Punta Gorda and a New Family Member

Good friends from our days in Illinois are Dale and Debbie Wiegand, who have a winter home in the Burnt Store Marina near Punta Gorda, FL and a summer home in Antioch, IL. Yesterday we drove into Punta Gorda to admire the many murals painted on the sides of buildings.

There are many more than I included here, but these were our favorites.

We also visited the old train station.  Look closely at the signs above the doors.  Keep in mind that  this area is in the "deep south.

The sun was warm and we were parched from all of the viewing so we stopped in an Irish pub.

On the front lawn of the Chamber of Commerce office is this unique statue.  Below is a description

A photo of the four us us looking like snowbirds -- even though Sandy and I are now official Florida residents.

And finally, here are two photos of Zoey, who we adopted today from the local animal shelter where Sandy and I volunteer as dog walkers.

Zoey is estimated to be about 9 months old and we think she is mostly a terrier mix.  She is smart, gentle, very sweet and does not bark like so many smaller dogs.  She is about 16-17 inches tall and weighs 22 pounds. We feel lucky to have her in the family.