Hello........I have not frozen, been caught up in the rapture, or been eaten by an alligator or shark.
I am truly alive and well - just busy ( and maybe a little lazy ). Plus access to the internet has been limited. I promise I will catch up SOON.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Day 33 - Wednesday, February 4
Cold - Cold - Cold and Windy. I have figured out that the compass on the cell phone must be wrong. According to the weatherman the winds are out of the WNW. Wind chill factor for tonight is predicted to be 16 with a hard freeze warning.
We walked again this morning before lunch taking the long way to the office along the row of trailers that sit out next to Rt 17-92. I don't think I would like to be that close to the highway, although they are on a dead-end street. Still no mail in our box today. We stopped at the small clubhouse so Peter could try his new key - the one for the pool hall. They keep it locked, but you can pay a deposit and have a key. The room smelled musty and so we didn't sit and rest in there, but went next door to the library/mult-purpose room. I tried out the exercise equipment in there, but most of it is old and possibly dangerous. There was one spinning bike that seemed to work pretty good. It all appears to be things people have left behind. There is an old piano and a small electric organ, too. I checked them out and also scanned some quilting books.
We walked past Brett's again to check out his construction job, but didn't see him around. We stopped by the horseshoe pits to watch a bunch of guys warming up for a tournament, but it was far from warm for the spectators.
After lunch we headed up Rt 27 to check out the U-Pick that I had seen near Clermont. Peter has been anxious to do this, and when I saw the sign yesterday I knew we would have to go up. After tonight there may not be much left to pick. We spent quite a while there, walking all around the rows looking for fruit. We got mostly navel oranges but also got a couple each of kumquats, key limes, Persian limes, lemons, tangerines, grapefruits, and pomelos. It cost $10 for a big bag stuffed full. Because I realized I had left my camera in the car, we used Peter's cell phone to take pictures and videos. It is quite a process to retrieve them and so will add the photos later.
We saw a place there where they do BBQ's and found out that it is only on the weekends right now since it is "off season". In a month or so their season starts and they will have nightly music in an open bandstand that I saw in the field called the "Pickers' Shack". They also have a nightly bonfire. They have little wagons you can use to pull your bags of fruit, but some families were using them to give their kids a ride through the orchard.
We drove further up Rt 27 because I did not think we had come to Rt 50 yet, which is where I had gone last night for BPW. I discovered later that we had indeed gone past
that junction with Rt 50. We saw a tall tower and stopped to have a look. It is called "The Citrus Tower" and when it was built in 1956 the view from the top was of all the surrounding hills covered with orange groves. Now the hills are all covered with rooftops in the countless developments. The original tower was to be 76 feet tall and ended up being 226 feet which makes the top of the tower 500 feet above sea level. Most of the area we are staying in is very flat, but up near Clermont there are lots of hills.
There is an elevator in the tower and it costs $4 each to ride to the top. We decided not to go but maybe will go back another day and take the ride to catch the view. Peter has some classmates that live in "The Villages" which is located up that way somewhere. There is a small gift shop and restaurant on the ground floor of the tower.
We drove back down to our favorite Walmart where I finally got Peter's medicine. I had called earlier to confirm that the insurance had now gone through. We also picked up a few other things and refilled our water jugs with drinking water at $.25 a gallon. I planned to cook a frozen pizza for supper, but by the time we got home at 6:00 Peter saw Carl heading to the pool hall and couldn't wait for that. He grabbed some left-overs and took off to play pool. I still cooked the pizza and had a couple of quiet hours to do more catching up on my journal and blog.
We walked again this morning before lunch taking the long way to the office along the row of trailers that sit out next to Rt 17-92. I don't think I would like to be that close to the highway, although they are on a dead-end street. Still no mail in our box today. We stopped at the small clubhouse so Peter could try his new key - the one for the pool hall. They keep it locked, but you can pay a deposit and have a key. The room smelled musty and so we didn't sit and rest in there, but went next door to the library/mult-purpose room. I tried out the exercise equipment in there, but most of it is old and possibly dangerous. There was one spinning bike that seemed to work pretty good. It all appears to be things people have left behind. There is an old piano and a small electric organ, too. I checked them out and also scanned some quilting books.
We walked past Brett's again to check out his construction job, but didn't see him around. We stopped by the horseshoe pits to watch a bunch of guys warming up for a tournament, but it was far from warm for the spectators.
After lunch we headed up Rt 27 to check out the U-Pick that I had seen near Clermont. Peter has been anxious to do this, and when I saw the sign yesterday I knew we would have to go up. After tonight there may not be much left to pick. We spent quite a while there, walking all around the rows looking for fruit. We got mostly navel oranges but also got a couple each of kumquats, key limes, Persian limes, lemons, tangerines, grapefruits, and pomelos. It cost $10 for a big bag stuffed full. Because I realized I had left my camera in the car, we used Peter's cell phone to take pictures and videos. It is quite a process to retrieve them and so will add the photos later.
We saw a place there where they do BBQ's and found out that it is only on the weekends right now since it is "off season". In a month or so their season starts and they will have nightly music in an open bandstand that I saw in the field called the "Pickers' Shack". They also have a nightly bonfire. They have little wagons you can use to pull your bags of fruit, but some families were using them to give their kids a ride through the orchard.
We drove further up Rt 27 because I did not think we had come to Rt 50 yet, which is where I had gone last night for BPW. I discovered later that we had indeed gone past
that junction with Rt 50. We saw a tall tower and stopped to have a look. It is called "The Citrus Tower" and when it was built in 1956 the view from the top was of all the surrounding hills covered with orange groves. Now the hills are all covered with rooftops in the countless developments. The original tower was to be 76 feet tall and ended up being 226 feet which makes the top of the tower 500 feet above sea level. Most of the area we are staying in is very flat, but up near Clermont there are lots of hills.There is an elevator in the tower and it costs $4 each to ride to the top. We decided not to go but maybe will go back another day and take the ride to catch the view. Peter has some classmates that live in "The Villages" which is located up that way somewhere. There is a small gift shop and restaurant on the ground floor of the tower.
We drove back down to our favorite Walmart where I finally got Peter's medicine. I had called earlier to confirm that the insurance had now gone through. We also picked up a few other things and refilled our water jugs with drinking water at $.25 a gallon. I planned to cook a frozen pizza for supper, but by the time we got home at 6:00 Peter saw Carl heading to the pool hall and couldn't wait for that. He grabbed some left-overs and took off to play pool. I still cooked the pizza and had a couple of quiet hours to do more catching up on my journal and blog.
Day 32 - Tuesday, February 3
Another cold and windy day - the high is expected to be 59 degrees. The flag across the street is standing out straight again.
I vacuumed this morning before we left to walk down to the office. We stopped to talk to John near his trailer at A14 and then checked the mail. I talked to Kimberly at the Houlton Post Office yesterday, and she told me she would put all the held mail into a box and forward it to us at no charge. She will then take the hold off for a day and put it back on again for another 30 days for us.
On the way back to the trailer we walked past Brett Graham's to check out their renovations. Peter and Brett got to talking trucks and after an hour I left and headed home. I was getting a headache from being hungry. I walked along the line fence on the back side of the lake near the clubhouse. It goes almost in a straight line from Brett's to our trailer. There is a sand crane sitting on a nest in the middle of the lake. She laid the eggs a few days ago before it rained. She probably feels safer with more water around her now. Peter never got back to eat his lunch until after 1:30.
We decided that it was probably too late now to check out the rents up in Clermont that we saw in the flyer. Peter had intended to go up with me when I drove up there to go to a BPW meeting, but I will just go by myself. This is the first time I will have taken the car and gone that far all by myself......it's about 40 miles or so. The roads are so good down here and well marked that I am not worried about that.
I left about 4:30 to go to a 5:30 dinner 6:30 meeting at the Buffalo Southwest Cafe. I enjoyed attending and the feeling was mutual. They have the same issues we are having in Maine, and they were much the same diverse personalities in the group of fifteen ladies. The meeting was supposed to be in a private room, but ended up out in the main restaurant. They voted on changing the location of their meetings.
I vacuumed this morning before we left to walk down to the office. We stopped to talk to John near his trailer at A14 and then checked the mail. I talked to Kimberly at the Houlton Post Office yesterday, and she told me she would put all the held mail into a box and forward it to us at no charge. She will then take the hold off for a day and put it back on again for another 30 days for us.
On the way back to the trailer we walked past Brett Graham's to check out their renovations. Peter and Brett got to talking trucks and after an hour I left and headed home. I was getting a headache from being hungry. I walked along the line fence on the back side of the lake near the clubhouse. It goes almost in a straight line from Brett's to our trailer. There is a sand crane sitting on a nest in the middle of the lake. She laid the eggs a few days ago before it rained. She probably feels safer with more water around her now. Peter never got back to eat his lunch until after 1:30.
We decided that it was probably too late now to check out the rents up in Clermont that we saw in the flyer. Peter had intended to go up with me when I drove up there to go to a BPW meeting, but I will just go by myself. This is the first time I will have taken the car and gone that far all by myself......it's about 40 miles or so. The roads are so good down here and well marked that I am not worried about that.
I left about 4:30 to go to a 5:30 dinner 6:30 meeting at the Buffalo Southwest Cafe. I enjoyed attending and the feeling was mutual. They have the same issues we are having in Maine, and they were much the same diverse personalities in the group of fifteen ladies. The meeting was supposed to be in a private room, but ended up out in the main restaurant. They voted on changing the location of their meetings.
Day 31 - Monday, February 2 - Ground Hog Day
I think the ground hog probably saw his shadow even though it is partly cloudy here today. It started to rain early and rained really hard at times all day long.
Peter worked on the rollers on the screen door and was just putting it back on when Fred came walking up with his umbrella. They had been planning to go to the auction tonight but with it raining all day, they decided not to go.
Fred said Brenda had suggested we all go to T-Bones for the Monday night special which is a 10 ounce sirloin. He didn't need to ask twice. They came to pick us up at 4:30. I guess every place you go here, you have to be extra early.
We stopped at Walmart on the way home to pick up Peter's prescription and Brenda also had one to pick up as well. We waited in line for 20 or so minutes and both of us had problems. My insurance still had not gone through, and her prescription was still being filled. I ended up buying 3 pills to get Peter by for a couple of days. They quoted me $5.62 for one, $10.46 for two and $11.48 for three. Brenda did get hers before we left.
Peter worked on the rollers on the screen door and was just putting it back on when Fred came walking up with his umbrella. They had been planning to go to the auction tonight but with it raining all day, they decided not to go.
Fred said Brenda had suggested we all go to T-Bones for the Monday night special which is a 10 ounce sirloin. He didn't need to ask twice. They came to pick us up at 4:30. I guess every place you go here, you have to be extra early.
We stopped at Walmart on the way home to pick up Peter's prescription and Brenda also had one to pick up as well. We waited in line for 20 or so minutes and both of us had problems. My insurance still had not gone through, and her prescription was still being filled. I ended up buying 3 pills to get Peter by for a couple of days. They quoted me $5.62 for one, $10.46 for two and $11.48 for three. Brenda did get hers before we left.
Day 30 - Sunday, February 1
We were up and ready to leave for St. Ann's before 9:30 to go to 10:00 Mass. We knew from last week, and from what Angelo told us, that to get a good seat we needed to be there by 9:40. We even got a decent parking place even though the lot was filling up fast. We asked the usher to put us up close to the front. We were 3 rows back in the center of the altar where we also had a good view of the musicians.
I had packed my usual stuff in the car when I went to church since I never know when we will return. I had my camera, my journal, my cross stitch, and a change of shoes. When it is warm we sometimes throw in shorts or bathing suits but not today.
Peter suggested that I drive to find some place for breakfast. I had seen from the church what looked like an iron bridge, but then thought maybe it was an auditorium. We drove toward it and ended up on Peninsula Drive which I later decided goes around one side of Lake Eva. The speaker last week at Rotary was the parks and rec director for Haines City and he referred to Lake Eva as being part of their parks system. It is one of the larger lakes in the area. We had the fancy binoculars with the digital camera in them and so took some pictures of birds on the shore.
I drove around quite a bit looking at more expensive houses in Winter Haven and still had not found a place to eat. We finally stopped and asked some guys who were having a carwash. One of them suggested an Amish place and gave us directions to get there. It was called Ray & Fran's and was right beside a Chinese restaurant called Canton Buffet. It was a tiny place and was packed with the after-church crowd, but we did find a booth and had lunch instead of breakfast. They had a sliced turkey and stuffing dinner including dessert for $7.00. When I checked the Microsoft Maps later I found out that the restaurant was on Rt 17.
After leaving there we stayed on Rt 17 up to Lake Alfred and took either 557 or 559 which took us to Polk City. We blinked and missed it and had to turn around and go back through it. On the way there we saw a sign that said "Fantasy of Flight" and what appeared to be a small airport. We pulled into the parking lot, but decided we didn't feel like going in. It is an airplane museum.
We didn't get home until suppertime. At 7:30 we went to the ice cream social and this time we remembered to take our dish and spoon . There weren't many people there this week. We sat with John (one of the pool players) and his wife Shirley.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Day 29 - Saturday, January 31
It was frosty again this morning but at least the sun is out again. The flag across the street is standing right out straight meaning that the wind has picked up out of the ENE (according to Peter's compass on his new cell phone).
When I opened the vertical blinds on the sliding glass door this morning, there was the green bug outside on the brick steps. I got pictures of him on the step before we went for coffee and then more after we got back, when he was up on the door itself. I took pictures of him on my comb - for perspective of his size - before relocating him via my comb to a spot out near the fence on a big 
plant that looked like an aloe vera plant. I felt bad for the poor fellow because it appears that he has lost one of his long hopping legs. Up close he looks like a large pea pod. You can see that he is bigger than my thumb. Probably quite a harmless fellow, but scared the dickens out of my last night.
The coffee and donuts at the clubhouse this morning was an informational meeting with the activities committee and homeowners association members requesting volunteers and giving updates on events. The park manager, Frank Jonas, talked for about 45 minutes on issues at the park and I later heard that no manager has done that in 16 years here. There are new owners and changes are being made to improve the conditions.
On the way back we walked past Brett Graham's where we stopped for a visit. Brett is planning to enclose his Florida room and Larry Kinney is helping him. Sharon and Larry are in a park on 547 called Center Crest. They came by while we were there and Peter and Sharon talked about the class reunion this summer. The Grahams and the Kinneys have both sold their homes in Houlton and plan to stay here in Florida. The Kinneys have a camper in Holden that they can return to in the summer.
In the afternoon we went to Walmart to pick up the prescription only to wait in a long line to find out that the insurance had not been cleared. We will have to wait now until Monday to get it straightened out.
Peter asked if I wanted to go from there up to Old Town or go back to the trailer. I told him we might as well just go there since we were "on the road again". We had planned to go to the "Cruise In" parade of antique cars at 8:30 in Old Town which is an amusement park in Kissimmee, but went up a little early. It was a good thing because we could then have a chance to walk along the parked vehicles while it was still daylight. There were mostly Chevrolets and Fords, but all different makes and years. We found out later at the parade that there were 190 cars that night. The park is set up with a divided street a couple of blocks long with stores on both sides and a center divider something like Market Square in Houlton, except streets were very narrow and lots more people.
Peter spent way too much money in the Magic Max store. It has all kinds of magic tricks, books and videos. The clerk there was a magician himself and was keeping quite a crowd entertained when he wasn't selling his merchandise to all the wanna-be magicians.
I took many pictures of the cars although it was hard to do so because there was a security guy standing right in front of me. I did see quite a few YELLOW cars and so I guess we are right in style with our bumblebee car.
When I opened the vertical blinds on the sliding glass door this morning, there was the green bug outside on the brick steps. I got pictures of him on the step before we went for coffee and then more after we got back, when he was up on the door itself. I took pictures of him on my comb - for perspective of his size - before relocating him via my comb to a spot out near the fence on a big 
plant that looked like an aloe vera plant. I felt bad for the poor fellow because it appears that he has lost one of his long hopping legs. Up close he looks like a large pea pod. You can see that he is bigger than my thumb. Probably quite a harmless fellow, but scared the dickens out of my last night.The coffee and donuts at the clubhouse this morning was an informational meeting with the activities committee and homeowners association members requesting volunteers and giving updates on events. The park manager, Frank Jonas, talked for about 45 minutes on issues at the park and I later heard that no manager has done that in 16 years here. There are new owners and changes are being made to improve the conditions.
On the way back we walked past Brett Graham's where we stopped for a visit. Brett is planning to enclose his Florida room and Larry Kinney is helping him. Sharon and Larry are in a park on 547 called Center Crest. They came by while we were there and Peter and Sharon talked about the class reunion this summer. The Grahams and the Kinneys have both sold their homes in Houlton and plan to stay here in Florida. The Kinneys have a camper in Holden that they can return to in the summer.
In the afternoon we went to Walmart to pick up the prescription only to wait in a long line to find out that the insurance had not been cleared. We will have to wait now until Monday to get it straightened out.
Peter asked if I wanted to go from there up to Old Town or go back to the trailer. I told him we might as well just go there since we were "on the road again". We had planned to go to the "Cruise In" parade of antique cars at 8:30 in Old Town which is an amusement park in Kissimmee, but went up a little early. It was a good thing because we could then have a chance to walk along the parked vehicles while it was still daylight. There were mostly Chevrolets and Fords, but all different makes and years. We found out later at the parade that there were 190 cars that night. The park is set up with a divided street a couple of blocks long with stores on both sides and a center divider something like Market Square in Houlton, except streets were very narrow and lots more people.
Peter spent way too much money in the Magic Max store. It has all kinds of magic tricks, books and videos. The clerk there was a magician himself and was keeping quite a crowd entertained when he wasn't selling his merchandise to all the wanna-be magicians.
I took many pictures of the cars although it was hard to do so because there was a security guy standing right in front of me. I did see quite a few YELLOW cars and so I guess we are right in style with our bumblebee car.
Day 28 - Friday, Jan 30
It is still raining on and off, but the weatherman says it will clear by noon. However, the temps are going to drop down to what they were last week with more freeze warnings at night.
I woke up with a terrible stiff neck and right shoulder. I am not sure if it is from sleeping with the ceiling fan on right over the bed, from all that riding (and rubbernecking) yesterday, cross stitching, or writing all the time in my journal. I am glad I have my trusty heating pad with me for relief.
Today we got our box with all of our mail in it, including three weeks worth of Pioneer Times. After lunch we went to Walmart to drop off the prescription. On the way there we found the place that is supposed to have u-pick oranges. Peter was disappointed to find out they don't do that for insurance reasons, but we did get another bag of oranges.
Carl, our pool playing neighbor, has invited Peter to join them for pool tonight. We had early supper because they play promptly at 6:00 and you have to get to all events here 15 to 20 minutes early. I decided this was the perfect opportunity to get the laundry done while he played pool. I haven't been adding many pictures lately and so here is one of him playing - while I slave away. It turned out I was not the only one with this idea. I met Shirley doing her laundry and found out that her husband John was also playing. I took the laundry home and Peter caught a ride home with Carl.
It was a good thing I didn't spot "THE BUG" until after Peter got home at 8:30. I was sitting in the recliner and looked up to the top of the curtain rod in the bay windows. Right in the center where there was a rod support was what looked like a big artificial flower leaf. I didn't remember seeing it before and so walked over for a closer look when IT MOVED !!
It was a huge green bug and it looked like a big grasshopper. Peter suggested sucking it up with the vacuum cleaner, but there was no hose on it. I got a towel and opened the sliding glass door while Peter covered it and threw it out. It was probably harmless, but it just surprised me how big it was. It must have flown or hopped in when he had the screen door off and the sliding door open. It was 2 1/2 to 3 inches long.
I woke up with a terrible stiff neck and right shoulder. I am not sure if it is from sleeping with the ceiling fan on right over the bed, from all that riding (and rubbernecking) yesterday, cross stitching, or writing all the time in my journal. I am glad I have my trusty heating pad with me for relief.
Today we got our box with all of our mail in it, including three weeks worth of Pioneer Times. After lunch we went to Walmart to drop off the prescription. On the way there we found the place that is supposed to have u-pick oranges. Peter was disappointed to find out they don't do that for insurance reasons, but we did get another bag of oranges.
Carl, our pool playing neighbor, has invited Peter to join them for pool tonight. We had early supper because they play promptly at 6:00 and you have to get to all events here 15 to 20 minutes early. I decided this was the perfect opportunity to get the laundry done while he played pool. I haven't been adding many pictures lately and so here is one of him playing - while I slave away. It turned out I was not the only one with this idea. I met Shirley doing her laundry and found out that her husband John was also playing. I took the laundry home and Peter caught a ride home with Carl.It was a good thing I didn't spot "THE BUG" until after Peter got home at 8:30. I was sitting in the recliner and looked up to the top of the curtain rod in the bay windows. Right in the center where there was a rod support was what looked like a big artificial flower leaf. I didn't remember seeing it before and so walked over for a closer look when IT MOVED !!
It was a huge green bug and it looked like a big grasshopper. Peter suggested sucking it up with the vacuum cleaner, but there was no hose on it. I got a towel and opened the sliding glass door while Peter covered it and threw it out. It was probably harmless, but it just surprised me how big it was. It must have flown or hopped in when he had the screen door off and the sliding door open. It was 2 1/2 to 3 inches long.
Day 27 - Thurs, Jan 29
Another bright and sunny day with early morning temps in the 50's although it is supposed to rain later today.
I keep forgetting to mention the oranges - earlier this week we had stopped to buy fruit from 2 guys selling them off the back of a pick-up alongside the road. We got a large bag of grapefruit and a large bag of oranges for $5.00 for both. Peter has been using a juicer that was here in the trailer to make fresh juice for us every morning. It is really delicious when it is so fresh. Zachary would not like all the pulp in it though !!
Peter took the screen door off the sliding glass door, because it doesn't slide like it is supposed to. Fred and Peter had looked at it earlier in the week and decided that it has broken rollers. Fred suggested that we check out "Broke and Poor" for parts.
I had started to sort laundry and stripped the bedding when Peter said he was going to Auburndale to find this store. I decided the laundry could wait and packed up to go with him. I usually take my cross stitch, my camera, my journal, a bottle of water and a jacket and he always takes his laptop.
One of the reasons I wanted to go was that Auburndale is on the way to Lakeland. I wanted to check out where the quilt guild meets there at the Fabric Warehouse and to find out if I can sign up for the Carol Doak workshop that is being held the day before the guild meeting.
We left about 10:00 and took our usual diversions onto sideroads that strike our fancy. We are pretty familiar with the territory and can come out on either 17-92, 27 or 547 which all lead back "home". It is amazing how many lakes and towns named for lakes that there are here in central Florida. There are some fairly large lakes, but many are what we would call ponds (or puddles) in Maine.
We made a couple of stops to look for sneakers for Peter and bathing suits for me, but found neither. We did find Broke and Poor but they did not have the part he needs. Later Peter did find sneakers at a Payless and I also decided to buy a pair for myself.
We went to a Long John Silvers for lunch and their menu advertised a "good and fresh" fish dinner which certainly was not as good or fresh as the picture showed it would be.
We stopped at a used boat place to see what they wanted for party boats. None were as nice as ours and some had no motors. Trailers were junk compared to ours.
After going through Lake Alfred we were on a new road for us, Rt 92, which turned to Rt 98, 37 & 35 - also called Florida Avenue (lots of name for one road). The Fabric Warehouse was right on the corner of N Florida Avenue and Griffin Road and not hard to find. It appeared to be smaller than I had expected, but there was a large part built onto the back where the guild holds their meetings, and I expect the workshop will be held.
I found out that there was still room in the Carol Doak Workshop and so paid $50 to reserve a spot. The workshop will be from 10:00 to 4:00 on Feb 25. I also checked on the broken computer card for my Viking sewing machine. The staff there seems very helpful and called about it for me.
We spent way too much time driving around Lakeland looking for Ronnie and Nancy Henderson. There were a couple of addresses I found on the internet that were definitely not where they would be living. I finally looked up Nancy's name and found an address that was above Lakeland in a very small trailer park. It is not the type of park that we are in, but is more residential only. It is on the back of a large ranch that appeared to have horses. An elderly gentleman there assured us that this was the same Ronnie and Nancy that we knew from Maine. We left a note with him for them.
We took the long way home from there....actually probably not longer, just different. We later heard on the news that a trailer truck had upset on I-4 and blocked the highway, which would have made that route much slower.
All this riding made my head ache, and so we had comfort food for supper - garlic shells.
About 2:00 I could hear it just pouring down rain, but they really need the rain here. I don't care if it rains at night as long as the sun comes out in the morning.
I keep forgetting to mention the oranges - earlier this week we had stopped to buy fruit from 2 guys selling them off the back of a pick-up alongside the road. We got a large bag of grapefruit and a large bag of oranges for $5.00 for both. Peter has been using a juicer that was here in the trailer to make fresh juice for us every morning. It is really delicious when it is so fresh. Zachary would not like all the pulp in it though !!
Peter took the screen door off the sliding glass door, because it doesn't slide like it is supposed to. Fred and Peter had looked at it earlier in the week and decided that it has broken rollers. Fred suggested that we check out "Broke and Poor" for parts.
I had started to sort laundry and stripped the bedding when Peter said he was going to Auburndale to find this store. I decided the laundry could wait and packed up to go with him. I usually take my cross stitch, my camera, my journal, a bottle of water and a jacket and he always takes his laptop.
One of the reasons I wanted to go was that Auburndale is on the way to Lakeland. I wanted to check out where the quilt guild meets there at the Fabric Warehouse and to find out if I can sign up for the Carol Doak workshop that is being held the day before the guild meeting.
We left about 10:00 and took our usual diversions onto sideroads that strike our fancy. We are pretty familiar with the territory and can come out on either 17-92, 27 or 547 which all lead back "home". It is amazing how many lakes and towns named for lakes that there are here in central Florida. There are some fairly large lakes, but many are what we would call ponds (or puddles) in Maine.
We made a couple of stops to look for sneakers for Peter and bathing suits for me, but found neither. We did find Broke and Poor but they did not have the part he needs. Later Peter did find sneakers at a Payless and I also decided to buy a pair for myself.
We went to a Long John Silvers for lunch and their menu advertised a "good and fresh" fish dinner which certainly was not as good or fresh as the picture showed it would be.
We stopped at a used boat place to see what they wanted for party boats. None were as nice as ours and some had no motors. Trailers were junk compared to ours.
After going through Lake Alfred we were on a new road for us, Rt 92, which turned to Rt 98, 37 & 35 - also called Florida Avenue (lots of name for one road). The Fabric Warehouse was right on the corner of N Florida Avenue and Griffin Road and not hard to find. It appeared to be smaller than I had expected, but there was a large part built onto the back where the guild holds their meetings, and I expect the workshop will be held.
I found out that there was still room in the Carol Doak Workshop and so paid $50 to reserve a spot. The workshop will be from 10:00 to 4:00 on Feb 25. I also checked on the broken computer card for my Viking sewing machine. The staff there seems very helpful and called about it for me.
We spent way too much time driving around Lakeland looking for Ronnie and Nancy Henderson. There were a couple of addresses I found on the internet that were definitely not where they would be living. I finally looked up Nancy's name and found an address that was above Lakeland in a very small trailer park. It is not the type of park that we are in, but is more residential only. It is on the back of a large ranch that appeared to have horses. An elderly gentleman there assured us that this was the same Ronnie and Nancy that we knew from Maine. We left a note with him for them.
We took the long way home from there....actually probably not longer, just different. We later heard on the news that a trailer truck had upset on I-4 and blocked the highway, which would have made that route much slower.
All this riding made my head ache, and so we had comfort food for supper - garlic shells.
About 2:00 I could hear it just pouring down rain, but they really need the rain here. I don't care if it rains at night as long as the sun comes out in the morning.
Day 26 - Wed, Jan 28
Today is supposed to be the hottest day yet here in Davenport. It was 59 when we got up and by 3:00 it was up to 80 degrees. It was partly overcast in the morning, but by the time we went for a swim at the pool at 2:30 it got really dark and threatened to rain. It sprinkled a little but not enough to make the pavement wet.
We went to Rotary today at noon at Southern Dunes Estates in Haines City. I had received info from Deb Clark on where to go and several names to contact there. Several people knew Mike and Deb well and we sat with a gentleman who lives in the same park as Ken and Vera Butler and David Wilde. He says they are in Citrus Ridge just a ways up Rt 27. Their club "icon" also sat at our table. His name is Champ and he read a poem from a snowbird who did not make it down this year. There were more visitors than members - some from P.E.I., Ohio, Idaho, England, and other states.
We drove around the "Dunes" and checked out for sale signs and foreclosure signs. I think it is probably a bit high-priced for us. There were rentals there listed in the classifieds that we had picked up and some were less than what we are paying.
Later when we went to the pool, I met another quilter named Barbara who was president of her guild last year. She may go with me to the Lakeland quild meeting on Feb 26. They have been coming here for the past 10 years pulling a travel trailer, but last year they purchased a mobile home in the Palisades section of the park. They come down for Jan, Feb, and Mar and then in April she goes to Paducah, KY and cuts fabric for Eleanor Burns ( I'm still not sure what that means, but maybe when we go to the meeting I can find out more details). They live in Traverse City, Michigan and so I assume this is on their way back home that she does this.
We have been checking the mail everyday and still none. I have been anxious to get our Medicare Advantage cards so that I can get Peter's prescription filled.
We had a heavy shower about 5:00 but the sun was shining throughout the shower. It did cool the air off nicely for sleeping.
After supper we walked down to the clubhouse, but didn't go in since bingo was already in full swing. We walked on to the small clubhouse which is also the library, poolroom, laundromat and changing rooms for the pool.
Cribbage was going on in the library and we watched a bit and then went to the pool room. Both tables were taken and so we just watched there as well. Our neighbor across the street was one of the players and he has a fancy pool cue of his own. We found out later that this group of four usually plays Mon, Wed, and Fri evening.
We went to Rotary today at noon at Southern Dunes Estates in Haines City. I had received info from Deb Clark on where to go and several names to contact there. Several people knew Mike and Deb well and we sat with a gentleman who lives in the same park as Ken and Vera Butler and David Wilde. He says they are in Citrus Ridge just a ways up Rt 27. Their club "icon" also sat at our table. His name is Champ and he read a poem from a snowbird who did not make it down this year. There were more visitors than members - some from P.E.I., Ohio, Idaho, England, and other states.
We drove around the "Dunes" and checked out for sale signs and foreclosure signs. I think it is probably a bit high-priced for us. There were rentals there listed in the classifieds that we had picked up and some were less than what we are paying.
Later when we went to the pool, I met another quilter named Barbara who was president of her guild last year. She may go with me to the Lakeland quild meeting on Feb 26. They have been coming here for the past 10 years pulling a travel trailer, but last year they purchased a mobile home in the Palisades section of the park. They come down for Jan, Feb, and Mar and then in April she goes to Paducah, KY and cuts fabric for Eleanor Burns ( I'm still not sure what that means, but maybe when we go to the meeting I can find out more details). They live in Traverse City, Michigan and so I assume this is on their way back home that she does this.
We have been checking the mail everyday and still none. I have been anxious to get our Medicare Advantage cards so that I can get Peter's prescription filled.
We had a heavy shower about 5:00 but the sun was shining throughout the shower. It did cool the air off nicely for sleeping.
After supper we walked down to the clubhouse, but didn't go in since bingo was already in full swing. We walked on to the small clubhouse which is also the library, poolroom, laundromat and changing rooms for the pool.
Cribbage was going on in the library and we watched a bit and then went to the pool room. Both tables were taken and so we just watched there as well. Our neighbor across the street was one of the players and he has a fancy pool cue of his own. We found out later that this group of four usually plays Mon, Wed, and Fri evening.
Day 25 - Tues, Jan 27
Lazy day - but that's what we came to Florida for :) We didn't get dressed until noon.
I was just taking a shower when Fred and Brenda Dunlop stopped by on their bikes for a visit.
Today was the first day since we came to the park that we did not roll a wheel on the bumblebee car. We did walk down to the office so that Peter could send a fax, but by the time we got there at 4:00 the fax would not go through - it was going to Canada and the office was closed at 5:00 their time.
On the walk to the office we met up with one of the guys who had been playing at the jam session last night. We had a long chat with him. He has traveled all over the country working as a contractor and supervising the erection of steel buildings, mostly airport hangars. His wife is originally from Caribou, Maine and he has worked at Loring and in Frenchville. He is 70, doesn't look a day over 55, and still has his pilot's license and medical certificate to fly. I guess keeping busy keeps him young. They have a camp on Madawaska Lake. He is one of the many nice people that we have met in this park.
I have been working on the cross stitch and neglecting my blog, but attempting to get caught up tonight (Feb 2). I got an e-mail from Shelley asking if I was stuck in the Bermuda Triangle someplace so I decided I should do a better job.
I was just taking a shower when Fred and Brenda Dunlop stopped by on their bikes for a visit.
Today was the first day since we came to the park that we did not roll a wheel on the bumblebee car. We did walk down to the office so that Peter could send a fax, but by the time we got there at 4:00 the fax would not go through - it was going to Canada and the office was closed at 5:00 their time.
On the walk to the office we met up with one of the guys who had been playing at the jam session last night. We had a long chat with him. He has traveled all over the country working as a contractor and supervising the erection of steel buildings, mostly airport hangars. His wife is originally from Caribou, Maine and he has worked at Loring and in Frenchville. He is 70, doesn't look a day over 55, and still has his pilot's license and medical certificate to fly. I guess keeping busy keeps him young. They have a camp on Madawaska Lake. He is one of the many nice people that we have met in this park.
I have been working on the cross stitch and neglecting my blog, but attempting to get caught up tonight (Feb 2). I got an e-mail from Shelley asking if I was stuck in the Bermuda Triangle someplace so I decided I should do a better job.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Day 24 - Monday, January 26
Two warm days in a row and it feels really good. I went down to the clubhouse to check out the quilting group, but exercise group was in there. I thought perhaps it would be after that, and so I waited outside in the car for awhile. The class did not seem to be breaking up so I decided to walk over to a group of ladies having a coffee klatch on their patio to see if they knew anything.
Before I got there I met another lady on a bike. She was coming to also check out the quilting. We chatted for a little bit when two more ladies walked up and told us that the class does not start until NEXT Monday. One of them was Betty who said that she was the leader of the quilting class and that they will be doing a photograph quilt. She is providing the printer and the paper and quilters can bring photos to make whatever quilted item they want to do.
Peter spent the morning making arrangements to go to the Orlando Auto Auction tonight. I sat in the Florida room where it was warmer than inside the trailer and cross stitched. We later walked down to the office to find out about receiving a fax that Harold will send to him.
After lunch we walked down to the pool for our first swim in the pool. It was pretty crowded and at first we didn't even have a chair where we could put our stuff. The water was nice - about 84 degrees - but there were more than 20 people in there. Most were in the shallow end and so I stayed in the deep end.
The trailer does get quite warm in the afternoon, but there has been a nice breeze and raising a couple windows and turning on the ceiling fans seems to cool it off enough for comfortable sleeping.
Peter went to Orlando for the auto auction and while he was gone I walked down to the small clubhouse where there was to be a jam session. There were three guys playing guitars and one guy playing several different harmonicas. It was more like a sing-a-long than a jam session. They handed out song sheets with words to the songs. There were quite a few people who attended. Some came from activities when they were finished at the big clubhouse.
After the session I asked the guy playing harmonica "Do you ever play at a church around here?" He told me he played at St. Ann's in Haines City, confirming that I had actually heard a harmonica when at mass last Sunday. Strange how things tie together!
I called Peter on cell phone to tell him I was leaving, because he had planned to pick me up from the clubhouse. Since he was just leaving Orlando, I walked back to the trailer.
Before I got there I met another lady on a bike. She was coming to also check out the quilting. We chatted for a little bit when two more ladies walked up and told us that the class does not start until NEXT Monday. One of them was Betty who said that she was the leader of the quilting class and that they will be doing a photograph quilt. She is providing the printer and the paper and quilters can bring photos to make whatever quilted item they want to do.
Peter spent the morning making arrangements to go to the Orlando Auto Auction tonight. I sat in the Florida room where it was warmer than inside the trailer and cross stitched. We later walked down to the office to find out about receiving a fax that Harold will send to him.
After lunch we walked down to the pool for our first swim in the pool. It was pretty crowded and at first we didn't even have a chair where we could put our stuff. The water was nice - about 84 degrees - but there were more than 20 people in there. Most were in the shallow end and so I stayed in the deep end.
The trailer does get quite warm in the afternoon, but there has been a nice breeze and raising a couple windows and turning on the ceiling fans seems to cool it off enough for comfortable sleeping.
Peter went to Orlando for the auto auction and while he was gone I walked down to the small clubhouse where there was to be a jam session. There were three guys playing guitars and one guy playing several different harmonicas. It was more like a sing-a-long than a jam session. They handed out song sheets with words to the songs. There were quite a few people who attended. Some came from activities when they were finished at the big clubhouse.
After the session I asked the guy playing harmonica "Do you ever play at a church around here?" He told me he played at St. Ann's in Haines City, confirming that I had actually heard a harmonica when at mass last Sunday. Strange how things tie together!
I called Peter on cell phone to tell him I was leaving, because he had planned to pick me up from the clubhouse. Since he was just leaving Orlando, I walked back to the trailer.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Day 23 - Sunday, January 25
Sunny blue skies this morning and temps still in the 40's.
I got dressed up for church with hose and heels, but it started warming up even before we got back and I wasn't long getting into tank top and capris. We went to St Ann's in Haines City. We were a little late because I gave Peter a bum steer on the way and we took a little extra time to find it. The church is round and was packed full of people. The usher had to find us a seat. This was one time I was glad we had the little car, because parking was also at a premium. Peter squeezed into an end spot where he had to put one wheel up on the curb.
Similar to St. Joseph's last week, this church also had two large computer screens on the wall where they showed the words to the hymns, which alternated with a still photo. It did not have a live image from a webcam. The choir was good but we were way in the back, and I couldn't see it like I could at St Joseph's. It sounded as though they had a harmonica with some of the songs. It was the first time I ever heard applause after a sermon.
The trailer got quite warm by the time we left in the afternoon to go to the flea market and Walmart. We opened some of the windows and turned the fans on in the living room and the bedroom.
There were some good veggies at the flea market and many things that I did not even know what they were. All kinds of dried peppers and other Mexican/Spanish produce. The vendors were almost entirely Spanish with some Orientals. It appeared that this was a family event for customers and vendors. There were food tents as well as retail stalls.
Before we got to Walmart we stopped at the Orange Ring that is a popular citrus sales spot (say that ten times fast). We got some tangerine marmalade and each got some orange softserve ice cream. It was somewhat like sherbert only creamier. When I mentioned to the clerk that it was like a creamsicle, she said, "Oh, you should have bought the twist with the vanilla in it. That really tastes like a creamsicle". I guess I know what kind I will buy the next time !!
I have been working on a cross stitch project whenever I have a few free minutes with my hands. It is one I had given up on at one time because I goofed in following the pattern. I decided I could do a little redesign and not have to do any ripping out.
Tonight we took another walk down to the clubhouse because Peter heard there was hymn singing at 6:00. We sat outside and listened for a little bit and then went in and joined in. After the singing they have ice cream for $.25 a scoop. We had not had supper, but Peter wanted to stay and so blew our diets and had ice cream for supper. I only had two scoops, but he had four. This is a very friendly park. I spotted the "pool players" and we went and sat with them. Our neighbors, Cliff and Leona Wallingham, were some of the helpers doing the ice cream scooping.
I got dressed up for church with hose and heels, but it started warming up even before we got back and I wasn't long getting into tank top and capris. We went to St Ann's in Haines City. We were a little late because I gave Peter a bum steer on the way and we took a little extra time to find it. The church is round and was packed full of people. The usher had to find us a seat. This was one time I was glad we had the little car, because parking was also at a premium. Peter squeezed into an end spot where he had to put one wheel up on the curb.
Similar to St. Joseph's last week, this church also had two large computer screens on the wall where they showed the words to the hymns, which alternated with a still photo. It did not have a live image from a webcam. The choir was good but we were way in the back, and I couldn't see it like I could at St Joseph's. It sounded as though they had a harmonica with some of the songs. It was the first time I ever heard applause after a sermon.
The trailer got quite warm by the time we left in the afternoon to go to the flea market and Walmart. We opened some of the windows and turned the fans on in the living room and the bedroom.
There were some good veggies at the flea market and many things that I did not even know what they were. All kinds of dried peppers and other Mexican/Spanish produce. The vendors were almost entirely Spanish with some Orientals. It appeared that this was a family event for customers and vendors. There were food tents as well as retail stalls.
Before we got to Walmart we stopped at the Orange Ring that is a popular citrus sales spot (say that ten times fast). We got some tangerine marmalade and each got some orange softserve ice cream. It was somewhat like sherbert only creamier. When I mentioned to the clerk that it was like a creamsicle, she said, "Oh, you should have bought the twist with the vanilla in it. That really tastes like a creamsicle". I guess I know what kind I will buy the next time !!
I have been working on a cross stitch project whenever I have a few free minutes with my hands. It is one I had given up on at one time because I goofed in following the pattern. I decided I could do a little redesign and not have to do any ripping out.
Tonight we took another walk down to the clubhouse because Peter heard there was hymn singing at 6:00. We sat outside and listened for a little bit and then went in and joined in. After the singing they have ice cream for $.25 a scoop. We had not had supper, but Peter wanted to stay and so blew our diets and had ice cream for supper. I only had two scoops, but he had four. This is a very friendly park. I spotted the "pool players" and we went and sat with them. Our neighbors, Cliff and Leona Wallingham, were some of the helpers doing the ice cream scooping.
Day 22 - Saturday, January 24
Supposedly 50 degrees last night but feels much cooler than that this morning. It's Mary Ann's birthday today. I waited until 10:00 to call her at the quilt retreat - in case she had stayed up half the night - and sang "Happy Birthday" to her.
Anticipating that today would be warmer than we have been having, I got dressed in shorts but changed to jeans before we headed out at 10:00. We went to Orlando to purchase tickets for the "Pirates" dinner and show on February 16th when Jana and Steven and the kids will be here. We had a problem finding the place because we were looking for Orlando Fun Tickets, which is what their website is called, when the name is actually All Access Tickets. The address was on Palm Parkway. However, they are "off" Palm Parkway in a mini-mall.
From there we went to the Osceola Flea and Farmers Market. It was down Rt 192 just past the Florida Turnpike. We only walked through about 10% of the place, since it is advertised as having 900 booths. I got some sunglasses and some warmer pj's, which I hope I won't need now.
In the evening we took a walk down past the clubhouse. We talked to Brett Graham's wife and her friend. They told us their street is referred to as "Easy Street". I guess they must be pretty laid back there. Our section is known as "Snob Hill" because in "G" Section there are only mobile homes.
In the clubhouse we got to observe the game of Bid Euchre. There were 6 tables of 4 playing a tournament. We have never seen this played and I don't think we will be catching on to how it is played any time soon. They use only the J, Q, K, and Ace for all suits from 2 decks of card. They bid, take tricks, score and that's all I know. A couple of tables were playing poker, too,
From there we walked past the smaller clubhouse and laundromat where we stopped to see if anyone was playing pool. Two couples from Toronto were playing. We watched them for awhile, then played a few games ourselves on the other table, then watched them some more. The guys were former truck drivers and so you know what all the talk was about. Couples were Betty and Doug and Nancy and Ben.
Anticipating that today would be warmer than we have been having, I got dressed in shorts but changed to jeans before we headed out at 10:00. We went to Orlando to purchase tickets for the "Pirates" dinner and show on February 16th when Jana and Steven and the kids will be here. We had a problem finding the place because we were looking for Orlando Fun Tickets, which is what their website is called, when the name is actually All Access Tickets. The address was on Palm Parkway. However, they are "off" Palm Parkway in a mini-mall.
From there we went to the Osceola Flea and Farmers Market. It was down Rt 192 just past the Florida Turnpike. We only walked through about 10% of the place, since it is advertised as having 900 booths. I got some sunglasses and some warmer pj's, which I hope I won't need now.
In the evening we took a walk down past the clubhouse. We talked to Brett Graham's wife and her friend. They told us their street is referred to as "Easy Street". I guess they must be pretty laid back there. Our section is known as "Snob Hill" because in "G" Section there are only mobile homes.
In the clubhouse we got to observe the game of Bid Euchre. There were 6 tables of 4 playing a tournament. We have never seen this played and I don't think we will be catching on to how it is played any time soon. They use only the J, Q, K, and Ace for all suits from 2 decks of card. They bid, take tricks, score and that's all I know. A couple of tables were playing poker, too,
From there we walked past the smaller clubhouse and laundromat where we stopped to see if anyone was playing pool. Two couples from Toronto were playing. We watched them for awhile, then played a few games ourselves on the other table, then watched them some more. The guys were former truck drivers and so you know what all the talk was about. Couples were Betty and Doug and Nancy and Ben.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Day 21 - Friday, January 23
Another frosty morning in Florida. Check out the writing on the top of the car in the frost. The day started out sunny and bright again, but the same as yesterday in the 20 degree range.9:00 we headed out (every time the car moves I jump in) to find the big auction lot where there will be trucks and equipment auctioned off in February. We went north on 17-92 to Poinciana and crossing over Pleasant Hill Road went on a curvy backroad ( I think it was called W Southport Road) and found the lot. It is a monstrous field - or several fields - some with construction equipment, some with trucks, tractors, and trailers, and some with things like electrical generators, truck and other equipment engines and tracks for bulldozers. Lawrence Gough and Albert Fitzpatrick will be coming down for the auction and Peter can hardly wait to be with those guys there.
Right on 17-92 we saw two deer beside the road just like you would see on I-95. They were munching within sight of the sign for "Deer Run Road" which is the next road above 3 Worlds Park.
I am definitely beginning to get a feel for how the roads interconnect around here.
We got back to our "home away from home" at noon and had sandwiches for lunch. It is warming up a lot more and quicker today than yesterday. Perhaps we can soon shed our flannel lined jeans and sweatshirts and put on our tank tops and shorts.
I was working on my blog today and e-mailing Rita more frost pictures when I had a call from Mary Ann. She was on her way to the quilt retreat at First Settler's Lodge....without me. We had a good chat and she will let me know how it goes when she gets back.
This evening we went to an estate auction in Davenport. It was two hours of entertainment watching the people and their interaction with the auctioneer and the owner of the shop where it is held. Peter did buy a set of binoculars (that I told him not to buy). If anyone were setting up housekeeping down here it would be a good place to purchase the necessary items, but we don't need anything...at least this year anyway. I researched the model of binoculars that he bought - Bushnell ImageView - and it turns out they are actually combined binoculars and digital camera - they even take video. You can connect to laptop using USB cable from my digital camera. I guess it wasn't as bad a deal as I thought.
Tomorrow we are going into Orlando to buy tickets for the Pirates dinner/show in February. We are going with Steven, Jana and the kids when they come down on vacation.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Day 20 - Thursday, January 22
Woohoo - I am caught up and current on my blog. Now if I can just keep it up.
It was sunny and slightly breezy when we got up. The local news said that it was 28 degrees for a low here and 21 in Ocala. Even the beaches were reporting temps in the 20's. I never thought I would see frost on our car in Florida, but I got a picture of it and photo also shows the neighbor's hose nozzle with an 8" icicle hanging from it. You may have to zoom in to see the icicle, but the frost on the windshield is easy to see. There was frost on most of the roofs around us, too. People who are out walking their dogs this morning are bundled up as though they were going to the North Pole - heavy coats, gloves and hats with ear tabs down.
I made some phone calls today to make sure that we can get Peter's prescriptions refilled without a problem. Shop and Save says we should be able to transfer to a pharmacy down here. I also spoke to Vicki at FAP to confirm that Northeast Community Care will cover them here.
We didn't go out until after lunch when we went to the bank and took another ride around the "block".
We went to the USA Day dinner at 4:30 and sat with some folks from Delaware whose last name was Blessing. One of the couples that sat down with us happened to be the neighbor across the street on Garmin. They are from Michigan, but I don't recall their name. I guess by the time we leave I may have a few more names to remember. I recognized the couple at the table next to us as the neighbors right beside us who had the frozen hose this morning. He was quite the clown entertaining all of us with his tricks with a cup of "water". He had something in the bottom of the cup that would absorb the water so that when he pretended to pour or throw it on people they would flinch but not get wet.
Dinner was at 5:00 and was delicious with Swiss steak, mashed potatoes, green beans, cooked sliced onions and gravy followed by some kind of carmel smothered apple pie. Wow, so much for the dieting the last few days. They had entertainment after the meal - a female singer who was very good. She sang mostly country songs along with some oldies and gospel songs. They also had door prizes and Peter won a breakfast for two at a local restaurant called Woodsby's Diner.
I don't think walking back from the clubhouse did much to reduce the number of calories we ate tonight.
Later Peter was talking to Lawrence Gough on his cell phone when my cell phone rang. My phone said Peter Fitzpatrick was calling and I was very confused until I realized that it could be our home phone number calling. It was Steven looking for pictures of Gabe's first birthday.
Watched a little tube and finally got this blog caught up before retiring for another frosty Florida night.
Day 19 - Wednesday, January 21 - Sunny but windy
We got up to 29 degrees outside and 49 degrees at the head of our bed where Peter's electronic tester was sitting on the windowsill. We were snug in bed, but my nose was cold. Peter got up, put on his flannel lined jeans and turned the furnace on. I was glad I had my new fluffy boot slippers that I got for Christmas. The furniture stayed cold all morning, but the air did warm up to a comfortable temperature. We had fresh Plant City strawberries to put on our cereal this morning.
We spent the morning getting our new laser printer set up to work with both laptops. It is just a black only printer, but seems to work great. We also had more discussions on how we will handle our mail delivery while we are down here. Peter talked to Kevin to find out whether he had anything coming to our home address that he would need.
I had planned to check out an oil painting class at 1:00 but we found out it had been moved to the week before because about 160 people were going on a cruise this week. While at the clubhouse we smelled something really good cooking. It was bacon cooking to season the green beans for the USA Dinner to be held on Thursday night. We asked about going and were told that we had to buy tickets in advance. They weren't sure if there was available seating, but took our address in the park and told us they would find us if there was. Lil, who was in charge of the supper, came by later in the evening with our tickets. Peter only had a $100 bill and so will have to break it tomorrow to pay her.
There was a horseshoe pitching tournament behind the clubhouse and we walked over to check it out. However, Peter got a call from Mike Gough about picking up pallets, and we walked back to the trailer to get a phone number he needed.
Later we again stopped at the office and confirmed that we did have a post office box in the bank of mailboxes. We called Mr. MacGregor to find out which box was ours and opened it with the key that was on his set of keys we have. We will have Steven send down what we want from the mail that has accumulated and start the forwarding at the end of next week.
We took another ride around Davenport and Haines City. Peter stopped at a couple places about used cars and about finding a u-pick orchard. There are no orchards like that right now, and he was told not to even think about stopping to pick any along the road. I am beginning to recognize places now as we pass by them. We are pretty much moving within a certain radius of 3 World RV Resort. Where we are staying is just down the road from the land that Harold and others held for so many years. There is a huge development there now with a gate and guard.
The weather forecasts for tonight are for temperatures to dip even lower and there are frost/freeze alerts out. Everyone in the park that values there shrubs and plants has them covered. Farms and nurseries in the area - and much of Florida - are protecting their crops as well.Because we are comfortable with how the furnace has been operating, we will leave it going tonight, turned down low, but enough to keep the worst of the chill off.
Day 18 - Tuesday, January 20 - Inauguration Day
34 degrees this morning and not expected to get above 50's today.
Since we had nice hot water for showers today and fresh coffee for breakfast, the temperature didn't put a damper on our day. Besides it was a better start to the day than we have had lately.
We made a trip to the office here and registered. We also got the scoop on laundry, mail, and instructions on which direction the one-way roads in the park go. We found out that there was a lunch at the clubhouse today and so we decided to get acquainted and go to that. As we walked down there I was glad I had put my sweatshirt on, but wished I had also put my windbreaker on since the wind was making 50 degrees feel mighty chilly.
We got back from lunch just in time to watch the inauguration on TV. It was amazing to see the mall at Washington, DC so full of people and to think that some of them spent all night out in the cold to be there.
We caught up on the laundry in the afternoon, making a couple of trips to swap loads of clothes. I hung some on the little clothesline out back here, but kept going out to put them back on the line because the wind was blowing so hard. I finally gave up and brought them inside to put on a drying rack I found.
We had broiled chicken tonight - mostly to help warm up the place. We hesitated to turn on the furnace (especially after spending time yesterday on the water heater), but went to bed instead with a couple of extra blankets on the bed. We turned the heat on for a little bit, but shut it off before going to bed.
Since we had nice hot water for showers today and fresh coffee for breakfast, the temperature didn't put a damper on our day. Besides it was a better start to the day than we have had lately.
We made a trip to the office here and registered. We also got the scoop on laundry, mail, and instructions on which direction the one-way roads in the park go. We found out that there was a lunch at the clubhouse today and so we decided to get acquainted and go to that. As we walked down there I was glad I had put my sweatshirt on, but wished I had also put my windbreaker on since the wind was making 50 degrees feel mighty chilly.
We got back from lunch just in time to watch the inauguration on TV. It was amazing to see the mall at Washington, DC so full of people and to think that some of them spent all night out in the cold to be there.
We caught up on the laundry in the afternoon, making a couple of trips to swap loads of clothes. I hung some on the little clothesline out back here, but kept going out to put them back on the line because the wind was blowing so hard. I finally gave up and brought them inside to put on a drying rack I found.
We had broiled chicken tonight - mostly to help warm up the place. We hesitated to turn on the furnace (especially after spending time yesterday on the water heater), but went to bed instead with a couple of extra blankets on the bed. We turned the heat on for a little bit, but shut it off before going to bed.
Day 17 - Monday, January 19
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Today was our day to "decompress" from the tensions of the past two weeks. We blew off the things we thought we had to do like laundry and grocery shopping. We just needed to rest.
Peter tried to get the hot water heater going, but we finally called Mr. MacGregor to find out there was a simple solution. There is a switch in the bathroom that just needed to be flipped on.
He also gave us instructions on how the digital converter box worked on the TV. We don't get many channels but what we get is pretty good. There are a lot of old TV shows like Bonanza, Rifleman, Father Knows Best, etc. that Peter is enjoying. We get local news and weather and hearing that we are in for a cold snap is not encouraging.
It was good to have a homecooked meal tonight - even if I had to cook it. Broiled a steak and had some salad with it.
We have met a few people here and everyone seems really nice and friendly. I think we will like it here.
Today was our day to "decompress" from the tensions of the past two weeks. We blew off the things we thought we had to do like laundry and grocery shopping. We just needed to rest.
Peter tried to get the hot water heater going, but we finally called Mr. MacGregor to find out there was a simple solution. There is a switch in the bathroom that just needed to be flipped on.
He also gave us instructions on how the digital converter box worked on the TV. We don't get many channels but what we get is pretty good. There are a lot of old TV shows like Bonanza, Rifleman, Father Knows Best, etc. that Peter is enjoying. We get local news and weather and hearing that we are in for a cold snap is not encouraging.
It was good to have a homecooked meal tonight - even if I had to cook it. Broiled a steak and had some salad with it.
We have met a few people here and everyone seems really nice and friendly. I think we will like it here.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Day 15 & 16 - The rest of the "free" vacation story
Actually this starts on Day 14 - on Friday once off the boat we drove up to Orlando to the Ramada to the "welcome" center to get our vouchers for hotel room and meals at that resort. We also were supposed to be given our Universal tickets. HOWEVER, we were informed that we needed to schedule another resort presentation in order to receive them..... since none were available on Saturday, we would have to do it on SUNDAY. I said this is enough and we got our vouchers and went to our room to stew over it. Nothing had been said in the original conversations about a second presentation, but no sense in arguing with them about it. We called on Saturday to make sure that there would be no further penalties or charges - other than the $80 worth of tickets - and told them we would not attend another "tour".
It was nice to make it to Davenport and to the place we will call home for the next 6 weeks. We had to make our own bed tonight, but it sure felt good to lay our heads down on the same pillows that we will use for more than a couple of nights.
By now we both had full blown colds and so spent Saturday hanging out at the hotel. The room was not that great either, but after two days on the boat without showers at least we could take a hot shower there and meals were on the house (such as they were). We blew the joint on Sunday and went to church in Winter Haven.
It was a thoroughly modern church (electronically anyway). The music was very good even though the choir was not that large. They had a good sound system and also had two projectors that projected images on both sides of the altar. Sometimes they showed the list of hymns and other times projected the live video of the mass activities on the altar. There was a couple in our seat who were celebrating their 66th anniversary and after mass had a special blessing offered for them.
Speaking of this couple reminds me that in spite of all the bad things that have happened over the past week, we have met some very nice people from all over the U.S. and Canada.
It was nice to make it to Davenport and to the place we will call home for the next 6 weeks. We had to make our own bed tonight, but it sure felt good to lay our heads down on the same pillows that we will use for more than a couple of nights.This is one side of our living room. We do have a TV. It's just out of the picture.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Day 12, 13, 14 - Wed - Fri - Jan 14-16 - THE CRUISE
I am going to cheat and put all 3 days on this post to cover the cruise.
We had to be on the boat by no later than 3:30 and it took over an hour to get through the boarding process, filling out multiple forms, showing passports and getting photos taken. We were forever in lines, and I observed several times that we were all like cattle being led to slaughter.
Our boat, the Regal Empress, was docked at a pier perpendicular to another dock where the Tahitian Princess was docked, and we immediately knew that this was not going to be the cruise we had expected it to be.
The cabin was not a bad size and did have a port hole which did not open. The funny part of the room was the bathroom. You could barely sit down with out touching both walls and the toilet paper was so high up and far back behind the flush that you had to either be a contortionist to get it or pull off what you needed for the job before you sat down. The shower was a corner of the 4 x 4 room with a flimsy curtain. Neither of us ventured to try it out, but opted for birdbaths instead. Needless to say we never put on a bathing suit the whole time since it was so cold and we never saw the sun the entire trip. As a matter of fact, I had only one pair of long pants with me which I wore most of the time - including to bed along with a sweatshirt. I probably was experiencing a fever along with my cold.
The smoking, even though it was supposed to be restricted to certain areas, really bothered me, especially with a sore throat. We had a non-smoking room, but the hallway reeked of smoke and wafted in through the slits in the bottom of the door.
The food was good, but unlike others cruises I have heard about, it was not available at any hour. There were several people who told us not to judge all cruises by this one.
Our limo driver, Danny Miller, was especially friendly to Peter telling him he remembered Sister Mary Garrett. He let Peter sit up front with him where he could hear better.
Getting off the boat was even more exasperating than getting on. We had to be out of the cabin by 8:00 but did not leave the boat until 10:30 and then took another hour to clear customs.....We will need a vacation to get over this vacation.
We had to be on the boat by no later than 3:30 and it took over an hour to get through the boarding process, filling out multiple forms, showing passports and getting photos taken. We were forever in lines, and I observed several times that we were all like cattle being led to slaughter.
Our boat, the Regal Empress, was docked at a pier perpendicular to another dock where the Tahitian Princess was docked, and we immediately knew that this was not going to be the cruise we had expected it to be.
The cabin was not a bad size and did have a port hole which did not open. The funny part of the room was the bathroom. You could barely sit down with out touching both walls and the toilet paper was so high up and far back behind the flush that you had to either be a contortionist to get it or pull off what you needed for the job before you sat down. The shower was a corner of the 4 x 4 room with a flimsy curtain. Neither of us ventured to try it out, but opted for birdbaths instead. Needless to say we never put on a bathing suit the whole time since it was so cold and we never saw the sun the entire trip. As a matter of fact, I had only one pair of long pants with me which I wore most of the time - including to bed along with a sweatshirt. I probably was experiencing a fever along with my cold.
The smoking, even though it was supposed to be restricted to certain areas, really bothered me, especially with a sore throat. We had a non-smoking room, but the hallway reeked of smoke and wafted in through the slits in the bottom of the door.
The food was good, but unlike others cruises I have heard about, it was not available at any hour. There were several people who told us not to judge all cruises by this one.
The tours were fairly expensive and since the weather was cold, cloudy, windy and drizzling rain we opted not to pay $100 each to go to the beach or go snorkeling. By afternoon it had warmed a little but was still quite windy. We decided to take one of the limousine tours to see the city. We made a couple of stops to see a fort and the Queen's Staircase which was pretty amazing. We were told that 600 slaves spent 6 years quarrying out the limestone by hand to build the fort and created a deep tunnel with 90 stairs down. There are only 75 stairs now. I made it down and back up in order to take pictures. The rock walls are fascinating. They were limestone created from coral reefs.
Our limo driver, Danny Miller, was especially friendly to Peter telling him he remembered Sister Mary Garrett. He let Peter sit up front with him where he could hear better.
Getting off the boat was even more exasperating than getting on. We had to be out of the cabin by 8:00 but did not leave the boat until 10:30 and then took another hour to clear customs.....We will need a vacation to get over this vacation.
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