Several people have asked how we ended up coming to Florida and the answer is simple. The cold chased us in that direction! We left Minnesota the night of November 30th, and we just drove straight south. We stopped in Missouri for a couple of days, but there was a cold front coming. It was … Continue reading Exploring Florida →

  It's kind of strange that so many people have dogs or cats, but there are not a lot of places that are animal-friendly so that you can bring your pet along with you. Almost all beaches in Florida seem to be off-limits to animals but we were lucky enough to find two dog-friendly beaches … Continue reading Activities for Dogs →

We were making pretty good time, with our goal simply to head south.  We stopped for two days in Missouri, at a nice little state park. Thomas went through a little internet withdrawal, since there was no wifi and not even cell signal.  We went for a very challenging 6-7 mile hike. It was a … Continue reading Delays are inevitable →

It turns out that downsizing from a four bedroom house into a boat is fairly difficult.  Who would have thought?  We started about a year and a half ago, simply trying to minimize our possessions. We have been bringing car load after car load to Goodwill all that time, but still we had/have way too … Continue reading Downsizing and Minimizing →

  This was my last day of work in the Abbott Microbiology group.  I am so excited for the next step in our lives, but it was very hard saying goodbye.  I've been there for almost 11 years.  People have come and gone over the years, but the whole group has been like family to … Continue reading Last Day at Work →