Florida

We left our faithful readers while were in Beaumont, Tx.

Since then we traveled thru rain and wind another thousand or so

miles eastward and find ourselves in Tampa, Fl.

We've been in an RV park here that is populated with these gigantic

Party Busses of all shapes and sizes.

The park has about 400 spaces and the snowbirds from up north seem to

keep it pretty full.

Most of the busses are so long that they fill up the parking space and any

car pulled behind (known as a "Toad") must be parked in the street.

Many of the Busses  (Class A RV's) are in the million dollar plus range.

Peeking in the bus above I think we saw one of the musicians from ZZ Top.

Or is it Kid Rock?

I can't decide…  you be the judge.

The reason for our being here in Florida rather than Arizona was due to the passing

of a friend of ours…  taken from us by ALS.

Only 54 years old, Deb was a special person.

An accomplished Attorney, Author, and humanitarian she touched

everyone that she came in contact with.

Today was her Celebration of Life in Sarasota, and hence the reason for

our mad dash east from Arizona.

We met Deb & her husband Craig about 6 years ago.

They were on our sailboat forum and had left their jobs, sold the house, and

were spending two years cruising from Maine to the Bahamas on their

Sailboat "Charmed"

While Craig certainly grieves over the loss of his love, he at least has these wonderful

memories of a life that was lived to the fullest.

If there is a lesson to be learned here I'd say it has to be

Don't wait for tomorrow to start living your life.

Chase your dreams.

Live everyday as if it is your last…  it might be.

Deb wrote about end of life issues.

Rather than try and explain this link to Amazon will show you what some

of her books were about.

One of the most touching to me however is her book

"One More Conversation"

From Amazon - here is the synopsis:

Losing a loved one is heart wrenching. All opportunities to express love or resolve differences are now lost. If you have ever wished for "one more conversation" with a loved one who has passed, this book will provide you with the tools and the guidance to create a forever conversation . . . a conversation your loved ones can have with you over and over again. Whether you want to say, "I love you" or "I'm sorry," tell a story or give some sage advice, One More Conversation shows you how your words can have a lasting impact and become a cherished family legacy.

At Debs Celebration of Life she left us with that Conversation.

It was her last message to Her Family and Friends.

The Service was held at Marina Jacks - a scenic establishment on the Sarasota

Waterfront.
Rest in Peace Deb.
You left the world a better place by having been here.

This area brings back many memories for Kate & I since we lived here

in the early 90's and spent much time cruising these waters on our Sailboat.

Getting ready to head back to Tampa we paused for a self portrait on the docks.

It was an hour drive for us and we needed to get back for the Doodles…

Feeding time at the zoo you know.

Tomorrow we pick up the Dog House, load it back onto the truck and head

South and East - our next destination is down by Miami.

After that the Keys

Then up to Vero and then Disneyworld!