Ides of March, Wid Bunch day

 First day of the match, Wild Bunch side event, 4 stages.  Gun E and I each shot well, I had 1 Procedural because I can’t tell a knockdown from a static target.  Dummy.  Gun E was clean.  We’ll find out if it was good enough in a couple days.  I didn’t pay any attention to my times.  Just shot it and enjoyed it!

Later we went out for some repairs supplies and then tried to fix the shower door tonight.  Got half way and let the glue dry overnight.  

Followed by a wee dram of the Irish.

Various random photos of the day

My new cart, it’s premier use

Tavares tourists

 Today was for wandering about the Tavares area.  First Mike and I went on a tour of the local gun shops.  Mike bought a few cleaning supplies and I bought… nothing.  I was tempted by a cute little short barrel .22 single action revolver, but its still there.

After lunch I got a haircut and then Mike and I went north a bit to the Camper World store for some other supplies.  Like a tall exhaust stack for the generator to get the noise and exhaust odor up above all of us.  Another browse through sportsman’s Warehouse and back to camp just in time for the thunderstorm.  We waited for the storm to pass before installing the stack. 

Just a couple views as we drove around today   

Eustis Gun Club, Tavares, FL

 Arrived for the Ides of March shoot, the Florida State CAS Championship.  It starts on Thursday but we got in early to get settled and get all the gear unpacked and ready in leisurely time.  Already met some fine peepele had a good evening around the camp getting to know the om=nes who put on the shoot.

Went out to dinner.  Several times, you might say.  We chose a restaurant and wen out to it, but then when we found it, it was closed.Picked another with the same result. Picked a third and it was OPEN!!  The gator bites were delicious!

A couple views along the road today

Our camp for the next 5 nights

Tonights restaurant

Homosassa for a day

 It was a slow start due to the double time change. 

We had a good visit with Smith and several of us went to the Freezer for shrimp at lunch time.  Delicious as ever.  And Salmon dip!  They make a great salmon dip.  I got a second dish to take to cow camp this week.  

We go to Tavares tomorrow to camp at the cowboy shoot.  That match will run Thur-Sat with some ceremony stuff on Sunday.

Then it’s northbound, to the land of (hopefully) melting snow.

This is the picnic area behind the Freezer

This crane was posing for handouts

We found this at a grocery store lot

These channels are all around this neighborhood.  Every other street has one, so all the houses have a channel in the back yard.  They lead to the river and thus to the ocean in a few miles.

The 3 of us at the Freezer

Seven Sisters Campground, Homosassa, FL

 Much less wind today but still present.  

Got up to 30 degree cool in FL, but better than the 22 forecast.  2 time changes today, DST first then came into Eastern time zone.  

Some rolling hills in the panhandle before getting to the flatland of Florida for most of the drive.  Flat and straight with a curve for no apparent reason every 5 miles.   Coming down US Rt 19 was a very nice change the interstate.  Going through small towns was a treat since they were 10 miles apart on a 4 lane divided highway.   

Smith and Sally came over to camp for a while.  A friend of Mike and Becky came up from south FL too  camp was really social for a couple hours and for the first time on this trip we were all comfortable sitting out in the sun.  

8am.  Just realized I didn’t finish this last night. 

Outback Springs RV Park, Bonifay FL

 No rain but it sure did blow hard today!  It started with a cold wind when we got up and went outside this morning.  Then the coach was buffeted by heavy wind the whole day.  Clear sunny sky and plenty of good views for the passenger.  The driver had his hands full.  Getting used to water again.  3 huge bridges today,  and those have even more wind than anyplace else.

This Outback campground is very pretty.  It’s run by an Australian couple, hence the name.  We got the last available site and its pretty tight but we managed.

Off to Homosassa tomorrow.

Crossing the Miss once again, the last time

Crossing Lake Pontchartraine on the east side 

Approaching Mobile AL

Camp

New Orleans sightseeing

 Today was devoted to checking out New Orleans.  Since there was rain in the forecast we decided to drive into the city instead of taking the foot ferry.  Gave us more flexibility.  We parked in the same lot Carlene and I have used before.  It was a lot easier to get to it than it was 3 weeks ago!  Plenty of space too.

First was beignets. Delicious!  Then a walk along Bourbon St.  And a couple souvenirs for the first time visitors.  The only thing I bought was a bottle of gin, we were running low.  There was a good short heavy rainstorm but luckily it only lasted a short time.  

I’ve made camp reservations for the next few days.  Did that in a rocking chair by the picnic table at the camp site.  Listening to the rather noisy birds and tree frogs and the like all around me.  A great little “office” to work in.  It’s overcast but not raining.  Fine!

We have a night in the panhandle and two nights in Homosassa, practically across the road from Smith.  It’ll also be convenient for Mike & Becky to visit a friend in Tarpon Springs before we head to the shoot in Tavares on Tuesday.

Tonight we went down the road to get some seafood.  By coincidence I picked a restaurant off the map search that turned out to be the same place Carlene and I went 3 years ago for crawfish.  We had more crawfish tonight, still mighty fine!  Plus some charbroiled oysters and Boudin.  All excellent.

We did have some heavy rain on the way back to camp that made driving difficult in the sense that it took both Mike and I and the GPS to find our way back due to visibility.  Or lack of visibility.  

A cloudy morning

A few sights around the French Quarter

The alternate parking lot, on the bridge going back to camp.  Eventually we saw what was wrong.  A pick up truck that had been flattened in a rollover, on the bridge.