Back at the keyboard...at last!

I had to dust off the keyboard! Can't say I've been all that busy, in truth I just got lazy. Now, I get to play catch-up... and you, my "Blog Friends," better get a glass of your favorite beverage.

Way back in October four lonely Palm Tree Bikers kicked off the '15-'16 biking season at Celebration. Jack, Steve, Jim and I logged over 11miles in the heat. It felt great to be getting back into the routine.

 

Our cousin, Angela and her husband Bob visited and they needed a park fix. We took a tour of the Animal Kingdom Lodge and then headed to the Animal Kingdom Park.

We enjoyed some of the "locals."

I get a kick out of the Fruit bats with dog like heads.

 

This Tiger had to be the "best of show!"

Nope, they're not co-joined twins!

 

 

The "Dapper Dans" put on a great show.

 

It's easy to like the Castle covered in "ice."



I passed this tall quiet man several times while walking our dogs. He struck me as a gentle, soft spoken man who offered lilly a treat. I'd politely turn them down and after the third time we met he remembered we don't give Lilly too many treats. He thought and asked if I'd like to give his dog the treat. Then, one day while reading the Community Newsletter, there was an article about one very brave and one of the most shot-up soldiers in the VietNam war. His story was captivating. At one point he was left behind by his helicopter pilot during a rescue. He had to take cover in the brush as the Viet Cong walked beside him. Once the pilot realized he wasn't on board he headed back, cleared the area and picked him up. After reading the article, I noticed a photo of this man and his wife. it was none other than the soft-spoken gentleman I'd pass while walking our dogs. Colonel Howard Buzz Randall was the guest speaker at the monthly Men's Club meeting. I'm so glad I got to talk to him and listen to his story.

To top off my night a gentleman 94 years old sat next to me at the dinner. Each November is Veteran's month for the Men's Club and the meeting is dedicated to the Veterans. As we introduced ourselves, one of the men asked the elderly gentleman next to me (who happened to be black) what branch he was in. No sooner did Dan reply, "the Air Force" the questioner responded with, "you'r a Tuckegee Pilot!" http://tuskegeeairmen.org/ What a night. I sat next to and listened to two incredible American hero's.

 

Over Thanksgiving our Greatniece Ashley visited with us... and time wasn't about to stand still!

 

Angela and Bob and Darlene and Buzz joined us for Thanksgiving. What a great day.

 

Just because dinner took the better part of the day it doesn't mean Ashley takes a break!

Below she demonstrates a few of her Hula Hoop skills.

 

Ashley was determined to hike Juniper Springs National Park. We planned to head to Juniper Springs on Saturday. However, I mentioned that we have our very own Lake Louisa State Park just down the road from us...! Well, we had to do that hike as well.

Lake Louisa State Park https://www.floridastateparks.org/park/lake-louisa

It was neat to see all the cactus growing wild in the park.

Ashley couldn't get enough of the Floridian forest growth.

Ashley is in her element, the great outdoors.

Sorry to say we never did see much in the way of the wildlife.

A bat house.

This is it! The only critter we saw, and he wasn't in any hurry either.

Ah the growth to explore.

Lake Louisa and its "dark water."

...and it's pretty big! Looking west.

Looking North.

Looking east.

 OK that's enough walking!

 

Hey, there's still some daylight... let's go to EPCOT!

Ashley, Pat and I and Darlene and Buzz squeezed into the Rav4 and off we went.



Let's sample some beer!

It just happened to be the time for the "Candelight Processional."

We hugged the back of the theater and managed to see the entire show pretty well. It was packed.

To top it off Gary Sinise was the guest speaker. What a treat. (Sorry his face is bleached out by the lights but it's him.)

As we left the theater another show began in Morroco. Their set was one song and lots of dancing. It turned out to be really entertaining.

 

 

As we made our way "around the world," we happened upon another show....

The British Revolution! I believe they have two new members and I think they were even better than before.

We closed our "World" visit in fine fashion with the help of the Christmas (extra) fireworks show!

 

At last, Ashley had heard about Juniper Springs from a friend up north and she was on a mission to see what this park has to offer. http://www.juniper-springs.com/

The hiking trails are very short (just over a mile) however there was lots to see (except wildlife, grrrr). The Creek was crystal clear and cold.

It was great walking on an elevated boardwalk. The vegatation was thick and what you'd expect in the south.

It's difficult to see, but the photo below is of what they call "bubblers." In the center of the photo you can make out the sand turbulance caused by deep springs bubbling up to the surface.

Aha, wildlife!

...and more!

Ashley just couldn't resist a dip in the spring fed pool of the Juniper Springs Recreation Area.

Yep, it was cold!

 

 At last, I get to ride with the group! Before we can go anywhere we have to resolve the most pressing issue... where do we want to eat!

Most riders opted for the Columbian Restaurant while seven "loyalists" wanted to go to the Town Tavern.

 

We make last minute decisions.

Then it's rendevous at the sidewalk just at the edge of the center of town.

While waiting for everyone to gather we get to say hi to those new and just returning.

 

We make it to our first "pit stop" and Joan asked a simple question, "Can someone adjust my seat a little higher?" Well, it started out simply enough with just husband Pete maning the task.

Then, came the suggestions sprinkled in with a little guidance.

...then a couple more hands....

...then a little more help...

...and finally, Joan can sit a little taller in her seat!

 

 

Time to plan our lunch! Jim offered plans for next weeks ride at Fort Wilderness. As we're entering Disney World's busiest time we need to make reservations at Trail's End or we may not even be allowed in the campground. 

With all our plans and questions satisfied we break into our two groups. First the "Fast Group" headed out.

 

Then, the (renamed slow group) "Easy Riders" (to be a bit more PC) headed out. Interestingly, the "Easy Riders" were only minutes behind the "Fast Group) at the end of the ride. The "Fast Group" rode just over 11 miles. The "Easy Riders" rode just over 9 miles. 

 

We had a young deer check us out at one of the turns on the boardwalk but unfortunately it got away from my camera!

 

 

 

 

So, I'll take the liberty to "ad-lib!"

 

Stop me if you've seen these before!

Lets take a little excursion back in time shall we? Can you guess the year the five photos below were taken?

Here's your first hint; It's right in front of you!

 

 

 OK, what year were these two photos taken?

Here's your second hint, You might have to "hunt" for the answer.

 

I know, I have the upper hand in this case. But that's the fun of being in charge of the Blog!

 And for the record, Jim and Judy are back! Jack is due in next week. It's finally here!

 

The "Snowbirds" are returning!

Look and empty nest.....

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Aha, they're on their way....

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I guess some of them must've stopped along the way!

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At least some of them are here....

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Ahhhh, now that's more like it!

 

Getting Ready for the "wave!"

It's October and suddenly there's a change in the air. (Well, at least for a couple of days!) I actually put on a sweater for Lilly's walk this morning.... and it feels terrific. I can also hear the grumbling from up north as the "snowbirds" begin their annual migration south. Packing, planning and making the house ready for the winter. What's the weather going to be next week? That's all the fun of heading south. Ahhhh, but its all worth it when you feel the warmth of the sun and all the cleaning you have to do to your rig once you get here!

All of you up north may have heard all about the construction, the new homes/communities being built, etc. But, seeing it is another story. Take our last community, Citrus Highlands for one. Eighty-two new single family homes and they're all sold. Most homes are occupied currently and you can imagine the changes to the community. To put it mildly, we got out just in time! Kids coming and going to school and playing just about everywhere. Cars? You can figure two per home, a motorcycle and/or golf cart, you can imagine what's happened to the once quiet street we lived on. And, yes, there are all kinds of issues popping up! The new section (Phase two) is NOT a golf cart community and they are not allowed on our street. Lots of fast driving in and out of the community! It's sad to say the least.

Here's something you may have already heard about! Guess who's coming to Rt. 192?

 

DownTown Disney is now Officially known as Disney Springs! Since you've been away you will not believe the changes that have taken place. The photos below are from the new parking garage.

The first photo looking toward the second new parking garage. Planet Hollywood is to be re-imagined soon.

The photo taken from the 4th floor of the parking garage is looking toward the new Disney Bus lot and the second parking lot (1/2 the size of the first one). You also get a glimpse of the latest Disney Springs large buildings well under construction.

It appears there will only be three entrances to Disney Springs. The main one below across the street from Team Disney. One at the entrance to the second parking garage and the West Side by Cirque.

They recently opened the main pedestrian overhead walkway also at the entrance to Team Disney. The other one at Market Place will be opening very soon.

The parking garages are pretty good. They have green lights above any open parking spaces on each floor with an a digital read out telling how many spaces are in a row. They have elevators and escalators. Enjoy!

 

I just had to include a Flippers "My Pie" for those of you hankering for your "Flippers fix!"

 

It won't be long now! Sun setting lower in the southern sky, temperatures edging (painfully slowly) downward and "snowbirds" packing up to head south!

 

The only thing we need now are the holidays!

 

 

Wait a minute..........

 

I walked into Walmart the other day and went from 98' and brutal humidity to this......

 

Can we slow down just a bit!!!!

What a past few weeks!

Hi everyone, we've had a crazy past few weeks. First off, a small rubber wheel chock flew off of a landscaper's trailer as we were traveling south on Rt. 27. The guy was passing us and just as he got about four feet ahead of us in the passing lane this thing came off his trailer bounced up from the road, graze the top of our left headlight, bounced on the hood and flew over the car. The guy behind us did a "quick dance" and swerved out of its way.

We got the guy to pull over and we passed papers. At first, the only damage I could see was a three inch dent on the front top of the hood right on a "soft" body line. I won't bore you with all the details but I will say we learned a good lesson and thankfully no one got hurt. We figured because it was clear the thing came off his trailer. We didn't bother to call a cop! From now on we WILL ALWAYS CALL A COP if we have an accident! The kid driving was the brother of the owner of the company. We leave the scene and go to Corpus Christi Church as we planned. When we get to the church we were early so Pat called our insurance company to do some follow-up. In the mean time I go out to take a better look at things. I just barely saw a series of scratches at the top of the headlight lens. They ran roughly 1" vertical and just about 6" in width. OK, I figure they can be buffed out... then I see it. There was a broken piece of the interior of the headlight assembly laying on the bottom of the assembly. Oh man! Headlamp assemblies can run between three to four (or more) hundred dollars to replace them. I call the number I was given by the driver at the scene and leave a message. I got a call back about eight minutes later. The owner returned my call. He goes bonkers because he hadn't heard about the accident and the first thing he asked me was where's the accident report. Right off the bat he thinks I'm going after something already broken and want him to pay for it! After I left the message, he called his brother to find out what's going on. So now this guy is rippin' because he heard about the accident from me not his brother. He called his brother before he called me back and his brother tells him the only damage everyone saw was a tiny dent on the hood! So now the guy is only willing to cover the dent and he tells me he's not responsible for the headlight because there was NO report by the police, etc.

It took almost two weeks to iron this out and we had it all planned. I repeatedly asked him how he wants to settle this. We had a good case and our insurance company was ready to take this guy on. After several contentious phone calls, I simply said I'm not going to argue, we're just going to let our insurance company deal with your insurance. That rang a bell for the guy. He asked to give him the day and he'd get back to us. Later that day I got a call from a professional sounding young lady who said she is an elementary school teacher and works for this landscaping company taking care of his books, etc. We had a very cordial discussion and I gave her every detail I could. She said they will discuss all this and get back to us the next day. She called as she said she would and said they will be paying for the repairs. Personally, I think this guy would have paid through the nose if we went through our insurance company. The repairs cost over $836.00. We made sure the repair shop had the amount to cover the repairs prior to bringing in the car.

The dent is very difficult to see. Here's a photo of the left headlight assembly. You can just barely see the scratches at the top middle of the clear lens. At the inside bottom of the light (the black area) you can see the broken piece. If the lens had cracked it would have easily been seen. Even the Techs working on the car saw the replacement headlamp assembly and wondered why it was being replaced. Their adjuster let them try to find out why it was being replaced. Even they couldn't see how the light was broken!

I'm happy to report we got our RAV4 back from the repair shop today. You can bet we'll be staying clear of trucks towing open trailers and big rigs from now on! And, the first thing we'll do if we have an accident is call the police!

 

Ok, dealt with that issue... then just last week I was working on the laptop cutting and pasting stuff and suddenly the screen froze and I hear this tick, tick, tick, tick from the laptop. Ah, what was that???? I restart the laptop, the screen goes to a black screen with a blinking cursor in the top left of the screen. The hard drive crashed! It was gone! That's it! Kaput! Zip, Nada! I thought, OMG, what about all our files and photos OH NO! You may recall our trip north recently? While using our laptop at Bill and Angela's I noticed the laptop fan was blowing air that seemed hotter than usual. I began thinking I don't recall air coming out of the vent fans that warm. My mind began to think seriously about the external hard drive I'd like to buy for backing up our files, etc. While in New Hampshire I asked Pat about buying the 4TB back up drive I had been thinking about a few months ago. There's no Sales Tax in NH so that might be worth our while to get it there, we did! Once we got to Bill and Angela's I tried it out and it just didn't seem like it was working like it should. I managed to back up my Documents and then my photos but it just didn't seem to be working for a full backup. What the heck, I'll do that when we get home. Once home I tried to back up all our stuff. I let it work and eventually I noticed that indeed it was actually working. Great! A week later our laptop died!

Moral of the story is back up your PC/MAC as often as you can! It took me several days to see that I did save all our files/photos and get the new laptop up and running. To top it all off, a few of the files and even our old printer didn't work on the new system (Windows 10). Ugh! Out we went for a new printer!

I guess we're kinda tired! Tired of spending money!

 

At least Pat got to paint the entry way hutch that she's been wanting to paint!

Great job, huh!

 

The photo below is a front that was moving east to west over our house at sunset!

 

You didn't think I gave up on Flippers did you! The Flippers wait staff are getting to know us by name.

 

OK Campers, where's the Hidden Mickey?

 

Will this view help?