Views......

There is a big advantage of buying a ticket to fly from the NE to the SE......usually we fly out of Newark which is a busy almost 2 hour drive from Jon's.......yesterday we left from Westchester Airport (White Plains) which is a mere 45 minutes. This was especially expedient since we had one little boy still dealing with a GI bug . And, the take off route brought us over Manhattan.....since we were above 10.000 ft, I was able to use my electronic device with an "on/ off button" to take some iPhone shots of the views below.
As we began our descent into the setting sun,
the clouds were quite impressive .................

The 2.5 hour flight went by very quickly with the LIVE TV and opportunity to watch the last 2 hours of golf......but we landed just as the regulation 18 holes ended and missed the play-off. That TV thing is worth the price of the ticket somedays.
The view off of Jon's deck showing a sky getting ready for some snow (just a dusting) and
the sky greeting us in Florida.... Welcome Home it said.

Tidbits.......

Do you BING ? Every morning there is a new photo on the Bing page.....many are landscapes and are quite stunning.....seems like China gets its fair share of top billing. Anyway, this one really caught my eye and I borrowed it to share with you. Red Cranes marching along...... check out the site for a nice way to start your day.
We're still enjoying Connecticut favorite things. After Pond Brook Road, the next thing I miss is Stew Leonard's.......a sort of grocery

store.....it started as a dairy store and has grown into selling almost every food item, both raw and prepared that a family could want... with a few talking cows and singing chickens thrown in for listening pleasure. There is basically only one way in and you follow the maze-like aisle through fresh pies and the fresh breads, then the cheeses and the deli, then the beautiful fruits and vegetables and on to the top of the line meats and fresh fish....then its flowers and a banquet of prepared foods, both hot and ready for the oven. There is a dairy , a petting zoo, a coffee bar and a pizza station and a stop to watch the sushi being made before dropping a lot of money at the check out. I can't avoid it no matter how much I try. Today, on our 3rd trip this visit, it was for more fresh bread and a seafood medley for dinner.

And speaking of diets........
Some of you may already know about this delightful little concoction....... If you like cake......(actually, I prefer pie ) but don't really want to eat the whole thing...here's a solution.

Take an angel food cake mix ... mix it together with another regular cake mix, any flavor like lemon or chocolate, or cherry, or white or......mix it well in a zip lock bag. Then..............When the urge strikes..... Take 3 tablespoons of the cake mixture, add 2 tablespoons of water....mix together in a smallish bowl or cup......then pop it in the microwave for 1 minute....no longer or it gets tough...you might even want to try 55 sec depending on your nuking device. Cool and top with whatever....whipped cream and strawberries, ice cream, frosting........

I think it strongly resembles sponge cake. Supposedly, it has only 50 calories (without the toppings !) Kids would enjoy it as well as those of us with a slight sweet tooth late at night. And when there is no pie around.

Our string of luck with finding empty seats on the airplanes has run out.......we got up here with no problem but didn't realize that it was a holiday weekend when we wanted to go home. Yesterday, on the last flight of the day from Newark to Orlando, the flight was overbooked by 6 passengers and there were 89 pass riders trying for NO seats. Fortunately, we weren't among that crowd waiting ......we were able to buy a reasonably priced one -way ticket home and will hop on jetBlue tomorrow afternoon. It's been a great 10 days but it will also be good to get back to the sun and bad golf.

Our Town

We moved to Newtown Connecticut in 1972 with 3 kids in tow. Although we had lived in Maine for a couple of years, New England was basically a foreign country to us with it's winding roads, heavy forests with meandering stone walls and colonial houses. As you can see from the brief history above, it was alive and well long before the Revolution. George Washington camped on the grounds of the boys elementary school. The tea bag and Scrabble started here along with many prominent actors, writers and inventors (Click to enlarge pics)

It is well known for its Main Street which has a 100 foot flagpole in the center of the intersection. It is almost impossible to get a decent picture unless you stop traffic or risk life and limb so this is courtesy of the web. It has been controversial since it went up in the 1800's. It originally was wood but after being challenged by many a vehicle, it is now buried 11 ft into the ground and weighs 2.5 tons. Every so often, efforts are made to remove it to make the road safer.....but over the years citizens have rallied to "Keep the Flagpole" successfully. Despite a speed limit of 25 MPH on the road and it being basically a round about, (for which Villagers are expert at navigating because we have so many), you'd think it would be hard to miss but each year it snares a few unfortunate souls.

The church next to the flagpole is so typical except for the rooster weathervane on the top. It has small holes in it that are reportedly a result of target practice by British soldiers. The rooster is used as a symbol for the town.

Main Street is lovely, with historic homes, stately town offices and traditional white steepled churches.

When we left Newtown, about 8 years ago, most of our friends and all of our boys had moved away. It was a great place to raise kids with its excellent schools and small town setting. But it was time for us to go exploring ...........as I left, I said that the one thing
I would really miss was walking on Pond Brook Road. It is an unpaved road near our home that we both walked, jogged , biked on for over 30 years. I knew every rock, tree and hill. It followed Pond Brook, a meandering stream or a rushing brook depending on the season. It is always a beautiful peaceful respite and a vigorous outing over its 3 miles.
So, a couple years ago, Jon moves back and now his boys will go to the same schools as their dad and we get to wander our favorite by-ways once again............

We just don't jog anymore.......................

Catching up........with an update at the end.

Yes, I've been neglectful of the blog again and probably have lost all 2 of you that followed along. So, here's what you have missed....... In the past month, I've only played golf twice....the first was dismal and the next day I did OK but then Paul came up lame and I had a reoccurrence of my sacroiliac joint pain...... if we were horses, they'd have shot us both. We are better, thank you for asking. Being laid up gives one a lot of time so I did some reading. First I read "The Orphan Master's Son". A compelling and amazing book of life in North Korea. It is fiction of course , but the author has been there and also researched this horrific society extensively. It is set in present day and I think that's what makes it so difficult. It is very convoluted but if you happen to begin it, don't give up. Just go with the flow and don't try to figure it out ..... it will clarify eventually. I have started to reread it and now it all makes sense. A book that stays in the mind. And then, because I hadn't had enough horror, I read an old Steven King novel from the 70's , rewritten for the 90's. It is gory, and slimy and scary and explicit and I don't know why I hadn't read it earlier. "The Stand" is set in Boulder, which makes for an even better read with mention of all the familiar. A true good vs. evil thriller.

And then we hopped on a plane on a foggy, cloudy morning and vaulted upward until we came to the sunny part of the sky.....so pretty.
And if you look real close, you can see that we were on a two lane skyway.
We came back to Connecticut. We have been promised that it won't snow or sleet or have icy roads or be below freezing. So far so good................ meanwhile, the parents of our charges are being tourists once again.......
And with Andy and Mason in school, we get to watch the cat nap !!

PS: Did you see that I have had 9700 hits on the blog !! Now, most blogs that I read get that in a day or two but I'm not greedy......altho it could just be the TWO of you with frequent peeks in hopes that I've written another titillating update.

AND..........3-6 inches of the white stuff after midnight is predicted......going out to stock up on the milk and bread because I think that's what everyone does.....even tho we have plenty but you never know................................and I might just throw in a bit of the wine.

A Sunday in January

Just wanted to add a TV alert...... As you know, if you watch the news, campaigning is alive and well in Florida. To that end, both Mitt and Newt are making appearances here. Newt was met by "thousands" in the parking lot next to Barnes and Noble yesterday....that is where he is quoted as calling Romney a 'liberal. Tonight, Mitt gets the coveted Lake Sumter Square Pavilion for his speech and I'm sure the paper will declare that "millions were in attendance " . The Developer is a prime contributor to the Republican party so we are graced with all the big wigs. The Bush's made several visits. The paper is also controlled by the Developer so we are regaled with Republicanism and virtually no Democratic mention. It's OK, we keep our mouths shut and keep politics out of the conversation except with those 'like us'.... So, you might see TV on the nightly news again.

I'm enjoying my new fancy camera but it seems that I take the most bloggable photos with the iPhone because it's always with me. I need to change that and think about using the big one out and about. I'm liking a 100mm lens that Michael lent me.......In our world down here, the flowers are changed out every 3 months. Sometimes they fill a large area just with various colored coleus and it becomes a beautiful mass of color. This month, they planted the cold weather flowers.....each season brings its own color...
Yesterday, we went to be with the Fairygodmother-in-training...or FGIT (fidget) as they call themselves. We visited the salon and saw a couple of the darling little Princess' outfitted top to bottom in glittery, sparkly fun. When they aren't busy, the FGIT's go about the area with their wands, dispelling Pixie Dust on the crowds. Later, we stopped at Portobello, an Italian restaurant at Downtown Disney......great food and people watching spot. Then a stroll around the lake and a picture of the dragon made entirely of Legos............

Downtown Disney is a fun place for a few hours but we need to get back to the Park before the March crowds take over.

Happiness is.............

...winning your heat in the Pinewood Derby !!!

A whole lot of nothing.........

That about sums up the blog. Life is just good and normal and when you live in the Land of the Old, that is a very good thing. Knowing that most of your neighbors and local friends aren't going to around 10 or 20 years from now and that at the current rate of deaths and chronic conditions erupting, it could be sooner, life takes on a new perspective and a 'hurry-up and get on with the living already'....... While we are healthy, not wealthy and moderately wise at the moment, there is always that feeling of waiting for the' shoe to drop' sort of thing. (Isn't this an upbeat and positive beginning to the blog ??) Now if I can just remember where I was going with this train of thought......!! Anyhow, we are making some plans for travel to get us up off the couch and enjoying lovely days in this continuing gorgeous weather and glad not to have any drama floating around.

We brought the RV over and have been doing some spring cleaning and fixing and such. We would like to get out and about but 80% of all RV's in the country are currently camped in Florida and there is not a space to be had. We'll keep checking or we could head back to St George's Island on the Panhandle, where it is cooler and quieter.

The highlight of last week was having Becca around prior to her becoming a Cast Member at DisneyWorld. On move-in day, we loaded up the wagon to the top and headed to the huge complex of apartments. She will share a suite with 7 other girls (I can't imagine the bathroom scene in the mornings). They have fitness center, pools, walking/jogging trails and buses to get to their assignments. As soon as we pulled up and opened up the doors, 3 young men hopped over and offered to carry it all up the long flight of stairs. I was more thrilled than Becca (well, not quite...) . Being from Baltimore, they were full of Thank you's and Ma'ams and holding doors and graciousness. Their mother's would have been proud. They were a bit on the geeky side but ......remember what Bill Gates looked like? We offered them home baked treats and they quickly exchanged numbers for texting and ended up at an ice cream social that night together.....it is Disney after all !!
One kid refused the cookie as he'd "just brushed his teeth" !.. And note that the kid on the right seems to have dressed himself with the shorts inside out so that the pockets are on the outside.....? I told you they were a bit on the nerdy side but definitely worthy to be with my granddaughter.

She is settling in and pinching herself to make sure all this is real. We are delighted for her.

Went to see "We Bought a Zoo" with Becca last week. Cute, not totally what I expected but the little girl is worth the price of admission....what a face ! There are some interesting movies out right now ..... "The Artist" in particular I'd like to see.

Paul's been busy in the sims in Miami and heads to JFK for more training next week. And soon, we will head north to Andy and Mason country for a week or so.....hope the snow stops before then.

Enough of this nothingness......I just like hearing myself talk sometimes.............

It was the best of times........

........... Not that anyone had any illusions about the season. Most long-term Bronco fans have pretty thick skins after years of disappointment and with each surprising win this year, we knew it had to end long before the play-offs. But the team rallied, the world took notice and Tebow was a healthy respite from Mitt and Newt.Mr Blow-up, bigger than life, Bronco-man was planted on the front yard. Becca came to town just in time to see her old grandparents come to life, wearing their Bronco shirts which hadn't been washed since the streak began.......(someone, who shall remain nameless, now gets to wash her Bronco thong.....! ) And then, after some good home-grown Mexican food, we watched in anticipation..............This, rather graphically, sums it all up. It was painful, it was inglorious, Brady was perfection and then, finally, long after most turned away, it was over. Mr blow up Bronco will be back before we know it and we have no doubts that next season he will stand tall and proud as we go to the SUPERBOWL !!

Meanwhile, to occupy our time until then, we have become fans of Downton Abbey. Have you ? We downloaded season 1 from Netflix and are parceling out the episodes.. But now I find that Season 2 is already on DVD , before its even over.....how great is that. Once you get over the first few minutes of the proper British accents, it carries you along with it's twists and turns. Highly recommended.

The Sunshine state

It's always a beautiful day in The Villages. This winter has just been delightful. Unlike the frost and freezing and bundling up of last year, we are wearing the summer clothes and dining al fresco.
I took this picture with my phone while playing golf the other day...shortly after my Birdie ! The fairways are in their winter brown coats due to type of grass and less rain.

It's been a busy post-holiday season and the blog becomes a procrastination. Nothing much of the day to day is very blog-worthy. EXCEPT for the company that happened upon us.......Thanks to Mark (Class of '61) and Annette for taking time out of their journey from Indiana to their place in Naples. Annette is newly retired and thrilled with the prospect of no schedule and wide open days awaiting her . We know how she feels. Mark on the other hand, is very experienced in the Retirement game and has loafing down to an art form !!


Putting the pictures on the blog today became a bit complex for some reason .....and they may not be where I want them. I set up the tripod one foggy morning for a view from the lanai......
Golf carts and people just appeared thru the quiet and mist......Here's the pic of the traveling retirees that was supposed to be above.......we drove over to the quaint little town of Mt. Dora for lunch and had a favorite thirst quencher, an Arnold Palmer....half iced tea and half lemonade....sometimes a bit of the spirits is added as well.....but not today.
There is a new orchid nursery in town and I managed to bring home two of the beauties. This oncidium is very large but covered with small flowers and probably a bit blurry as I didn't use the tripod. I'll try and follow the care instructions in order to keep it comfortable and happy and blooming.
Today we wandered over to the huge Florida RV Supershow in Tampa. The newest and biggest and most expensive were there. It's always fun to see what they can wow us within these behemoths. Even fairly average motorhomes now come equipped with king sized Sleep Number beds, dishwashers, granite, tile floors, stackable washer dryers, 1 and a half baths, dishwashers and 3 TV's plus another outside, all in 40 ft. We weren't shopping but it gave us a push to start planning another trip.

PS: For some reason, words are missing in some of the sentences above....I think it's connected to the difficulty in posting pictures.....so if something doesn't make sense, just fill in a word or two......maybe it will read better than the original thought anyhow.

Welcome 2012...

I hope you treat us as kindly as your sibling, 2011, did. I've been reading other's relevant blogs on the subject. Many are professing new resolutions, new intentions, new beginnings....a fresh start, a throw-away-the-old, a new you, a thinner you, a more creative you,...... oy, it makes me tired just reading it all. All that effort, that energy expended to begin the New Year on a new path to .... what ? We all know that the first week of February will find the spirit waning, the intentions slipping and the scale slowing down.....and then the guilt creeps in and the self flagellation begins and I just can't deal with it all. So, I don't.............

The timing couldn't have been better.....Jeff and Jennifer gifted us with Snuggies....

This was the temperature early this morning in the land of the sun......so Snuggie came out of the box and it actually is very cozy. Too bad we can't wear them on the golf course as we have a Couple's match this afternoon and it is to be 54 degrees, light breeze but sunny. It was quite an abrupt shock to our system as the temps have been delightful. We had dinner outside on New Year's Eve and didn't even need a sweater......and one of us actually made it to the ball drop.....the other one opted to sleep off a bit of wine.

New Years Day is always a big deal at this house.............One of us begins the day a year older. It was not a year ending in a zero but getting awfully close......and I will totter along the same path in a few months. But remembering the title of this blog.....we look forward with optimism and enthusiasm.