February 1st-12th

We had a great time at East Bay Raceway Park during our stay from February 1st-10th. We got to spend time with June and Earl, as well as, make some new friends. The races were late model stock cars. YouTube may have a good video of a race. Roy and I hadn't seen that type of car race before. The cars slide sideways through the turns! Races were going on every night, but we attended only one due to the $35-$40 per person per race entrance fee! During the day we got out to see other sights. We went to a manatee viewing station. It consists of a boardwalk and pier overlooking a waterway by a power plant. The manatees just show a small hump of their bodies at the top of the water, and therefore, at a distance look like smooth rocks in the water. We did get to see the full body of one that was close to the shore. The stingrays put on quite a show jumping out of the water and doing belly flops. Some were quite large, and if their bodies were angled just right could be seen in full form. It was very impressive. An observer said that he felt the behavior was very odd, as stingrays are bottom feeders. I'll have to research that. Another day we took in a mega-flea market. I hit the jackpot when I found 8 books at bargain prices that are part of a series Roy is reading. We had planned to leave the area around the tenth, but discovered a magnificent dog park right before our departure date. We've decided to stay in the area at least one more week so the dogs can play at the park. It is soooooo much fun! As before, breaking camp was a bit stressful. We haven't found a good system for researching campgrounds yet. Our drive around the area didn't yield any leads. We must be being watched over as newbies, as our weak search landed us a reasonably priced RV park in a country setting within just a few miles of the dog park close to all the amenities of Tampa!!!! We're feeling right at home here and are contemplating a months stay! We're not quite ready to commit yet. More later. It's good to be back online! Marilyn