A Great Thanksgiving Day!

Ken and I hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and that you had many, many blessings throughout the past year.  We had such a wonderful time with our daughter, her family, and her in-laws, Sue and Dan.  We arrived at their house around 10 and were there til 6.  Jamie is the most gracious and relaxed hostess and Dane does a good job of helping where needed!  When we arrived she had hordeorves ready and waiting and a bucket filled with ice and all kinds of special drinks.  She also had the dinner under control!

Such a nice presentation of "snacks and drinks" before dinner!

The 3 men went outside around 11:30 and started heating the oil so they could cook the turkey in the deep fryer.  I think they enjoy being around the fire they started in the fire ring and drinking beer while "watching" the bird cook away!  It was only in the low 30's and breezy, but they were dressed for it!   I must say they had it all under control, for this was the best deep fried turkey we ever had!  It was golden brown and so moist - delicious.  I had made potato filling, Sue brought a delicious broccoli cassorole and cranberry relish, and Jamie made oven "fried" potatoes, fresh green beans, and corn muffins.  Dessert was a scumptious pecan pie.  The large hollow chocolate turkey was an added bonus!!!!

The Happy Cookers!

The perfect "Bird"!

This homemade dark chocolate turkey was delicious!

Bria and Cali wanted to try this before lunch, but they
settled for some of the candy corn and non-pariels!

The Happy Family!

Time to make a wish!!

Bria and Cali loved making a wish when they pulled the wishbone and at dinner sharing what they were thankful for - family, God Jesus, houses, and Thanksgiving!  We did some bowling on their Wii games and had a good time!

When Ken and I returned home, I spent the evening decorating our apartment for Christmas.  I only had 4 tubs of decorations, a huge reduction from the inventory of previous years!  I had really downsized when we moved to this apartment.  I actually found a place for everything I had saved, but I must admit that this was the 1st time I felt a bit sad when I thought about several of the special decorations I had sold or given away when we moved.  The feeling didn't last long, but I did do some "reflecting"!

This was a special day!

A Busy, Fun Week!

What a surprise on Wednesday - a snow day!  The normal temperature here should be around 50 during the day, and this week was cold.  Only mid 30's on Wednesday and it started snowing around 9 and we had about 3 inches by noon.  We had gone to visit my parents at 9:30 and enjoyed some Pinochle playing.  At noon Ken took my father to the surgical center for his monthly procedure and I stayed with Mom so we could try to make paper Moravian Stars.  This craft project was rather challenging, but we did get a few made.  Dad and Ken returned at 3 and we continued our card game.  We left by 4 so we could get back home before it got icy and foggy!  Enjoyed a nice visit with my parents! 

Looking forward to spending the day with Jamie and her family and her in-laws, Sue and Dan tomorrow.

A Busy, Busy, But Fun Weekend!

Ken and I had a restless night at the hotel, probably because we rarely sleep in any beds other than Waldo and at home.  We were up by 6, showered, and Ken loaded the CRV while I finished getting ready!  We went down to the lobby for the motel breakfast by 6:45.  It was an excellent breakfast with so many good choices.

We were on Interstate 95 by 7:05 (WOW) and we knew it would be another day with lots of miles to cover.  But, all went well and with only a few gas and "potty" stops we were back in Lititz by 4:45.  We stopped at my friend Polly's house to drop off our bikes and the bike rack.  Got to our apt. at 5:15 and had everything unloaded and actually put in its place by 6:15.  We left to have dinner at a local pizza place that also sold beer and liquor - we were ready for a treat after all that driving.  (Another 550 miles today!)

After a delicious chicken cheese steak and a slice of pizza (we shared both) we were on our way to card club in Ephrata.  So good to see all of our card club friends and have an evening of fun!  Only got home at midnight, and needless to say, we were exhausted.

Sunday morning we were at Church by 8:50 and got to sit with Jamie, Dane, and Dane's parents, Sue and Dan.  Good to see all of them.  After church we went to Bria and Cali's Sunday School class and we were so happy to see each other!  After they left, we had a fun time talking to our small life group and reconnecting.  They are such great people!

We left church at 10:40 and headed to the Olde Hickory Grill near Lancaster to have breakfast with Fred and Doloris, our camping buddies and special friends here at home.  So good to see them again too!  Wow, how blessed are Ken and I to see so many of our friends and family in such a short time of being home.  After breakfast we headed to Costco for some needed groceries (Old Mother Hubbards cupboard is bare!) and by the time we were back to the Apt. and had put everything away, both of us needed a nap. 

After resting for about an hour, we drive to Jamie and Dane's.  She was so kind to invite us for dinner along with Lanie and her family, so we could spent time with all of them at one place!  What a special evening.  We are very blessed people!  Left there at 8 when Bria and Cali went to bed and I called it a day around 9.  It has been a wonderful weekend, but I think we need to "catch up" on some rest!

 

Jamie and Dane have a great basement
for entertaining!

Can't help but love these special little ones!

After dinner, they did a dance
show for us.  They had practiced
upstairs before the "performance"!

Katelyn was all smiles during the
"show!"

Bria, Sam, Cali, and Katelyn - the dance
performers!

Drive, Drive, Drive!

Ken and I were up at 6:30 and out of Harbor Lakes CG with the CRV in tow by 7:30.  It was a beautiful, sunny morning, a good day for driving!  We headed up Route 75 for a 10:30 appointment with the Service Department at Lazydays RV Center.  The drive went extremely well, and we were at Lazydays by 9:30.  Fortunately, they were able to take us right away and the appointment went smoothly and they assured us that all the work would be done by the time we returned in January.  We were back on the road by 10:30, stopping about an hour later at a Denny's for a delicious breakfast. 

The drive continued to go well and we decided to keep driving until we were tired and ready to call it a day.  That didn't happen until about 7:00 when we found a motel about 164 miles into South Carolina at Florence.  After unloading what we felt was necessary, electronics, my finished jewelry, clothes, etc. we went to a Fatz Cafe for dinner.  It was a nice place and as a "first timer" they gave us a sample of their signature chicken fingers and their poppyseed rolls with cinnamon butter.  Both were delicious.  We were back to our motel room by 9, tired but thrilled that we were able to travel so far today - 575 miles.  We hope to be on the road by 7 tomorrow with about 560 more to travel tomorrow to reach our destination - Lititz, PA.  

We are hoping for a safe and "quick" trip!  It is cold already.  We wore shorts today, but the long jeans will be needed for the rest of the trip.  Warm is definitely better!

Our Last Full Day in Florida!

Ken and I were up b 7:30 and got ready to play pickleball.  Doloris called me from PA to wish us safe travels home and to see what we have been up to!  So good to hear from her and looking forward to seeing Fred and her very soon!  We miss playing cards with them and just "hanging out"!

Ken headed to the pickleball court while I was talking to Doloris and I joined all the men around 9:20.  I appreciate that they have been so willing to let me participate.  I have been the only woman all week, but I have had a blast and I think they appreciated having me around - at least I'd like to believe that!!!!  We only got back to Waldo around 11:45.  Amazing how your whole morning can race by when you are having so much fun!

Then the real work began!  Amazing how long it takes (even when you start days before) to get ready to go back home and leave your Motorhome in Florida!  You have to make lots of decisions about what stays and what goes.  Plus there is laundry, cleaning, and scrubbing both inside and out.  Are you feeling "sorry" for us yet????  I wouldn't either.  These 6 1/2 weeks have been incredible and we just hate to see them end.  Spending so much time with Chuck and Melissa was absolutely wonderful and all the pickleball playing added a new dimension to our time in Florida!  We are so anxious to see family and friends, but the cold weather is not on our list of things to look forward to! 

While our clothes were washing, Ken and I did take time to play a very long game of shuffleboard.  Ken played extremely well and beat me "big time"!  If 10 off would make you a winner, I would have won very quickly!

After dinner, we started defrosting and cleaning the refrigerator.  We are impressed at how well we did emptying the frig and freeze.  There was hardly anything to get rid of!  Pretty good planning on our part!

We will relax watching some TV tonight and then get up around 6:30 to be on our way to Lazydays near Tampa by 10:30.  Then we will start heading up Interstate 95 hoping to be in PA sometime Saturday evening!  It will be different just driving the CRV ad not driving Waldo! 

A Cold Night in Florida, but Better Than PA!

Ken and I were awake to the 7:45 alarm after a somewhat restless night - too much caffeine!  It was only 42 degrees - brrrrr!  We ate breakfast and put on several layers of clothing to play pickleball at 9.  It was breezy and cool, but the pickleball was so much fun, again!!!!!  There were 7 of us, so we had to take turns playing, but it went well.  We only got back to Waldo around noon!  We did a little more packing for heading home and then decided we should go to get a few groceries and eat lunch at a Subway.  Since we are leaving Waldo in Florida, we do not want to have any "refrigerator" food left to take home.  So, we bought some cereal, fruit, salad mix, 2 frozen dinners, and a few snacks for the drive to PA, but that was all that was needed.  We had nothing for lunch today, so Subway was a "necessity".

We were back to Waldo by 2:30 and while I made phone calls to the girls and my mother Ken loaded the bikes and brought in the slides momentarily so he could pick up the boards that were under the jacks and they could dry before we have to pack them in Waldo.  Then Ken took a short nap.  I boxed up the food, medicines, etc. that we will be taking back with us.

We walked to the shuffleboard courts and played 1 1/2 games.  These courts are exceptional.  Ken won the 1st game but I was leading the 2nd.  It was getting rather chilly, so we headed back around 5:30.  We had salads and Cafe Steamers and a Kashi Dinner.  I worked on some jewelry while we watched some TV.  It was a relaxing evening!

A Colder Day Following a Night of Rain!

Ken and I didn't get up until 8:30, because we thought playing pickleball this morning would not be a possibility due to all the rain!  Wrong!  When Ken opened the door to see how cold it was around 9, the pickleball players were already on the court!  So, we quickly to the courts and it was amazing, but they were dry.  It was only 56 degrees and the high was to go to about 60.  Quite abit cooler than all of the time we have been in Florida!  We had a good time playing, but it was cool and breezy!  Made playing a little tough!  We were back to Waldo by 10:45.

We had some hot tea and then Ken started getting "stuff" out of our CRV and the basement of Waldo to do some reorganizing before we head home.  It was the perfect day to start the process, since it was cool and cloudy!  I started packing up things inside that we need to take back home with us.  Ken did a great job of finding space in the basement of Waldo for all the things that need to stay here for our return in !!January.  My jewelry "stuff" will require a lot of the room in the CRV, since I will be doing some craft shows in December near home. 

After lunch, I left to do some shopping at Michael's Craft Store and then at a Bealls Outlet.  I was gone for about 3 1/2 hours and had a fun time!  Ken enjoyed himself reading, taking a nap, and cleaning up the inside of Waldo. 

I returned around 5 and we left to go to one of my favorite places for dinner - Sonny's Barbeque (Ken really likes it too, but he has trouble admitting it!).  We did check out our route when we leave here on Friday morning to head to Lazydays near Tampa.  It will be an easy trip.  Sonny's was as good as usual and we were back to Waldo by 7.  Did talk to my sister and to Melissa, who saw a orthopedist yesterday.  After some x-rays, they found she has a pulled muscle that will require some physical therapy.  She started the therapy today and should be ready to play pickleball again in about a month.  Glad it is something that can be healed so quickly and without any major procedure!

Ken and I watched some TV, including The Voice, and I worked on some jewelry.  Got some new beads today that I was anxious to incorporate into my pendants and earrings.  Bed by 10.

Can't believe it is time to start thinking about going back home!  Where has the time gone???????  Anxious to see family and friends, but not ready for the really cold PA weather!!!!!!

Another "Bestest" Day in Florida!

Ken had a better night's sleep, thank heaven!  We were up around 7:30 to get ready to go to a new Church!  It was a United Methodist that had a 9:30 Contemporary service.  Quite different than the last Church, Suncoast, that we went to for 3 Sundays, but the music was good (more sedate) and the sermon gave you a lot of food for thought.  We enjoyed being there!

We came right back to Waldo, changed, packed our lunches, and headed to Manasota Beach, again!  It was in the 80's with very little wind and lots of sunshine - another perfect beach day.  We spent most of our time, again, looking for sharks teeth.  We found a couple hundred just walking on the beach - not really using the "snow shovel".  We only sat long enough to eat our lunch!

Hard to tell, but there were a lot of sun bathers on
Manasota Beach today!  No wonder, it was a
perfect weather day!

We had gotten to the beach around 12 and left by 4:30.  From there we drove back towards the CG stopping at a fishing pier within a 1/2 mile of Harbor Lakes.  It was a perfect place to view the gorgeous sunset, and gorgeous it was!  Can't believe that sunset takes place so early - 5:30. 

Thumbs Up for a special day in Florida!

What a great view from the fishing pier near
the CG!

A beautiful ending to a very special day!

We were back to Waldo by 5:45 and sat outside for a short time, since it was mild and beautiful.  Then it was shower time and supper preparation began.  I talked to camping friends back home, Neil and Nancy Savage, and we are happy not to be experiencing the cold weather they are having in PA.  Also called my sister, Cindy, to wish her a Happy 60th Birthday!  Wow, she is getting old, but no way she will ever catch up to me!!!!!  Also made a call to Chuck and Melissa, to check on her problem with her hip which began when we were playing so much pickleball when we were together.  She ended up at an Urgent Care for some medication, which we hope will help quickly.  She said it was alittle better today, and hopes that she will not have to seean orthopedist. 

We spent the evening watching 60 Minutes and football.  I woarked on more jewelry, but I forgot to bring my magnifying light from home and I am finding it difficult to see properly.  Getting old isn't for sissies!

More Pickleball Fun!

Ken was up abit earlier than me, but we both had a good night's sleep.  We got ready, ate breakfast, and headed to the pickleball court by 9.  Again there were more Canadians than Americans, but their enthusiasm for the game is contagious.  We had so much fun and played more games than we should have for Ken's knees and my back, but we just couldn't quit!  We only left the courts at 11:45.

It was already in the upper 70's, but a breeze had accelerated the longer we played.  After we got back, Ken had a nice long talk with Kevin and I did some work on my computer.  Showers felt terrific and then it was time for lunch!  I also had another nice talk with my friend, Nancy Savage!  

Ken put some of our things away that were outside, for they are predicted alot of rain today starting later afternoon.  We decided to walk to the shuffleboard courts for some "Competitive Games".  On the way we stopped to talk to Jeff and Carol, seasonal campers from New Hampshire that we met on the pickleball courts just this morning.  They are familiar with shuffleboard, but have only played a couple of times.  We invitied them to join us, but they wanted to shower first.  So Ken and I played a long game until they arrived and he won, but barely!  We played 1 1/2 games with them before it started to rain right around 3:45.  We had to stop the game and head back to our homes.  80% of the people in this CG are French Canadians, so it was nice to actually be able to communicate with a couple.  Looking forward to being with them again.

Ken took a much needed nap after all of his short nights!  I did some work and play on my computer.  We had a light dinner, cleaned up, and then I worked on jewelry while watching The Voice.  We were in bed by 10.  Another nice, relaxing day!

"Nother" Best Day in Florida!

This one one very special day in Florida!  Ken had another tough night's sleep (or not sleep) from that medicine, Prednisone!  He slept from 10 to 1, then awake from 1 to 4, then slept 4 to 6.  Not much rest!  I had my 1st night with NO Itching from the fire ant bites!  Yeah!!!

I got up at 7:15, got ready to play pickleball, and then made omelettes and cut-up fresh fruit for breakfast.  I had a nice conversation with my mother and she and dad are both doing well!

At 9:15 we headed to the pickleball courts, only about  75 steps from our motorhome. We got to play with 3 Canadian gentlemen and had such a good time.  Had no idea what they said a lot of the time, but I'm sure it was good except for the swear words!  We had many close games and lots of good volleys.  Sad to see it end around 11.

Harbor Lakes added a 2nd pickleball court last year,
so they are in great shape.  Even have a wind screen!

Ken and I went back to Waldo,  put on our suits, packed our lunches, and were on our way to Manasota Beach by 11:30.  We took the scenic route to get there through Englewood, arriving at the beach at 12:15.  What a perfect beach day!  Plenty of sunshine and about 77 degrees!  Also we were there near low tide, a perfect time for finding sharks teeth - we found alittle over 300!  Wow!  Not much time for sitting on our chairs and relaxing.  We were too busy searching the surf for our treasures!

What a perfect beach and beach day!

Even the birds were frolicing in the surf, sand and
beautiful sunshine!

Love this beach!

More searching of the sand and shoreline!  Seems like
I have to search for only 1 thing at a time.  Either
sharks teeth or shells.  What is that about????

This bird looked so silly!

Within 45 minutes of sunset when we left!

We only left the beach about 5 and took the shorter route home - 30 minutes.  Showers felt great and while Ken cleaned the sharks teeth I made dinner- large salads with sauteed onions, peppers, and teriyaki chicken.  So good.

Another day's treasures!  Such fun!

Then it was time to watch some college football games!  This was one terrific day in paradise!

On To Harbor Lakes CG near Port Charlotte!

Ken and I were up by 7:15 and did alittle more preparation for leaving Peace River.  We took a short walk through the CG and then headed to the Pickleball Court at 9.  We had 7 players today, so we had to take turns sitting out.  We have really enjoyed playing with this group of people at this CG - great players and so supportive of each other. 

We said our good-byes and were back to Waldo by 10:30 to shower, retract the jacks, pull in the slides and be on our way by 11.  It was about a 1 1/4 hour drive southwest to Harbor Lakes CG.   We have visited friends at this CG last year, but have never stayed here.  It is an impressive Encore Park with many great amenities and everything is in tip top condition!  The 6 shuffleboard courts and equipment is the best we have seen in any CG and 1 of the 2 pickleball courts was just put in last year.  They also have a tennis court, large swimming pool with hot tub, and the widest roads we have seen in a CG.  We are really looking forward to our stay here.

Here we are!

Nice sites with a cement patio for our picnic table!

These shuffleboard courts are so fast and the
equipment is top notch!

Not sure why the roads in the CG are so wide, but
it makes pulling in and out so easy!

Beautiful large pool area with hot tub!

After getting set-up, we took a walk around the CG ending up at the shuffleboard courts for 2 exciting games!  (Exciting for me for I won both of them!!!)  We decided it was a good night to go out to dinner, since we hadn't eaten out at all while at Peace River.  The lady in the office suggested we try Portafinos, a restaurant near Port Charlotte where you can sit outside on the second floor and enjoy a great view of the Peace River.  We were fortunate to get their about 10 minutes before sunset and what a gorgeous one it was!  We enjoyed eating  there and had some nice conversations with some of the locals, who found our lifestyle exciting.  The bonus was the great Caribbean type view!

Sunset on the Peace River!

Love the shadows on the water and
the fishing pier!

The sky color was incredible and the silloutte of
the sailboat wasn't "shabby" either!

From the upper deck of Portafinos!

Looks like you are in the islands!

We were back to Waldo by 7:30 and had a relaxing evening watching TV, reading, and working on our computers.

Life is good and we continue to celebrate it!!!!