The Bill and Kit Excellent Adventure Journal-Issue #4

Friday, January 23, 2009:

Woke up later than usual due to the late evening festivities. The weather is definitely getting more Florida like, warm and humid. Spent the morning ozingp around the campground, we met some folks from Hamden, Maine who are full time RVer’s. They travel in a 38 foot motor home with an enclosed 34 foot trailer containing 2 large motorcycles and their car. Six months are spent in Maine and six on the roar…..sounds like a nice life.

Went to the Lakeland Center for round two of square dancing. We are doing a lot better with the calls and having a ton of fun. Visited with many folks from all over and exchanged family information as well as square dancing stories. Received invitations to various club dance opportunities through out the US. We could likely dance across the south all the way to the west coast. At the close of dancing all the callers put on a show with singing, comedy and skits. Two special treats were “Brenda Flee”, which defied description and had to be experienced to be believed, and Kit being pulled from the audience to participate in a humorous skit.

Kit being pulled from the audience to participate in a humorous skit.

Another very enjoyable and very late evening.

Saturday, January24, 2009:

Spent the morning walking around the park to get the old sore muscles limbered up. This place should be called “The Land of a Thousand Hello’s” (remember that test, Winston?) as everyone is outside doing something and they all great each other in passing. One of the few regulations is quiet time at 11:00PM. So around 11 O’clock the park quiets down but usually by 2:00PM everyone is up from their naps and out again. The weather is really gorgeous…..in the 70’s with a light breeze and clear blue skies…..however I did see a cloud this afternoon.

Today, when we arrived at the Lakeland Center for the final day of Winterfest there was a very pleasant surprise awaiting us. Four old friends from Maine were there to greet us and watch some of the square dancing. David and Betty, who have permanently (at least so far) relocated to Florida from Brunswick by way of Richmond, VA were in the hall as well as Pat and Sterlin who summer on Coffee Pond in Casco and spend the winter in their motor home at a park about an hour south. Pat and Sterlin were former club members and had a great time getting reacquainted with everyone. We made plans to spend much more time with each couple before we head west…..well technically north than west otherwise we could get a bit wet.

The club met at the Bonefish Grill for dinner and had an excellent meal and great fellowship. There are a number of fine restaurants in this area such as Buddy Freddy’s (The story goes that brother Freddy wanted to open a restaurant and brother Buddy who wanted a biker bar…..they couldn’t agree so they did both…..in the same building), Grandpa Johnson’s (Buddy and Freddy’s fathers place), Bob Evans, Sonny’s Barbeque, and many others.

The final dance of the evening featured all the callers on stage and all 1000+ dancers in the hall for a rousing and thoroughly enjoyable finale. This event is defiantly a keeper…..we will return.

Sunday, January 25^th:

This is what 83 degrees looks like.

83˚

I need to stop doing that…..the few friends that I have remaining in Maine will disown me. Sorry for the entire nice weather obsession. I’ll stop doing that…..honest!

Drove over to see David and Betty at their place in Plant City. The live in a very nice development with club house, pool, hot tub, shuffleboard courts, putting green and a nice private park.

Right across the road is a large orange plantation. How’s this for a box of oranges from Florida?

Big box of oranges

We took a ride around their historic city and had an early dinner at the “Mi Casa”, a very good Mexican restaurant.

Dinner at “Mi Casa” with David and Betty

There is a large Hispanic population in the area from Cuba and Mexico and it is a very vibrant town. We plan on explore more of this area soon and to enjoy some of the cities famous strawberry shortcake.

Returned to our park for another dip in the pool and laying in the sun…..doh…., sorry, I forgot.

Love, Dad/Mom, Poppy/Guma, Bill/Kit