KEN WAS IN THE HOSPITAL BUT HE'S OUT NOW!!

Sat, Feb 05 - Yes.  That's right.  Ken spent a few days in South Lake Hospital, Clermont, FL!  We took him to the Emergency Room on Thursday afternoon because he was easily exhausted with the least bit of exertion .  He had been feeling like he could not catch his breath with a lot of coughing to get the phlegm out of his chest.  We decided it was time for him to get checked out.

Almost as soon as he checked into the Emergency Room they had him on oxygen.  They gave him a couple of breathing treatments and ran a number of tests.  After further treatment in the ER, they decided to admit him to the hospital for observation and further tests.

After a couple of days of tests, the doctors' diagnosis was COPD -- chronic bronchitis and emphysema, etc.  And his blood pressure was unusually high!

After treatment of steroids and antibiotics, etc. Ken felt (and looked) a lot better.  He was released on Saturday afternoon with some new prescriptions and told to follow up with a local Primary Care Physician.

Now back home and feeling a lot better!!

SUMMER BEER!

Tue, Feb 03 - Sally and Cis have been telling me about a new cocktail they have enjoyed at some of the Torrey Oaks happy hours -- Summer Beer!!  Have you had it??!!

I decided to serve Summer Beer at our Venison cookout on Tuesday afternoon.  First time I have ever tasted it.  Let me tell you, Summer Beer is sooooo refreshing!!

Here is the recipe for your next party!!

SUMMER BEER

1 12-Ounce Can Lemonade Concentrate
1 Lemonade Can of Vodka
2 12-Ounce Cans Beer

Pour ingredients into a jug or pitcher.  Serve over ice.

Enjoy!!

VENISON BURGERS WITH FRIENDS!!

Tue, Feb 03 - We are leaving TT Peace River tomorrow to go to TT Orlando for a couple of weeks.  Before leaving, we wanted to invite friends to join us for a cookout with the Venison Burgers that Joe and Cis had brought to us from Pennsylvania.  Mitch and Barb had come into Peace River on Monday, so we had already made arrangements for them come and asked Mitch, the chef, if he would cook the burgers.  He was most happy to do that.  We invited long-time friends Sally and Stan; and, of course, we invited Joe and Cis, after all, they were the ones who provided the burgers!!

Mitch and I enjoying Venison Burgers and a beer!!

Mitch's brother, Dan and his wife are also at TT Peace River, so of course they were invited to join our crazy bunch!!  Here is Stan enjoying a Hamburger and Dan having Venison Burger.

 Other happy dinners, Barb, Joe and Ken!

In the middle of my picture taking, two little dolls walked down the road.  Stan called them over to chat.  This is Melissa and Ariana.  They said they are not in a special program or anything like that; they just enjoy dressing up sometime.  Cute!!

And here are Sally, Dan's wife Cari, and Cis!

That was fun!!  A great time was had by all!!

DINNER AND EUCHRE WITH CIS AND JOE

Tue, Jan. 27 - Cis and Joe invited us to their place for dinner on Tuesday evening.  Stan and Sally joined us as well for a fun evening with friends!

Cis had baked a delicious Chicken Salad Casserole served along with String Beans.  And look at this beautiful Apple Pie.  It was so perfect it looked almost like a decorative ceramic pie!

The guys' table in the living room.

And the girls in the dining room!

After dessert, Joe and Cis and Ken and I enjoyed a couple of competitive games of Euchre.  Sally and Stan had other obligations and had to leave us.

It was a great evening!  Thanks Joe and Cis!!

BAD DIRECT TV RECEIVER!

Fri, Jan 23 - This morning we had an error message on our TV.

This receiver will shut down.  The receiver is running hot.

Oh, horror of horrors!!  We won't be able to watch TV today!!!  Today of all days!!!  The Australian Open tennis is playing all day -- all week!!  And our college in Richmond, VA (Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), currently ranked 16th in the NCAA, is playing St. Louis tonight!!  What can we do??

We called Direct TV.  We tried everything.  We unplugged the Receiver.  We re-plugged the Receiver.  We tested this.  We tested that.  There was nothing to be done.  The receiver is too hot.  So we ordered a replacement receiver to be shipped to us at TT Peace River, but it will not arrive until next week sometime!!!

We asked all of our friends to record the VCU game although we knew we would probably not watch it after the fact.

And then, we had an idea!!!  We stacked wooden "TV Trays" on top of each other and placed a house fan to blow on the Receiver to cool it.  It worked!!!

With the new set up, we were able to watch the VCU game against St. Louis!!  (They won in the last seconds of the game!)  We could record and watch the Australian Open tennis all day and all night!!!  The fan kept the Receiver cool and in turn, kept us cool!!!

Hopefully, we will be able to install the replacement receiver when it arrives!!  Can't live with this set-up forever!!!

DELICIOUS VENISON, COMPLIMENTS OF JOE AND CIS!!

At the end of my posting of January 03, I mentioned that Joe and Cis had brought us quite a bit of Venison from Pennsylvania.  Joe said that 2014 had been a very good season for deer hunting and we reaped the benefit!!  Thank you so much, guys!!  This is how we have enjoyed it, so far!!!

SLOW COOKER VENISON CHOPS!

Sun, Jan 11 - Today we prepared a package of Venison Chops given to us by Joe and Cis.  I used the slow cooker recipe that we used last year.  The result was delicious, although the presentation does not quite live up to the flavor!!  The chops were wonderful!!!

VENISON ROAST BY TWO CHEFS!!!

Tue, Jan 20 - Joe and Cis had given us a large package of venison roast!!  Ken and I had no idea how to prepare it; besides, it was more than we could eat!  But then we had an brilliant idea!!  We "hired" two chefs to prepare the roast for us!!

We discovered that friends Barb and Mitch were going to be at TT Orlando while we were here.  They were staying in a Get-Away Cabin to meet up with a group of Monaco friends.  Also, Marie and Keith were going to be at TT Orlando after the big Tampa RV Show.  All of us have been good friends for years.

Mitch is a chef by hobby and enjoys preparing special dishes for all of their friends.  Keith is a Chef and teaches culinary arts to his students in Pennsylvania.  So - we told them about the Venison Roast and we all arranged a venison dinner with the two chefs demonstrating their culinary skills in preparing the roast!!!

Keith and Mitch carve the Venison Roast!

All of us prepared to sit down for dinner!!  Marie, Keith, Barb, Mitch, Faye and Ken!

For dinner:  Spinach Mandarin Orange Salad, Venison Roast with Blueberry Reduction Sauce, Sauteed Mushrooms, and Minnesota Wild Rice.  Not pictures is the Big Joe cake for dessert!

Our hostess and chef, Barb and Mitch!

Ken and Faye enjoying a bottle of Romantic Girl Cab from Sally and Stan!

It was Keith and Marie's 46th Anniversary.  So we all toasted them on the big occasion!

It was a wonderful evening with good friends.  And the Venison Roast Dinner was DELICIOUS!!!  A big thanks to all involved!!

LOTS OF P/B PLAYERS AT TT ORLANDOBo

Mon, Jan 19 - Boy is it COLD here at TT Orlando!!  In fact, it's been so cold in the mornings that we didn't even leave the RV until after 11 o'clock!!  By that time, all the Pickleball players were leaving the courts.

But, this morning I was brave and ventured over to the Pickleball courts.  There were a million players there!!!  Or so it seemed.  I got busy and took some pictures of the action!

One match had just finished playing.

Here is the action taking place on the other courts.

And all of these players were waiting for an open court!

Cold weather does not seem to bother some people!!!  Have fun, Guys!!  Burrrrr!!!

JUDGE AND PAULINE'S CONFERENCE GAME PARTY!!

Sun, Jan 18 - We joined Judge and Pauline and friends when they threw a party to watch the Conference Playoff Game - Seattle Seahawks against the Green Bay Packers!  Judge had steamed up five pounds of jumbo shrimp.  UUMMMMM!  People brought meatballs, salad, cheese spread, spinach dip, salsa and chips, plus cakes for dessert!  What a spread!!

The game was good!!  Looked like Green Bay had it all the way, but the Seahawks came alive late in the second half and made some unbelievable plays to win the game!!  Yeah!!!

Here are the guys enjoying the game.

And the gals enjoying some Virginia Moonshine that Pauline shared with us!

What a fun afternoon!!!  Thanks Guys!!

RACK OF RIBS AT MILLER'S ALE HOUSE!

Mon, Jul 12 - Monday is Rib Night at Miller's Ale House near TT Orlando.  When we were with Judge and Pauline on Sunday, we all decided to go for ribs on Monday night.

Here we are, each with a full rack of ribs in front of us!!  Just as good as they were when we were here a few weeks ago.  YUMMMMM!  Only $10.95 and enough left over for another meal!

We think The Ale House ribs are just as good as The Oakwood Smokehouse in Clermont.  Besides, The Ale House is closer and the special price for the full rack at The Smokehouse on Sunday-Wednesday is up to $13.45.

JUDGE AND PAULINE AT TT ORLANDO

Sun, Jan 11 - This afternoon we stopped by to visit our acquaintances Judge and Pauline from Virginia.  For several years they have had an annual campsite near Ken's son Mike and Diane at the TT Chesapeake Bay campground.  Mike called the other day and said Judge and Pauline are down at TT Orlando.  We came in here on Friday and looked them up yesterday and again today.

Pauline recently retired so they gave up their annual site, bought a new fifth wheel and hit the road!!  TT Orlando is their first stop!!

Have fun on the road Judge and Pauline!!

MY BEAUTIFUL PLANT!!

Sat, Jan 10 - Back in March/April 2014, I ended up in the hospital in Wauchula, FL for 10 days with a really bad case of Pneumonia.  The day after I was admitted, Ken brought me a beautiful pink plant to cheer me up.

After I left the hospital, we kept the plant but had no idea if it would live or not.  Here we are almost a year later.  The plant died back but came to life again (just like me!!  HA HA).  Today I took this picture of the beautiful plant!!  Can't believe it!!

Thank you, Ken, for the beautiful plant!!!  Anyone know what type of plant it is???

SMOKED PORK DINNER WITH STAN AND SALLY

Sat, Jan 03 - Good friends Sally and Stan invited us over to their site at Torrey Oaks to share a Smoked Pork Roast that Stan had been smoking all day long!!

I caught Stan in the last hour of smoking and took this picture of the fragrant roast!!

Enjoying the dinner:  Good friends Joe and Cis, Lance, Hostess Sally, Chef Stan, Husband Ken!!

Pic from the other end of the table:  Stan, Ken, Laurie (Lance's wife), Joe and Cis.  Cis is serving up some of my Fried Apples.  Next down the center of the table is a platter of Stan's Sliced Pork, Sally's Garlic Bread, Laurie's Mac Salad, Cis' Cheesy Potato Casserole!  YYUUMMMMMM!!  Delicious meal!!

After dinner we all enjoyed Sally's Pecan Pie and some kind of Almond dessert.  All very fattening and delicious!!!  Thank you Sally and Stan!!!

Speaking of Joe and Cis, Joe and his family (including the young grandchildren) spent Deer Season hunting deer.  When they came down from Pennsylvania, they brought us several packages of Deer Chops and a nice Venison Roast, and two pounds of ground Venison!!!  Joe said they had a very successful hunting season in 2014!!  Thanks you, guys!!!  We can't wait to enjoy!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KEN, LOIS AND KAREN

Mon, Dec. 29 - December is Birthday Month for Ken and our friends Lois and Karen.  We always try to celebrate the birthdays together when we are all in the same area.  Lois and husband Gene have a condo in Venice, FL only about 85 miles from TT Peace River; so we drove over there to celebrate the birthdays today.  It just happens to be Karen's birthday.

Karen is back in Virginia having just had neck surgery, but we wanted to include her in the festivities!  So I had a picture of her and husband Dennis made into poster size and included them in all the birthday pictures!

Happy Birthday Ken, Karen and Lois.

We served them drinks and some nibbles!  Didn't want them to be left out!

We stopped for a quick picture as we went out for dinner.  Faye, Ken, Karen, Dennis, Gene and Lois.

And we all enjoyed a great fish dinner at Cedar Reef Fish Camp!

It was a fun and delicious birthday celebration!  We look forward to next year's event!!

CHRISTMAS WITH THE FAMILY!

Dec 25, Christmas Day 2014 - We made a quick change to our schedule and went down to Pembroke Pines, FL (near Fort Lauderdale) for the Christmas holidays.  Ken's daughter Vickie lives there and she was able to make RV reservations for us at C. B. Smith Park for four nights.  It is a beautiful county park and only two miles from Vickie's home.

Here is the view from our site.  A canal is just across the circumference road.

Vickie's daughter (Ken's granddaughter) Niki and her friend Carlos were home from California for the holidays.

Vickie's husband Steve and Vickie were excellent hosts for Christmas Dinner!

We were delighted to spend that time with family!

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO KEN!! -- OR NOT!!

Sun, Dec 14 - Today is Ken's birthday!!  I wanted to make it a little special for him, but everything seemed to align to make it the Birthday From Hell!!!

First, I made him waffles for his Birthday Breakfast.  I don't know what happened but they were terrible!!  In fact, we both threw half of our serving in the trash!!

For dinner, we decided to try the new place that opened on Route 27 near TT Orlando -- Hurricane Grill and Wings!  When we walked in, we immediately noticed the place had absolutely no ambiance!  Not a good place for a birthday celebration!

We ordered 15 wings with a couple of sides.  Wings were their specialty!!  When Ken bit into his "flat" wing (not the fat "drumstick" end), it was only partially cooked.  We told the waiter and he said he would bring us another order.  Which he did, but our side of sweet potato fries was on the platter with the original order of wings, so we had to remove them and put them with the second order.

As we waited, Rich and Dee came in for dinner, so we asked them to take our picture.  Thanks, guys!

We told the waiter that it was Ken's birthday - did they do anything special for birthday diners.  No.  They do not have complimentary desserts or anything like that!!

Oh well, Happy Birthday Ken!!

Don't think we will be back to Hurricane Grill and Wings anytime soon!!

ACCIDENTAL DAMAGE TO HIGHWAY RUNNER - THE SAGA CONTINUED!!

Thur, Dec 19 -  As reported back on November 11, when we were leaving TT Peace River campground, Ken accidentally hit the center pole and damaged one of our storage bin doors.

          "Before leaving, we had to remove the damaged door completely.  Here is a picture of the damage taken after we arrived at the TT Orlando campground.  If it had to happen, this is the best door for it to happen to.  As you can see there is not much stored behind this door."

At the end of the November posting, we were trying to decide where to have the damage repaired.

Enter Jean, a long-time FMCA representative - she knows a lot!!  Jean was our neighbor at TT Orlando and when she saw the damage, she suggested that we try Independence RV on Route 50 in Winter Garden.  She, herself, had had a good experience with them.

First, we reported the accident to our insurance carrier, NII.  They would need an estimate, pictures, etc.  As it turned out, our Diminishing Deductible was down to $0, so our insurance would cover the entire cost of the repair.

Next, we stopped by Independence RV and discussed the damage with them.  We had to actually carry the RV by their dealership so they could take measurements, etc.  They ordered a replacement door from Tiffin Motor Homes and we made arrangements to have the repair work done on Thursday, December 19-20, a few days before we were scheduled to leave TT Orlando.

We arranged to spend our days out of the motor home with Ken's daughter Tracy in Sanford.  That worked out perfect; they were such gracious hosts!

On Friday afternoon, we picked up the RV from Independence RV after the repairs were completed.  Todd and Chris were great to work with and were happy to pose for a picture.  They asked if it would be posted on that "RV Gigolo Website"!!  HA HA

Ken showing the new storage bin door -- can't tell there was any damage at all!!

Good job, Independence RV Sales and Service!!

Sidebar:  When we returned to TT Peace River on Friday, December 26, we had to laugh when we saw that someone else had had an incident with the poles at the exit!!  Notice the leaning pole on the left!  We had hit the center pole.