So last month I got a van and we have yet to get a picture of it but in the meantime, Doug has been reliving his teen years when his son in law found him this 1972 340 'cuda. It's been sitting in a garage for 23 years in CT and we will need to tow it home. So if he wasn't busy enough he will be now. He says I just don't understand that it's "matching numbers" and a "classic" but I'm sure everyone else will appreciate it's value, right?

So while I'm at it let me show you what  else Doug was up to in Florida. He decided to plant carrots in a pot. I said no way that'll work. Well last week we picked and ate some yummy "organic" carrots about two months earlier than anyone else around here.

Once again I am behind in updating with pictures. This was actually taken a month ago when the railings were put on the ramp. Looks very nice. The screens and vinyl windows were put on the next day but all my other pictures are on the "crashed" computer. (Hopefully I'll be able to do a backup and not lose everything.) They just put the flooring on the lanai last week and still have to lay sod all around. So while we're waiting for them to finish up, they pay insurance on it and we don't make a final payment till it's all complete. So we're not complaining.

I was just reminded that I haven't updated with any pictures recently so here is a picture from the front. It's pretty much all done, just waiting for the windows for the lanai and the railings on the ramp.

Here is the driveway in front, we were happy to see how much room we'd have. That's about it. They did all that just last week. Still need to landscape, sod and some flowers.

More pictures

Right side of the kitchen, fridge and small counter where I'll put the microwave are on the other side. (Black line is the camera strap)

View of the street, it's not very long. We are on the left by the big pine tree. There are 2 more spots behind us, one between the 2 you can see and 2 or 3 more closer up to where I'm standing.

home

Today we finally got to go look inside. Maintenance brought these temporary steps and practically lifted me up the stairs in my chair. The home is 13 x 38' and there will be a 10 x 38 lanai down this side which almost doubles our living space.








Bath with shower on right



Here's the 2 most visible rooms. only other is bedroom which is empty

Living/Dining Room





Pool

After waiting 4 months we finally got a chance to try out the outdoor pool. It was actually easier then the inside lift and felt so good. I was afraid I'd be cold but the temp was rising and the water was 85 so I had no complaints. Here I'm hanging out in the 6' end with weights on my ankles and a noodle under my arms. Without the weights, my feet will float. Speaking of floating, before this I swam on my back awhile, soaking up the sun. luckily there were some clouds too because when I went to bed I was shocked to see the sunburn on my legs. Never thought to put on lotion beforehand. Live and learn.

I'm back

So here I sit at my table eating lunch and this is what I see going by. Luckily they stopped for a minute giving me time to grab the camera.



We quickly followed it down the road and watched as they set it on the lot and in the process met many of our new neighbors. They all seemed as excited as we were.

Doug did get an opportunity to climb in with a step ladder. They say they will get me in tomorrow, maybe with a forklift!! We'll see. Then I'll get more pictures.

Well, it's been over a year since I last posted here, sadly reread the post about Olive. Still miss that little pest.
So for anyone who hasn't heard, we have decided to make our stay in Florida a little more permanent. We purchased a park model (that means a mini trailer) at Sun n Fun resort where we've stayed the past 5 years. This way we won't have to drive the motorhome all the way down here, saving the hassle of packing in freezing cold and snow.  It comes fully furnished including dishes and towels so we will just need personal stuff.

This is what it will look like. The unit is 13' x 38' then there is an attached 10' wide lanai (porch) with a shed/storage room on the end where the washer/dryer will be so ends up being about 800sf of living space. We are having it custom built so that it's fully accessible for me. Unfortunately the lot we chose has a camper on it till April 6 and they have to then get the site ready so we will stay a couple weeks longer in April to at least see it before we leave. Probably a good thing since last year our road was too muddy to get home and we had to leave the motorhome down the road and unload from there.

 

In the meantime I've been busy with sewing, scrapping and exercise/swimming and Doug has been - you guessed it - fishing! the weather has been unusually cool (yes I know 50's and 60's isn't cool) and therefore the water was cool and fish weren't biting. Now that we are back to 80's the fish are back. Yeah! Oh and my keyboard lessons and practice. phew!

Sad Day

    We finally had to say good bye to Olive today. She's been a trooper the past two months but we knew she was going down hill and showing her age which was at least 19 years old. She had a fast growing mass, so there was no prolonging it at her age. But just last week she has her nose to the books.

And she always wanted to be on my lap, even when I was standing! We had a lot of rides together in my wheelchair.

And we have had a lot of fun over the years saying "Where's Olive" and "you won't believe where that cat is now!" Like Waldo, she would hide in a conspicuous place and until she moved we wouldn't even see her. Just yesterday I jumped when I reached for something on my night stand and got cat instead. Here she is snoozing on my sewing desk. Never went there before, but must have thought she belonged there.

We will miss you, Olive.

Doug finally got to go deep sea fishing. A 10 hour trip, 34 miles out yielded this haul. Six amberjack (limit),  12 king mackerel (limit allowed) and some red snapper (good eating). He had a great time with 5 other fishermen but unfortunately the season for grouper (lg fish similar to haddock) ended Jan 31. He's hoping to go at least once more before we leave in April.

In the meantime, while all our northern friends and family were dealing with massive snow falls, we were treating ourselves to a lovely lunch at Myakka River Oyster Bar where there was a car show/cruise in. Not too many cars but it was nice to see some cars besides the ones always at our car club.
 We mentioned several times how we wish you all were able to enjoy the balmy breezes and warm sun with us, sorry.

 We've been busy and were happy to have family visiting for 2 weeks in January. We love showing off what we love about Sun N Fun and all the things to do here. And we loved getting to know our newest grandson and spending time with Karen and Dakota.  Janet and family visited next and they got to go to Disney - finally - for a day. Jennifer and Janet spent time giving me tips for swimming (I'm now practicing a butterfly stroke) while Steve and Corey played games.

So Doug saw someone fishing down the road and asked what he was catching. Turned out there were lots of catfish. He went back the next day and caught several of these catfish. He only kept this one but we couldn't identify it so we didn't want to eat it.

While he was fishing I took a fiber arts class. I had a blast, because this was right up my alley. The instructor let me use her sewing machine and my finished project is a post card that can be mailed. Haven't decided if I can give it up to mail or not. I might make another one and keep this one.

Next I took an oil painting class. Despite a love of crafts, I have never used a paintbrush that wasn't on a wall. So in 3 hours and a Bob Ross technique (you may have seen him on TV years ago) this is what I ended up with. I might try again but certainly not my cup of tea. I'd rather be sewing or scrapping which I have also been doing weekly. You can see me online with the others in my class at http://www.ucanpaint.com/Student-work.php