Packing Day

 Tomorrow we move to Port Richey so today is packing day.

Some rain in the morning, but afterward we took time out for a walk, close to two miles this time.  There are thousands of dead shrubs following the extended freeze that will need to be replaced.  But the Azaleas are starting to open up and doing their best to make the place look better.

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Stay well

Winding Down at Orange Lake

 A threat of thunderstorm kept us from golf today, but we did get in a one mile walk.  We saw a lot of storks and a couple of herons along the way.

The water levels are still very low.

Hopefully, the thunderstorm and tomorrow's rain forecast will help with that issue, but it's going to take a hurricane deluge to fix the problem.

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Tonight we made our last visit for this year to Sakura Asian Fusion and our favourite waitress, special friend, Joy.

I ordered Singapore Sei Fun, a curried meal of chicken and shrimp.  But I liked the shrimp that Mardi ordered better - next time.

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Rain tomorrow so we'll concentrate on packing.  Sunday we head to Port Richey.

Stay well.

Ready For The Next Chapter

 Lori sent me pictures of our Putt Putt adventure last night, but they got caught up in the ether and I didn't get them until very late.  So here they are.

From the left: Teegan (I previously spelled his name incorrectly - sorry), me, Frank, Lori, Ted and Mardi.

Mardi,

and Frank.

Tonight we were invited to their place for a game of cards and dinner.  A fine way to end our Kissimmee time - we leave for Port Richey this weekend.

Stay well.

Weather and Why

 While the decision to come to Florida was difficult to make, it ultimately boiled down to "use it or eventually lose it".  And giving up 8 weeks of our ownership entitlement was an option we chose not to take.

But now, the incredibly extreme winter that the folks at home (and in P.E.I. apparently) have suffered through makes it a no brainer.  Mardi and I would have been shut-ins for most of the winter.  No telling what that would have done to our health.  We made the right decision.

And this year has been no different than any other year in terms of comfort and acceptance, as far as interpersonal relations go.  We have had no uncomfortable experiences and a couple of apologies from Americans after they see our Blue Jays shirts and confirm that we are Canadian.

I'm sure that there are some of those extreme Christian Nationalists around who want to void democracy and have their chosen dictator take over, but so far they haven't bothered us.

We miss the friends who previously joined us, but Frank and Lori and their friends have filled in that gap nicely.  

April is the month when we can book next January, and it needs to be done then in order to get consecutive weeks in the same unit.  Once again we will have eight weeks entitlement (for each of 2027 and 2028, after which it will go back to four or five for a few years) so, unless things unravel quickly we will do that.  And then we'll cross our fingers in the hope that our consciences will allow us to return.

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Having said that, we spent the day mostly indoors today because of the chilly weather.  We have a frost warning overnight.  But I'm betting that you don't have much sympathy for that.

Stay well.

Jays vs. Mets

 Yesterday slid into history with a whimper.  Heavy rain in the morning.......

.......followed by a chill that kept us inside for most of the day.

Today the chill continued with a high of 12C but we had tickets to the Blue Jays game against the Mets (with seats in the shade so the heat wouldn't affect us - smart move eh?).  It was darned cold and breezy.

We parked at the Legion ($20 a fair rate) as we always do, just across the street from the park.

Then we headed into the Legion for lunch.  They allow non members in on game days until 6 p.m.

Hot dogs or burgs, with chips for $7.  Also a good deal.  But the cost of beer?  Wow!

We met Jill and Ron at the Legion.  He's a Legion member back home, so he headed to the bar to get the member's price.  And came back with five beers for $8.  That's not $8 per beer, that's the total!  Buy four for $2 each and get a fifth free.

Looks like Legion membership will be a priority when we get back home!

Frank took our picture int the stands.  Front row, Lori, Ted and Keegan; back row, Ron Jill, Mardi and the old guy.

Considering the weather, Mardi's Blue Jays hat was a hit!  She was approached to see where she got it, and  overheard a lady ask in the Jays shop if they had any.

We made a new friend at the game.  Ace looks like he's admiring Mardi's hat too.

Vladdy came on to the field and prepared for the game.

He did fine, but Hazel Mae didn't look like she was enjoying the weather at all.

Jays lost, but that doesn't matter at this time of year.  More importantly, our new power hitting third baseman, Okamoto, hit a homer.  A good sign!

Stay well.

Hot and Humid

 The last two days we have had very hot (31C), humid, sunny weather with no breeze (sorry we have to complain folks) and we have spent most of our time indoors watching the Olympics.

This evening we ventured out for a round of Putt Putt.  Somehow I managed to get four holes in one, but I only beat Mardi by two strokes in the end.  It was a long hot, exhausting walk home 😥.

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Speaking of exhaustion, daughter Kathryn sent me some pictures of the last time I did the "silly old man" thing.

I think that I was only about 74 that time.  But it did take quite a bit out of me.

Later that year I discovered that I had three blocked arteries.  Silly old man indeed, but I haven't changed much.  Bring it on!

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Tomorrow morning we'll be cheering for the Canadian Men's Hockey Team.  Fingers crossed.

And we'll be watching for our owl friends.  This is their tree, and behind it our unit.

Stay well.

Dreams and Memories

 Happy Birthday today to Monica.  All the best!

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Roger's comment yesterday about our Field of Dreams trip was bang on.  Two brothers on an amazing adventure together.

On the way to Iowa we listened to the soundtrack for the movie.  And we spent some time soaking in the atmosphere at the ball diamond.  Unfortunately, that was before I had a cellphone, so the pictures taken are all in a box back home so I can't share them.  But it was a great trip with some special stops as Roger mentioned.

And that suggests another way you can add to your experiences.  I've also visited the beautiful place where Northern Exposure was filmed, where Corner Gas was filmed, where the Beachcombers was filmed.  Memories!

At one point, Roger tried to visit every Bass Pro Shops store, but I think they built them faster than he could get to them all.

Set goals and chase the dreams.  Enjoy life!

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Mardi and I got our the golf clubs again today.  And we improved our scores - not enough to brag yet, but we're getting better (talk about chasing dreams!).

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Since we've been in Florida we've been playing cribbage, an old game that doesn't take a lot of time.

Four days ago, I was ahead by 3 games, 42 to 39.  Since then, I've won four games while Mardi has won 10.  I've lost my touch!  Let's bring back Skip-Bo.

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Almost every night, and through the night, since we've been in this unit we've been serenaded by the Great Horned Owls, but haven't seen any - until tonight when I saw one fly three different times.  It was pretty dark so I couldn't tell what kind of bird it was until it talked to us.

Tomorrow is a "whatever strikes us at the time" day.  We'll see what happens.

Stay well.

Aging Dangerously

 Just a couple of reflections on my post yesterday.  Lori went down first and popped out at the bottom of the slide.  The young man on duty at the top said that bathing suit material made a difference in speed.  And he was right - I was obviously wearing speedy fabric as I shot out the bottom like a missile.

When you hit the water at high speed and land on your backside, with your head lower than your feet, it takes a few seconds to get your bearing.  Thanks to Lori for helping me back up.

And thanks to brother Roger for his attaboy.  And, from a separate thread, thanks to my buddy Gary for his comments:

"Great stuff you crazy old fart!"  (He obviously knows me well) and "The more polite term is ‘aging dangerously’."  (I'd prefer to say "aging actively").

Quite frankly, as I enter this final chapter of my life (length to be determined) it is important to me to be alive in all the ways that I can.  I certainly do not want to just shuffle through life as I see happening a lot to others, especially down here.  Seeing that can be very depressing.

I've been very lucky to have been able to accomplish a lot in my life.  All 50 states, all 10 provinces and a territory, more than a dozen European countries, China twice, Peru where Sean and I hiked 70 miles through the high Andes to Machu Picchu, the north rim of the Grand Canyon with Malcolm, a 28 mile hike across the canyon with Ewen, South Africa with Ethan, the twin towers with Roger a year before 9/11, the Caribbean with Kyle, a west coast tour with Sarah-Jean and Reggie, about 96% of the Bruce Trail with my Tromper buddies.

Why stop now?   What else is waiting out there?

And, by some miracle, I have a partner who shares that philosophy.  

Bring it on!!!

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Having said that, we just hunkered down today.  Food shopping, a bit of sunning, and dinner at Miller's.  

We plan to golf tomorrow.  We'll see how that goes.

Stay well.

Eighty Eight Year Old Sets Record.

 Happy Lunar New Year.  The year of the iron horse.

Lori, Frank and their tenant Renee came over for the day today.  The ladies played bingo, fruitlessly.  Surprisingly, Mardi's win the other day was apparently an exception 😞.

After bingo we headed to the lazy river and spent the afternoon there.

Mardi and I completed the river circuit backward and frontward.  What athletes!

We stopped for a snack (and drink) break and when we were ready to head out, Lori and I challenged each other to go down the big water slide.  Game on!

Lori went first...........

........then me (that's my foot)............

..........whereupon Lori had to do lifeguard duty.........

..............and saved my life.

After that we headed back to the condo and I rode with Frank (in Lori's Mustang convertible).

What a great day!

Stay well.

A Belated Valentine

 We headed to bingo this morning but Mardi didn't win.  She wins with Lori, but not with me attending.  You know what that means folks! 😉

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Cloudy, cool and breezy today, so the pool idea was a no go.

A couple of card games indoors this afternoon and I took my lady to dinner. tonight.

We headed to Sakura Asian Fusion, a Vietnamese restaurant that has an orchid at every table.

A belated Valentine's dinner.  

I'm a lucky man!!!

😍😍😍

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Tomorrow I hope to prove my bingo theory.  Lori is coming over and I'm staying home.

Stay well.

Wildlife Trail

 We tried a new adventure today - the Apopka Wildlife Trail.  It's an eleven mile one lane crushed limestone road through wetlands on the north shore of Apopka Lake.

We saw lots of large gators............

..............including this gathering.

It took a couple of hours to complete the drive.  Lots of stopping and waiting.

Lots of birds too.  Including this Osprey.......

............and a female on a nest (discarded TV dish).

But the birds fish at their own risk..

A nice way to spend a couple of hours.  Afterwards we headed to nearby Mount Dora for a bite to eat.  I still can't believe that I picked the kale salad!

Tomorrow will be a pool day.

Stay well.

OMG

 This morning, Lori came over to join Mardi at the bingo.  I chose to stay at home.  The result was this.......

..........a $250 win!

Lori will be back on Tuesday.  I'll be staying home that day too!

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Following the bingo, Frank and I joined the ladies for a nice lunch.

Then we headed home for a rest.  Turns out that the combination of sun, lots of food and a couple of beers turned that rest into a very quiet afternoon and evening.

So, no Valentine's dinner.  But we're still in love.

Stay well.

A Good Day

 Editor's Note:  The author of this blog did not post yesterday due to a personal loss.  He blew his Super Bowl winnings on a stupid Bingo game.

But today I did much better, matching Mardi's score on the Reserve Golf Course.  Unfortunately, the names and scores were redacted on the score sheet.

The only evidence remaining is this picture of Mardi playing to the green on the hole which borders our back door.

She avoided the water on the left, as did her  partner.

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The Canadian men defeated the U.S. in the curling round robin event today.  The women were smarter and lost, which will reduce the risk of increased tariffs being threatened by you know who.

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Mardi and I plan a romantic dinner tomorrow.  I thought about giving her long stemmed roses, but I figured that they wouldn't look so good by the time Trillium Hill was able to deliver them to her.

However, the rest of you guys at home still have time.  Make your lady happy.  And say hi to David and Sean and Alex for me.

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Happy Valentines Day.

Stay well.

Winter Park

 Every visit to Florida includes a trip to the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum in Winter Park.  Ideally we like to show others how impressive it is.

This year we got to take Lori and Frank to see the works of art that Louis Tiffany created.

The exhibits change on a regular basis, but the main theme is kept in tune with the artist's feature creations.

And the chapel created for the Chicago World Fair is really special.

These viewers take in the beauty of Tiffany's work.  Very moving!

And other beautiful works abound, such as The Tree Of Life............

........in fact, all of his stained glass creations are beautiful.

We obviously love the place!

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Following the museum we stopped for lunch.  But we didn't ask about Mom's balls.  

We did take a boat ride through three connected lakes, where the millionaires live.  

This is the most expensive -  $45,000 square feet, worth $50 million dollars, inhabited by just two people.

A fine way to spend a day.

Stay well.

 

Fun Golf

 We were invited to try TopGolf today.  Our hosts, Lori and Frank.....

..........and our group, including Sue and Al.

It was the first time that Mardi and I have tried this.

The idea is to hit the ball into one of the circles and earn points.  Lots of fun!

Afterwards we headed to Miller's.  I ordered the Baby Back Rib special which is Matt's favourite.  Sorry you missed it Matt. 

All this for just $15.99!  Good for two meals.

Mardi and I finished off the day with a couple of games of cribbage, but I'm not supposed to talk about it.  

                                        😁😂😎

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Tomorrow we're taking Lori and Frank to the Morse Museum and a boat ride.  Looking forward to it.

Stay well.