Meeting New Friends - Back to MacDill AFB

(Dover, FL) -- Hi 77 Lo 50 - We went out to enjoy the sunshine and walk around the park before heading out today.  We met two great full timing couples who have wintered in this park for a couple of years.  One couple travels around and works as a park manager wherever they're needed.  The other couple owns a Cameo similar to ours.  It was great to meet and talk with both couples.  During our walk around the park we were discussing if it would be a place we'd like to stay next winter.  It's a very large park, with three distinct sections (see the map below).  There are pros and cons, pertaining to things like the cost, ability to get satellite, and things like that.  We have time to think about it.  One thing we do like is the location in the Tampa Bay area.
 

This is the nicer, more open section on the left side of the map.

This is the more rustic section on the right side of the map.

Our site.  Our burgundy Toyota is sitting just behind our home.

After  lunch we headed out.  We had intended to drive up to Tarpon Springs, but we spent so much time checking out the park that we didn't have enough time to make the visit worthwhile.  So we decided to re-visit MacDill AFB.  We wanted to spend a little more time on the beach at the base famcamp.  When we got there the clouds rolled in so it wasn’t as sunny as yesterday.  The breeze was cool, but not uncomfortably so.

Sail boat going out in the Tampa Bay.

Looking out from a small cove

The clubhouse

Four dolphins playing in the water.

On the way home we stopped at a large shopping mall in Brandon to look for a belt pouch for Jim's Droid.  It's a beautiful mall, built on one level, but it seemed to go on for at least half a mile.  The traffic was horrible in and out of there.  One store that was particularly crowded was the Apple store. 

 

We had dinner at a Mexican restaurant and came back home.  We’ve been here for two days, and it feels like we've been on vacation. We’ve loved our stay in the Tampa Bay area and will give a lot of thought to spending more time here next winter.  Tomorrow we hitch up and head back to Wauchula.