CHRISTMAS TIME IN WAUCHULA, FLORIDA

Our church began Christmas activities with the hanging of the greens and then the Children's Pageant on Wednesday, December 16th.  We always enjoy that very much. This church has a large attendance of young families.  We like to see that in a church that we attend.  That has not always been the case as we've traveled across the country.

The children always do so well!!  

When we returned to our park after the program, we decided to drive around and look at the lighted decorations since it was dark.  I had noticed a couple when I walked to Bingo the week before and was impressed.  My camera really does not do it justice, but is my best. 

I really liked this tree and would 
like to find out how it was made.
I will get a closer look!!

      

Since that program we have had yard sales in the park and Gary has begun doing volunteer work at the Galleries where he shows some of his drawings.  A local hospital accepted three of his drawings to display.  He was not able to see the place where they will be hung because they are closed to any visitors.  The church did send in carolers to another local hospital/rehab facility, but they could only walk the halls.

Gary's coffee group also used the park's clubhouse for the morning coffee a couple times because it has been much too cold to sit around outside here as they had been doing.  Hopefully this week's warming trend continues so that they can get back to their usual.  I sure don't remember this much cold from last winter!! 

Yesterday, Sunday the 20th,  the ladies had their fourth annual Christmas Ladies Tea.  It was very nice and we were treated to three of our great lady singers. 

Susan, her daughter Cary, and Beth.

The ladies putting out the tea goodies
in the background!!

It was good to get acquainted with our
organist, Libby and her grand-daughter at
the table where I sat.

Sorry to cut this so short, but there is a bonfire down on the green across from the clubhouse soon. So I must get a move on it!!  If I don't get back to this again before, have a wonderful Christmas with your families!!!  Take care and stay healthy!!

BEGINNING HOLIDAY CELEBRATIONS!!

Another week has gone by !!

Gary had the coffee klatch this morning with a few guys from around the park and weather was good for it to be outside under the awning!!  There were four of them.

I had a work time at the church for stuffing envelopes with three other ladies and the pastor.  It only took us twenty minutes, but it was a good get acquainted time with new people!! I appreciated that!

Yesterday at church there was the cutest little red head in front of us!!  I just couldn't not take a few pictures before the service began.  She had an awesome color of hair. I don't believe I have ever seen such a red!!

After church we had left overs for lunch at home before going for a cake and ice cream birthday party for a 98 year old lady (Jeanne) in our park.  She is such a sweet thing and still quite active.  We often see Jeanne and her daughter riding about in the park on their three wheel bicycles. And I play Bingo at her table in the Clubhouse. It is nice that the park has a patio just off the kitchen at the Clubhouse so we can be out during this pandemic time.   

Jeanne, 98 years old!!

Birthday Jeanne and her daughter, Jean.

Another lady in the park was out and about on her golf cart and offered us a ride.  Whe-e-e-e!  She is also over 90 and one of the original members here.  She has a lead foot and a very loud horn!! She loves a laugh!!   We do sure have fun here!!

Tuesday, December 8th the lady SKPettes of the park went to the Historic Avon Park, Florida's  Jacaranda Hotel for a buffet Christmas dinner.  It is a beautiful place and still operates as a hotel.

Jeff Klein, pianist, for guests 
listening pleasure!

View from Main St. entrance. 

Another entrance. Their Art Gallery
is in this corridor.
Gary checked it out!

Ten of our SKPettes!

We all did have a good visit!!   With everyone from different locations across this great country, conversation was interesting!!

Not many things/activities have been planned for the park because of the pandemic, so attendance was not nearly as good as it was last year.  We just keep plugging along as best we can.  Gary did make plans this morning with one his coffee friends to go to Lake Placid in January to check out some good Thrift Shops. He and Jan visited us in Ohio during the summer.  So we do have that to look forward to. 

We have a couple yard sales here in the park coming up.  Need to keep making money!!  I am sure that we will find some other things also.  We do have a Christmas dinner at church for New Years Eve and a Ladies Tea this coming Sunday.  So I'll try to keep the Blog moving along.

You all have a good Christmas and New Year celebrations.  Take care and stay healthy!!

A DAY OUTING TO VISIT THRIFTS AND RELATIVES in SOUTHWEST FLORIDA

 Hello again!!

A trip to Arcadia, Florida and over to visit the Reese's and Nunez's near Port Charlotte, was fun the Saturday after Thanksgiving.  November 28th,  while in Arcadia to check out the Art Center and some Thrift Stores we found a glass patio table small enough for our condo balcony in Ohio.  We went back to the Habitat Restore to get the table as we had not decided to spend the money the first time around.  Surprise!! We found that they had a store wide 30% discount that day so felt more comfortable spending the money!!  Checked with Victor to see if he thought it would be small enough for the balcony.  You can judge the size with Gary standing next to it.  Vic thought so!!  Since he is staying there, it was easy for him to check.

 

Now we just have to find the style of lawn chairs that we want to put with it.  They shouldn't be difficult, but there is no hurry since we won't be back in Ohio again until next May.  Plenty of time to look around!!

Will have to take pictures of the house Tina stays in next time we are down there.  I forgot to take them!!  Tina is Audrey's niece.   

But Gary did take pictures of Jeff's expansions on the Play House.  With ten children there and the church youth groups who visit, I am sure they will get plenty of use out of this project!!  

If you remember the pictures taken last year, you will see the difference in size.  If not, just take my word for it!!

Jeff at work?

I asked one of the young girls if they had the alligators removed from the pond.  She said "Yes, there is just little ones there now!"  I thought, But they grow!!  But it is Florida, I guess.

The bridge has been added since they counted the number of big alligators that they needed to have removed.  Much safer than the long ladders that the guys used when counting what was in there!!  But they were removed to safe habitats for all concerned!!

Games.  And they are getting ready for
Christmas already.  Last year after seeing
how fast (!!) the live ones burn up
 after Christmas, they made the decision
to go fake this year!!

Games, games, games!!
Good thing they enjoy them!!

The kitchen remodel and pantry was
another of Jeff's projects. 

More games going on!!

Grandpa's turn with the children and their
games, while the ladies were in the kitchen.

It was great to see the solid counter, 
much better for serving than the two
level divider!!

Gary's little buddy is
growing up!!  This is in
her house next door.  She 
had to show us the fireplace.

    When in Arcadia the Art Center was not open, to Gary's 

    disappointment.  So Gary checked it out the next week 

    and spent this past Saturday,  December 5th  

    volunteering four hours.  

    He found it quite interesting and also found that there is 

    space at their local hospital to display some of his work. 

    He is looking forward to that and to his next volunteer day

    in two weeks. 

     

Art Gallery in Arcadia FL

Gary's two drawings on the right.

Gary's little Amish boy
as seen in Berlin, OH.
(long sleeves, hat, bare 
feet and a binky!!)
waiting for Mom.

      Hope to have more interesting pictures to show you real 

      soon.  Also hope that you are all staying healthy and 

      getting ready for an enjoyable Christmas!!

 

NOVEMBER BEGINS OUR STAY at SKP RESORT in WAUCHULA

November comes to a close!!  Gary has been doing a lot of drawing and has had morning coffee with the guys here at SKP three mornings a week.  Usually they sit out under our awning.  But one morning Gary thought it was too cold, so he set the chairs up inside the shed.  He calls it "his" shed.  Ha, ha!!

We do put the shed to good use!!  Since our refrigerator in the motorhome is so small, we want to get a used small fridge or freezer for in the shed for extra use.  Hope that we can find one soon!! 

 While I have put a lot of painful hours into building my flower beds. Gary has even helped me with carrying blocks, etc.  We have also been going to New Hope Baptist Church about a mile up the road and had a couple Ice Cream Socials here in the resort. So we have kept busy.  I need to catch up on photos and Blogs as it is nearing the end of the year and it will soon be time to order the Blog book for the year 2020.  

I've gone to Lowe's enough that they should recognize me coming!  I've sure spent enough money there even with the military discount.  So I guess I need to be near the end of making my flower beds!!  I sure love sitting in my recliner, looking out the door at them and lounging outside, reading my books while looking at them!!  I don't miss my Perennials from Ohio so much now. 

Winter home!!

I took the big old bush out and moved
the bush from the left in picture to put in
it's place.

Lavender Salvia, new to me!

Almost finished, just five more bags of
red pine nougats to put down and two 
more bags of white marble chips. 

Oops, too much shade to show off this
end of bed well!!

Finished, and the sun hits this end!!

I took a two week rest because of pulled muscle. Then it was time to do a small bed because I found the red salvia that I wanted!!  

Gary got 24 pavers to put along the shed.  Maybe they will not run the mowers so close to the building, denting it!!! His next task is to wash down the siding.  He does that well as the motorhome gives him lots of practice!!

In between these two jobs, the resort was trimming trees. So we took pictures of them working along the street in front of us.  I hope that they are careful when trimming over my flower beds!!  It might be a couple weeks before they get to the trees on lots.

We have learned about the food give-aways in Wauchula. So tried them out, getting sweet corn, cucumpers, summer squash, zuchinni, tomatoes and much more.  The neighbor gave us a piece of his watermelon to try.  Yes, yellow.  Tasty, but a little different from red!!

Ice Cream socials and Thanksgiving Dinner have been the only open activities since the Veteran's parade.  Next on my agenda is the ladies SKPettes Christmas dinner at the historic Jacaranda Hotel in Avon Park next Tuesday.

After Thanksgiving we drove over near Port Charlotte to visit Audrey's niece, Tina, and her children and grandchildren.  There was a surprise of the niece's Tiny House and a family visiting who consider themselves grandparents to the ten children!!  It was great to see everyone pretty healthy, which has not been the situation over this past year.  It is always great to visit them and to see all of Jeff's many projects that he has been building on over the year.  We wonder where he finds all of the time??

We will share pictures of some of this in the next Blog. Stay tuned.

Take care and stay healthy.  

LAST HALF OF TRIP SOUTH TO OUR WINTER HOME NEAR ZOLFO SPRINGS

Monday, OCTOBER 19th we arrived at MacFarland RV Park along the Tennessee River in Florence, Alabama.  We've been here before and it is a pretty area.  We were ready to rest for the day!!

Tuesday we found our way to Gary's nephews house to visit.  That went well and Michael and Cindy had other plans, so we went on their Thrift Store rounds and then out for lunch at a restaurant downtown.  There did not seem to be any concern about being around others because of Covid.  The stores were interesting and he took us to his favorite t-shirt store where we just had to have a new t-shirt.  I tried to find a new jersey jacket,  hooded/or not.  But I still have not found what I need.  They are all fleece, thus too heavy.

It was great catching up on family news with them.  We made plans for a chili lunch the next day at their house with pie and ice cream.  Sorry Mike, hope that we did not sabotage your diet too much!!

Wednesday, Mike had more plans so we went to the Indian Mound History Museum near the river.

  

The Historic Landmark,
Indian Mound in the 
back ground.
Mike (incognito), Cindy 
and Gary.

We had saved the best for last.  We went back to their home for the pie and ice cream and old show television.  Note Mike's new t-shirt!!  I haven't worn mine yet, but I think that Gary has.

Thursday, October 22nd, our next stop with the motorhome was STYX River Park Campground near I-10 and Alabama state route 59, just west of Pensacola, FL.  

I called our friend, Karen, in Foley, Alabama and finally connected to meet up with her on , October 24th, when her resort was having their yard sales. 

Ah-h, now we can see who!!!
Karen and Audrey

We had a wonderful visit and stopped at a few of those sales.  I did find something that I had been looking for more than a year, a 2 yard piece of material to line a tall wicker hamper basket that I had found the year before in Wisconsin. It was heavy material and a print to fit with my idea!!  Now I will just have to wait until next summer to make it.  I'll need the basket nearby to make it to fit well. 

 

Gary's find at yard sales!!

 

Awesome looking garden next door to Karen.

Traveling down Rt. 59 we watched the cotton fields go by and all of the trees down or snapped off from their last storm a few weeks ago that hit Golf Shores and Foley.  

Sunday, we went into Pensacola for church at Olive Baptist.  It was good to hear Pastor Traylor again and to see a few of our friends.  After church we decided to get dinner at PoFolk's Restaurant.  Low and behold we ran into a couple of those friends.  

Emily and Dave Burton and their friend, Pat. 
Had a great visit and good food again!!

We look forward to this Pandemic being behind us so that we can visit all.  Many are still not going to church because of the fear of the virus. 

I got some laundry caught up with at STYX campground, before heading on south again.  We arrived at our winter home base, SKP Resort near Zolfo Springs.  We have a two week quarantine to adhere to there.  Guess they are afraid that we might carry the virus in from up north!!   We do feel like we are at home again!!  

Love it!!

  

Hired a patio pressure
scrubbing!!  It sure was
black from the mold.

View of neighbor across the street.
He sure has been busy over the summer!

 

Neighbor next door.
And you can see some of
that mold!  Also I have pulled
some of the large weeds, but need
to get at some of the small weeds
covering the ground. 

We are slowly getting work done, but there is no hurry since we are quarantined to our site for a couple weeks.  It will keep us busy.  Gary did get the roof finished this morning, but the run off sure made a mess of the windows until he gets to them.

I just watched a fifth-wheel come in.  So they are slowly arriving!!  I hear there are plans for Thanksgiving dinner being made with a plan for two seatings so they will have no more than 50 at either seating.  Moving right along!!  We did have a couple stop by to visit here on site.  And more who welcome us from the street or their car.  

Hope you are all well and happy!!