MONDAY NOVEMBER 30, 2015

Haha. It's lunch break at the job site. 

Mark went to pick up burgers from the King while I swept up more dust bunnies. With luck, we will have all the nail holes (and larger) filled today. Once we have power, I can vacuum the mess and begin painting baseboards. Meanwhile, there's no shortage of jobs to be done. 

Of course, my eBay had 4 sales today so I was busy after dinner tonight. That's the way it goes; all or nothing! LOL. 

It was time to check on the Scottie pups at Bonnie's ...

They're getting feisty. Bonnie sent a video for Robbie. He is very interested when he hears puppy grunts and squeals. It's a major Robbie head-tilt party. Haha. 

This evening, Bob and Jill went back home to Winnipeg. It was great fun spending time with them. They plan to be back in February for another visit.

Ka-Ching! Another eBay item to wrap and ship! LOL

Well that's it for tonight. Ta ta. 

SUNDAY NOVEMBER 29, 2015

A "work" day? What! Say it isn't so. Mark and I went to Orlando to ascertain the situation on a rental property Wayne and Sue own. I am excited to have a project, especially one that gets Mark off the sofa. LOL. Just kidding ... he keeps pretty busy around our property between maintaining three vehicles, an RV, a boat and the house. Oh yeah, and cooking! (Yes, Rick, I got that in there!) haha. eBay has been very quiet since September, so it's a good time to delve into another project. 

So, that was a rough start! We put our RV in its port ... no appointment at GRW until December 9th. Then, we loaded the truck for Orlando ... and the trusty Dodge wouldn't go into "Drive", just 4th gear. WTH? So, "Plan B". We loaded up the Kia and drove like the Clampets to Orlando! It seems we earned bad karma somewhere this year!

Although there was no power and no water at the house, we managed a solid day of tag-teaming grime, mold and dirt. We came home long enough to have a bowl of soup, feed Robbie, start the laundry and head to Home Depot for tomorrow's supplies. 

Now, 8 pm and time for some R 'n R and wine. 

Cousins in London worked on a "Make a Wish" ball ... Center is cousin Sophie. 

Right from a toddler we knew she'd be an entertainer!

Cousin Alex was working a cartoon exposition! 

Such talented family members. 

Ta ta til tomorrow!

RANDAWN'S LUNCH - NOVEMBER 28, 2015

Good morning. It's a bright beautiful sunny morning here in paradise. Mark was up early and away hunting to the Ocala Forest. He just loves being in the woods. Me? I was up by 630 and put breakfast on for Rick and Ruth. Yes, I confess, I can turn the stove on. Ha ha. You may wonder why I'm admitting I can turn the stove on! Well, it's because Rick took a photo of me at the stove and intends to post it on his blog. LOL. So, I might as well confess. Once the cat's out of the bag, it's hard to put said cat back in the bag. LOL

"Rick, you horse's ass!" LOL

So, after a mighty fine breakfast, Rick and Ruth packed up to head back to their yacht. It's been fun having them join us for our Thanksgiving weekend. 

Mark arrived home from hunting at 11:15 having seen plenty of turkeys running around the woods. I guess they feel safe now that Thanksgiving is over! Hide guys ... Christmas is coming! Gobble gobble. 

At 1 PM we arrived for lunch. Dawn's daughter Brittany ... 

and son Brandon with namesake Brandon. 

Jill and Bob ...

Diane, Kris & Mark ...

Sue with Kris ...

Randy, Dawn and wee Brandon (2 months)

Dawn, taking candid shots ... Zow-eee lookat Randy's shorts. 

It was a great afternoon! Lunch was terrific ... with a good variety. Thanks for a good party!

So, home by 5ish to feed and walk Robbie-dog. Now, it's relax:30 after a busy, fun few days. 

Ya ta. 

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 27, 2015

Good morning! We certainly enjoyed being at Grand Oaks Equestrian Park. A team of three horses passed by our RV pulling a cart.

Obviously this is a very pricey place to board horses, but oh so lovely. I'd enjoy staying here longer another visit. 

Robbie enjoyed watching the horses. The mares' barn was behind our site. There are lots of smells too. 

As we were getting ready to leave for home, we ran into a problem retracting the RV jacks. It seems, the jack's motor(s) may have stripped gears. Then we found a weld broken inside a metal tubing. It wasn't something we could fix on the fly. Mark had a method of jacking up the rig using a pumpkin jack and hooked it up to the truck. We were delayed by perhaps a half hour, nothing more. However, it looks like it's going to be another trip to Giant Recreation for repairs. Meanwhile, Rick and Ruth followed us home with their rig while Sue and Wayne went to Banana Cove, in Tavares. 

Ruth whipped up a Tortilla soup for our lunch. She sure loves being in the kitchen!

At 3 o'clock, we all met for our bowling challenge. Sue represented the southern team. It seems, the lanes at Breakpoint Bowling are, in Sue's terms, greasier. LOL. There were eight of us bowling ... Mark and Julie on Lane 22 ... Sue, Bob, Rick on Lane 23 ... Randy, Dawn, Ruth on Lane 24. 

It was a good outing with lots of action! What a lot of fun. Everyone bowled well!!! Bob K surprised himself with good skills. 

Afterwards, Sue went to the RV to BBQ with Wayne; RanDawn & Bob 'n Jill went to the Hideaway (for an announcement); and Rick, Ruth, Mark and I went to Ichi Ban for dinner buffet. Just as we were leaving Diane & Kris arrived to watch! We sent them inside where Randy & Dawn were drinking beer with Bob & Jill. (Sue had already left to feed her dogs ... and we were off to feed ours.)

IchiBan's waiter was so confused by our drink order that we wound up with an extra beer at no charge. Everyone was stuffed but Mark managed to drink it. LOL. 

Everyone faded quickly this evening at our place. Ruth was first at 7:30. Haha. Well, she was awake all last night, reading. 

Rick, Mark and I watched Jay Leno's Garage and drooled over all his famous cars. We were all low-key tonight. 

THANKSGIVING 2015

Good morning! It was a beautiful start. Mark enjoyed brushing Robbie until a heavy downpour sent them running up the RV steps. LOL. Ten minutes later, the sun was out again. 

Diane popped over for breakfast with Rick and Ruth then had Mark load the 6' table into the van. It's so lovely and quiet here. Three horseback riders walked past  enjoying their ride. What's not to enjoy? It's gorgeous here. 

Mark helped Rick with his TV antenna settings ... and now they're watching the Purina Dog Show. Cool. 

Before we left for dinner at Di & Kris' we walked Robbie around a paddock where two draft horses were grazing. 

What a gorgeous horse! So sweet natured! I wish we'd brought carrots!

Robbie wasn't sure ...

Thanksgiving was made even more perfect when Randy got on bent knee and proposed to Dawn ... 

All of us were moved to tears with Randy's proposal to Dawn. She's a perfect match for Randy (AND the family!) 

Diane announced Dawn as our new sister ... 

Fun times ahead!

It was a good Thanksgiving feast. Kris cooked a delicious turkey; wonderful side dishes ... good company. Friends Rich & Diane (on the right) were engaged last September. They joined in the fun with us all. We were so happy to have Bob & Jill and Rick & Ruth with us for their 2nd American Thanksgiving with our gang. Family and those we consider family = FUN! Arooooo

RV WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 25, 2015

Good morning! Oh, it's 3 a.m. Perhaps I'll go back to bed for a few hours after a glass of water. Wasn't that every kid's bedtime routine? "I'm thirsty." Then half an hour later ... "I have to go to the bathroom."  LOL

Last evening, Sue and Wayne arrived at Grand Oaks where we will meet them and the Moir's for a couple of nights. Isn't retired life fun! This part of life is much more fun than the beginning was with damn school. And homework. 

There's a new HomeGoods store near The Villages that's calling me for some browsing. Perhaps today IF we have time. 

We left home on our 22 mile trip at 9:45. This is THE shortest trip yet. Ha. Nevertheless it's fun to use the RV. 

These Florida horses are blanketed because it's dropping to 60F overnight! Really. 

Everyone arrived for Happy Hour and lots of laughs. Rick told his Coconut Rum story ... and both Sue and I busted him when Ruth walked up to join us. LOL

Busted.  LOL. Sue said it wouldn't do much good for her to tell Wayne that HE couldn't drink or "do" something. LOL

The next moment, Wayne arrived to join Happy Hour ... 

and was promptly told to secure our BBQ setup at the clubhouse. Away you go. Haha. Rick loved it. 

Tonight's community dinner was fun and the dishes were all good. Diane & Kris brought Bella, their rescue Chihuahua. 

Happy 15th Anniversary Kris & Diane!

I don't know what Sue said, but Rick sure looks embarrassed. Haha. 

We all had some good laughs! Rick & Ruth fit into our clan just fine! 

Mark told everyone the story of Bob K opening a bottle of Red Diamond wine that Randy had bought for Wayne. Well, it was so funny ...

Mark guzzled ...

Wayne ... looked annoyed. LOL. We had plenty of giggles. It was a crazy fun night.

Well, Ta ta til tomorrow! 

ROGUE WAVE TUESDAY NOVEMBER 24, 2015

It's a loverly day in Central Florida! I loaded clothes and food into the RV while Mark whipped up our pal Fritz's potatoes in foil for tomorrow's dinner. 

We sat down and watched Fargo; have you seen it??? Mark loves it ... I recall some events from 1979 news events in Minnesota. Of course the music and nostalgia is fun, but it is a true story. I like the show. After that, we readied for a boat ride for lunch at Hurricanes. The wind was forecast to be 12MPH from the East. Not bad. 

Randy, Dawn, Bob & Jill joined us for the "3 hour cruise"! Haha. Lake Eustis looked choppy when we ventured out the mouth of our canal. No problem, just a few white caps. We putted over to the Dead River, crisscrossing to cut into the waves. No sweat. The Dead River cruise was nice. Sunny too!

Lunch at Hurricane's was very good. Bob and I had burgers; great burgers with Swiss cheese. Yummy. Everyone else had fish something. Very good, they said. After, we cruised to the Dora Canal and enjoyed a putt-putt ride to Lake Dora where we turned back for home. 

It was lovely through the Dora Canal. Then, on Lake Eustis ...

a rogue wave got us while Bob was relaxing with wine in hand. One second, dry and happy; the next second drenched and not as happy. LOL

Bob scrambled for a dry seat beside Jill. Haha. It was more like 25 MPH wind!!!

Randy was soaked and borrowed Mark's hoodie ... and looked like the unibomber. Nice. 

Apparently, Randy's wine glass vanished; but not to worry! 

Resourceful Randy-man. LOL

I was happy with my Supergirl cape ...

and wrapped up like a burrito! Not too flattering, but whatever! The spray from the big wave got me wet ... 24' away from the bow! Wowser. 

Jill was cooking dinner at RanDawn's and invited us for baked chicken. We decided to join everyone! 

Bob was opening wine bottles left and right, keeping the party full throttle. Suddenly, Randy noticed Bob had opened a Red Diamond bottle that Randy bought special for Wayne. LOL. 

Fortunately, it was a work-night for Dawn and we headed home about 9:30. What a crazy fun day!  I suspect the next couple of days will be fun too. Ta ta til tomorrow. 

MONDAY NOVEMBER 23, 2015

Good morning! It's our first cool day ... 

but that didn't stop Mark (and Lew) from going hunting. At 5:30 this morning, it was 41F. (Yes, you can see I was up and at my craft table.) LOL

I made six window crystals and listed them on eBay. When Mark arrived home about 1230, we went on shopping errands ... Pet Supermarket, Dollar Tree and good old Walmart. (Wally has great prices on wine!)

Later in the day we pulled the RV out of its port. Tomorrow we will begin putting things in for our two day escapade. It's going to be a very busy Thanksgiving. We haven't seen Sue and Wayne since last May and there is much to catch up on. Plus, Diane and Kris have a 50th anniversary on Wednesday. Between Sue, Wayne, Rick, Ruth, Mark and I, we are cooking them an anniversary dinner at the campground. Whew!

After their dinner, Diane and Kris are borrowing our two RV tables and four chairs that they will need for their Thanksgiving feast the next day. They were expecting 17 total at their table but,  Scott is unable to join us. We will miss him and, he will miss all the fun festivities. Poor guy.

Tonight, I had trouble opening a box of Franzia wine. I hinted for help, but none came. (Someone was busy cooking he says.) So, I grabbed the first thing on the counter I spotted, a sharp knife and began sawing open the cardboard box. 

Well THAT was a crummy idea. LOL. I punctured the bladder and spilt the wine! So, 3 liters were transferred to empty carafes ... and of course, a pic for the Blog. Haha. 

It's going to be cool tonight! No air conditioning, maybe. Haha. That's our day done and time for DWTS finale. Ta ta. 

SUNDAY NOVEMBER 22, 2015

Oh boy! Bonnie sent a link to her puppy cam!!! 

I've checked in a dozen times today!!! OMG they are so adorable! 7 sweeties!

Good morning! Mark was awake first and started bacon frying. What a delightful start to my day. Of course Robbie had half an egg for his breakfast with kibble; and a Claritin. Our vet recommend Robbie take up to 2 Claritin daily for his itches. (Just the over the counter Claritin, NOT DM.) 

Diane phoned, solidifying times for our Thanksgiving day party.  She put me in charge of a game for Thanksgiving Day. After some thought, well actually 2 minutes, I began. It's going to be easy, entertaining and fun. The main idea, is to get everyone interacting. We are all looking forward to it.

Now, it's 2:25 and we're going to meet RanDawn & BeeJay at the Hideaway for drinks. The music was good, but we all managed to yell above it. 

Bob was telling us about his buy in, Jill said it's a pyramid scheme, to a diet coffee group. For $800 you get product, and the ability to sell a membership. 

Dawn and Randy thought they could advertise for Bob's new website. This picture, below, is the "before".

And, just look at the results after their coffee diet.

LOL. Lots of fun. Mark mentioned dinner at IchiBan and, since we all felt skinny, we downed our drinks and

headed over for a buffet feast! That place is amazing. There are 250 varied dishes available ... all good. Bob and Jill couldn't believe the value ... $11. Really! Afterwards, they came over for nightcaps at our bar. 

Robbie needed to be fed, walked and then joined the party. We caught up on all the news from Deception Bay and Clearwater Bay. It seems we missed a very exciting summer at the lake.

Tomorrow, Dawn works until 3 o'clock. After that, we may check out some shopping in The Villages. There's supposed to be a new HomeGoods store open! That's a favorite of ours. Great bargains.

So, that's our news for today. Ta ta. 

SATURDAY NOVEMBER 21, 2015

Well that was a crazy wake up call. It was one of those toss 'n turn nights. (I did get a peek into another dimension but I digress.) It was 4:30 a.m. and I was watching Ancient Aliens uncover 250,000 year old gold artifacts in South Africa. Robbie spooked me when he barked ... Right before the loud knock at our front door! In my most menacing voice I yelled, "Mark!!! Get the gun!" Within 10 seconds Mark was out of bed, at the door with a cowboy revolver in hand.

"Who is it???" Mark said, at the closed door. 

"It's Lew!" said an indignant voice. "I've been up since 4 and saw your TV on." LOL. What a neighborhood! Anyway, Lew thought Mark was going hunting with Ben, and came to bring Mark the walkie-talkies. By the way, Lew had a gun too. (Bear defense!) LOL. It's the Wildwest here!

LOL. I'm off a gallop now ... 

Head 'em off at the pass!

Bwahahaha ... Giddy up. 

I'm outta ammunition. LOL

So sweet Robbie has not been happy since I switched coffee tables a month ago. The black rattan glass top reflected the Christmas tree lights and "looked lighter". However, the wood table has "bars" on 2 sides and Robbie enjoyed sleeping under it. Well, Mark and I changed them to make him happy. So far, he's avoiding his old favorite spot. 

After chores were done, we decided on bowling a couple of games. Mark "nearly" had 2 gutter balls today! (He's NEVER had one!!!) Damn, I get gutter balls often enough to be a steady contributor to the tin box! Ha! Our community "Gutter Ball Fund" gets about $10 a month for Lotto tickets between Randy, Dawn and me. 

Bob & Jill arrive tonight from Winnipeg to celebrate Thanksgiving with our "gang." Randy is picking them up in Orlando about 8 tonight. Loose plans are for boating tomorrow or Monday, depending on the weather. (The cold front finally is here although it's still 80F and raining.) If we don't boat tomorrow, it'll likely be a "Hideaway" day!

We phoned Rod & Shay and wished them a happy 26th anniversary. What a great couple they are! For years we celebrated together before Mark and I moved "north" 4 years ago. 

Our ol' pal Stuart "Chissie" posted this sign he saw in Scotland (his native homeland).

Hahaha. Love it!

Well that's all I'm writing today. It's time to pour a wine and enjoy the porch in the rain. Ta ta.