After we finished packing and had breakfast, Ken loaded the car and by 8 we were on our way to The Villages to spend time with Chuck and Melissa, our special camping friends that we did so much traveling with over the years! I had a great conversation with Jamie on the way and she said Cali, with her OCD, is at the best "place" she has been for years - hallelujah! Due to a 25 minute slow down on I-75, we only arrived at their home around 11:15. What a happy reunion!
We spent a lot of time sitting and "catching up" on our lives over the past 6 months. We had a lot to share! After lunch, we decided to take a drive to the newest area in The Villages to see what had been completed since our last visit and to take a short walk on a new walking/bike path - so beautiful. When we returned to their home, we had lasagna and salad for dinner, compliments of Melissa and it was positively delicious. We played Pinochle all evening with the women winning 2 out of 3 games. We taught them Pinochle about 5 years ago and we are their only friends who know how to play, so that is one of the games we always play when we get together. This day was a special one!
Tuesday morning we met on their front patio for coffee/chai and some more conversation. After breakfast, we drove to the nearby shuffleboard courts and played 2 games which were both won by the men. On to the neighboring bocce courts where the men won again, but it was a close game. We headed into the clubhouse where we played 2 games of pool and Chuck and Melissa won both of them.
It was now 1:30 and we were all hungry so we drove to McAllisters for delicious salads. It was their anniversary and they had 30 cent ice teas, a great treat for Ken. (Actually, all of us enjoyed that drink!). We went back to their home, showered, and then spent about 1 1/2 hours watching all the photos Melissa had taken during our trip out west in 2015. We viewed them on their 75" TV and the photos from the National Parks where amazing. What an awesome trip we were able to share with them and watching the photos together brought back so many wonderful memories and we remembered different things about the many locations we visited.
We spent the rest of the evening playing the Canadian board game, Tock. We had played it with them back in April when we visited, but we definitely needed a refresher course! It is a fun game with some luck, but also quite a bit of strategy. We played 2 games and we each one 1. Another fun day with Chuck and Melissa!
Wednesday morning we enjoyed our beverages in their lanai area and then moved to the LR to watch more photos of the last 4 places we visited on that 2015 western adventure. We particularly were amazed about our hike up Angel's Landing in Zion National Park. We are all surprised we actually did it and agreed that 1X was enough! We decided to stay in and played more games until our departure around 1:30. I was having trouble with my hip and Chuck just finished PT for his knee, and it does not appear to have helped. He is scheduled to see the Dr. again in the near future. So, we played a game of Pinochle (women won!) and then Skip-Bo which was another victory for the women. We ended these 3 days with the women winning 6 games and the men 5! We ate a quick lunch and Ken and I were on our way back to Port Charlotte by 1:30 after a very special time with wonderful friends! The good-byes were a bit easier than sometimes because we will get together again in the New Year!
We were back to our condo by 4:15 and about 4 packages had arrived from Amazon. After unloading and unpacking, Ken and I worked together to hang the rod and new curtains in the guest BR, and then hung the photo canvas print we had bought for above our bed! We had a light dinner and then we read and watched a little TV. We were in bed by 9:30!
I talked to Cindy while we were driving and they are going to be in Venice at Royal Coachman campground this Thursday instead of the weekend. We will be so happy to see them and spent time together. Glad they will be arriving earlier than planned.
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