Third Time Strawberry Festival

This is our third time at the Florida Strawberry Festival. I can't believe it myself. Some people wait their whole entire life just to visit once and now we have been here three years in a row. But first things first.

We got over to Plant City from the Florida State Fairgrounds on Monday. It was a short 10 mile drive east on I-4 and we quickly got set up at the Strawberry Festival. We were going to go over to Winter Haven to meet up with our good friends Doug and Cheryl at Old Man Franks. It was a nice little bar on the lake. The kind of bar we like to go to now. Drinks were cheap and the food was good.  Doug and Cheryl arrived and we quickly got caught up over the last two years since we have seen each other.

Lisa, Cheryl watching Doug giving us his rendition of Lewis and Clark.

We originally met them at Amazon but we really got to know them when we fought in the trenches parking cars at the Strawberry Festival 2 years ago. That was the last time we saw them. The hours went by and the laughs ensued until we had to say goodbye. We don't really know when we will run into people that we have met along the way but when we do it is always fun. Hugs and hugs all around and we both went our separate ways.

Me, Lisa, Doug and Cheryl.

The Strawberry Festival has started and it is such a different atmosphere than the State Fair. The crowds are smaller and the tram routes are easier. I will have to admit that the stress level is very low if you can believe that. The only gripe that I would have at the moment is, and I know everyone up  north is going to go "Oh Sheesh" but the gripe I have is that it it is so dang hot driving these trams on sunny days. I can hear a chorus of "oh poor baby" echoing off of our RV. In all honesty when it is 85 and sunny and you are driving that tram sitting right next to the engine it is down right toasty. It feels like it is 100 in there. I think I have singed all of the hair on my right leg off as I inadvertently rest it against the dog house.

We saw a familiar face when we got here. Our boss when we were parking cars. Doug, or as we called him Blue Doug because he always worked the blue parking lot.

Doug, me and Lisa.

I think that he has been working that parking lot for 15 to 20 years and always has such a great attitude about it all.

Four days in and not a whole lot to add. We will see how the festival ends. Until then.