We have our first Winter Guest

We have been so busy, we've hardly time to sit and catch our breath!

Sunday we went to a Beach Party. The Lakes (that's us!) and The Shores (that's part of the same development, except they're directly on the ocean) These groups get together on the first Sunday of every month...everyone brings a dish to share...and join together for a couple hours of social activities. They asked Guy to play horseshoes and by the end of the afternoon, he'd joined the weekly Horseshoe Club. They asked him if he was over 65....he hesitated and when they explained he'd get an extra 5' advantage if he was.... he quickly owned up to it.

I joined the water aerobics group who meet every weekday morning from 9:30-10:30. It's a good workout and not too hard to take as the pool is heated....I've met several really nice ladies...

Walter and Marge Little, who live in Cocoa Beach year round, stopped over Monday for lunch and a tour. It was good to see them again....

Wednesday evening I joined the Book Club. The book discussed "My Sister's Keeper" by Jodi Picoult. There were about 15 of us there...it was a fun time and I got to meet more people.

I've been invited to join "The Lunch Bunch" who meet 1 day a month..this month they're going into Cocoa to a Tea Party and tour a Historic Home.....

Let's see what Guy is doing while I'm galavanting around....Tuesday, he locked his keys in the car and got to meet the local AAA guy.

He dropped the TV clicker (for that big beautiful 52" screen) on the tile floor, smashing it and so got to go over to the local Radio Shack and meet some nice people there.

We bought a couple of 2nd hand beach bikes from someone in our building who was moving....

we took a trial run last night and it was a sight to behold! There's an old saying that once you learn to ride a bike, you never forget....HaHa..by watching the both of us zig zag down the road, you never would have known we used to know how to peddle those machines....Hopefully, we will not hurt ourselves too badly, get some good exercise and not embarass ourselves too much...

Thursday afternoon, we drove to Orlando airport to welcome our first winter guest...Meghan:)

She'll be with us until the 15th.... We had been bragging about our 80 degree weather, and today it was only 68....but....coming from the cold northeast, there were no complaints from her.

We took her for a tour of the complex and tonight after dinner, she and I walked over to the pool area and enjoyed the Hot Tub for awhile.

Take a tour around our Condo...

We arrived here safe and sound after almost a week on the road...so excited to unpack and get settled. Our front entryway
We have an underground parking garage...

This is a great feature we didn't have last year.

We drive in, lock up and it's totally secure.

Plus there's lots of storage in the front where we have

put our suitcases, containers etc.

Our balcony is about 15' x 20'

has a table and 6 chairs...plenty of room to entertain....

with a lovely view of the lake and swimming pool.

Balcony looking into master bedroom...

Decorations are delightful:)

Panty in our kitchen is great...boy, don't I wish I had one

of these in my house!...oh , I know...I have plenty of cupboards

but I just love this space...

Nice big kitchen..plenty of drawers and cupboards...

stove is a little outdated, but workable

Massive living room with massive furniture!

and oh, so tropical!

Behind these couches is a good-sized dining room table and chairs.

" You know who" is going to get spoiled with this giant 52" TV screen!

Our master bedroom....I thought our bed was high

off the floor...we really need a little stool to climb into this bed

The guest room this year...has beds!! Yippee...

now our guests won't have to sleep on an

uncomfortable pull out couch....

This Guest Suite also has a walk in closet...

I love the way it is decorated....

They have just completely painted the unit...in pale yellow, blues and green...

so much nicer than our all white condo last year.

when we first walked in, I was so excited to see the perfect spot

for my "sewing room"....

Washer and dryer are behind pull out doors...

View from our balcony

The temps here have been in high 70's, low 80's all day.....

not too hard to take!

As I am putting this blog together, it is about 5:30 Saturday evening...

I am (or was) peacefully sitting out on the deck when

Guy came from the living room and crashed right through

the screen door!!!!

Here we go again!!

We understand that there are quite a few of you that faithfully follow this blog...

for which I thank you....

but it would be nice to hear from you also.

There is a place where you can comment (now...be nice:)

Under the last line of the blog, there is a line that invites you to leave your comments....

Click on that and type in your comment.

You do have to have an "account" with Google...but it's free...

Just sign up ... we'd love to hear from you...

Stay safe and warm everyone...

New Years Eve and Day

New Years Eve we went to the Carolina Opry. We purchased the tickets online last Fall and planned our trip south around the event. It was worth all the planning to see it. Absolutely fantastic! The lobby was spectacularly decorated with beautiful trees, red velvet ribbons, lights, greenery....

The show was over 2 hours long with one great act following another. We couldn't believe how fast the time flew....Wonderful music with so much talent.

We left Myrtle Beach at 8AM on New Years Day and were pleased to see light traffic all the way down through Georgia into Florida. A far cry from last years experience on I95.

We arrived at Joyce & Jerry Betz's home in Port Orange about 4:30 that afternoon.

Bonnie and Max Brown of South Portland left about 1/2 hour later than we did on Dec. 27th and arrived there 2 days earlier than we did. They were there to greet us also.

Lots of chatter about our trips...some great snacks and drinks.....(That's Jerry standing in the right hand corner)

Joyce was in the kitchen preparing a wonderful meal. Her Son Jerry, wife Tami and 2 teenage daughters joined us all for dinner...It was a fun time with lots of laughs and stories....

Tuesday, Dec. 29th

Left Elizabeth City, N.C. about 9:30AM, heading south on 17. It took us through small towns, some lined with shacks and ill kept trailers, and a few cotton fields, once again reminding us how blessed we are to be able to do what we are doing.

Arrived in Myrtle Beach, S.C. at 4PM. Weather was 65 and sunny...How nice to shed our jackets and sport our short sleeved shirts.

We did a little unpacking, had an adult beverage while catching up on the news of the day.

"Broadway On The Beach" is only a short walk across from our Holiday Inn complex...it seemed good to stretch our legs as we walked around the area, enjoying the decorations, wandering into a few of the shops. Guy found a great pair of boat shoes, but couldn't find them in his size. He didn't want to unpack the car to find the ones he brought with him, so we'll check out a Payless tomorrow. (if you saw our packed Van, you can understand his dilema) We chose Margaritville for dinner..I enjoyed the best chicken salad I've had in a long time and Guy woofed down coconut shrimp, comparing it to the shrimp he had on Coconuts on the Beach, a tiki bar we frequented in Cocoa Beach last year.

Jimmy Buffet was on screen with his world famous Parrot Heads, singing " It's 5 o'clock Somewhere" along with all the songs he made famous. It made for a fun evening.

As we walked into the restaurant, the "Stilt Girl" leaned down and called Guy "A FOX"....his head is still in the clouds over that!!

Today we saw green grass!

Sunday we met Norma and Joe Eliff, who came down from Royersford, Pa, in Cape May, NJ.
We all checked into the Grand Hotel and then Joe took us for a tour of the area. The little city was still decorated in its Christmas glory and it was beautiful with all the old homes showing off their boughs of holly, lights, trees etc. The horse drawn carriages caught our eye, so we decided to take a tour also. It was so much fun...we had a great guide who pointed out places of interest with lots of little "inside" facts.

Joe and Norma love the Lobster House, and after the meal of Alaskan King Crabs, filet mignon etc., we agreed it was the best!

Joe drove us around town so we could enjoy the night lights. The homes were undescribably beautiful (click on a picture and you will be able to see it better)

After breakfast this morning, they headed back to Pa. and we took the Cape May ferry over to Lewes, Delaware. Tonight we ended up in Elizabeth City, N.C. .

Some fun facts:

The cheapest gas we've seen was in Toms River, NJ.....at $1.38/gallon....but the gas here is $1.52

As we crossed over into Salisbury, MD....we started seeing GREEN GRASS....

We took another one of Guy's short cuts!!!

OK...after last year, you'd think we would have learned....but take a look at the Van....
Last summer we traded our 2001 Van for a Stow n Go 2007 Grand Caravan so we'd have room for our run to Florida this year. But... this year we're staying for an extra month..so we need more stuff!!!

The weather was more co-operative than it was last year.....no snow, just lots of rain and fog...

Guy took one of his infamous shortcuts and we ended up going straight through New York City at 5 o'clock!!! There were a few sputters, mumbles and bad words, but we got through our first of what I am sure will be our many little crisis this winter....

We left at 10AM and checked into the Holiday Inn at Toms River, New Jersey a little after 6:30...so we're on our way to another adventure...

Keep checking the blog...we'll update whenever we can...

Brenda & Rick's Family

The last of the Christmas parties was held late this afternoon

when Rick, Deb, Hannah, Spencer

Brenda, Pat, Aleina and Sam

joined us for a Potluck dinner Brenda brought a delicious seafood chowder

Deb had 2 different chicken dishes

and we supplied Sour Cream Chicken Casserole

along with various breads, veggies

and way too many rich desserts....

Hannah, Aleina, Spencer and Sam

Then for the real fun...
the opening of the gifts:)
Spencer is hidden in there somewhere...
when he opened his quilt
with lots of golden retrievers sewn in...

Brenda got a homemade sweater...

Deb got a warm rose colored flannel quilt....

Hannah's was bright colors with a

cell phone theme....

Aleina looked pleased with her pug blanket....

Sam's had acrobatic planes flying all over his...

What else, but a fishing, woodsy outdoorsy

one for Pat

Rick should be able to keep warm this winter

with his scrappy fishing quilt...

Spencer made Grammie a beautful Christmas ornament

He's explaining (in great detail)

all the steps that were involved in this creation.

It's beautiful Spencer:)

He made GF a special boat...

What a busy boy he's been....

GF will always treasure it

A nice picture of the two families

Rick, Guy and Brenda

It was a really fun evening...

We are blessed with such a great Family