A Marathon a Bike Ride, and lots of catching up!

Wow, time is flying and I'm fumbling to keep up with our "weekly" blog! To top it off, Lilly is on my case as well. I'm finding it too easy to sit down and "kick back" rather than do my "homework." I think Lilly is catching on to that idea as well. She loves to "cuddle" with any person sitting idle. I'm sure she'll have something to say about it too.

The Disney Princess Marathon weekend was (now) a couple of weeks ago. And guess who ran one of the races.... oh, you heard eh. Well, did you know that Judy's daughter and her three granddaughters did as well? "Team Printy" was in full force.

Below, from left to right, Judy, Elle age 8, Stacia age 13, Hanna age 11 and Gretchen. Judy adds that the race was filled with laughter and fun. The team ran through World Showcase as the hit song "Let It Go" from Frozen was played in the language of the country as they made their way "around the World."

The unsung hero of the day was Jim. (I heard this year, Jim was quietly running his own training program so he could keep one step ahead of his team. The "hits" of oxygen gave him the lift he needed to catch Team Printy at various check points along the route.) We give a huge shout-out to Jim and Judy, Gretchen, Hanna, Stacia and Elle for accepting and taking on the Princess challenge.
Who knows, Team Printy may even be represented by additional family members. Congratulations and keep on running.... together!

 

The next week our Marathoner, Judy hit the bike trail with the Palm Tree Bikers... the Van Fleet Trail as a matter of fact. My "gumshoes" tell me that a handful of Pirates (oops, riders) headed to another trail. There must be something about that Van Fleet Trail! We all know the "fast" riders love the Van Fleet. (Their secret is.... once they get out ahead of the pack they just slack off and then they can say they were pushing 15 to 16mph!!!)  Sixteen riders enjoyed the Van Fleet. Jack "claimed" he saw a very large black snake on the side of the trail. By the time Jack gathered everyone around to back up his claim it slithered away. BUT, I have the proof!

I think I'm going to leave the snakes here in Florida to Jack!

 

Alas, the riders "hunted" three gators in the stream. It appears it was a "family" of gators. one approaching 7', another about 2' and a baby with spots. Jim nearly lost control of his bike while counting the 9 sand tortoises he saw buried in their holes. Ed was doing his best to watch for wild boars. He reported one in the trees. (By now we're all beginning to wonder about these unconfirmed accounts of wild animals!!! Hmmmmmm!)

Will this one do?

 

With all that talk about animals and such, where do you think everyone headed for lunch? (Well, except for the "Pirates.") Of course they went to...."Gators!"

Everyone had lots to talk about. My guess is there probably were a few "tall tales" this ride!

I too have noticed a few "wild things" making their presence known. While walking Lilly one evening, I heard a couple of bird calls that sounded eerily familiar. I caught sight of two or more Osprey in the trees. Something was up because they were flying about staying within a few house lots area. I couldn't tell if it was a nesting chicks, or food issue but they were "on watch."
Then, I spied this beauty in a tree near our home....

Trying to make sure this guy wasn't keeping an eye on Lilly I took the photo one handed. A little movement in the photo but I got the shot!

In other news. We're beginning to hear more than a few grumblings about "heading home" from our "snowbirds." We have but one more "official" PTB party. Heck, I urge anyone thinking about heading north to reconsider your decision. Anyone from New England will more than likely have snow on the ground until late May! Even the trees don't bloom until May anyway!

If anyone is following along with the move Pat and I made last summer, you know our decision to move stemmed from selling our camper. However, our decision was firmed up when we learned that 82 single family "Express" homes were going to be built in Phase Two of Citrus Highlands (an RV community). "Express" homes are homes the builder keeps the price down by not offering any upgrades to the buyers. What you see is what you get.
Well, the street behind the house we owned in Citrus Highlands is nearly filled with those homes. Residents on our street were rapidly fencing their back yards because you can bet kids and some adults would rather cut through properties than walk the long way around via the streets. That meant the view from our 30' X10' lanai would go from looking at a pond with gators to a six foot white fence! As Citrus Highlands residents we all knew the unfinished Phase two would be sold off. We hoped for more RV port homes but that wasn't to be and so we made a good decision.
Here's what the back of our Citrus Highlands home looks like now.....

Above, the light green house and lanai in the background was our house. You can see the white fence the new owner installed.

 

Below is the view looking down the street from behind our old home, and there's another cul-de-sac to go! 

Families are already moving in and the complaints are growing; speeding cars, kids and school bus issues. To boot, the new Phase Two has NO clubhouse or pool and are not allowed to use the Phase One clubhouse or pool. The builder wouldn't even consider using an empty lot or two to provide the new residents with either of those amenities. Phase One residents are taking steps to secure their clubhouse and pool area.

 

We think we made the right decision at the right time!