December is Almost Over! Happy New Year Everyone!

While our weather was too warm to seem like the Christmas season, the calendar told us it was still December. December 9th gave me my 7th "gold" medal for basketball. CBS News tonight showed a segment on "Grandmas playing basketball." It featured the Tigerettes from Louisiana. They have a sponsor who pays their expenses as they travel around the country. We played them in March in Clearwater. They play rough and it took us half a game to get tough. After being down 20 points at half, we came within 4 points.

On the 16th, Arne and I joined dozens of our neighbors for a caroling party. We started in a garage set up with hors d'oeuvres and drinks where we were supposed to practice our singing. Hard to get this neighborhood to sing when there's food and booze available. We "sang" for several neighbors housebound due to illness and then proceeded to three other homes where there was more food and drinks.

On the 20th, we went to Chicagoland Club monthly meeting which was a tribute to the tradition of George Halas and the Chicago Bears. We watched a movie which focused on the '85 Bears. Too bad Cutler broke his thumb or else I think they'd have made the playoffs. We've been watching the Broncos this season as Tebow is a favorite of ours from his Florida U playing.

Christmas Eve, we went to a neighborhood Open House for an hour, went to church for candlelight service and then back to the party. Christmas Day, we went next door and joined other neighbors for a delicious dinner. It was nice to be with friends but I missed family.

Needless to say, our waistlines have increased in spite of our regular visits to the Fitness Center. I also played pickleball 4-5 times a week. Didn't put much of a dent in the calories I consumed this month but I must say my PB game is improving.

Arne continues to take three art classes a week and tries to get some practice in on other days. He is getting quite good, I think.

In case you missed our posting on Facebook, here's our version of Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree

We got Facebooked!

Arne and I had a very nice, quiet Thanksgiving. I played pickleball and then Arne and I took a long walk, resting at the halfway point by sitting on a bench next to a pond, watching the cranes and ducks. We Skyped Erik and the girls and watched Jeffrey walk. He seemed to recognize my voice from my recent visit but wasn't sure about the man with Grandma. For dinner, we went to Golden Corral buffet. Arne wanted to go at 3, I was pushing for later. We got there at 3:30 and good thing...they were closing at 4! We had a delicious dinner. I chose the more traditional Thanksgiving foods while Arne sampled a bit of everything. Later that night, we Skyped with Lisa for almost an hour.

Sunday evening we Skyped Lisa and the boys. Aaron was visiting and spent an hour visiting with him. Today we had a surprise when we checked Facebook. Nick had taken our picture at some point and posted it for the whole world to see! With these smartphones, you never know when someone is snapping your picture so be careful what you do and always...SMILE!

Calm After the Surge

November 12-18, we had five social functions. That's right...5, and three of them were with neighbors. The first event was a concert by Tony Pace, Las Vegas performer who's a friend of a neighbor. The concert and Afterglow was a fund raiser for our cancer center. Over 100 from our village were in attendance.

Sunday night, Arne and I attended a piano concert at Church on the Square.

Tuesday night was Chicagoland Club. After a dinner of chicken parmesan from Olive Garden, we were entertained for over ninety minutes by Dunning Shaw and Donna Moore. They are local performers and Villagers love their impersonations of famous singers. Since Tony Pace did a similar show, I found Shaw and Moore to be a little long. Of course, Tony performs in Vegas making him a bit better. Speaking of Chicago, how 'bout those Bears! Sadly, QB Cutler broke his thumb trying to be a defender. That's not good news.

Wednesday, the 16th, our village had an East-West golf challenge. Arne and I played for the East side. I played championship bracket (full 9) while Arne, in his first golf event, played executive (par 3 course.) We each won our match but it didn't help my team. The East executive group won while the West won championship. Afterwards, we all gathered at a rec center for a pizza party and presentation of the blue ribbons, which Arne got but not I. :-(

Friday night we were invited to the beautiful home of our neighbors from Switzerland. They invited 95 neighbors to help them celebrate the receiving of their permanent Green Cards. We brought them an apple pie with a story of the history of apple pie as an American icon. Hard to think of something for people who pretty much have everything.

This week we are keeping things quiet, including Thanksgiving. I hope all of you are enjoying time with friends and family. Arne and I will be celebrating alone with no special plans for dinner.

Warm, Cold, Warm

I left warm Florida for New Mexico where the weather was cold at times. However, the love of family was warm as I spent precious time with my son, Erik, and his three children, Kadin, Gracie and Lil E, AKA Jeffrey. I flew to Albuquerque on November 1 and took the train to Santa Fe. Since it wasn't Erik's day to have the girls, I was totally surprised when they ran up behind me. Amanda was kind enough to let them stay with Erik, and me. The girls didn't have school Thursday or Friday so I had two whole days to spend alone with them. Since Erik's time with Lil E is limited, I had Wednesday and Thursday from 3-6 PM and Sunday from 12-6 PM to get acquainted with my cute and happy grandson. On Sunday, he finally came to me. Since I probably won't see him again until April, we'll have to start over on our relationship. I flew back to Orlando on Tuesday, Nov. 8th. Here are some pictures from the week.

Gracie with Skull Erik just purchased for next year

Gracie playing the part of an "invalid"

Kadin on the trampoline

Kadin and Gracie "skateboarding" on trampoline

Erik and Lil E

Erik's front yard after light snowfall

Erik's back yard after snowfall

Gracie with her skateboard

Erik helping the girls tie-dye the curtains for the room.
I'm sorry I didn't take pictures of the finished projects as they turned out great.

Erik and Lil E

Wednesday, Arne and I attended a piano workshop given by Scott Houston.
I signed up to start his Play Piano in a Flash class in January.

Another Apple Product

I had planned to sell my Powerbook to Erik and buy myself an iPad2. I finally realized I just cannot give up my Powerbook. Sorry, Erik! Arne was kind enough to buy me the iPad2 as an early Christmas present. Somehow, it got named Arnold's iPad. What's that all about??

I have downloaded books, including Steve Jobs biography, and now use it for reading even when on the Elliptical at the Fitness Center. I rented two movies from the iTunes store for viewing on the plane to Albuquerque as I'm flying there tomorrow for a week with my youngest grandchildren. Hope Erik has lots of firewood as I saw where the temp is supposed to drop about 20 degrees on Wednesday. Needless to say, I've packed jeans and sweaters!

Last stop: Hilton Head Island

Monday morning, we headed to Hilton Head but first a stop at Parris Island Marine Corps Recruit Depot. We spent over an hour in the Parris Island Museum which covered military history from 1492 to the present. It was very interesting and Arne saw lots of "artifacts" from his time in the Marine Corps. We made a stop in the gift shop where Arne bought a tee shirt, hat, license plate holder and several bumper stickers. I got a shot glass with the Marine Corps emblem.

We checked into our hotel on Hilton Head around 3:45 and then went to see Tim and Marilyn who were spending two weeks at a Marriott time share. We walked to the beach and waded in the Atlantic. We had dinner at Carraba's before heading back to our hotel around 8. Many laughs were shared during our four hours with the Leyshocks.

Tuesday morning, we checked out around 10. Tim and Marilyn picked us up and took us to Sea Pines, the first planned island community. There were several plantations on the island, agricultural in the 1900's. The "modern" Hilton Head Island has existed for only a few decades. Its development began in the fifties. The first bridge was erected in 1956. We enjoyed lunch at The Salty Dog where I had a delicious shrimp gumbo. Around 1 PM, we headed home, arriving around 6:30. We decided we would definitely like to go back to Hilton Head and stay for several days, especially since it's a fairly easy drive from The Villages.

Charleston, SC

Yesterday we drove from Asheville to Charleston with a stop at Carl Sandburg's last home. This home, on almost 250 acres, was turned over to the US Park Service after his death. Carl Sandburg (January 6, 1878 – July 22, 1967) was an American writer and editor, best known for his poetry. He won three Pulitzer Prizes, two for his poetry and another for a biography of Abraham Lincoln. The property is beautiful with the house sitting high on a bluff overlooking a small lake.

Today we took a harbor and city tour of Charleston. On the harbor tour, we learned that Charleston is a peninsula formed by the Cooper and Ashley Rivers, which flow into the Atlantic Ocean. We were told how South Carolina seceded from the Union as they feared newly-elected President Abraham Lincoln would abolish slavery when in fact he only hoped to prevent spread of slavery to the west. Lincoln did not receive one electoral vote from the southern states. The first shot of the Civil War was fired from James Island to Ft. Sumter, a small, 2-acre fort, sitting on a man-made island in Charleston's harbor. Lincoln was invited to a special ceremony at Ft. Sumter after the end of the war. His staff reminded the president that he was not well-liked in the South and he should not go to the ceremony. Instead, he went to the Ford Theater where he was assassinated.

Longest cable-stayed bridge in US

Typical Charleston houses in the historic district

After our tours, Arne and I took a trolley back to Market Street. We wandered through some of the shops and then went for dinner at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. We shared a bowl of She crab Bisque. Arne had Southern fried chicken, which was good but didn't taste any better than my mother's country fried chicken. I had shrimp 'n grits, which was delicious with its Cajun seasoning. It was the first time I had ever eaten grits and our waitress was delighted that I liked them.

We are now back at our hotel watching the Bears run over the Vikings. Go Bears!!

Perfect Autumn Day

Arne and I took a drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway today. While we were about a week beyond the peak, the colors were still spectacular. The temperature was perfect and the air was crisp. It was a little windy, like 45 MPH up at Craggy Gardens. The Ranger there said one time he came to work to find the roof peeled back on the visitor center. After four hours on the Blue Ridge, we stopped at the North Carolina Arboretum and spent several hours walking through their beautiful gardens and Bonsai exhibit. Tomorrow we drive to Charleston.

Arne sketching by the window in our hotel room.

Here are just a few of the 150 pictures we took on the Blue Ridge...

Trees in the parking lot at the Arboretum

I'm standing in center of The Quilt Garden

Arne took this candid shot through an iron gate. All that wind gave my hair more body than mousse or "lift" product I've ever used.

Savannah, Georgia

Arne had a doctor appointment in Gainesville yesterday afternoon. From there we drove to Savannah, arriving around 7:30 PM. Today we toured the historic district via trolley, which had 14 stops. We could get off and on at any of the stops. While on the trolley, the drivers gave a history of the city, pointing out landmarks.

Some Savannah history:

*Gen. James E. Oglethorpe and his settlers founded Savannah, England's 13th and last colony in February 1733.
*Residents embraced the revolt against England, but British forces captured the city by surprise in December 1778 and finally departed in 1782.
*Nineteenth-century Savannah grew and flourished with King Cotton, becoming a vital shipping port.
*In 1862, Union forces closed the port and in 1864 Gen. Sherman blazed a trail of destruction across Georgia. He entered Savannah on Christmas Day and offered it to President Abraham Lincoln as a gift.
*Oglethorpe set up Savannah in 24 squares, 22 of which remain today, thanks in great part to the Historic Savannah Foundation. Each square has a park, one of which is shown in the picture above.
*Established in 1775, First African Baptist Church is reputedly North America's oldest African-American church.
*Birthplace of Juliette Gordon Low, founder of the Girl Scouts of the USA.
*Birthplace of Johnny Mercer, writer of over 1000 songs, among them "Moon River" and "Tutti Frutti."
*Savannah is America's most haunted city.

One of the "ghosts"

Oak tree with fern growing along with the Spanish Moss

We bought these "roses" from this man who made them out of palm fronds.

The Cathedral of St. John the Baptist. European look.
Beautiful stained glass windows.

For dinner tonite, we went to the Pirates' House. I took a picture of my dinner because I couldn't believe they served me THREE thick pork chops!! The other mound is mashed sweet potatoes. They were delicious but this is a crime when obesity is such a big problem in this country. They charged $23.95 for this platter. How about one chop and charging $8-10 less? Yes, I ate most of them with some help from Arne. We're traveling tomorrow so couldn't bring one home.

The Pirates' House has many rooms, as a result of many houses being put together, and the spirit of a 5-year-old boy, who died in one of the houses, has been seen by some patrons. As we were leaving the restaurant, a ghost tour entered. They were heading to the rum cellar hoping to see...ghosts, of course!

October Already!!

Seems like it was just the end of August. Temperatures have cooled way down in the mornings, requiring me to wear a light jacket even for pickleball. Today after basketball, I stayed for volleyball practice. The coach wanted me to give it another try. As one of the regulars pointed out..."You can't teach tall, and you're tall." They'll try to use me at the net, if I can get my timing down for the slam and block.

Arne and I saw "Driver" yesterday. I thought it was very well done, almost "artsy" in its use of music and dialogue, or lack of it. The main character, played by Ryan Gosling, didn't have much to say. While he was a man of few words, he was a dynamite driver. There's lots of blood and violence but I don't mind that when the bad guys are getting the brunt of it.

Today I saw my first Rugby match, on TV. I like it better than football. The ball looks like a football but bounces like a nerf ball. Moves soooo much faster and no quarterback needed. That would be good news for the Bears and Florida Gators, who lost a couple of quarterbacks in last night's game against Alabama. Talked to a pickleball player from England and he said the players are 220 pounds of muscle and can run 100 yards in 13 seconds. He also mentioned that many of them have broken noses and cauliflower ears. No helmets on these guys and no spare tires!!

September Routine

September in The Villages brings cooling temps, humidity dropping from 96% to 75%, and people returning from their summer homes. For me it also means resuming Sunday basketball practice and playing more golf. Oh my gosh...I mustn't forget those pesky lovebugs who just seem to screw and then die. I opened our front door yesterday to see the front porch littered with hundreds of lovebugs, some screwin' and many more dead from the exertion. This must be the reason everyone here has a screened in lanai. Thank goodness, they only appear in May and September.

Arne and I joined the Chicagoland Club last March but have yet to get to a meeting. That will change this week as today we went to one of the country clubs to watch the Bears with other Bear fans. Tuesday night, we're going to our first meeting. The Bears game was a bust after QB Cutler got sacked AGAIN and the Saints recovered the fumble. That was the turning point in the game and it wasn't good for the Bears who lost 30-13. Next week they play the Packers. Unless the Bears offensive line gives more protection to Cutler, the Packers are going to walk right over them.

Never having been a college football fan before we moved here, I enjoyed watching Tim Tebow and the Florida Gators. So we are watching more of it...college football, that is. Florida has several good teams who could be very good next year.

Movies we've seen recently on our Saturday night "date"...The Help, The Debt and yesterday Contagion. They were all good, but I wouldn't rate any of them as outstanding. Good movies to see on DVD.

I've been playing pickleball 4-5 mornings a week, depending on my golf schedule. So, life is good here, where we have 6 Saturdays and 1 Sunday. :-)