What Just Happened?

Wait, did I miss something? .......Like a week or two! Oh, I remember, I worked a lot last week. Yeah, that's a good excuse. Anyway, here's what's been going on. We had a couple of bike rides, (one I missed due to work) a great PTB party, some hot-rods and a PTB lunch with a few thoughts on Lilly! Topping this news off, our last "official" bike ride is March 30th.

I know, its hard to believe but the talk everyone's been having about heading home is coming to a close. All their plans are made and the month of April "puts the ball in motion!" Many of our winter friends will be heading back during the first week of April. By the end of April everyone  should be home...watching the remaining snow banks wither into streaks of sand, salt and dirt on the ground.

On with the blog......

 



Tim, a friend and "car guy" I work with invited me to see the "hot rods"  that were getting together on Rt. 27, north of Rt. 50 in Minneola just north of Clermont, FL. With a DJ playing "oldies" and the owners of these awesome machines enjoying showing off their "pride and joy," Lilly and I enjoyed checking things out.

 

Below is Pat's favorite "oldie!"

 I'm kinda partial to the '55 Chevy.

 This is Tim's Mustang.

 I think Pat misses her '65 Camaro!

 Oh look, there's a "For Sale" sign on it!

 

Too bad, we had to go............ We have a party to go to!

 

The PTBs had our final party!

 

I'll let the photos speak for themselves!

We started off with grace.





 Then hit the tables!

Our very own "Activities Director" Larry, emptied his camper bays and set the field for some serious competition and called out......"Let the Games Begin!

We learned today that Judy ran the Clermont 5k "Pig on the Pond BBQ" Marathon... and WON!

Congratulations Judy!

The winning "trophy" is a wine bottle holder with a neat sliding cover.

(Sorry, no wine in the box... instead (as you might expect from a BBQ contest) a bottle of BBQ sauce!)

Judy asked Sandy (an avid walker) to enter while the other three in Judy's photo had already signed up.

Congratulations to one and all!

Thanks to Judy, here's a photo of our runners. (I think Jim is her Official Photographer.)

Left to Right; Judy, Sandy, Barbara, Joann and Kathy (in the front).

 

 The weather was just right. We were also very lucky to enjoy some shade as the sun heated up the day nicely.

 

And the "kids" continued their games!

 

 It really wasn't this cold.

 

To top it off, the next day we had Bill and Angela and Buzz and Darlene over for lunch....and a yummy cake!

 

Then, the very next weekend they all showed up to our house again with another cake!!!

I finally caught on as to why all the cake!

 

Ah, life is good! One more year before I hit the big 7 0! Gulp!

How can the years go by so quickly. Above is my Mom, Dad, big brother Bob and yours truly in front of my Mom.

 

Due to rain, we all missed the bike ride this week! But not our lunch!

 Miller's Ale House was perfect for a rainy day.

If figures, no one wants their picture taken at my table!

 

I'll beat Lilly to the "punch" (so to speak) and add my 2cents worth for her....

She "studies" everything!

She's always alert for squirrels and lizards.

 

 Here's a first for her. She and I headed to the Minneola fenced in dog run.

No leash, she didn't know what to do.

 She's getting the idea of how this works.

She met a few doggie friends and got to check out lots of new smells.

But, I think she liked having her leash back on!

 

I think Lilly likes her walks around the neighborhood better.

You can tell, she's smiling! Or does that mean she's hot?

 

What's that you say? No "zinger" this post?

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Yee of little faith!

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After the party Larry took off with a few of his buddies to "take it to the streets!"

 

EPCOT and a Bike Ride

Off we go....  but first, Lilly and I headed out to Best Friends Pet Care. I think Lilly's got something going there. The first girl to register us says she remembers Lilly, so I tell her that's great, Lilly loves to be pampered and handled (with a smile). So, she offered to "pay attention" to her as she passes by her kennel.

Once Lilly was cared for, its off to EPOCT! Getting in the parks with our friends is always a treat.
I'll let you figure out who's who. In the photo are Pat, Angela, Bill, Buz, Darlene and Martie. Bill is there, but you really have to search for him!

 

We needed lunch so we checked out Italy... naw... how 'bout Germany? Excellent choice. But first we had to pass by the latest center of attraction, Elsa and Ana...

 

We walk slowly and drink in all the colorful flowers.

 

Angela and Darlene enjoy taking the time to "smell the roses" so to speak. I can't tell who the person is seated next to Angela. Hmmmmm, good question!

 

Darlene was on a mission none of us knew about. You may remember, Darlene checked out a great looking red hat on our last visit to the Magic Kingdom. She lit up when she saw "Mouse Gear" so we had to check to see if they had the same hat.

See how Darlene "gets by with a little help from her friends!" Here, pick mine, hey pick mine, how about mine, what about mine!

Angela said, "never mind, I'll take my own!"


Once on our way, (oh, Darlene did eventually buy her red hat!) Bill thought he found the perfect hat for Darlene...

 

The Mexican Mariachi Band. (I'm kinda partial to the trumpeter. I used to play the trumpet. Everyone was right, I should have kept up with my music lessons!)

 

We watched the Globe Captain gently glide the platform into his staging area.

It was great to watch him nudge this against the dock.

 

Hey! Lets eat!

We waited just a few minutes and were escorted into the Biergarten.

The awesome German band was performing a set and it was LOUD!

We expected it to be loud we just weren't prepared to have to talk over their performance with the waitress. That made it all the more fun!

 

Once again I felt a tug of the ole heart strings when I heard them playing the Swiss horns....

This ensemble was extremely talented. We enjoyed the food, music and yes even the loudness of our lunch.

 

We all ate too much but it was worth it.

 

Moving on, we were drawn toward the sound of drumming... the Japanese Taiko Drummers.

What a pleasant surprise, they were all women for a change. And, they were good.

 

 

 

 

We finally got to see "Captain EO."

Even though the show is aging, it was a enjoyable to see.

 

Of course we closed the night with "Illuminations, Reflections of Earth."

We enjoy it every time we see it.

 

Oh, and you bet Lilly was pulling at the leash when she was brought out to us at the end of the evening.

 

 

I guess I can rest now that the evening is over!

We're not done yet! We have a bike ride to talk about.

 

Biking around the Wilderness.

We start out from the parking lot and make our plans. Where do you want to eat? I don't know where do you want to eat? Who do you want to ride with? I don't know who do you want to ride with?

Who's in the fast group?  I don't know. Who's in the slow group? I don't know!

Jim say's I'm heading out! Now, decisions have to be made. Then, Pete move's to the front and you know what.... everybody followed one or the other of them!

 

Our group, the other, slower, picture takers, people talkers group had a pit stop at the Wilderness Lodge. Actually, I think it was all the water we drank before heading out!

 

Then comes the obligatory boat ride. "Please remain seated with hands, arms and legs inside the boat at all times!"

 

Judy started another "did you see it" moment. She reports that this deer just stood there for her to take a photo of it. Once again I don't think anyone confirmed the sighting.

 

Judy didn't see all of what she was actually taking a photo of. For all you "unbelievers," I took the liberty of removing all their "camouflage" so you can see what she really took a photo of.....

The next time Judy says she sees something don't poke fun at her!

 

The next photo (taken by Jim) is self-explanatory!

 

....And that's all I'm going to say about that!

 

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!