Mia's Birthday

Mia turned 3 yesterday, and enjoyed her birthday party with her Auntie Angie, her grandparents and her cousins. She was a great help to her Mum by baking her birthday cake.

She had lots of presents, including Princess shoes which she wears all the time, a tiara, a Dora doll and a Dora bike.

Callum helped her to open her presents . . .

and Lachlan joined in on all the action and excitement.

A great week in San Antonio

As you can see from these pictures, we have had a busy and fun filled week here in San Antonio with Callum and Mia. Callum is doing really well with his swimming lessons, which he has twice a week.

He and Mia also love riding their bikes (Mia's bike is an early birthday present).

We have been trying out the various parks, which have a variety of swings, climbing structures, slides, and even a sandbox.

Our first week here has ended on a very happy note, with the safe arrival this afternoon of Yvonne and Baby Lachlan, after a very long and tiring journey. Callum and Mia were of course extremely excited to meet their mother and new baby brother at the airport.

San Antonio Childrens Museum

We arrived in San Antonio early Monday morning after missing our connection from Washington to San Antonio. The flight was overbooked and the only choices we had were a flight to San Antonio early the next morning or a flight to Austin later that night. Since Austin is only an hour's drive away (at least in theory), we opted for that. The drive in fact took closer to three hours, since we were blocked by two separate accidents on the highway. We reached the San Antonio airport just after midnight, and of course then discovered that our luggage had not left Washington. Fortunately it was delivered to us the next day.

Callum and Mia have been very well behaved and a lot of fun. Today we all went to the Children's Museum downtown, and as you can see from these pictures, they really enjoyed their visit.

We have been keeping in touch with Brian, Yvonne and baby Lachan for the last few evenings via Skype (video and voice chat), and that has been working extremely well. Callum and Mia have been missing their Mum and Dad, and they literally both jumped in the air with excitement when they saw their Mum, Dad and new baby on the laptop screen. Tonight, they were told about the train and doll presents they would be getting, and they had to be shown these on the video several times.

We are all looking forward to seeing Yvonne back home safely with baby Lachlan on Sunday.

Back in Canada

We are now back in Canada, after stopping in Charleston, SC on our way back. The journey to Charleston was a problem, with major traffic issues and highways shut down and alternate routes also blocked. We only made it as far as the Georgia border the first day, in spite of the GPS I had just purchased which showed us some good alternate routes. Once you are blocked on a highway, you don't have too many options!

However, we arrived in Charleston on Saturday May 10, in time for Lori to go out for her much enjoyed Mother's Day tea with Linda and Brian. It was good to see Brian, Linda, Steve and Caitlin again.




We made it back to Canada from Charleston in two days and are back in the swing of the simple life in cottage country. Lori is very active with her line dancing, and I have been busy with my consulting work, which should come to fruition at the end of June - around the time we expect to go back to San Antonio to be with Callum and Mia, when Yvonne and Brian travel to Taiwan to pick up Lachlan, the latest very welcome addition to the Crawford clan.

Our visit to San Antonio

We had a great few days in San Antonio this week, seeing Callum, Mia and Yvonne again. Has it reallly been a year since we were all together in Canada?

Yvonne bought a book for Mia that played Disney music, and both Callum and Mia were enthralled with the book and music.


Yvonne took us to the Botanical Garden. It was beautiful, especially the Japanese garden pictured above.

All enjoyed the swing there, which I think gave Yvonne the motivation to finally get a swing that she had always wanted for her deck at home.

There were lots of different areas there - this simulated desert section was particularly well done.


Yvonne also took us to a restaurant called The Magic Time Machine, where the waiters were dressed as pirates and cowboys. Our waiter loaned Callum his hat and gun, since he had left his at home.

Yvonne told them that it was her birthday, so received the usual little cake - right in her face, much to Callum and Mia's delight. Maybe this will become an annual tradition.

We drove with the kids to visit the River Walk - and of course took the boat ride. This was one of the many bridges crossing the River, which Mia had to go on with Lori, after she saw that Callum went on it with Grandpa.

We had initially planned to drive back to Canada today, but are staying another week, which will give us some rest and more time to pack up before we head off to Canada on Friday, via Charleston to see Linda, Steve and Caitlin.

Our Visit to Charleston

Lori and I just arrived back yesterday from our week's visit to Charleston. The highlight of our visit was seeing Caitlin starting to walk. Within a few days she had given up crawling in favour of walking. If there was no table to help her get into a standing position, she would use the nearest wall to get up.

Caitlin loves balloons.

I had a chance to try out my new telephoto lens.

Steve, Caitlin and I went to the beach on Saturday, where there was also a little playground. Caitlin loved the swings and was not afraid of the water at all!

She likes her gourmet meals . . .

. . . and was very pleased with her Easter dress

Brian was able to join us for dinner several times, which gave a good opportunity to get a group photo of a large portion of the Crawford clan. Hopefully the missing and growing contingent now in San Antonio will soon be able to join up and we can get the whole clan together for a Christmas newsletter photo opportunity.

Florida Kitsch and Alligators

One of the art forms practised here (and I think more popular in Florida than anywhere else in the world) is the use of "kitsch" art to decorate both inside and outside the house. This art form originated, I believe, with the placement of pink flamingos outside the house. Well, I have not seen any pink flamingos, as people here have moved well beyond that phase . . . to alligators, cranes, frogs, ducks, lighthouses and a myriad other art forms. I have been looking for a good subject to photograph, so maybe at some point in the future I can show you some of the most dazzling examples native to this habitat. I came across a mother lode of these for sale at the Red Barn Flea Market nearby. Be sure to put this place on your list to visit when you are down here, so that you can stock up and display this wonderful art form in your own neighbourhood. Your neighbours will be impressed!

Here are some pictures taken at the Flea Market so you can start making your selections now.

. . . and as in my last post, the sign above is very popular (who says us Floridians do not have a sense of humour).

Actually (as Callum would say), talking of "kitsch" alligators, we understand there are real alligators in the lakes in our community. We get possession of our house, which is on a lake, on April 1, so I hope to eventually get some alligator pictures to show you, but until then here is a picture of an alligator that was at least 10 feet long that we spotted recently at the Myakka State Park near Sarasota.

Top Ten Senior Moments

Before Lori and I succumb to them, I thought I would share with you some of my observations here at Colony Cove in Florida of the Top Ten traits of being a senior (defined as being someone older than us).

1. Your watch is set to beep at 5pm, so you do not miss a minute of happy hour. The stronger the drink, the better (wine is not in fashion).

2. The more experienced have a sign in their home saying "It is 5 o'clock somewhere" and can start earlier and don't need any alarm.

3. Social interactions are of course very important to seniors. The clubs and activities here are too numerous to list all of them, but besides golf, tennis, pool, shuffleboard, bingo, scrabble, woodworking, bible study and hobby clubs, there are many shows, dinners and trips. For someone we know, who likes line dancing for example, there is a line dance somehere nearby every day. There are many snowbirds here from Canada and the North Eastern US States, and there is a Canada club, New England Club, Michigan Club etc. Each club is open to all, and are mere excuses for another way to network. Since we are all seniors on very limited or fixed incomes, the actvities are usually free or one or two dollars at most.

4. Many people own golf carts, and there is of course a golf cart club, which finds an excuse at least once a week to parade around the community in a convoy. On special occasions, such as the Mardi Gras parade below, they go all out in their decorations with lights, flags, beads etc.

5. Talking of golf carts, the selection and status of their golf cart is at least as important as for their car. A golf cart that looks different or can go faster than the others is very highly prized.

6. Cars must be washed at least once per day. (I think this is in case it will be clean when it is in the funeral procession).

7. The highlight of their day is going out to get their mail. The post lady comes at around three o'clock, at which time she is surrounded by people, cars and golf carts waiting patiently and expectantly while she loads up the boxes with their mail.

8. When they want some real excitement, they do jigsaw puzzles. There is an unlimited supply available from the library, and these can be done in private, or communally in the Community Hall.

Here is a picture of one "not quite yet senior" practicing this craft at her home - and also practising trait #1 and 2 (note the time).

9. The spirit of volunteerism and friendliness is extremely high. There are volunteers who arrange and help out with all the activities and shows, but there are also the unsung volunteers who make sure all the books in the library are filed correctly, and that the signs on the notice board are orderly. More importantly, there are also volunteers who help out any people who are finding difficulty cooking, looking after or paying for their place.

My friend, Bob is visting us from Ottawa and has just come back from a walk, and has observed how friendly everyone is, just like in the small town Bouctouche in New Brunswick that he grew up in.

and finally . .

10. Seniors believe that life is a journey and not a destination, and are determined to keep enjoying the journey whilst they can still travel.

Our weekend visit to Charleston, SC

We are nearing the end of a great weekend visit with Linda, Steve and Caitlin, with the added bonus of also being able to see Brian.

This evening, we all enjoyed a terrific Southern style dinner (complete with fried green tomatoes) at Poogan's Porch in downtown Charleston. They were celebrating their 30th anniversary, and to our great benefit, the dinners were priced at their 1978 prices!!

We "happened" to go into a souvenir store that was selling Steve's award winning hot sauce.

We are heading back to Ellenton tomorrow morning (about a 9 to 10 hour drive), and Lori and I will be travelling to nearby Clearwater on Wednesday, where I will be speaking at a PMI dinner meeting.

We like it so much here in Colony Cove . . .

. . . that we bought a place.

As seen from the street

from the back

and the view from the back

It has been over a month since my last post, and as you can guess we have been very busy. I have played tennis, pool, scrabble and Lori of course has attended a lot of the line dancing sessions, and even called a few dances as a guest teacher. We have attended many events in this community, and also some, like the jamboree sessions, in the community next door. In keeping with our status as seniors on a small or no fixed income, the events are either free or cost only a few dollars to attend. We have really enjoyed all the activities, and found people to be very friendly. Last night we went to our neighbours to watch the Super Bowl. They are both very intense Patriots fans, so the game was all the more interesting, especially since it was so close right to the end - when the Patriots lost in the last two minutes of the game!

Since we would like to escape the winters in Canada, and after having a few issues with getting a good place to rent in spite of booking many months ago, we decided to buy a place of our own. There were lots to choose from and we found one to our liking within a few days of looking. We signed for it on February 1st, but since we have already committed to renting till the end of April, we have rented it back to the previous owners till the end of March, who will then be moving to their new home. It is being sold unfurnished, so this also gives us time to get furniture for the place, and will give Lori lots more practice for her other favourite pastime - shopping.

We have arrived in Ellenton, Florida

We finally made it to Ellenton, Florida (which is near Bradenton, and south of Tampa), after our nice visit with Linda (and Caitlin). Traffic was very bad in Georgia - a 70 minute trip took us over 5 hours. We had some major issues with the place that we were originally booked in to, but our agent moved us to another unit which we are very happy with.

Since arriving on Sunday, as well as lots of unpacking, cleaning then packing and moving and unpacking again, we have been to a cocktail party with Lori's friend from line dancing, and went to the New Years Eve party, which actually lasted past midnight. Everyone is very friendly, and there are lots of activities here, and I expect to join the pool, computer club etc.

I will be getting hi speed internet and cable TV hookup on Saturday, so until then I am using the wi-fi in the Community Hall, with the exercise class going on as I type now (very scenic). I will also get phone hookup with unlimited long distance (only in America), so we will be better able to keep in touch with you all.

Will post more photos when I get connected.

Happy New Year to the Crawford and Storey clans!