Welcoming the New Year

We enjoyed New Year's Eve dinner at a local Summerfield restaurant called Isabella's. The Mediteranean fare was incredibly delicious. A vocalist was hired for the festivities. As we quickly found out (in this friendly town) the owners are neighbors of ours in Harbor Hills! A great time was had by all. 2006 is off to an exciting (and delicious!) start! Happy New Year, Friends!

A View from Inside Out!

Here's the spectacular, elevated view of the 17th from inside the windows of our Great Room. Click for a better view!

Surveying the 17th Fairway

David enjoyed the expansive view of the 17th fairway from the patio of our new home last weekend. Our roof is almost complete, the air conditioning venting is done and our windows will be installed this week. We take up the second load of boxes in a rental van this weekend. And we will attend the graduation of our daughter Lisa from college in Gainesville this Friday. A very busy week ahead, but full of joy and appreciation! Click for a closer view.

The Gang's All Here!

Dinner at the Country Club, one last time! Counterclockwise from bottom left: Duke, Dodie, Luz Stella, Bob, Nikki, David. I hope "the gang" gets to enjoy a dinner together again soon. Click for a closer view.

Friends to the End...

The hardest thing sbout our move is leaving close friends behind. This evening we had our last dinner at the club, with close friends Duke and Dodie, Bob and Luz Stella. Life moves on, but I hope that our friendships will continue to stay strong. I'm gonna miss you lots, Dodie!!

A Fond Fish Farewell

With the help of our friends from Aquatic Life in Stuart, we elected to adopt out our water babies. The decision to take a break from the five year hobby was twofold: the delay in our house closing to the end of March and the difficulty in moving three tanks. We know that in Aquatic Life's hands, our fish will be well taken care of. And the tanks and equipment will be donated to the local schools. We'll be visiting Aquatic Life for a final goodbye before we leave on December 21.

A Great Time Was Had by All!

We attended a very special celebration for Steve Montanino's birthday, hosted by Marga and family. Some old friends were there, and several new ones as well. The food was delicious and the company even better. Happy happy birthday, Steve!

Our House At Thanksgiving...

Thanks as always to Les Ridge, Ace Photographer & neighbor (both old and new!), for this recent photo. Click for a closer view.

Happy Thanksgiving!

We couldn't have imagined a more joyful Thanksgiving, than having our two daughters with us at Harbor Hills. We showed off the progress of our new home, and had a delicious dinner at the clubhouse. Lisa, Sunni, Kevin and Little Danny all spent the holiday with us this year. Pictured above is Lisa on the left, and Sunni, against the beautiful backdrop of our new Tenth Fairway. Click for a closer view.

Bye, Bye Tommy!

It is with a heavy heart that we sold our beloved Lexington Tommy Bahama dining room set! An ad on the Lexington web site, brought a Winter Park Florida buyer down to take a look yesterday. Of course, it was "love at first sight". We negotiated a price and the set will be picked up tomorrow. Our new dining room is small and shaped like an octagon, precluding the use of a large rectangular table. But alas, all is not lost! We purchased a round table from the same collection, with the same chairs upholstered in our custom fabric! Well, hel-lo, Tommy!!! Click for a larger view.

Leaving is Hard To Do...

Goodbye, Torrey Pines! Our furniture will be moved to the rental on Wednesday, December 21. Our closing date on our "old home" is Thursday, December 29. Anticipated move-in date on our new home is late February. As the time gets closer, we think about leaving good friends and familiar places in Port St. Lucie. Fortunately, many of our friends will be "traveling through" our new hometown in Lady Lake. We expect to see more than a few PGA Villagers on our Harbor Hills doorstep in the coming year!

In The Bleachers Again...

Just like old times! David and I were in the bleachers as we were for so many years through football, cheerleading, soccer, softball, baseball and basketball! Only this time, it was our grandson Danny playing for the Gainesville, Florida team. Unbelieveably, Danny, Number 23, made the only touchdown that won the bowl game for his team! It was great fun- and reminded us how quickly time passes...Double click on the picture for a closer view!

Time to Slap A "Sold" Sign on!

Happily, we have accepted an offer on our PGA Village home. Closing is scheduled for December 29. Many thanks to Elaine Baese and her team at Villager Realty for a superb job.

We rented a home in the Lady Lake area. What lies ahead? Packing and more packing! We plan to have the movers do their thing on Wednesday, December 21st. That will leave us enough time to have the house professionally cleaned and give us some breathing room before closing. The roof on our new home is on (see photo above) and we hope to be in by the end of February. Double click on the picture for a closer view.

Last Year's Evacuees

Last year's evacuees...Click on the picture for a closer view.

Bracing for Wilma

Thinking of the old cartoon, the "Flintstones", the only Wilma I knew was married to Fred. WRONG!! We're batting down the hatches once again although we are well beyond the height of hurricane season. Can moving to the centre of the state be a good thing? We think the hurricane threat will be much less than living so close to the coast.

Here's a picture of our backyard during Frances' wrath last year. Click for a closer view.

We've Got A Roof...sort of??

Moving along quickly in spite of the inclement weather and hurricane warnings!
Click on the picture for a closer view.

Twenty-two years ago (and she still plays soccer!)

The Walls Are Rising!!

Our block is now complete. After an inspection, the next step will be our roof. David and I will be visiting Harbor Hills on Saturday, October 29th and hope to see more progress. We'll also be able to watch our grandson Danny from Gainesville play in his first football "bowl" game, scheduled for the same day in the Villages! Looking forward to a great weekend...Click on the picture above for a closer view.

The Birds of Harbor Hills

Birds gather beside the lake near the picturesque sixteenth green at Harbor Hills. It's the toughest Par Three on the course. There is a lake in front of the narrow green, with traps in front and to the right. The winds from nearby Lake Griffin can make this one a real challenge. Click on the picture for a closer view.

We've Got Blocks!!

Concrete blocks were delivered to our lot today, along with bags of mortar. We've very excited to see our lovely new home take shape. Builders say end of December for completion. We're expecting the middle to end of January.