February ending ….March beginning…time a passing

February ending ….March beginning…time a passing

February has been an active month for us with barely a day to catch our breath. Although the weather has been cooler than normal we have not lacked for anything to do.  The snowbird “peak of the season” is always filled with festivals, parties, dinners, and visitors. The restaurants are packed as are the grocery and clothing stores. For this reason we have not ventured off the island much except when necessary. I must admit that even the island has been a bit busier this year so we have come to appreciate our quiet little community behind the gate.

Valentine’s Day was special with a 16 person cocktail party at our condo.   Everyone brought appetizers and with an array of food, including chocolate, pink champagne, pink sangria, pink Lemoncello cocktails and red wine, we had a whale of a time. We played a rousing game of “would you rather….” and laughed until our sides ached. A memorable 2015 Valentine’s Day.

 

Our Valentines cocktail party!

 

 

Mid-week we were off to the Flagler Mansion with Rona, Gary, Clint and Betty, our Canadian friends from home. We met at the Mansion in West Palm Beach and proceeded to tour the grand home that is bigger than some hotels. The hand painted ceilings and chandeliers were spectacular. The home has a lot of French influence in the décor.  Although it was not a highlight on Gary’s list of things to do he was a good sport and did the tour. I wish you could have seen the look on his face when the women decided we should visit the new outlet mall for a bit of retail therapy. Not another highlight for him either, but he was appeased with a beer and lunch at the Ale House.

 

The weekend brought the whacky Mardi Gras with parade and Dinner Theatre. Oh my goodness I am not even sure how to describe it.  Perhaps whacky, weird and wild would begin to touch on it. People with colorful costumes, masks, and shopping cart floats, appeared for the little parade before the inside festivities began. Each building in our complex area was responsible to create a shopping cart float and there were some great ideas. I will post some pictures so you can see a few. Our cart had a blow up jester and a balloon lady with a pink wig and mask. It was not the parade winner, but I would say it was a great effort for a first time float. The winning float was from the party building and they gave out jello shots to the voters. It was nicely done though and they had a graphic artist on their team who did some amazing art work. Following the parade we entered the club house for the Mardi Gras Dinner Theatre. Now, believe it or not Roger and I were cast members. I was Lady Pink and Roger was Big Boy Blue. The play was called Murder at the Mardi Gras Ball which was murder and mayhem over stolen diamonds.  A strange play but the cast was a fun group of people to work with and we had a lot of laughs.  The audience laughed and enjoyed themselves so that is the important thing. A perfect Mardi Gras meal of Gumbo, sweet rolls, chicken, beans and rice and traditional King cake made it a fabulous evening.  

Mr. Jim Bolya  with Ms. Melba Toasty ride in the float

 

Rita holds the sign for the front of our  our float!

 

The cast!!!
 

Unfortunately, that night on the way home after the cast party our friend Karen tripped on the side walk handicap ramp and broke her arm.  Thinking it was just sprained she waited to go to the doctor until the next morning. She received great care at a good urgent care facility but they did not take her insurance. Her husband paid cash up front.  She was splinted and referred to an orthopedic surgeon to have the bones set and casted.  Even though she had out of state health insurance ( they live in New York) she had problems getting an orthopedic clinic to take it. Finally, she reached a doctor that would accept the insurance and had her arm set 4 days later. They had offered to pay cash for treatment at the other ortho clinics since their company said they would be reimbursed, but were turned away. Even their insurance company was frustrated and tried to intervene on their behalf.  Canada may have its problems but we are thankful for the health care system we have.  We are repeatedly told that the USA offers the best medical care in the world. Well, I guess it’s only good if you can access it. I’ll take the  Canada system any day!!






just before it sank

 So now that I am off the soap box I will continue our life saga!  This week we were out on the jetty for a sunset walk after supper. A group of people had gathered to watch a barge being towed into the inlet by a small tug boat. Not long after we arrived we noticed the barge was taking on water and the tug was having difficulty towing against the outgoing tide. Very quickly things went wrong and both barge and tug started being dragged sideways down the inlet. The coast guard was called and they were on the seen in less than 5 minutes. Unfortunately, they arrived just as the barge sank at the opening of the jetty. The tug remained upright as it had cut the rope from the barge just in time. It was horrifying to say the least and we watched in shock as the rescue boats searched for survivors as the dark of night set in. Sadly one man drowned leaving us all to gasp at what we witnessed. Once the barge began to sink it went under in 12 seconds. The power of the ocean is mighty.  It has been a week and the inlet is not open to all traffic yet. A salvage boat from Alabama is arriving in a few days to try and raise the barge as it is presently preventing big fishing boats from entering or exiting the harbour. This has caused quite a stir around here and friction with the coast guard as the economy depends on the fishing charters and sightseeing tours.

Our next occasion was a progressive supper with a group of 11 people. This is one of those events were you move from home to home for different meal courses. Being we all live close together it worked well for traveling condo to condo, especially after cocktails. The progressive meal was delicious as we savored grilled Italian vegetables, homemade potato soup, pulled pork, coleslaw, custard pie, chocolate dessert and of course wonderful cocktails and wine. The company of friends made the evening a joyful event and the sound of laughter rang out. Roger and I feel very blessed to have made so many wonderful friends here and be able to share these winter months with them.

 

 

 

A rainy Saturday was spent with Rona and Gary before they returned home to Manitoba. Rona and I did some last minute shopping and bargain hunting adding to the extra suitcase they bought to go home. They have arrived safely home and seem to be managing the cold temperatures from what I hear.

Sunday, we saw the rain disappear and the hot sunny Florida return. A perfect beach or pool day. People lingered at the pool into the supper hour as they reveled in the beautiful cloudless day. It reminded me of the days at Clear Lake when we would stay at the beach until late in the day, finally coaxing the kids home with the promise of a wiener roast in the cook shack. Yes, it was one of those days, but instead of wieners we promised ourselves wine and fresh shrimp.



seafood on the harbour

Our week began again with our usual activities and coupled with the beautiful weather we were well tuckered out by bedtime. The days are definitely getting hotter and the sun more intense. Brimmed hats, higher numbered sunscreen and time in the shade are becoming a must at the pool. The jetty area has been a hub of activity and this week it brought the Budweiser Clydesdales for all to admire. The horses are huge to say the least and absolutely beautiful. A quick supper with friends on the inlet patio, a couple of cools ones and we were off to bowling.  We are never idle too long as we also seem off to somewhere! 

 

 

  Friday we were thrilled to have Colin, Heather and their good friend Jackie (from England) come visit us for the day.  After a lunch at the condo we headed out for a tour of the area, a walk on the jetty, a visit to the new marina and a drive Vero Beach to see the docked Nina and the Pinta ships.  These are exact replicas of the boats that carried Christopher Columbus and crew to America.  Roger and I had captured them sailing up the intercostal waterway earlier in the week, so Roger was elated to be able to board the ships and have a good look. Following our sightseeing touring we had a delicious supper at the inlet Grille here on the island.  Thanks for the treat Colin. Oh, I love snapper!

 

 

 

Today is the brunch and fashion show at the club house for the women. It is always a fun affair as models from Harbour Isle show the clothing from a local ladies fashion shop. We sipped our mimosas and eat our quiche and then sit back and enjoy the show.

Tomorrow we are off to Fort Lauderdale to see our friends Bob and Rachel from Winnipeg before they head off on their cruise. We look forward to catching up with them while enjoying some sunshine.

Time here is coming to an end with only three weeks left. We look forward to getting home and seeing everyone and spending time out in our yard. Let’s hope for an early spring! 

Take care all!