The Unusual Neighbors

You gotta love the diversity of our new neighborhood! Actually, that's Shawn, pictured with his brand new "bike." Shawn's been a "Villager" since 1965 when he bought land right in the centre of what today is known as, "The Villages." Lucky Shawn!

Shawn will be installing the stone surrounding the mantle of our fireplace next week. There's always something interesting going on in this community! Click on the photo for an expanded view.

Welcome, "Weber"!!

You KNOW David is serious about chillin' and grillin' if he invests in a brand new grill! Welcome, Weber, the latest addition to our new home. Weber joins us, just in time for a July 4 cookout with our daughter Lisa. We're all excited to be spending our first July 4 here in Harbor Hills.

Mother's Day at Harbor Hills

Here's the fam enjoying a beautiful Mother's Day luncheon at the Harbor Hills Country Club.

New Residents of Ormond Beach

Congratulations to our good friends Bob and Jean Sutton! They just closed on their gorgeous new home in the prestigious community of Plantation Bay. We were fortunate enough to be their first "official" guests. The home and lot are spectacular. We enjoyed seeing our friends again, and spending time in their beautiful new community.

Keeping Our Fingers (and toes) Crossed!

We're keeping fingers, toes and paws crossed for a June 1 closing date! Next is cabinetry, flooring, plumbing fixtures and....well, now I'm thinking June 15!! Here's what we look like so far on a beautifully elevated lot overlooking the 17th fairway! Click for a closer view.

Our Grandson aka Spiderman!

Danny celebrated his tenth birthday on Saturday at Gainesville's Rock Climbing Gym. Along with his friends, Danny climbed the rock wall easily and to our amazement! Mom Lisa, our daughter, "spotted" as Danny and friends climbed walls of different difficulty levels. Pizza and birthday cake finished the day of exercise and fun! Click for a closer view.

We Rock!

Last week, the rock accents were installed on our new home. The next step should be exterior and interior painting, then installation of cabinets. We continue to appreciate our extaordinary view of the 17th fairway, and all the Harbor Hills community has to offer. Click for a closer view.

Cruisin' the Expo...

Here's a pic of Lisa and David checking out the aisles at the Scrapbook Expo in Orlando. There were hundreds of exhibits and suppliers and so much to see!

Scrapbooking Expo!

On Sunday, April 2, David so generously offered to drive Lisa & me to the Orange County Convention Centre in Orlando, Florida. We attended two scrapbook workshops during the Scrapbooking Expo. The three-day Expo was attended by 4500 participants. Our classes gave us some hands-on experience with new techniques. After returning to Lady Lake, we had a delicious Italian dinner at one of our favorite restaurants. A great day was had by all! Here's a picture of Lisa and me with our instructor and completed projects. Click for a closer view.

St. Paddys & the River Green

St. Paddy's Day weekend was a Grandparent's delight! Our day started off with the "Shaggy Dog" movie at the Rialto Theatre in The Villages. Then we walked around the quaint streets of Spanish Springs. All the fountains were spouting green water in celebration of St. Paddy's day! We ended the day at Paulie's for a delicious slice of pizza. A beautiful day from start to finish. Click for a closer view of that green water!

Life is Delicioso!

Today, our dear friend Yolanda, traveled to New York with her TV star daughter Ingrid. Ingrid was featured on Martha Stewart. Ingrid, star of her own cooking show, Delicioso, taught Martha how to prepare a spectacular red snapper taco. We enjoyed the show so much. And the piece de resistance for us, was watching our friend Yolanda, seated in the front row, enjoy her daughter's cooking, on national TV!!! Click on the pics for a closer view...

The Quilt Shoppe

Giving up my three fish tanks in Port St. Lucie, gives me ALOT of time to try some new hobbies. My latest is learning the art of quilting. I've purchased a lovely new sewing machine, and am taking classes with Jan, the Quilting Queen. My very first lesson was today! It's lots of fun and challenging. The best part about quilting is having a cozy blanket to cuddle up to when all the work is done!

A Mary Kay Day of Beauty...

Our daughter Lisa had a Mary Kay "makeover" party last Sunday in Gainesville. She had friends from work and her mom attend!! We all got our makeovers, while David played catch with Danny and read the paper. I managed to get in some good "Grandma Time" with Danny myself, as we worked on his iTunes playlist and downloaded some new musical releases and a few music videos, too!

Dry Wall Never Looked So Good!!

After golf today, David and I checked on the progress of our new home. Happily, the dry wall was being installed. We "bumped" into our building superintendent Steph, and had a long talk and walk-through. After reviewing a few electrical issues, we were promised a sixty day completion. Next on the agenda, is our flooring and then cabinetry. With any luck, I'm guessing mid-May for a realistic move-in date.

As Time Goes By

The most difficult part of building our new home is waiting for completion. The December finish date slipped to February. Now the projection is the end of April (Don't bet the farm!). To while away the time, we're acclimating to the new area, getting our new doctors lined up and spending time with daughter Lisa and grandson Danny. One of our recent activities was the creation of glazed pottery pieces, proudly displayed by the artists~ David and me!

January, Our Birthday Month!

January is our birthday month. This year, amidst our boxes in the rental garage, and "interim" status, we managed to have a blast! David had dinner in his favorite restaurant, Isabella's. I chose an activity for the two of us on my special day: a pottery creation at Amazing Glaze, with dinner at the Japanese Steakhouse to follow. We are pictured above with our original creations. The dishes will be given a "glaze bath" and then fired in a kiln. They should be ready for pick up next week.

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.