Bluegrass Guitar Workshop

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

I mentioned in an earlier blog that the Resort we're going to next has a Bluegrass Guitar Workshop on Tuesday afternoons, so I thought I would saunter over there today to check it out.
It was on the 2nd floor of the Activities Building which is quite large. I had pictured 3 or 4 guys sitting' around pickin away. Wasn't like that at all. There were actually 9 guitar players and a guy on harmonica. I was immediately given a song book as soon as I entered the room and encouraged to sing along. Very much like a FishGut's Practix. People would call out page numbers and everyone would join in. Book was similar to FishGut's Song Book, but not quite as well organized (and ours needs work).



Nice spot to sit around the fire too.



They played for about 2 hours with a short break in the middle and didn't watch any Leaf games (inside joke with FishGuts). They did a few songs that hit a chord (pardon the pun) with me. "You Are My Sunshine" always brings pleasant thoughts of my Mom, and whoda thunk, they did a rendition of "Ridin Down The Canyon"!! an old Gene Autry tune that my Father recorded circa 1950 and that the FishGuts recorded for their Big FishGuts Debut album a few years ago.
That pretty much sealed the deal for me :)

Terry has already picked up my guitar from the house and taken it to Brother Bud's who will be down on the 13th to deliver it. Based on what I saw today, I think he should bring down his accordion and give up a few golf days!

The view from upstairs is fabulous. Here's a view of the pool and lake.



Some of the folks here take their bass fishing seriously!



Finished the day off with dinner at Sweet Tomatoes. If you're ever in the the South you gotta try it.

Webster

Monday, January 30, 2012

We've heard over the years about a flea market in Webster that is held on Mondays. This year I did a little more research. Webster is located about an hour North West of where we are. Basically, you drive north to Clairmont, turn left and drive 20 miles past a few cattle farms and shacks, then turn right and drive another 7 miles to this "if you blink you'll miss it" town of Webster.

 

 The only issue I had initially was putting an address into my GPS that took me down this road to a cemetery.



We were starting to have our doubts about a flea market. We got straightened out and drove into the (tiny) heart of Webster. "Holy Crap!", there it was! The biggest flea market I've ever seen (yes bigger than Daytona or the BigWheel) right smack dab in the middle if nowhere! There were 1200-1500 booths and the place was crawling with seniors.

 

 
 
And then we find out that there are actually TWO flea markets basically separated by a roadway/cattle path. the other one is totally outdoors versus the first one mostly covered, but is almost as big.  I have to say that this was one of the best flea markets we've ever been to. Much more variety than most. We have tired of flea markets in recent years. 

I picked up a few pair of clip on sunglasses (opted for polarized rather poloroid Moe) for $5 each versus $15-20 everywhere else.

 

Batteries.... 4 packs for a dollar!




 Got this fanny pack for $8

 
 
I also grabbed this cool visor cap for $5 that shows off my new hairdo!!




Given that we were fashionably late, arriving around 12:30 and finding out that most vendors closed up around 2:30, we obviously didn't cover it all and didn't even hit the second one, I guess we'll have to come back again, but obviously get there earlier and leave earlier. We stayed till the end and got caught up in a traffic jam all the way to Clermont!!

Disney Boardwalk

Sunday, January 29, 2012

 Decided to go to Disney Boardwalk tonight.  Its always a great place to visit (can you say free).

 
 The hotel that you enter is very ornate.  That's Chris' phone (NOT MINE) that I'm using in the picture!!!

 

Goofy Chairs that Chris thought were cool.

 

 Sat and had a coffee and watched the world pass by while we waited for the buskers to show up (sorry, no pics of them).

 

 We walked around to the other side where all the timeshares are and took a shot across the lake.  Its just a great place to sit and chill (how many times have I said that this trip?)

Whoda Thunk

Saturday, January 28, 2012

It would take 3 weeks before I would get to Bass Pro!! We just missed the weigh-in for a big tournament. Recognized some big names there.

 

 Was trying to decide on what I was going to spend my $125 Bass Pro Gift cards (from St. Augustine Timeshare) on.  Its so hard to buy anything without my 40% discount!!!
Ended up buying a few hooks and paying for them with my Bass Pro Rewards that I've accumulated so still have the Gift Cards.

Highlight of the day were the shoes that we bought across at the Premium Mall for about 1/3 of what we would have paid at home.

Hanging Around

Friday, January 27, 2012

Been Spending a lot of time just hanging' around the resort. This is one of the slowest weeks of the year here. Nice and quiet.  There's so much to do here, but sometimes you don't have to be doing much to enjoy its ambience.

 The long and winding road......

 

 Lots of nature.......no alligators yet :)

 

Chris loves the Spanish Moss. 

 
 
 

 Although there are at  least half a dozen pools at the resort, our favourite is the Lazy River at River Island.

 

 Relaxing Hammocks.



And beautiful Palms.



This is our paradise!

Happy Birthday Ivan!

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Today would have been Chris' Dad Ivan's 96th birthday, so we thought it fitting to take a drive to New Smyrna where her parents used to stay years ago. This is the house where they used to stay. They used to rent the lower half.




This was their walkway to the ocean.



There's a little bit of Ivan there, and now there is a little bit of Mae. So now they are not only together in heaven, but here in one of their special places as well.


Afterwards we visited Canal Street in old Downtown New Smyrna. It was actually settled by the British in 1763. It's a quaint old town and Chris remembers many of the little shops that she went in with her Mother years ago.



Tell me which way you think the predominant winds are from here!



Old and new ThunderBirds in town.






We stopped at the Alehouse at Seminole Mall on the way home and the prices and food were just as unbelievable as the one outside of Orange Lake.  Chris had this amazing Sea Food sampler (Lobster, Crab, Shrimp, Mussels, Clams, Corn on the Cob, Potatoes and Clam Chowder) that she said would have been $50-$60 at home. Here, $16.99!!
If Mardi hasn't tried this one yet, she certainly will when she returns in February!

Another beautiful day in Paradise!

You Knew It Was Going To Happen!

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

I was going to wait for the iPad 3, but Chris thought that she could use one now.  Happy Valentine's, Happy Anniversary and Happy Birthday Babe!

 

We now have an iPod (our original iDevice), an iPhone 3, an iPhone 4 and now an iPad 2!

You may think its for me, but believe me, when it's in a Coach cover (purchased with that Visa Gift Card from January 7), you know it's not mine =)

FaceTime anyone?

A New Direction

Saturday, January 24, 2012

A few days after we arrived here we checked out an RV park just up the road from Orange Lake. Once in the park we noticed a mobile park next door to it. After checking out the RV park we went next door to Outdoor Resorts of Orlando and found this amazing park that has been so close all these years and we weren't even aware of it!
Now that I am fully retired (at least for now), we have been investigating ways to extend our Southern experience in a sustainable way. This park has lots going for it. It's clean, quiet (55+) and extremely friendly (you'd love it here Moe). There are 980 pads. Most hold Mobiles, but a few hold Rv's.

 

 They have 2 heated pools, a 9 hole executive golf course (free Bud), lit tennis courts, and the big bonus, is on lake Davenport with a boat ramp and free dockage!!

 
 

 

 They also have a very large 2 story building where they have lots of activities, one of which is A Bluegrass Guitar Workshop!!! Yeeehaaaa!!


We are booked into Orange Lake until February 12. We have been booking it week by week, waiting for the trading power to come down.  I inquired about renting a mobile, but they are all booked for February and March.


Being the fact gatherer I am, we checked out a bunch of units that were for sale. There were several that were sale by the owner.  I contacted one of them to get information and an idea of price. The lady arranged for us to get the key to go through it, but told me it was rented for February and March. To make a long story short, she called me the next day to tell me that one of the renters had an illness and had cancelled. So.........after we got back from the airport yesterday, we went over to the resort and put a deposit on a one month's stay at Outdoor Resorts of Orlando starting February 12!

 


 

 

 

This will give us a chance to determine if this lifestyle is for us. We love the park, but the unit is way smaller than our huge 2 bedroom unit here at Orange Lake. There is only one way to find out!!!
The nice thing is that besides the amenities at ORO, we also have access to all the amenities here at Orange Lake since we own here.
The journey continues. Maybe we'll rent an RV for a few weeks after that 80)

Flight Day 80(

Friday, January 23, 2012

Up super early this morning to make the drive back to Lakeland Airport and a 7:40 flight.

Picked up the kids and their belongings at 5:30 for the one hour drive.



This is the Check-In booth. The ONLY check-in booth!!


Then our goodbyes and they're off through security.


They took off at 7:20, 20 minutes early as all 42 passengers had shown up and boarded the plane.



















Once the plane took off, we returned to our van in the parking lot and all the staff were going to their vehicles as well!! There was the kid from the last time and his Mom. They both checked bags. He helped a couple of other guys load the bags and then he directed the plane out to the runway!!
There were at least 5 people in security. All for 42 passengers. Terry paid $59 for each of his tickets. Add the pilots, stewards, plane and fuel and you wonder how Direct Air can survive???

After we left the kids, we drove back to Davenport for breakfast at Cracker Barrel and before we got back to our unit, Terry text me to say that they had landed in Niagara Falls NY.
Amazing!!!

Wrapping It Up

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Today was the kid's last day before flying home tomorrow.  We started out with lunch at the Olive Garden.  They placed us in a nice private room.  I wonder if that was because they were afraid we'd disturb the other patrons??


















From there we went to the beautiful town of Celebration and toured around. 


We went for a nature walk around the perimeter of the lake in the dowtown area.























And then rewarded ourselves with ice cream!
























We then entertained ourselves watching the kids and some adults trying to run through the sidewalk fountain.

Maddy managed to stay pretty dry.  Much better than other kids (and adults)!!

 After some last minute shopping we stopped at the Largest and Most Unique McDonald's in the world!  We have driven past this every time that we've been down here over the last 30 years, but not tonight.

The sign says "Prepare to be Dazzled", and we were.......

Lots of healthy choices with chefs to prepare it all individually.

We've had a great time and just wish it could last longer.