Last Days of October

Shortly after we arrived at the campground here in Titusville, we heard about Dixie Crossroads Seafood Restaurant, or as it was described to us, "the world famous Dixie Crossroads". Dixie Crossroads specializes in unique "Wild Ocean Shrimp" caught by a fleet of commercial shrimp boats and is known as "The Home of Rock Shrimp".

So what are rock shrimp, you ask? They are small shrimp (sometimes referred to as "peanuts" or "hardheads") that have an extremely hard shell and a large sand vein. The hard shells can make them difficult to clean, and if the vein is not taken out, it's said that chewing the rock shrimp is like eating a mouthful of beach sand. (Sound appetizing so far?) Well, Rodney Thompson, now the owner of Dixie Crossroads, invented a machine back in 1969 making it easier to crack open the shrimp and remove the large sand vein. They are considered a delicacy and commonly referred to as the "shrimp that tastes like lobster."
Wednesday afternoon we decided to go check it out for ourselves. On the outside walls are wildlife murals, fishponds, fountains, waterfalls, and butterflies. Inside the dining rooms Dixie Crossroads is a virtual art gallery; large wildlife murals, photography, stained and etched glass, and even concrete sculptures that portray this region's unique habitats, plants and animals. The menu is quite extensive, but Russ and I ended up ordering the same thing, the Cape Canaveral Special. This "sampler" consists of 1 dozen shrimp, 2 dozen Rock Shrimp, and 1/4 lb. scallops, but Russ took the option of adding a 1 lb. Maine lobster to his. And let's not forget that two side items come with this plus a batch of corn fritters PLUS we had a coupon for a free order of Fried Krabby Bites as an appetizer! Trust me, we had more than enough food! We brought home nearly half of it for another meal including the lobster that Russ never even touched! It all made a nice meal for Friday night's dinner.

Later Friday night the campground was holding a Halloween party so we thought we'd check it out. One of the maintenance guys has all his own musical equipment and provided the entertainment. We were told that he has about 15 guitars and an entire recording studio in his trailer. In fact he gave everyone a copy of his new CD. It was BYOB, and there were about 20 - 25 people in attendance. We stayed a couple hours, danced a little, and drank two bottles of wine. One of the older gentlemen even asked Russ' permission to dance with me. He was such a sweet guy (though kind of looked and sounded like George Carlin!), works here Sept.-April, and then returns to his home in Connecticut. The party was nothing special but something to do, and we had a nice time.

We never made it to the beach last week as the rains started and a cool front came through. So Monday we left for our next destination, De Funiak Springs, located in the Florida panhandle. We plan to be at Sunset King Lake RV Resort (http://www.sunsetking.com/ ), our home through the first of the year. Upon arriving we met a guy while we were registering at the office, who lives here half the year, and is quite involved with the resort (was the Activities Director last year). Turns out Bill's a member of De Funiak Springs Country Club and invited Russ to play with his group on Tuesday mornings. He also informed us that Monday night was the weekly ice cream social, and we should be sure to stop by. Afterwards several stay around to play Pegs and Jokers, a combination card and board game. We decided we'd check it out so about 6pm headed over to the Clubhouse. There was already a good crowd (about 30) and had already run out of chocolate ice cream....bummer! But the vanilla with chocolate syrup and the mini chocolate kisses was just as good, and only $1!

We joined a couple at a table who had just arrived to the resort a few minutes before and were only staying a couple nights, but what a fun couple! Dottie and Cliff are from Ozark, AL, and have a business teaching folks to ride motorcycles. They just recently bought a 30 year old, 24 foot Winnebago on eBay! This was their first trip out with it, and although it was probably state-of-the-art when new, they are now stripping everything out and remodeling it. Although they seem to be having fun, I sure am glad Russ didn't talk me into doing that!! The next night they came by and we cooked up kielbasa on the grill with some sides and talked late into the evening. They plan on coming back this way before the end of the year, and we look forward to their return.

Yesterday Russ played golf with Bill, and another gentleman named Bill, and shot an 85. The wife of one of the Bills called during the round and plans were made to have lunch at the club. I was surprised when Russ called and said I was invited, so off we went to meet the men after they finished their round. The clubhouse is nothing special, but the food was good and very reasonable. We definitely would not hesitate to eat there again. Afterwards we drove around town a little bit and passed this house decorated to the max for Halloween!

Last night was the Halloween party hosted by the owners of the resort that included a vast array of finger food and non-alcoholic beverages to wash it down. They played music for dancing and a costume contest. While Russ was outside smoking, somehow I got picked to be a judge for the contest! And unbeknownst to me, the winners actually went to the same high school as Russ back in St. Louis and one of them graduated with his brother and sister-in-law (they're in the black plastic). Not only was there reminiescing about Ritenour High but also the surrounding communities and hangouts like Steak N' Shake and the St. Charles Rock Road. Talk about a small world!

We did set a couple records on the drive here. Most miles in one day - 418; highest diesel price paid - $3.12 (includes 1 cent/gallon discount); most gallons purchased at one time - 72.03; and largest amount paid at one time- $225.39. UGH!!! At least it will be awhile before our next purchase.

On our travels, Jo generally sleeps on the bed, the floor, or lays in my lap, but this time she decided she wanted to lay in the window for a bit, and I snapped this picture as a big truck was passing. We also passed this sign for the Historic Suwannee River, which as a music person, I thought was so cool. We've passed it several times before on our treks across Florida, but I never had the camera on and ready at the right moment. And one last photo I wanted to share before I sign off for the day....Mikey seems to be enjoying it here, napping in the sun.