Wednesday, April 28, 2010

On our way to Georgia



YouTube Video

A little warning at our first rest stop







-- Posted from my iPhone

Location:County Road 484,Belleview,United States

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Time to Pack

I can't believe the month is over. It went by so fast and we probably did less running around than our previous trips here but enjoyed it more.
A little catch-up on what we did since last post.
Michael left around noon on Thursday and I went to the pool to work on my tan, after all I have to go home looking like I went to Florida, and Larry went to practice his putting. I have matured a lot and taken all the healthy tips.  I glob on loads of 30 sunscreen and only stay out for 1-2 hours, depending on the heat.  Some days, just to stay cool it's just necessary to go in the pool, try to do two laps around the people just standing in the middle or walking back and forth with their noodle wraps around their waists.  At night we went to a concert at St Timothy's put on by the Central Florida Lyric Opera, great talents.  There was a soprano who performed who would have shattered my wine glass had I brought it!

Friday was another beautiful day, the way Florida is supposed to be so we played golf again in the late afternoon.  This time we had to wait for a group finishing the previous nine.  What a mistake!  They were so slow that I got tired just from the dragging on of the game and didn't play past the front nine.  They were gone by then and Larry just whizzed through the back 9.  I amused myself by taking pictures of us and posting them on Facebook.

The details of the days really just sort of blurs together so I won't be able to give a boring listing of our activities hour by hour.  We probably did the usual Village type of things, played tennis, went to the pool/putting, looked at an Open House or two and had our "Vodka and Tonic Happy Hour" on  the lanai.  I did finish reading a book on writing autobiography so now I need to start doing something about it.
We met Joyce and Richard for dinner Saturday night at The Veranda in Lake Sumter Landing.  We sat outside as the sun was setting and now know where to sit the next time so the sun isn't right on our table and in our eyes.  The food was homestyle, Larry had meatloaf, Joyce had pot roast, Richard and I had salads.  On our way to the restaurant, since we had time to kill, the Bass store called to Larry with their buy 1 get 2 free pairs of shoes and he actually find 3 pair.  It would take me a day and a half to do the same so I didn't attempt to pick out one pair.

Sunday we met Joyce and Richard again, this time for 6 games of pickleball.  Larry and I weren't as bad as we thought, considering we never play.  I need to practice getting the ball over the net lower.  It was really windy and rain was in the forecast which did happen but not until 5:30.


Then we had the most magnificent thunderstorms for hours.  When it was dark out I loved the way the room lit up from the solar tubes when there would be lightning.  Later that night we lost our cable because of the storm but we still had the internet.  The next morning we lost our internet just when they got the TV working but it was only out for about an hour.  It was again a typical Villages activity day for us but because of heavy winds again we bowed out of our possible golf game.
So now here it is Tuesday morning and it's laundry and packing for us.  We've eaten most of our food and will go out to dinner tonight - back to The Veranda again because we enjoyed it so much the other day.  Then it's pack the car and tomorrow off to Michael's lake house.


-- Posted from my iPhone


Thursday, April 22, 2010

Our Anniversary

After hanging around the house till noon, we decided to start the day.  We took the golf cart into Lake Sumter where I tried on a bunch of clothes while Larry and Michael amused themselves.  Then we went over to The Lighthouse where Michael treated us to an anniversary lunch.  After about a 20 minute wait, we were seated outside, which was where we wanted to be.  Just as we were done, it poured for about 15 minutes so we sat it out and waited for it to stop.

We walked back to our golf cart and left our leftovers and walked around town some more while the seat dried out a bit.
After we were back at the house, we played a game of Dominoes for a few hours and had a n appetizer/grazing dinner.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

I Won Again

This time it was Shuffleboard. Michael and Larry were my worthy opponents.  Michael came today and after having lunch and sitting around for awhile we decided we needed some exercise.  First we took a ride around in the golf cart and then went to the rec center and decided to play shuffleboard.
We weren't really sure about the rules but did a pretty good job of coming up with what worked for us.  I was way behind but somehow, must have been my great skill, came out the winner.




It's anyones game as you can see.  Notice how I had the lowest score of 20 and then the highest of 41.  We had a predetermined number of times left to play, I didn't just say let's quit now - although I did try that earlier (doesn't show on this board).










Sunday, April 18, 2010

What Luck

On the drive to Myrtle Beach I unplugged my GPS and all the pieces went flying.  I was able to retrieve the pieces in the picture right away (I was the passenger) but after putting it together something was still missing.  When we were at the hotel in Jacksonville, I quickly looked in the car, under the seats, for a missing piece but didn't find anything.  We decided to look again once we were at The Villages.  Well we forgot about it until after Larry got the car washed and part of the car wash was an inside vacuuming.  While that was going on we still didn't think about it.  It wasn't until later that day that Larry mentioned that I still hadn't looked for the piece from the GPS and then it dawned on us that the car had been vacuumed and I now I'd probably never find it.



So I decided to look online and see if I could get a replacement and then I looked to see if there was something that showed the parts that it contains.  The wonderful internet.  There were postings from a few years ago that talked about their GPSs flying apart - it's just a screw on piece, so should be checked for tightness every now and then.  Although there weren't any pictures I found out that the piece I was missing was the fuse.  I knew it had to be some long solid piece so now at least I knew what I was missing.  I'd give it one more shot before ordering a new charger.  I went out to the garage, opened the driver door and felt under the seat, nothing.  All the other parts had flown to the driver side and I had already pretty thoroughly checked the passenger side.  Then I moved the driver seat up.  It went up much further than anyone could possible use for driving and then I looked behind the seat from the back.  Thank goodness they don't vacuum where they can't see.  Sitting right there just waiting for me was the fuse.   (upper left in photo)




Now I was able to put it back together and test it, and it worked!!




-- Posted from my iPhone

Google Map

Yesterday when I was sending directions for my cousin Michael to get here I noticed on Google maps that there was a place to submit errors. I noticed earlier that the street we're on "Dowding Way" in The Villages is labelled incorrectly with the same name as the cross street "Southern Trace" so I sent them a note about it. Today I got a reply. I never told them mapquest had it right because I didn't look till after I sent the correction. Glad I could help!

From: noreply-maps-issues@google.com
Date: April 18, 2010 1:18:33 AM EDT
To: barbboudens@gmail.com
Subject: Google Maps Problem Report (ID: 9C78-F503-B369-3C3C)

Hi Barbara,

Your Google Maps problem report has been reviewed, and you were right! We'll update the map soon and email you when you can see the change.

Report history
Problem ID: 9C78-F503-B369-3C3C

Your report: The street where I have the final destination is called Dowding Way NOT Southern Trace which is a major road that intersects with it.
--
Thanks for your help,
The Google Maps team

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Oh What a Beautiful Day

The sights and sounds at the 7th hole of Tally Ho. It's nice not playing with 30 mph winds.
Larry hit a ball that he thought hit the bank by the green on this par 3 hole so we were looking for it.  There were a lot of catfish in the water and a lot of balls too.  The sounds of all the  birds was so peaceful and serene while watching the fish lazily move through the water.  Even the small plane flying overhead added a nice touch.  By chance, when I was done filming and going back up to the green, I looked down as to where I should step, and there was Larry's ball.  It was just luck that I found it because it was into the side of the hill.
It's just a nice night to be out here.
Today it was sunny in the morning so I decided to hit the pool because it was warm and not windy.  Probably got there before 11:30 and it was beautiful.  Perfect temperature, nice sun, not crowded.  It lasted about 45 minutes and then the clouds rolled in.  While I was there, Larry went to the putting green that was by the rec center to practice with the new putter that's going to make his putting so much better :-).  When he was done, he sat on his chair not out in the sun (even if there was any) and I stayed where I was.  It was still a beautiful day for being outside and easy to read without the sun - so much for that Florida tan.  It's not good for you anyway, but need some of that natural Vitamin D.
We went to golf around 4 and it was the most perfect night since we got here.  No sun and no wind and warm temperatures.  When we got home around 8:00 we were going to have our favorite after golf dinner, hot dogs and sauerkraut but first I had to run to Publix to get some sauerkraut.  When I got home we had our also favorite vodka and tonic and I took out some cheese and crackers.  After having some of those and since it was getting close to 9:00 we decided we didn't really want the hot dogs anymore so I pulled out some carrots and mushrooms and dip and we had a well balanced dinner and well within my point limitations.


-- Posted from my iPhone

Friday, April 16, 2010

I WON 6-4


This is an achievement. I beat Larry for the first time ever in a tennis set. The most games I ever won was 4. Of course, his heel was bothering him and he couldn't run, but so what, I never run. I do hope his heel feels better but maybe he'll be a little intimidated by me the next time we play.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Windy

This morning I went to Weight Watchers and decided to do a little exploring in the area. I really hit the jackpot. It was like finding civilization. I never knew all these stores were here, especially when we were staying at the other end of The Villages and never ventured out this far.
After I got home and used my iPhone without a problem, I went to use it again and it was deader than a doornail. I thought for sure we were going to have to make a trip to the Apple store in Orlando but first I went online. Sure enough there were instructions to fix it. It appears that I needed to reset it. Don't know what happened but this is what I did and eventually it came back to life, although I did have that apple logo for a really long time.

To reset iPhone, press and hold the Sleep/Wake button and the Home button at the same time for at least 10 seconds, until the Apple logo appears.
Here's the link

Yesterday we played golf in the afternoon but it was so windy again. We would have been better off staying home. We were both hitting like we had never played before - especially me with my swings and misses, but I still did pretty good on those par 3s - one par, one bogey. We decided to bag it after 9 and not put ourselves through any more torture. We went back to the house and were going to have a drink but first we went in the hottub. After we came out, Larry didn't feel well. He had the chills and lied down on the couch while I made salad for dinner - no drink. Probably a good thing since I have WW in the AM. We watched the last two episodes of 24 - Season 6.

I've sort of lost track of what we did Monday and Tuesday. I know we played tennis both days, even with the wind, and pickleball one of them too. It was too cloudy for the pool so we didn't do that and I didn't take any pictures so we must have been in some catatonic state the rest of the time.


-- Posted from my iPhone

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Penny and Chris Visit

Penny and Chris came on Friday and it was a glorious day.  We sat out on the lanai for a while and then took a ride over to Lake Sumter Landing in the golf cart so we could get there to show them what it is like at Happy Hour.  There were a lot of new things since last year.  A Coldwater Creek and a TGI Friday's were the ones I remember.  Also, not sure if the bead store is there anymore.  It was near IZOD and I don't recall seeing it when I was there.
A GOLF CART RIDE
We walked around for awhile but the line for 2/1s were too long so we eventually came back to our place for Happy Hour and dinner.  It was the perfect night for sitting outside.  We had an assortment of cheeses and crackers, grapes and maybe some other stuff (I didn't take a picture so I don't remember) to go along with our Vodka drinks - we don't have much variety here.
For dinner we grilled salmon, squash and served it with sweet potatoes.  When we couldn't keep our eyes open any longer, we said our goodnights.
Saturday we had a leisurely breakfast out on the lanai - it was do it yourself, my favorite, I just set out everything.  Later on we took a ride, by car, to Spanish Springs where we had a light lunch at Toojay's and walked around the town.  Maybe not such a light lunch, this was half of Larry's liverwrust sandwich.  Can he get his mouth around it?

Saw that they have a Chico's there, don't remember if it was there last year.  Then we took a drive down to 466a to see the new Seabreeze Rec Center.  It is beautiful and fits it name perfectly.
They have platform tennis, beach volleyball and a total beach theme.  The bathrooms in the main building are beautiful. 


We walked around the area and then drove around some more and went back to the house because Chris and Larry had a 4:15 tee time at Arnold Palmer.
Penny and I decided to chill out and she finished reading a book and I listened to The Help.  It got really cold so we bundled up in blankets and I upped the temp on the air to 77.  When the guys got back and showered, we went to The Lighthouse restaurant for dinner where we had a great, late dinner.  Thanks Penny and Chris!!
After awhile we couldn't keep our eyes open anymore and it was time for nighty night.  Unfortunately, this time when I listened to my book which usually puts me to sleep in 5 minutes, I stayed up until 3:00 AM until I finished it.
Sunday morning we went to church where there was a full house again.  The choir is great at 9:00 and the altar is in the round and they have 8 closed circuit TVs.

Back to the house for coffee and breakfast on the lanai and around 11:30 our visitors left.  We were going to go to the Polo match and decided for a change to be early.  Well, there was such a lineup of golf carts to get into the place we decided to bag it since we've been to polo matches before.  So we went to Publix instead to replenish some supplies.  On the way we stopped at Beall's and I found a pair of sunglasses because the ones I bought half price at Wegmans just broke in half and I also found a pair of Chico khaki pants for $9.99 regularly $58.00.
When we came home I was going to go to the pool but it was pretty much cloudy most of the day so I spent most of the afternoon on the computer until I went to watch the Masters with Larry.



-- Posted from my iPhone

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Wednesday and Thursday

Wednesday we took a ride over to the shopping area to go to Publix and Walmart to pick up a few things. On the way, Larry dropped me off at Beall's Outlet and he went to get a haircut. I couldn't find anything I liked, or that fit, but he got a decent haircut this year. We then went to Bealls regular store. How many stores have cows sitting in front of them?

We went to the pool for a couple of hours in the afternoon, had salad for dinner with the leftover pork tenderloin which was still as delicious as the day we made it.

Thursday, today, we played did our stretching/yoga, played tennis and went in the hottub all by 10:45 AM. It was partly cloudy most of the morning so in the afternoon we decided to go look at some houses that were open. We went to one of the houses by Sumter Landing that are very overpriced because of their location. We then went to see one that was a Premier home in Spanish Springs off Morse just north of 466. We took the golf cart and rode along the golf cart rode along 466 which was a really nice road that we never rode on before. When we got home, we filled the batteries with distilled water that we had gotten the previous day. For dinner we had salad and tilapia and then we broke down and watched the first DVD of Season 6.

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Mostly Jack

Today we watched the last 2 DVDs of 24, season 5. At least we broke it up by doing other things but we're taking a big break and not start another season for awhile because they are just too addicting. And of course we were left with a cliff hanger because Jack was captured and beaten by the Chinese.
We took a walk for some exercise in the early afternoon as one of our breaks and then played golf again at Glenview. We got home around 7:45, had hot dogs for dinner and then started watching the final DVD.

Joyce and Richard and Sue and Rob stopped over to see our place on their way back from Joyce's birthday dinner and when they left we stayed up until 1:00 AM watching the rest of 24.

Monday, April 5, 2010

I Love Yoga - April 3-5

Saturday morning I did Yoga for the first time in a month. We went to the pool for a couple of hours and my neck was killing me after sitting in the lounge chair so I did some more stretching and we went in the hottub and it seemed to feel better. We played golf at Glenview Country Club after 4:00 and it was such a beautiful night. Just the perfect kind of night for eating outside along the lake if we were home. After playing most of the front nine I made the comment that I wished I had taken some Advil and Larry said he had some. He gave me Tylenol Arthritis that he had in his golf bag and it was instant relief. I could still feel that I had the pain, but couldn't feel the pain so I was able to play the back nine in comfort.




On Easter Sunday we went to the 7:00 AM mass to avoid the crowds. What a joke. We left to get there around 6:30 and the parking lot was packed. Fortunately the parking lot extended around to the back where there were a lot more spots. We did wind up sitting in the Social Hall where they had chairs set up and we had our own service, not closed circuit. My neck pain was now the nerve pain that shot down my shoulder and I did Yoga again and went into the hot tub too.
For dinner we grilled a peppercorn pork tenderloin with asparagus and sweet potatoes. I forgot to take a picture before we ate it, but this is all we had left. It was really delicious.

This morning, Monday, I did Yoga again and I could feel my neck getting better as I was doing it. It is so amazing what it can do. I did my favorite yoga that I found on YouTube when we were down here last year. Whenever I am in pain it works so well because it makes you hold all the poses for a long time that just help stretch out all the tightness.
We watched an episode of 24 while I ate my breakfast and then we went to play tennis. Yesterday there was no way I ever could have thought that I would feel good enough to play tennis today. And I wasn't bad, considering I hadn't played since the summer. But of course, Larry beat me, 6-1 and 6-3.

We went back home to cool off and watched another 24 episode. After that we went to get some gas for our grill at Lowe's and then to Weight Watchers for my weigh in. I was a pound higher than when I reached my goal but I'm attributing that to all the coffee and water I had today, plus food. Uusually I go first thing in the morning before an ounce of liquid gets into my body. I got a key chain for attending 16 meetings and a charm for losing 10% of my body weight. Next week I'm going to a 9:00 AM meeting just like home.


We went to Publix and then over to Lake Sumter Landing to check out the Izod store. I couldn't find anything but Larry got 2 shirts and a pair of shorts. Then we went to Sweetbay where we found a good supply of Schweppes diet tonic. When we got back we had vodka tonics for only 2.5 pts. YUM!!!

A 2 pt snack, Laughing Cow cheese and Low Fat Town House crackers (6) and the vodka and tonic out on the lanai made for a perfect end of our outings for the day.

We grilled hamburgs for dinner and watched 2 more episodes of 24 on DVD (Day 5) and then the current 2 episodes from 8-10. And then we continued to watch more episodes until after midnight.
We are going to have withdrawal when we have seen all the seasons.
-- Posted from my iPhone

Sunday, April 4, 2010

Our House at The Villages

Master Bedroom
Master Bath and Walk In Closet
Dining Area and Doors to Lanai
Living Room with 1 Recliner an 2 Love Seats, one with Recliners
Kitchen
Lanai with table, chairs and grill
and real nice hot tub at the other end
our golf cart
spare bedroom
daybed in office
and the next two pictures are just like home
my workspace in office complete with a PC and a Mac
and Larry using his Mac in front of the TV


Friday, April 2, 2010

First Day

Yesterday after checking in at this very organized outside check-in, which took practically no time at all, we located our house, got everything out of the car and went to Publix to do some grocery shopping.  We made salads and hot dogs (turkey, bun length) with sauerkraut for dinner on flatout bread - only 3 points for the hot dogs and bread.  Then we watched some more of 24 Season 4 since there wasn't anything good on TV.

So here we are for our first full day and I wake up feeling dizzy which led to feeling nauseous,  Not to mention that my neck is bothering me because I haven't gone to the gym or done yoga for a month since I was sick most of March,  So, since I was incapable of doing anything, (I would get dizzy if I bent my head so couldn't help my neck) we sat on the wonderful reclining loveseat and finished the last 4 epsiodes of 24,  That show is so-o-o addicting.  But after watching the first 4 seasons in such a short time, we can both pretty much guess what's going to happen next.  Larry better than me, I think he pays more attention.  I usually knit or crochet while I watch but I haven't felt good enough to even do that.

Finally around 3 o'clock, after taking a shower and getting dressed I felt better.  Around noon I had some oatmeal with strawberries and just as we were on our way out of the door I had a quick call to get rid of some of that, and then I felt even better,  So I took a couple of plastic bags, just in case and we went to check out our neigborhood recreation center.  It has a nice pool, tennis courts and pickleball courts all in one area.  While we were there, we played  a game of bocce using our own rules, I need to look them up because usually we just play throwing the ball around the property at Gerry's at Wadmalaw.

After Larry beat me, we went to the Super Walmarts and got some additional items.  We should have enough main meals for the month and just need to get fresh fruits and veggies, milk etc.

We were going to have tilapia for dinner but I still didn't feel good so Larry made a salad with tuna and I had a bowl of cheerios and we ended the night by starting Day 5 of 24 but I slept through episodes 3 and 4.

Thursday, April 1, 2010

FINALLY

We're almost at our destination at The Villages and for the first time the temperature was in the 80s,


-- Posted from my iPhone