Nick and Taylor's Visit

On May 13, Nick and Taylor arrived from Phoenix. They had to change planes in Albuquerque and on their plane was Erik's friend, Lance. It was a  little surreal seeing him in the Orlando airport. That's the second time we've run into each other at an airport. He and I were on the same flight once going from Albuquerque to Phoenix.

Tuesday, the 14th, Arne and I took the boys to play a beautiful Par-61 golf course near Ocala. The grounds were so lush, unlike the dry, almost grassless courses here in The Villages. We played 18 holes on one of those courses on Wednesday.

Thursday, the 16th, we took the boys to Busch Gardens in Tampa. It was much prettier than when we were there last August with Erik and the girls. Our weather hadn't been summer hot yet so there were plenty of flowers to enjoy as we walked from one attraction to another. The gators were more active also...in their confinement. I rode the coaster called Cheetah Hunt twice. It is a very smooth ride and lots of fun. The coaster moves like a cheetah and we were able to see a real one run after a "rabbit" with such speed and grace, stopping on a dime when it had its prey.

Friday we took the boys for lunch by Monkey Island and then spent a couple of hours at Homosassa Wild Life Park. The water is spring fed and stays around 72 degrees all year. Injured manatees are brought here to heal. In the winter, hundreds of manatee come into the local area for the warm water.

Saturday, the 18th, the boys and I went on Wild Bill's Airboat Ride. We went on the 11 AM ride and were fortunate to see several alligators, osprey and other birds. The boat is fun but very loud. We had to wear ear protectors.

Saturday night, we went to a Japanese steak house requested by Nick. Taylor seemed fascinated watching the chef prepare our food on the hibachi, around which we sat. He says he likes to cook.
After dinner, we went to Spanish Springs to see the classic cars on display around the town square. We then drove to Brownwood to show them the newest square. We were only there a few minutes when the music was halted because of lightning. After a stop for Icees, we got home just as it started to rain and lots more lightning. The next morning, there was a picture of a home in The Villages totally destoyed by fire due to a lightning strike. On an ironic note, I heard from a friend in Arizona saying she had heard her uncle's home in The Villages had burned. After some checking, I told her it was her uncle's home. That's at least the third house fire since we moved here. I didn't realize this part of central Florida gets the most lightning strikes of anywhere in the USA. :-(

Sunday I went to basketball practice while Nick and Taylor played golf. They finished just before another thunderstorm came through. Sunday evening we had a family council in which we discussed Taylor's future. Hope he remembers our "pearls of wisdom."

Monday, the 20th, Arne played golf in an all day event sponsored by VietNam Veteran's of The Villages. I took the boys to Orlando where we spent a few hours at WonderWorks, an interactive attraction that features over 100 exhibits. Taylor loved the place. I dropped them off at the airport around 4:45 for what was supposed to be a 6:25 flight. They didn't take off until 8 PM. Good thing they gained three hours going west!

We enjoyed our time with the boys and are now planning for a visit from Kadin and Gracie, who arrive on June 23. They will be joined by Erik and Jeffrey on July 2. They all fly home on July 9.