Back in OB

The azalea (top) and Cassia (bottom) plants in our yard welcomed us home 

ORMOND BEACH, FL - - We're back in OB after nearly 6 months and 14,000 miles.  Yes, it was nice to be back out wandering around.  No, things didn't feel the same or generally work the same.  We've noticed over the past five or so years that most parks and campgrounds were more crowded or much more full than before.  This caused a number of 'plan b' experiences mainly due to a lot of campgrounds having a "reservation system"  where people could book a campsite up to six months ahead.  The problem was that lots of folks were hedging their bets and booked / didn't show / didn't cancel leaving folks like us who travel without a set schedule to spend a lot of time running around.

     The pandemic was treated differently almost everywhere we went although that meant most took it seriously...unlike Florida.  

     We're used to seeing "Roadwork ahead" signs nearly everywhere.  This year they were vastly outnumbered by "Help Wanted" signage.  I doubt we shopped / patronized any business which wasn't understaffed.  

     So, after two weeks back we're getting into the rhythm of staying in one spot...with a permanent roof over our heads...but that feeling usually doesn't last long.