Goodbye and GiddyUP

More Goodbyes.  Some of you already know that Frank's sister, Pat, passed away about a month ago after a long illness.   This is one of my favorite pics of Pat and Frank.

Today, I just learned that Frank's mother, Harriet, passed away after a long, age-related decline in her health.   Here is a pic of Harriet and Frank together celebrating St Patrick's Day.   The passing of Harriet is a final, sad closure of the chapter of my life with Frank and his family.

Those close to Harriet during her final months believe that her illness was (mercifully) too far along for her to be aware of the deaths of her children, Frank and Pat.   However, those left behind live with the sadness of losing Frank, Pat and Harriet within a 9-month period.   One member described the recent months as a "train wreck in slow motion" and that is an apt description.

I have been doing my time here at Limetree Park, which I have found to be a strange and tense environment.   I will be leaving as soon as I can, even earlier than my lease permits.  I have purchased a manufactured home in Lake Wales FL at a community named Saddlebag Lake Resort (aerial view at left).  You can see it is surrounded by orange groves and lakes.

The home I purchased is a 2/2 model in very good condition.   It has a huge, shady oak tree which shields the house from the western sun and a large backyard for Cassie to sniff.   The floorplan is more "houselike" than the typical layout of this type of housing and suits me just fine.  It has an "open" kitchen/living/dining area, very large master bedroom, walk-in master shower and an extra bedroom/bathroom--an unexpected bonus!   Reservations are being accepted...

My "GiddyUp" date to move into Saddlebag  is March 12.  I will do some interior remodelling first to replace the worn-out carpeting throughout with laminate.

Here is a little "chamber of commerce" info about this place:  Saddlebag Lake Resort is located on Saddlebag Lake just off Florida SR60 seven miles east of the intersection of US 27 and SR-60 in Lake Wales.   It is 47 miles from Walt Disney World, 65 miles east of Tampa, 61 miles southwest of Orlando.  Lake Wales, voted "the friendliest small town in Florida" is located right in the geographic center of Florida.  (I have no idea who voted but it is pretty friendly)

Lake Wales is 1.74 square miles in size with an estimated 14, 000 residents located along the state's geographical "ridge", a ridge that boasts the highest elevation in the peninsula portion of the state, 298 feet. This advantageous location gives Lake Wales a climate rich in Florida sunshine, but without the humidity of the coastal area.

I have been home shopping for several months both in Lake Wales and in Bonita Springs.  My friends in Lake Wales, Velma and Basil, have been "watching" homes for sale for me for many months and my friends in Bonita, Theresa and Dennis, (and Donna & Dick in Estero) have been trying to find me a suitable house in my price range.  Thank you all for your help!  I have two failed previous offers under my belt and have been surprised that buying a home has been so problematic.  Of course, my conservative housing budget and requirement to store my motorhome on my own property complicated the process.  Saddlebag has its own storage yard for oversized owner toys available for a very nominal fee.  I am happy to finally have some dirt to call home and plan to make Bonita and Cape Coral a frequent whistle stop on my travels.

Cassie and I are looking forward to leaving this park which has almost no grass anywhere.    She is teased constantly by overly-friendly bunnies looking for a handout.  They travel in pairs to my RV doorstep and also leave bunny gifts on my deck which I must constantly pickup, in addition to picking up after Cassie.  I don't feed them but they are patient and hopeful critters.