Things that make us happy.....

Because we haven't had enough of cold weather in Florida, we decided to drive North for 18 hours. After all, we're really used to wearing those sweaters and jeans and wooly jackets...and mittens. When Jon and Mary Beth came down a couple of weeks ago, the airlines were shut down due to the weather so they drove. Part of the incentive to do that was my impulsive "if you drive down, we'll drive the car back." They took us up on the offer and on Monday we headed out. We had plans to stop and do some lingering along the way but there's something about once on the road, it's almost easier to keep going. The ride was uneventful, the sun was out and aside from no scenery and tired behinds, it was fine.

At the end of the drive were some great rewards.

Andy getting ready for school.....
Mason enjoying his bagel.........

And a stop by Stew Leonards, the best grocery store ever. This bread is just amazing. The first day it is fresh and crusty. It is their most popular bread. But the next day it takes on a new look as toast, slathered in butter and covered with....

Sarabeth's Peach Apricot Legendary Spreadable Fruit. This is one of "Oprah's Favorites" and the combination of the bread, the butter and this spread makes me forget about the cold. I was going to take a picture of the presentation but I ate it instead.
We'll head home on Wednesday and hope for warmer days down there. In the meantime, we are loving these spring colors.

Challenges

Recently, I've been giving myself brain strain by learning how to play Mah-jongg. It is very popular down here and I have resisted getting involved.....for no good reason except I am busy enough with other retirement activities. And because it doesn't seem to be a couple thing, at least in our neighborhood. Originally conceived in China and played by men, it then became very popular with Jewish women.....and not being either Chinese, a man or Jewish (at least in this life) , it wasn't on my bucket list.
But, one of our neighbors offered to teach a group and I was encouraged to join in. Well, it is really fun and challenging and filled with tradition and etiquette. It reminds me of various card games and rummikube, only very different... if that makes sense. A neighborhood group meets on Thursday night at one of the nearby Rec centers and I'll join in once I think I won't embarrass myself.

Paul's been busy this month doing his instructional work in the simulators in Miami. If he had hoped to find warmer weather down there, he wasn't very successful. The days and nights continue cool and we have been near freezing a couple of times in the past week. It is just so unusual. I feel bad for people who have spent good money on a Florida vacation with hopes of getting sunburned.

Jenna has had her hands full these past couple of weeks. As Mike travels around the world and the country, she has turned into an orthopedic nurse/mother.

Yes, that is a picture of Lizzie and Alex, each wearing a full length cast on their fractured arms. Alex , as mentioned previously, from lacrosse, and Lizzie from a wet floor at school. Alex broke the other arm last summer in the same sport and I remember when he was about 6 or so, he wore casts on his arms at least twice, once from falling off the bunk bed and the other from the trampoline. We thought he'd outgrown all that.

Tell me it isn't so......

Pure fun. Andy and Mason took to the tepid pool water with enthusiasm. Last year, Mason wouldn't go in the water but look at him now..... very independent. (sorry that these pictures aren't 'clickable' to make them larger)

In the past few weeks, 2 out of the 3 sons have come back to the homestead. It has been great having them and their offspring here. They both enjoy our choice of retirement living and our lifestyle and visit fairly often. But, something different happened this time. They left clothes here !!! Like in drawers and closets. And even newly purchased golf clubs. And one of them even left a CAR !! Does this mean what I'm beginning to think it means............................are they all moving back HOME !!??

A couple of weeks ago, out of pure frustration, I went to the Custom Golf Ctr here and tried out some drivers. For those of you non-golfers, the Driver is the one that supposedly gets you the most distance off the tee. However, in payment for that distance, it has a very long shaft and is therefore more hard to control and sometimes it just has a mind of its own. My driver has always been my nemesis and altho I would prefer to never use it, that rather defeats the purpose of playing golf well. I didn't expect much when I went to demo the clubs but .........I found one that actually works. I pondered on it for a day and then went back and bought it. (The driver is also the most expensive club) I was able to buy the demo club at a substantial savings so I was happy. But, like a new pair of shoes that look so good in the store, they may give you blisters in the real world. I am happy, no ecstatic, to report that this driver has changed my LIFE. I am out playing with the big girls (figuritively, not literally) on the championship courses.....that's 18 holes of long distances. Yesterday, I had not one, but TWO birdies on the back 9. I tell you, it's nothing short of a miracle.

Life is good.

It's hard to write with mittens

Just a quickie to let you know that we have not FROZEN to death in Florida. It has been below freezing many days in the morning and barely to 50 with stiff winds in the heat (?) of the day. Golf is barely tolerable in these conditions.....more on that in another post.

Jeff came to visit for a week to get out of the rain in Washington and endured the cold here but played good golf regardless. Then Mary Beth and Jon tried to get down for a wedding and because of the NE snow storm and resulting airport mess, they ended up driving. Long hours but DVD's kept the little ones occupied. MB had to go back to Ct to work but Jon and boys are here for a few more days.

The pool and hot tub are done but it has been too cold to heat the pool due to some technicality like the heat pump doesn't work below 45 degrees. But all have really had fun in the 100 degree hot tub.....including the old people. But today, it is to be in the mid to HIGH SIXTIES and the pool is heating.....can't you just see those dollar bills flying around the back yard......!! Pictures at 11 if Andy and Mason finally get to jump in.

And , because there are no pictures on the world famous blog today, I want you to navigate to this link and enjoy. http://gallery.me.com/atwirls/101503 Lizzie, on the right and Meredith, a friend ,on the left (a nationally ranked twirler) and Alex, a dynamic 15 yr old with a love of lacrosse, a great sense of humor and a newly broken arm (from lacrosse), performed an impromptu number at a Twirling event in Denver. They won 1st for Creativity. Well deserved.

I'm still here.....

Discipline and organization have never been my strongest suite....I'm more the beauty than the brains ( I wish). Blogging requires more discipline than beauty and therefore I am sadly lacking in the requirements to keep this slog of a blog going. Anyway, I will keep posting because it is the only way I can remember what I did last month, or last year and who I did it with. And if you wish to keep checking in, be warned that this might just be more for my benefit than for my adoring public.

We attended the 3rd running of the Inner Circle Golf Cart Rally this week. An event characterized by teams of 4 following a difficult set of clues to find answers to questions based on locales within a several mile radius of our neighborhood. It is a raucous group of old people, mildly fueled by some libation, careening about in golf carts, determined to be the first back to base with the best time and most correct answers. Altho we had the 2nd best time, apparently we made some mistakes and came in 5TH....ohh the shame. A team of 4 red shirted women came in first and a formal protest has been filed by another team. Here are their complaints........speeding and reckless driving, using cell phone while driving and to obtain help with clues (we used ours to google who was on the $2 bill), use of other illegal items (phone book), drinking while riding in the cart (we were all guilty of that), using a certain hand gestures to intimidate other teams, ......The Red Shirts countered by filing a sexual harrassment suit......and so it continues....all in good fun.

Meanwhile, back at the site of major construction....we are a week over the contracted finish date and as you can see by the picture, we have a problem. They have had to dig up part of the hot tub to find a leak.
Finally, after much delay, it was found and hopefully, all will finally be finished in a few days.

Mike has been doing a serious amount of traveling but managed to find some respite in this comfort zone in North Carolina. Note the sign in the window. Doesn't that just make you wish there was a franchise in your home town.

Progress

Here's a view from the north end of the project to the south where the hot tub is. Note the expansive birdcage over all of this. It was quite labor intensive and involved some serious balancing acts. The original house(lanai) ended at the pillars on the right.
We don't really call this a swimming pool, it is more a standing pool, except for a small child, no one could do a lap. It is 3.5 to 5.5 ft deep. One of the laborers, cleaning the tiles, fell in Monday and the birdcage guys dropped a drill in. Air temp was only 50ish and the pool has yet to be heated so it was a chilly dip. There is more to be done but it is finishing work and then we can furnish the area and decorate with plants. As with other major calamities, I can barely take my eyes and ears off of the TV. It is almost incomprehensible and when I think of the trauma and heartbreak of an already destitute people, I wonder how they can recover.

One of the blogs that I follow is The Yarn Harlot. She is a very popular author with a large following of knitters. She has always supported Doctors without Borders but last week she put out a call to knitters to make donations and she would tally them. She is still counting but expects the total to be around $500,000. When I checked some of the comments, many are small donations of $10 or so....quite amazing is the power of the electronic world. Jan referred us to a blog written by two young missionairies in Haiti, she a Dr and he a teacher and their young son that they are in the process of adopting, www.kimandpatrick.blogspot.com . It is a compelling read.

Remembering

Sometimes, our life is just not that exciting...................can you believe that ???

During the cold spell, which lasted forever and made me want to call Al Gore and ask him where the warm weather was, we were unusually housebound in the 30 degree chill. Despite this, one of us took advantage of the behemoth parked in the front yard to replace some sparkplugs. I just think this is a funny picture.

And speaking of pictures, a while back, unknown to us, Jon patiently went thru boxes of slides and put them on CD's for us. Remember those days of slides, when we would gather in front of a blank wall and enjoy the show. They were big and vivid but otherwise quite inaccessible the rest of the time. And no dates on them.....

Anyway, some of them are now on my new computer and I have been enjoying the nostalgia. I should organized them into some semblance of time and space but that's for another day. Here are two of my favorites..........
Jeff, about 3 years of age, with that delightful smile and blonde hair. (Proving once again that I really am a natural blonde ....not. ) He was a bit mischievious but so darn cute.....and I doubt he has changed that much.

And here is my all time favorite picture. This was in Thailand during the Vietnam war and he sent this picture back to me.......about 25 years old, a Navy pilot and father of two. Brings back many memories......

I want my money back......

This is a mini look at the forecast for Saturday. Yes, it's called sleet, freezing rain or even SNOW. But I think the stars have to align just right for it to happen.
The expensive landscapes are being wiped out despite efforts to cover and heat with lights and fans.

But yesterday was in the 50's and the old people came out of their houses for the first time in days, the golf courses were busy, the squares were crowded and smiles were abundant. Today will be nice again and we are both on the golf course with our respective groups.

Rearranged the living area the other day. For me, it was just an annual female thing but for the other inhabitant of this place, it was more like work with having to dismantle the various components and the TV and then trying to put the puzzle back together. But I like it much better and there is more room to use the Wii and also gives us back our views of the golf course and the new lanai. And next year, I'll do it again.

I had some pictures to post but iPhoto sometimes loses what I download. I eventually find it but don't have time this morning to fiddle around with it. The Mac is starting to become second nature in many ways but I have SOOO much to learn.

Colder and colder

This is what we all congregated around in Ct to heat up various body parts. This brings back many memories of when we heated our Ct house totally with wood and with a kerosene heater that looked just like this one. Jon found this at the dump and fixed it up and even the cats like it. And then we braved lousy roads, blowing snow and very cold weather to get to the airport on Sunday and fly back to the land of the warm................NOT.
It is frigid down here and we just aren't used to that anymore. This is our neighbors house, all wrapped up to protect the more tropical plants. The colorful wrap is a parachute that protects a beautiful Robellini palm that is very susceptible to the cold.

We have only chosen to cover our manzanilla vines by the front door and we did bring in the potted crotons. The rest of the landscaping is pretty hardy.

But, we did have to bring the RV to the house to plug it in to heat it. It is not winterized and with temps to go to 22 tonight , we didn't want to chance frozen lines. The cold is not to let up until Sunday. I sure hope you hadn't planned a trip to Florida this week.

Being optomistic, we are getting ready for the warmer weather. This is a view of the new expanded lanai and the pool. I am standing next to the hot tub to take the picture. Next week, the large screen (called a birdcage) will be put up over the entire area and then they will put the final finish on the pool and it will be done. We will burn dollar bills to heat it to a tolerable temperature to try it once and then it will stay cold until some little people visit.

(Note more covered plants at the neighbors) . The pool looks really small in this picture and altho it's not huge , it is a decent size about 24x10-12 ft. And 3.5 to 5.5 ft deep.
The Christmas decor has been put away, new projects are planned and the new year is off to a good start. Now, if it will just get warm.

Excuses

My apologies for not updating the blog in TWO weeks. I heard from all 3 of my readers that I was remiss in not wishing you all a Merry Holiday at least. And in this update, I don't even have pictures. I am operating under a handicap. Despite the fact that we have 3 laptops in this house, I am unable to post the blog in my usual manner, complete with Kodak moments, on any of them. Believe me, I have tried. Right now, I am on the new MAC and altho I've fiddled with the font size, I am typing in this micro mini font which I can barely see. When I tried to download pictures, it gave me the dreaded spinning beach ball and I've had to reboot. The other computer is currently unusable because the power supply failed and one is on order. The 3rd one is just too ancient to consider handling an issue so important as this blog.
But aside from those difficulties, we had a very special Christmas. Jeff and Tracy decided at the last minute to come on down. The weather was lovely, the golf courses had tee times and they explored the gulf beaches.

(Just thought I'd help a bit by posting this Wii pic.

ptm)
Our family gave us a Wii.....popular among the young and seniors alike. We also got the Wii Fit Plus which is an interactive fitness tool. After going thru the set up and jumping thru hoops, it gives you your BMI and your fit age..........Mine came in at 73 !!!!!! Well, that made me REAL happy. Paul refused to get on the thing. I'm hoping that they based this on a balance test that I couldn't even figure out until it was half over because, other than wt and ht and age, that's all they tested. So, I will reset it, avoid wine before the test, and try again and hopefully, it will decide that I am 42 and a real blond.

And now, I'm going to spend the day trying to figure out some computer issues so I can come back and dazzle my audience with witty repose and blog worthy photos.

Addendum: My use of the word "repose" was totally inaccurate. I guess I meant "prose". Sometimes my fingers get ahead of my brain.

Progress and the past

We flew home during the early hours of Monday via the "red eye" which is exactly what it left me with the next day. It is very convenient to spend the night winging one's way east but there is payback. And I don't sleep except for brief catnaps. After all, I need to keep that plane afloat in the air by sheer will power. But my traveling companion logs many zzzzzzz's knowing I am doing my job.


The worker bees were quite busy in our absence. The spa is in place and the lanai screen has been removed. No more enjoying the warm evenings until the screens are up again.
The tile work progresses around the pool. I like the blue tile. It matches my eyes.
We had a nice 4 days with family and I also managed a mini reunion with 2 of my classmates from nursing school ......... FORTY FIVE YEARS AGO. And don't we look great!!! (that was rhetorical....no comment needed). In a round about way, I managed to get Shelly's email address (on the Right) and she in turn contacted Carol (on the left) and they live within an hour of Mother's house. We reminisced and caught up on all those years. After lunch, Paul joined us to help fill in more blanks. He actually ran into Carol in Hawaii, on a street, in 1967 as he was heading to SE Asia and she was a nurse working there . We have a lot of good memories....some not blog worthy or for grandchildren's ears.

I didn't get the memo on the wearing of the Christmas clothes. But then, I don't have the tree up or the cards done either. I'm waiting for winter to arrive and the temperature to drop below 80.

Westward Ho Ho Ho

If you fly west for over 6 hours, you will be bored silly and and rendered incapable of standing straight but eventually you will land in cold and wintery California. We are making a quick trip to see Mother and most of the west coast family. This view was over Lake Tahoe....since that picture , they have had a couple feet of snow. It is colder than I remember this time of year. And it has rained torrentially since we arrived and the winds are fierce. It made us cancel a planned trip down to visit with sister Sandy in Monterey County today.
Mother has done her usual over the top Christmas decorating, both inside and out. And at a young 89, she does it all herself.

For those of you with a green thumb and lots of time, here is a good project. This Christsmas Cactus came with the house almost 50 years ago and it was big then so not sure how old it actually is. It spends the summer outside and then returns to the same room for the winter and blooms vigorously during the holidays. It has a gazillion buds on it. Mother used to have a beautiful jade plant that also came with the house. It was like a small tree and I would snip a few cuttings to carry back home. It lived outside until a year or two ago, the cold finally did it in. Mother has several green thumbs and fingers. That particular gene passed me by. We head back home on the midnight special Sunday night. Warm will feel really good.

FRUSTRATION

This is how I spend my hours...... I should be getting ready for Christmas with shopping and decorating and baking and.......oh yeah, I forgot , that's what I did in my previous life. I'm retired now and I do what I want , when I want. So I sit for hours delving into the intricacies of the MAC and trying and eventually begging it to make sense. I read the book, I read the tutorials, I call tech support ( #2 son Jeff), I write notes to myself and then I begin to look like this poor woman......well, minus the eyes, the hair , the 20" waist......but you get the idea. Don't get me wrong, I have no regrets about going in this direction and I know that I could just go to the Genius bar at the Apple store and they would make it all crystal clear, for a price. And I know that Paul will easily step into the abyss and understand it all. But I want to do it all MYSELF. I'm realistic enough to know that I will need a lot of help soon but so far I've actually done quite a bit. I can get my email, get to the internet, search my favorites and do it all wirelessly. But I can't transfer pictures or find my address book. And much of what I do is cumbersome and slow. I think I could write the blog but it wouldn't have any pictures and what fun is that. So, for now, I use two computers of different persuasions and keep hoping the lightbulb will turn on.


Meanwhile, life goes on ..........

Andy and Mason enjoying the first substantial snowfall. I think this picture describes their personalities pretty well. Andy (almost 7), the cautious one, tentative and serious. Mason(just turned 4), freewheeling headlong down the hill with a big smile on his face ......no fear.

Perfection

On Monday, November 30, this world famous blogging couple journeyed down the turnpike to celebrate over 50 years of joyful togetherness, 46 of those years legally sanctioned. We arrived at Gaylord Palms, a huge resort all decked out for the holiday season and our arrival. The hotel is built around a huge tropical atrium.

This is an out of order picture but finds us waiting for breakfast the next morning.

There were rivers and ponds and this area had smallish alligators and larger turtles. Another area had beautiful large koi.

The seasonal flowers were perfect.

Over in the adjoining convention center is the ICE show. A massive collection of ice sculptures. Pardon the blur of the picture....this is at the entrance where we don the warm parkas and gloves to protect us from the NINE DEGREES inside.

Everything inside was made of ice, some clear, some colored and all lit with beautiful lighting and appropriate music.

A frequent admonishment.

I liked this little fisherman and his dog.

There was a full sized carousel. The ice was carved by Chinese artists and zillions of pounds of ice. It just glowed. This is an annual event and each year is different. I just wonder how they melt them and where does the water go.

And there were 4 ice slides of different heights and lengths.

The final sculpture was a huge nativity scene but my camera just didn't capture it well.

And then there was this sign at the end with handy dispensers.

We lasted a grand total of 15 minutes in the frigidness. It was COLD. At the end, we were greeted by the ubiquitous gift shop and tickets for hot chocolate.

Why don't you all come down and we'll take you to this beautiful place.

I'm sorry Michael....

I have a camera full of pictures of our lovely overnight stay in Orlando. But I can't download them for some unknown reason so you'll have to imagine lovely strolls thru colorful lush plantings and Christmas decorations. A 15 min visit to a stunning hall full of ice sculptures....and 15 min because it was 9 DEGREES in there. It was a fabulous anniversary celebration and pictures will be posted when I can get them into the computer.

And because of the above situation (the pictures, not the anniversary) and numerous other annoyances with this computer, I am waiting for FED EX to bring me a brand new MacPro laptop. But please, please don't tell Michael that his mother has defected to the dark side. Once I discovered the iPod and then the iPHONE, I just couldn't go on anymore unless I had the ultimate toy. I hope he understands.

11-30-1963 to 11-30-09

A day to celebrate 46 wonderful amazing years.....actually over 50+ years if you add in the years of togetherness. It's been a beautiful ride and there is more to explore. Stay tuned.

Preparations

When last we visited, we had a big hole in the back yard. Yesterday, in the rain, the cement showed up. It had been dry most of the morning and I even got 7 holes of golf in before the deluge. The concrete is blown on the sides and floor. Apparently, it sets quite quickly and doesn't just run down the sides as I expected.

I'm sure it would be messy on a sunny day but these guys were soaked and up to their ankles in concrete.

It took them about 3 hours to get it all formed and by that time the rain was too heavy to even take a picture outside so I tried one thru the screen.

Meanwhile, inside, preparations were ramping up for Thanksgiving. We are having 6 in for dinner. Good neighbors and Aunt Romayne. Weather is cooling off after the rain and I feel bad for all those grandkids arriving and hoping for sunny, warm days. Since the Village pools are all heated, and it will be in the high 60's, I'm sure the northern kids won't mind.
Yes, this is a rare picture of the male species polishing silver....... We wish you a wonderful day, surrounded by good friends and family.

In the Beginning

The past couple of days have been a beehive of activity in back of the house. It is exciting to know that in about 6 weeks , we will have a large addition to our yard. We have pondered various changes after we realized that we had space just burning a hole in our imaginations. Space is at a premium, both inside and out, and maximizing it's usefulness is always a challenge down here. Since we live on the golf course, we don't need an actual back yard full of grass and plantings. But we would like more space on the screened lanai. So, putting pen to paper and tape measure to yard, we figured out what might fit. After a lengthy process of meeting with the builder, we settled on a plan and it all passed the very stringent Architectural Review.
And then we waited and waited for our turn on the construction schedule. The economy may have tanked in most parts of the US but down here, there is building and buying and selling and changing and growing. It is quite remarkable.
So this is what the first week's work looks like.

Stay tuned....................................