The hurrier I go the behinder I get!

Three weeks since our last post. Time is flying. Friends are returning home, the Atlanta Braves Spring Training is nearly over, we've had guests visit and toss in a healthy dose of work shifts. There, I've have all my excuses out of the way.

Jim and Judy left two weeks ago but not to go home. They headed to Colorado for several weeks of skiing with the family. Do ya think they would've selected a warmer place. Considering they left here it was in the eighties, they hit the mountains with snow and winter clothes. Today just before we headed to Winter Garden for our next to last "organized" bike ride, Joan told us of the phone call she received from Judy and Jim. If you can believe this, they were sitting outside with light clothes enjoying the warm temps (mid 60's). Sure, they'll come up with anything to stave off the guilt of leaving! Kidding aside, they're having an awesome time and sharing it with their family and everyone here wishes them well and miss them.

Our biking friend Jack, had never been to Sweet Tomatoes so we headed there for lunch. To kill some time, I asked Jack if he has ever toured Dinsey's Animal Kingdon Lodge. Having never seen it he thought that would be a great take. So off we went. We were treated to a very special surprise. It just so happened to be feeding time and they brought some very special guests up close to the resort viewing area....

That turned out to be a great "spirit of the moment" experience.

Pat and I enjoyed a couple days with our friends Ed and Sandy. We visited the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex. Ed works for the New England Patriots so he felt right at home at the Sports complex.

They got to see another side of "Mickey."

From there we headed over to the Animal Kingdom Lodge.

Although our time together was brief we had a great time. We hope to connect with them in Massachusetts this summer.

Then, our best friends, George and Judy flew in for a week. Just off the plane and heading home we talked them into eating at the "Earl of Sandwich" in DownTown Disney. (I think they got the idea right then and there they were in for a busy week!)

We spent a day at the Magic Kingdom and it was hot. The sun zapped every one's energy so we backed it down a notch and simply kicked back and enjoyed each other's company. While visiting the Magic Kingdom, you'll never guess where we had lunch... at the Wave. And, you'll never guess what we had for lunch... Reuben, Reuben..... oh you've heard that before!

We did drag our "gang" to EPCOT however. (That is George and Judy, Bill and Angela, Buzz and Darlene and Pat and I.) We made a bee-line to "Soarin."

They loved it! We used Darlene's special "Fast Pass" and got to ride two times that day.

We didn't do everything but we spent nearly the entire day there eventually closing the park with the "Illuminations, Reflections of Earth" finale.

Believe it or not I didn't take a lot of photos while they were here, George did.

The parks were packed. Spring Break was in full swing. I ended up working a few of the days they were here so Pat became their "tour guide" and they had a great time.

We're looking forward to their return in the future but we'll be sure to pick a less busy time of the year.

Working at Wide World of Sports for the Braves Spring Training has cut in to our weekly bike rides for me. Well  I made it today.

It turns out that Pete announced that next week will be the last "organized" bike ride. (I guess after that we'll just have to have "disorganized" bike rides!)

Our group, dressed in uniform, formed up at the Winter Garden parking lot for the last time this season to ride the West Orange Trail.

We reserved twenty-five seats at the Winter Garden Pizza Company and headed out.

Here's a "stitched" photo of all of us at our "pit stop"...

(Hint, if you click on it you can view it larger. Also, if you're really good, can you pick out who made it into the photo two times!)

(While taking the photo, one of our members walked into another frame of the picture.

I'll give you the answer in my next post.)

We enjoyed a relaxed lunch and bid farewell to Ray and Rose who will be headed out in a few days.

I guess its that time of the year. Lately, it seems the topic of conversation is more and more about the dates our friends will be packing up and heading for home... and less about making plans to go here or there and where to have lunch!

We're heading into the beginning of the annual "snowbird" migration....

.

.

.

.

.

"Wagon's Hooooooooo!"

.

.

.

.

.

But I don't want to leave!

Listen, do you hear it? The faint sighs and tentative sniffles of a few of our friends actually talking about heading north! Take for example, Jim and Judy. In less than a week they're headed to Colorado to go (are you ready for this) skiing! They'll be driving so they'll get to see the seasons change on a daily basis. Talk about going from one extreme to another.

Then last week we mentioned Ray and Rose bought a new home just down the street from Lake Magic Resort, and they're talking about heading north as well. Around the camp ground you hear others already setting dates to return home. Geesh, it was just yesterday that everyone settled in for the winter!

But have no fear. Things are going along nicely in spite of those few making plans to leave. The Atlanta Braves are here for Spring Training, school vacations will mean more visitors and the EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival will be in full swing tomorrow. http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/parks/epcot/special-events/epcot-international-flower-and-garden-festival/ We can look forward to the Flower Power Concert Series. We'll all miss Davey Jones this year.

However, we did a few things this past week to talk about. Pat and I got to see a few characters "hangin' around...

Leave it to the Disney "Imagineers" to make you look up at the ceilings inside Disney University.

It was a great morning to walk around the Magic Kingdom. It was March 1st and we think most of the people who (literally) spent the night (Feb. 29th, 24 hours of Magic Kingdom) had enough.

From there we picked up Bill (Angela had to work) and we headed to one of our (other) favorite lunch stops, The Earl of Sandwich. This was Bill's first time this year for him to enjoy one of his favorite sandwiches at The Earl of Sandwich. (Don't ya hate it when work gets in the way of your retirement!)

Before leaving to see if we can connect with Angela over at ESPN Wide World of Sports, we stopped in to see the resident baseball bat maker at Team Disney (and our free Ghirardelli chocolate sample). We were impressed with his talent. So wasn't this little boy. When the bat was finished he brought it out for us to see and I think it make this kid's day.

We did bump into Angela and she told us about these "giant" multi-legged insects she had to walk around as she did her rounds. Oh they were dead. Angela says she can clean-up just about anything, but she doesn't do bugs!

Then it was time for another Palm Tree Biker Social!

Once again we headed to Jim and Judy's site and Larry set up the "Corn-hole" game.

Larry coerced some of the attendees to try their hand at tossing the bean bags in competition.

Rather than write out all the specifics, I'm going to let the photos tell the story....

Remember, they say a picture is worth a thousand word. Here are a couple of photos of the winners....

First, Larry's "winners dance" worth a thousand words.....

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Then, Peter's "winners dance" also worth a thousand words...

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

and finally, this stitched photo says it all...

.

.

.

.

.

.

We ate so many goodies, Monday couldn't come fast enough so we can burn off our "guilt!"

I know, this picture looks like all the others we've taken on the West Orange Trail.

So, how's this one....

Thank you Kathy and Joepy!

....of course the guys have to solve all the "world's problems."

Then, it's off to Killarny Station...

...and the obligatory rest!

Then we got to watch Ed install  his new handle bar bag...

.

.

...and install...

.

.

.

.

...and install...

.

.

...and work at it he did. 

One of our fellow riders was the first to come to Ed's aid. Bill and I almost got up to add our two cents and four hands!

(It's a good thing there were only two straps holding the bag on.)

Everyone made it back albeit some of us were more than close to our limit of the ride! Of course we headed for lunch and, no no one had any trouble making it to lunch. It's that burst of energy you get when you know you're headed for something you really enjoy.

Along the way I spied our friend the Osprey who nests in the water tower. You may remember this fine feathered friend from an older blog. Well, this time our friend gave us a striking pose.....

Yep, that's him (or her) on the fence of the water tower.

Here's a better look....

Awesome!

Then of course, lunch!

Twenty-eight of us took over the "back room" and two large booths of the Winter Garden Pizza Company.

And that's how our week has been. 

It's no wonder time is flying by!

Let's leave you with this....

...the most expensive bicycle...

You can read more about this $500,000 bike and a few others at: http://most-expensive.net/bicycle

They Came, They Conqured, They Went Home!

The "kids" that is! Their vacation was a blur. "Little" Bill, Dawn, Cody, Jordan and Chase are home "recuperating" from their romp around central Florida. Bill and Angela (alias "Ma" and "Pa") did their best to see to it the kids filled their time with productive activities and everything Disney. The kids did their best to keep everyone updated on Facebook on a daily basis.

Friday morning was here all too soon. Dawn was on a mission. The drive to Maine is not one to be taken lightly... especially with three youngin's in the back seat. I thought I heard, "are we there yet?" as they were leaving our driveway... and that was Dawn!

But, they're all leaving with many terrific memories; Cody and his homework, Chase and his lobster and a nasty fall in the "Bone Yard" and Jordan got to drag the gang to Dino Land! I'm just kidding. They had a blast and even got to jump in the pool a few times over the course of their stay. I'm sure they'll all have lots to tell their friends and classmates for sometime.

Here's one awesome picture. From left to right "Pa", "Ma", Cody, "Little" Bill, Jordan, Chase, Dawn, Ashley and Brittany. Together they met up at DownTown Disney for a day to "decompress." By now just about the entire world has seen this photo, it made Facebook about two hours after it was taken.

The kids gave away their "secret" identities! (And boy, they're not too far off!)

Of course it finally got to Angela...

The final day was set aside for Disney's Animal Kingdom.

They took in a couple of shows and here we catch them getting ready to finish out their stay...

Notice the straight faces!

But then, the ride got the better of them....

Of course this was the final day here and the last of their "fling" so it was time for that last photo....

....ain't they just "angels!"

(I think Dawn will be bringing her camera the next trip. She tried nearly a couple of dozen takes in vain to get this photo with her phone. So, here it is Dawn!)

They made it home in two days with one stop-over in NJ. We're all glad they had an outstanding time and a safe ride home.

In other news, the "Palm Tree Bikers" cancelled their ride yesterday due to a rain threat but not their lunch at "Miller's Ale House." Go figure!

 My "spies" tell me the Ale House was buzzing with the news of Ray and Rose's new home just around the corner from the Lake Magic Resort. Stay tuned for more news about their new digs.

Things are settling down. "Ma" and "Pa" have caught up on their sleep. They have their camper back and our air mattress is back in storage.

Our next guests, George and Judy, will be visiting in mid-March. Now Pat and I get to play Host and Hostess for a week. Their visit to central Florida will be their first in this area. We'll be looking forward to a busy week.

Now that we've settled down from last weeks adventure I'll leave you with a photo that just about says it all.

But first let's set the stage.

Bill's "Cracker Barrel" chicken pot pie sums up just how the kids and adults felt about them heading for home.....

.

.

.

.

.

Pigs in the Bed!

This week we get to feature a few real pigs! Once upon a time there were these three (er) seven little pigs. These little piggies have been wandering about the wooded area in and around Citrus Highlands. But, unlike the little piggies of folk lore, these piggies began to rip up our common areas! So, the members of our HOA thought it best to move them (not to market) but to someone else's back yard... some place miles away. There they'll be happy as pigs in ........., and we'll let some other HOA or home owners deal with these little piggies.

Our HOA hired a few "locals" to "hunt down" and do them varmints in. As the residents of Citrus Highlands slept, two intrepid "red necks" and their trusty hounds forged into the thick woods, tracked and caged seven wild boars. These critters are guilty of digging up a 20' X 20' section of grass that looked like someone took a roto-tillar to it.

The next morning I headed out for my (nearly) daily bike ride around the community. I happened upon a rough looking pick-up that two guys (who you know didn't live here) were pounding on something on the truck. The truck broke down and that meant a photo op....

Yep, four on the left side, two on the right side and one in the backseat of the pick-up!

These little piggies are not your average farm type hog... they're aggressive and you don't want to meet one while on your walk.

I've got to give credit to the two canines who did their job...

They weren't driving but they sure seemed smart enough to!

Our story ends happily for Citrus Highlands and the wild boars. The trappers are licensed to trap wild boars and relocate them into specified locations.

Our next episode took us to the Magic Kingdom. I'm sure most of you are quite familiar with it so I won't try to "wow" any of you. Six of us tried to use up our free photo pass for our annual photo shoot all together.

Here's a few fun photos for you....

From left to right, my eye, Buzz and Darlene, next to Pat. We're heading down stream on.....

"It's a Small World!" Let's all sing it together... "It's a Small World after all, it's a small world after all." (There now I've got that tune stuck in your head for the rest of the day, enjoy!)

We were sprinkled with "pixie dust" by the "Fairy God Mother."

...and we got to "hob-knob" with the Presidents.

All that was fun, but the real fun is just beginning. Bill and Angela's kids, Dawn and Bill Jr. (Little Bill) along with their kids, Cody, Chase and Jordan are visiting for the week. Bill and Angela's fifth-wheel is occupied, our spare bedroom and air mattress are occupied as well as our motor home! Let's see if Pat and I plan this out just right we might just have our fuel costs covered for our trip north this summer!

We'll be reporting on their stay in the week to come.

As for our Monday bike ride. My spies will be reporting back to me soon enough.

In the mean time, Bill and Angela and the kids wasted no time to hit the parks. Magic Kingdom----check.

Hollywood Studios----check.

EPCOT----check.

Sea World----check.

And last but not least, Animal Kingdom coming up.

Each day has been a marathon for the group. We hear that Bill and Angela eluded the kids on a couple of occasions to take a breather.

It's been a whirlwind week for the entire family. You know what the kids are going to be doing when they return to school next week.....ZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!

As for Bill and Angela, we have a hunch they might be sleeping in a few days after the kids head for home.

This just in, breaking news.

Our Ghost Writer has just sent along the very latest on our latest bike ride in Celebration.

Thanks to Jim, who has taken over Dave's job behind the camera, we have some great photos to pass along. (Although, he kept us waiting due to his substitute teaching role. You'd think nothing would interfere with our weekly bike ride report!)

Joan our "Keeper of the Roster" held the roll-call muster for twenty-eight riders. Cool temps made for a brisk but lively ride.... they had to take two stops!

Peter headed up the lead after he performed a quick charge on his "auto-shift" bike. (Bet you can't find the battery on his bike. Now you know why he pedals so effortlessly.)

Of course our riders had to stop at the "official" pit stop of our Celebration ride....

From there our riders took on "the gauntlet." The windy stretch of rode passing a golf course and nothing to break the wind.

Notice all the jackets!  No Spandex today!

Turkey vultures. (I think they're gathered around a slow rider!)

Now, you may wonder why Jim was interested in this squirrel. Being from up north, Jim is used to twenty pound squirrels. Florida squirrels have too many preditors to deal with to get that big!

Actually, I just found out from another one of my sleuts that just after this photo was taken, thinking Jim was reaching into his pocket for food, the critter jumped at Jim when he put the camera in his pocket. See, don't feed the wild life down here! (Jim says, "lesson learned!")

But Jim was still on a quest. Any critter will do.

Even the peaceful Cardinal taking a breather in the tree was no match for Jims shutter finger!

 

Jim added this final photo but you'll have to ask him about it!

Some rides headed to the Tavern and the rest to The Columbian. Our riders enjoyed a great ride topped off

with warm food and good conversation.

I'll leave you with some classic bicycles a few of our members don't want to talk about....

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

First,

Rose's answer to keeping up with the group.....

.

.

.

.

.

 Second,

Joepy on a speed run on the Van Fleet trail testing Kathy's bike!

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

....and last but not least,

Peter's answer to the "Ride Flat" bike...

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Till next time!