Happy St. Patrick's Day!

This evening Arne and I went to the Town Square for the St. Patrick's parade and some corned beef and cabbage. I had a green beer which wasn't very appealing but still tasted like beer.



Volleyball is taking its toll on my fingernails. Sunday I broke one nail and last night I lost three nails. NOW, if I were hitting the ball properly, my nails wouldn't be breaking.

My First Gold Medal

Yesterday I participated in the Good Life Senior Games near Clearwater. I was part of The Villages basketball team for age 65-69 . My dear friend and Iowa Wesleya teammate, Lori, drove up from Bonita Beach to play with us. We played three games. A team from North Carolina who've played together for several years beat us 23-18 because we missed 12 free throws and also they had a 70-year-old lady who could sink it from the 3-point line. We then played a Clearwater team in their early 50's. They beat us 40-26 with one 6' gal scoring all of their points. She's the Tampa Police Chief and played for University of Tampa in the late 70's. We won our third game by 20 points against another Clearwater team. We won the gold medal because there were no other Florida teams in our age bracket and the North Carolina team doesn't qualify. Now I know how some people have so many medals. :-) We also now qualify to play in the Florida Senior Games in December.

This afternoon I went to basketball and volleyball practice. (A neighbor who had gone with me the last two weeks, fractured her index finger last Tuesday night so her volleyball days are probably over.) We are preparing for The Villages Senior Games after Easter. I hadn't planned to play volleyball but the coach said she wanted me to play to get some experience.

I played 18 holes of golf on Tuesday. Shot 98 which would be good for me on Terravita but not on these courses, which are less yardage. Wednesday morning I went to my chiropractor for an adjustment. I think it helped as I was hitting the ball quite well on Wednesday afternoon when I played in a neighborhood 2-person scramble. My partner and I won first place. That makes me 5 for 5 in money winnings for Wednesday neighborhood golf. :-)

Busy, Busy...

Finding time to update this blog has been difficult the past week. I'm sorry I still don't have any pictures. After looking at new cameras, Arne suggested I check the Internet for a new battery charger. I don't know why I didn't think of that. I know my sister would have checked the web right away. Anyway, I ordered a new charger and another battery for less than $50 so should have some pictures in my next post.

Tuesday night a neighbor and I tried the co-ed volleyball group which plays from 5-8 PM. They are more tolerant of inexperienced players than is the Sunday afternoon co-ed group. We're going again this Tuesday.

Wednesday I spent the day cleaning house and baking as I had 17 women coming on Thursday to play Hand and Foot. I had ladies at the dining room table, kitchen table, a card table in the living room and even set up a card table in the master bedroom. It was a good time.

Friday night we had three neighbor couples for dinner. They were here from 5:30-10:30 and everyone told me over the week-end that they had a great time.

Saturday we stopped in at The Villages Golffest which was held on the Polo field. Annika was the headliner at Noon. We got there around 1:30 and someone coming out gave us their passes so we saved $20. We looked at golf carts and then watched a trick shot golfer who was sooooo funny. My sides were aching from laughing so hard.

Sunday night we went to a '50's party in the neighborhood. There were about 50 people reminiscing and reliving their youth. A large screen on the Lanai and the television in the family room were showing video of Ricky Nelson, Buddy Holly, Big Bopper and Richie Valens. Lots of fun.

Nice week-end

Played golf Friday morning followed by lunch with the ladies. Weather was actually nice for a change.

Saturday morning Arne and I headed south to Bonita Springs. Our friend, Larry, was celebrating his 70th birthday. His wife, Lori, with whom Arne and I went to college, had invited us and five other couples to Ruth's Chris Steakhouse for the celebration. I had never eaten there before. It's very pricey but my filet was cooked to perfection and remained warm throughout the meal due to the HOT plate on which it was served. Lori put us up at the Holiday Inn Express and we stayed an extra night so that we could visit a Marine with whom Arne attended Officer's Basic School, 46 years ago.

Sunday morning Larry and Lori treated us and two other couples to brunch. In the afternoon, we visited the Marine, Rick Stein, and his wife, Jane. They were on the beach so we joined them and took a LONG walk along the water At 5:30, we met Larry and Lori and Byron and Gloria, with whom we had also gone to college, at Pincher's Crab Shack for dinner. From there we went to Royal Scoop for an ice cream cone. Needless to say, I consumed way too many calories this week-end!

Sorry I don't have any pictures. I need to get a new camera as I lost the battery charger for my Sony on my last trip to Arizona.:-(

Golf in a Wind Tunnel

Today I played a 9-hole scramble with our neighborhood. If I'd been in Arizona on a day like this, I would have canceled. Sine most of the people here come from up north, they don't think it's so bad and seldom cancel. :-( So I endured the sunny but cold day with wind gusts over 20 miles an hour. I am still feeling chilled and it's almost 4 hours since we finished. The good news is my group won the birdie pool, with just one birdie, and we each got $11 so I more than doubled the $5 I threw into the pot. :-)

Erik's Week-end Visit

Enough! This cold weather is really getting old. I know...we’re not shoveling snow. BUT, it’s supposed to be warm down here. OK, enough whining.

Friday poured down rain all afternoon as I went shopping, running through the wind and water. Fortunately, the rain stopped before we headed to Tampa shortly after 5 to pick up Erik and his friend, Jamie, whose flight was due in at 7. Forty miles from Tampa, we were stopped on the Interstate due to an accident. After we’d been sitting for almost 50 minutes, Erik sent a text that they had just landed. We still weren’t moving. Finally, an hour and 15 minutes after stopping, we started to move. On the way home, we saw the moving van which had gone off the road and caught fire. We saw cars backed up for miles and miles and miles. I later read that one person had been trapped inside and died and that traffic was backed up for eleven miles.

After that rocky start, the week-end was delightful. The sun was out although the wind brought down the temperature on Saturday. We gave the kids a tour of The Villages, had a nice dinner at home and watched the Olympics.

Sunday after church, we drove over to Al and Donna Smith’s home in Harbor Hills, hoping to see some gators. No luck. We came back to Arnold Palmer Legends for lunch. Then a trip to Fresh Market where we picked up filet mignon and twice-baked potatoes for dinner. Oh yeah, Arne picked out a decadent chocolate cake for dessert. We got home around 4. Erik and Jamie went for a ride in the Corvette. They went over to Lake Sumter Landing and spent some time sitting on the boardwalk by the lake.
Monday, it was time to make another trip to Tampa for their 2 PM flight back to New Mexico. We were doing well until 18 miles from the airport and we ran into another accident. Thanks to a digital warning that an accident was ahead and Arne’s awareness of the stopped traffic, we got off the Interstate, programmed the navigator to minimize freeways and got to the airport 25 minutes later than planned. Our detour took us past the Tampa Bay Buccaneers field and George Steinbrenner field where the Yankees play their spring training games. Erik and Jamie made their flight, which was 20 minutes late taking off, but they nearly missed their connection in Dallas and their baggage did miss it. Fortunately, there was another flight in less than two hours so they had dinner while waiting for their bags to arrive in Albuquerque. I hope they got a refund of their baggage fee.

I was surprised today by the ladies to whom I teach English. At the end of class, they brought out a big cake with white frosting and red writing “Happy Valentine’s Day.” I didn’t realize it was in my honor until one of the ladies handed me a knife with which to cut and serve. It was 11:45 and I didn’t really want cake before lunch but I had to be polite. :-)

February's Flyin' By

Another busy week here in Florida. Past two Sundays I played BB and VB while on Mondays it's Mah Jong. Wednesday and Friday played golf. I had been warned to take extra balls for Wednesday's course. I did indeed lose three balls and this is a par-3 course! Several of the tee boxes required carrying the ball over swamp grass and mine didn't always carry so far. :-(

Friday night we went to Harbor Hills, a community about 15 minutes from The Villages. Our neighbors in Terravita, Al and Donna Smith, recently moved there and wanted us to see their new home. They have a fantastic view as they sit on a hilltop and look out at a big lake.

Sunday we went to a Super Bowl party at one of the Recreation Centers. We were seated a table with the Johnsons, Hal and Candace, who happened to be from the Chicago area, and last lived in Arlington Heights, where Arne's mother had lived for many years. Hal had worked for Colonial Hospital Supply and is very well acquainted with Arne's brother, Carl. In fact, he saw Carl in December at a Christmas party back in Chicago. Small world!!

Tonight we went to Stonecrest, just outside The Villages, to see the new home of friends Jack and Bobbi Leahy who will be moving here from Sedona, Arizona. Pretty soon we'll be able to have an Arizona Club.

Erik and friend, Jamie, are flying to Tampa on Friday. We look forward to having them here for a short stay. They have to fly back to Albuquerque on Monday. Sure hope we have sunshine for them.