I remembered the lakefront sites as having no trees or privacy when I was here before. WOW! Can’t believe how badly I mis-remembered it!
Today there was a light overcast all day which kept the temperatures down and also made it possible to take photos at midday.
When we were here before, all I remembered was that we had absolutely no privacy and that we felt we were on-stage in full view of several RVs in the next loop. And our patio area had no shade. We were camped between two groups who were camping together and who constantly called and walked across our site. I couldn’t wait to leave.
When I walked through the park today I was stunned. It looked exactly as it did before, but what a difference in my perspective! Maybe I didn’t feel well during our previous stay here. Or maybe I wasn’t in a great mood. In any case, this place is stunningly beautiful!
I’m sure we’ll be back sometime, but next time I’ll choose a lakefront site again. Just not the one we had before. 🙂
Walkway from road to Loop A
But for the time being, our site tucked way back in the corner is marvelous for us. I am reveling in the privacy of being able to read and lounge outside without feeling like I’m being watched — even though our front site is clearly visible from two other RV’s across the loop, it just FEELS private.
I was even able to let the dogs off leash for a while today. Sunny always instantly obeys voice commands (except for Don’t Bark!). Sheba usually obeys if it suits her. But today, every time she would wander away from the campsite, I’d whistle and she would instantly come. One time she went behind the truck and decided to take off down the street. I called her, and she hesitated for a second, deciding whether to obey or not. Then she decided to keep going. But the instant I whistled, she raced back toward me.
Part of Loop A
I gave her a big treat… and then tied her up again for a while. 🙂
I found my first edible mushrooms of the season this afternoon — spring agaricus. They are white mushrooms with free gills, with a sheath-like ring. The gills turn from pink to brown as the mushroom matures, and leave a dark chocolate brown spore print. They have a pleasant mushroomy scent, and there is no yellow at the base of the stem and they do not bruise yellow. I kept them and took a spore print, just to be absolutely sure of my identification. But I didn’t eat them because the grass was so green. I figured the lawn had probably been fertilized and I didn’t want to eat fertilizer. But it was a thrill to find my first good mushrooms of the season!
Flowers along the bank between the boat launch and the campground
We took Sheba down to the boat launch and let her play in the water. She wanted to go out deeper, so Ron waded out, shoes and all, with her. One of our camping neighbors told us he took his dog down there and threw sticks way out for him to retrieve. If I weren’t paranoid about alligators this far south, I’d do the same. But that will have to wait until we are farther north out of alligator habitat.
It’s been a gorgeous day. I’m so glad we decided to come here!
Sheba at the boat launch
Tent sites by the boat launch
Spring agaricus
Spider hunting ants under mushroom cap.
A larger spring agaricus
Maybe he’s enforcing the No Wake rule? 🙂
Sunset from our campsite
Tinycamper's Blog 
thymelesssageandrandomrants
/ April 17, 2013What a gorgeous campground, and what beautiful pictures!
We find morels, here, but have only one small one in our valley this year. We also find the beefsteak or false morels that are reported to be poisonous, but, once again, we’ve always eaten them and they are scrumptious! I am scared of other mushrooms, though.
I must mark that place on my bucket list.
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tinycamper
/ April 17, 2013The campground really is one of the most beautiful ones we’ve ever stayed at! I hope you get here someday, too!
I haven’t yet found a morel. Someday!!! I hope! 🙂
Early in my mushrooming pursuits, I got careless and misidentified a mushroom that was similar to an oyster mushroom, but had a long stalk. I was too cocky to take a spore print, and I got violently ill from eating it. Fortunately, it did no lasting harm.
I also have read that ringless honey mushrooms are good in some areas and are sickeners in other areas. I found that out the hard way, too. Some I found on around hardwood stumps were very good. Some I found around the base of a palm tree made me very ill. Another mushroom that is fantastic for most people is hen of the woods. It tastes so good, but it irritates my stomach so much it gives me bloody stools. Michael Kao, mushroom expert, says he is also one of the ones who can’t eat them. So apparently some people are sensitive to certain kinds of mushrooms that others have no problem with.
I know one guy who got deathly ill on morels (true morels), but he cooked them fresh instead of drying them first. That apparently makes a difference with some people.
So if I offer someone wild mushrooms that I have cooked and they are leery about eating them, I never insist. I know that I will not eat a wild mushroom anyone else has cooked unless I have seen it and identified it before they cook it!
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Kim
/ April 17, 2013Well, I’m almost salivating! What a beautiful spot. Can’t beat reading, relaxing, and indulging the doggies. Good Sheba!
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tinycamper
/ April 17, 2013It is gorgeous, but there’s not a lot to do in the area other than fishing and kayaking. The little town of Chattahoochee is very small. Ron drove 40 minutes to Bainbridge today for supplies.
Sheba is really amazing me. I really didn’t think she’d ever outgrow being a problem child. Now I am so thrilled we made it through the worst of the puppy stage! She is finally becoming a real companion!
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Carolyn
/ April 17, 2013Just gorgeous … it is amazing to me that you wander about and eat wild things. mushrooms? what was that movie … hmm woman killed …. aw rats now I gotta go find out what I’m thinking of… anyway she picked wild mushrooms and killed somebody … hells bells can’t even remember who she killed… why do I remember partial stuff?
yay for Sheba..
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tinycamper
/ April 17, 2013Yep, some of them will kill you deader than a doornail, and it’s not a pleasant way to go!
Sheba earned a LOT of attagirls today! 🙂
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Judy Crankshaw
/ April 17, 2013The ability to whistle is one of the great traits of a dog owner, but one I’ve never possessed. Your blog is still my very favorite of all the ones I follow. Don’t ever stop, ok?
😉
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tinycamper
/ April 17, 2013It seems at the most critical times, my whistler fizzles. It usually works on the second try, though. 😀
Judy, thank you so much for that very special compliment. As long as I have something to write about, I’ll probably keep blogging away. I really enjoy sharing my days and my photos. 🙂
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Jo
/ April 18, 2013Sure is a pretty place. I think the last time was the rudeness of people just walking right through your space. I think that is more that was pushing me to sell my trailer was the rudeness of the next door nieghbors. Plans are in the making for this year. I’m excited now.
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tinycamper
/ April 18, 2013I can’t wait to see all the good things that happen for you this year, Jo. 🙂
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cozygirl
/ April 18, 2013oh Sheba girl….cant wait to jump in her first wave 🙂 GORGEOUS is right on….never been on a lake in FL. A friend found her first moral mushroom south of here…like to find a pile of them myself. About to get hit with storms…better get with the program. Have another relaxing day for me! I’ll be thinking about you.
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tinycamper
/ April 18, 2013I would love to be somewhere where I felt safe letting her swim out and fetch things. She would be in her element there!
A handy dandy tip about Florida — don’t ever go after early April. I’m a native Floridian and won’t go home in summer except for a funeral or some other compelling reason! And the earliest I’d consider going there in the fall is October. Or at least that used to be the rule before the weather went wild! Who knows what it will do now!
Stay safe and snug during the storm. I think about you often! 🙂
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Marcia GB
/ April 18, 2013What a beautiful spot you’ve found. And I’m so glad to hear that Sheba is settling down – now you get to enjoy her enthusiasm but it’s toned down a big – and she minds better. It takes some dogs longer than others to get past that puppy stage.
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tinycamper
/ April 18, 2013At this point, Sheba’s enthusiasm is enjoyable since it is toned down to manageable levels! We have finally totally bonded to her as another family member. We are all just crazy about her — including Sunny. Amazingly, though, although Sheba herds him and plays rough with him, Sunny is still the alpha dog. Isn’t it odd how they work out pack order?
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lynne
/ April 18, 2013We must find a way to visit that place! Heard so many good thing! It looks absolutely gorgeous!
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tinycamper
/ April 18, 2013Lynne, we have had NO ants. Even the ones that were on our outdoor table when we first arrived have left.
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Wayne Scott
/ April 19, 2013Love it, your pictures make us feel like we are back there. Great memories and thank you.
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tinycamper
/ April 19, 2013Glad it reminded you of good times here! 🙂
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Wayne Scott
/ April 19, 2013Oh, I was told there are 2 1/2 Alligators for every Acre of lake. that is 187,500 of ’em. They say at dusk and early evening you shine a light across the water and often you can see a bunch of eyes!
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tinycamper
/ April 19, 2013Wayne, we saw that in person at Walter F. George Lake a little farther north. I even got photos of several small alligators there — and one that DID chase Sheba!
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Wayne Scott
/ April 20, 2013Wow I’ll bet that was a tense few minutes.
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Sue
/ April 19, 2013That is beautiful! Thank you for sharing your finds.
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tinycamper
/ April 19, 2013Thanks for following and enjoying my blog. That means a lot to me!
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