South Florida Winnie-Gators
February 2004 Outing

T he February outing was held under sunny skies at Robin ’s Nest RV Resort just North of Clewiston. Twenty rigs were present including guests Heywood & Louise Padgett , friends and neighbors of Barbara & Marcel Drapeau from Polk City . Also present were our newest members Duane & Cynthia Knox from Canton Ohio , friends of Bill & Pat Coad and the rest of the Ohio contingency and Bonnie Simpson and Carl Thistle from Jupiter. The simultaneous arrival of 10 rigs somewhat overwhelmed the gate check in personnel but before long we were each escorted to our sites and were comfortably set up.  The afternoon was spent catching up on the past months news. The Drapeaus prepared the evening meal of chili on the blow pot outside their rig and several ovens were enlisted to bake the corn muffins. Meals and activities were held in the club house overlooking the park lake. “ Al ” the park gator was present much of the time looking for handouts. Al is about 6 feet long and probably will have to be relocated at some time in the future. There is no such thing as a “tame pet” alligator.   John Fischer should have been there for this one. He could have gotten some pretty good close up photos without even trying!

Friday all but a few members went on the Sugarland Tour of a local citrus processing plant, sugar fields and cane processing plant and the entomology (bug) lab. The tour started in a sugar field where truckloads of cane were dumped into rail cars for the journey to the sugar mill. The tour guide, cut cane for us and we got to chew on pieces of it to sample the sweetness. 25% of the country's sugar comes from this area. We visited the processing mill and watched cane unloading and then over to the final stage where robots loaded 100# bags and stacked them on shipping pallets. We watched a video, which explained the actual milling process. The work done at the entomology lab is very important to the industries. The have developed a way to breed and release a bug that actively seeks out infestations of the sugar cane borer and destroys it’s larvae before it can ruin the crop.  Between plants we enjoyed buffet luncheon at the old Clewiston Inn which is listed in the National Historic Register. We visited the Southern Gardens Citrus Processing plant where 180 million gallons of orange juice are produced annually. We watched as truckloads of oranges were unloaded into the plant. We found out that different varieties of oranges are blended before squeezing is done. This plant stores juice at 32 degrees in one-million gallon tanks. The concentrate is so super cooled that it can be loaded into unrefrigerated tank trucks and driven cross country without warming more than a degree or two.

The day ended with a meal of Hobo Soup and grilled Hot Dogs followed by a rousing game of crazy cards proctored by Damaris Travers and Barbara Drapeau .   Rick Bunn took first place Marlene English & Ed Miles tied for second. Alas, poor Jan came in last. Are Marlene & Rick on winning streaks?

Bacon & French toast was enjoyed by all Saturday morning. Damaris Travers showed us all how to make Rowdy Bunch gator wind ornaments from old CDs and foam paper.  We will all have them hanging from our awnings next campout.  Midday was spent practicing and playing the games we are putting on for the State Rally in March. The club house has no cooking facilities so the blow pots, grills and ovens got a workout.   Ed & Jan Miles prepared dinner of 3 whole deep fried turkeys for the group. Ed did the heavy work and Jan kept him on schedule! All the while under the watchful eyes of “ Al ” who was obviously eyeing the turkeys.  Members supplied sides. After dinner many enjoyed playing cards.

Sunday morning all enjoyed breakfast of English muffins and Mimosas.  Our regular meeting was held after breakfast and started on a very sad note. We lost member Barbary Perry after a brief severe illness in January.  We also lost charter and lifetime member Pat Alexander in January following a four year illness.  Also passing former member from Ohio , Bob Boddy . Our prayers go out to all the surviving family members.  We should take the time to enjoy our family and friends while we can.