Two months in Florida. After our crazed days in Mexico and the following week with John and Brenda, we took a much needed break from socializing. Well, except for being close to Mom and E.D.- but that's the easy family socializing. At least with 2 months, that sense of trying to pack everything into a limited time was gone. It was nice to just sit for awhile.... enjoying the luxury of taking as much time as I wanted to read the paper in the morning (they actually had the NY Times!), run errands, cook normal meals, and do a little shopping.When we were in Florida in December, John took the washer/dryer out of the motorhome and put it in storage--which gave me a HUGE cabinet for some well needed storage. My handy hubby not only took out the washer/dryer, but also built adjustable shelves. What a guy!! So, anyway, it made way for my new slow cooker. With some time on my hands, I decided to try a new style of cooking and a few new recipes.
It was great to be so close to Mom and E.D. They got a bit of free labor from us- fertilizing, gutter cleaning – and we got a lot of free meals.
Mom and I got to see the Strawberry Festival, the Parade of Homes – and even made a trip to “The Villages”, which was an experience not to be forgotten. A totally self-contained community- golf courses, tennis courts, shopping, churches- with the ability to get everywhere on golf carts. Covering 22,000 acres and spanning 3 counties, the “village” has 28 golf courses and over 1000 activities for their “active seniors”. ¼ of the community are snowbirds. The town has its’ own newspaper and happy hours on the squares every Friday night. The housing is all spec homes – you buy what the builder builds- there’s no opportunity to pick your colors/carpet/appliances, etc.
We always seem to be leaving Florida just before E.D.’s Birthday so our celebrations are always a week or two early. This year, we took a River Cruise down the Withlacooche River- complete with lots of alligator sightings. Then, it was dinner at Stumpknockers and a surprise birthday cake (the best cake ever- a chocolate raspberry torte!) 
