... is that a feeling?  I felt like my brain was a bit scattered.  It wasn't working as sharp as normal and I was having to work extra hard to concentrate and make sure I didn't forget anything.  Mari reminded me I had a packin

 Hello! Last I wrote to you I was just ending my trip to Sanibel Island and the Everglades.  I was debating whether to downsize or cheapen my Florida living situation and travel half the year. As usual in these tough decisions, I have gone round and round.  I was talking with a friend who is building a house.  She said once she has made a decision, she just goes with it.  But her husband loops through the decision they have already made.  He goes through the decision-making process over and over again.  Second guessing, double checking, he is like me in that regard.   I remind myself to be grateful that I have choices.  Sometimes in life, and in so many lives less fortunate, there are few choices other than to be negative or look at the bright-side. Before I get into some decisions I have gone through recently, I have to share this bright sunset picture with you.  Last I wrote you I had a Halloween picture and song lyrics by my Wisconsin friend, Mark Blackman.  Well this week I got thi

 Greetings from Alafia River State Park,  This trip is almost over and I haven't had a chance to write to you.  First I was soaking up Sanibel.  After that we were in the Everglades at Midway Campground.  We didn't have cell or WiFi service.  We were out in the boonies! What I will tell you is the island is full of no-see-ums.  The Everglades has fire ants and mosquitos.  So spending time outside sitting especially at dawn or dusk is asking for lots of tiny bites.  I got tons on my ankles, feet, legs, and arms.   I have used a lemon-grass oil and Off for keeping them from biting.  After being bitten I have used after-bite, Benedryl cream, and cortisone cream to keep me from scratching all the skin off my extremities.  I think the natives in the old times must have coated themselves with swamp mud to keep the bugs from driving them insane. Sanibel Last I wrote you I was in Periwinkle Campground on Sanibel Island, Florida.   The folks I met up with (from Polk City, FL near the Va