Tuesday - Another Gorgeous, Sunny Day!

Ken did his usual routine and I only got up at 7, a little later than I had planned.  He left at 7:15 to meet Ernie for their walk.  Noela and I left at 7:45 and met up with them, so us ladies got to walk about 2 miles!

Back to Wilbur to have an omelette breakfast with lots of fresh fruit that we were able to eat outside.  It was a beautiful morning with lots of sunshine and temperatures already in the low 70's.  We chatted under the awning while I enjoyed my chai.

Ken left for a 10:00 French class at the clubhouse and found it rather challenging.  It was a review and some of the people had taken the class the last 2 years, so obviously they were "ahead" of Ken.  He decided if he could just learn the basics they reviewed, it would be amazing.  Upon his return, he did some work on the computer and then took time to wash all the windows in the CRV.  He loaded our bikes while I vacuumed and did some cleanup inside.  He rested for a short time after lunch while I did my devotions. 

 By 1 we were on our way to Rick and Joyce in Venice, stopping at the bank on our way.  As soon as we arrived we followed each other into downtown Venice where we parked our vehicles, unloaded our bikes, and started our bike ride on the Venetian Waterway Trail.  We had a nice leisure ride stopping to "try" to feed the Florida scrub jays.  Either they had been fed earlier in the day or they just weren't interested in us, because after about 25 minutes, none of them appeared.  We did get to see an osprey fly to a nearby tree with a fish in his talons.  

Love this trail!

Seems like we always see a couple of turtles along our way!

Fun to watch the boats too!

Were are the Florida Scrub Jays?  We have peanuts for you!!

I don't see any!!!!!

We did have perseverance!

Still searching for a sign of them!

No scrub jays, but this osprey with his fish was rather
interesting!

Nice woodpecker.  Probably good that he didn't come
for the peanuts!

We decided to ride into Caspersen Beach, walk along the shoreline, and then start the ride back to our cars.

There has been so much beach erosion on Caspersen Beach!

Several years ago, we could walk on the other side of those
large rocks!

Root exposure!

Ken and my shark tooth finds while on the beach a
very short time!

We have eaten many a picnic lunch at this table right off
the trail!  Brings back so many memories of times shared
with special friends!

We decided to give the scrub jays another chance, and bingo, they were thrilled to be fed.  They were happy to come to each one of us and for some reason really enjoyed sitting on my head.  I only had a visor on and their claws felt rather sharp, but while they were sitting there, I could put my hand in front of them with a peanut and they would take it from me.  They certainly aren't shy or timid!

Here we go again, but this time about 5 scrub jays decided
to come for dinner!

2 at once!!!

They certainly aren't bashful!

Such beautiful coloring!

We headed back to Rick and Joyce's home, ordered pizza which the "boys" picked up, and then spent the remainder of the evening playing men against women in double deck Pinochle.  They women were about 75 points behind going into the last hand, but Joyce had double queens and double pinochle and  I had ace's round.  Needless to say, we were the come behind winners.  We played 4 hands of a 2nd game and the men were ahead by a large margin.  We left at 9:45 after a very fun day with special friends.

Ken took this photo from the end of their street showing the
view from the back of all their homes!

A great place to play cards.  What a perfect reflection in the
water behind their home!

We went right to bed but I did watch New Amsterdam since it was the 1st show of the new season.  I find it such an great show and even though I was tired, I didn't want to miss it.  Ken fell asleep around 10:15 and I turned out my light at 11.

Our time in Florida continues to be so much fun and we are finally getting into somewhat of a routine allowing for time to reach out to others through the church. 

Monday - Gorgeous, Warm Sunny Day!

Ken did his normal morning routine and was just about finished when I woke at 6:30.  I did my stretches and devotions and then we both watched about 15 minutes of the morning news.  Ken left at 7:15 to meet Ernie for their morning walk.

I worked on my blog and then Noela and I meet to meet the "boys" so we could all walk together.  Ken and Ernie do about 3 miles together and Noela and I only do close to 2 miles.  We get to see lots of birds and beautiful trees on this walk.  It was in the 50's when they started walking, but after the sun came up it was in the 60's relatively quickly.

Ken and I ate breakfast outside and then sat talking while I drank my chai.  Ken did a lot of work on our computer to get information on what charities or organizations we wanted to support in 2019.  After some discussion and much research we decided on the Good Samaritan Center in Ephrata,  Hope for Justice which was founded by Natalie Grant , and Zoe's Ministries.  The last two have to do with sex slavery. I spent time finishing the rocks I had started painting yesterday!

We picked up Ernie and Noela at 1:00 and we drove to Sarasota to have lunch at Sweet Tomato, one of the best places here in Florida for soup and salad and we were not disappointed. 

This is their cold salad bar that goes all the way out to the front
door.  When you leave that area, you can go to the soup bar  with
8 different types, the muffin//bread/pizza bar, and the pasta bar.
You can finish your meal with ice cream and other desserts!

From there we drove to Costco and bought fruit, veggies, meat, drinks, and snack bars.  I even got a great pair of jean shorts.  We were back to the campground by 5:30 and none of us were hungry.  

I headed to the pickleball courts at 6:30 and played about 4 games, returning just in time for America's Got Talent - The Champions!  I was very happy with my playing tonight and I got to play 4 games.  It was so much fun, even if I was the only one who couldn't speak French!  Ken went to Celebrate Recovery from 7 to 9:15.  We watched the end of America's Got Talent and by 10:15 we were in bed.

Sunday - A Relaxing Day!

Ken completed his morning routine till I got up around 6:30.  I did my stretches, got ready for church and I even had time to do most of my devotions.

We were at Edgewater by 9:15 and had a nice time visiting with our church friends.  Bruce asked us if we would be willing to serve communion and we were thrilled to be asked again.  We had served 1X last winter and really enjoyed the opportunity.  The message by Pastor Dan, The State of the Church Address, was very interesting and informative of all the things accomplished by the church in 2018.  With an attendance around 750, they do amazing things and have so many wonderful outreach programs.

It came time to serve the bread and cup, which is done by the "server" holding a half loaf of bread in a cloth napkin and a chalice in the other.  As the folks come forward, they bread off a piece of bread and dip it into the juice.  Well, as we were waiting in the back to go forward, Ken's bread "jumped" out of the napkin and fell on the floor.  His expression was priceless!  Immediately, Kaylee saw what happened (she is the head of hospitality at the Church), picked up the bread, and quickly brought him a new loaf.  Ken was so grateful.  The remainder of our serving went well but he had a "death grip" on the bread.

After church, Ken and I went to Denny's for breakfast and then to Wal-Mart for a few groceries and other items we needed.  We were back to Wilbur by 12:45, just in time to watch the football wild card games.  I didn't want to plan anything for today so I could watch both games and that is pretty much what I did.  

Ken read outside during the 1st half of the Chargers/Ravens game and I painted rocks and did some crocheting while I watched.  At halftime we did about a 1 1/2 mile walk around the campground.  Then we were both indoors to watch the rest of the game.

Then it was time for the game I was so excited to see - Bears vs. Eagles.  I am definitely an Eagle fan, but Coach Nagy of the Bears, and his wife graduated from Ken and my alma mater, Manheim Central High School, so we felt a bit torn!  What a game and I was so happy the Eagles won, but felt badly for Coach Nagy and the field goal kicker, but I guess that is football!!!!  Go Eagles!

After the game, we walked over to visit Ernie and Noela.  After some chatting and sharing, we discussed our plans for tomorrow - Costco and Sweet Tomato for a late lunch.  Sounds like a good time!  We were back to Wilbur around 9:15 and we went right to bed - reading and then dreamland.  I enjoyed my relaxing day!

Saturday - Windy, Sunny, Day in the 70's!

Ken finished his morning routine before I woke at 6:45.  I did my stretches in bed and then watched some of the morning news with Ken.  He left at 7:15 to meet Ernie for their morning walk.  

I did some work on our blog and Noela and I went to meet the "boys" at 7:45.  It was a beautiful morning for a walk as it was extremely "still" and just a great temperature.

If you look closely you will see an osprey
sitting on the back of another osprey.
Also, there is a heron above the osprey.
Both birds have a nest in this tree!

I love how crystal clear the shadows are in the water in the
back section of our CG.  

Back to Wilbur by 8:30 and we ate our breakfast outside.  We really didn't have any plans for today until meeting 3 other couples at Farlow's for dinner at 5:00.  So, it was a good day to do laundry.  

Joyce and Jim, fellow campers from Michigan who were introduced to us by Ernie and Noela, are only 2 campsites from us and she offered her outdoor drying umbrella to us to use while here.  Recently we found out from our neighbors that there is an umbrella holder in the ground on our site, so I borrowed Joyce's and brought it to our site.  I dried part of a load at the laundry, but was able to hang most of it outside - Yeah!!!

Ken had spent the morning on our computer registering our vehicles and sending in taxes to PA for my craft business.  He also sent back my tax number, so "Gifts From the Sea" is officially a closed business and that feels good!  It was lots of fun and exciting, but it is time to get rid of any pressure of producing and just enjoy making gifts to give away!  Matter of fact, I just packed up 9 preemie crocheted baby afghans to send to Knots of Love and I love making them!

All ready to be sent to some preemie babies somewhere in
the US!

Ken rested while I worked on this blog.  I talked to Joyce and we will see them tonight at dinner and plan to get together on Tuesday probably for a bike ride and some card playing.  

I finished the laundry and we remade the bed.  Ken and I left at 4:30 for Farlows on the Water where we were meeting Rick, Joyce, Frank, Barb, Howie, and Deb for dinner.  All of us met through LCBC back home.  What a great night of delicious food and great fellowship - we feel so blessed!

We only got back to Wilbur around 7:45, changed, and relaxed to watch the Cowboys/Seahawks game.  I worked on my blog and Ken did some checking on Facebook.

Today Jamie, Lanie, and our 4 granddaughters had a day together as their gifts to each other for Christmas.  They went to a craft place in Lancaster where each of them did a painting and then they went back to Jamie's to order pizza and watch a movie.  It looked like they had a great time together and what a nice thing to do for Christmas instead of gifts, an experience!

Looks like they had a great time and painted some amazing
pictures!!  Love these gals!!!!

Friday - Another Great Day!

Ken was up early, did his readings, and had planned to leave at 7 and join Ernie for their morning walk.  But, Ken's foot and heel was a bit sore, so he decided he probably needed to take the day off!  It was a good thing he did, because we kept busy making breakfast, etc. until leaving at 8:45 to go to Edgewater Church to help with the Food Pantry.

It was so nice to see all our Florida church friends again and to be available to help the folks who come to get food.  It is such a rewarding time for Ken and I.  We only served 67 folks today, which was rather shocking considering it is a new year and we weren't open last week.  But, we did have a lot to offer them and they were very appreciative!

After serving and cleaning up, about 16 of us went to lunch at Beef O'Brady's, which is in the Shopping Center across from the church.  What a fun time with great food and fellowship!  We only got back to the CG around 2:30.  We saw Ernie and we decided to play shuffleboard around 4.  Ken rested while I did my devotions.

We actually drove to the shuffleboard courts because they were predicting some heavy rain in about 70 minutes according to Ken's weather app.  We played 3 games and the women won all of them handily!  Wow!  We drove back to our sites and Ken and I decided to sit outside and enjoy the breeze.  We weren't under the awning more than 30 seconds when it started to "pour"!  We gotted getting wet immediately, so we went inside rather quickly.  

We had small salads and some fruit for dinner and then cleaned up.  I worked on this blog and by 7:15 Ernie and Noela arrived for an evening of cards!  We played a game of Skip-Bo which the men won, but the game was under protest, due to some cheating!  So, we played 2 rounds of Hand and Foot and the women were so far ahead (without cheating!) that the men declared us the winners.  Neither of them were able to get into their foot the last round!  They left around 9:30 and it was off to bed for some reading.  Another great day in our winter home!!!!!@

Wednesday & Thursday - Gorgeous Days!

Wednesday, Ken was up early to do his morning routine and then left at 7:30 to meet Ernie for a morning walk.  I was up at 7, did my morning routine, and then did some clean-up and started breakfast - omelettes.

Upon Ken's return, we ate breakfast outside, did dishes, and then sat outside chatting and having a very nice conversation with Lanie.  We did take time to finish our last round of Hand and Foot and Ken was the winner.  We decided to pack our lunches and head to Englewood Beach for the afternoon.  Ernie and Noela had errands to run and more set- up to complete, so we planned to just get together after dinner.

We were at the beach from 12:15 to 3 and it was another beautiful day to be enjoying the sun and surf!  I spent too much time "bent over" looking for sharks teeth, so I also sat on my chair and did some reading.  Ken did the same things plus got a little "snooze"!  

On our way back we chatted with Jamie, finishing the conversation outside at the CG.   After showers, I did my devotions which I didn't have time for earlier.  Ken grilled salmon and steak for dinner, which were delicious, and by 6:45 I was on the pickleball courts for the 1st time since September.  There were only 7 of us, so we got to rest in between games.  I got to play 3 games and was fairly happy with my play considering I hadn't played for quite awhile!

When I got back at 8, Ernie and Noela were visiting with Ken, but we decided not to play any games because Noela was still trying to recoup from all their driving and the work they have done since arriving.  We chatted and I gave them their Christmas gift - a picture calendar I had made for them highlighting our time together in 2018.

They left around 9:15 and Ken and I went to bed to do some reading before it was "lights out"!  What a great day!

Today, Thursday, was another warm day, but the sun was in and out!  After doing all of his reading, Ken left to walk with Ernie at 7:20.  I got ready and by 7:50 Noela and I left to meet up with the "boys" part way through their walk.  It was already fairly hot and humid!  I must admit that I realize I am not accustomed to having a morning "schedule" and I am not sure I like that!  No wonder I do not meet my Curvette friends at Planet Fitness on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, because they are there by around 6 - way toooo early for this gal!!!  It did feel good to get my walking in so early in my day, but I really don't like hurrying in the morning - I prefer a relaxed routine!  So, maybe we will plan meeting them about 3 mornings a week.  I am also looking forward to playing pickleball about 3X a week, but only in the evenings!

Ken and I were back by 8:30, ate, and then he left to help unload the trucks and partially set-up for tomorrow's Food Pantry.  I spent that time doing devotions, blogging, and talking to my mother.  I also started to get things ready for the afternoon bike ride.  Ken was back around 11:15, so we ate a light lunch outside and then Ken and Ernie loaded our bikes for our ride on the Venetian Waterway Trail.  

The 4 of us left the CG in Ernie's truck at 12:45 after Ken and I had made salads for tonight and tomorrow night's dinners.  We 1st went to check-out the property in Venice that Ernie and Noela's family that own the horse farm will be renting when they come to Florida the last week of January.  From there we parked in downtown Venice, unloaded the bikes, and went to the Upper Crust for a treat - one of their delicious scones.  We also visited the Tea and Spice Shoppe where Noela purchased some hibiscus flowers to make an herbal tea.

Love these delicious scones!  Ours was dried cherry with
white chocolate!

This is a group of serious scone eaters!

Better take a breather and safe some for
the photographer!

We were on the trail around 2:30 and headed towards Caspersen Beach, but stopping along the way to feed peanuts to the Florida Scrub Jays - what fun!  At one point 3 of them "visited" us.  One sat on Ken's hat for at least a minute, another took a peanut from Ernie, and the 3rd took a peanut from my hand and then sat on my handlebar eating it.  We do this every year and it is so much fun!  

Love the scenery along the trail....

....including the turtles!

Florida scrub jays look a lot like a
blue jay!

Such a brilliant blue!

They certainly aren't scared of humans!

Time for a snack!

The bird whisperer/whistler!!!

Most of the trail is along the intracoastal waterway, but you
have to go around a development through this beautiful
wooded area!

We returned to the truck around 4:15 after riding around 10 miles.  It was a great day for a ride with a great breeze and the sun in and out!  We stopped at Detwiler's Market on our way back to the CG for some fruits and veggies, arriving back there by 5:30.  

Ken and I ate our salads, he showered and I headed to the pickleball courts at 6:30 and played till 7:30, enjoying 3 games.  I played fairly well but definitely have room for improvement especially volleying at the net!  I just need to be more aggressive!

As soon as I got back we went to Ernie and Noela's and spent the evening playing a whole game of Hand and Foot which the women won!  It was a fun time!

Back to Wilbur around 9:30 and I was so happy to shower!  It was off to bed to do some reading after drying my hair.  What a delightful day!!!!

Monday and Tuesday - Welcoming 2019!

Ken and I were up our usual times and did our normal morning routine.  We took a walk around the campground and then I went for a few groceries while Ken continued to get additional steps.

It was another gorgeous, sunny day so we ate lunch outside and then I made a red pepper dip and got a tray together of different types of crackers to have with a cheese ball I had brought from home.  

We left the CG at 2:30, stopping at Detwilers for more fresh fruit.  When we got to Rick and Joyce's, Barb and Frank were already there.  Joyce had reserved their community's clubhouse for the evening, so we headed there and met Skip and Judy.  

The 1st event of the evening was to enjoy a delicious meal together of Joyce's homemade lasagna, garlic bread compliments of Frank, and tossed salad by Judy.  It was a delicious meal.  I provided the snacks for the evening and we each provided our own drinks.  

I had made card tallies as a hostess gift for Joyce and the 8 of us had a great time playing double deck pinochle, changing partners for 7 rounds and having the opportunity to play with everyone throughout the evening.  What fun!  Joyce was the all around winner!

Rick, Joyce, Ken and I headed to Venice Beach at 11:00 to view the fireworks at midnight.  The other 2 couples decided to call it a night and head home.  It was a mild evening on the beach with so many stars and a decent amount of wave action.  One couple launched 3 Chinese lanterns during our time there and they were fun to watch floating through the sky.  

Ken and I were back to the campground by 1:00 after a wonderful New Year's Eve gathering with special friends.  We are so blessed!

It was off to dreamland as soon as we returned!

Today, Tuesday, Ken was up early again, even though we got to bed so late!  I only appeared at 8:30.  Noela had called and she had a chat with Ken.  She and Ernie plan to be here at Harbor Lakes by mid afternoon!

After eating a light breakfast, Ken and I made a phone call to Fred and Doloris to wish him a Happy Belated Birthday (it was yesterday!) and to say Happy New Year!  Then we called Chuck and Melissa, fellow campers and special friends with whom we had camped for over 100 days 2 years in a row!  We had a nice long "visit" via phone and plan to get together at The Villages here in Florida the beginning of April when we leave the campground to head back home.  We always look forward to spending time with them and relive many of the experiences and adventures we have shared!

Ken and I packed our lunches and got ready to go to the beach.  As we were leaving, Jim and Joyce arrived, friends we had met through Ernie and Noela.  After our time here this winter, they will be keeping their 5th wheel at Harbor Lakes permanently!

Ken and I got to Englewood Beach around 12:15 and had to wait for someone to leave to find a parking space - it only took a short time, but there were so many people there.  What a perfect day to be on the beach and hard to imagine that it was New Year's Day!  Ken took a long walk while I enjoyed looking for shark's teeth.  The wave action was perfect today for just walking a short distance and then letting the breaking waves "reveal" the teeth!  What fun!

It doesn't look very crowded, but Ken was walking away from
the main area!

Here you can see some of the many umbrellas!

Ken always did some walking around Englewood and this is
a view of the Intracoastal Waterway!

We did a little reading and by 4:15 we were back to the CG.  We stopped at Ernie and Noela's site where they were already set-up but the job of unloading and finding space for everything had just begun.  We visited for about 1/2 hour and then we were back to Wilbur for showers.  Ken rested while I did my devotions and then made salads for tonight and tomorrow night.  Noela stopped by to let us know that they would be going to bed shortly after dinner as they were so tired.  They did so much driving since leaving Canada on Sunday!

Ken grilled chicken and after cleaning up, we played 3 rounds of Hand and Foot.  I was winning after 2 rounds, but round 3 I didn't get into my foot!!!  So, Ken is now ahead by 1400 points - what is that about!

I worked on this blog and around 9 we headed to bed.  It was another special day!  

Happy New Year's to everyone and may 2019 be a year of good health, joy, peace, happiness, and special moments that create cherished memories!