Reload

 Mardi says I keep pushing her buttons.  If that were true I would have found "mute" by now.  (I'll blame John Buckley for that one.)

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Today we played the nine hole Crane's Bend course.  During the round I had a nice conversation with the Ranger about my golf shirt.

It's a Tromper shirt, from our hike to Gettysburg.  Gordon Meade and Robert E. Lee were the opposing generals.

Brings back fond memories.  And the Ranger had visited the battle site too.  A nice moment.

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Our latest visitors arrived at dinner time.  But first, we need a drink to celebrate.

After dinner, we showed Maureen and Matt the dice game.  A fun start to their stay.

Tomorrow they're heading for the driving range.

Stay well.

Too Hot

 A milestone event for Ewen and Sarah-Jean today..........

..........as they celebrate their milestone 21st birthdays, which just happens to be the legal drinking age here in Florida.  Bring your ID kids - Sean got carded several times at age 28!  See you next month.

Your birthday present will be a play pass which will entitle you to play mini putt non-stop, climb the rock wall, and enjoy a tube on the lazy river for three days of your choice.

And birthday wishes also to Bonnie Lougheed.  All the best.

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Two service calls today.  The toilet flapper broke, and the HVAC fan wouldn't shut off.  Prompt response on both.  Love this place!

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That was all the excitement we experienced today.  Too hot (29C, few clouds, no breeze) to do anything else😞😞.

Stay well.

Recovery Day

 Other than a bit of a kink in my left knee, I survived yesterday's adventure without incident.  It would have been interesting to know what my heart rate was at the top of the climb - I'm sure that it was well into three digits.

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Today we played the 18 hole Reserve course again.  Didn't go well.  Too hot I guess 😎😎.

There are some golf balls that aren't worth chasing.

And others that you wish hadn't happened.

That ball came from the white tees in the background, a total of about 55 yards.  And that's how my day went.

In the end we decided that we were on a wildlife tour - to hell with the golf scores.  Even the alligators were laughing at us.

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It looks like we're only good for golf every three days or so.  Old age is taking its toll.

So tomorrow is a day of rest for us.  But Maureen and Matt begin their trip south and should join us late Tuesday.

Stay well.

There's no Fool Like an Old Goat

 By the title, you know what's coming.  It was a bleak day so we needed some excitement.

Since I only checked off three of the warning conditions, we were good to go.

Easy there girl!

And we began.  Must confess I took the "easy" route.

And I got this far before my right leg decided it had had enough.

 And then I came back down to thunderous applause by some fun loving Mexicans.  Great crowd!

Mardi thought that I was crazy.  Now she's certain.

But the old goat's not done yet (although he's breathing heavy)!

In the end, life is what you make it.  Simply putting in time doesn't particularly cut it for me.  Besides, what would the blog be without some excitement?

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See you tomorrow.  Stay well.

Tired

 A slow day today.  We shared a bucket of balls at the driving range and then did some practice putting.

Walked both ways - about a kilometre each way.  Then walked another kilometre at WalMart.

Wore me out to the point that Mardi won at dice and at Skip-Bo.  A tiring day!

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Stay well.

All Good Things Must End

 First of all, a hearty thanks to Jim Maguire for his special tribute, calling me a G.O.A.T. (Greatest Of All Time).  A slight bit of exaggeration I will admit, but cherished all the same.

So far, the only offer I have for climbing the rock wall is from Mardi.  She will help me update my will before I make the attempt.

We'll have to think about this.

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Today was Rose and Ed's last day with us here.  We took in the Bingo game for the first time - no luck.

From there it was on to the mini putt.

Ed's first hole-in-one.

He had five altogether!

The final hole was a challenge.

We had a great time.

On each hole along the way there was a question.  Does anyone know the answer to this one?  One of the Bush boys?

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And, after a few dice games, it was time to mail our friends home.

The end of a great visit, with lots of laughs and fun activities.

They're staying in Buffalo tonight.  Hopefully, the roads will be clear when they head back across the border tomorrow.

Stay well my friends.

The Lazy River

 Today's birthday boy is my grandson Kyle, who is today 32 years old.  

Best wishes.

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Today we headed over to River Island.  

Ed and I had to guard the table while Rose and Mardi had a swim.

An interesting story about the beer.  I left my wallet at home when we headed to the pool area.  Our room key serves as a debit card on the resort, so I ordered our beer and handed the lady my key card.  Didn't work!  So I've got two beers poured and can't pay for them.  A hero from Pennsylvania covered it for me.  Many thanks!

The ladies rented tubes and headed down the lazy river.

It goes for about half a kilometre so we didn't see them for a while.

Instead, Ed and I watched the giant water slide.

And this young guy as he was expelled from the tube.

Apparently, they also allow whales to try the slide.

They also have a rock climbing wall.

For the right offer, I will climb that thing!

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Tonight it was to Miller's for dinner.  A special treat as Rose and Ed will be leaving tomorrow.

Stay well.

The Reserve

 Two birthdays today.  Mark "Sparky" Richardson, our Tromper buddy is one of them.  Malcolm's love, Esther, is the other.  Best wishes to both.

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Today we played the 18 hole Reserve course, except Ed who is nursing a sore elbow - he kept score for me (a lot of numbers to add up!).

This is hole #7. which goes past our condo, from the back tees.

And, from the forward tees.  Dogleg left.  Our villa is the second one from the right.

Some great shots were made.  And others too.  Calvin, the driver worked well - hit ten fairways today.

Lots of water on this course.

And sand too.  Rose had fun in the sand, but she wishes that she had brought a shovel!

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Tomorrow will likely be low key as we recover from today's struggles. 

Stay well.

Games

 Happy anniversary to A.J. and Michelle today.  Enjoy!

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After yesterday's post, I received the following comment from Pat:

"Looks great.  The sign on the ice cream place says Goat Cheese Fudge.  Goat cheese is good for you.  Therefore you are eating healthy.  Stay safe."

Thanks Pat.  But I still feel a tiny bit guilty over the Key Lime candy.

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Today was a games day.  We started with a round of mini-putt.

Ed's best side.....

...and Mardi's best side.

A short rest at home in the gallery, watching some pretty erratic golfers.

Then dice and Mexican Train games, followed by some short game practice by the ladies on hole #7 which passes our unit.

You'll notice that they are wearing jackets.  It's chilly here, currently just 18C 😎.

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Stay well.

Bok Tower

 The debate about drinking alcohol is heating up with the latest advice being to severely limit consumption.  This morning, Gary shared a news item by a professor who challenged the latest information and suggests that the consumption of alcohol is good for you.

I responded to Gary: "For now, I'm sticking to my two drinks a day max routine, with the knowledge that whatever the hell the result of that will be, it's probably too late to turn the ship around."

Besides, it's not my fault.  Mardi drives me to drink! (Ouch. She also punches hard.)

For today, it was a glass of wine at Bok Tower Gardens.........

..........and two glasses of rye and coke (rules are meant to be broken).

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Our highlight of the day was a visit to Bok Tower, an awesome sight.

Built by Edward Bok, a poor immigrant who arrived in the U.S. at age six, and rose to be the editor of Ladies Home Journal.

His grandmother, as he left the Netherlands, told him the following:

And so, he had the tower built and then gave it and the surrounding gardens to America, as thanks for the life he had enjoyed.

The tower is really spectacular, from whatever angle you choose.

The Tree of Life door (and the beautiful marble that surrounds it).

The colours of the marble are incredible!

The sculpture and art are also incredible.

And one side has a sun dial............

...............with instructions below on how to read it.

The carillon bells are played a few times a day, and you can watch the performance on closed circuit TV.

A really enjoyable place to visit and rest.

The gardens are extensive and beautiful.  Most plants are identified, although it's sometimes hard to read the signs.

Couldn't convince this little guy to eat out of my hand, but the squirrels were pretty tame.

On the way home we had to make an emergency stop at the Citrus Candy and Jelly factory.  Buy 10 and get one free -  how can you resist?

And one more stop, for fudge.

OK, so we're incorrigible.

Curb your jealousy and stay well.