winding down....

Hello Folks , Its been a bit since I posted but time is at a premium these days. We have been busy enjoying the Florida life and taking in all that  it has to offer. My sister Barb and my brother in law Frank came for a visit and we had a lovely week with lots of sunshine. The guys did some golfing, Barb and I did some shopping and we had several days at the pool to soak in the Florida sun. Time sped by quickly and before we knew it they were off to spend a few days on the Gulf side of Florida before heading home.

There has been the annual fashion show and luncheon again this year for the ladies. The clothes were lovely as was the luncheon . St  Patrick's day a group of went to the Jetty to  celebrate the day and enjoyed our afternoon with food and drink. There always seems to be a reason to celebrate something here.
Yesterday was the annual bus trip to the casino. We are not much of the gambling type but did have fun with everyone on the bus. Neither of us was lucky, but maybe next year. we did however win bingo prizes on the bus trip though so I guess we were a bit lucky!

Today Roger was at the annual Harbour Ilse  fun golf tournament. His team came in third place so he said they did well enough, but most of all they  had many many laughs.

The packing up has started and we will be ready to head back on April 1st. We still have a few events to attend and a few farewell suppers but we are both ready to be back home in Manitoba.  In the mean time we will continue to enjoy the sunshine and the pool.

See you soon!

at the fashion show and luncheon

 early morning from the condo (peasceful)

sunset at the Savannah's preserve just north of us

Our resident otter eating a fish

Middle of February......

Here we are in the middle of February. How did that happen! The time here is passing very quickly. My friend Brenda was here and before we knew it the time was over. Luckily we had some really great weather so we had wonderful pool days. The one rainy day we went shopping and had success on that front as well.
One of the days we went to the Country Lion Safari  about an hour and half away. What a fabulous adventure that was. We had the opportunity to see so many animals on the drive through and some more on our walk through that nature park area.  The birds were amazing and particularly like Roger. He was swarmed with Lory birds as they loved his silver hair and iPhone.
It was Trivia night on Saturday and a great time was had by all. 
We will continue to take in the sunshine and keep busy and before you know it we will be on our way home.

A sloth really does move very very slowly!

the sun doth shine......

The world is a beautiful place when the sun shines. The past week has brought hot weather and sun shine to our small part of the world here in Florida.  Everyday has been a pool day and outdoor activity. The mornings are spent on the front balcony enjoying coffee and perhaps a yogurt as we catch up on the days news and emails. The afternoons are lazy days at the pool soaking in the sun and relaxing in the water. By 4:30 its time for cocktails on the balcony. A lovely simple life.
Roger is still golfing and taking his paint lessons and working on different painting projects between bocce and the pool.

 My friend Brenda arrived on Tuesday evening after a hectic day full of flight delays. No worries though as her luggage arrived with her and the good weather makes up for all!  Amazing how the sunshine and water evaporate the stresses of life.

There are busy days ahead as we move through February. Luncheons, fashion shows, Trivia, and bus trips and BBQs fill out the calendar for the next few weeks. I will keep you posted!

I hear the weather is still cold in Manitoba so keep warm and stay safe everyone.

Watching the rain.....

Sitting here watching the rain come down on a chilly January Sunday. It is a real Florida rain day where water runs in the streets and the retention ponds fill. I  awoke in the night to the beating of rain on the window and could hear the wind whipping through the palms. I got out of bed to have a look and the rain was pouring like an open faucet. Although it was dark out the pool lights illuminated the pool enough to see waves churning up the water. Not often do we see waves in the pool. The day is a wet one so its a day to hunker  down and read  I guess. We have not had the best January weather wise, but winter storms seem to prevail everywhere so we are thankful to at least have above freezing temperatures.

We keep busy with having dinners with friends and playing cards. Roger continues to golf  on Wednesdays and will attend his new painting class again on Tuesday afternoon. He is adjusting to his new golf clubs and has spent time hitting balls at the golfing range practicing his swing. I have finished my book for book club, attended my meditation class, helped plan the next trivia night and worked on pictures for the next harbour isle newsletter. The community calendar is filling up with festivals and events so I suspect the next month will be a busy one
.
Next week my friend Brenda R. comes to visit and just in time for the weather to warm up. I see pool time and lazy days in our future.

I hear the Manitoba weather is brutal, so stay warm and safe.
Talk soon.
Carol.

Chilly by Florida standards.....

Wow, believe it or not I woke up this morning to temperatures near freezing, 4 C. in fact, with real feel 1 C. If it were not for the palm trees I would have thought I had been zapped back to Manitoba in my sleep. The past couple of days have been real winter for Florida although I keep telling our friends they have no idea of cold. I must admit that I will be wearing  long pants today, a rare event for me here. Definitely, there will be no pool! BRRRR.

This week we attended a  travel show put on by one of the local travel agencies. It was a wonderful event with great presentations and lots of different vendors with travel information. Free drinks and appetizers as well. A nice bonus. We saw a few places we would like to travel to  and how we might like to do it.  Also, were able to weed out what really did not appeal to either of us which is helpful when looking through the information. Now to win the lottery and be able to do it all. 

Friday night we had friends over for supper and to play cards.Roars of laughter could be heard as we muddled our way through the games and tried to keep track of what card was wild for each round. By 11 pm us old folks had snacks eaten, cards put away and said a cheery farewell to each other. We will all be ready for another round of five crowns next week. 

Trivia night finished off the week on Saturday. A great turn out of about 50 people presented to test their brains and vie for the cash. Teams were 5-6 people and some people had not met until that evening so it was a great way for new people to get to know other residents. The team that won 1st place was a team of all new residents that had not met which was really nice for them. Everybody cheered for them as well adding to their delight. People are already planning their teams for next month.

Rogers golf game is improving due to practice but also the new to him clubs he has acquired. He says his game is evolving and the better clubs have made a big difference. Whatever the reason he seems to be enjoying the outings and looks forward to the weekly games. I can see 2 games a week in his future.

As we start a new week it is hard to believe that January is more than half over. We do not have mush planned this week but I am sure the days will fill up  quickly.

Take care all and stay warm!

Carol

Mid January already....

Hello everyone,  Life continues on here and the days are passing by quickly. We are having more cooler days this year with what seems to be never ending wind. There is warmth in the sun but chill in the wind . By chill I am not talking about Manitoba windchill but just enough coolness off the ocean to  need a light sweater when out in the open. January can be an iffy month weather wise in Florida  and cooler weather often prevails. It still beats the cold and snow so we will take it.
Unfortunately the heater to the pool broke this weekend so we are waiting for it to heat up again after its repair. Cool air and cool pool don't mix!

We have had BBQ's, birthday dinners, card nights, book club, golf, meditation,swimming, boccie, and all the usual activities around here. Of course there has been a bit of shopping added to the mix.
until next time

, keep well and keep warm!

Carol

cool weather bring beautiful sunsets
taken from out balcony

Viking River Cruise information night

How many people to cook a hot dog?

fun BBQ after the pool, but bad hair!

Happy New Year....

New Years Eve was rocking and rolling at our condo starting at 6 pm with a bountiful table of appetizers, entrees and desserts! There was lots of good cheer to go around as everyone mixed and mingled and celebrated with friends. At 10:30 pm we did the first wave of bringing in the new year with a champagne toast and blessing for the New Year. Some people drifted home(we are getting old) as the others stayed and played a rousing game of charades. The final toast was as the ball dropped in times square with 2019 officially rung in.

New years day was a pool day followed by a meal shared with friends of all the left over food from New Years eve and a few additions. It was an early evening followed by and early to bed for us.

The rest of the week was as usual with golf, bocce,  meditation class, Rogers painting outing, and sunshiny days at the pool. The excitement of the week was on Friday afternoon. I was returning to the condo to get cleaned up to go our for supper when the elevator stopped working at the 2nd floor. The door was shut , the lights went out, and no elevator buttons worked.  I thought oh dear I have to push the help button, so I did. Apparently it is answered by the fire department because after a brief conversation they said someone will be there shortly to get me out.  Much to my chagrin the fire truck and rescue vehicle showed up and a big burly fireman came and pried the door open with a crowbar. He helped me step down off the elevator which was raised above the second floor and then proceeded to call over his walkie talkie, "she is out and all fine, no injuries , she walks and talks, all good here". He sent me on my way and I walked up the other 2 flights up to the condo. I looked over the balcony when I reached the top and saw all 4 firemen busy at work resetting the elevator. Yup, the did it and after a quick trial to be sure the elevator went up and down they were off in their big shiny red trucks!  For me it was a quick shower, change and off to supper with Roger and friends!

Saturday was card night with our friends and we learned a new game called Crowns. Its easy to play and lots of fun. Today is Sunday and after a quiet morning we were off to an afternoon BBQ and swim party.  Now I am tired and ready to have a quiet evening,reading or watching TV.  I can see   a 9 pm bedtime in my future.

Thinking of you all back home.Take care.
Carol