Have you ever wondered what the heck these retired snowbirds do when they go to Florida for the winter? Well, in the next 2-3 posts I’ll try to capture some of the flavor of our relaxed but busy pace. These blogs will summarize our time in the south and bring this blog back up to date.
RV Park Shows
Our RV Park, Orchid Lake, has all activities run by a large team of volunteers. Usually, they schedule a show once a month and we will go to most of them. Some are quite good while others are “interesting.”
The group of high schoolers below are from a Christian academy and were awesome. Playing several instruments and singing.
The photo below was taken during the hypnotist’s demonstration. This one was in the interesting category as he made a group of folks do things while “under hypnotism”. I was a doubter, but the people later claimed they were aware of what was happening, but they felt a strong need to do as asked.
You will notice that I was not up there on stage. Oh, heck no.
Bowling League
Every Wednesday morning, the RV park bowlers meet at the local alley. And this year we got Pat to join! 🙂 This is a very relaxed and fun league with bowlers of all skill levels. And we go out to lunch afterwards to chat with our friends. It seems that food is always high on the list!
My game has improved a small bit after starting my bowling career only last year. Pat has also progressed this year and has had some good games. I somehow scored a 203 in one game and that became my high score. Still more consistency needed!
Dade City
One day we drove about an hour east to visit a Florida heritage museum. An outstanding museum and we had a good lunch at the Florida Cracker. There is always some eating involved.
Restaurants
Pat and I eat at home (in the RV) most of the time but get out about 3-4 times a week for lunch mostly. Some breakfast and dinner excursions as well just to mix it up. The restaurants in this area of Florida are quite good. Any there are many! Over 400 in the Pasco County alone. Some of the best fresh seafood since we are located right on the Gulf of America! And we found one diner with “home cooked” meals that is excellent.
Orlando Hamcation
This is the second largest hamfest in the US. What is a hamfest you say? It is a ham radio convention/exposition. Seminars, new equipment vendors, used flea market, and many people to meet that you have talked to on the air!
This year, I attended with two local ham friends, Bill (W9WEQ) and Michael (W0MES).
Morning Coffee Group
We continue to meet most every morning to drink some coffee and either solve the world’s problems are maybe create a few along the way. I enjoy the comraderies with these guys from all different areas and backgrounds. Two from Wisconsin, one Indiana, one Pennsylvania, and me Virginia.
On a sad note, one of the morning coffee crew died this winter after being ill for all of last year. Larry Mertz was from Pennsylvania, and he was a huge sports fan. He could memorize the stats of many players and name an entire team from years past. RIP Larry.
Well, that’s it for now. Thanks for following along! Leave a comment if you wish, they are always welcome. Take care and God Bless.