House of Blues

 We had an interesting experience today when Security and EMS showed up at a neighbouring condo.  We think it was a maternity event.

In a nice touch, the resort sent over a bus to take the rest of the family to the hospital.

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We've been to the House of Blues so many Thursdays that Jeremy remembers that I drink Yeungling beer, and Mardi and I are on a first name basis with Jeff Howell.

And he hugged the ladies too!

Tonight I got to enjoy three sets by Jeff, Casey and Tommy (the ladies were exploring Disney Springs while I waited for a table and heard the first set).

Mardi and I will be back Jeff!

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Tomorrow we mail Pat and Carol home.  It's been a good week, capped off by a Skip-Bo win for Carol and I tonight.

Stay warm and well folks.

Snow Crab

The ladies headed back to the lazy river this morning and were gone for a few hours.

I decided to do a few chores, like refreshing the Canadian Club stock, gassing up the van and checking out another location here the dueling pianos perform.  Friday night at Margaritaville may be a date with my love.

This afternoon they did some shopping and then we headed to Miller's.  Snow Crab for Pat and Mardi, steak for Carol and me.

A great day, capped by a Skip-Bo win for the Carol and Bud team.

Stay well.

Lazy

 Today was a Lazy River day.  Headed over in the morning and did some tours around.

I bailed after a couple of hours but the ladies stayed a good part of the day.

Tomorrow's weather suggests a repeat of today.

Stay well.

Sorry, We're Closed

 The ladies did their own Splash and Stretch this morning, after which we headed for Winter Park and the Morse Museum.

Nice day for a drive but, unfortunately, the museum is not open on Mondays - poor planning Bud!

Nevertheless, we had a good afternoon, starting with the Scenic Boat Tour.

Then, lunch at a Thai restaurant, followed by Haagen Dazs ice cream.

We also enjoyed the Central Park area of Winter Park, including the Peacock Statue tribute to a young lady planned by a Scout member.

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After we got home the Toque Lady straightened out the ball of wool that had put her to sleep in the car.

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I think that they felt sorry for me after the Morse fiasco so they let Carol and me win at Skip-Bo.  And then I won two games of Mexican Train.  That was fun - I'll have to screw up again tomorrow!

Stay well my friends.

Nice Day

 The ladies started off their day with Splash and Stretch at the pool.  Then wasted their money (me too) at Bingo.  And then another splash in the pool.

Crazy ladies!

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Enjoyed the weather - sunny and warm, no wind.

Tonight we headed to Breezes to enjoy the dueling pianos.  They were better than ever.  

Tomorrow it's over to the Morse Museum and a boat ride.

Stay well.

New Guests

 A beautiful day today.  We coasted through the morning and then headed to the airport to pick up Pat and Carol.

Showed them around the property and then they headed to the nearby pond to observe the small gator.

Once they got settled in we played Skip-Bo.  Carol picked a poor partner - we lost.

Tomorrow will be a better day.

Stay well.

Short and Sweet

 Warm and windy today.  We did nine holes at Crane's Bend with the wind hitting about 40mph.  Made for some fun (but not good scores).

After that we just rested our aching bodies, because Pat and Carol arrive tomorrow and they'll probably wear us out.

That's it for today.   Stay healthy.

Mardi Gras

 One of those days that have been rare so far this year - warm and sunny.  So we headed to River Island to enjoy the lazy river and hot tub.  A beautiful day.

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Received this from Carol Kemp, who will be joining us this weekend.  

"To my friends who enjoy a glass of wine and those who don't and are always seen with a bottle of water in their hand: 

As Ben Franklin said:

In wine there is wisdom,
In beer there is freedom,
In water there is bacteria.

In a number of carefully controlled trials,
scientists have demonstrated that if we drink 1 litre of water each day,
at the end of the year we would have absorbed more than 1 kilo of Escherichia coli, (E. Coli) - bacteria
found in feces.

In other words, we are consuming 1 kilo of poop annually.

However, we do NOT run that risk when drinking wine & beer
(or rum, whiskey or other liquor)
because alcohol has to go through a purification process
of boiling, filtering and fermenting.

Remember:
Water = Poop,
Wine = Health

Therefore, it's better to drink wine and talk stupid,
than to drink water and be full of Shit."

Full Disclosure:  I drink both, so I'm stupid and full of shit.  Of course you all knew that. 

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Tonight we headed over to Disney Springs again because Jeff Howell is back from Mardi Gras.  You remember that I told you that fifty years ago, his aunt got drunk at Mardi Gras and spent the rest of the night being wheeled around in a shopping cart?

She died sixteen years ago, but this year they celebrated her escapade with a paper mache effigy of aunty.  And he shared a picture with us.

Wish we had been there!

Thanks Jeff.  We'll see you next week, with our new guests.

Stay well folks.

 

Bingo, Birds and Boredom

 Back home in Hamilton they're celebrating Simoni Lawrence Day.  He has been an important part of the Tiger-Cats for several years.

My interest in the Cats started in the days of Bernie Faloney, Joe Zuger, and that lovable Vince Mazza (immortalized in Vince Mazza Way near Costco).  But after Chuck Ealey got traded in 1974 I lost interest and gave up my season's tickets.  A long time ago now!

I've only had a passing (as opposed to ground game😉 ) interest since then.

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This morning we headed over to the bingo.  A huge crowd wanted to play.  When I lined up to get tickets, the lineup went all the way around the pool from where I'm standing.  By the time I got to the other end the line still went almost around the pool!

No luck once again!  But you get to talk to nice people while you're there.

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Donated three found balls to the local tee and then wandered around the pond.  Saw a Tricolored Heron catching fish, and an Anhinga, which was drying off its feathers.

The Anhinga is Florida's version of our Cormorant.

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If you were wondering what Mardi's idle hands have been up to while I'm so busy 😇check these pictures out.

First off, she just completed (after five weeks of tedious work) her 1,000 piece puzzle.

And she's also knitted 13 toques for the homeless..........

...........with more to come!

And she's kept me alive, which is not an easy task!

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The internet has been in and out all day, our TV isn't working tonight, and the entertainment at Tradewinds was apparently cancelled.  What a life!

Ignore me and stay well.

The Legends Walk

 Our project today was to walk the nine hole Legends Walk course.  And we  completed our task - even made a few good shots!

We had to keep an eye on the robot lawn cutters.

Very interesting.  Some were programmed to do the fairways and some the rough.  They did what they were told to do.

However, the grass isn't really growing yet so it was more a practice round for them, as it was for us.

We found their garage too.

We're tired but OK - now that we've opened the beer 😅.

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Assuming that our bodies recover by morning, we plan to take in the bingo and then head to the pool and hot tub.

Tomorrow night the saxophone guy is playing at Tradewinds again.  We'll have to enjoy him again too.

Stay well my friends.

Family Day

 Happy birthday to Monica.  Appropriate occasion - Family day.  Far better to celebrate our families, instead of Presidents as they do down here today.

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Sunny today and fine for a walk.  About 4,000 steps, which I'm guessing would be about two miles.

Then we spent some time trying to get a picture of what we believe is a juvenile Sandhill Crane.  He's been staying close to this pond for a few days.  Needed Jim Maguire's camera - phones don't cut it!

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Weather has improved, so we plan to golf tomorrow.

Stay well.

Chicken Noodle Soup

This morning I sent the following email to Chris Cuomo at Newsnation, one of the TV stations to which we have access.

"There is a right wing study being circulated that asks the question, 'Did the Covid vaccines kill more people than they saved?'  And if you read the articles, they make it sound as if that is probably a fact.  And, last night Chris, it sounded as if you were buying in.

Begs the question though.  Consider that when Covid struck, Canadians accepted the need for a vaccine, while many Americans took the position that Covid was all a hoax and far fewer took the vaccine.  So, it is enlightening to compare the results.

Before Covid, Canadians lived, on average, four years longer than Americans.  That was primarily due, in my opinion, to our far superior health care access (the U.S. probably has superior health care, but we provide ours more evenly to more people).

Because of the far higher rates of death from Covid in the U.S., we now live five years longer than Americans.  If that's not due to the phenomenal success of our vaccination program what the hell caused it?

Thank you Moderna!"

If they ask whether I have any connection to Moderna, I do not own any Moderna stocks, I do not know any people at Moderna, but.....

I have had six Moderna Covid vaccine shots.  And, because I was so happy with the results, I volunteered for a Moderna RSV trial (I think I got the real thing and Mardi got the placebo, because she has subsequently contracted RSV and I didn't) and we get paid for taking part in the trial.

Thank you again Moderna!

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Rain showers all day today.  The forecast improves tomorrow.  By the time our next guests, Pat and Carol, arrive the forecast is terrific!  If they're that influential with the weather I wish they were coming sooner!

We braved the rain and headed over to Breezes Bar for dinner and the dueling pianos.

Mardi and I danced a couple of sets.  When I ran out of steam others joined in.

Chicken noodle soup, three cheeseburger sliders, a bottle of wine and nice people.  A great night.

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Tomorrow is Family Day.  We'll be thinking of you.

Stay well.

Weather Woes

 We spent a couple of hours at the pool yesterday.  As we walked over, it was sunny and warm (24C).  But, by the time we got there it was almost totally cloudy.

Florida's winter weather has been "interesting" this year.  We've had sunny days, and warm days, but getting the two together can be counted on two fingers!

Nevertheless, we enjoyed our time at the pool.  Struck up conversations with other owners and learned a bit more which could help us when we book next year's trip.

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Downhill with the weather today - cool and wet.  Forecast for tomorrow is the same.  Sorry about the whining, but...........

We ended up watching the Genesis Invitational Golf Tournament this afternoon.  Five Canadians in the hunt.  By the end of round three, it appears that three of them can make the top ten.

Tonight we headed to Sakura Asian Fusion for dinner - the house of Orchids............

........which tonight included my favourite flower!

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Tomorrow the weather is forecast to be the same cool and wet as today.  But from Monday on things appear to be improving.

Stay well😎.

Quiet Day

 Nothing exciting today.  Hopefully tomorrow will be more interesting.  Stay tuned and stay well.

Happy Valentine's Day!

 Happy Valentine's Day to my family, and my friends (especially the ladies 😍).

We headed over to Tradewinds for dinner. 

Joyce asked if we had planned a romantic dinner.  Judge for yourself.

They had Valentine specials on the menu with a bottle of wine included, and a saxophonist for entertainment.

Smooth jazz!  And a smooth saxophonist!

So, the answer is "Yes!" Joyce.

A special night.  Hope all you guys did the same for your ladies!  

Get sober.  Stay well.

Benched!

 Enjoyed golf today - just watched, didn't play.  Back and knees are not happy.  My almost 87 year old body is really starting to piss me off!

So, I chauffeured Mardi around the 9 hole course.

Nice sand shot partner!

We had a bit of excitement at the Island Green hole.

That's a nice Large Mouth Bass - maybe 3 or 4 pounds.  There's Bass in them there waters!  I'll have to bring the fishing rod next year!

There are also a lot of Carp and they are currently on the spawning beds in the same pond.

The male took off when I took the picture, but the lady stayed in place - egg laying to commence shortly.

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We have ten days until our next guests arrive and we're lonely folks.  Grab a plane and come on down.

Until then, stay well and keep your sense of humour.

Loser

 I discovered today that walking against the tide in the Lazy River is not good for your golf swing.  Sore knees!  Hit a bucket of balls at the driving range and didn't hit a single one very well.  I just didn't have a swing.  

That was all of the excitement for the day until dinner time when we met Maureen and Matt at Miller's.

After dinner, Matt and I sacrificed our pride at the card table.  Crushed again!

That's it for today.  Stay well.

Backwards Bud

 Another warm day so we  headed over to the Lazy River again.  Today I decided to go against the flow - figured the extra effort would be better exercise - plus, dodging the tubes was fun.

Got about a quarter way around the 400 yard circuit and realized that it was going to be a lot more work than I had figured.  So I reversed course and circled with the current.  Did about 600 yards altogether, plus a stint in the hot tub and earned a drink from Mardi.  it was called a Pirate something or other.

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Our plans for the rest of the day involved a marathon TV watch.  First, the Phoenix Open, with Canadian Nick Taylor.  Then, the Super Bowl.

But, the golf took precedence as Nick was in the hunt for the final round.  Three strokes down with four holes to play and he tied it.  Then, went on to win the second playoff hole.  Quite a performance!  And because of the golf, we missed most of the first half of the ball game.

But we did get to see the best part.  The fourth quarter and overtime were pretty good.  Taylor Swift was definitely happy!

Stay well.

Lazy

 A few years ago, the Liberal governments of Ontario and Canada introduced annual tax increases on alcoholic beverages based on inflation.  Since coming to power, the Ontario Conservatives have cancelled that increase each year.

But, the Federal Liberals continue to apply it each year, and this year that will add 4.7% more tax to the cost of alcoholic beverages.  Meanwhile, half of the restaurant and bar industry is losing money and struggling to stay open.  This move certainly won't help them!

In comparison, the large Canadian Club bottle that we buy is $40 cheaper down here than back home.

Trudeau says he has my back.  I just wish he would stop trying to lift out my wallet while he's back there!

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And, it that's not enough for you, he apparently recently said about Pierre Poilievre "what he is proposing to do is to make Canada great again. That is not what Canadians want."  

Really Justin?

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Sunny and 26C here today so I made my first foray to the Lazy River.  The fact that there is a bar right behind me is strictly a coincidence 😇.

This is Mardi's second trip to the water.  She had a swim while Jo-Anne was here.

We floated around the Lazy River and spent a few minutes in a hot tub.  Felt good!

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Tomorrow's weather looks to be good again, so we will probably make a return visit to the pool.  Tomorrow night we plan to watch the Taylor Swift Super Bowl.

Stay well folks.

Where is Saskatchewan?

 Headed to the bingo this morning.  Usual result.  But we did have one humourous moment when one of the winners was from Saskatchewan.  One bright lady said "where is Saskatchewan?".  I felt like yelling "next to North Dakota?" but she probably wouldn't have known where that was either.

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And while we're talking about people, I saw a video today that asked a question: were the people described below from the NFL or the NBA?

- 36 have been charged with spousal abuse

- 7 for fraud

- 19 for writing bad cheques

- 117 have had at least two bankruptcies

- 3 have been charged with assault

- 71 cannot be issued a credit card

- 14 for drug abuse

- 8 for shoplifting

- 21 currently facing lawsuits

- 84 for drunk driving.

What would be your answer - NBA or NFL?

How about the 435 members of the U.S. Congress!

I wonder what the numbers would be for our Canadian parliamentarians?

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As you can tell we had a bit of a boring day.  Hopefully tomorrow will be better.

Stay happy.

Mardi Gras

 A slow start to today, as my body recovered from my first 18 hole golf game of the year.  Mardi fared much better and headed to the daily Bingo game this morning, but came home $5 poorer.

Lost again at cards.  Remember that early start with three straight wins?  Ancient history!

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A big event occurred in Nanaimo on Vancouver Island today.  Mardi's grandson Ethan was sworn in as an officer of the Canadian Scottish Regiment.......

 ........ following in his dad's footsteps.  

A proud dad and a proud grandma........and a thankful country!  Well done Ethan!

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It's Thursday so we headed to Disney Springs to see Jeff Howell's band.  Tonight he had a new band member performing.

And he must be making good money because he also had a chorus line.

Jeff won't be at Disney Springs next week.  He's heading to Mardi Gras in New Orleans.  And he told us what he'll be up to.

Several years ago, family members were at the Mardi Gras and his aunt got drunk.  The group didn't want to leave early so they bought a shopping cart from a passerby for $5 and auntie made it to midnight in her ride.

When she died, they hired a Dixieland Band which accompanied her ashes, which were in a shopping cart of course, playing "Nearer My God To Thee" until they exited the church whereon they switched to "When The Saints Come Marching In".

This year, they have made a paper mache image of auntie, which of course will be transported in a shopping cart during Mardi Gras.  Wish we could join in!

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Stay positive and stay well.

Big Birds

 No posting on the blog yesterday - a quiet shopping (and losing at cards) day.  But we did have one interesting moment, when up on the roof there arose such a clatter - but it wasn't Santa Claus, it was this guy's golf ball.

Today was much more interesting.  We golfed at Cleveland Heights Golf Club in Lakeland with Jill and Ron.

In this picture, we are admiring Ron's tee shot on the first hole.

But we didn't get a picture of his second shot - a pitching wedge into the hole for an eagle!  Show off!  But then he had nothing to look forward to, whereas I could keep on dreaming about a par!  

The closest that I came to an Eagle was seeing several Osprey flying around.  Once again, we're not going to talk about golf scores.

Saw this guy along the way.  He smiled at me.

It was a bit cool and windy at the start, but just fine at the end.  We celebrated with a meal together.

We plan to get together there again in March.  We're hoping that Maureen and Matt will be able to join us for that game.

No agenda for tomorrow at this point, except for heading over to Disney Springs tomorrow night to see and hear Jeff Howell again.

Stay well.

Rib Night

 My barber attended to my hairdo this morning.  So I was well groomed when Maureen and Matt came over later for a visit.

Checked out the pond nearby and saw two small gators.  This one was 3 feet long, the other just 2 feet.

After Maureen and Matt arrived we toured the North Village pool area and River Island with its lazy river, pools, slides, hot tubs, etc. 

Saw 9 turkeys along the way.  Just managed to get a few of them to shyly pose for this picture. 

Then it was off to Miller's for rib night.  On Mondays and Tuesdays they have a full rack of ribs (about a foot long) for $15.99.  Every other day, a half rack is $17.99 and a full rack $22.99.  And they know how to cook the ribs!  Ate half - the rest is in the fridge for tomorrow.

The final event of the day was a game of Skip-Bo, boys against the girls 😢.

Stay well my friends.

Piano Night

 We delivered Jo-Anne to the Orlando Airport this morning.  For a while we thought that we should have checked in her luggage - she took the sunshine with her.  But, this afternoon it returned - maybe she felt guilty and sent it back 😉.

Mardi and I hit a bucket of golf balls this afternoon.  Still need work.

But, tonight we joined Maureen and Matt at the dueling pianos.  

No football game to interfere - it was a great night of music.......and dance!

We'll skip the pianos next week - the Super Bowl crowd will be too noisy.  But we'll definitely be back.

Stay well.