Christmas at Lake Pan

Well, Christmas has come & gone.  Several people in the park have decorated for the holidays.

 

Just a few of the lights around the park.  Even the office/store had lights. 

The weekend before Christmas, we had the employee Christmas party on Saturday night.  People brought appetizers, we played games and won prizes.  I won a pair of glow in the dark glasses.  So sorry that we didn't take a picture of me wearing them.  Ha Ha

On Sunday, we went to a local Church's Christmas production.  One of our co-workers is a member.  I call it a production because of the music, dancing, play and aerial dancing.  The pastor of the church writes the play and produces, another member does the costumes and another takes care of the music and choreography.  The play, of course, is the Christmas Story.  It starts in modern day with people questioning the meaning of Christmas and takes you back to the beginning.  They had both adult and children's choirs.  A local dance studio provided several scenes with dancing by the children.  There was also a cirque de soleil type performance.  It was really magnificent.  I understand they are working on doing one for Easter.  Should be good.

Christmas Day we had a potluck dinner at 4pm for everyone that wanted to attend.  We took broccoli/cheese/rice casserole and two-bite cheesecakes.

 



On Saturday, we decided to treat ourselves and went to the new Star Wars movie.  We saw it in 3D.  We were able to make a matinee performance.  We stood in line for tickets to the movies and were really lucky.  The movie started at 1:30 and we bought our tickets at 1:28.  Good thing they have all those previews of upcoming movies.  We loved it.  Need to watch it again for all those things we missed the first time.  Then we stopped off for dinner since it was after 4pm and we didn't have any popcorn at the movie.  We went to a tapas restaurant.  Never been to one before.  It was interesting.  If you don't know about a tapas restaurant, it's just an assortment of appetizers type dishes.  No side dishes.  For our first time, we ordered:  grilled asparagus, garlic shrimp, scallops with cheesy leek sauce, and pork tenderloin with a mushroom sauce.  Had a wonderful time.  We'd definitely go back.  They also gave you a 10% discount with a movie ticket.   

The movie theater was in one of "The Villages" called Brownwood.  The theater was just off the square.  The villages are an interesting communities.  There are 3 and each one is self-contained.  Each one has stores, restaurants, pharmacies, grocery stores, medical facilities, libraries, etc.  You can get around by golf cart or vehicle.  Brownwood is the closest to us.  It's about 25 miles from us.  In the square they have entertainment each night and open to anyone that wants to attend.  We took a walk around the square listening to the music and took a couple of pictures.

These two are of the square.  There's a stage, area for dancing, bleachers and room for your own lawn chairs.

Here's another pic showing the restaurant in the background.

 

 

This one has the movie theater in the background.  It looks like a red barn from the outside.

 



 

 

 

 

Almost forgot.  One morning we were visited by a flock of Ibis.  The brown/grey/white one is a juvenile.  Never know what we'll see when looking out our window. 

 

 

 







Yep.  That one's a lizard.

Until next time.

December 2015

Into December all ready.  Wow!  We've been here for a month and settling in pretty well.  We're starting to adjust to the heat & humidity.  Just as it starts to get cooler (lows in the 50's and highs in the 70's) it heats back up again.

Last Saturday was the Christmas parade in town.  I guess you could call it a town.  Couldn't believe the number of people and floats in the parade and the number of people watching.  Didn't know there were that many people in the area.  Ha Ha

Beginning of the parade.  Sharon went with the park managers and was toward the end of the parade route. 

Our float won first place.  First time the campground had entered the parade.  I was sitting in the front seat of the truck with the extra candy.  The coordinators preferred us handing out the candy rather than tossing it.  But not all of the entries complied with this request.

Had so much fun riding in the parade.  Everyone was having so much fun.

That afternoon, we took another exploration trip.  We went looking for a produce market.  One of my co-workers is in a Christmas play at his church.  We got tickets for Sunday night, the 20th.  So we went looking for the church.  The directions we were given said it was out in the middle of nowhere so thought we should find it before going to the play.  Sort of got lost or as we like to say, decided to drive around the area a little bit.  The produce market was closing down, but there was a buffet restaurant in the area, so stopped off there.  Not bad for $8.95.  Oh, and yes we found the church.  Didn't take the camera and didn't think to take pics with the phone.

This weekend we're just hanging around the camper.  Worked on Christmas cards.  Listened to some Christmas music.  This afternoon, it's football. 

Did I mention Sharon is now driving the golf cart.  She has refused in prior years.  I'll try and get a picture for proof.

Until next time.

Gulf Coast

1 week ago today we took an "exploration" trip to the gulf coast.  It's about 45 minutes from here.  We wanted to go to one of the wildlife preserves and birding trails but didn't quite make it.  As usual, we saw a couple of stops along the way. 

As we were traveling through the town of Crystal River, we saw a sign that said something about a wildlife area or "something" along that line.  By the time, we determined what it said we were past the sign so we decided to make the right hand turn and head down the road to see what was at the end.  So glad we did.   There was this little sandy beach that had a few water birds and of course, boat tail grackles.

It was kind of windy and a little cool but it kept the insects away.  Not too many people either.

There were quite a few black skimmers near the water. 

This is my favorite pic of the day.

We then drove over to the fishing pier and boat ramp.  Saw an osprey sitting in the tree.  We were able to get close enough to get this picture.

We met some people originally from Michigan.  They told us about the state park that has manatees.  So then we headed south towards Homosassa Springs.  We stopped off at the park and talked with the ranger.  We will be making a trip back.  It's going to be an all day "adventure" for us.  They have several educational programs for alligators, manatees, hippopotamus, etc.  In talking to the ranger, he told us about a restaurant close by near monkey island.  So next stop, lunch and checking out the Riverside Resort area.

Look close and you'll see Sharon.  It was a very bright day and I had my small camera with me. 

The view of Monkey Island from our table.

After eating, we went and talked to the guys at the Marina.  Found out about boat rentals, fishing guides, and boat rides including airboats.  We'll definitely be back.

Sharon took a couple of pictures of the monkeys while we were down by the marina.

 Until our next adventure. 

Florida

I know.  I know.  It's about time that I write. 

Yes, we did make it safely to Florida from Virginia.  We left Sunday morning and arrive here early Tuesday afternoon.   Monday morning was the worst for driving.  Heavy rains and wind.  We pulled into a truck stop for about 1/2 hour to let the worse part of the storm pass.

I think the worst part of the adjustment to Florida so far is the heat & humidity.  We left fall temps and arrived in mid-summer type conditions.  Hard for these "ol" bodies to get used to the humidity again. 

Here's where we're going to be until May 1.  Because of the sand & shells, we now have a new carpet and our reclining lounge chairs are sitting out under the awning.   Work is going well.  It's been easy & kind of boring all at the same time.  Sandy works from 4 - 8pm Monday thru Friday in the office. 

We've met a few of the workers and some of the campers staying here.  Most stores are fairly close.  There's a grocery store within 5 miles (Winn-Dixie) and a super Walmart 8 miles away.  The "Villages" are about 15 - 20 minutes away.  The Villages are little town centers for senior living.  They have music or some sort of entertainment every night in there park centers.  So far we've gone to the Villages about once a week.  The Walgreens pharmacy is there, a large citrus stand, Russell Stover outlet store, and some very nice restaurants.

Thanksgiving week I'll be working Wed night, Fri night and all day Saturday.  The lady that works on Saturday is taking my shifts so she can spend Thanksgiving with her daughter.  We're thinking of taking a trip to the Gulf on Monday.  It's about 45 minutes away.  Hope to do some birding and check out the other amenities.

Our second or third day here we rented a golf cart for the season to get around in.  Took a drive down to the lake and here's what we found.  No, haven't seen any alligators.

Sand Hill Cranes

Great Egret.  They've named him Charlie. 

The Spanish Moss is hanging from the trees everywhere.

We'll be having a campground potluck for Thanksgiving dinner.  The park is providing turkey & ham.  Hopefully, we'll get to meet a few more people.  Sharon will be picking up her fishing license this week so she can do some fishing down by the lake.  We're hoping that she'll get to try her hand at some salt water fishing while we're here.  The lake has bass, catfish and pan fish in it. 

Until next time.

July

Can't believe 6 weeks have gone by since I last posted.  Guess life has been good to us.  Let's see where do I begin or should I just talk about this week.  Let's see where my thoughts lead me.

We've found doctors near here.  The office is associated with the UVA.  Very efficient and the testing has been easy, also.  Sharon's blood tests have all been ok.  She needed to have a scan done.  Sorry, forgot which one.  Probably couldn't pronounce it anyway.  The scan shows that she has osteoporosis in her back.  It's not severe.  The dr put her on a prescription that she only needs to take once a week.  For myself, my thyroid is a little more active than it should be, so have changed prescriptions a couple of times since I've been here.  Otherwise, all tests have come out well for both of us that includes blood sugars; cholesterol, etc.

OK, so now the mundane stuff is out of the way.  Sure wish this heat advisory would go away.   Looking for a little break from the heat.  Last Friday, we had a nice day - then the heat hit.  We decided to go fruit shopping last week.  I can't believe how many orchards and farms are in this area.  We went up to Carter Mountain first.  We decided not to pick peaches, just bought fruit that they had picked.  Of course, I had to do some wine tasting first.  For the most part, they sell Prince Michael wines.  They grow grapes there, also.  Didn't take out the camera so here's a pic  from the last time we were there.  We sat on the deck for a little while enjoying the view and eating a peach/vanilla swirl ice cream cone.  Bought some peaches, nectarines and plums.

We left Carter Mountain in search of Hill Berry Farm & Winery.  We had also intended to see Saunders Farm and Dickie's Orchard.  But only made it to the Berry farm.  They had sold their last picked blackberries so we decided to pick a couple of quarts ourselves.  There wasn't a breeze and it was rather warm so that ended our fruit shopping for that day.  Guess we'll see what the next week will bring.  There are several cider works in the area, so we might decide to visit them.  Depending on the weather, will depend on how much site seeing and walking we'll do.

A few weeks back we took a drive on Skyline Drive.  Didn't finish it but had a wonderful time.  It was really hazy that day so need to go back and finish the drive and get some pictures when not so hazy. 

Here's a few pictures from the drive.  It was in the 60's in the mountains on the day we went.  Of course, it was in the 80's when we got back. 

 

 

 

 

We're getting a great wifi signal here in the park but our cell phone service and data plan isn't so good.  We have Verizon.  I talked with them and short of putting a tower right here in the park, it's not going to happen.   Once we leave the park and head into town, we usually have good signal strength.  Oh well, at least Verizon reduced my bill while I'm here for the summer.  That was kind of nice of them. 

It's Sharon's day to work so my day to cook.  Guess I'll grill steaks and have baked potatoes when she gets off work.  Hoping it doesn't rain until later this afternoon. 


Until next time. 

One Month

Well, we've been in Virginia just a little over a month.  We're settling in nicely and getting to know the area.  We're hoping to take a couple of long day trips in a few weeks.  It's been very hot and humid and we're still adjusting.  It's strange that we're having an issue coping with the hot weather but we are.   It's been around 90 and humid and it seems like its been forever.  The shade and slight breeze helps every now and then when we're outside but the pollen is really getting to both of us these days.

Have found a doctor close.  Had my appointment last week and Sharon this week.   Lab results came back ok.  Just a slight change in my thyroid meds.  Apparently it's a little more active than it should be. 

We're learning other ways to get around so its not taking us quite as long to get there.  That could also be due to driving a little faster on the hilly, curvy roads.  So reminds us of when we used to visit Ruth & John in Kentucky.  Very similar indeed.

This past weekend we decided to do a little more exploring.  I wanted to go to Scottsville to locate the businesses near the James River.  Makes it easier to navigate our guests to the rafting and tubing on the river.   They have a ferry that operates just on the weekend.  But we drove down to see it anyway.  Been around since 1870.

This is the ferry building where you buy the tickets.  The stick in front of the building marks the various water levels.  That highest mark is from 1972.  Made us remember the flood of '93.

The James River is rather wide.   Found a park close by then drove into town to check it out.

They have some nice log homes out this way.

Scottsville is just a little over 20 miles away.  Sharon wanted to go to Carter Mountain Orchard to see the view from the top of the mountain.  On the way back, we saw Carter Mountain road and took it.  Thought it would take us up to the orchard.  Instead we found Albemarle House and Trump winery along the way. 

Albemarle House was having a private event so we couldn't go up and see it.  Took the picture from the road.

It looked like rain and was a little hazy on the way back.   We stopped for lunch at Trump Winery.  It poured.

Nice view from the winery. 

 

 

 

We found ourselves near Ash Lawn - knew where we were - and how to get up to Carter Mountain Orchard.   Interesting drive up the mountain to the orchard.  The road is used for deliveries to Michie Tavern and for the Orchard only.  Wanted to take some pics but I believe Sharon kept her eyes closed all the way up.  :)





 

 

They had just picked cherries that morning so we bought some cherries, tried their apple cider and tasted an apple called the Pink Lady.  Both of us liked it, so bought a couple.  It was hazy but they didn't get any rain that day.  They have concerts on Thursday night so we'll probably go back and check it out sometime.  A couple of pics from the deck overlooking the valley.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We're supposed to be getting rain for the rest of the week so we'll see.   Until next time.