Tue - 18 Feb/14

Another above average day - clear skies and high 70's F - Wow!

Charlotte walked over to the Craft Room to pick up her glass plate. Looks Great!

Today's only activity is Fast Bingo at 5:30 p.m.; however, today is too nice to miss so we are heading to Mt. Dora, FL. If we miss F. Bingo - so be it!

First stop: Charlotte had a craving for "Boiled Peanuts" which we picked up at a roadside stand (along with a bag of oranges) on the way to Mt. Dora.

Before there was edamame (preparation of immature soybeans in the pod, found in the cuisine of China, Japan and Hawaii.) in this country, there were hot boiled peanuts, which are a staple in much of the South. Boiled peanuts (originally called Goober Peas) are just raw peanuts that have been boiled in salted water for hours. Fully mature peanuts do not make good quality boiled peanuts; rather raw or "green" ones are used. "Raw" denotes peanuts in a semi-mature state, having achieved full size, but not being fully dried, as would be needed for roasting or peanut butter. The most flavourful peanuts for boiling are the Valencia type (not Virginia type). They resemble soft mushy peas or beans in texture once cooked. Great with beer or a cold soda, these salty soft peanuts are totally addictive. They have an almost sweet aftertaste.A little messy too, given that the shells absorb some of the water which can squirt out at you when you bite into them to get the nut out. People usually eat them outside where you can toss the shells and not worry about the salt water dribbles. Uneaten peanuts should be stored in a refrigerator, as they can become slimy or moldy quite quickly without refrigeration. Boiled peanuts can be frozen, and later reheated in a microwave or boiling water for out of season consumption. Properly frozen, the flavor is well maintained for even several years.

Charlotte fed me peanuts as we drove. Her bonus: she got the salty juice from inside the shells. No need to worry about the refrigerator - they were all gone before we reached town.

Our next stop was Lowe's in Mt. Dora. Charlotte needed extra fine sandpaper for her plate project and I want to pick up a door stop for the RV.

Our destination today, once again, was the parking lot at the Lakeside Inn. The overflow parking lot (formerly the tennis court) has a nice shady area. We parked here yesterday for our Beaver Air Tour flight. Today we were going on the 2 p.m. Eco-Tour offered by Premium Boat Tours.

Just as we were getting out of the car we received a call from the RVers (Sally and Ed). We had met them at the RV Park's "Branson Show" evening this past Saturday. They asked if we would like to join them for supper (OK - dinner - we're Canadian). They graciously said they would wait until we returned to the park after the boat tour and would pick us up at our site. They knew the location of our lot as they formally had resided on site #40 right next door.

Our tour departure was from the historic Lakeside Inn waterfront. We were glad we had reservations as the boat tour was sold out. Charlotte waited in the shade while I checked on the tickets.

We had a short wait before we boarded. After the usual safety session we were underway.

The tour is a 2 hour Narrated Eco-tour that crosses Lake Dora, seeking bald eagles, osprey and other waterfowl on the way to the Tavares, FL waterfront. We were amazed to learn that Bald Eagles build the largest nests in the bird kingdom - weighing up to 2 tons - Wow!

The historical commentary along the way was quite interesting as were the many anecdotes.

The Duncan House Bread & Breakfast Plantation's (Tavares, FL) Third Floor Suite, in the mid-nineteen twenties, was used by Buddy Ebsen (Beverly Hillbillies fame) to teach ballroom dancing. The "Buddy Ebsen Suite" takes up the entire third floor and overlooks both the front of the property and Lake Dora.

We then entered the historic Dora Canal and followed its passage through a Cypress Swamp.

We continued on to Gator Inlet while searching for herons, (Think this one is courting the lawn decoration?)

anhingas, (showing off)

heart-shelled turtles and alligators (sunning on the same log)

as well as a feisty Stork vs Heron encounter.

We also spotted a rare and ever elusive "Gnome Village" along the shore (grin).

before returning through the canal and back across Lake Dora.

Captain Dave and First Mate Mary were excellent. Their informative narration and humourous anecdotes added to the enjoyment of the cruise.

The great weather, after the cold spell, enticed many boaters onto the water. The added traffic lengthened the cruise time by 15 minutes (no complaints). It did; however, delay our return to the RV Park.

Once back we phoned Sally and Ed and they picked us up at our site a few minutes later. Soon we were on our way for a feast of Fried Shrimp.

Soon we were at our Surprise (to us) Destination - Gator Joe's (Beach Bar & Grill) in Ocklawaha, FL.

Gator Joe was a 15 ft. 7 in. alligator that lived on Lake Weir in the early 1900's. Joe caught his fame from the Ma Barker Gang who tried to kill him on several occasions; but, Joe ultimately got them instead. His local legend led the FBI to the Barker hideout on January 16th, 1935 and after a 4-hour gun battle the Barker gang all lay dead. In 1952 Joe crossed paths with a local gator hunter named Vic Skidmore. The results, like the Barker Gang encounter with the FBI, was deadly.

Since then, Joe's foot has had many homes throughout Florida and even Kentucky. It was donated to Gator Joe's by Jim Townlee (one of Vic's friends).

We sat inside as the huge outside dock seating area was already packed.

Gator Joe's features "All-You-Can-Eat" meals all day during the week days.

ALL YOU CAN EAT!

Served all day with fries and slaw.

Monday

                                                              CLAM STRIP BASKET

Tuesday

SHRIMP

Wednesday

CHICKEN WINGS

Thursday and Friday

FISH

As you noticed - Tuesday is "All-You-Can-Eat Fried Shrimp" - and we did!

Great Conversation, Great Atmosphere, Great Service, Great Food = Great Time.

We really appreciated Sally and Ed inviting us out to supper and introducing us to this (you guessed it) Great Restaurant (I can sense a theme developing here - isn't that Great (grin)).

2 or 3 shrimp refills each and it was time to depart.

A relaxing half hour later we were back at our RV.

This was another busy, fun day!