Orlando

Today we attended a presentation at the Fountains, here in Orlando.  The Fountains is a Blue Green Resort.  Interesting presentation.  We thought it was a type of timeshare - but it's quite different. Unlike a timeshare where you have a specific week at ONE location.........you actually share an ownership, and can stay at ANY Blue Green Resort anywhere, and book any dates you want.  This particular Resort, here in Orlando is absolutely beautiful...........large two bedroom units complete with modern kitchen, living room, and two balcony's!   The grounds are immaculate!  It was very tempting........... and we may have even considered, if we didn't already have a timeshare.     We were there for about three hours .............and the only thing we left with, was a $150 gift card!

Nothing else planned for the day -  It was still a work day for Rich!!

But we headed over to Miller's Ale House for dinner!  We have not been to the Ale House in years, and we have always enjoyed the atmosphere, and the food!  Today was no different.  The food was excellent!  Rich had the Cajun Chicken Pasta, and I had the Chicken Fajitas.  Lot's of TV's on........but Rich liked a couple of the fish on the walls.!

Like the past several days - there was rain again today, although not as heavy!  We headed outside just to sit and enjoy the weather a couple of times - but it was raining and the area in front does not have a roof!   I went out with Rich a couple of times, when he wanted a smoke..........and we sat out by the pool, at the table under the umbrella!   Tomorrow we are thinking of going to Gatorland...... we'll see if the weather cooperates!!

Arrived Orlando

Main reason for heading to Orlando , is that we agreed to listen to a 2 hour speech regarding a timeshare (Blue/Green) which includes lunch, and $150 VISA card, and three nights in the hotel for about $40.

Weather continues to be terrible.  Rain and thunder storms all the way here today.  And then  rain on and off since we arrived.

 
It was close to 4:00 pm by the time we arrived and checked into the Hotel.  Have never stayed at a Home 2 Suites, but have to say it's pretty nice.  The rooms are all suites, and very accommodating.  Kitchen with full size refrigerator, microwave and even a dishwasher!  Nice pool, outside sitting area, and even grills out near the pool for cooking.

Went to Cici's Pizza for dinner tonight.  Never been there before.  It was quite good.  Obviously they have take-out for pizza, but they also have a buffet for inside dining.  And only $7.99 per person for the all you can eat buffet.  Includes soup, garlic bread pasta with speghetti sauce or alfredo sauce.  Salad bar with lettuce tomato and all the fixings, and any kind of dressing, as well as a pasta salad.  Four or five different kinds of pizza, including cheese, pepperoni,chicken, barbeque pork, and another with pineapple.  Dessert included brownies, cinnamon buns and like an apple pizza.   Everything was very very good.

It's only 9:00 pm - but I'm ready to call it a night!

Rainy Days.............Packing for a mini-adventure!

Well = the last two or three days have been pretty darn wet!!!   Mostly scattered showers during the day, but yesterday we had one wicked Thunder Storm!  We watched as the sky continued to get darker and darker, and we could see it was approaching from the south/east.   Then all of a sudden it was raining so hard, that it looked like waterfalls coming off the  gutters!  And the wind, directly out of the south was so strong that you could hardly see out the back sliders - it was beating against the windows so hard.

It was raining pretty good as this Blue Heron stopped by to visit.  First he perched on the stone, and then to the deck.  As the rain progressed he shrank his neck and buckled down..............and when the rain stopped he ruffled his feathers and took flight.

 And then the worst of the storm.................Here's a view as it was starting to rain - and then the view once the wind was in full force!  It got so windy, and dark you could barely see out the back slider!

And when the storm was over, one of our resident black snakes came out to enjoy the sun.  We have three - this is the baby one.

And today - Wednesday we are getting last minute things taken care of, and beginning to pack for our midi-adventure that starts tomorrow.  We will head to Orlando for three days, and then over to our timeshare in Cocoa Beach!    Below - the packing list.......the Orlando Bag, the Cocoa Beach Bag...... and all the rest!!

Happy Mother's Day

I think of my mother most every day..........but Mother's Day always brings back such special memories.  Rich and I were both blessed with strong, beautiful, loving mothers who both worked so hard, and sacrificed so much for us. 

Happy Mother's day Marge Benjamin and Edna Strawn.  We miss you so much!

And to one more special lady........our daughter-in-law, Crystal Donald.  Happy Mother's Day, Crystal.  You are an awesome mother, and daughter in-law in every possible way!  Love and Hugs!!!

And yesterday I received a  beautiful flower arrangement from Dennis and Crystal and Dalton and Chauna.   Thank you all so much.  I love you!

Rich wanted to take my someplace special for dinner today...........but I asked for a date night at home, watching a movie and eating Chinese takeout!!  YES!!

Tomorrow is Mammogram time.......and then off for a mini vacation on Thursday!

Will the doctor visits ever end???

OK - So I went to the Podiatrist and had a simple procedure done.  Just an ingrown toenail.  That was on Wednesday  April 25th.   Followed the post surgery directions as indicated: Remove the bandage the next morning.  Soak the foot in Epsom Salt twice a day ( once if you shower), and apply a small amount of medication to the affected area, twice a day.  Best to keep the foot elevated as much as possible for the next couple of days.

This picture was 3 or 4 days into the process...and it really got much worse.  Yes, somehow it was infected and I then went on a dose of 1600 mg  2x a day!  That was on Tuesday May 1st.  Yesterday, May 7th, it was finally starting to look normal again............And tomorrow is my follow-up with the Dr.   Sure hope there are no more problems.... I really want to be able to walk the beach in Cocoa Beach!!

And - was relieved when my Primary doctor told me that, while my last doctor indicated in his files that I had an abdominal aortic aneurysm,  my CT scan showed that I did not.  BUT my EKG did show that I have had a heart attack! 

Anyway..........How about a picture of something beautiful after that??  When we awoke a few mornings ago, we were greeted by this beautiful Great Blue Heron, who was perched on the corner of the back deck!  He stayed for the longest time... but flew off when Rich opened the slider to the lanai.

And then he was back again the next day, joined by the beautiful Egret!

Wednesday was our monthly get together with friends.  Buddy suggested that we do Golden Corral, ( we only do this when Nate and Krystal can't join us - as it's better than an hour drive for them to come this far).   Once again the clowns, Bob and Lavern joined us for dinner.  We were actually there for quite a while!!  It was a fun evening!  June should be a fun night at the Mexican Restaurant, and if Bob and Lavern are still in town they will join us.

After the big meal at Golden Corral - it was a simple dinner tonight.   Rich made up one of his pizza's and I settled for a Banana Smoothie!

Well, Rich and I finally changed our Doctor.  Had all of our records transferred over to a new physician.  Neither of us were pleased with the doctor or the staff where we were previously going.  I had my first appointment this week, and actually met with the RN/Physician Assistant, Mary.  She is excellent.  Went through the records she's received, my medications, vitamins. One of my records gave me a bit of a scare......Seems that my previous records showed that I have an Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm, which surprised me - because I was NEVER previously informed.  AND it seems that not only had the high dosage of antibiotics I was taking, induced ulcerative colitis, the high dosage also caused a yeast infection (Thrush) for which I am taking medication for the next 10 days! She is in the process of getting more information...............and then when I go back next week, we'll see what more I have to do for the aneurysm!   Despite all of that, I actually feel fine!!

So this week end is more chores.  Got the hose out on Saturday and we cleaned the screens and walls, and floors on both the back lanai and the front porch.

Had quite a thunder storm late afternoon...........but stopped in time to cook out!

Rich did Chicken KaBobs  on the grill and they were delicious!!


And right after dinner we had a visitor in the back yard.  A young Blue Heron came almost to the back door!

Tuesday night we took a break an just the two of us went to Golden Corral for dinner. Nothing special, but I nice break from cooking!

Seems like every time we turn around, one of us is off to see a doctor!  Wednesday was a follow-up visit with the Podiatrist.  All was good - but he
talked me into taking care of the ingrown toenail!!   Yes - he said it was very deep!  And so I am all wrapped up - supposed to stay off my foot as much as I can........ take the bandage off tomorrow, use the medication and soak my foot 2 times a day for the next week!   And keep it bandaged.

Tomorrow is the Eye Doctor - then we both have a couple more next week! UGH!

Cooking, Weekend Chores and Dinner with Friends

A couple of things that we've noticed this year.  First the Blue Heron who nested in the Pine tree a short distance away, started to build their nest - but must have moved to another location.  Have not seen them in a couple of weeks.  And the Whistling Ducks have also pretty much disappeared.  The roof on the boathouse the past couple of years used to be loaded, with 25, 30 or more.  Until today - we have seen a few flying over but that's about it. And this morning 5 or 6 of them settled on the roof.  They are really pretty ducks.........hope we see some more.

Had quite a bit of left-over ham, so today used a little of it, and made some homemade ham and potato soup.  Fried the bacon, cooked the onion and carrots in the bacon grease, chopped the potatoes, added some seasoning, and 5 cups of Chicken Stock........and set the crock pot to cook for about 7 hours.    Added the flour, half - n - half and let it thicken.  Added the ham, cheddar cheese and chopped bacon and Voila............... we enjoyed a delicious soup for dinner.

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Saturday was our day for working in the yard.  But first I made  a couple dozen Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies!  Then................I pulled weeds and trimmed the bushes/hedges all the way around the house.  Rich did a quick touch up of paint down on the dock and on the back deck. trimmed the palm trees out front, and then did some adjustments on the sprinklers!

Not a bad day outside today......... a bit warm when you'r working, but the humidity wasn't too bad.  We still have a bit more to do, but it's looking might fine!!!  We both enjoyed our favorite beverage when done........Rich, his beer, and me my glass of Pinot Grigio!

On Sunday it was more work!  We cleaned (hosed down) both the front porch and back lanai, floors and screens.  Lookin' good!

Monday was a trip to Alan Jay in Sebring.  Car was due for routine maintenance! Should be good now until we get back from the north country!!

Tuesday was our monthly get together at the Hibachi Buffet.  Unfortunately, Nathan was recently out of town for three day, so it was extra work taking care of the horses...........and that means she overdid it and was not feeling well.  We missed her.  BUT.... our clown friends Silly Willy and Fluffy are still in town, having bought a house here in Lake Placid..............and they joined the group tonight.  We had so much fun.  As always the food was perfect, the company was great and we laughed and laughed.......especially  while waiting for Lavern to eat her dessert, we all read our fortune cookies followed by the words "under the sheets"   I'm sure you can imagine!! 😄😄

Next month Nathan and Krystal will be out of town, but Bob and Lavern hope to join us again..........and then, if still here they will join us in June.  Then it's a few month's off as people travel!   And we'll be heading to the North Country, in NY State.

More Birthday Celebrations!

April is another celebration month for family birthdays.

First off .............Birthday Wishes to Rich's Brother Bob, and his wife Diane!  Hope your day was filled with lot of love and lots of cake!!!  Wishing you both many many more!

April 9th 

Happy Birthday Wishes to our beautiful granddaughter, Chauna.  We hope your day was perfect; filled with love, laughter and great memories for all your tomorrows!  We are so very proud of the amazing young lady you are today!  May all your wishes come true!  Love and Hugs from Pa Pa and Grandma Do.

And then the rains came!  On Tuesday the rain came down hard, the winds were strong, and the thunder rumbled.  We lost power a couple of times, but fortunately just for a short period of time.  Rich kept forgetting to check the gutter in the back.  Water was just shooting over the edge the last couple of rain falls, and today with the rain so heavy it was real bad.   So between storms he got the ladder out and cleared the clogs!  All is working well now. 

An today, Wednesday we had a great time with our friends/neighbors, Jim and Patti. Jim has had a rough time over the last couple of months, but got the all clear sign from his neurologist a few a days ago. They came back to Lake Placid a few days ago, and tonight they invited us to dinner with them at Golden Corral. Thank you Jim and Patti for the dinner, the laughter, great conversation and great company.   Hope you have some better weather for fishing tomorrow!

Where did the week go?

This week went by so fast.   Normal chores around the house, cleaning, laundry....grocery shopping.  We've started putting together travel plans, and packing lists, and researching things to do and see when we go to Orlando, and Cocoa Beach, and then head north.  Before I knew it...........it was Friday!  And Friday was a bit overcast, so it was a perfect day for Rich to check out the sprinklers, and for me to trim the bushes out front. 

And of course after all that work - who felt like cooking?  Just a quick trip into town for Chinese Take-out!

And then we did some cooking over the weekend.  Saturday we did Stromboli.

Genoa Salami, Prosciutto, Pepperoni, Swiss cheese, Mozzarella Cheese, and Grated Parmesan Cheese. Brushed with melted butter, minced garlic and parsley..........and a little pasta sauce on the side. One of our favorite meals ............... and they were very good,   but this time we both agreed.......they could have used just a little bit more cheese.

Last weekend was Easter, but because we decided to take a trip down to Dania Beach for Jai-Alai we didn't have our traditional Easter Dinner.   We always have Ham at Easter time, and always look forward to left overs, and making ham and macaroni and cheese, and ham and potato soup.............and of course ham sandwiches.  So Sunday we put a 7 lb ham in the oven along with Scalloped/Au- Gratin Potatoes, Sweet Potato Casserole ( but I didn't have any marshmallows!) and Green Bean Casserole.

And of course - a glass (or two) of Pinot Grigio. For dessert I had a small piece of chocolate cake, while Rich made himself a peanut butter cup blizzard!   And while I did the dishes, Rich cut up and bagged the rest of the ham! 

It's been a couple of weeks since we've seen our neighbors, Jim and Patty but they called today to let us know they'd be arriving tomorrow............ and we made plans for dinner at Golden Corral one night.

A Bit of a Twist for Easter this year....

Well - we broke our Easter Tradition again this year.  Even as a kid it was

dressing up for Church to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ..... and for as long as I can remember it was followed with the traditional Easter Dinner with family or friends.  It was preparing the dinner feast..the smell of ham and sweet potato casserole.......everyone sitting around the dinner table........a variety of favorite beverages, and desserts, Easter baskets, candy and very often the flower bouquet.  

The very first, and ONLY time we broke from tradition was Easter Sunday 2014, when we went to Golden Corral for dinner with our friends Nick and Tonyia.  Traditional in that we enjoyed our flowers and Easter baskets and spent the day with people we loved........but it was our first time ever, that we did not prepare our celebrate with dinner in the home.  And now Easter Sunday 2018 is our second time. 

On Friday before Easter - we had made no plans. We had talked about inviting friends.....but just never got around to it. It was later in the afternoon, while just sitting on the back lanai that Rich mentioned going to Danial for Jai-Alai!  We had not been there in several years, and so I searched and found that indeed they were still playing at the newly constructed Fronton in the Casino @ Dania Beach.  So I booked a hotel room for Saturday evening! 

Packed our bags, loaded the car and we were on the road early Saturday morning.  Two and a half hours +/- to Dania Beach, Fl.   About 15 minutes on the road, Rich realized that he was still wearing his old t-shirt and had forgotten his pullover shirt he had planned on wearing.......long story!!!  So about half way there we stopped in Clewiston at McDonald's to grab a quick breakfast.  Located in the same plaza was a Bealls Outlet - where we proceeded to go after eating and where Rich found himself a shirt to wear!!!! 

From then on - it was just a fun filled day.................The Casino is beautiful......  Neither of us are gamblers, so all of our time was spent in the Jai-Alai Fronton. 

This is such an exciting game to watch.  Betting on the game is much like betting on the horses.  Win, Place, Show, Aquiline, Exacta, Trifecta........  National Anthem at the start of the performance.........and believe it or not.... NOT ONE player took a knee.  A few of the players are from the US, but the majority of them are from Spain, France, Cuba or Mexico. 

 
We stayed for the afternoon performance ( 12 games) then went to check into the hotel and grab some dinner before returning for the evening performance which started at 7:00 pm. 

The evening performance did not end until well after midnight!  Lights out about 1:30.   And then it was the drive home on Easter Sunday.  All said and done - we had a fabulous time, and Rich did very well betting ( I don't bet!). Total out of pocket cost after all of our winnings............about $57.  That included hotel, meals,  drinks and gas for the trip!  

Most people who have not visited Florida, or even those who have been here just to vacation, think of sunshine, ocean beaches, palm trees and Disney World when they think of our State.  Well here is a look at the scenery on our drive back home, for about 100 miles on US 27 N.  Looks like we're out for a country ride. 

After a long night and a long drive home............there was NO fancy Easter Dinner!

   We fixed left over Roast Beef, mashed potatoes and carrots!    The Easter Bunny had left a huge decorated Chocolate Chip Cookie for Rich...... a piece of which was enjoyed for dessert!