GIOVANNI'S AGAIN!!

March 05 – We returned for two weeks at TT Peace River on March 04. Sally called on Friday and invited us to Giovanni’s with a group from Torrey Oaks. We of course said OK!! The restaurant had a special “Choice of Two” where you could sample two items from the menu for one low price. Most of us ordered that. Ken and I had Eggplant Parmesan and Spinach Ravioli with Soup and Salad Bar. UUMMMMM!! Actually, we shared the entre and bought an extra salad bar.

Here’s our group:

Around the table Left to Right: Gene, Nell, Cis, Sally, Stan, Joe, Ken, Faye, Carol, Lou.

The Odd Couple - Stan and Joe!!

I was talking across and down the table to Sally and Cis and told them about Ella and how she had approached me because of the Pickleball name pin I had on my hat; and how she had met Diane and Jack in Texas, and they had told her to look for us, and how Diane was the Happy Hour Queen, etc. etc. Anyway, Nell jumped in and said “I know her!! We met them in Texas. The Happy Hour Queen!!” You see – it IS a small world!!

I had heard a story about the wood burning brick pizza oven at Giovanni’s and I was fascinated. Later I asked the Giavonni son (red shirt) about it. He explained to me that the oven had been shipped from a restaurant they had owned in South America through Texas to Wauchula. His father is Italian and his mother is South American (or vis-a-versa); that is why they were in South America.

He said the frame of the oven is steel. It was so large that a hole had to be made in the east wall so it could be brought into the building. Then the outer layer of brick was reinstalled. Large glass windows and doors were put in place of the hole in the wall (see behind Carol and Lou).

I think that’s a neat story. Dumb me, I never thought to ask how they ended up in the small town of Wauchula, FL.

IT'S A SMALL WORLD!!

March 05 – This morning we were sitting at the Pickleball court at TT Peace River, waiting to play. A nice, friendly lady approached me and said “Well, Faye, I’m glad to see you.” I asked if I knew her, she looked familiar. She said “No, I don’t think you know me, but I met a friend of yours in Texas, at TT Lake Conroe. I don’t remember her name, but she said she is the Happy Hour Queen. “Oh” I said. “That would be Diane and Jack!” “Yes! That’s who it was.”

Ella who introduced herself to me, and her husband, Will.

Now, how did she know me?? She saw my name of the Pickleball Paddle Name Pin I had on my hat!

Our friends, Tracy and Jim have been making name pins and selling them to any players who want them ($5). We find they are sooooo helpful. We get ready to play with someone we know but can’t quite come up with a name. We glance quickly at the name pin and we’re home free!!

It’s a small world – this combination of Thousand Trails and Pickleball!!!

AVATAR

March 03 – The weather has been so cold, and windy and rainy that we decided to go to the movies this afternoon. We had heard so much about Avatar and the technology that we had to see it.

We both thought it was really good and thoroughly enjoyed it; although I didn’t like seeing the “good guys” turning bad because of greed. After the movie I was a little disappointed in the 3D, because the movie seemed more like greatly enhanced HD to me. I mentioned to Ken that in the old-time 3D movies things seemed to come off the screen at you; did he see any of that? He said yes, he did. He told me things seemed to come right at him; the little floating things were right in front of him so he felt he could touch them.

I didn’t think any more about it because I was more interested in how they created the Avatar than the 3D. However, on CBS Sunday Morning they mentioned Avatar, something about the funny glasses you had to wear that directed some of the images to the left eye and other images to the right eye, thereby causing the 3D effect!!!!! No wonder I did not get the full effect – I don’t have a right eye to see those images!!! I didn't know that!!

Anyway, go to see the movie – it’s good.