Newsy news

On Monday we had the internment of Diana's husband, Gerhard, at the cemetery on a gorgeous day. Later in the afternoon we headed to Ariane's Rest. , a long time family favorite, to celebrate Gerhard's life with a dinner for family and friends. Here is a shot of nephew Ian and his wonderful young family. (I guess you would have to call it a snapshot)

Tuesday I took my brother, Rich, to the car museum in Naples. Lots of historical vehicles and also much about racing at the Revs Institute.

Lots of snow falling back home right now so we are in the right place. It has cooled down into the 60's so it was a good morning to walk and walk I did.

I have signed up to do a stand up comedy routine next week for the Swan Lake Talent Night. I'm going to do a ten minute routine and hopefully I will get laughs. Nervous about this but what the heck! It is something I have always wanted to do.

Observation: When I was 10, 11, and 12 years old I played ping pong, shot pool, and rode my bike. Now I am 70 and... playing ping pong, shooting pool, and riding a bike. Hmm....

We just purchased a water purifying pitcher. We are using way too many plastic water bottles so now we can reduce/eliminate them. Why? Because we are trying to lessen our carbon footprint. What are you doing to help protect our environment? Are you waiting for government to do it? I hope not! You can make a difference if you try. Ed Sanderson, Mike Tirrell, Phil Tippen, and others take note: Now when I put water in my adult beverage, it will be pure!

A lot going on!

I've actually been too busy to write anything the past week. Ouch! So here is a little catching up.  Lots of electrical projects here on the motorhome where we have replaced many fixtures with energy saving  LED's. Altogether I replaced 7 light fixtures. This is the old!

 And the new LED:

Over at Diana's house in Cape Coral I replaced four outdoor lights, also with LED.  Steve Young: cub electrician!!!
Table tennis and pool went well this week and in addition to ping pong workouts I have been walking and swimming.
Finally, Swan Lake had a big "trash and treasure" sale over the weekend and I helped with that.
Whew! 

Tomorrow is Gerhard's internment at the cemetery and Tuesday I am taking my brother to the car museum in Naples! So here are a few random photos:

Here is Teddy under his Mommy's chair. Why? Because it is close to feeding time and Teddy is all about food. When Mommy gets up, Teddy will be ready!!! Pretty cute, eh?

Here is the new look on Diana's house with energy saving light at night! Hey...her house is lit up like Luna Park!! That is what my mom would say when she would come home when I was a kid and we had all the lights on in the house! Too funny! Here is the real Luna Park on Coney Island in the early 1900's:

This 1939 Ford drew some attention here at the park this A.M.
One more of Teddy the lap cat:

Senior games

Friday was the table tennis competition. No medals for me but I held my own against some really talented opponents and had a blast. Here are some photos. The first is the venue.

 Here I am studying the board to see who my opponents will be

Above is me with friend Gordon taking a break from competition.

Finally, the cute picture below shows Teddy sticking close to Joanna, who will soon be making his dinner. He is ready to be fed!!!!

80 Bucks!

I think I am going through a second childhood... no wait...at my age make it third! Last week it was victory in the weekly pool competition. This week it is the North Ft. Myers Senior Games Table Tennis Tournament on Friday. Ahhh...life is good!

At age 70 I am playing my butt off and enjoying it. Great workouts on Tuesdays and Fridays and lots of fun! Now, how to get an edge in the upcoming tourney? I'd been thinking about it for a while and last week I decided...It was time for "the Raptor". Ahhh...so what exactly is the raptor you ask? Only the slickest ping pong paddle on the market! The only problem is that it costs quite a bit of money. I decided to take the plunge as table tennis is a game I love.

It arrived in the mail Saturday and as I unwrapped it I felt like I was unwrapping the Holy Grail. The fresh paddle gleamed, felt good in my hand, and made me smile. That warm fuzzy feeling reminded me of when I got my first Raven steelhead rod a few years back. Good times ahead!!

Today we had our last game session before the competition on Friday. and needless to say I was anxious to give the Raptor a try. After all, for 80 bucks it had to be better than the paddle I've been using. 

And so on a beautiful morning I jumped in my "new" truck with my paddle beside me and headed for the North Ft. Myers Recreation Center. (Conveniently located a half mile down the street). Ahhh...life was filled with possibilities!

I can confidently report that sometimes having the best equipment is the way to go! Speed and control with the Raptor are fantastic, and I found myself making shots today that I hadn't previously been able to make. I even managed to turn a few heads with my sparkling play. What a confidence builder the Raptor is for Friday when I will face some really terrific players!

In the meantime, I have pool tomorrow and a special "pong practice" on Thursday, organized by yours truly! It looks like Childhood days have returned! Pretty soon I will be back to watching Saturday morning cartoons!!

"Honey, do we have any peanut butter and jelly?"

Bravo

Joanna and I drove down to Naples yesterday to spend the afternoon with friends from home. We met Pat McDougal, her sister Kathy, and Annie Robbins at a great restaurant called Bravo. This is a place famous for its delicious "small plates" which come at bargain prices. We talked, we laughed, we drank, and boy did we eat!!!
Waiting for our friends on a warm, breezy day.

 And here we are! The ladies are staying on Marco Island.

And we ate!!!!!

Annie and Kathy in background. Terre missou dessert in foreground

WSJ

Last summer Charley Hinman began giving me his Wall St. Journals. He would drop them off at the house in a big pile and I would spend a few days going through them. Having been well over a decade since I regularly read a printed newspaper, it felt pretty  good to have "hard copy" in hand. I sort of got hooked as I really felt "informed" on the issues.

Now I am in Florida and the WSJ has a sale going on. Get 12 weeks of the paper for only 1 buck a week. I couldn't resist and this week I started receiving my hard copy of the paper. Great stories and coverage and editorials! I've even decided to keep a few historical issues to "plant" in the barn for future generations to enjoy!

Wednesday pool league update:
I am improving! Did better in singles competition and WON the doubles competition! (Yes, I had a good partner, but I made the big shots that won the game!)

Take a Hike!

Every day I try to take a long walk. My goal is 2.5 miles for better health but usually I only make it about 2. My route is around the Swan Lake Park. There are two sections to this park: The RV section and the modular home section. It's a pleasant journey each day as I get my steps in (and sometimes let some air out along the way!), usually in the morning when the sun is not so bright on my "pinky" skin. The RV part is on a large circle and the homes are on two streets.

 Above is Campers' circle and below is Main St. with the new truck

I try to be aware of sights and sounds and smells as I walk. I am amazed at what my five senses tell me each day.

Here is a list of some things I have noticed on my daily journey:

1. The Sunday morning walk is the best as this is a day when people tend to cook a big breakfast. I  long to invite myself in for one of these wonderful smelling meals.
"Hi! Don't mind me, just pass the bacon!"

2. Most of the people in this park come from midwest states like Ohio,Indiana, and Michigan. This is easy to tell from the license plates in all the driveways. There are a few of us from NY, PA, and Ontario.

3. People from the midwest keep their vehicles clean. Shiny cars and trucks are everywhere and on any given day, several men can be found washing/buffing them. If I could line all of these cream puffs up on a used car lot, I could make a fortune!

4. I am not the only person who walks. There are many people out pounding the pavement each morning, or riding a bike. It's certainly a healthy sign!

5. People are very friendly and like to chat. Lots of interesting conversations can take place along the way, which is good for me as I am a bit of a social butterfly.

6. They say if you own a pet it can add 7 years to your life span.  People are going to live a long time here at Swan Lake which is bursting at the seems with pets. They ought to recruit a vet to live right here in the park! I've seen everything from cats to cockatoos, but the main park pets are dogs. They are everywhere and they come in all shapes and sizes. The predominant type are what I call those little Foo Foo dogs! And so walking your dog, and picking up after them, is an important part of park life.
It's fun to see the different dogs and different owners and the walking styles they have. There are "Yankers"  dragging their dogs along,  and "Yankees" being dragged by their dogs, all in pursuit of that common goal. The vast majority of humans are admirably patient with their pets. It should be noted though that for a dog, there a real need for "sniff time". I applaud the owners who allow for lots of this. I do wonder a little what owners will do when plastic bags are increasingly banned.

This is Lily. She is my favorite dog in the whole park! So tiny!

7. I have noticed many monarch butterflies in this park. I thought they all went to Mexico for the winter?

8. People take good care of their properties. Pride of ownership is everywhere.

Overall I am in awe of all the loving kindness, wisdom, and sheer know-how that exists here at Swan Lake. If we could move all of these people directly to Congress, I'm sure They'd have the country fixed in no time!

The Weekend

 Headed to my brother's house this past weekend for a turkey dinner. Here he is checking out the new truck. Below is my plate in between bites. Dinner was terrific! Thank you Robin!

 Our hosts...Robin and Rich

 Clockwise it's me, then Rich and Robin's friends, Brenda and Mary Ellen. We have known Mary Ellen for years, but just met Brenda.

The Big Spring Plan

Time is flying by and I have begun to plan our spring trip to Yellowstone. Here is the plan so far:

In mid-April we are going to drive the new truck home and leave the car, the motorhome, and Teddy here in Florida. Teddy is going to stay over at his Aunt Diana's house while we are gone. By leaving the motorhome in Florida, we save a lot of driving miles and I don't have to winterize to go north.

We then fly back in mid May and hit the road on the 16th. We are heading west via Atlanta and a visit to my good buddy, Tom Moseley. Then on to southern Missouri to see friend Phil Tippen and his family.

Finally we will head for Yellowstone for a week with Brian, Linda, and the G-kids. Should be an epic journey indeed, with interesting stops on the way out and the return trip.