12/29 to 01/14 West Palm RV Travelers Park, Lantana FL

 New Years in Florida
Lantana, FL

December 29 to January 14

Welcome back and Happy New Year from chilly, cloudy West Palm Beach. I'm presently in the Palm Springs RV Travelers Park situated in Lantana, FL, about 10 miles from my son and family. This VIDEO will give an overview. Sites are cramped and like roads, in need of re-paving; more like a trailer park than a RV campground with many long term residents with fifth wheels and Class As. Counted at least three feral cats and met next door neighbor, Natalie and her dog, Caine, (Kane or Cane; you choose).  No matter. For my short stay, it'll afford me the opportunity to finish composing and posting my blogs while giving Chuck/Silvia more quality time with family in from Milan.

I spent the afternoon and NYE with the family.

Happy New Year to you from L.to R: Aaron, Adriana, Chuck, Silvia, Germana and Giorgio.

Once again, with a crowd working in the kitchen, I sat and watched the hustle and bustle of creativity; the New Years evening feast was delicious; A filet for me while the others enjoyed grilled salmon.

Along with my filet, grilled to perfection, there were potatoes and octopus, brussels sprouts, asparagus, risotto and a special treat, 'torta salata con asparagi' (Savory Cake) made by Giorgio.

On a parchment lined baking tray, he flattened out a thin layer of pastry dough. Layers of thin slices of Prosciutto Cotto and Provolone cheese were added. Diced asparagus were added to whisked eggs and poured covering the entire baking sheet with salt and pepper added. Uncut asparagus stalks added for decoration. All baked for 40 minutes at 400º. Selecting different meats, cheeses and vegetables makes for a varied and tasty side dish. Delicious. Grazie, Georgio.

Grilled salmon enjoyed by everyone else.

The fates bestowed a wicked head cold on me to greet the New Year. It lasted 5 days. I have not been a happy camper with the sneezing and runaway sinuses. It was good to be in a different location to keep my distance from others. But then there was Pizza Night. 

With, no doubt, the best ingredients....

...the dough was ready...

...the toppings many and varied: Sundried tomatoes, chipotle, oregano, basil, Italian salami, anchovies, caramelized onions and mozzarella.

The pizza insert in place on the grill. All set. At 600º, pizzas were done quickly and crusts done to perfection.

Points awarded for crust, flavor, texture and appearance, not shape.

We witnessed a 6:04 pm launch from Cape Canaveral. The Falcon 9 Block 5 delivered a small communications satellite for the Swedish/US company, Ovzon. The recent sunset provided a unique view of powerful engine's exhaust as it headed southeast. At the 35-second mark in the video I took below, look for the white light of the booster's 20-second engine burn which separated the booster from the space vehicle. This was SpaceX's first use of a return to launch site (RTLS) booster. That booster returned to its lift-off location to be used again. This marked the 261st successful Falcon recovery.  

After spending the day in Miami, the gang stopped by and picked me up on their way home for a last dinner together. We walked once again to Sushi Jo's. Thank you Giorgio and Adriana for the treat. The big surprise was to have granddaughter, Sara, train up from Miami to join us. One hour plus for sushi (and seeing Poppa Charlie). That was special.

I enjoyed the Hawaiian Roll: Coconut shrimp, Papaya, Pineapple, Avocado, Nuts, Cream Cheese, Eel Sauce.

I'll conclude this blog with the departure of Nonna Germana, Adriana and Giorgio. With the "big storm," a nor'easter, looming back home, here's hoping they won't be affected when they take their connecting flight from JFK to Milan, Italy. And for my neighbors at home, it'll be a shovel out, move your cars to the lower lot and hunker down weekend. Fortunately for me, historically, this would be the weekend I'd be spending loading up Winnie down in the lower lot preparing for my trip south for the next couple of months.

Thank you for joining me on this leg of another wonderful journey on the move with Winnie. The rest of the month of January will be the subject of my last blog here on the east coast of Florida. February and March will be an annual visit to Elite Resorts at Citrus Valley in Clermont, Florida and a reuniting with some Hudson Islanders RVers. Till next time, stay safe, cozy and warm.

“Climate is what we expect, weather is what we get.” – Mark Twain