Headed to Pine Island Today for the Craft Show

   Our alarms went off at 5:30 and John packed our lunches and loaded up the Jeep while I got myself ready.  How come it takes us women so much longer to get ready than the guys??  (of course, it takes me 15 minutes more now to put the brace and boot on and get to the car!)  We said our goodbyes to Kylie and we were on the road by 6:30.  It was a beautiful morning.  The sky was a gorgeous pink, red and blue for our 1 and 1/2 hr drive.  We got there right at 8:00.  Bonnie and Ken had been there since 7:30, so their set up was almost complete.  We were set up by 8:45.


OK...I'm ready... sell, sell, sell

 

How does my display look?

 

 Bonnie's ready for business, too
(I stole this pic from Bonnie's blog)

  Our stands were side by side.  John and Ken left to get their walking done.  When John left he told me to , "sell, sell, sell".  Traffic was slow at first but by 10:00 things had picked up.  At about 11:30 my cousin, Mary and her husband, Paul came in.  It was a surprise for Bonnie, but they had mentioned last week when we were visiting them that they might just check out the show. It was very nice of them to come!!  All in all, I had a good day.  Bonnie did well, too.  We started to clean up about 12:45 and since Mary and Paul were still there we all decided to go get some lunch at Low Tikki just down the road.  It was a beautiful afternoon so we ate outside on the dock.  The food was very good and the 6 of us had a wonderful time chatting.  Remind me to tell you about the "drippy dickie" Mary made for a friend of hers.

     There we are! (I stole these pix from Bonnie's blog!)


  We left about 2:30 so Kylie wouldn't explode and Mary and Paul went back to the CG with Bonnie and Ken to see Waldo (their RV).  We got back to Harvey and Kylie about 4:00 (she didn't explode, thank goodness!) We unpacked the Jeep and watched some TV while I iced my foot.   I talked with Bonnie to see how she had done at the show and then we ate the sandwiches we had packed for lunch.  Watched a bit more TV and went to bed... it was a long day!!

It's Karaoke Night!

   It was a pretty chilly morning... we even turned on the fireplace!  I made some French toast and bacon and then John did his regular routine.  I hung around Harvey, rested my foot and got some of my stuff ready for the craft show tomorrow.  By the time John got back it had warmed up and we decided to go to the pool.  We were there until about 4:00 and then came back and got showers.  John mad a delicious dinner... pork chops, carrots and salad.  After dinner I called Dr Fleischman, one of the podiatrist's from the office in Mount Joy that I retired from.  I just wanted to get his opinion on the treatment I am getting here in Florida.  Then off to karaoke.  I couldn't believe the size of the books with the song selections... there were literally thousands of choices! Half of the books were by song title and the other half were by the artist.  It was a bit scary to try it, but after watching all the other people having so much fun performing, I gave in.  I actually sang 3 songs..." If" by Bread, "You Needed Me" by Anne Murray and "Top of the World" by The Carpenters.  They were all well received and I wasn't really nervous.  The audience gets into it, too and puts you at ease.  I'll definitely go again next Friday.

As Bennett would say, "I did dit, I did dit!

  We left at 9:30 to finish up packing for the craft show I'm doing tomorrow on Pine Island with my sister and to get to bed.  It starts at 9:00am so we'll need to get up at 5:30 so we can be on the road by 6:30!  I think this is only the 2nd time we have set our alarms since we left PA!! 

Rain, Rain Go Away!

 

   It started pouring about 1:30 this morning!  It was so loud on the roof of the motor home that it woke me up several times.  Then about 3am the thunderstorms started.  Till it was all over at about 11am we had 2 and 1/2 inches of rain!!  There was a lot of flooding in the CG especially in our area.  We must be lucky enough to be in the low spot.  The water out in front of Harvey was ankle deep!

That's the ankle deep water across the road

This is where he Jeep was parked

This is the patio out back under water

This is right outside our door

The water is up over my toes when stepping
On the mat on top of the rug!
(see the dark spot on my sandal)

  John had to put our portable step out beside the passenger side of the Jeep in order to get in.  Then he had to slide across the seat to the driver's side.  It's still fairly warm... about 70, but it's supposed to get cooler this evening when a cold front comes through.  I worked on my magnetic pins all day.  It was fun because I hadn't made any since November. 

Getting ready for the craft show tomorrow on Pine Island

John read, watched TV and napped.  We decided to go out for supper since we had been in all day.  We went down the road about 2 miles to Snook Haven.  Bonnie told us about this place... that it had recently been taken over by Sharkey's and was much improved.  It was very casual, all paper and plastic eating/drinking supplies, and the atmosphere and decorations were neat.  It was an open air feeling even though we were inside.  The food and service was great and the prices were reasonable.  And there was LIVE entertainment... Ron Harrison at the mike.  Enjoyed him very much.

Large outside eating area...we ate inside to the left

Guess we're cool, huh?!?

Big Hank, the alligator

Every glass panel in the restaurant was decorated
With a different wood carving

This is Ron Harrison... sang a lot of ballad-type songs

 

Yes, Andrea, John finally got the Jeep dirty!!

Then we went to Publix to get few things.   When we got back to Harvey we played a game of Hand and Foot.  I won, but it was a close game!  Then we turned in for the night.

Doctor, Doctor Give Me the News!

   I have an appt. in Estero with the podiatrist this afternoon to go over the results of my MRI and treatment options.  Our GPS, Bonnie, told us the trip would take about 1 hr. and 20 minutes, so after John's morning routine and showers we left about 10:15 with plans to stop somewhere for breakfast.  It was a beautifully warm morning which made our lengthy trip much better.  We saw a few more armadillos on our way out, but had no place to pull over to get pix.  We stopped at Perkins in Ft Myers for breakfast and, wow, was it good!  We got to the Dr's office about 20 minutes early, but they took us right back.  Turns out I have a "triple play"... deltoid ligament sprain, moderate plantar fasciitis, and a compression stress fracture where "the ankle bone's connected to the foot bone".  He gave me another cortisone shot in the top of my foot, so I'm in a soft cast again and a walking boot.  I can take the soft cast off in 48 hrs. and replace it with a heavy duty ankle brace, but I still have to wear the walking boot for about 2-3 more wks.  They casted me in the office for an Arizona brace, which is a foot forming, ankle high brace that I will have to wear inside my shoe while the fracture heals (about 2-3 months).  It won't arrive for about 2-3 wks.  That's why I have to keep wearing the walking boot.

John better not get out of line... I'll kick him a good one :)

 

It's cumbersome, but if it helps the pain it's worth it!
 

  He did say I could go to the pool and beach as long as I take it easy and sit more than I stand.  Yea!!!  There's also a possibility (if my insurance pays for it) that at my next appt. on Monday the Dr. will inject human growth cells, harvested from pig bladders, to help with the healing process.  I sure hope I won't start to resemble our pug, Kylie, after the procedure!! (our grandkids sometimes call her "piggy dog" because of the sounds she makes).  We didn't leave the office until about 3:00 and on a short cut road to Rte 41 we saw the most interesting tree.  It was huge and, according to a sign, came from India. 

The Mysore Fig tree... it was massive!

The trunk and root system is so unique!!

On the way home I talked with my sister (she was checking on my report) and my mother.  Dad is finally out of quarantine.  We checked out a farmers market, but it was closed, and then stopped at Walmart to get a few things including plastic cutting boards to put between the leveling jacks under Harvey and the pine plank boards we use under the jacks to keep them from sinking into the ground.  The guy next to us mentioned this idea to us after losing his whole electrical system due to a lightning strike.  He, too, had only been using wood planks under his jacks, but when the wood got wet it acted as an electrical conductor.  The plastic cutting boards prevent that from happening.  Who'd a thunk it!!!  We are expecting a thunderstorm tomorrow morning, so we thought we better prepare!  John made some chef salads for supper... they were yummy... and then we went to a "sing-a-long at the CG.  It was OK, but I didn't think we'll go again.  John is so patient and supportive with all that has been going on.  What a guy!  He takes better care of me than I do.  He must love me, but I love him more!!  Tomorrow sounds like a foul weather day, so I'll probably take it easy and work on my magnetic pins in preparation for the craft show at the Pine Island CG my sister and I are going to do on Saturday.  Good night.

A Good Day Starts with a Donut!!

   It was chilly this morning...44 degrees!  We went down to one of the buildings for coffee/tea/hot choc and donuts.  There was a stage full of harmonica players that provided musical entertainment.  Then the activities director announced all the upcoming activities and when she was done several of the residents made informed the CG of "special" events that were going on or they needed help with.  We were there about an hour.  John signed up to go for his PHD..."post hole digging" for the existing dog park that they are extending.  We came back to Harvey and called our daughter-in-law, Arlene, and sang "Happy Birthday" to her.  She and TW are going to Shady Maple smorgasbord tonight for her free dinner.  Then John went walking while I worked on my blog post.  When John got back he suggested we go to the pool because it had warmed up and the sun was pretty hot.  I went reluctantly because I was so cold in Harvey, but he was right again!  (I get so tired of his being right all the time!)  It was gorgeous!  I had to get in the pool several times to stop sweating.  The pool area is very pretty having been redone last year.

 

 

One of the pretty gazebos... take notice of the fan hanging
on the tree to the left... it's throwing mist into the gazebo for cooling

 

The many umbrellas, chairs and another gazebo

 

John in the hot tub

  I took it a bit easy today with my hip exercises because I think I overdid it yesterday... my hip was pretty sore today.  We were there until about 4:30, came back and had supper.  Bonnie and Arlene called and I had a nice chat with both of them. Then we headed down to BINGO at 6:10.  We were given a tip to get there early!  It wasn't too full, though...about 50 people.  John won a game and a drawing, and I won a game for a total haul of $27.00!  Hey, it paid for the evening.  

Some people take their BINGO pretty seriously... look at all the dabbers!

John is trying to figure out all the different games
we bought and how to play them
 

We got back about 9:30.  I watched Chicago Fire while working on this blog post and John watched TV in the bedroom.  We won't be up late... for some reason we are both pretty tired and I have a headache... hope I'm not getting sick!!

First Full Day at Rambler's Rest

We woke to very overcast skies.  John took his walk and when he got back he cooked breakfast.  I got a text from my cousin, Mary, saying she and her husband, Paul arrived in Sarasota late Sunday night and wondered just where we were located now.  We hope to get together this week.  Then John took me down to the pool to do my exercises before the rain started.  He went to the weight room to finish his exercise routine.  Almost immediately the raindrops began but it really didn't matter because I was already in the heated pool.  I exercised about an hour and by that time the rain had pretty much stopped.  We headed back to Harvey and I got a shower and made some phone calls.  We made arrangements with Mary and Paul to get together with them tonight and go out to eat.  They bought a house in Palmer Ranch a couple of years ago and I was anxious to see it.  We had some leftovers for lunch and then I touched up the gray roots in my hair.  I don't think my daughter, Michele, who is a hair stylist, would be too happy with my results, but, I think it looks better.  While I was processing John took a nap and I worked on my blog post. We left for my cousin's place at about 5:10 and saw a couple of armadillos on the road outside our campground.  Hopefully, we will get some pictures another time!  We arrived at Mary and Paul's home at 5:50.  It is in a beautiful gated community with a lake in the center.  And their house is gorgeous with an open design, a floating, lighted buffet in the family room and cabinets in the bathrooms, and a screened porch with a beautiful pool!  They were so hospitable.  They decided to feed us there!  She served some appetizers and cooked spinach with white beans, pine nuts and olive oil and garlic that she made and Italian dishes they picked up at a family restaurant called Pizzoli's...cheese stuffed shells, eggplant parmesan, and an asst. of Italian cookies, one with figs.  Well, I certainly broadened my horizons because I have never or was never willing to try eggplant, cooked spinach, pine nuts or figs!  And guess what...I like them all!!  So thank you to my cousin for getting me to try something new.  We talked and caught up on our lives the rest of the evening.  They just finished building a duplex in Mechanicsburg but can't move in yet because their house in Harrisburg, which they have had on the market since June, hasn't sold yet.  However, they have a few nibbles since the open house this past weekend.   We had such a nice time!  We left about 10pm and went to bed when we got back.

Mary, Paul and me in their beautiful house

Moving Day

   WOW!  It's hard to believe our 2 wks at Ft Myers Resort is up already!  We finished all the necessary preparation for putting the rig on the road again and said our goodbyes.  We will miss Gary and Mary Lou... they are such nice people and, of course, Charlie, their dog, too.

Gary, Mary Lou and Charlie.  We sure hope to see
 them again during our future trips!!

  Gary helped me to spot while John maneuvered out of our tight site.  Again, John did a fabulous job!  We were out of there by 9:15 and headed to the Target across the street where we hitched up the Jeep.  Then off to Rambler's Rest Resort in Venice about 1 and 1/2 hrs north.  Bonnie called to see how we did getting out of the resort because they have been there and know how tight it is.  They had just pulled into Pine Island for the next 2 wks.  We got to
Rambler's Rest about 11:30 and were able to get right into our spot.

The entrance to our home for the next 2 weeks

  However, that was easier said than done.  The spot was small and had palms and pines on each side, one was very low and had large leaves hanging down,  After John did a fabulous job backing Harvey in we realized that there would be no place for us to set up our rug, chairs and awning because of that low bush.  So we decided to pull it in.  The only problem with that was we probably wouldn't have enough sewer hose and we couldn't put the awning all the way out.  We figured we could buy more hose and live with the half out awning as opposed to the other way.  It took a few tries until we finally figured it all out, but we got it! 

That darn tree is in the way of our awning!

See how that bush on the left is right against our coach...
We couldn't have possibly set up our "patio" there!!

There are 2 other Fleetwood coaches right beside us and across from us.  We got finished setting up inside and outside about 1:30.  We set out to find a Walmart so we could pick up a sewer hose and for some other staples.  There was one just 10 minutes down the road!  There were some other good stores there, too.  I might have to take a trip over there on the next rainy day!!  When we got back we decided to take a nap and get ready for the Super Bowl party the CG was having tonight.  They are supplying subs from Subway, beer, wine, soda and everyone is to bring a snack to share.  We had a nice time, but it was a little noisier than we would have liked.  We also would have been happier if the Seahawks would have won!  When we got back John went to bed to do some reading while I worked on my blog post for a bit.  Then I went to bed.