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!

Christmas Day, 2007

Lori and I had a most enjoyable Christmas Day dinner with Colin, Lynda, Martin and Alison at the Waring House Inn, (which also has a winery and Cookery school). The Inn is located near Picton, just south of Belleville, about 3 hours from our cottage.

After dinner, Colin, Martin and Lori played their guitars and gave us a most enjoyable concert of Christmas and folk music.

Today, Boxing Day, we crossed the border at about noon, and have made it as far as Wilkes-Barre in Pennsylvania, where we are staying at a nice Hilton Garden Inn.

The last week or so has been hectic with all the packing, moving and unpacking for our move from Ottawa, and then packing again for 4 months away in Florida. If our car had gills, it would certainly be packed right up to them.

My next post will be after we arrive in Florida and get (hopefully soon after that) high speed Internet access.

Best wishes to all our family for the New Year, and now that I am retired, we hope to see more of you all in this coming year.

5 Days to Go

And I am so looking forward to my "retirement". This will allow me more time to travel, visit my family and do more project management training.

I also am in discussions with an ex colleague to do some consulting in the New York area in January, which I am excited about. It will involve helping them to develop their project management methodology, Program Management Office and project management training, all up my street.

Finally, some more seasonal pictures from the family archives . . .