2014-03-21, Friday

I was reading Sharon Del Rosario’s blog this morning.  She said she had not written in a month, so I thought I should check to see if I was as delinquent as she was.  I was not, because I wrote less than two weeks ago.

Since that time, we spent the first week getting ready to host the Escapees Chapter 57 Spring Rally here at Sumter Oaks RV Park.  That week was followed by the rally, which we survived.

So, backing up to the first week, we celebrated Teddy Pearson’s birthday with a beer-thirty get together (happy hour at their rig) on Tuesday.  We found out that Jack and Pat Mulhall were here in the park, so we went to Coyote Rojo’s for dinner on Wednesday with them and the Jarvis.  Lunch on Thursday with the Jarvis, Hallidays, Mulhalls, Tobins, Schlemmers, and a couple of others, was at the Oakwood Smokehouse in Leesburg for barbecued ribs. 

Friday, the 14th, was shopping day with the Jarvis at Sam’s, WalMart, etc getting ready for the start of the rally.

We had a busy start to the rally on Saturday with Larry Jarvis, Marilyn and Sandy McKeaN and I doing early registration from 1 to 3.  Sunday, we continued registration, followed by social hour coinciding with the Park’s Ice Cream Social.  Sandy and John McKean cooked our delicious hobo stew for dinner.  Here are some pictures getting ready for the ice cream social, and having a good time.    We had fun adopting the first-timers at a Florida Rally.

Monday was a rainy day, but the Park managers cooked a very delicious St Patrick’s Day dinner of corned beef and cabbage, so, on our schedule, we called it our dine-out-in.

People started gathering with their Greenery at breakfast.   After dinner we had a Sing-a-long of old Irish songs led by Larry Jarvis.   The night was finished of with Lunde’s providing music for the ladies to dance by.   

Tuesday was a busy rally day with a pancake breakfast, brown-bag lunch at the activity center, followed by (before they could leave) our business meeting.  Then it was potluck for dinner followed by a real auction for Care.  Sue Spahn makes an absolutely wonderful auctioneer (she had practiced with You-Tube videos).  The auction raised over $1,700 for Care. Following are pictures of the brown-bag lunch and the potluck.

Wednesday, except for a 4pm social hour, was an open day for touring the area, and Thursday was hitches and hugs at a continental breakfast.

Now on Friday, the park seems to be clearing out, so we can sit back and relax.

2014-03-09

It is Sunday, March 3rd, and I haven’t written a blog since February 15th, so I guess that I should tell you what we have been doing.  On February 27th, we went to a one woman play about life in a small town.  At the end of the play, the audience had to try on some hats.   Of course, we have been to concerts in the Busch Gardens Real Music Series.  The last was Lee Greenwood, we skipped the Osmond’s, but did see Frankie Avalon.  I did get a picture of Lee Greenwood, because I learned that I could reduce the exposure from the spotlights.  As we walked by the bird cage, Terri wanted to feed some of them, and they congregated on both Terri & Marilyn.   I could not get a picture of Frankie Avalon because he was dressed in white, and the spotlights turned him to a blob.  All in all, the Real Music Series was another success.  We enjoyed them, and will buy season passes again.

This past weekend, we drove to Atlanta, to attend the wedding of the youngest daughter of one of our best friends during the high school marching band years of our children.  We stayed at the Fairfield Inn in Suwanee, GA, and were invited to attend the rehearsal dinner at Provino’s at the Mall of GA.  It was wonderful to see great friends, and the food was delicious too.  The wedding itself was at Little Gardens on US 29.  The event location was just as nice as it had been for her sister several years ago.  Here are some of the pictures from the wedding of Mr & Mrs Rimpau.    As can be seen from the pictures, it was a very happy occasion.

My last picture is of 5 of the original couples plus Jan McCabe that worked together with others to make sure that the band had its equipment when it was needed, and that the band was where it was supposed to be when it was time to play music.

Type at you later.