Dubs Dread Golf Course

Here's the whole "gang" at Dubs Dread Golf Course in Orlando yesterday - golf and dinner - our usual outing. Kay's Aunt Bernice was the women's champion here in the late 1940's early 1950's so we had to check it out. Beautiful old course with pretty trees and the Tap Room has delicious burgers. Hard to believe we only have one more week until the end of March when everyone travels home. Many of the park residents are leaving early to be home for Easter. Except us - we are in our home! - we will be going south and spending the month of April in south Florida. Plan to spend time in the Everglades and the Keys.

Samantha and Emily called us the other night and asked to SKYPE - they had "something very important to ask us." Heather was gone shopping with friends in Bangkok - Samantha wanted french toast for breakfast and her Daddy didn't know how to make it. She had a pencil and paper so she could write down the recipe!

Happy Birthday to Me!

I had a great 65th birthday! Here I am with my favorite presents!

Tiger's Spring Training

Judy, Marilou, Ray and Kirt were here in Florida last week. We had a fun time playing golf and at the Tigers game. Judy had an eagle and two birdies during one golf game - she got Dad's talent! She is on a countdown - 20 more working days until she retires.

D.R. Hewlett - 1957-2013

We are so saddened by the death of Roger's nephew, DR, of an apparent heart attack. He was 10 years younger than Roger! Duane had four children, three sons, DR, Wally and Randy and a daughter, Cathy, the youngest. All three boys have died suddenly of heart related illness. How many crosses does one family have to bear?

We drove to Michigan for four days - we would much rather see family and friends at a wedding than a funeral. We darn near froze! Snow and 0-20 degrees - we don't have clothes and shoes to keep warm in that kind of weather!

We drove back in 18 hours straight! The weather was nice, the traffic light and we weren't tired to we just kept going! Heather really "chewed me out" for it - guess our roles have reversed! But, she's right - we are retired and have all the time in the world - what was the hurry? Sleeping in our own bed!!!

Florida 2013

I am seriously behind in updating my blog - too busy with all the activities here in Florida. We have been blessed with beautiful weather and have been biking, kayaking and playing golf. Add in happy hours and dining out and life is good! It is fun to be here with old and new friends.

Mike and Lorraine Lynch, our friends from the Alpha Roadrunners club, visited for a week-end on their way back to Arizona. We had hoped to see them in San Antonio but plans changed so they stopped by Clermont. We took them to the Tiki Bar, went kayaking and then up to The Villages for dinner. They loved all the golf carts! We are seriously thinking of spending next winter in California/Arizona and at Quartzite - boondocking with them.

We have moved to a different lot here in Rolling Ridge and it is much bigger than the previous one. The owners of lot #1 sold it and assured us that the new owners wanted to rent to us but....the day they signed the papers our new "landlords" knocked on our door and asked if they could begin doing some "minor renovations" while we were here. Well, after a week of them parading through our space, digging up the yard and making a new retaining wall we decided their definition of minor and ours was totally different! Glad we moved - they just brought in a huge storage shed and placed it right in the middle of "our patio!"

Christmas 2012

I arrived home from KL on December 10th - took me close to 2 weeks to get my body clock back on Texas time!



We had time to say "good bye" to our San Antonio friends before Roger's final full time day at work and then drove to Dallas on December 21st. My family all met at Joel and Rachel's to celebrate Christmas - they have a lovely townhouse near downtown Dallas. We stayed in a really nice RV park in Grapevine. We've never been to Grapevine before - it is a lovely little town, especially when it was all decked out for Christmas. Reminded us of Boerne, TX. As always, we had a great time eating, drinking and just being together - looking forward to next year when Kyle, Heather and the girls can join us.

We actually played golf on Sunday and then the weather turned ugly! Roger thought of leaving early but there were tornadoes blowing across the southern states and we didn't want any part of that action so we took a chance on Dallas weather. OMG! Christmas day was the worst weather Dallas has seen on December 25th since 1916 and there we were in the middle of it!! Snow, ice, wind and 20 degrees! It finally thawed enough on the 26th for us to head south but then we encountered motothome problems - the air suspension had a leak and wouldn't raise the motorhome so we could drive it and the jacks wouldn't retract! Think the Alpha was trying to tell us it does not like cold weather! Two service calls to the RV; 2 days in the shop and and over $1,000 later we finally got the suspension problem fixed and headed for warmer climate! Still need to get the jack problem solved but it doesn't prevent us from traveling - can fix them in Florida.
It sure is nice to have Roger "home" and to be back on the road. We stayed at a really nice state park in Gulf Shores, Alabama - 450 sites and it was full! We even played golf at their golf course on New Years Day. New Years Eve was quiet at a nice seafood restaurant and New Years Day finds us driving to Clermont, Florida. Outside temperature = 70 degrees - YES!!

And here is what our granddaughters were doing over the holidays in Khoa Lak, Thailand!!

Homeward Bound

I leave for the U.S. tonight at 8:00pm - fly to Singapore, then Moscow then Houston - arrive Saturday at 2:35pm. I have had a wonderful time here but anxious to be home. I am looking forward to getting home but not going home! I can't let myself think about the journey - just need to get on the plane and do it! A lot of positive self talk and remembering that Roger will be at the other end helps! Knowing the kids will be home next summer and that I don't have to do this trip again is a big relief!

Hard to get in the Christmas spirit here in the tropics! A sign at the mall read "Santa and Santarina" would be there every week-end until the 25th!