Over the last few weeks we have had a great time visiting with family.  We had time to play with grandchildren and even spend some time with our own children.  :)

We hope to be able to set more dates to spend with them over the next month or so.  After that we are headed back west.

We made the trip back to Pensacola.  So many things planned in the next few weeks.  We have Easter with family, preparations for my second eye surgery for the cataract, helping with the soon to arrive new grandchild, a trip to Hawaii for a week, and a return to Ocala to complete the repairs to the 5th wheel.  Whew! Lots planned.  Maybe we can work in some relaxing somewhere.  We hope.

I thought I would post some pictures at Ho-Hum RV park.  Much of the area still has damage from hurricane Michael.  The RV park has almost completely recovered.

After several relaxing days we are headed back north to Pensacola.  It was great to go to the pool and hot tub.  For the most part we just relaxed and recharged.

Today we moved from Ocala to Carrabelle.  We arrived at Ho-Hum RV park to the always beautiful views of the water.

You never really know what people consider to be good pets to take with them in an RV.

We took a very short drive to see a very old Florida attraction.   Both of us remember visiting Silver Springs as children.

Ok the teacher in me is breaking out so be patient...

The park was opened in the 1870's and started using glass bottomed boats soon after.  For the next 140 plus years, it was a commercial attraction.  At times there was a small zoo, bird shows, and amusement rides.

Until the 1960's several tv shows and movies were filmed at the springs. Hollywood loved the jungle look and clear waters of the spring which allowed very good underwater photography. Six of the old Johnny Weissmuller Tarzan movies filmed around and in the spring. The  Creature from the Black Lagoon and James Bond movies "Thunderball" "Moonraker" and "Never Say Never Again" used the spring.  Most of the underwater scenes in the TV show Sea Hunt were filmed here along with some scenes in Lassie.

The state took over operations in 2013 so now is returning the focus to nature, as it should be.

​So this was a bit scary.

The monkeys were brought to the park in the 1930s but the man who owned the attraction did not know that these monkeys can swim.  That is a bit of a problem since he thought they would not leave the island in the river.  Wrong!  They moved off into the surrounding forest and have now split into several troops.  We did not see any of the monkeys but most have move further into the less populated parts of the park.

The raised walkways and trails were great.  The walkway took us over the swamp and along the edge of the river.

We had a wonderful time and a great hike.  The springs are so clear it was deceptive at how deep we were seeing to the bottom.

​I remember enjoying another attraction that used to be nearby.  When I was a child we visited "Six Gun Territory".  It was a "Western" town that opened in 1963.  No kidding!  It was an attraction one mile down the road  from Silver Springs sitting in the middle of 200 acres.

​From its opening until the opening of Walt Disney World in Orlando in the 70's, it was the most popular attraction in Florida that was not nature related.  It happens that Walt Disney had looked at the Ocala area but in the end decided on Orlando to build his new park. Part of the popularity was that the "town" was made up of 40 real buildings with an effort to make them as authentic as money would allow.  In its heyday, Six Gun Territory had a western town with a courthouse, saloons, the Frontier Hotel (where visiting stars from the old western TV shows and movies stayed who came in for special appearances), a jail, a Morrison’s cafeteria, a schoolhouse and a Church. The saloons included can-can girls. There were lots of people in costume and character some even on horseback and a horse drawn wagon.  There were regularly scheduled shootouts in the main street, a stage coach ride,  a steam train that ran from the entrance to the town and was frequently part of an attempted armed robbery. 

We have arrived at the RV park we will be staying in while at Silver Springs. This is not our first time in the park.  Our reservations are for a week.  We hope that will be enough time to get much of the work done on the 5th wheel.

We are headed down to Ocala to get work done on the 5th wheel.

Of course we traveled on a day it rained almost the entire way.  Hey, we made it safe and sound to Chattahoochee.  No joke.  Triple C's campground is a few miles south of the old mental hospital.  I don't know if it is still active but we have no intention of finding out.

Briefly, Shawna had to fly to be with her Mom who had a medical emergency.  She left on the 20th of March and returned yesterday.  Mom is much better but still has some recovery still to go through.

I had an appointment with the Ophthalmologist who did my eye surgery.  My gas bubble is gone. Yea!!.  Anyone who has gone through this will tell you that the gas bubble in your eye can drive you NUTS!. Imagine seeing what looks like water sloshing back and forth in your vision. All the time. I am thrilled that it's over.

I am now referred to the surgeon that will do the cataract surgery. Yes I must have another surgery and the first surgeon does not do that type of procedure. Everyone who has detached retina surgery has a quickly developing cataract. So we have that scheduled for May.

We still have some problems with the 5th wheel.  Friday we are heading down to get those resolved at the dealer we purchased the RV.  I think we will be in south Florida until just before Easter.  We hope to be back in Pensacola for the holiday.

Whew!  It has been a difficult couple of weeks. Maybe we can relax some of the time in the next week or so.