Mary Ann: Here we are in Florida, almost ready to end our month-long stay here and we've sure had lots of wonderful experiences. The most exciting event was the wedding of Don's daughter Terri and her fiance Darin last weekend. It all happened on the Fort DeSoto Island beach during a most beautiful sunset. The miles long beach was voted by Dr. Beach as 1# in North America and it earns it's ranking with it's huge stretch of powdery white sand. We had a hard time tearing ourselves away afterwards, and as a matter of fact, Don and I will be heading back that way tomorrow for our last taste of the warm ocean for a very long time.

Since leaving New York in late September, we have traveled over 2000 miles and enjoyed the wonders of Charleston, S.C., St. Augustine Florida and of course this whole Tampa Bay area. We camped a few days on the beach and, I have to admit, the ocean still stirs my soul more than any other landscape I know. The rhythm of the waves pounding the shore, the warmth of the sand under my bare feet, and the salty smell of the ocean breeze settle inside and restore me like nothing else.

We've also been eating a good share of seafood and have feasted on shrimp, scallops, crab and lots of fresh fish. One of our favorite places was Saltwater Cowboy near St. Augustine which was an old fishing camp in the middle of a salt marsh, turned into a restaurant back in the 1970's. It was just down-homey and funky enough to be fun, while serving great meals.

In between trips, our days here in Lakeland are pretty quiet. We often start our mornings at Kona's Coffeeshop where the server from an island off Madagascar greets us like we're old friends, and always remembers our favorite drinks or asks us about our latest news. We sit and sip while writing in our journals or reading some novel, and then make a leisurely exit out past the group of retirees (5 men and 1 woman) who sit outside the door at tables while shooting the breeze and smoking hand-rolled cigars. Later that morning, we work at our computers, sometimes writing, sometimes exploring the Web for places to go or things to do. After lunch, we might do some chores that need doing around here, or go shopping, or we've even been known to take a nap. We`eat dinner between 5 and 6, and then almost every evening we go for a walk, usually in this neighborhood, but sometimes we tackle the beautiful 3-mile loop around Lake Hollingsworth.

Our time is quickly coming to an end here and we'll be heading off to other places, including Kentucky, California, and finally back to Ohio in mid-November.

Mary Ann: The months have gone by so quickly, as they always do in the summer and early fall, and here we are in Florida after having traveled through many beautiful parts of the country during these past many weeks. I think it might be time for an update for those of you who might be wondering where we are and what we've been up to.

After having spent much of the summer in the Troy area and in Kentucky, we headed out in mid-August to southern Maine to stay with friends in a small town about 45 minutes from Portland. Those two weeks were filled with one wonderful experience after another. We attended an authentic "bean hole" supper in an area brimming with weekly bean suppers. What made this the real thing was that the day before the event, the church members prepare 3 baked bean dishes using a secret recipe and a different kind of bean in each. Meanwhile, a giant pit is dug in the backyard where wood is burned until the pit is filled with hot embers and ashes. The huge pots are lowered into the ground and then covered with these embers, a heavy steel door to keep the lids tight, and finally they are mounded over with earth. It sits like this, simmering in the hot coals, overnight. Very early in the morning, everything is dug up, the beans are checked and the seasonings adjusted for exactly the right flavor, and then they are reburied for several more hours. Even though all tickets are presold, around 4 PM the diners begin to line up at the door for the first seating at 4:30. (That's because the first ones in get the best choice of the homemade pieces of pie) At exactly 4:30 the doors are opened and everyone rushes in, going to the dessert table first and then sitting down to a meal of 3 kinds of beans, cole slaw, potato salad, red hot dogs, and steamed brown bread, all homemade and delicious. Don and I left filled to the brim and now acquainted with a number of the locals, including a whale boat captain who later in the week would lead us 20 miles out into the Atlantic on a whale watch.

During those 2 weeks in Maine, we were also able to watch an Amish barnraising at the Carpenter's Boat Shop; to camp on Pemaquid Point where we were lulled to sleep by the waves crashing on the rocky shore; to watch the sun go down over the Portland Head Light; to wander the many piers where fisherman gathered to sell their lobster, crabs, and mackerel at the end of the day; to explore the lively Portland art scene and enjoy the excellent seafood dishes that seem to sit on every street corner.