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Sunday, October 16, 2022

Our Car Trip To Florida

Vizcaya, Miami, Florida, Dock, Ocean

As many of you know, we left last Wednesday from Philadelphia area to take our 20 hour car trip to South Florida for the winter. Here is how it went!

In previous years, we used to stop and stay in Savannah, Georgia or Charlestown, South Carolina for a few days along the way to enjoy the sights and restaurants. 

However, now that this is our 11th year making the trip, we are anxious to reach our destination and we simply stay in a hotel on the highway that we reach around 7 PM in the Savannah area, but get right back on the road by 8:00 AM to complete our 6 and half hours  of additional driving. 

Savannah is famous for its trees covered in Spanish Moss. If you would like to know more about the history of Spanish Moss I've included this link that I found on Google: History of Spanish Moss in Georgia. The moss does not feed off the beautiful grand oak trees, so it does not kill the trees. They are certainly lovely. 

Free photos of Savannah

We are always in awe of this beautiful bridge that leads us in to Savannah, Georgia. My husband is a retired engineer whose career was spent designing and inspecting bridges. So, we take particular interest in all the bridges that we see. 

River, Structure, Water, Architecture

Thankfully our trip was uneventful and smooth. The weather was warm and sunny, the traffic was flowing,  and we were happy listening and singing to oldies music and talking until- we reached an hour and half away from destination. 

As we approached South Florida, we headed into a deluge of a rainstorm that lasted until we got to Miami. It doubled our final traveling time and made it difficult to drive. The rain eventually lightened up, but lasted most of the evening while we unpacked the car and brought everything up to our condo. 

YIKES!! 

Usually, we find the condo in move-in condition, but this time we were greeted by a surprise. There was white dust all over our floors, tables, etc. We actually made footprints when we walked across the floor. 

We were totally baffled as to WHY? Where did it come from? - until we later found out that one of our neighbors had a total condo renovation during the 5 months we were away and their construction dust was everywhere including inside our condo. 

Free photos of Broom

Before we could settle in, we had a major clean up job to attend to. Ok maybe not major, but it took us about 2 hours- and it was unexpected. Thankfully I had covered the chairs. 


Miami condo


Now let's talk food!

I brought some easy to travel groceries with me the I had leftover in the house: bananas, oranges, apples, limes, avocado, cherry tomatoes, and potatoes. In addition, I had left canned beans, tomato sauce, grains, etc.in my condo pantry before we left last summer. 

What have we been eating before doing my major shopping? 

I steamed the bag of  potatoes that I brought with me in my Instant Pot. Yes, I have an Instant Pot in my Florida kitchen too!  

Cooked potatoes and avocado

One day for lunch,  I took a two steamed potatoes and added mashed avocado and a few cherry tomatoes. It was a quick and filling lunch. 

Another day, (forgot to get a photo), I did a similar lunch with black beans and salsa from my pantry. 

I'm thinking about what I can make this week: 

In the past I've made roasted vegetables  ( link to recipe ) which is always something we love to eat.

Roasted vegetable tray at www.realfoodblogger.com


I'll probably make and post a new soup recipe (even-though it's 85 and humid here-that's the beauty of the Instant Pot- it doesn't heat up my kitchen or the house), but I might also make a light carrot soup recipe (link to recipe) that I've shared before. 

vegan carrot soup www.realfoodblogger.com

We have gotten together with friends and eaten out the past 3 nights for dinner. But today, I will do need to do a real grocery shopping.  I should be back on schedule with my regular blog posts soon. 

PS: Thankfully South Florida did not suffer from the recent hurricane.

Please follow me on Instagram- I'm new on that social media site and need to build followers- much appreciated.

                                     

16 comments:

  1. Glad to hear that you reached your destination safely, but, ugh, to have to clean up after a long drive would not be fun. Still the condo is beautiful, and that view!

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  2. I typed out a comment and then it dis-appeared!!! Grrr ... annoying.

    Your food looks lovely.
    Enjoy your time in Florida.

    All the best Jan
    https://thelowcarbdiabetic.blogspot.com/

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  3. Enjoy your time in Florida!!.....Abrazotes, Marcela

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  4. So glad that dust was the only thing you had to deal with heading into Florida. Prayers that the rest of Florida heals soon. Love all the delicious dishes you have been cooking and preparing. Enjoy the rest of your time. Take Care

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    1. Yes, I should be grateful considering the damage the storm did on the other side of Florida.

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  5. I've always wanted to see Savannah! Your pictures of its famous mossy trees are as lovely as I imagined. Still, after years of making this journey, I understand why you'd want to get back on the road -- and why the rain and construction dust would be so daunting. That storm sounds especially dangerous, and I'm glad you and your husband made it through safely. Also that before it all started you were having such a nice time talking and listening to oldies. That's a happy marriage to me! Finally, your food looks just as colorful in Florida as it does in PA -- especially the potatoes, tomatoes, and avocados. May the rest of your Florida fall and winter be as delicious -- and incident free! 🌴

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    Replies
    1. Savannah is really a special place to visit. It's drivable in 12 hours or a plane ride away.

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  6. The condo looks amazing!

    The food too! Yummm!

    Hugs and blessings, Judee 💐

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    Replies
    1. Thank you . We do love our condo.

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  7. Not fun to arrive to an unpleasant surprise like that Judee, I'm so glad the damage wasn't more serious. I was curious if you encountered any problems driving through Florida, so glad the damage from Ian didn't interfere with your traveling. I hope you have a wonderful stay in your beautiful condo!
    Jenna

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    1. We did not encounter any problems at all nor did we see any damage. The damage was on the other coast of Florida.

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  8. Yikes, I can't believe so much dust made it into your condo from the construction. That was a really good idea you had to cover your furniture while you were away, what a lifesaver! The gorgeous views of your drive along the way and the water view out of your condo are making me really want to go to the beach. I am so glad you made it to Florida safely!

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    Replies
    1. Truthfully, we cannot understand the dust either but it is the only explanation and they were gutting their condo and there was lots of construction dust from taking down walls.

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  9. Glad you arrived safely. Savannah is one of my favorite places. It is so beautiful. That is odd about the dust isn't it?

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  10. The condo looks really nice. Continue to enjoy your vacation in Florida!

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