Happy Valentine's Day 2018 - Florida Style

"Howwwww-dy" to all the dedicated followers of my blog. Yes, all seven of you.  As you know, it's been FOREVER since my last entry, which was from way back in the spring of 2017. I'll eventually finish up my draft of our "Summer Sojourn," but for now, I'm feeling creative so I'll try to generate something worth reading now.

Yesterday was Valentine's Day and George and I hosted our first official, big bash, dinner party on our pretty little piece of heaven here in Florida. We started with a small list of tried-and-true friends and little by little my list grew to allow us to fill our lot with old, new, newer and newest friends who melded together ever-so-smoothly.

I'm my own worst critic, but even I have to admit the night was totally enjoyable, made possible by the food, the friends and fun. Can't beat that combo.

Thanks to Charlie, one of the "old" (Webster Dictionary Definition: adjective - long-time) friends, a photo documentary of the evening follows. Today, I had a less-busy day than he, therefore the publishing of my blog entry will beat out his, however, it's his photos that will tell the actual story in the end. A huge thank you, Charlie, the longest-known friend of the bunch.

This first group of photos consists of the appetizers. I came to find out that, in the future, I need to instruct my friends to NOT make spectacular "main course" appetizers.

Veggie "Pizza"

Spinach Dip

Dungeness Crab Dip

Uh, just a little Italian Antipasti....

Picured left, Amanda.  Not pictured: Amanda's delicious appetizer - just simple rounds of  Polenta topped with caramelized onions, cranberry jam and goat cheese.  OMG - simple, yeah. The caramelized onions alone took 8 hours in a crock pot and the homemade cranberry jam...yummmmm  Remember folks, we're living out of RVs. There were leftovers of this app, but I ate those before composing this entry.

George, Tricia, Me, Connie, Randy and back of  Rob's head.

Randy and Alonzo

Kristin, Connie, Ray and Leona

Bob, Rob, and Randy-not a musical trio, but entertaining, nonetheless

Tricia and Leona

Dinner followed just as the sun set.  I failed to realize that it would be difficult to see the food on the black tablecloth.  A handy-dandy flashlight saved us from having to feel our way down the table of food.

Meat sizzling on the monster grill

Surf....

and turf.

Healthy sides: Green and yellow squash, mushrooms and onions.

Craig, The "Great Grill Master."  I heard a comment that he resembled Mark Wahlbergh and that he smelled good.

Kristin and Connie

Leona, Bob, Kristin, Alonzo and the back of Amanda's head.

"Fair Weather" friends. Me, Tricia and Charlie.

Last, but not least, Kathy!

Tricia's Crumb Cake

Tricia's back-up cake, just in case the crumb cake was a flop - it wasn't

Recreation of the bride cutting the cake. PS:  Husband waiting for a piece - of cake!!!

Kathy's Healthy and Tasty Fruit Salad

Connie's "Cupcake Lover's Heaven."

Lucy, the only one happy to see the night come to an end.

At the end of our official "first big bash," we got the site cleaned up with "a little help from our friends." Miss Priss (AKA Lucy) was the only one happy to see the night come to a close. She was hankering pretty badly for her daddy's lap. 

Now to start planning the next.....

Deep thought for the day:  It's the friends we meet along the way that helps us appreciate the journey. ~ Unknown source. 

Ch, ch, changes...

David Bowie

Two weeks ago, one of my favorite rock and roll icons of all time, David Bowie, passed away after a secret battle with cancer. Since the announcement, his songs have been sifting in and out of my head. "Changes," is but one of them, that speaks of life and time and the fact that neither stand still or stay the same. Therefore, this blog will be dedicated to Bowie, a brilliant poet who was silenced way too soon, and the changes we have made to site 233. 

In the beginning....there was a Sold sign.

Left side - before

Right side - before

Work just beginning...

The first change we made to our lot was to add additional pavers that expanded the lot to almost double in width, thus giving us extra room to spread out and provide an area for our future shed.

As soon as we arrived at 233 last October, the frenzy began with the arrival of our shed, irrigation installation around the perimeter for the newly planted shrubs and trees, decorative stone delivered, the acquisition of a "lightening-proof" surge protector for the coach and shed, the final pavers laid and concrete curbing along the right side to keep the stone in place.

 

 Shed delivery. It was interesting and scary at the same time.

I don't think we will EVER be completely finished, but for this year, it's as good as it's going to get. It will be forever ch, ch, changing.

Below are the most recent photos of our little piece of heaven.

Next blog entry will be a draft of our proposed upcoming trips.

Right side - after

Left side - after

The foreman...checking out all the action.

Head on view after

Home, sweet, Florida home.

Deep thought for the day:  Time may change me, but I can't trace time.      ~ David Bowie (January 8, 1947 - January 10, 2016)

Last day in Paradise

Sunday, March 22nd was spent preparing to get back on the road after over 11 weeks at our winter home, Elite Resorts, in Clermont, FL. I went food shopping and prepared a couple of dinners for quick meals while "on the road." There is nothing worse than driving all day (even as just a passenger) and then having to cook a wholesome meal once you set down stakes.

Tonight will be a delicious meal of meatballs and "gravy" from Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza located in Brandon, FL. I haven't had such tasty meatballs since I last ate the ones my grandmother made. I actually took a batch of meatballs and sauce "to go," which they packaged up in a signature "Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza" saucepan. Thanks to great Yelp and Trip Advisor reviews, "G" and I decided to met my aunt and uncle there for lunch yesterday. We found out that they have two restaurants close to Orlando, so now we know where one of our first stops will be in the fall!!! Fabulous food and service got a 5 star rating from me. If you are ever in the area of one of their restaurants, you MUST stop by for a fresh, homemade meal.  Everything is cooked just as Anthony's grandmother made it many years ago.

While that meal is simmering, I've already finished a crock pot recipe for French Dip Hogies that will serve as tomorrow evenings meal, chicken for the grill, shrimp for the bar-bee, and some nice baby back ribs for subsequent dinners. That will see us through until we reach Boone, NC, where we will see #1 son and family in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Before we reach their log cabin in the woods, we will spend a "vacation day" in Savannah, GA, taking in the sights and sounds of that lovely southern city. A future blog will document where we went and what we did.

"G" has all the outdoor gear packed and stored, whereas tomorrow, I will finish securing some loose items inside. It is actually getting easier with each trip. I have it ALMOST down to a science. Once I complete this blog entry, my desktop will be stored away until April 1st, when we settle down in Croton.

On December 17, we pulled up stakes in Croton to head south, and here we are preparing to head back. We feel very fortunate to have missed a terrible winter that was wrought with snowstorm after snowstorm. Our area saw snow totals measured by the foot instead of inches. Florida was unusually cool this winter, yet I never complained, because I knew how much worse it could have been.

So, here we are -  a bit sad, at the tail end of "G's and V's First Great Big Adventure." We are hoping for clear weather and smooth sailing as we head due north. The plans for the"Second Great Big Adventure" will be started soon! Go west, young man....Colorado, here we come! Yay!

Deep thought for the day:  "If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant..." - Anne Bradstreet  I hope our spring will be "so pleasant" even though we did not experience the bitter winter.

Update from Clermont

I can't believe how much time passes before I get an opportunity to add an entry to my blog. It seems like we have been caught up in the whirlwind of life, liberty and pursuit of happiness.

I left off my last entry stating that we were heading to Lake Ridge Winery. I ended up having a fun time sampling the different wines from grapes that are grown here, as well as other local vineyards. The grapes are fermented and bottled at Lake Ridge which is located in the "mountainous" section of Florida. The muscadet grape is the main grape used for the majority of the wines, and its aroma brings back sweet memories of grabbing green grapes from my ancestors' grape arbors and squeezing them into my mouth. You didn't eat the tough outer skin, just the sweet meat it contained.

The hopper where the grapes go after harvest

The vines go on for acres and acres.

Our tour guide, Joseph

A case of wine later, we walked over to a well shaded lawn where a band played some great 70's music, including tunes by The Grateful Dead, Led Zeplin, Crosby, Stills and Nash, and the Allman Brothers. It took me back to another day and time. The food was eclectic, to say the least, and the wine - terrific.

The biggest news we have to announce, is that we decided to purchase an RV pad here at  Elite Resorts. We loved this place as soon as we put our jacks down, and have felt so very much "at home," that once we started to see "Sold" signs going up left and right, we decided to purchase a little piece of heaven before all the good sites were taken. 

Our little piece of heaven...red circles indicate recently sold

So, at the end of the month, when we close on our lot, we will become official Floridians, and "G" will have his home base in the south, a wish he has had for quite some time. I had never pictured myself living in "God's Waiting Room," but I quickly fell in love with this area and all of its natural beauty, shops, restaurants and its proximity to both shores.  So, we will leave 223 behind in New York for 233 in Florida. Once we officially occupy site 233, I'll be sure to take a bunch of photos. Beginning in the fall, and over the next couple of years, we will start the work of expanding the paved area, getting a shed. a stackable washer/dryer, some shrubs and a tree or two. This place will be our winter haven, but traveling to see each state will remain on top of our bucket list.

Westchester County - In a State of Emergency

Our friend, Charlie, will be arriving on Wednesday after his trek from New York a week ago. He definitely got out of town in time to miss the historic storm that is forecast to hit New York tonight into tomorrow and threatening to dump close to 3 feet of snow. The governor has already issued a State of Emergency for the area we left behind.

They just just finished digging out close to 7 inches of snow a couple of days ago and before that, a terrible ice storm, making me NOT miss New York one bit. Missing friends and family is another story,

Deep thought for the day: Whether the day brings you warm sun, the dampness of heavy rain, or cold clouds bursting with snow, be grateful for the opportunity to experience it. ~ vc

Is it real or is it Memorex????