Wednesday - Trip John and Cindy's Campground!

Ken and I got up early to go outdoors to see the Super Blood Blue Moon.  The best place to see it was behind Ernie and Noela's campsite.  They joined us for the viewing!  A blue heron decided he wanted to be in on the action!

Notice the blue heron!

Ken and I got ready, made a cooked breakfast, loaded the car, and were on our way to LaBelle, FL by 8:20 to visit John and Cindy.  Their CG is brand new this year and they are there with 4 other couples.  It was about a 60 mile drive and took about 1 1/4 hours.  It really is a very nice CG with large sites that have pavers for both your rig and patio area.  They are facing a man made lake and there is a paver path all the way around the lake.  Obviously the laundry, clubhouse, pool area, pickleball courts and bocce courts are brand new!  They are still doing a lot of work, but have accomplished quite a bit for the 1st year of being open.  For me, it is too far from the coast and sort of in the middle of no where.

John and Cindy's motorhome on their site overlooking the lake!

Love the large paver sites!

A paver walkway all along the lake.  That is the laundry and
shower house in the distance!

We began our day together with the 4 of us playing pickleball and what a fun time.  Only bad thing was the strong winds!  At times it was hard to keep the ball on the court and it took some strange bounces!  After about 5 games, we sat at their site chatting and meeting some of their friends.  Then we took a walk around the CG checking out all the building and amenities.  By then we were hungry and drove to The Log Cabin, a great small restaurant for pulled pork.  What a treat at such reasonable prices.  You got a pulled pork sandwich with 2 sides for $7.29 and then got complimentary soup and a scoop of ice cream - what a deal and it was all delicious!

The Log Cabin Barbeque Place

The food was excellent!

Back to the CG for about 3 more games of pickleball.  Amazingly, my back and hip were very cooperative today and we had a great time playing together.  Back to Harvey (their motorhome) where we played one game of Skip-Bo won by the men.  What a special day with John and Cindy!

We left around 5:30 and I got to talk with my mother during the drive.  Both she and dad are doing so well and I am so thankful.  Ken had his leftovers from last evening and I decided I wasn't hungry!  I had plenty for lunch.  We watched some TV and then walked over to visit with Ernie and Noela.  The 4 of us sat outside in their screened porch area with a fire.  We chatted for about an hour, than it was back to Wilbur and to bed after a fun filled day!

Tuesday - Cool, Windy Day!

We watched the Morning News and then Ken met Ernie for his walk.  I did some stretches and got ready for the day while he was gone!  We actually made eggs for breakfast with MEAT, our 1st meat since Sunday a week ago.  It tasted so good!

Ernie and Noela decided to take a road trip (160 miles one way) to Shark Valley for the day.  We made plans to have dinner with Rick and Joyce, Lori and Eddie, and Marilyn and Gene, all members of LCBC back home, at 4 today, so obviously we would not have been back in time had we gone with Ernie and Noela.  They had been invited to join us, but decided to decline the offer since they hadn't really done anything outside of the CG yesterday.  I understand that!

After breakfast, Ken and I did some chatting and then played a game of Hand and Foot which he won again!  We did some messaging back and forth with members of Life Group.  2 couples are home in PA  (had planned to come to Florida) going through some tough health challenges.  We miss them and are only now realizing how special last year was when we would all get together at least once a week for about 6 weeks.  My what a difference a year can make!!!

I decided to spend time working on a new picture project I wanted to attempt to make and with Ken's help, I think I have it "figured out"!  I understand the process but have to finalize what I want to include in the project.  Hopefully I will have a picture of the finished project soon to post of this blog!

Ken rested while I talked to Cindy and worked on this blog.  I also ordered scrapbook pages I created for Valentine gifts for our granddaughters of our camping adventures with them this past summer.

We left at 2:15 and went to Nokomis Beach to spend about 45 minutes combing the beach.  We thought it would be so windy and cool, but it was only slightly breezy and rather warm.  It felt good to be outdoors.  We met Rick and Joyce, Eddie and Lori, and Gene and Marilyn at Briandi's at 4 for another great Italian meal and time of fellowship!

Obviously it was later in the day and cool and very windy...

...but so pretty!

After dinner, Gene and Marilyn went back to Sarasota and the 6 of us went to Rick and Joyce's to play Hand and Foot.  The women were winning big time when we went into the 4th round, but the men had an unbelievable round.  None of the ladies were able to get into their Foot - Crazy!  So they were the HUGE winners!  Eddie and Lori are spending 2 nights with Rick and Joyce before they move to their CG near Punta Gorda till the end of March.  The 6 of us will spend more time together in the next 2 months.

Ken and I were back to the CG by 9:30 and went right to bed.  What a wonderful day!

Monday - Mostly Cloudy in the Morning but Then Sunny!

Ken was up by 5:45 to do some reading.  We watched the Morning News when I made an appearance!  Ken left to walk with Ernie while I got ready, did some stretching, and some clean-up.  Everything was very wet outside after about 2 3/4 inches of rain, rather unusual for this time of year in Florida!

After breakfast, we walked over to Ernie and Noela's to discuss our plans for today and tomorrow.  I wanted to spend one of the days doing some crafting.  Because of the winds and weather prediction for today, Ken and I decided to hang out at the CG today.

I wanted to make a trip to Hobby Lobby to get a few supplies that I couldn't find at Michael's yesterday and Noela decided to go along.  It was a successful trip!  When we returned to the CG, it was time for lunch and Ken and I ate outside.  It was sunny and warm, a beautiful day.  Then I got out all of my supplies for doing sea glass pictures and the fun began.  It takes so much time to sort through the sea glass and find the right glass for making palm trees, sailboats, birds, etc.  Months again, I had separated the glass into plastic bags labeled for the shapes I thought they could be used for, but the pieces still have to be "matched up" and that is the time consuming part!  I spent about 3 hours sorting and making pictures.

Jamie called and the 3 of us had a great conversation discussing the movie, this weekend's swim meet, etc.  It was so good to hear from her!

Ken did a lot of different jobs outside - working on our bikes, cleaning shark's teeth, washing car windows, etc.  Then he made salads for us for dinner.  Late afternoon, Ken and I did some bike riding around the CG and then met Ernie and Noela at the shuffleboard courts where the men won both games.  We should have won the last one, but I made some "dumb" choices and the men were able to "take advantage".  Actually, they won fair and square!

We returned to Wilbur and Ken showered while I warmed up leftovers!  He left at 6:45 for CR and I made a few more sea glass pictures.  Then the clean-up began.  It is amazing what a "mess" I can make while doing my craft projects!  Ken was back by 9 and I worked on this blog.

We were in bed right after 10!  It was a rather relaxing day but we got a lot accomplished!

Sunday - Relaxing Day and Lots of Rain by Late Afternoon!

Ken and I left by 9 for Edgewater Church!  It was a cloudy morning but in the 60's.  Again, it was so nice to see familiar faces at the Church and to know many people by name!

It was a great sermon on gossip - why we do it and how to avoid getting "caught up" in it with the Bible as the authority!  It is something I definitely need to work on and I believe that is true about a lot of us!

We had planned to go out for breakfast because we were ready to have one of those special breakfasts at Denny's.  Neither of us have had any meat since last Sunday when we started a "fast" that was a challenge by the Church that Rick and Joyce attend.  The minister suggested that each person pick something to "give up" for a week that would be a sacrifice.  Rick, Joyce and Ken gave up soda and meat plus Ken limited his sugar. I chose meat also as well as any games I play on our I-Pads, etc.  It proved to be an interesting week and probably easier than we anticipated.  We decided not to go out for breakfast because of eating at a local pizza place tonight.  Ken dropped me off at Michael's and he headed to Wal-Mart for a few groceries.  

We were back to the CG by 12:30 and stopped to chat with Ernie and Noela to finalize plans for later today.  After eating lunch, Ken and I worked together and made a double batch of oat bran muffins.  It took a while and so did the clean-up.  We did have the opportunity to again watch Bria swim.  She had a great weekend meet swimming in 9 events and improving her time in 7 of them.  It certainly was a lot of swimming!

At 3:45 we picked up Ernie and Noela and headed to the movie theater to see The Greatest Showman!  What a phenomenal movie and Hugh Jackman was amazing!  Jamie's family had seen it and said it is a must see!  She was so right.  The 4 of us totally enjoyed it!  It was raining so hard when the movie was over, but Ken and Ernie ran to the car and then came back to get us with umbrellas - what good guys!  We went to Bocca Lupo Pizza Shop as recommended to us from some folks at church for their coal fired pizzas.  They started the coal fired oven in 2010 and it has burning since!  The pizza really was delicious.  It was still pouring when we left Bocca Lupo.

We were at the CG by 7:30 and Ken and I played 3 rounds of Hand and Foot with him being in the lead.  We were in bed around 9:30 and did some reading.  We definitely made the best of a rainy day.  Everyone should see the movie!

Saturday - Another Windy but Mild Day!

Ken was up by 6, about an hour later than usual for that boy!!  We watched the morning news and then he met Ernie for a walk.  I did some clean-up, showered, and got ready for breakfast.

After breakfast and clean-up, I worked on the blog and Ken did some work on the computer!  We packed our lunches and then I had a nice phone conversation with my mother.  They are doing so well and she seems very happy. 

We picked up Ernie and Noela at 10:30 and headed towards Sarasota taking a slight detour when we mentioned getting a scone at the Upper Crust in Venice.  We ended up in downtown Venice enjoying a delicious scone and then walking along Miami Avenue where they had a wonderful outdoor craft show.  I always enjoy the creativity of crafters and seeing which stands are getting the most business.  So glad we took the detour to Venice!

More of those delicious scones!

Checking out some wall hangings made with shells!

The craft show was very crowded!

Stars made from the inside of shells!

We made a stop at RV World to look for a few small items that we both needed.  We were unsuccessful.  Then on the Red Barn near Bradenton which was originally the reason for today's trip.  We wanted to get a card shuffler (one for Cindy and John too) and some fruits and veggies.  Noela found a new screen protector for her phone and lamp shades for 2 wall lights in their 5th wheel that needed replaced.  I also got a mirror for my bike.  It was a good trip.

From there we asked the boys to stop at a Michael's because they had a 60% off coupon for today and we felt there was probably something we needed!  The next stop was the Celery Fields south of Sarasota which was originally a marshland and then in the late 1880's the land was drained for agriculture.  In the 1920's the fields were used to grow celery by Fancee Farms.  In 1992, Sarasota County purchased the land after record setting rains so the land could be used for natural flood storage function and prevent downstream flooding.  During construction well preserved prehistoric animal bones, such as teeth from mammoths, mastodons, and sharks were recovered.  With all the water and marshland it is now a popular area for birdwatchers, bikers, hikers and the viewing of over 210 species of birds.  We hope to return when we have more time to tour the area!

A tri-colored heron!

The walkway at the Celery Feeds over the marshlands!

Birds were landing to spend the night!

We were excited to see 2 limpkins!

We were back to the CG around 7:15 after a long day of "touring", but a fruitful one!  I worked on the blog and we did some reading.  Off to bed a little after 9:00!

We did get see our granddaughter, Bria, swim another race today - 4 laps of butterfly.  She did so well!

Friday - Cool, Sunny and Very Windy!

Ken and I left the CG at 8:45 to help at the Food Bank from 9 to 1 at Edgewater Church.  On the way we called and sang Happy Birthday to Lanie because she is 40 today - Wow!  Can we really be old enough to have a child who is 40????  We must have welcomed her to our family when we were 15!!!!!!  NOT!

Things went well at the church and we had lots of help.  We served about 70 people in the 2 1/2 hours we are open.  Ken and I feel so blessed to be able to help and appreciate getting to know so many folks who go to that church.  When we left, Burt and Pat invited us to come to their community near the church and tour the Condo they had bought last Spring.  What a nice area and the condo was perfect for 2 people - 2 BR's, 2 Baths, and open LR, Kit. and Eating Area.  They also have a screened porch.  We had a nice time visiting with them and enjoyed hearing about where they live, Kennebunk, Maine, an area where we had camped several years ago and just loved!  They had worked at one of the lighthouse gift shops we had visited - small world!!!

On the way back to the CG I had a great phone conversation with the birthday girl, Lanie, and all is going well.  After a light lunch, I worked on the blog while Ken took a short nap (he had gotten up early this morning!).  Jamie called and we were able to catch up on what is going on in PA.  She and Lanie are going to Rehobeth Beach for 2 nights to her in-laws home just for a girls getaway!  Ken and I love how much the girls enjoy being together and how supportive they are of each other - warms our hearts!

Jamie wanted us to know that our granddaughter, Bria, who is 10, will be swimming in a meet tonight that is being live streamed so we can watch it!  She is in a timed race swimming 40 laps!  I can't begin to imagine that she is only 10 and able to swim that many laps!!!

Ken had a long phone conversation with his friend, Gary, back home while I made salads for dinner.  I decided to try something different and found a recipe for quinoa, black bean, corn, onion,  pepper, and spice (chilis too!) wraps.  Ken and I both agreed that the wraps were delicious.  We have plenty of "filling" left so I believe there will wraps and stuffed peppers in our future!

Ernie and Noela stopped by at 5:30 after spending the day at Lover's Key where they walked, rode bike, and spent time on the beach.  They really enjoyed their time despite the strong winds.

After dinner and clean-up Ken and I watched the evening news and then we were able to watch Bria swim through live streaming!  Ken hooked it up to our big screen TV and Ernie and Noela joined us to watch her swim. What an amazing feat for a 10 year old and we were able to watch!!!!

The 4 of us played Skip-Bo and the women finally won that game.  Somehow it seems like the women usually lose no matter who are partners.  It felt good to be victorious.

They left around 9:30 and I returned a call to Cindy, who had checked in while we were playing cards.  She was concerned that I was okay after reading yesterday's blog where I shared my frustrations concerning my back.  What a great sister and I am so blessed to have her in my life!  As Jamie said about her sister Lanie - The best gift my parents ever gave me was my sister!  We talked about 30 minutes and Ken and I will go to their CG for the day on Wednesday.  Looking forward to being with John and Cindy and checking out the CG and area where they are spending the winter!

Did some reading and by 11 it was lights out!

Thursday - Cool, Windy Day, but Fun!

I got up when Ken left at 6:10 for a men's bible study at Edgewater Church.  I am not sure what I did the next 2 1/2 hours, but somehow they flew.  Ken stopped back from 8:00 to 8:45 when he left to return to the church to help unload food for tomorrow's food bank.

Noela and I left at the same time to do some shopping and we had a fun time making numerous stops along the way - Marshall's, Michaels, Beall's Outlet, Hobby Lobby and Wal-Mart.  We didn't buy very much but we surely had fun browsing.  Jamie had stopped by our apartment at home to take photos of the bottles of paints I had used to paint my coconut fish.  Somehow I forgot to bring them with me and I need to touch-up and finish the fish I brought along.  But, I needed to know the brand of paint and the name of the color if I wanted to continue working on them.  I certainly appreciated her sending me that information.  

We were back to the CG around 1:45 and Ken had returned at 1:15.  I did some clean-up and organizing before Rick and Joyce arrived at 3.  We did some chatting and then walked to the shuffleboard courts and had fun playing 3 games - Men 2 and Women 1!  We won the last game which we thought was the most important!

Rick and Joyce in action!

Back to Wilbur where we each made our own pita pizza and then Ken cooked them on the grill - so good.  We were so well behaved, only having oranges for dessert.  Then it was time for some serious card playing.  The women won Hand and Foot by a HUGE margin (we didn't even figure out the score for the last round!) and then we also won double deck Pinochle.  It helped that in the very 1st hand, Joyce had a double run - 150 points!!!!  Amazing.  Poor guys felt a bit defeated when the evening ended around 9:45.  What a great time!

We went right to bed after celebrating another wonderful day!

Wednesday - Sunny and Beautiful!

Ken was up early and checked the refrigerator.  It was actually colder than necessary, so he started putting some food items in it that had been in coolers.  I got up in time to watch the Morning News.  By then the frig had warmed up from the door being opened and closed.

Ken decided to join Ernie for part of his walk and I got ready to play a little pickleball.  I brought most of food over to Wilbur that was stored in Jim and Joyce's outdoor refrigerator.  I played pickleball from 8:30 to 9:15 and it wasn't "pretty".  I just couldn't get it together and felt like I had trouble moving.  This back and leg pain is a problem.  I headed back to Wilbur and felt very frustrated and discouraged.  I came to the realization that right now I should not be playing pickleball here at the CG until something changes.  It is hard for me to accept that!  It was the 1st morning I actually had to shed a few tears and I do not like that!  So, it was time to put on "my big girl panties" and realize that I am blessed in so many ways and "woe to me" is not the right path! 

We left with Ernie and Noela at 11 for a visit to Solomon's Castle about 1 hour from our CG.  They had been there before and were anxious for us to see it.  It was a nice drive and really in the middle of "no where"!  The castle is hidden in the lush Florida woodlands, basically a swamp area.  The home (castle), galleries and workshop of internationally renowned artist Howard Solomon are open to the public and decorated with more than 80 interpretive stained glass windows and countless metal sculptures all done by Howard, including the building of the castle. 

Not a lot of money is spent on advertising!

He and his family lived in the castle before his death in 2016.

These 9 stained glass windows he made are the
planets!

The ships of Christopher Columbus!

Close up of the planet windows!

Some of his sculptures and pictures, all made from recycled things -

Our tour guide showing us the sheets of metal that
were used for the construction of the castle.  Each
piece has some "news" on it because it was used
by the local newspaper company to print pages.
Lots of "history" is hanging on the outside of the
castle!

This is the foyer of the castle ......

....and this is what the people on the couch at watching!

So many unique metal sculptures made from car parts,
appliances, nuts, bolts oil cans, jacks, etc.  The picture in the
background was made from over 500 little pieces of wood!
This man had quite a talent and imagination!  I don't think
he ever had time to sleep!

Mr. Solomon named all his pieces and this turtle
shell included some of his hair.  Hence the name
the tortoise and the "hair"!

This one got away!

Rocker is totally made of beer cans!

This car is "coming and going"!  No backseat drivers!

A mousetrap made in Lititz, PA where we live!
I never realized there is the head, eyes and ears
of the mouse in the red V!

Another picture Mr. Solomon made from over 500
pieces of wood and it is a replica of one of Norman
Rockwell's paintings!  Loved it!

He made some huge sculptures too.  The elephant is now
resting on a stand from the Ringling Brothers Circus!

Another copy of a Norman Rockwell painting!

He also built the huge "Boat in the Moat" that is a family restaurant with lots of outdoor seating.  Our guide was fabulous and very quick witted when describing the sculptures and pictures of Howard Solomon.  

The Boat in the Moat!  I wonder how long it took him to
construct this huge boat?

A gorgeous stained glass on the boat!

The outdoor eating area!

After the tour, we sat at a picnic table having our snacks before leaving for the drive to Joshua Citrus.

It was now 2:00 and we were hungry and thirsty!

At Joshua Citrus, Inc. Noela and I had to have one of their orange and vanilla twist homemade ice cream cones - delicious.  This family owned orchard has been in operation for over 100 years and covers a huge area.  Amazing!!  We stopped at Ruby Tuesday near Port Charlotte for their soup and salad bar. 

Their ice cream is delicious!  

We were back to the CG by 5:15 and Ken and I headed to the CG laundry.  While our clothes were in the washer I beat him playing shuffleboard!  He went back to Wilbur while I stayed at the laundry until the clothes dried.  He returned to help me load the clothes into the car.  We watched Jeopardy and I worked on this blog and downloaded photos.

By the time we had left for the castle, I was feeling better and not so "sorry for myself"!  I know how fortunate I am to sleep well, have no pain when we are driving, and to be able to do so many other things besides pickleball and long walks.  So, I will continue to Celebrate Life Daily!  Go Girl!!!!