Yep, it’s the shortest month. But even with that, this February seemed to go by extra quickly. We squeezed a lot of travel, fun, and work into February. We also stayed in touch with the family as we all scattered about, kids in Europe & the UK, mom and dad on a cruise to Mexico (thank goodness for WhatsApp). The first of February week was filled with various appointments and, for me, continued active recovery from the marine toxins that got me bad back in Biscayne. (spoiler: I am STILL recovering). The second week of February I flew to Boston to be with my oldest friend, Tammy. We have a tradition of me working in her magical flower shop for the week of the big holiday (her second biggest holiday season; Mother’s Day is typically bigger). It’s a big week. It’s a week filled with a lot of physical labor, a lot of customer service, A LOT of roses (very bitey), and a lot of coordination, communication long hours, and web work. It’s also filled with a lot of laughter, plenty of cuddles, yummy food, binging shows, and a comfy Aquarius Suite of my very own. Tam’s home is my home, and my time with her fills my little cup. I’m happy to be of use, and I am willing to brave the New England winter to be with her and her boys.

When I got back to warm, sunny Florida, I landed in Vero Airport for the first time, and got a chuckle at the baggage claim being an outdoor spot. It was nothing more than a pile of leaves and a flimsy barrier indicate where the luggage trolley will pull up. I’ve never been in a smaller airport. One gate only, but as it’s the only direct flight to Boston on the east coast under an hour’s drive from me, it is my airport of choice. I arrived on Monday. Larry flew to Cambridge on Tuesday. He got back on Thursday, and on Friday we sprang Louie from RV Jail (aka storage) and headed out again for more local explorations (aka appetizer travels).

Larry and I both wanted to spend this winter exploring more of Florida. After all, it’s a really big state (roughly the size of Italy.) And while the Everglades take up a sizeable portion, there still is so much to see. The fact that it’s a state with two coasts makes it pretty special. So for this weekend, we headed west. We caught the sunset on Pass a Grille Beach in St. Petersburg, and then arrived at our Harvest Host location to camp for the evening. The next day, we hit the local gym and then caught up with our dear friend, Chris (aka Chaos). We had such a wonderful time seeing him and Dorothy last month, and we really cherish the time we get to spend together. Dorothy was out of town but we three had a delicious Cuban lunch, and then did some more driving and exploring of the area, including Lido Key, Longboat Key, and Coquina Beach.

Way too soon, we had to part ways because Larry and I had reservations down at Big Cypress National Preserve for camping and a Astronomy Dark Sky presentation at the Preserve. Just after dark we joined a field full of other nerds, delightedly looking up at the stars on that mostly clear night while listening to the ranger talk about migrations and stars. It was a lovely evening. We returned to our campsite where we were warned about the 6 alligators, the 4 types of venomous snakes, and one bear, which all reinforced my commitment to never tent camping in Florida.

The next morning we headed out early to Marco Island. On our way we stopped to pose Louie next to the smallest working post office in the US. Adorable! We made our way to Tiger Tail Beach, and we waded across a tidal lagoon to get to the sand dollar spit. The wading felt adventurous and fun! Not for the overly short, or to be attempted at high tide, but a delightful way to start our visit. The beach was gorgeous and loaded with shells (ironically, no sand dollars). Mostly cockles, clams, and oysters, but with several other varieties to keep the hunting interesting. We walked the beach, enjoyed the surf. I rescued two large penn clams. They were big and beautiful but still alive, so into the ocean they went. We spent the morning on that gorgeous white sand, walking miles, enjoying the warm Gulf of Mexico, and basking in the natural beauty.

Once we had our fill, we waded back across (with the water already higher as the tide was coming in). We made our way to a less-than-hospitable YMCA, had a nice workout and shower, then made our way to a recommended local seafood restaurant for lunch. We began making our way to our last destination, Naples, when the weather began to change. The clouds rolled in, the wind picked up, the temperatures dropped, and then the rain came.

Even more grateful for the gorgeous weather we had in the morning, we kept exploring the area a bit. We headed to Lovers Key state park, and even in the wind and cold, the beach was pretty and mostly desolate. I found a wall of sand slowly getting covered by the rising tide. In that wall I discovered a trove of Florida fighting conch shells. I was so excited! I ran with my hands full back to Larry to show him my find! Happy and now in whipping winds and rains we made our way back to Louie and over to our final campsite.

It was a place we found on Hipcamp, and while it wasn’t much, it was private. I made a cup of tea, and as it rained we settled in to our respective activities. I continued the arduous task of reducing the files on my laptop so that I could more cleanly transfer to a new computer. (Confessions of a digital hoarder: I keep everything and struggle to delete things, even things I am assured live on a back up disk somewhere.) I made decent progress. We enjoyed an early dinner, some travel videos, and a good night’s sleep.

The next morning the skies had cleared, though the cold front moved in. We made our way back to Barefoot Bay, stopping for a stretch break and a BBQ lunch at a sweet little nature preserve somewhere between there and here. We also discovered a new app for helping us find RV dump sites along the route. And while Larry took care of that necessary task, I walked over to a roadside fruit vendor and procured the most delicious clemantines. Yum! Overall we were delighted with our last Florida exploration for February. There is something special about spending a weekend looking up at the stars and down at the sand. It makes me feel very connected. It’s one of the feelings I chase while traveling, and I am do grateful for every opportunity I get to feel it. We have three more Florida travels, one weekend in Charleston, SC, and a very quick and special trip to Cambridge coming up in March. We also have a very long list of things that need to get done between now and April 8. The project management segment of our season has entered the chat. We are less than 40 days out from taking Season Three on the road. We’ve got an exciting year ahead with lots of changes and lots of new experiences queued. We’re also folding in some Faux Bird Favorites! Stay tuned. Meanwhile, here are some pics from the month.