HAPPY HOUR ON THE RIVER WITH DEAN AND MARGIE

March 14 – We got back to TT Peace River from Marco Island just in time to go to the Happy Hour on Peace River at Dean and Margie’s site. We are so glad we did!! There were about 30-40 people there, mostly Pickleball Players and a few of their neighbors.

And there was soooo much food!! This is only one of two tables of goodies people brought to share.

And Entertainment, too!! Buddy on the guitar. And a fellow jammer on a Suzuki no-string base. Yes. This is the same Buddy in the red shirt in the Pickleball Tournament at Torrey Oaks.

Jane playing the Spoons!!

And Karaoke

And Line Dancing!

And wild animals came to the party, too!! Tracy with the rabbit!! Well, maybe not so wild!

A few individual pictures – Travis, Lee and Judy.

Jim and Tracy.

Marge and Tom.

And Donna!! Donna is always behind the camera taking pictures for her own Blog (Florida Picklers). She is rarely IN the picture. I told her I would make certain she was in these pictures!!!

Here is Ken with a new Pickleball player who, we discovered while talking with he and his wife, is from Midlothian, VA!! And Darrell.

Here we are with the host and hostess on their river front site!!

THANK YOU, DEAN AND MARGIE, FOR A DELIGHTFUL AFTERNOON!!

VISIT WITH KAREN AND DENNIS ON MARCO ISLAND, FL

March 14 – Our friends Karen and Dennis from Richmond were vacationing in Marco Island for a few days. They invited us to visit them on Sunday. We spent some time catching up on what we all had been doing since we left them in Richmond.

They introduced us to Stanley --a paper doll made by their Grand Niece as a project. The purpose is to see how many places Stanley could visit. The niece sent him to spend some time with Karen and Dennis in Florida to begin his lifetime of adventures. We were happy to oblige our friends and pose with Stanley. They will send Stanley with pictures and journal back to their niece when their vacation is over. Maybe you know someone who is involved with such a project. I understand many young people are.




After a few drinks and snacks, we took a ride around the Island. It has really become a lot more commercial since we were last here, we think it was October 2001.

This is the public park and boat ramp where we used to launch our boat to go fishing for grouper in the Gulf. We’d always end up racing back to get in before they closed the gate!


Here is the timeshare we owned a small share of – The Eagles Nest. We sold it a few years after we bought the RV, must have been in 2001.

They were just beginning to build a new hotel on the vacant lot next to the Eagles Nest. We thought the hotel would be very small because the lot appeared to be too small to build anything on. This is what they built!! WOW!! How'd they do that??

We told Karen and Dennis that all we wanted was a good grouper sandwich. We went to Snook Inn where we used to go frequently went for lunch. The grouper sandwich was “to die for” – it now comes with the Soup and Salad Bar. We did not know we would have such a huge lunch!!

Our waiter stuck his hand into the picture. Said he used to be a "hand model". HA HA



Lunch at Snook Inn: Karen, Dennis, Ken and Me.



This was the view from the observation deck at Snook Inn. We used to bring our boat, Weekend Runner, up to the Snook Inn dock for lunch.





After lunch we messed around a little longer and then said our Goodbyes. It was fun seeing them again, as always!!

After leaving Marco Island, we drove up to Englewood to stay overnight with Ken’s daughter, Stacey. She was working that night as a bartender down on the beach. We thought about calling her to find out exactly how to find the Bar. That’s when I realized I did not have my cell phone!! I had left it in Marco Island.

When we got to Stacey’s bar, I used her phone to call Karen and Dennis to see if I had left our phone in their room. Dennis called back in a little bit and said he had found it in the back seat of the car. A miracle!!

While we were waiting for Dennis to call us back, Ken asked Stacey to make him a Manhattan. Stacey said he had never made one; so Ken told her how. First, she poured too much cherry juice in the drink; then too much bitters. Stacey quickly solved that problem by adding more bourbon!! It turned out pretty good! Guess you just can’t ruin Jim Beam!!

Early the next morning after breakfast and a good cup of coffee at Denny's, we took off for Marco Island AGAIN!! Just what we wanted to do!!

We retrieved our phone, said our goodbyes again, AND got back to TT Peace River just in time to go to Dean and Margie’s Happy Hour on the River!!!

PICKLEBALL AT TT PEACE RIVER

March 05 – 14 – We’re at TT Peace River for two weeks. The weather is still cold and windy. Ken and I find that we have become fair weather Pickleball Players, so we have played very little Pickleball in this WINTER weather. However, we did get in a few days of play!












Waiting to play. Sometimes there were so many players waiting, we went to Rally Scoring, or limited games to 9 points instead of 11.







Who said Ken doesn't move on the court???

SATURDAY NIGHT AT TORREY OAKS

March 13 – Another dinner at Torrey Oaks – they have one every weekend; they sell 50/50 raffle tickets to help defray the cost. Tonight’s special was meatloaf and everyone brought a side dish to share.

Here’s our table. Around the table left to right. Cis’ sister Nancy and their Mom, Faye, Ken, [Stan is missing for the picture], Sally, Joe and Cis. You’ll notice Sally is making finger horns over Joe’s head. I decided to do the same to Mom for the picture. She felt me touch her hair and thought it was a bug. She screamed and flailed her hands in the air. That’s why we are all laughing. I did not mean to frighten her. Anyway, decided we needed another picture.



They have music at every happy hour and dinner. Most of the time it’s a night of Karaoke. “Karaoke Bob” (we call him that because he usually sings too many times during the evening) and his lady were married on Friday. Here they enjoy a wedding dance.


Tonight, for some reason, there was a lot more line dancing – Electric Slide, Cupid Shuffle, Achy Breaky, AND I introduced them to “Alice”. I had shown the steps to the line dancers Saturday afternoon, and our husbands and others who were not dancing, shouted out with the music every time they heard the words “Alice! Who the Hell is Alice!!” It was a lot of fun!!

Ken did not get a picture of that dance but here we are doing the Electric Slide!!

STAN AND SALLY WIN MEDALS AT THE HEARTLAND SENIOR GAM

March 06 – The weekend of March 5 and 6, the Heartland Senior Games were held in Tanglewood, FL. They had various activities for Seniors but the most important aspect of the game was the Pickleball!! It ran for two days with Men’s Doubles, Women’s Doubles, and Mixed Doubles. In most Pickleball tournaments the levels are divided by age group rather than by skill level.

Our friends Stan and Sally came home sporting medals. Sally won Silver with her partner in the Women’s Doubles. Sally and Stan won Bronze in the Mixed Doubles.

CONGRATULATIONS, GUYS. Good Wins!!!

TORREY OAKS “LADIES LUNCHEON GROUP” 3rd OUTING

March 12 - The Ladies Luncheon Group met for the third time to eat and talk, or talk and eat!! We decided to try a different place – Giovanni’s. They had reserved a nice table for the 13 of us. The food was good, but the service surely was sloooow. Guess we didn’t mind too much since we are into talking!!

This time the three new attendees from the February outing invited new friends – Sarah Lou, Cathy, and Karen. Also, since Cis’ original guest, Marilyn, is no longer at Torrey Oaks, Cis invited her Sister and Mother who were visiting her to join us.

The waitress did an outstanding job of capturing all of us. Around the table, left to right: (New members’ names are in bold): The Other Sally, Diane, Karen, Sally, Faye, Cis’ Sister Nancy and their Mom, Cis, Sarah, Sarah Lou, Beverly, Audrey and Cathy. Welcome, new members.

Plans were made to meet again in April for whomever is still around..