A Long Overdue Update

Here it is almost the end of 2012 and we have not shared a post with our friends in over two weeks.  So, we best bring you all up to date.

We have now seen three movies and enjoyed all of them very much.  "Lincoln" was a very interesting take on that President's efforts to abolish slavery.  Very well acted.  Excellent story.  "Skyfall" was, in many ways, a typical James Bond movie but it was an intriguing story.  Lots of action, of course.  In fact, the opening action scene was quite exciting.  Wonder how they did the motorcycle chase on that very thin wall?  As much as I enjoyed all three, "Les Miserables" was the best - and the longest; though it did not seem long.  This was a very good way to spend a significant part, 3.5-plus hours (if you include driving to and from the movie theatre), of Christmas Day!  The singing was very good in most parts - though Hugh Jackman, in that regard, was a bit disappointing.  Good acting.  At many points a depressing story - I was not very familiar with it - but a totally enjoyable experience.

Health-wise, I am doing fine.  No further issues since December 4th.  I am endeavouring to behave and, though I regret I will not be doing any bicycling, I will prefer to look after my health and hope to bicycle when we get back to Canada.  Lots of walking.  Lots and lots of reading.  To-date, December 29th, I have read fifteen novels (varying from 51 to 600+ pages) and currently have two other novels on the go and a commentary on the gospel of Matthew.  For the year 2012, I have read slightly more than 22,000 pages.

We had a good Christmas!  It was different - as was expected - but nevertheless quite enjoyable.  And Santa found all three of us.  Imagine!  As well as being out for the movie, we went out for supper to a steak and seafood restaurant called Howards.  They had steak and seafood on the menu but they also had a turkey dinner which is what we ordered.  It was very good.  Lots and lots of turkey and dressing...and cranberry sauce.  The place was very busy.  We shared a half-carafe of a decent chablis, and also shared a shrimp cocktail.  Which was good because the dinner include a trip to the salad bar, rolls, and lots of main course.  We opted out of dessert although they sounded very good and may have to return for some another time - carrot cake, key lime pie, cheesecakes, and a chocolate dessert that would probably kill you on the spot!

Rob got a portable scanner for Christmas.  That came in handy to send my medical claim off to the insurance people.  I got a Wii and "we" are enjoying it.  We have done some of the sporting activities and watched some Netflix.

We have had a bit of an issue the last few days with internet, telephone, and TV service.  We think the internet is OK now.  A repair man is coming to see about the TV service (DirecTV) on Wednesday, January 2nd.  The landline telephone we will probably not bother about since we have a skype phone and a cell phone.

However, because of all this "upset," our landlady and her partner have asked us to be their guests out for dinner and the evening on New Years Eve.  We are going to an Asian restaurant in Venice for dinner and then to their daughter's place for a bit of the evening.

Well, this is getting to be long enough.  I will close this with some pics (and a short video) we took of the outside decorations of a nearby home.  In total, there are 21 of these "blow up" decorations in the front yard and across the street in the front of an empty lot.  Really lit up the space.  Trust you had a good Christmas and that 2013 unfolds peacefully and productively for you!

Rentals & Presidents

MONDAY, Dec 10

I biked in the morning, a short ride, we had so much to do.

At ~ 3 in the afternoon, we 3 drove to Punta Gorda to look at a possible rental for next year, about a 45 minute drive.  This was in a re-built trailer park, a storm had demolished everything about 5 years ago.  So the pre-built house was a tad small, a two bedroom, nice new appliances (including dishwasher), two bath.  It would be fine for the three of us, smallish when we had guests.  It was on the water, really nice views from the deck and screened lanai, a small bit of lawn (for Jack), and a boat dock.  There was a storage shed, which would be needful.  There were included community facilities, including a pool.  It is located on the Port Charlotte Harbour waterway, a few miles east of Punta Gorda.  Not much in the way of shopping close by, the nearby road appeared to have only light traffic.  Not sure that there would be much biking.  $1500 per month.

We drove back to Englewood, to have supper, and drop Jack off.

Then we drove back to Port Charlotte to see Spielberg's Lincoln.  The 2 1/2 hours passed quickly.  Mayhap this Lincoln offers hints for legislators trying to avoid an 'economic cliff'.

rg

Wonderful Weather, Blooming Gardens

Here is a bit of an update from Englewood and some pictures of the gardens in our back and front yards.  They are blooming very nicely and adding a lot of colour to the scenery.  Many more blooms than last year when we first arrived - a month later, of course.  Mind you, there are also a lot more plants!!

The first four pics are from our backyard.  The last two are from the front yard - in front of the landlords side of the duplex.  The red bottlebrush (2nd pic) and the purplish-pink bougainvillea (last pic) are even nicer in real life.

We have been fairly quiet in our first week here in Englewood, FL.  That was pretty much dictated by the fact that BJ had some health issues with bleeding probably related to his prostate surgery last September and aggravated by going bicycling and doing more than he should.  The matter is now under control though he does have a follow up visit with the urologist (who was confident the matter would correct itself) next Tuesday (Dec 11th).  Otherwise, we have been doing a lot of reading, walking - especially with Jack, Rob has been doing some bicycling (BJ probably will NOT until we get back home in April), and shopping (getting some groceries most days until we have all the basics). 

We were out for supper to Olive Garden in Port Charlotte last night.  They never disappoint.  The chain is currently having a 2 eat for $25 promo:  soup or salad (we both had soup - zuppa toscana), shared appetizer OR dessert (we chose mussels napoli - absolutely delicious and fresh), and then Rob had ravioli marinara and BJ had sausage and peppers with pasta.  It was all very good!

Enjoy the pics.  We will send more...along with further updates as our sojourn progresses.

First Full Day in Englewood

Our first full day in Englewood has been just that - full.  Rob spent a significant part of the morning getting the internet straightened out.  Peggy thought it was connected, but...  Rob was on the phone a long time talking to a very helpful fella who was also very patient.  We had internet by mid-morning.  In the meantime, Jack and I got our morning walk in and I did a load of laundry. 

After lunch, we went on a shopping trip.  We were looking for a dish for Jack (we left his in Princeton), a small pot, a veggie steamer, some resources for the bikes, and some groceries.  We went to Dollar Tree first thinking we would get most of the first few items.  Not!  So off to WalMart where Rob got the bicycle things he needed, a new TracFone, and I got the groceries.  Still no dish for Jack (he is currently eating out of a Wendy's plastic salad bowl!) or small pot or veggie steamer.  Tomorrow?

The TracFone took up a big part of the rest of the afternoon.  Rob tried to connect through the internet on his own but when that was not successful he called the toll free number.  Again, he talked at some length to a couple of helpful individuals and now we have an activated,  functioning TracFone.  Rob called cousin Nancy to make sure it was fully functional.

We had a most delicious supper - fried steak (very tender and tasty!) with fried onions, baked potatoes, and tossed salad.  All quite good and made at home.  Then the three of us went off for the evening dog walk.  We are doing some computing as I prepare this post, waiting for the time to come to watch the next episode of "Once Upon A Time."

Beautiful day here in Florida.  Forecast high of 26, feels like 31.  When we went out for our short shopping trip, the car thermometer said the outside temp was 27.  Thank goodness for air conditioning.  Peggy's gardens look very nice.  Lots of blossoms in the front and back yards.  They (Peggy and Bud) have done a lot of work on the yards since getting down here in September but have also been very busy getting another house ready for them to move in.

Tomorrow is supposed to be the same weather.  Plan to do some bicycling as well as Jack walks and whatever.

From Evernote:

Cocoa Beach

11/30/2012 5:36 PM

Up first at about 5 AM, reading while BJ slept.

Another nap before really getting up.

A luxury; a hot shower.  Brave, I am, when I have the flu.

Breakfast was OJ, hot (instant) oatmeal, and decent if not good coffee.

Had one of our homemade muffins and another coffee later in our room.

We walked Jack, in a nearby subdivision where we had looked for houses last year.

We went for a walk on the beach later in the morning, without Jack.  

I'm hoping to work the cramps and soreness out of my hind legs.

Lunch was at Denny's, where a 6' 3" black man waited on us.  He had a mouth that moved all over his face; should have been an actor.

Jack and I went for another walk, about 3/4 hour, mid-afternoon while the maid did the room; BJ sat by the pool.  (The scenery was not exciting.)

This afternoon, it would appear my flu is improving.  Some of the soreness is gone; hamstrings are sore still.

Dinner was at Anacapri Pizzaria, on N Atlantic Ave. BJ had Chicken Parmigiana; I had spaghetti and meat balls. Two really good meals for $35 including tip.

Cocoa beach is white soft sand that goes on for miles and miles.  It is a gradual slope into the water.  Today was windy, with quite large waves breaking with an uneven rhythm.  Only a few people were in the water, playing in the waves, and folks on shore were watching them pretty carefully.

The beach is so large that even on weekends it never seems to get totally congested, unlike the (small, decent) beach near Englewood.

I'm assuming we'll stay late enough tomorrow to do another beach walk before we drive to Englewood.

What a real shame that Jack can't walk on the beach.  That would just be so much fun.

From Evernote:

Travelling to Florida

Travelling to Florida

11/25/2012 7:55 PM

This morning the fretting ended.

The packing got completed.

The house got neated.

The bikes got racked.

The trunk got luggage.

BJ was free from his church service and home about 11:20.

The wind blew, it was cold as a stepmother's breath, but we went anyway.

Jack got the back seat, Bobs got the front.

Customs man had seen so many fagots with a dog heading for Florida that he barely noticed us.

We lunched in the car.

Portland La Quinta saw us about 15:10 local time.

Dinner at the Top Thai restaurant on Saint John Street was excellent, if lonely.  I guess not many were eating out on Thanksgiving.  I had Tamarind Duck; BJ had Tamarind Shrimp, we shared spring rolls; no room for dessert.

11/27/2012 5:48 PM

Monday

We lunched with Sharon in Stamford Ct.  Good corn chowder, and cherry cake.

Supper was with Pat and Mabel, Paul and Marlene, at Pat's.  Great food, fun conversation.

Paul's house on the coast experienced some damage from Sandy, but it could have been much worse.  56 inches of water in the basement, I think he said.

We stayed overnight with Mabel; Pat went to Carol's.

Jack made a mess with Heidi's toys, but didn't destroy anything so far as I know.  He did forget and leave his dish there, though.

So Tuesday we left about 10 AM, and arrived in Richmond VA about 4 PM.  Had no real problems, driving was not pleasant in the rain, however.  Trucks created a fog of road spray, that made one blind.

We got a room with a jacuzzi at the La Quinta in Richmond.  I have a few kinks to work out.

Posting Blogs Again ... Soon!

Our departure date for our winter sojourn in Florida is November 25th.  We will be making stops on our way in Portland, Maine, Princeton, New Jersey, Richmond, Virginia, Savannah, Georgia, and Cocoa Beach, Florida before our planned arrival in Englewood on December 1st.  This is where we stayed last winter on the Gulf Coast.  Looking forward to our return.  Will keep you posted as we journey but there will probably not be another post before we leave.

The Last Post(ing)

Thursday, April 05, 2012

Morning, world.

This is Portland.  Best breakfast so far.

Yesterday's drive from Princeton was uneventful.  Paul suggested a route that avoided the Garden State Parkway (206 to the 287).  It was probably slower, but less traffic and less risk of stop-and-go.  Still, we were late enough getting away that we likely could have taken the more major highways.

Supper last night was at the Dog Fish Cafe.  It really was excellent.  We chatted with our neighbours, a couple of portland locals.  BJ had peanut butter pie, I had only a bite.  Or two.

Given that our La Quinta hotel is in Portland, I need to find a map to get back to the 295.  Although I'm sure the desk clerk, or the TomTom, can help with that.  I'm mostly worried about construction and detours.  And the idiot drivers.

4 hours of driving to St. Stephen.

BJ plans to stop at the Muddy Rudder in Bangor for lunch.

On the Way Home

Friday, March 30, 2012

We drove to the La Quinta Inn in Melbourne, FL.

We went to meet Roger as agreed, at his office.  Thanks only to the TomTom we found it. Roger wasn't there.  The secretary got him on the phone, and we got an address to meet him in Palm Bay.

We met Roger at the first house.

We saw 4 houses.  We drove up to 2, saw 4.

Of those, we like 3.

We have yet to explore neighbourhoods, see if there is a beach nearby, see where they are in relation to shopping.  We don't have a map of Palm Bay.  I really think that is something Roger should provide.

So in a very real sense, tomorrow is a work day.

Saturday, March 31, 2012

We drove to see 3 places along Melbourne Beach, then across to the mainland to re-look at 3 places Roger had shown us.

At least the house that we most liked, turned out to be in a bad neighborhood.

Others were 'possible'.

But I convinced BJ we should look along the Beach strip, given that none had pools.

That took until 2 PM.

Then we phoned Roger.  We met Roger around 4.  Only the 'A-frame' was really available for us to see in Melbourne.  It turned out to need really a lot of work: new kitchen, new baths, all new decking outside.  Re-painting inside, over time.  It was built in '79, but had no upgrades since, except new carpet throughout.  Neither BJ nor I were really taken with the layout, there was really not much yard.  It was a frame house which had withstood "all the hurricanes".

Sunday, April 01, 2012

April Fools Day.

Roger was supposed to phone last night / this morning if he could get us into the pool house in Palm Bay (Charlotta).  So far this morning, the phone hasn't rung.  

Looks like we're going to leave for the drive home, when we're ready, on schedule.  5 hours of driving expected today.

I'm not really disappointed about not finding a house.  We can go back to Englewood next year if we want, and if we reserve with Peggy.

...

So here we are in Walterboro South Carolina.

I asked BJ where we were, he said Walterboro, Maine.  We both enjoy driving so much...

We're at a Days Inn.  It is a tired room, and I think I can detect that there has been a dog in this room before, but at least the room  doesn't move!

No real problems driving.  A couple of periods of stop and go, but not serious.  Once we stopped at a rest-stop, just because we were tired and the traffic was bad.  Jack got to pee.  The rest of us stood around in the blazing sun, glad to be standing up and off our asses.  Somebody once made the comment that they had a kink in their ass; now I know what they mean.

Monday, April 02, 2012

We drove successfully by Washington DC.

Traffic was heavy, we saw a couple of fender benders, but had no signficant stops.  Arrived here in Jessup MD at 5:30 last night.  The TomTom had originally forecast 4:30 PM arrival, so with stops for lunch and for gas, we did make good time.

Tuesday, April 03, 2012

Breakfasted with a 47 piece orchestra of teens from Georgia.  A large proportion were oriental.  They had played at the Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, leaving this morning.

We got up late, breakfast is over and it is now 8:45 AM.

We plan to visit Pat & Mabel this afternoon; we're staying at a hotel in Princeton tonight.

Tomorrow we'll drive to Portland, ME.

Home the next day.

BJ and Jack are about to go for their morning constitutional.  Jack has been promised combing this morning; I need to go find his comb; its in the Jack bag in the car, in the trunk I think.

And New Planting

Along with care and attention to what was severely damaged by the heavy frost in January, our landlady Peggy and her partner, Bud, have planted many, many new bushes and trees and flowers over the last five weeks.  Visiting the other night, Peggy commented that they like to garden and I commented that we like to appreciate other people's gardening.  A good match!  Anyway, here is some of what has been planted over the last several weeks.  Enjoy!

Photo 1 above:  Some of the many potted plants waiting to be planted by Bud.  In the foreground is a Hong Kong Orchid tree.  In picture 3 you will see a better close up of the blossom.  They are beautiful.

Photos 2 and 6 are of new hibiscus plants.  In total, Peggy and Bud have planted 11 new hibiscus bushes.  Initially, in conversation with Rob, Bud commented that he digs sand up in one place, replaces it with soil and a new plant and then uses the sand in another place to support growing plants.  He has moved a lot of sand over the last few weeks - some of it more recently has been used in helping to lay the new patio stone in their back yard. 

Picture 4 is a gorgeous white amyrillis, one of many planted outdoors by Peggy this past year.  Picture 5 is the new fan palm and just down the yard a ways - you don't get a picutre - are two new banana palms.  In front of the fan palm is another flowering bush that was just planted the last couple of weeks.  Picture 7 is our front yard with a look at some of the new planting but there has been much more since this photo was taken.

We had a good conversation with Peggy and Bud the other night.  The unit here in Englewood is ours next winter, December to March, if we want it.  We said we would confirm with them after we make our house hunting visit to Melbourne over the next couple of days. 

Speaking of which, we were talking to the real estate agent this morning.  Only one of the ten properties we sent to him is going to be on our list of properties to actually see.  Several of the ten are already under contract and 3 of them were properties he would not encourage us to consider.  In due course we will let you know how we make out.

We leave tomorrow morning.  Hopefully, we will be bringing warmer weather home with us. 

Beautiful Gardens

Early in January - you may recall - we told you we had a couple of heavy frosts.  As much as our landlady tried, she was not able to save everything from the drastic effects.  For three or four weeks, we had a very dismal looking garden - brown and black.  We weren't sure - she wasn't sure - if everything, or even if anything would come back.  Well, it did!  Here is the proof:



The banana palm - first pic above - did come back.  It was easily twice as big when we arrived in January but it is growing.  Pic #2 above - a vine that will have many, many small white flowers, was totally shot - just a lot of spindly twigs like you can see in the upper right hand corner.  I soaked it so well one day that it started to sprout the next and is growing very well.  Pic 3 is the bougainvillea at the front of the house on Peggy's side.  It was very brown on January 4th but it is flowering beautifully now.  Pic 4 is the bougainvillea that is blooming just outside our back door.  Pic 5 is another plant that was virtually black the day after the second heavy frost.  It is blossoming now - beautiful white cups that open up and a second red blossom protrudes.  Pic 6 is one of the many orchids that Peggy has outdoors.  How it survived, I am not sure.  But it has been blossoming non-stop for the past month.  Then there are the new plants that were purchased and painstakingly planted by Bud (Peggy's partner) over the last three weeks.  Gorgeous!!  They will be posted in a separate blog tomorrow.

Last Visitor Departed

We took Karen to the airport this morning.  As I write this, she has landed in Detroit and is probably on her way to baggage claim.

We left Englewood at 5:28 a.m.  It was very dark!  We arrived safely at the airport, as would be ovbious to any who are reading this post, and Karen was checked in and up to and through security by about 7:30 a.m.  Her plane was scheduled to leave for Detroit at 8:40 a.m.  According to the flight aware website, she left 6 minutes late and arrived 4 minutes early.

So, we have seen the last of our winter visitors.  And we will soon have seen the last of Englewood for this winter season.  Tomorrow begins our last week here.  We plan to speak with our landlady and make arrangements for next year before we leave.

Our travel plans home include a trip over to Cocoa Beach area again with a plan to stay there for two nights while we look at some houses.  Then we begin the drive home in earnest - with overnight stays currently booked for Walterboro, SC, Baltimore, Princeton, and Portland, ME.  We currently expect to arrive home no later than Good Friday, April 6th.

It has been a great winter!  Temps have routinely been 3 or 4 degrees above forecast.  Lots of sun, some breezes, occasional winds, and very few rain showers.  We had great visits with Gary, Barb and Dave, and Karen.  We have done a lot of reading, too much eating, a lot of enjoying!!  Can't wait to be back here - in Florida.  There will be at least one more post before we leave.  I want you to see some of the beautiful flowers and gardens that have indeed sprouted up, grown, and blossomed after we had the very heavy frost in January.  That will come your way in a couple of days.

Update from Englewood

First, let me assure you that the sparsity of posts is directly proportional to the absolutely glorious weather we have been having and are promised to have through the end of March.  We are both looking as golden as Jack!

We just completed a most enjoyable week of having Barb and Dave King visit with us.  They went to the beach every day they were here and left much more bronze than when they arrived.

We had a day trip to Venice - yum: more gelato!  We hiked through one of the parks in the middle of Englewood - paths, bridges, ponds of water, fish and fisher- folk.  Jack got to share in that.  We had a second day trip; this time to Siesta Key.

Siesta Key is a beach community north of Venice but on the southern edge of Sarasota right on the coast.  It is very congested with many, many upscale condo and villa properties.  A lot of them had "For Rent" signs posted.  It was a very busy Sunday afternoon when we were there.  We could not find a place to stop so it wasn't until after we were out of Siesta Key that we got a chance for a bit of a walk along the water - with a view of the city of Sarasota off in the distance - and a view of a tour boat with palm trees on the upper deck.

We were out for a couple of very nice meals.  Seafood at Howards - we all had different preparations of shrimp.  Lunch at Lock and Key on the beach here in Englewood.

Jack certainly enjoyed Barb and Dave's company.  He is already missing them.  Karen will be quite occupied once she arrives on Saturday.

We have completed travel reservations for our return trip.  Presently, we plan to leave here (Englewood) on March 30th and spend two more nights in Cocoa Beach.  We plan to see some more properties and see if something strikes us - we are both taken by that area of the state.

Our return trip home will include an overnight visit in Princeton with Aunt Mabel and her daughter Pat.  We should arrive in St. Stephen on April 5th.  Hardly seems possible that it is time to be thinking about returning north.

How time flies!

How time flies when you are having such a great time!  We had a wonderful two weeks with Gary visiting.  You have read some about our travel to the Atlantic coast.  Here is a bit more.

We indeed saw two houses in the Cocoa Beach area.  The price of them both was very surprising.  I told the real estate agent we wanted both when he asked what our thoughts were.  The first was large in  C.B., 5 minute walk from everything and very reasonably priced.  The second was in Palm Bay, much newer looking though only built a couple years more recent.  Ready to move in and very cheap.  We will have to think!

On Sunday we drove across Florida again back to Englewood.  On our way, we made two stops:  one in Lakeland to visit and have lunch with Jean F. from Saint Andrews.  She has a place in an RV Park - very nice!  Then we stopped to see manatees near a power plant at Apollo Beach.  Very impressive!

Gary's last week with us was ideal Florida weather for a snow bird - temps were forecast at 25/26C high every day for the last week and we never had a high temp under 28C, feel like 35/36C.  Lots of walking and biking and making use of our backyard patio and furniture for sitting out, sunning, reading, afternoon cocktails, and meals out.  Also made good use of the electric barbecue.

Jack has been a real trooper through the heat.  We got our walks in every morning which were still warm and muggy but somewhat enough cooler than the rest of the day that Jack enjoyed chasing his ball.  The rest of the day, Jack enjoyed the air conditioning indoors as much as we did.  And sleep - man this dog can sleep!

We took Gary to the airport at mid-day yesterday.  Got him checked in for his flight to Toronto and then to Saint John.  He had a late-arrival time in SJ - 12:20 a.m. today.  He will be a tired puppy when he gets home.  We have a short break in visitors until Wednesday.  Lots of time to wash bedding, clean through the house, and get ready for Dave and Barb to visit.  They are driving down here from St. Stephen with a stop on the way to visit with their daughter(s) and grand kids.  They are with us for a week, then we have a break for a couple of days and then BJ's sister Karen arrives for a week.

We have a further week in Englewood after Karen leaves and then it is time to start back to St. Stephen.  We are in our last month!  Boohoo!!  Where did the time go?  It just flew by!!

Late February Updates

Fort Lauderdale

Wednesday Feb 22:
The drive across 'alligator alley' from Englewood was no problem at all.
However we did get held up when we got closer to F.L., a car had burned just off the slow lane.
But really just a bit of a slow down.

Dinner with Randy and Wayne was fun, good food, and we got to meet Wayne LeBlanc.  Randy had said that the pool was cold; but I tested it, it was warmer than any pool I ever swam in NB.

La Quinta Inn had a very adequate breakfast.  Their pool was really great, nice and warm, no kids.
The issue was that our room never got made up.   We'd have been happy with clean towels.  Eventually I swiped 3 towels from one of the maid's carts; I expected that when the maid got to our room, the dirty towels would go; but she never showed up.  Now, we did have the no trespassing sign on the door for awhile in the morning, while Jack was getting his beauty sleep.

After the Robert Tolkan  real-estate tour around Fort Lauderdale, I realized that we can't identify 'black neighborhoods' from the listings.  That means that if we find the perfect house 'online', it may be in a black neighborhood and we wouldn't know.  Robert did the right thing, showing us different neighborhoods, and some less than ideal houses.  One of the places we liked (from the online info) turned out to have serious water damage in the stucco, with a wet smell inside the house.

We went on Thursday night to the Tropics Restaurant and Piano Bar.  There were several musical instruments, none of which was a real piano, and several singers.  The volume was good, the drinks were cheap, there was a good 'older' crowd.
At one point Gary pointed out three older gentlemen at a table nearby, and said, "There we are in a few years."  I responded, "Which one of us is going to be Jewish?"


2012 02 24, Friday, Cocoa Beach

The drive from Fort Lauderdale was uneventful, (if slightly hung over).  Bob drove most of the way; gave me time to sober / wake up.

However, as I expected, we didn't get to use the pool in F.L. in the morning because we left too early, and it was so f'n hot here in Cocoa Beach in the afternoon that we didn't go outdoors until after 4 pm.

Around 4, we went to the beach.  Great beach.  Very large, very flat, soft fine sand, light colored so not too hot to walk.

Had supper at a Thai / Sushi restaurant last night; very good and one of our most expensive meals. ($76 plus tip for 3 people)

2012 02 25  Saturday

Great breakfast at La Quinta Inn here this morning.  Even had hot cereal.

BJ, Gary and Jack are out to the dog park this morning.  He'll like that.  BJ is afraid he won't be able to control Jack if there are other dogs around.  He with his broken toe.
This morning Jack refused to eat any of his pills.  He's been reneging on one now and again, but this morning he ate none.  We'll get a banana to hide a pill.  If that doesn't work, we'll sprinkle the pill's contents over his food, and he can eat or not. 

Today is overcast, threatening rain.  Glad Jack is getting his walk in early.

We're going to meet at real estate agent somewhere this morning.  We're seeing two houses, more to get a feel of the place than to seriously consider buying.

House Hunting

We went house hunting yesterday with Mary.  Mary showed us four houses in total.  We had picked two of them and then she added two others.  Here is what we saw and some of our reflections.

The first house was just a short walk from where we are staying in Englewood, Florida.  It went up for sale in late-January.  It was one of our picks.  It is a beautiful home, cedar siding, three bedrooms, two bathrooms, situated on 4 building lots.  Almost three of the lots are fully cleared so there is lots of yard.  Two garages, an outdoor shed, and a 'carport' (of sorts).  Inside is immaculate.  Lots of space.  A good-sized lanai with a hot tub.  All the windows and doors are hurricane proof.  The owner is willing to negotiate the sale of the contents.  Asking price:  $135,000.  This property is move-in ready.  We liked this property very much.

Our second pick was on the other side of Englewood, nearer to Venice.  It was much smaller, needed repainting and recarpeting, is right on a main road.  I had picked it because it was the same price as the first house.  Wanted to make that comparison.  Probably located in a better neighbourhood but much less yard for Jack.  We moved on.

The third house, one of Mary's picks was listed for $128,000 and had a pool.  Two bedrooms, two baths, smaller yard because of the enclosed pool area.  This house will need painting, carpeting, electrical work.

The fourth house was the cheapest of the bunch - $119,900; two bed, two bath, more yard that #3, very large lanai.  We arrived while the house was being shown to some folks from Ontario by a different agent.  It had much to commend it.  However, it was also going to need some sprucing up inside, the yard was not being tended since it is empty, and there are some concerns about the tile roof.  Rob noticed some damage to the living room ceiling.  Houses 3 and 4 were just around the block from one another in probably the best neighbourhood of the four houses we looked at.  However, we were not impressed by the houses.  They would need some work.  The neighbourhood has much to commend itself. 

There will be more about house hunting.  We go out in Englewood again on Thursday with a different agent.  Then, next week, while Gary is here, we are already scheduled to look at some houses in Fort Lauderdale and Cocoa Beach.  Stay tuned.

Chilly in Florida

Well, it has been a fairly quiet week here in Englewood and mostly warm. We've been reading, computing, walking, biking, and grocery shopping. Sunday we went to some open houses. We went out for supper on Thursday to Nicola's Italian Kitchen. It is actually just a short walk from the house here and we had a very good meal. The waitress was not the best we've ever had. Once she took our order, things came promptly. However, she seemed to disappear once our food was served. We were just about finished when she came by to ask how our dinner was. We were not impressed but we will probably go back for the food and the ambience. It was very busy!

We went to the 'people' beach here in Englewood.  That is to say we went without  Jack because there are no beaches in Englewood where dogs are welcome.  It was very windy, the water was rough, the beach is mostly crushed sea shell.  We did a bit of a walk but did not stay too long.  The beach is fairly steep though not steep like the beach in Barra de Navidad.  It was difficult walking in to the wind on our way back up the beach to the car.  Another time, we will try a different spot and see if it is sandier.

We have a busy week coming up. I spent some time this past week setting up two house hunting forays here in Englewood as well as similar outings in Fort Lauderdale and Cocoa Beach when we are there the week after next with Gary. On Monday afternoon we are going to see three houses. One is very nearby. On the website seems like a beautiful home on a huge property - three lots. Outside it looks very nice. On Thursday afternoon we go out again with a plan to see six houses possibly - two with pools. This is mostly just to get an idea of what is out there.

Then on Friday, Gary arrives for his visit. Looking forward to it.

We have had good weather this week until the last two days. It was cool and very windy yesterday. It was still windy today but even cooler - high of 11C - compared with 27C two days ago. This is supposed to change and be warmer on Wed, Thurs, Fri but then turn cooler again on Sat/Sun next weekend. We talked to Gary today and told him he better bring a jacket or a sweater, just in case.

House Hunting in Englewood

Like many of our more recent trips to Mexico, our trip to Florida this year will include opportunities to do some house hunting, re: a possible long term stay arrangement in the sunny south. We did some house hunting today. We viewed five different properties in total but actually only took the time to walk through four of them.

The first property we went to was listed for $339,000. This information was NOT included in the Open House advertisement in the weekend paper. We drove up to it but did not go in. First, we were 30 minutes early. Second, it was not in our budget. Third, we were not impressed by what we did see. The house and large property are located on Gottfried Creek in Englewood. The Creek empties in to Lemon Bay and thence into the Gulf of Mexico. 

Next we went to a relatively-new (built in 2007, still 12 empty units) condo complex on Beach Road in Englewood. This is on Redfish Key off of Lemon Bay. This beautiful 2-bedroom condo was listed for $444,900. Again, way out of our league. It was very nice, though. It had a nice pool. But no yard to speak of and on a very busy roadway in Englewood – the main access to all the beaches. This was one big condo building – 3 floors, 20-plus units ranging in price from $300,000 to $600,000.

Our third property was in a large development on the way to Venice from Englewood. The agent was just opening as we arrived. This was an empty unit in side-by-side duplexes. No yard to speak of. Very nice but not much for Jack to enjoy. This was listed for $169,000. The agent said properties in the development were selling around $165,000. She suggested we consider going up the road to the next property to make a comparison. So we did.

The fourth property was about a mile closer to Venice than property #3. It was a very new development. There were two different floor plans we looked at. One obviously more spacious than the other. They were both nice. We preferred the larger. These properties were in side-by-side duplexes listed at $159,990 and $169,990. Getting more into our league. Another gentleman was also looking at the same time we were. We all agreed that the larger floor plan was much nicer.

The fifth property we looked at was back towards central Englewood...closer to where we are currently staying. It also was a condo development but much older. The unit we looked at had much to commend itself. It was spacious. Had a huge screened lanai that ran the full length of the front of the unit – 32' by 8'. You had entrances in to the lanai from the two bedrooms and the living area. There was a 2-car carport at the back of which was the laundry room/storage area. There was much more yard between units here. There was a swimming pool. New appliances, a lot of work done recently to the unit by the owners. Very nice condo listed at $117,500. The owners were the ones who showed us the unit.  Rob noted that of all the properties we looked at, if we wanted condo living, this would be his preference. It was nice! Maybe we will return in March when Dave and Barb are visiting, that is, if we don't see something else in Fort Lauderdale or Cocoa Beach or Venice which takes our attention.

Filling in 31 winter days

So, when one travels south for an extended period of time in the winter – to avoid the cold in Canada, what does one do to occupy one's time? Here is a quick review of our first month in Englewood, Florida, i.e., January 2012:

• grocery shopping 17 times – thus enabling us to prepare 30 breakfasts, 30 lunches, and 26 dinners
• dining out 6 times (1 lunch, 5 dinners)
• 35 mostly morning and a few afternoon walks with Jack - BJ
• bicycling: Rob 15 times, BJ 8 times (most of Rob's rides were considerably longer than BJ's)
• we read books: BJ read six novels/paperbacks (working on the seventh) and Rob read two of the same books (working on his third)
• took Jack to the beach in Venice twice
• watered the gardens numerous times, made several batches of muffins, replaced both tires on Rob's bicycle, wrote several blogs, three trips to the nearby library, laundry, house cleaning, Rob took Jack for many shorter evening walks, a few drives around the area, online searches for real estate to see later in our time here, made plans and hotel reservations for a trip to Fort Lauderdale and Cocoa Beach while Gary is here, Rob is doing an online program from MIT to learn a new computer language (python), I did some stuff for St. Croix Presbytery online, we gave each other haircuts, several naps, watched TV: numerous episodes of Jeopardy, Merlin, Nikita, Being Human, Once Upon A Time, Criminal Minds, etc., and a lot of basking in the sun and soaking up the heat.

In many ways it sounds a lot like being home except we are much, much warmer. Haven't regularly worn long pants for over three weeks.

Update Following a Quiet Week

It has been a whole week since we last posted on this blog.  It has been a very quiet week.  Rob has not been feeling 100%.  We didn't get to the beach this week.  Jack is very disappointed!  We did plan to go one day - about mid-week - but it was blowing quite severely.  That would not be fun at the beach - sand in our faces and Jack even more wary of the waves.  Then the next day it rained!

It was actually quite a heavy rain.  What a difference it made in the landscape!  The greens were much greener and the colours more prevalent and very bright.  Our watering of the gardens now and again doesn't do much more than keep things from completely dying.

The backyard garden is slowly recovering from the frost we had earlier this month.  Rob took pictures of the end results of the frost.  Later in February or March, we will take pictures again and let you all see the difference - hopefully.

We went for a bike ride this morning after Jack and I got back from our morning constitutional.  Rob took me to one of the parks he has found on his numerous, longer bike rides.  It is much more what I was hoping we would find in terms of parks with walking/bicycling trails.  We shall return.  Rob says he took me so that I would know how to get here and go on my own.  I replied, "Not likely!"  We'll see.  I do want to go back and see more of the trails.

We went to Olive Garden for supper on Thursday.  We picked Thursday because of our experience on the trip here of going to an Olive Garden for supper on a Friday night and having a 30+ minute wait.  We even went before the proper "dining" hour.  The place was busy!  We did have to wait - about 3 minutes after we gave our name.  We both ordered the Italian dinner special the chain is offering right now - soup or salad (all you can eat), entree, and dessert for $12.95 each.  We both had soup.  We both  chose the smoked chicken mozarella for entree, and then we had two different desserts.  I had tiramisu.  It was all very good - along with a glass of house red - a very tasty chianti.  We will go back, I think.

Murphy!

3:43 PM 2012/01/22 (still Sunday)

So I went for my bike ride today.  Like a fool, I pumped up my nearly flat back tire, found it to be holding ok, and away I went.  After I'd been gone a few minutes, it seemed ok, I kept going.

I went to the Cattle Dock Point Road.  Nearly at the end you pass a water reclamation facility.  Even nearer to the end, you come to - you guessed it - a No Trespassing sign.  No sign of cattle or docks.

The highlight was a large lake a short way out the road, with no No Trespassing signs, and access.  I saw a large crane, and a fish jumped, but no gators.

I started back home, decided to take the bike trail down toward Rotunda, turned off on Ingraham Blvd., and got lost.  It was about then that I noticed that my back tire was going flat.  By the time I found Rotunda Blvd. East, I was biking on a completely flat tire.  I biked all the way around Boundary Blvd., to Rotunda Blvd. North.  And walked from there home - too much traffic to bike with a flat tire.

I was gone about 2 hours.  I reckon it should have taken 1 1/4 hour max, with inflated tires.

A second redeeming feature was a couple of young fellers out on skateboard / roller blades, with shirts off, as I was walking up Rotunda North; they commiserated over my flat.  I didn't have a camera.

All the way along, but especially after I started walking, I kept thinking that probability theory is crap; Murphy had it right!

rg

Another Day of Rest

8:09 AM 2012/01/22 Sunday

Up at the crack of dawn, and then back to bed.  Didn't really get up until more like 7 AM, showered, had breakfast of oatmeal and prunes, which took longer.

Phoned Maria yesterday.  She was preparing a cake for her 2-year-old granddaughter's birthday party.  This was 2 PM I was talking to her, the party was at 4.  They are off to New Hampshire to go skiing, so I'll talk with her in a week or so.  I gave her my skype address.

We went to supper at the Diner in Englewood.  The food was ok, but not great, the price was reasonable for what we had, and the place was full by the time we left.  We had gone at 4:30 pm, good thing.  BJ seems convinced we should eat out once per week, on principal.  I could agree if the food were different from /  better than what I can prepare at home.  Otherwise, its not as though we're so busy that we don't have time to make supper.

After Diner, we stopped at the Pet Supermarket.  Jack got a couple of things: a throw / pull toy that BJ thinks will float when we take him to the beach, and a metal comb like the one Gary Moore has.  Not that Gary Moore has as much hair as Jack.

I'm learning Python (a programming language), but very slowly.  The videos are good, (MIT courseware), but don't cover ground very fast.  And I must admit I haven't been doing the exercises.  Still, much of this is pretty elementary for an old fart like me.

We watched a Britsh shoot-em-up on NetFlix last night: Blitz.

The good guys won.  The bad guy didn't.

BJ's computer just doesn't crank out the volume necessary.  We had to pause the movie while Jack had a drink.

We tried without success to fix that last year.  Time to try again.

So, today's agenda: (busy day)

TESTER2

Invoice

Hourly exercises, starting at 8:30.

Bike Ride

Sun screen, read in the sun.

Menu for the week (my turn to cook).

Make supper, salmon & veggies.

Find and do some "Exercises" in Python.

Next Python lecture.

TV / Movie ?

rg

"Don't forget the toes!"

Yesterday we went for a drive in the afternoon.  We headed south of Englewood to see Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda.  Both communities - as you will no doubt readily discern - are on the water.  As we drove along, it became readily apparent that Northport, Port Charlotte, and Punta Gorda are pretty much one humungous shopping community.  Stores, stores, stores, restaurants, etc.  There is one main intersection we passed through that has a large number of outlet stores and some restaurants that we will go back for - Olive Garden, Red Lobster.

Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda are separated by a body of water.  We went over a very nice, divided - four-lane bridge.  Put me a bit in mind - on a much smaller scale - of the bridge coming out of Saint Petersburg, you know, "the Bob Graham Sunshine Skyway Bridge."  Some beautiful - and no doubt expensive - homes on the way.  Two or three gated communities.  But mostly what we saw were commercial establishmemts. 

One thing I noticed in particular, there is a "Nail" shoppe at almost every mile.  By that, I mean a manicure/pedicure establishment.  I can't imagine that there would be enough business in that area to warrant so many establishments.  Oh, well, it is important to have pretty fingers - and toes, don't forget the toes!!

Checking In

Just so you know that we are still around and alive.  I guess you could say that we have been settling in to a routine.  Rob does work for Point LePreau in the mornings - two or three times a week.  Jack and I have our morning walks.  We have both been reading - that's Rob and I; I am on my third novel.  We also spent some time catching up on "Being Human" - a scifi show we started watching just before Christmas.  The new season premiered last night (Jan 16) and we wanted to be sure we understood what was happening.  It is an interesting TV show about three roommates: a vampire (male), a werewolf (male), and a ghost (female).

Our landlady and her partner left on a cruise on Sunday.  They have a friend of theirs staying in their unit so someone is around to look after the Yorkies.  We have both noted that the Yorkies are quieter with this fellow looking after them.  He tells them to behave and they do.  The owners are not as lucky.  Fortunately for us, the Yorkies all sleep through the night.

We haven't got back to the beach yet since our first foray.  However, it is suppose to be a glorious weekend coming - highs 24/25C Fri/Sat/Sun/Mon - so we might just get for a swim.  We will keep you posted.

A Jack Walk

We hiked in Myakka State Forest. i.e., we took Jack for a walk.

It was quite warm, not what I would consider hot, perhaps 76 F, with a slight breeze, not much shade.

Jack pulled and tugged, especially after we were overtaken by another hiker. He was a total ass. Jack, not the hiker.

He was quite polite for the last 200 yards on the way back to the car, when his tongue was almost reaching the ground.

We accomplished about 1/3 of the North trail. And there is a longer South trail. BJ is thinking we should take our bikes next time, and leave Jack home.

We saw almost no wildlife in the park, although we saw tracks from some small deer.

And then, driving in the car almost to the park exit, what should cross our path but an armadillo.  Don't see many of them in New Brunswick in January!

rg

Day of Rest

2012 01 08 Sunday

I biked to the intersection of Winchester and S River Rd. - about 10 km each way.

Great day for it: sunny, warm, light breeze, not too hot.

Of course a headwind developed for me to bike home into.

Looking at a map, I suspect I could have biked to 'downtown' Englewood in about the same distance. Maybe my next trip.

I saw several interesting birds: a small blue heron; a huge heron of some kind (its back was 3 feet high); several smaller birds.

I chatted with a gent who was just dragging a dead coon (the kind with tail-rings) across the street to get it off his lawn. He had been stationed in NFLD for awhile, and had driven up there since retirement with his wife; he knew quite well where St. Stephen NB was. He agreed with my assessment that a drive to Mexico should be postponed until the shooting stops.

I think Jack may have been bitten by a tick. He has a red circle on his belly, with what appears to be a bite mark in the center. We're going to ask Peggy if she knows about such things.

rg

Mama's (Italian Restaurant)

We did indeed go out for supper tonight to Mama's Restaurant on S. McCall Road, about 5 minutes from where we are staying.  It was a restaurant we had noticed and it was recommended.  Our driving time, getting seated in the restaurant, eating our meal, paying the bill, and returning home all took less than one hour.  It was all very good!  Here are the details.

This is a relatively small restaurant, open six days a week - closed on Sundays.  They have daily specials.  Rob ordered one of the Saturday specials - Veal Parmagiana.  I ordered Shrimp Paisano.  Both came with tossed salad (or soup) and garlic toast.  We ordered a half-carafe of Chianti (a red Italian wine).  The wine came before we had hardly blinked from placing our order.  It wasn't quite what we were expecting for a Chianti but it was okay.  I had scarcely finished pouring our two glasses of wine when the salads arrived.  Very fresh - ranch dressing - good.  They were served with pre-packaged saltines.

We were nicely enjoying our salads.  Watching other folks being speedily served.  Then, almost hocus-pocus, our dinners arrived.  Well, I say they were our dinners but I am sure the chef thought there were at least four people sitting at our table.  Talk about generous portions!

Rob ate about half of his dinner, as did I.  We brought the leftovers home.  Too good to leave behind!  Total bill, including tip, just under $40.  That folks, would be four meals and 4 glasses of wine!  We will return!

Venice, FL - a quick visit

We three drove to Venice this afternoon.

We really just guessed, so far as where to go, but Venice Avenue took us 'down town'.

And a very friendly lady in a tourist kiosk helped us with a map, info about an art fair in March, a bicycling route out of Venice and where to rent bikes, and a dog beach (almost all beaches prohibit animals that won't pick up after themselves.  Of course the bipeds they do permit don't do a great job of picking up after themselves either, but that's another story.)

So we drove to the dog park, took Jack through the fenced dog-lock into the scoop water and wash area, and through a second dog-lock onto the beach.  He had fun.  When we got braver, we let him off his leash, and he ran and played with a couple of dogs.  No surprise, he was less aggressive off-leash than on.  He and I went into the water, he got almost as wet as I (I was in walking shorts, not swim trunks, so I didn't dive in.)  The water was cool, but I've willingly gone swimming in colder water.  We will certainly go back.

Then we drove around a bit, discovered another park (again no animals).  And then came 'home' to Englewood.  We're going out to supper tonight.

rg

FROST

Wednesday morning, per the forecast, there was a tad of frost here on the gulf coast.  Peggy had covered most of the flowers, and everything survived very well.

But the forecast for the following night said it would be warmer.  Instead, Thursday morning we saw a hard frost, and not everything had been covered.  In our yard we now have sick looking banana palms and other such.

I can hardly wait for guests to arrive who we might meet at the St. Petersburg / Tamp airport.  We would then get to drive across the Bob Graham Sunshine Skyway Bridge back into St. Pete... Such a thrill!  The bridge is considered the "flag bridge" of Florida.  (And the name is only part of the reason!)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunshine_Skyway_Bridge

rg

Chilly in Florida

It's downright cold today.  Jack and I went out for our morning constitutional and I had to come back to the house to get a sweater before we could continue.  I still had shorts on; my legs were OK.  But my upper body and arms minded the fact that it was too windy and too chilly.  However, the sweater made it possible to go for a decent walk along Pendleton Avenue - that is where our unit is located.  This walk had no barking dogs on it.  In the other direction on Pendleton there seems to be numerous barking dogs.  We have not seen many of them but hear them from their yards and houses.  Jack and I found a large church property with a very large yard and parking lot.  Zoom!  Jack got in a good run.

We went in search of beaches yesterday and there are several fairly handy.  We are quite sure we can bicycle to them.  However, the beaches we found are not dog friendly.  We will have to continue our search to see if we can find one for Jack.  It would be a shame to get him way down here in Florida and for him not to be able to frolic in the ocean.

Our unit is quite comfortable.  The master bedroom (no pic yet) has a king size bed, two good size dressers, and a double closet.  It has a flat screen, HD TV.  It also has lots of windows.  The guest room has the twin beds, a large dresser between them, a double closet, and a portable TV.  The living room has large, comfortable sofa and chair (with ottoman - which is too big for the room and too high to be comfortably used).  There is a large cabinet with flat screen HD TV and a small sitting area where Rob has been doing his computing.

Rob commented that the bathroom is very nice, especially the shower.  The shower is spacious and has two shower heads pointing in the same direction.  You cannot turn one off or the other but have the benefit of both of them.

The back yard is a good size but has a lot of gardens and too much furniture.  We are contemplating what to do about that.  There is a large side yard with a sitting area for smoking or just enjoying the warmth (when we have it) and the flowers.  The only minus is the uninstalled dishwasher sitting in the closet in the master bedroom.  The current dishwasher, two hands - don't you know, some times complains.  But all in all, really quite nice.

Englewood, FL

So, finally, here are a few pic's of the place we rented.

We have the RHS of the building.

There is a back yard, fenced as promised; a side yard as well (for smokers), a good sized living / dining / kitchen area, two good sized bedrooms (the picture is # 2), and a bath with an excellent shower.

Peggy & Bud have Yorkshire Terriers (we had mistakenly thought they had corgi's.).  The little bundles of fluff do bark some, but that is a joke compared to the barking dog we endured in Mexico last year.

rg

St. Pete

2011-12-31  Saturday

Good morning, St. Pete.

Relatively easy drive here from Savannah yesterday, only a couple of slow-downs in traffic.

Nice weather; 24C, had to run the AC to save Jack from melting.

Dinner last night was at a Red Lobster. Food was good, generally too much, and too salty for my taste.

BJ changed into shorts after he got back from breakfast this morning; "I'm hot already!"

A totally adequate breakfast at the La Quenta here in St. Pete. Bikes are still on the car, nothing got stolen overnight.

Just had a phone call from Frank Schenkels on Skype. It seems he is still doing well enough, teaching adults in Manitoba now.

Well we did! We did visit the Dali Museum. Huge and impressive new building. $21 admission per person.

I was a bit disappointed in the display; some things I remembered from years ago were missing. Still, it was worth the visit, if only for Columbus, and for Adolescents.

We bought gas, and got some water (St. Pete's water is mostly chlorene).

And we went on down the road to dinner at The Olive Garden. No parking spaces in their lot; I parked on a street behind. (Keep in mind, this was New Year's Eve).

About 1/2 hour wait, to get a table.

But service was very good (Thank-you, Susan), fast, helpful, and reasonably priced.

The food was good, but over-salted – this is getting to be a stuck record.

There was still a long lineup of people waiting to get in, when we left.

Back at our room we watched TV until 11, and conked out. I'm sure midnight happened just fine without us.

La Quenta Inn, St. Petersburg, FL

• small room, adequate, bathroom clean, carpet is visibly dirty.

• low price

• swimming pool closed

• adequate breakfast

• next door to Denny's Restaurant

2012-01-01 Happy New Year!!!

rg