Here Come Da Judge

     It's hard to believe we're 1/2 way through our 3rd week here at Jonathan Dickinson State Park. Most days have been beach days, and I've even had the kayak out in the river a couple more times.

     We,ve switched campsites to our favorite, #96, (perfect for guests, with its own cul-de-sac) and so bid adieu to our last neighbor, Dick Laliberte, from Hudson NH, here for a 600 person geocaching event;sort of a scavenger hunt using GPS to find things hidden at co-ordinates that you download from the internet. Fun? I don't know, but hey no judging here.

     I almost DID judge the 65 or so Jehovah's Witnesses that took over the campground the weekend before last. (Religiously oriented groups of any denomination tend to give me gas.) But honestly?  These folk were a miracle ( if I can use that word) of planning and execution: organized games for the older kids, Disney movies projected outdoors on the side of an RV for the younger ones, and a central food service area encompassing 2 of their 9 or so camp sites. Complete with a real barbeque pit. The smells of the slow cooking was almost enough to make me consider accepting a few pamphlets in exchange for a taste. (almost)

     This week we had neighbors across the road from, judging from the accent, Germany. A young couple with a toddler and an oft crying infant, driving an odd Ford Transit based camper that clearly came from Europe. Every time the baby would stop wailing, Gordon would commence barking. Turns out the reason the baby (this is the 7-8 month old, not the toddler) had quieted, and the reason for Gordon's alarm was that the baby had taken to SweetPea-ing himself across the road and up our drive into our site. This happened 3 times, to the utter indifference of the parents, who were closed in their camper leaving the infant to his own devices. It got to the point where anytime our other neighbors heard Gordon barking, they would run out of their camper to scoop up the baby in the road. Good Lord, the toddler probably frolics in the middle of the Autobahn at home. So Gordon:hero dog.

     Yesterday I took the kayak a few hours downriver, and had just reached my desired fishing grounds when I got caught in a thunderstorm/tornado/monsoon. By the time I sprinted back, (thank God for healthy knees) the entire campground was afloat, especially the tents. But not this one: www.sylvansport.com/go   "Only" $8,495.

     Of course the integrity of ANY camping unit is challenged when one (duh!) leaves the window open. YOU be the judge: who's at fault, the one who opened the window over the bed the night before, or the one who sat through the deluge blissfully reading without checking? Solomon says it's a wash. Literally.

     However, we COULD be camping in that unit with the Ron Paul for President stickers, (kind of a glorified dog house) so all is good, albeit a bit damp.

     Watched some guys at Hobe Sound Beach who were part of a 3 day shark fishing (from the beach,not boats) tournament last weekend. These guys use the same paddle-the-kayak-out-about-200-yds and drop-your-baited/weighted-line technique that we use for stripers at Race point, except on steroids. Instead of a 12 oz. sinker holding down a couple of sluggos (fake sand eels), these guys chunk up  sting rays and bonito into 12"x9" pieces, put it on what looks like meat hanging hooks, with leaders a good 1/2" thick, and weigh it down with bricks tied to ropes. And the reels? Size matters; bigger than anything you'll see on "Wicked Tuna".

     Of course my very presence on the beach (3 different times over the course of the weekend) meant no action to be seen, but rumor had it they caught a couple of 7 foot lemon sharks in my absence. (Catch,tag,and release, lest ye be judging)

     So now you're up to date. Hope you're all good, and remember: keep your fingers out of the snowblower.

Tiki Bar Wherefore Art Thou?

Well, I learned last year not to let the fun get too far behind us. So I'm checking in in a somewhat timely fashion this year, lack of material be damned.

My friend Carol wants "more redneck stories".
Given that we are eschewing the panhandle this year, they will be hard to come by. ( Not that the area is without its merits, we're just sick of driving 1500 miles to be cold in Florida) Hmm...unless I were to make them up....

No, fisherman that I am, I only write the truth. So Carol will have to settle for "odd people stories".

The Red Roof in Wilmington Delaware provided the first two: the guy who shared far too many details of his divorce with me over the course of 7 minutes, and archetypal Crazy Chatty Cat Lady, who had  ??? many cats in those crates.

I've noticed that at Red Roof locations where there IS  actually something nefarious going on, (Tallahassee, West Palm, Fort Lauderdale) you get left alone. They're too busy doing their ...whatever. It's these "nice" ones where you need to watch out.

Here in JD State Park, most people maintain a respectable distance when using the shared spaces. So this morning I (unseen lady occupying stall 3) was a tad surprised to hear from (unseen lady occupying) shower #1 :"SEEN ANY CRITTERS?"

Well,yes,yes I have. 1 Raccoon in the dumpster, 1 bunny in the grass, 4 whiting, 1 flounder and 1 of those god awful hard head catfish (see Revenge of the Catfish, April 2, 2012 for the gory details)

Other than sighting wildlife and odd people, much of our time here has been spent trying to find a replacement for our 2 favorite post beach watering holes. One gone to a no dogs policy, and one "closed permanently". Yeah, I know, a first world problem.

Mark and Lucy: Swampbloggers: Remember This? Welp,it's that time of year again....

Mark and Lucy: Swampbloggers: Remember This?  Welp,it's that time of year again....: Remember This?  Welp,it's that time of year again. Last year we hadn't much to report (#peteredout), and are expecting/hoping? for m...

Remember This?  Welp,it's that time of year again. Last year we hadn't much to report (#peteredout), and are expecting/hoping? for more of the same.

Basically we are pushing the envelope even a bit further than last year;checking into our campground in Hobe Sound on Sun. January 19, and alternating names, credit cards and  camp sites till checkout on Mar.3. This works perfectly, theoretically,despite the 2 week maximum, due to the required 11 mos. in advance booking via Reserve America. But in reality, the eyebrows of the ACTUAL PEOPLE who man the in and out booth raise higher and higher the longer we stay.

During this extended stay, we're having our usual guest of honor,Suzanne Osberg joining us, and for 4 days are using our Hobe Sound campsite as a reasonably priced parking place, and joining her in a jaunt to the Keys in a dog friendly hotel, sans camper.

BTW, in years past, we've attempted to lure others to share in the fun,given that we carry a tent and Aerobed for the purpose. But, aside from Suzanne,no takers. So this year we offer up JUPITER WATERFRONT INN. Within a mile of the campground. All Tikki Bar research done. Around 170/nt for a good place. Anbody??? Airport pickup free!


Once we return from our sojourn in the Keys, within a week, we are off across the state to  Koreshan. Long time readers of this little blog might remember this as the park that was donated to the state ( as many of these parks were) by a cult who believed that the world was contained within a  giant hollow sphere. Today, it's attraction is as the closest campground to Red Sox spring training in Fort Meyers. (Which is our purpose: Tickets on the fake green monster ;check. Reservations for the dogs in a nearby kennel;check.)

After Fort Meyers, we return to Hobe Sound via Rainbow Springs, a State Park we've visited before, which offers a tubing excursion. We've got friends from Wellfleet who live nearby, who will take the dogs. (HI MONICA AND LINDA,REMEMBER THIS???)  Also hoping to visit with LARRY ROSS and WAYNE and GINNY GILES during this time, at THE VILLAGES.

Come Mar.12, we are back in Hobe Sound until the 26th, expecting to arrive home in Wellfleet by April 1.

Come join us!