Tuesday - Cooler Day

The 4 of us did our usual morning walk and we were happy for heavier jackets and gloves.  It was in the low 50's but windy and not too much sun!

Ken spent the morning on the computer and I decided to go shopping, but only for a short time.  We wanted to eat lunch outside, but it was too windy and chilly.

We did some clean-up inside and out and then I painted rocks while Ken read.  We met Ernie and Noela for 2 games of shuffleboard - we each won 1 game!

After dinner, Ernie and Noela came over to play Uno.  I watched my favorite show, New Amsterdam, so I only turned out my light at 11 which is a bit too late for this girl, but I had to watch!!!

Monday - Beautiful Day for a Bike Ride!

The 4 of us did our usual morning walk and by 9:30 Ken and I were on our way to meet Rick and Joyce, stopping at Detwiler's Market on the way.

Upon our arrival, I rode with Joyce and the "boys" rode together (we were taking our bikes) and headed to The Legacy Trail and parked at the trailhead near Costco.  It was a beautiful, sunny day, perfect for a bike ride.  We rode to Laurel Road probably a total of about 12 miles.

This is where we started our ride!

It is a fairly long trail - Caspersan Beach
to Sarasota!

The path to get onto the Legacy Trail - just a very
short ride......

......and here we are!

A nice level and paved trail.  

We are approaching the bridge that goes over Laurel Road
which was just finished recently.  Ken and I had not
seen this bridge previously!

Then the 4 of us went to Costco so Rick and Joyce could "get a feel for the place" and what they had to offer.  They decided to get a membership!

Mug shot time and Rick is distracting Joyce!

What a guy!!!

Back to their house to divide some of the items we had decided to share and by 5:00 Ken and I were back to the CG.  He went to Celebrate Recovery from 7 to 9:15 and I played pickleball at the CG.  Some TV watching (America's Got Talent), rock painting, and then off to bed.  It was another fun day!

Sunday - Football Day!

Well, after some thought and discussion I am going to try to share info on my blog about what we are actually doing each day that is unique to that day and not so much our everyday routine (not so much like a diary).  I want to share and have memories to look back on, but the rest, I have decided, is really not necessary and probably not that interesting to most viewers.  It will be a change for me, but that is my goal.

Today, Sunday, was a church day, breakfast at Denny's, and then back to  the CG where Ken spent from noon to 4 getting our new sun screen "installed" which required some help from Jim and Joyce and a trip to Ace Hardware for some needed bungies, hooks, etc.

The rest of the day was spent watching the play-off football games and not really liking the results.  The Eagles had a great start, but by 1/2 time it was obvious that they really didn't deserve to win.  I did make some greeting cards while watching.

It was lights out around 9:30 after chats with Lanie and my mother!

Saturday - A Positively Gorgeous Day!

Ken was up at 4:45, having trouble going back to sleep.  He woke me at 6:30 after he completed his morning routine.  I did my stretches and got ready for the day.  Ken left at 7:15 to meet Ernie for their walk.

I had time to do most of my devotions before Noela and I left at 7:45 to meet up with the guys.  It was around 53 degrees when we got up and as soon as the sun appeared it warmed up very quickly.  It was a beautiful morning and a great one for Ken to take some photos of the very active birds and the sunrise.

Another gorgeous sunrise!

What an amazing photo of a great blue heron in flight!

A bald eagle in the tree across the lake!

Sharing his tree with his buddy, the great blue heron!

The sun reflecting off the wing of an osprey!

An osprey on his nest!

I'm guessing it is the male and female!

The osprey is ready to take off!

A beautiful clear morning!

Ken is meeting up with Ernie for their walk!

One of the many unique and beautiful palm trees!

Ken took this photo as Noela and I were meeting them for
the remainder of their walk!  It was a bit cool, but we shed
our jackets a little bit later!

These 2 seagulls were fun to watch as they kept circling the
canal, touching their beaks to the water every now and then!

Our resident alligator!

I love how clear the reflections are in the water!

A pelican on the other side of the lake!

A Moorhen Duck!

Another great blue heron!

They seem too big to sit in a tree!

We were back to Wilbur by 8:30 and ate our breakfast outside as it was in the upper 60's.  We packed our lunches and Ken loaded our bikes on Ernie's truck.  The 4 of us left at 10:15 and drove to Oyster Creek Park to do some bike riding and hiking.  This trail is another favorite of the 4 of us because it looks so much like old Florida.  The dirt trail is covered with pine needles and there are so many different types of palm trees and vegetation - very pretty.  We rode to Lemon Bay High School where they were having a craft show on their parking lot.  None of us bought anything, but I loved some sea glass jewelry one of the vendors made.  

Love riding over the bridges along the trail!

Quite a beautiful trail!

The craft market at the Lemon Bay High School!

We got back on our bikes and rode to the Lemon Bay Environmental Center and hiked a trail to see if the bald eagles had returned to their nest.  We were fortunate and got to see the mother and her very young eaglet!  Ken was able to get a great photo of them!  We ate our lunch on a picnic table at the Center and then rode back to Ernie's truck.  We were back to the campground around 2:30 after riding about 5 miles and walking about 2.  It was a great way to exercise.

Then we walked the trails at the Environmental Center!

This eaglet looks so fussy and very young!  Did you know
that a bald eagle does not get a white head until he is
mature - about 5 years old????

I am amazed how clear this photo is because we were at least
50 yards from it!  They had the trail roped off to protect
there nesting!

Oyster shells on the bridge posts!

Riding back to the truck!

Ken rested and I got out my cardmaking supplies.  At 3:45 the 4 of us went to the shuffleboard courts but we did stop at one of the campsites where they had a sunscreen for sale.  It had never been used and was the size we needed for Wilbur's awning, so we bought it.   Now we just have to take the time to put it up!

Shuffleboard went well but the men beat us 75 to 73!  There were many good shots throughout the game.  

Back to Wilbur by 5 to watch the Colts/Chiefs game where they were just beginning the 2nd quarter.  Ken grilled  salmon, steak, and potatoes while I worked on this blog.  

After a delicious dinner it was time to download the photos and finish this blog.  We watched the Cowboys/Rams game and I worked on some cards!  Back to bed around 10:15 where I watched some of the game in bed.  It was a great day!

Friday - Busy Day!

Ken did his morning routine and woke me at 6:30.  Time for my stretches and then getting ready for the day.  Ken had a Skype chat with his mentor back in PA from 7:30 to 8:15.  During that time I did some of my devotions and started breakfast.

After eating and doing dishes, we were on our way to Edgewater Church to help with the Food Pantry.  It was the smallest amount of food we have had since Ken and I started helping here.  Very little fruits, veggies, bread or desserts, which is extremely unusual.  Fortunately there weren't as many clients today!

Ken and I decided not to go to lunch with the volunteers today because we had numerous errands to do.  We wanted to get Valentine and Birthday cards for our family, some gift cards, a outside clothes umbrella for here at the campground (there is already a cemented "receiver in the ground from a previous camper), and a few other items.

We only returned to the campground at 3:30 and we hadn't had lunch.  So, we sat outside eating and then Ken read while I ended up playing a game on my tablet ( a waste of time but sometimes it is just fun!).  We made salads, Ken vacuumed, and we made sure things were in place in Wilbur.    I finished my devotions and worked on this blog.  

At 6:30, Burt and Pat, friends from the Church that we visited at their home in Maine this past summer, arrived to play some Hand and Foot, which is a relatively new game for them, having learned it here in Florida at the end of last winter.  We spent time chatting and then played 2 rounds of Hand and Foot with the men ahead by about 800 points.  I will keep the score sheet and we will continue the game next time we get together!  It was such a nice evening.  I appreciated the beautiful bouquets of lilies they brought.

They left around 9:30 and after cleaning up, we headed to bed to read.  

Thursday - Much Colder Morning and Day!

Ken actually slept in til about 5:45 and did his reading.  I was up at 6:30, did my stretches, and then downloaded photos for the blog.

We did our normal morning walks, meeting up with each other along the way.  It was a rather chilly morning with sunshine but only in the 40's.  Gloves were welcomed!  Ken and I were back by 8:20, ate breakfast, and he left to help at the Food Pantry by 8:45.  I did dishes and then worked on our blog because I had gotten behind!  I also had another nice phone conversation with my friend, Jackie!   I decided to continue my cardmaking today, since all the supplies were everywhere! Noela stopped by to see what I do to make cards and the supplies I have.  I think she was rather amazed by all my stamps, cardstock, etc. and I left most of it at home!

Ken was back by 11 and unfortunately we have very little food for the folks who come to the Food Pantry tomorrow.  Only 1 truck brought items and it was very limited.   Ken and I ate lunch and then he read while I did more cardmaking.  At 3:30 we went to the shuffleboard courts with Ernie and Noela.  The men won the 1st game by a slim margin and then the women won the next 2.  It was so much fun!  

Back to Wilbur and Ken showered while I cut-up onions and peppers to saute with leftover chicken to put on our salads for dinner.  He cooked them while I spent quite a bit of time putting all my cardmaking supplies in the proper storage area.  

Ernie and Noela were here from 7 to 9 and we finished our previous game of Hand and Foot (the men conceded after 3 rounds) and then played 2 rounds of another game with the women in the lead.  I'm starting to feel bad for the men, but not enough to let them win!

We went right to bed to do some reading with lights out by 10:15.  It was a nice relaxing day, but a chilly one for Florida, only in the low 60's!

Wednesday - Partly Sunny Day and a Bit Cooler!

We started the day with our now "normal" morning routine of reading and studying for Ken, stretches and devotions for me, and then doing our walks with Ernie and Noela.  We are enjoying having a routine!

Upon our return, I made flax pancakes for breakfast and we were able to eat outside again.  What a way to start the day!  More time sitting and chatting while I enjoyed my chai.  

There really is a flax pancake under there!!!

We had decided that today would be a "catch up" day and that we wouldn't leave the campground.  Ken was on the computer registering his Civic and then went to Ernie to order some support posts for our awning which are gotten from a company in Canada.  Ken needed Ernie to place the phone call since the folks at the company only speak French.  Long story short, the posts were a lot more expensive than we anticipated, so we decided they weren't a necessity for us.

I did some clean-up and then went on line to order the scrapbook pages I had created for our granddaughters from our camping adventures with them last summer.  I want to send them to the girls for Valentine's Day and order them from Costco.  I discovered that the Costco's in this area do not have photo centers - what a disappointment.  

We ate lunch and then I decided it was time to make some phone calls.  My 1st one was to Jamie.  We had a nice chat and then I asked her if she would please pick-up the scrapbook pages at the Costco in Lancaster and give them to the girls (Lanie's girls too) when I send them their Valentine cards.  That was the best solution I could find and she was happy to do it!  Then I had a long talk with my mother and both she and dad are doing well.  The next call was to my good friend, Jackie, and I had another wonderful time talking with her.  

Then it was time to catch-up on our blog.  Somehow I had gotten a bit behind!  Ken and I worked together making salads for tonight and tomorrow night.  He did more reading and I decided to begin making some greeting cards.  2 young couples recently got married at Edgewater Church and I wanted to make cards for them.  Wow, it is a lot harder getting set-up to make card in Wilbur.  At home everything is in its proper place, but here I have to work out of bins and boxes - not very convenient!

Ken grilled chicken to put on our salads and he did the dishes while I went to the pickleball courts.  The 1st game I played way above my level - it was amazing, but the next 2 games were a different story!  I felt like a totally different player who had trouble keeping the ball in the court!  But, I still had a lot of fun.  

I left by 7:30 and Ken and I went to Ernie and Noela's to play 2 rounds of Hand and Foot.  The women have the lead!  We chatted for a little and were back to Wilbur by 9.  We have decided that when we get together in the evenings, we will part ways by 9 because we get up early to walk about 5 days a week.  Having a routine works the best for Ken and I and I think that is true for Ernie and Noela too!!!