This winter we have been offered a different path. Instead of returning Otwon we have joined the Naples Marco Island KOA in SW Florida.It has been 25+ years since I have lived in a coastal Florida town not to mention a town surrounded by a nature preserve. There are a few things I remember but would rather not encounter... like alligators, no see-m’s, and rattlesnakes. Then there are a few I am not accustom to… armadillos, bobcats, and panthers.
Really! Cats! Big Ones! I was a little freaked out. I had traded hawks and bears of Maine for gators and cats!
Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE Florida… and to my sunshine native sisters like Lucy, Barb, and Dixie: I have not turned into a whining Yankee, I promise. Cross my heart! But Panthers and Bobcats? Really? I have dogs. Little dogs!
I had been forewarned by a few co-workers to be careful at night and not to let my dogs out by themselves. OK, this freaked me out a little more. Then, I realized I was getting my information from snowbirds… I would generalize and call them all Yankees but one couple is from Georgia (say no more about them Dawgs; lol) and another in from Carolina. Both would cut off my head if I called them a Yankees. So I suppose there is a difference between the “South” and “South Florida”. I needed the 411 from a local… a year round resident.They are easy to spot. They are the ones in flip flops and a rugged tan. They informed me that although indeed there were critters to be concerned about… they had never seen the “cats” here at the KOA. And the rest was common sense Florida… which fortunately we have.
We have been here a week now and so far have only seen a raccoon or two… or three… or ten. I figure if there are coons around then the gators must not be. And the biggest issue we have is with the” no see-um’s” Help! Does anyone have remedy?
PS. Secretly I am hoping for a glimpse of a “Cat”. But that may have to wait for a trip to the Glades.
Until then… Peace, Luv, and Dreams of Cats, Here kitty, kitty…
"OTWON?!?" No wonder you wandered "off" to south Florida... you forgot how to spell Otown! ;-) Just kiddin, you know we love ya wherever you settle in for a spell. Can't wait to see you all.
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Oh my. Big Cats and No-See-Ums. Hard to say which is worse. I have a baseball cap with a mosquito net on it to keep them little bugs from flying up your nose or in you eyes and mouth. But ya look kinda funny and it might dim your view as you look out for the Big Cats. (When it rains, it pours.) Glad you're tucked in down there, as the temps for us Yanks up here is dropping steadily. How do you like your jobs? Larry started training at Amazon yesterday. He will be an "Outbound Picker." (Sounds like a good job for a Mexican, eh?) Miss ya n luv ya. Becky
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