Bub-bye 2010--Hello 1/1/11

All in all--not a bad year!   It was a year of change...and a lot of work!  With a little help from my new and old friends, I look forward to a "constructive" new year in 2011, and say a bittersweet goodbye to the "recuperative" year just passed.

In 2009, I did not have a Christmas, and was certainly in no festive mood.  THIS year, in contrast, I went crazy with Christmas!  

I downloaded a lot of Christmas music from YouTube, bought a new lighted tree and decorations, a set of remote-controlled flameless candles on Ebay (you know how I love gadgets!) lighted wreaths and put up solar-powered LED lights on my golf cart!  

I went with friends to see the Singing Christmas Tree in Orlando and also went out for dinner on Christmas Day.  

I participated in the Community Christmas Golf Cart Parade and Christmas Eve luminaria lighting.  

I bought myself a new, fancy-schmancy camera as my gift to myself and went around on my golf cart shooting photos!   It was a very festive and warm Christmas!

This year, I also enjoyed family and friends in San Antonio and Las Vegas.  And, amazingly, family found me by GPS and visited me here in Lake Wales!  This is a photo of my nephew Drew and his wife, Helena (she is creating his "doo").

I enjoyed family members in Cocoa Beach, FL for the Space Coast Marathon.  Here is my nephew, Luke, achieving his best time yet!  He runs for the Lymphoma Foundation.

I participated in my community in various ways and ventured into "video" attempting my first video creation which I posted on YouTube Saddlebag Lake Christmas Dogs     During the making of the video, I photographed many doggies and met lots of people living here.

I have become active in our Community Forum.  I published my second video  Saddlebag Lake NewYear 2011

This year, I bought and renovated my home, making it a convenient, easy-to-maintain and attractive oasis for me and Cassie.  I was able to visit my friends in Cape Coral, Bonita Springs and Estero 4-5 times, and enjoyed several visits with my "Orlando-Family" and a trip to Disney with a pal.

Plans for 2011 are now in process beginning with a planned trip to meet family and friends in Utah in April.  We will have at least 3 RV's in our group and continue to try to interest other friends in joining up with our caravan.  April is the perfect time of year to visit Utah.  I am hoping to stay for an extended time "out west" during the unpleasant Florida summer months and expect to be up in the Pacific Northwest for awhile.  We are also discussing a group cruise to Alaska.

Throughout the year, I experienced many "ups and downs".  Losing Frank and then uprooting myself from the area where I had lived for a decade was a tumultuous life change.   

Finishing Frank's Video Memorium was a major milestone and helped me to, as they say, find closure.   I also found peace in my music--a legacy from my mother who was my inspiration in so many ways and who passed away just before Christmas, forever changing my experience of this joyful season.  

Here is wonderful music with a comforting thought that made me realize that people we love will always be with us. Remember me

Without the support of family and friends, I'm certain I would not feel so "patched together".  I feel stronger now and ready to receive the new joys and inevitable sorrows which life must have in store for me in 2011 and beyond.


So, it is with humility and a grateful heart that I say "Bub-Bye" to 2010.  

Saddlebag, Disney, Thanksgiving, Space Coast Marathon

The minute the weather turned cooler, I began my next major home improvement project--landscaping.   This was to be a "concept" job as I do not want to maintain crabgrass and weeds.  Grass does not grow well in Saddlebag because the immense oak trees block the sun and consume all soil nutrients.  What the tree canopies don't kill is mangled by the troupes of sand hill cranes wandering around digging up the ground with their primitive talons.

This is what lawns typically look like, except mine is worse than most.


My initial impulse was to AstroTurf my entire property; it is a very environmentally-green thing to do and my turf would look good all the time and not need any maintenance at all.  Alas-it was cost prohibitive!  The next idea is to divide the property into two parts and do the front this year and think about the back half next year.

The goal was to blanket the front yard with mostly drought-, heat- and cold-tolerant, ground-hugging plants that need no pruning, thereby eliminating grass/weeds.   I dug about a hundred holes for plants, laid in weed control fabric and soaker hoses, placed a ton of paver block for edging and hoisted 75 bags of rubber mulch.   Job completed in about 3 weeks of almost daily work.  Got a good tan.

I finished just in time to join my pal Carole and her new baby Rachael in Disney.  We bought our FL Resident "weekday only" tix, loaded up  BSE (baby support equipment) and headed out to the parks.

Rachael is one yr old and not mature enough for most of the rides, but that was OK because we were quite pooped and pushed to our limits with the few rides we took.   I had not realized that the strollers get parked outside the attraction and non-walkers had to be carried while waiting in line!   Here I am with a sleeping Rachael waiting to see "It's a Small World".  Disney made a major improvement in this attraction and stopped piping the music OUTSIDE the attraction so you are no longer subjected to this child's song playing over and over inside your head for the next 2 weeks.

From time to time, Carole had to use the changing table; this particular change was pretty major.

We all  had a fun ride on the carousel.

That evening, we went to Hollywood Studios to see the Dancing Lights, which are just Christmas lights flickering with music.  Naturally, Disney did this "bigger than life" and got me in the Christmas spirit with snow falling down from the snowblowing machines mounted on top of the NY building set and speakers blasting out Mannheim Steamroller's Deck the Halls.

We didn't make the Food and Wine Festival due to exhaustion...

My friends, Barry and Sue invited me up for Thanksgiving, so Cassie and I loaded up the moho and squatted in their backyard for a few days.  Since my brother and nephew were flying down to Florida for the Space Coast Marathon, they were also invited, as was their friend, Drew.  Here we are enjoying a sumptious meal prepared by Barry and Sue.  As usual, they outdid themselves with smoked turkey, a spiral pineapple-glazed ham, garlic mashed and candied sweet potatoes, dressing, green bean casserole, homemade cranberry jam and homemade pumpkin schnapps.  We had Jack Daniels Pecan Pie, Pumpkin Pie and Pumpkin Cheesecake for dessert.  It was an amazing meal!  Thank you guys for your generosity and an awesome feast!

The next day, we dragged our inflated bodies to Cocoa Beach, the site of the Space Coast Marathon.  The red arrow at right/center is the staging area of the Marathon where the DJ and all the sponsors hang out.

My nephew, Luke, runs for Team In Training Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, DC Chapter.   He is a leukemia survivor and Frank also had leukemia and was an Honored Patient.  This organization supports patients and families in many ways and raises money for cancer research.  I am proud that my nephew has aligned himself with such a fine organization.

The weather was changeable for the day and a half preceding the race, but the morning of the race was perfect!  The start was at 6:15am!   It was controlled chaos at the Start Line with hordes of volunteers and pacers gathering their groups together which are "coralled" according to estimates of race time.  Everyone wore a shoe lace tag which digitally logs their personal time at the Start and Finish lines.

On the day we arrived, Luke turned his ankle walking to the Pier in search of a brewsky, resulting in tenderness and moderate swelling.  We treated it best we could with bandaging, a stabilizing brace and anti-inflammatories and could only hope for the best.  Luke estimated his time for this 13 mile race would be 30 minutes slower than usual because of the ankle.

The race was open to all mobility modalities and ages.   The race course followed the Indian River and I am told that the route was incredibly pleasant and picturesque. 

Luke was excited to see a dolphin swimming close to the shoreline.  This pic was taken in a quaint and beautiful section of Cocoa Village, a walking shopping/dining destination.

Racers were encouraged by Volunteers clad in orange NASA jumpsuits to "Embrace the Suck".

Here is Luke at the Finish Line "embracing" it.

Imagine our excitement when Luke finished almost 30 minutes ahead of his estimate at 2h 3m!  That was a personal best for him and he was very pleased.  We were also quite happy that the ankle had not been a problem or further injured.

After gorging on a pancake breakfast prepared by Volunteers, Luke immediately posted to Facebook followers.

We hoisted a few to Luke's success.

I am now back in Saddlebag making my Christmas round of doctors and other purveyors of medical devices.   Right before I closed on my house, I decided to do "medical housekeeping" and get a complete systems tuneup, so now all the annual checkups fall during the holidays.

Between chats with the docs, I'll decorate the house for Christmas, and work on another project I have cookin'.  More on that next blog.

Las Vegas BOO-Yah!

It just doesn't get much better than playing with family and friends in Las Vegas!  We flew in from Eureka CA (Sharon & Norm), Washington DC (Phil) and Parkton MD (Marilyn & Louis).

Las Vegas was all decked out with Halloween decorations, attractions and themes.  

We gathered at an attractive and well-appointed timeshare in western Las Vegas, the Cliffs of Peace Canyon.   (It seems that everything that is NOT on the Strip is named for a canyon.)

We had adjacent ground floor units with lanais and "shared" the units among 6 adults.  We left a note behind for Housekeeping because all the dishes, glasses and cups got mixed up between the two units.  My side was the Morning Coffee/Debate side, permitting the sleeper-inners a quiet space.

This is the pool with a waterfall feature which cools one off after soaking in the party-size hot jacuzzi.   The boys couldn't resist it and seemed to enjoy the cool water pummeling their brains.

In the pool entertainment area was a gorgeous outdoor gas fireplace and several gas grills where we grilled porterhouse steaks and baked potatoes.

We didn't come to LV to gamble--none of us are gamblers.  Pretty much just quarter video poker and people-gawking.   Sharon won some money and so did Marilyn  and I came away 15 cents over my budget which I consider a success since I entertained myself with video poker for free.   So, our second day, we headed out to Red RockCanyon, which is only 20 minutes from civilization but seems like it is a world away.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Rock_Canyon_National_Conservation_Area

The Canyon is a rock formation formed by a thrusting upward of the earth over a fault, causing the old rock to lay on top of the new rock.  This makes a remarkable line of demarcation between the two rocks.   The weather at this altitude was wonderfully warm and but dry enough for frequent reapplications of Chapstick.

Rock ON Gurlz!

Saw Phantom of the Opera and Beatles LOVE, a Cirque de soleil production.  Loved both, but Beatles won out on the adrenaline rush from the extreme physicality of the players, the incredible Beatle's music, mind-blowing special effects and inventive 60's-style costuming.

BOO to the usher who saw me get out my camera  before  the show to get a pic of our group and gave me a schoolmarmy tsk and a finger wag.  This is an employee that needs to be recycled...

At the Bellagio, we savored the Chocolate Fountain and an artistic collection of desserts.  The sight and aroma of all that chocolate created a "contact high", stimulating my endorphin circulation to dangerous levels.

OK --we ate at some buffets.  I have come home with a case of Buffet Butt.  The Bellagio still reigns supreme in the Buffet Wars; notable were the perfectly-prepared Alaskan Crab legs with REAL drawn butter rather than water-butter juice and the creme brulee.    The Mirage was exceptionally sanitary with sneeze screens protecting all food and a Chef combining one's own custom salad from a huge array of ingredients.   The food stations were named after "nationalities" and had an impressive selection of regional foods.  They had the creamiest gelato ever and ginormous-sized dessert cups.

BOO to our waiter who couldn't clear our plundered dishes fast enough, forcing us to soil an adjacent table; he also took the worst group dining photo ever...  BOO also to the pricey-ness of these gastronomic events--$30.

There WAS an exceptional dining value advertised on the side of the Flamingo--an all day Buffet Ticket in 8 participating Strip hotels for $39.99!  Wow what a deal!  I was informed that Cesear's now has a unisex Vomitorium which seemed perfect for those selecting this experience.   Nothing  in moderation in LV!

We "did" the Strip which was almost empty EXCEPT on October 10.  The Strip was PACKED with folks dressed to the teeth in wedding garb. 

We were informed that 10/10/10 is supposed to be a lucky day to be married!   Some people even got married at 10 o'clock and some costumes were Halloween-inspired.  

BOO to the MGM for attempting to extort $30 to see the interactive attraction CSI:  The Experience.   For Shame!

We visited Ethel M's Chocolate Factory and swooned on the Chocolate Peanut Brittle--wow!

They had a dozen or so signs hanging from the ceiling with clever and humorous "chocolate quotes".   Actually, this was NOT one of them but I like it anyway and it's MY blog!

An adorable breakfast chain, EggWorks, provided as much fun as it did good food, including the seasonal pumpkin pancakes, carrot pancakes and homemade banana walnut french toast.  They had a little egg face with a frown on the table centerpiece which is designed to alert ANY waitress that assistance is needed.  This is my brother's version of the unhappy eggface.

For our multi-sensory overload, we got Senior Discount Tickets to the IMAX theater at the Palms Casino.   The Ticket Agent never blinked as we asked for the Senior discount;  it made me a little sad as the ticket area was not well lit.  The movie was "Inception"  (the act of inception: using dreams to implant an idea) with Leonardo Di Caprio.  It featured many mindbending special effects that were so disorienting that it was hard to follow the unusal and multi-plotted story.  

Trust me; if you plan to see the movie,  go to an IMAX theater because you will not understand the movie and at least you can get the wild special effects and see a Very Large Leonardo.   BOO-YAH!

The only attraction I had a burning desire to experience was the Insanity on top of the Stratosphere Tower.  Perhaps it was the extreme name that turned off everyone in my group.  Heck it was actually cheaper than the CSI Experience!  Or, maybe it was the fact that it was a small carousel with suspended seats perched a thousand feet above the ground, spinning wildly at speeds up to 40 mph, creating up to 3G's of force, while tilting one's body facedown to the ground at angles up to 70 degrees.   I'm not sure why I could not seem to work up any enthusiasm amongst my family/friends to take the ride with me!  I think the view would have been awesome.

You who live large with cable/satellite TV might recall a show on History Channel called Pawn Stars.  It is extremely popular, as evidenced by the line waiting to get in.    Here it is!

I am told it is smaller inside than it appears on TV and they only let small groups inside to browse.

The Fremont Street Experience was extravagantly decorated  for Halloween.  Actors wore very ornate costumes strolled the boulevard, interacting with the crowd and posing for photos.  Kiss was there, as was the Ghost of Michael Jackson.  I was very impressed with Superman as I thought that underneath the costume, he was a Real Superman and didn't even need a costume.  Maybe he was a "moonlighting" Chippendale.   There were also some Ladies of Darkness but it was hard to determine if they were part of the Street Troupe or just entrepreneurs.










The featured music was Queen and the digital light show was much improved from the previous one (which was very hokey).