Easter Sunday

What a beautiful day today.  We went to sunrise service at our church at 7:30 this morning.  Dave got in a short nap and then we headed to Howard Park in Tarpon Springs for a potluck with the Holiday Ranchers.  The wind kept picking up after lunch so we came home about 2:30, but we got plenty of sun prior to that.  We had a good day.  Vicki, Al & Allison were there, too.  So we got to watch Allison do some throwing (softball).  Plus she played bean bag toss and ladder golf.  I do believe this is the first time I've ever spent Easter Sunday on a beach!!

 Tonight we went up to Bob & Ann's and played Farkle.  Al won, I came in second.  Dave didn't play.  He's such a spoil-sport!!

We say goodbye to several people this week...it won't be long now until we are home.  I'm going to miss these 75 degree days!!

More later...

Very, very tired!

Sorry I didn't blog last night...I was simply too tired as was the rest of the family.  We left here at 7:45 AM to get to Busch Gardens before 9:00 AM.  We had to wait in traffic lines for about 15 minutes before we were allowed in to the parking areas.  Then we got in line to get into the park and waited only about 5 minutes.  We were smarter this year; we went immediately to the redemption area to redeem our vouchers for tickets.  All in all, the entire process went very quickly and we were in the park at 9:00 AM.  Unfortunately we were still in the park at 9:00 PM, too!  The park closed at 8:30, but by the time over 100k people get out it's well after 9:00.  We finally met up about 9:15 and had to wait for about 15 minutes just to get onto the trams to go to the parking lot.  Obviously by the time we got home it was well after 10 PM and everyone was exhausted!  We had lots of fun though.  The kids had a ball!!

Today we all went for bike rides and I finally got to see Vicki and her family..  After bike rides and breakfast, Dave took Jami's family to see the alligator at the Largo nature preserve and I stayed home.  Everyone left about 1:00.  I took a short rest and then went to the pool with Allison.  Tonight we all went to Post Corner for pizza.

Tomorrow is another long day.  Sunrise services at 7:00 AM then to the beach for a pot luck with Holiday Ranch residents!

Enjoy some shots from the Gardens!!

More later...

Sunny Day!

We got the girls up this morning and took off for Sarasota where we were to meet Dave's niece and her family, plus his cousin and his wife, Tom & Jami, and Dad & Roberta.  We all met at the pool for lunch and sun.  It was a beautiful day at the pool!  The kids had a blast in the water - ranging in age from 11 to 20 months...5 of them!!  Us "older" Frushours just sat around and gabbed.  Jami and Ashley hadn't seen each other for about 5 years and Dave and his cousin, Thom, hadn't seen each other for years either!

Dave and I came home early and I got to take a nap.  Dave and Bob worked on 104 a bit while we waited for the kids to get here.  Now we're all here and getting ready for a big day tomorrow - Busch Gardens!  We want to be there at 9:00 AM - that means leaving here by 7:45.

More later...

Fun Day

We took the girls up for coffee and donuts this morning.  I think they liked that a lot - the donuts, that is!  Then after our first bike ride of the day, we went to play miniature golf again.  This time Grandma Peg did a little better.  Dave won again, then Megan, Grandma and Kelly.  I had two holes-in-one!!  Grandmas rock!  It was a little chilly, but nice and warm in the sun.

We had Subways for lunch and then after a little quiet time, we went for our second bike ride of the day.  I went up to play cards tonight after supper and Dave and the girls did their 3rd bike ride of the day!  My partners and I won at cards - yay!!

Tomorrow's another very busy day.

More later...

Great cold day!

We had a wonderful day today.  We went to see Winter, the dolphin, today!  It was really cold out, but we warmed up as the dolphins performed for us.  We actually got to see Winter with her tail on today.  We didn't get to see that last year.  We didn't ride either the trolley or the boat to Winter's Adventure because it was too cold to stand in line outside!  So we went to the Island Way Grill for sandwiches and then got in our car to go to the Adventure venue.  They have a new part called Hurricane Experience where you walk "outside" while a hurricane is brewing!  The girls thought that was fun and wanted to do it twice even!!

After we got home and rested a bit, we went for a bike ride.  Kelly & I only did one lap, while Megan & Dave did two laps.  Kelly & I are working on a puzzle from hell!  It's 1000 pieces of a picture similar to a Where's Waldo? picture!  We're (mostly Kelly) about halfway done with it!  We've got to get busy so they can take it home with them on Saturday.

Tonight we've watched the movies, Lightning Theft and Winter a Dolphin's Tale and now we're watching Dancing with the Stars, after watching Splash!

More later...

Fun day today

Today was a really fun day.  After breakfast we took the girls to play miniature golf at Smuggler's Cove in Madeira Beach.

 They also tried to feed the alligators, but none of them were interested in eating.

It was a fun time even if the alligators wanted to sleep instead of eat!  Dave won, then Kelly, then Megan, then me...I guess I was a loser again!!

When we left the Cove, we stopped at the Largo Nature Preserve to see the alligator there.  He's a whole lot bigger than the ones we saw at Smuggler's Cove!

After lunch we went for a bike ride and then rested for a bit before we went for another ride!  It was too cool today to go swimming.  This evening the girls and Dave ate supper while I played cards.  By the way, I won tonight!!  Now they're watching War Horse.

More later...

Sunday

Happy Palm Sunday.  It's hard to believe that there's snow on the ground on Palm  Sunday at home!  Yuck! It poured on us shortly after we left the pool in Sarasota.  I'm glad we're in rain instead of snow!

We've got the girls and this evening has been wonderful!  Both girls have watched The Bible with us - asking lots of questions and absorbing the story!  They're both tired, but don't want to give up until it's over for tonight.

Today, while we were on our way to Sarasota, I had Dave find an ESPN channel on the radio and surprize! the Cyclone game was on.  So we listened to it all the way down there.  Got to Sarasota with 1 minute left in the game and I got to watch the end of it.  I still can't believe we lost that game.  Ohio State got very, very lucky.  Good game, Cyclones!  I'm proud to be a Stater!!

More later...

I missed yesterday!

I'm sorry, I forgot to blog yesterday.  It was one of those evenings last night...pure chaos in our house!  The children and Jami were here and all of a sudden we went to bed at 9:00...which is my normal time to blog!  Since everyone went to bed, I sat in my bed and watched my Cyclones beat Notre Dame!!  Now we play Ohio State tomorrow!  Since we're in Florida, that game didn't start until 10:00 and didn't get over until about midnight!  I was having to listen to it around Dave's snoring!!

This morning we had community breakfast...so, we had to be up and ready to go at 8:15 AM!  It was a short night!  Today's been a busy one, too.  We went to breakfast and then tonight we had the baked potato bar at the clubhouse!  No  cooking for us today!!  We also went for bike rides and swimming in the pool!  It was hot today so it felt good to be in the pool!  Grandpa and Jami took the kids to the nature park to see the alligator.  No snakes again!

I got my hair cut yesterday...boy is it short!  Everybody here loves it!!  I think it's a bit too short!  I know I'll like it when I get used to it!

More later...

Long day!

Dave and I went to Sarasota today at 8:00 AM!  Dave cleaned out his dad's gutters and did some other errands for him while Roberta and I took some things back to Bealls.  Of course, while we were there, we had to try on a couple of items that were just perfect for each of us!!

After that, around noon, we met Dave's cousin and his wife up at the pool area for lunch.  I've not spent much time with this cousin or his wife, so that was fun!  It was a gorgeous day around the pool as long as you were out of the wind.  We left there about 1:00 to come back home because I had an event tonight!

Us Red-Hatters went to the Early Bird Theater for a dinner theater tonight.  There were 3 tables of us - 23 in all...lots  of other people, too.  The play was "Murder Among Friends".  It was pretty good and the buffet was very good!  When we got out, it was still daylight - that part of daylight savings is pretty cool!

More later...

Wednesday

It was warm today, but kind of dreary.  Most of the day was cloudy, and this evening we had a nice little rain shower.  I hope the showers get out of here before this weekend because Jami and the kids are coming to visit and we're keeping the girls.  It won't be much fun if they can't swim or ride the bikes!!

Coffee was pretty uneventful as was this afternoon.  Dave and Bob & Ron worked on 104.  I worked on organizing pictures.  Dave J. came over to look at the pictures and order some.  I sent the order and it was supposed to be done by 1:30 this afternoon.  He went there to pick it up, but they said they didn't have it.  So now I've got to do some research and see where it is.  I've not had very good luck with walgreens.com and ordering photos.

Tonight I played 7s from Hell...or I tried to play!  My  partner and I couldn't get the required canastas, so we got creamed!

More later...

Loser, Loser

Bob beat me at bowling today...2 games!  Write that down on your calendar.  I'm not planning to let that happen again!!  I just had mediocre games today.  My high was a 137 I think.  Dave didn't bowl too badly either.  There were 18 of  us.  After bowling the group went to Applebee's for lunch.  Not us.  We decided we'd rather go to Peter's where we all had bacon, eggs, and country fries for $3.75!  Now that's a bargain!! Very good, too.

Tonight I went to bingo.  I sit between Ann & Mary Etta.  They both won...not me!  I could get a complex!

More later...

Nice day

Sudi, Howard, Dave and I went to Clearwater today to watch dolphins.  I had bought tickets for half-price on The Tropics dolphin cruise.  It was fun and we had lots of dolphin sightings, but none up close and personal like last year's dolphin cruise.  So I'd say, it was worth half price, but not full price!  We were on the water for 2 hours and that was nice!!

When we got home, we had about an hour left before I went to play 7s from Hell.  I read my email shortly after I got home and got some sad news.  One of my very best friends had advanced stage kidney cancer.  She also has tumors in her liver, lungs, right kidney, adrenal gland and/or lymph nodes.  I am so sad...she is a wonderful Christian woman who would do anything for anyone in need.  Please keep Cindy in your prayers. She could sure use a miracle!

More later...

Olympics are over!

Tonight we had the closing ceremonies for The Ranch Senior Olympics.  Medals were passed out and the torch was extinguished!  I ended up getting a bronze medal in the chipping contest and a gold medal in the ping pong ball in the horseshoe event.  Pretty funny!!  The potluck was wonderful and my meatloaf was a hit...anyway we didn't even get to bring home one piece from 2 pounds of hamburger!

Right now we're watching The Bible on History Channel.  Jesus was born tonight and now he's already up to 25 years old.  We also just met John the Baptist.  There are still 2 more nights of this series.  It's very good!

More later...

Olympics at The Ranch

It was an absolutely gorgeous day today!  We started our day putting on the street, chipping into a kiddie pool, and throwing a frisbee into a tub!  Then we continued our day with bocce ball, a minute to win it, and a moonlight shuffle.  What a day!  Since my back is still hurting, I didn't take part in all of the activities, but I did take a bunch of pictures of the day!  I guess I won a bronze medal in the chipping contest and a gold medal in one of the minute to win it games...blowing a ping pong ball into horseshoes.  Everyone had a blast! Check out my pictures on Facebook!  We've got another full day tomorrow, then a potluck and the awards tomorrow night.

More later...

Beautiful Day

It is finally getting warmer here.  Today was a beautiful day.  It got above 70 today with abundant sunshine!  It was a great day for our senior olympics.  I watched the bean bag toss and the tennis ball throw.  They were both fun events.  I participated in the water balloon toss  - but I threw one like a girl and it broke.  Sorry, Mary Etta!

Tonight we had the awards banquet for the shuffleboard tournament.  Alan and I got 3rd in doubles and got $10 each for 3rd place!!  Does that mean I'm a professional athlete??

After dinner eight of us stayed to play 7s.  I lost again!  Dave meanwhile came home to watch the Cyclone basketball game and that was bad, too.  Beware the Ides of March!

More later...

Still hurting!

Today Dave went to Sarasota to spend some time with his dad.  They had a good day - went out to the Bay to see if anyone was catching fish and ate at Hob Nob.  It's evidently a guy thing!  I didn't do much of anything...in fact, I didn't even get dressed until 11:00!  I just rested my back, but it still hurts tonight.

We had the opening ceremony for the Senior Olympics tonight.  The girls did a good job, but there's not as much interest this year as last.  I think maybe we're getting tired of "doing things"!  After the opening ceremony, the first event was held...it was Bunco.  I did pretty well, but didn't win anything.  I pulled myself out of the bean bag toss in the morning.  I just don't need that motion for as long as it'll take to complete a game.  So my next event isn't until 1:00 and I may have to pull out of it too.

We had some excitement here at The Ranch today.  Someone wrecked their SUV on the big water main out in front of our property, which means we had no water for several hours.  The water department just did a temporary fix, so I'm sure we'll be without water again tomorrow probably!  I'd better get my shower taken earlier tomorrow than I did today!!

More later...

I'm in trouble!

Today was a busy, busy day and I'm suffering tonight for doing too much.  This morning we had our weekly coffee and our monthly meeting.  It was a marathon meeting and nothing really got accomplished.  Then as soon as the meeting was finished, we started the singles shuffleboard tournament.  For my first match, we had to play 3 games before I won.  We took a short break for lunch and then I won my second set in two games.  By then my hip hurt so bad, I was about to cry.  Unfortunately I had to play again right away.  Because I hurt so bad, I couldn't have cared less about whether or not I won...and I didn't!  I lost in 2 games and I was happy to go home!

I came home and tried to stretch out my back and hip.  Then we went to the Post Corner with Bob, Ann, Barb and Terry.  B & T are going home in the morning...it was really good to see them!

Tomorrow Dave is going to Sarasota alone - I'm going to rest my back.  It's supposed to be cold and not a good day to be there anyway.  Tomorrow night we start our Senior Olympics with Bunco.  Then I'm in 3 events on Friday and 3 on Saturday and closing ceremonies on Sunday night.  Maybe I'll take some extra Advil!!

More later...

Loser, Loser

I didn't bowl so well today.  I was pretty bummed!  I only had a 137 for a high game.  I think I had a 120-something and a 115 or so.  I can't really remember.  I do remember that Dave had a 162!!!  Yay!  He bowled really well his second game.  His first game was iffy, but by the end of it he started doing well.  His 3rd game was around a  105 or so.  Barb & Terry Carroll are visiting Bob & Ann and they bowled with us. We were all on the same lanes so it was a lot of fun for us!!

We came back here for lunch.  Marv and his crew made clam chowder along with chicken salad, tuna salad, etc.  Good lunch!!

Bingo tonight wasn't any better.  I didn't win anything.  I was close several times, but no cigar!!

Tomorrow hopefully we get to do our singles shuffleboard tournament.  It got postponed today because of the rain.

More later...

Monday, Monday

Today Dave went deep sea fishing and I went to the shuffleboard tournament.  Dave caught a 26" gag grouper and a bunch of grunts.  They had to throw all the groupers back in because they're not in season right now.  Anyway,  they caught alot of fish and had a great time.  The seas got up around 5-6 feet so they came in early.  Only one guy got sick and he was so embarrassed because he'd been in the Navy at one time!

As for the doubles shuffleboard tournament, my partner and I won our first set in 2.  Then we won the first game of the 2nd set and lost the last two so we ended up in third place.  Singles start tomorrow after bowling.  Some of the games will be held while we're bowling, but those of us who bowl get a reprieve until after lunch tomorrow...that is, unless it rains and then it'll all get moved back to Weds.

My partner and I lost tonight at 7s - we were ahead going into the last hand, but ended up getting creamed in that last hand!  Bummer!

More later...

Beautiful day!

Oh what a beautiful day this was!  We went to church this morning, came home and ate a quick bite for lunch.  Then Sudi & Howard came for the Holiday Ranch luau!  Lots of fun was had by all who attended.  We had a husband-wife duo who sang and played various instruments for 3 hours out by the pool.  Then we had dinner - roast pork, meatballs, chicken, corn, rice, slaw, and many, many desserts!!  Here are some pictures from the day.

Sudi & Howard

 Brother Bob

 Barb & Terry are visiting The Ranch

Dancing to "I feel like a woman"

More later...

Yard Sale Day

This was the Holiday Ranch's annual yard sale/bake sale day.  I had to have my brownies in the clubhouse by 8:00...thank you, Dave!  I'm glad I made them last night!!  The sale started at 9:00 so I was there just about that time.  There was nothing I wanted, but it's a great time for all of us to get rid of our excess "stuff".  The bake sale had some wonderful things in it, but I resisted!  I know all of the baked goods were sold and all of the "stuff" that was left will be picked up Monday by the thrift store down the street.  It's run by rehabilitated ex-prisoners and were very appreciative of the donations.

Dave worked at 104 again, as did Bob.  Tomorrow's a day off, though.  We'll go to church, then we have a luau here tomorrow afternoon and evening.  Should be lots of fun.  We've got a good group playing music and it's supposed to be a beautiful day.

I made a key lime dessert for tomorrow.  I sure hope it's good.  It's only got 2 ingredients in it.

More later...

Friday at the Ranch

I finally got to shuffle this morning.  We didn't shuffle for 2 weeks before we went to Ft Lauderdale and we were gone for 2 Fridays, so it had been 5 weeks since I'd shuffled.  It showed, too.  I had a terrible time making any points or hitting my opponents off the board.  By the end of my second game I felt a little better about playing - I was actually starting to make some shots.  Starting Monday, we have our annual fun shuffle tournament.  Doubles are Monday & Tuesday and singles start after that.  I hope I draw a bye - that might be my only win!!

I rode my bike two laps in one sitting this afternoon.  That was fun, but it was a little hard on my knee!  When I rode up for happy hour, I struggled with my knee...but now it feels fine.  After happy hour, I played 7s from Hell and I won!!  Big!!!  Yay!

Now I'm making brownies for tomorrow's bake sale.

More later...

Happy Birthday to Me!

I had a very good birthday today!  I have a very hard time believing that I'm 65 years old.  I can remember not too long ago thinking that 65 was really old.  Doesn't seem so bad any more.  I do feel a little more vulnerable now that I'm this age, though.  I think it's something about Medicare!!  Lord willing, I'll have lots of years on Medicare.

Today we went to Sarasota to spend some time with Dad, Roberta, Pat & Milt.  I got to choose where we went for lunch.  I'd already done some thinking about where I wanted to go and I chose the Columbia Restaurant on St Armand's Island.  You can sure tell most of the snow birds are here now - it was packed...both the restaurant and the island!  They have both inside and outside dining available and we were told it would be a 45 minute wait when we first got there.  However, the hostess called us after about 5 minutes and told us it'd only be about 10 more minutes.  After we were all stuffed, our waitress brought me a caramel flan with a candle in it.  Since we all still had our spoons, I shared it with everyone!  It was a gorgeous day for a birthday!!

Yesterday I had a gel manicure.  Today on GMA they talked about the health dangers of gel manicures!  How about that for timing!!  I probably won't be having gel manicures continuously, but I sure do like the way my nails look and feel!  We'll see.

More later...

Wednesday

It was a little chilly again today.  I wore shorts, though, and really wasn't uncomfortable.  I did, however, wear a sweatshirt this evening when I went up to play cards.  Speaking of cards, I won tonight.  Sandy, Chris & I beat Betty, Marilyn, and Mary Etta by about 2,000 points.  I came home and got to watch the last minute of the ISU-Okie State game...we won there, too!  We're eligible for the big dance now!  Let's go Cyclones!

Tomorrow we're going to Sarasota because Dave's sister (Pat) and her husband are going to be there.  So I guess I'll spend my birthday in Sarasota!!  I'll let you know how it goes tomorrow!!

More later...

Oops!

Ok, so shoot me!  I forgot to blog last night!!  I played 7s from Hell, came home, played some games on the computer, did a puzzle on Jigsaw World, and went to bed!  Just plain old forgot!  I think it has something to do with my age!

This morning at bowling, I bowled a 405 series - a 158, a 133, and a 114.  Dave had a 129 the last game - obviously he beat me!  I had two different chances to get a turkey (3 strikes in a row), but failed on both tries.  I just couldn't get the allies to work for me today.  If I missed my mark by even half an inch, my ball wouldn't hook.  Very frustrating!  The men beat the women today very badly - boo!!

Tonight at bingo, I won a game after only 5 numbers were called.  One of the gals won $44, $44, $75, and $16 - she doesn't win a lot, so that was good!

More later...

The Bible

Tonight, as the heater is running and we're covered up with blankets, Dave and I are watching the miniseries on the History Channel, "The Bible".  It is very good!  Must have taken years to film - and hundreds of actors.  Quite a show!!  I hope I remember to watch it next Sunday night, too.  Right now Moses is parting the Red Sea!  Love that story!!

Dave painted walls at 104 today.  He's probably going to have to do another coat, but it keeps him busy on these cold days.  I hope it's a little warmer tomorrow.  I had to wear long pants and a jacket to church today!

The NASCAR race was a good one today.  I like Carl Edwards - I'm glad he beat Jimmie.  Danica wrecked with a flat tire.  Jeff got 9th.  Fun race!

More later...

Lazy Day

Today was a really, really lazy day for me.  Dave went down to Gary & Barb's and painted one of the bedroom's ceiling.  It was too chilly to do much of anything outdoors.  Bob also worked down there - on the bathroom tile.  We went for a bike ride, but it was too cold to do it again!

I worked on getting the tax paperwork together.  Ann's going back to Iowa on the 7th and she'll take ours in with hers.  I can't get my printer to work, and I can't find the CD to reinstall it.  I'm not going to buy a different printer, so I'm just going to have to figure out something else.

More later...

We're Home!

We took off for home at 10:00 this morning.  We got here about 3:30.  We didn't see any sandhill cranes again - bummer!  This evening we went to dinner with Bob & Ann, Ron & Marcia, and Gary & Barb.  That was fun.  Gary & Barb are leaving in the morning for Iowa.  I wish they could stay a while, but he has a doctor's appointment on the 5th.

Since this is the first of March, I am now officially on Medicare!  How about that for making someone feel old!  I told Dave we had to be very careful coming back home because I didn't want to test Medicare on my first day of eligibility!  Thank God we didn't have to!

More later...