17th Dec - This was basically a beach day. Part of Naples is a bit like Orlando with its palm tree-lined broad boulevards and small shopping malls everywhere, but the historic Naples beach area is completely different. They have clearly tried to give it a Neapolitan aura to match its name, as the architecture in Old Naples is Renaissance inspired and the shopping there is much more chic. The properties are also very large and expensive, especially on the beach wh...

12th Dec - After a really long (and greatly enjoyed) sleep we took advantage of the cheap shopping in Florida and headed to the Premium Outlet Mall. A day of shopping has never really been my ideal way of spending a day but I thought I would have mellowed in the wake of our enlightening and soul searching trip - no. I was as moody and sulky as ever as we trudged from one designer shop to the other, being asked 'what do you think of these shoes?' or 'does this top...

10th Dec. It was so nice to have a comfy hotel that we slept in until 11.30! So we had a mad dash to get everything packed and get out of the hotel in half an hour. We drove about 20 miles down the coast to Smyrna Beach to set up the new fishing gear and play baseball on the sand. Kirsty is a real natural at baseball and I'd forgotten how bad I am at fishing - 4 hours and nothing caught. 1-0 to the fish. The biggest disappointment is that the fish managed to get ...

7th Dec - The launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis was delayed yesterday due to problems with the Shuttle and they are attempting to launch it again in Florida tomorrow.Ralph is therefore excited as he has realised that we can drive to Savannah today and then drive to Florida tomorrow for him to catch the launch.So we started our 4 hour drive to Savannah and crossed back into the Eastern time zone so we are once again 5 hours behind UK time.Straight away we can tell ...

2nd Dec - We had a five-hour journey to reach Memphis so, after quickly calling Ralph's dad to wish him a happy birthday, we were on our way. It was one of those drives that you conjure up in your imagination of the south; long straight roads and looming thunderstorms but, now that the car no longer smells of fish and has shown its reliability, we don't dread these marathon drives at all. The hotel we checked into (the Days Inn on Elvis Presley Boulevard) is rig...