From Peace River to The Villages

On Tuesday June 1st, we closed up the fifth wheel, left it stored on the site in Wauchula and headed for our villa at The Villages.

It was almost a three hour trip. We stopped just once at McDonalds. Rich grabbed a $1 cheesburger and we each had a milkshake.

Our first stop was at the Sales Office. This is where we pick up our "temporary" resident ID cards. These cards allow us to use the facilities at The Villages during our visit/

If you click on this picture, you will see that the sign says "Trolly Parking" . Should you ever visit The Villages, stopping here is a must. They will take you on a "trolly" ride and introduce you to everything thing that goes on in this very active adult communtiy. The ride is free.

We arrived at our villa about 4:30 in the afternoon. Like the others that we have stayed in, this one was just as nice. Very large and well equipped kitchen, Dish TV, and a great desk with internet access in the master bedroom. The property is very well maintained with very nice landscaping. Big parking area, so we can park the car in the garage and leave the truch in the alternate parking provided. There is an open lanai on the side of the villa, a nice electric grill for outside cooking, and a screen and glassed lanai. The lanai is very nice. Openthe glass slides and you can enjoy the afternoon breeze. Close the glass slides to keep out the afternoon showers.

CAN'T PLAY PICKLEBALL - SO LET'S ENJOY A FROZEN DACQUARI!!

Yes, the Villa comes complete with our very own golf cart to take us wherevere we need to go to shop, eat or play. As you all know - Rich loves the pickleball play here at The Villages. The foot has healed very nicely since the surgery and he was ready to give it a try on the courts. On Sunday afternoon we went down to the courts, just the two of us and hit a few balls back and forth. Nothing real demanding; only there for about 15 or 20 minutes. On Monday, Rich started getting some pain in his right side - near the rib area. By Tuesday morning it was REALLY sore. It appears to be a bruised rib, although he has absolutely no idea how it happened. AS of today, Thursday, he has not yet been able to get out on the courts to play.

I went over to Churchill Street rec center this morning and played for a while. I was playing with a guy named Steve, who before the game was over, became very light headed and went to sit down. He had become dehydrated from the heat, and we had to call 911. His pulse rate was up to 140 and we could not get it to come down. Iced him, gave him water, but we did not have anything to get the electrolites back in his system. A quick IV from the medics and he was able to go home.

Rich stopped by in time to watch me win my last game and then we took a ride over to Pimlico where Coach Mo was out playing. Ran into some other people we know, Charlie and Pete and Barbara MacNamara. It was tough for Rich to watch - but he really did manage to stay off the courts. We headed back to the Villa for the afternoon, did some puzzels and shared our frozen dacquai.

Typical Florida afternoon. Summer frequently brings the afternoon thunderstorms. This one threatened, but did not materialize.

Tomorrow - Rich will stay off the courts for another day, and I will head back to Churchill Street and meet Jeanne in the morning. On Saturday evening we have been invited to a pot luck get together for the Belmont Races. This will be hosted by Mo and Jeanne, and they are expecting about 50 people. We' share some food and spend $5 to bet on the race.

Should be a fun time.