Oh Oh, I am behind.....

I realized this morning it has been about three weeks since I have blogged. Time…such a precious thing, marches on faster it seems than it used to.   Every day I am amazed when evening approaches, the temperature cools, the pink glow of sunset appears in the sky and I know another day is almost done. The darkness falls and the lights come on the harbour and the quiet of the evening settles all around.  Sleep comes early here, as early mornings, fresh air and sunshine along with exercise and an active social life leave us a “good tired” at the end of the day. 

I must catch all of you up on the comings and goings of our southern life.  We were fortunate to sneak in another Thanksgiving while down here. American Thanksgiving is quite an event and seems almost more important to people than Christmas.  We were included in a group of about 20 who went to a local restaurant on the water for dinner. The meal was fabulous, all the traditional food along with fish and seafood, Italian fare and unlimited desserts of pumpkin and key lime pie, cheesecake and cookies, and lots of chocolate brownies.  They also had a breakfast bar for anyone interested in omelets, waffles, eggs benedict and French toast.  I must say I am more into the traditional meal, but could not pass on the baked Mahi Mahi and shrimp.  After our midafternoon meal we were invited to friends for late afternoon drinks and socializing. It was a fun day and no cooking needed!

Thanksgiving--post dinner.... really full!

It was a week of celebrations with an 80^th birthday party thrown in for Helen, a woman who does not seem 80yrs old at all. She is a spunky classy lady who lives life to the fullest.  It was a great afternoon pizza party at the clubhouse including   champagne toast and cake to top off the afternoon.  A few hours of laughter spent in the company of some really good people is a nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

The following week, Barb and Frank came for a visit. A perfect pre-Christmas getaway for them and a perfect infusion of family for us! Barb and I managed a couple of days of shopping, while the guys did some fishing and sightseeing.  Barb and Frank were great sports and even went with us to 8 a.m. exercises in the pool every morning.  By the end of their visit they were up ready for the pool and had the coffee made before we were out of the bedroom.  Such great company! Lol We also had some days of lounging at the pool in the sun collecting our vitamin D and of course working on our tans.  A visit would not be complete without a party. Yes, the community Christmas party was at the club house while they were here and without missing a beat they joined right in. A tasty supper of fish and chicken supper were complemented with a few bottles of wine and good company all around.  We had a very relaxing and laidback visit that passed all too quickly and before we knew it they were heading back to the airport, but not before treating Roger and I too a wonderful lunch at Mulligans. A good taste of fish and seafood before they headed back to the Prairies.  

The winter chill of Florida hit this week with some nights going down to 8 C.  That is pretty cool for here, but the day time highs have been around 19- 21C.. You can tell the “northerners” as they are the ones in shorts and t- shirts, while the southerners have pants and jackets. Most days there were only 5 or 6 of us at the pool in the afternoon. I found it great, not too hot and not too cold, just perfect for sunning!

Painting and art is very big in this community and we have been to two art extravaganzas in the past couple of weeks. The first one was at the Backus Gallery on the waterfront. It was their Christmas gala that featured “artistic” Wreaths.  Different, odd, not quite my taste but interesting I guess. They had different categories to enter but some were just ugly, there I said it….plain awful!  There was some interesting steam punk pieces and a lovely assortment of handmade jewelry as well as some wonderful photography of owls and some photos on canvas.  The oil paintings were very neat with a good use of light in the paintings.  A very different show from last year, but worth going to.

On Wednesday we were off to the Mundo Art walk and reception. Roger was asked to submit a piece of his work for community display so that was very cool. A group of us went for the walkthrough and reception and it was great. All the studios were open and the artists were there to answer questions and give some history behind their work. There were some really different types of art forms that were truly amazing. Who knew art could be so diverse.  I really enjoyed the sculptures, and pictures made of layered cloth.  Following the reception we all went for supper at 2nd Street Bistro and stayed for Trivia night. A real blast of fun.   I think trivia night is going to be a regular event as we all really had a great time.

Roger continues to paint, play bocce and now has joined three other men in Thursday golf. He purchased some used clubs and is having a great time playing with them. They are all about the same level of players so it works out well. No pressure!!!

Our book club has started and we are already reading the first book. I look forward to the lively discussion we will have with this one.  A good read actually although a bit wordy at times, Rebecca, by Daphne DuMaurier.   

I am not sure if I mentioned Lady Anne’s Tea House last year of not, but Friday was another adventure into fine china, lace, tea, scones and a delicious 5 course  lunch.  The place is a beautiful old Victorian decorated home that has been converted into a tea house.  They have 2 sittings a day for lunch and spots are hard to get.  We had 21 ladies participating and the reservation was made 3 months ago.  The owner was telling us that the winter months are almost completely booked already.  All the Christmas decorations are old Victorian as well which added to the ambiance.  A lovely day with a lovely group of ladies…….treated and fed like royalty!

Christmas has arrived here on the island as all the lights and sounds of Christmas fill the air. The boat parade last evening on the intercoastal waterway was delightful. The decorated boats motored by as people clapped and cheered. Kids decked out in flashing lights ran up and down the beach in the dark trying to avoid the rising tide from getting their toes wet.  Honking of horns, squeals of delight and cheers from the crowd ran out in the night.

Not to be outdone by the parade, the 55 plus community of golden Pond had their light show open house as well last evening. Hundreds of cars were weaving their way through the guided streets of the development viewing the spectacular show of lights on every lawn. They also had 5,000 luminaries lit along the way. A very impressive display of not only lights, but of sense of community.  The residents were gathered on every street around fire pits and tables of food and drink, waving to the cars and wishing them good cheer.

A different type of Christmas decoration!

 

Today was warm and sunny, a pool day with no clouds in the sky and only a slight breeze. Lots of sunscreen needed today as those rays hit deep. Full bottles of water were drained as we soaked up the glistening sun. Surprisingly the pool area was quiet as I think many people were out doing Christmas shopping or attending Christmas events. It was a perfect day for poolside relaxing although Roger cut his afternoon short so he could go fishing out behind the condo with a couple of guys.  I guess that is just as relaxing even if you don’t catch much.

The sun is lowering in the sky and the heat of the day is ebbing away.  Must be cocktail time! 

Until next time, take care everyone,

Carol