Power Lunch

I was on the road by 8:00 a.m. Stopped at Pep Boys for hefty wire cutters, Albertson's for some more sausage for my pea soup. I don't know for sure if the Latours bogarted the sausage or the coon got the floaters but they were sparse this morning and the coon had removed the top of the crock pot. (shh- I distributed it as if nothing had happened.) I tried the door to the RV place at 8:30-not due to open until 9:00 and it was open, bought what was supposed to work and was home by 9:30. Andre was watching for me and said "I will help you," and proceeded to very capably and knowledgeably change it out. Wrong plug so I was off to the RV store again. Ed my regular guy knew they were wrong and reluctantly sent me to Palm Beach RV which was way the hell and gone up Military Trail. They had what I needed. Back by noon. Here comes Andre. Does it again. I was touched. He said "You are my friend." And he cemented it at that moment. He is cut from a little rougher bolt of cloth from my other Quebec friends but he is a stalwart and good man. We exchanged email addresses. By 12:30 I had air conditioning and refrigeration in the coach.

Had email from Sooz with some suggestions for avoiding complete power outage in the future:
http://21st-century-goods.com/ In fact, after I collected myself last night I remembered lights and things I carry in the van. So I had a night light for my forays to the can as well as keeping my bearings because I have tended to topple over in darkness or with my eyes closed for quite some time.

Andre and Nicole, both sets, are leaving tomorrow. Coffee in the morning with #I and pictures of #II as they pull out with boat loaded with extra camping gear. Nicole I will go to the Army Corps of Engineers site at Port St. Lucie. Andre and Nicole II will go to Blue Springs and fishing on the Jones River. They went to Costco this afternoon and Nicole can transform herself with a little make-up and earrings. All of these Quebec women have a sense of style to make the most of their assets-not fashion, but something that suits them.

Took a little nap and was awakened by Buster panting up a storm. The air conditioning had not completely caught up but it was cool enough. I came out to surf the net and Buster got under the table. Then I knew: somewhere in a hundred and fifty mile radius, thunder and lightning was occurring. Took the dogs for a ride because fleeing is what he wants to do. It spit a little but that was it. I heard exactly one distant rumble. Busty is uncanny.

I have a long list of things to occupy my time now that the playmates are clearing out. Zen and the Art of RV maintenance time is upon me. And, as usual, I have learned from the season and will try to get ready for the "next season." I'll have the coolest campsite ever.

Pea-Ess. Everybody loved the soup.

Honey and the Squirrel

The squirrel cagily figured out what the dog chain was all about. The girl dog was transfixed for nearly an hour while the squirrel teased the daylights out of her. It was pretty amusing.

I am sitting in fading light and perspiring a bit at 10:00 p.m. A wire burned through on my main power hookup to the RV. The central air and any combination of appliances does that about every other year. I will scoot to the RV store first thing in the morning for a new plug. My batteries are apparently not too shiny either because my 12 volt lights are fading. Nothing to do but go to bed and hope the refrigerator doesn't get too warm in 10 hours. I have some fading lights and an extension cord-the beverage refrigerator is operational. Some prep for this exigency needs to be made. At least a lamp that can be plugged into the extension cord would be useful.

I had a pretty busy day. It was a gorgeous day-cool last night and warm today-virtually no wind. The short-timers headed for the beach. I told the Latours that I was making soup today. I went shopping. Went to Bali and got me another Buddha and some housewarming gifts for Greg and Lew. They had Lew's parents over to dine last night. At 92 and no real experience with them, they have formed opinions about trailer parks that Lew and Greg are at pains to dispel. They told them as they left, that they have now experienced being "trailer trash."

Andre and Nicole II invited me for a "last, last" fish dinner as the last one was supposed to be the last one. This was a great dinner. The usual group. I have learned from dining out and others have learned from me. They are out of here day after tomorrow. But I had promised soup and I delivered. I showed the Latours where to get it and went to my dinner party. Andre has had some fascinating experiences like a month in Venezuela back when the currency devalued by 100 percent in a month. He is an expert on fish and how to cook them: Olive oil, never; Butter for cooking Salmon; Canola for all white fish. Don't overcook any of them. He and Guy came home in each other's clothes. They said they went swimming which is a big no-no due to alligators...but you never know about these Quebecois. Might be more to them than one suspects. Body modesty is not a trait that any of them exhibit.

Delores wrote from Riverton to tell me to stay as long as I can as they are in the midst of a stretch of nasty blizzards. Some say rain here tomorrow-we will see. Things are once again green in John Prince Park. Rain will be welcome anytime after I finish working on the electricity.

Rainy Day

Upon reflection, I think I came within a whisker of getting ripped off last night. On the way home I stopped at a Winn-Dixie on Woolbright for some creamer for my coffee, rolled the windows down for the dogs and dashed in. When I came out a guy in a van advertising driveway washing had blocked my van from observation from the store in spite of a sparsely populated parking lot. A white guy was hanging around outside his window (he had backed in) and the white guy moved right away as I approached my car. When the domelight came on the driver of the van turned a little ashy- He saw Honey and she was on alert. He said "I didn't see that dog-he was real quiet but is watching me." I said, "I don't bother locking up-somebody might get in but they won't get out. She goes for the face but the little one goes for the balls."


It was overcast until noon today and we then got a few showers. Most everybody was off someplace-half of them on their bikes. I took a nap after lunch-I hadn't realized I was tired but I slept for a couple of hours. I went to bed fine and woke up with a backache but worked it off. Honey's morning run was unsatisfactory so I cut it short. We stopped to say goodbye to Gary and Joyce-they were within minutes of departing but Joyce had left a nice note in my door last night so I saw them off and we came home. The apres nap run/bike ride was much better and Honey was ready after watching me sleep.





Nicole and Andre had a little happy hour. I had a light supper. In fact, I ate "right" all day long: raisin bran for breakfast, salad for lunch, and a small chicken breast and half a sweet potato for supper.

Jeanne finished her goofy collage/portrait of us all in our finer moments. She is quite good with a lower level Photoshop clone-Photosuite.

Talked to brother Bob this evening. He sounded tired after just a few minutes but his attitude is good and he is pleased with his surgeon and his care. Nothing by mouth yet and he is really hankering after a cold pop. Poor guy.

Now some more "rack time" for the O.F.

Butterfly World

Saturday we ventured to Deerfield where I gave Lori a much belated birthday present from things I got at Bali- a terrific shop in Lake Worth. I had told her I was looking for something(s) inspired rather than any old thing. I struck paydirt or she is remarkable at feigning pleasure: a sarong, a turtle necklace, a bracelet made of female power seeds and a bone ring with yin-yang symbol. She liked the Buddha statue I had bought for myself so much it ended up at her house too. I felt good about that.

We then ventured to Butterfly World which is not too far from their house. I had heard about it and suggested it would make a good outing. It was. Wonderful piped in music, inspired landscaping, artful exhibits led through the butterfly house, an arboretum of passionflowers and other exotic plants, an aviary of hummingbirds, an aviary of lorikeets that are quite happy to interact with people, a parrot exhibit, an aviary called jewels of the air, an insect museum, all blessed with tranquil music and donated benches in cul-de sacs where contemplation (and sometimes a doze) are possible. We traded in our day-passes for season passes which were Jason's treat.

Then we had a pleasant evening at their home. Jason grilled memorable NY strip steaks in delicious marinade, and squash, sweet potatoes, artisan sourdough, macaroni salad accompanied. A chocolate chunk cookie for dessert- Fabulous and not quite the rest for the alimentary canal, I am needing but a real treat, nonetheless. A home wedding was taking place across the canal and we watched and listened while the doggies played and Buster got a brushing with a curry comb- that made his day. If the day could have been better, I can't imagine how.

Click the pic to see the album.

03282009 FL Butterfly World

The Last Hurrah

Everybody is booked for the next few days so I decided yesterday to pitch the Last Hurrah. Friday was really windy so I cleaned out the Screenhouse with Mme Latour's great help and the men moved my picnic table inside it and everybody contributed. Latours a massive shrimp cocktail, Terese, a green salad and a bottle of Yellowtail, Nicole, at my request, a dessert of apples and Bleu cheese and pecans. I fixed thick barbecued pork chops, a corn souffle' (this is my grandma's "corn pudding" but I'm with the French) and sweet potatoes. The wine just appeared from next door.

I downloaded some easy listening music for background music so my iTunes computer was at the ready. Andre discovered my music collection and we were off: dancing by the light of the moon, laughing and being silly. Of course we played out by curfew at 10:30 p.m. That is the difference of this "second childhood"-no more all nighters but the quality was there. Rene, bless his heart, did the dishes again.

My "harem" with dish towel veils. Terese did a dish towel veil dance. I was too busy to take many pictures. I hope Jeanne will share.

Thursday was busy too- Ken and Mervi came by to say goodbye. We cracked a few Corona's, Joyce and Gary joined us. Honey was stealing dog biscuits from Gary's scooter-they were hers-Joyce was trying to bribe her into a pet. Did not work but you have to give her credit for trying.

My back and my belly are still problematic. Jeanne gave me a heat pack on Thursday and my back was pretty good all day Friday but got me up at 4:00 a.m. today. A new heatpack is in place. My stomach feels like it would be relieved by a 30 minute fart but Alas! It needs a rest-that much I know.

Winding Down

Andre, whose working life was working with Photoshop for Advertising and magazines made me a souvenir photo- a lot of work and very artistic-a kind of "Beauties and the Beast" theme working here. In fact we have all bonded nicely and now the unbonding is taking place.

Dave and Bonnie, on the right, below, will be leaving tomorrow, ending up, eventually, near Dallas for the birth of a grandchild on the 18th of April. Joyce and Gary will leave early Sunday and take their time with a couple of stops on their way home to Pittsburgh. Generous people we all are, and they took me to dinner at the Rum Shack in downtown Lake Worth to repay courtesies past. Good company and good food. That place has it together-they haul in the early birds like crazy. Downtown Lake Worth is fun-we hit a couple of shops and I found one that bears a repeat. Exotic stuff from Bali. There is a Buddha and a spear that caught my eye and some possible baubles for Lori.

I spotted this blooming tree on the north side of the park and thought it deserved a picture. Click to see the tree in its splendor:

Another winter storm warning at home made this breezy and warm day especially sweet. Visiting with Andre and Nicole, Bob and Ruth (from New Jersey-they are cheerful and funny characters who leave tomorrow): Nicole was quoting a sign she has at home that says the secret to a long life is eat wisely, live honestly and lie about your age. Then she added "they say lots of sex will extend your life." Ruth turned to Bob and said "You're Doomed." Only time will tell if laughter or sex wins in the longevity race.

Yves and Eve were pulling out as I was running Honey this morning. The Rosenbergs leave Sunday and they will all meet in upstate New York for a last visit before Yves heads to Quebec. "See you next season, God willing," is the standard bon voyage in John Prince Park.

Rich had checked with Doris and spoke to Bob-his weight has stabilized but he will be in the hospital for a couple of more weeks. He is cogent but sounds tired. Apparently Richard didn't get the memo (or ignored it) on when to call. I'm glad he did.

And that's the news from Lake Osborne, where all the residents are old.

Now let me see...

After the communications from Wyoming I checked the highway webcams in Casper (top) and Riverton (below) early this morning. Then I talked with Wilbur-my longtime friend on the grounds crew and he asked when I was leaving. I told him I thought it got hot in April and he said- "Oh no, it is just like this." 72 degrees, light breeze, a beautiful day today. Then he said I might get a chance to see a hurricane. Which means I will play it by ear.

As I slid off the foot of the bed today I felt a little click in my lower spine and some relief. I have no doubt my lower spine is diskless-I can feel the vertebrae grating on occasion. I have read that many folks share this condition but some have pain and some don't. I have been lucky and will count on being pain free again. But it didn't last all day-spent some time in the anti gravity recliner this afternoon and it helped. What didn't help was cleaning up after the depredations of the local coon. He had a ball. Honey was raising a ruckus last night but I didn't want to risk her or the coon. The little devil almost got through the gorilla tape closure on the fridge. I put on new tape and a nylon cord/bungie cord closer.

Greg and Lew got out of here and moved into their new place. Joyce came by and I downloaded the pictures from her camera and made her a CD-ROM, sent some pix she promised a lady at a dog show. Some folks want the results of new technology but don't get the processes. Joyce and Gary are out of here Sunday. Bonnie and Dave on Thursday.

Honey met a cute little Schipperke and a HUGE Doberman who was intimidated by her. He is a sweet big boy. She played with Pal, a little shepherd mix, and a beagle named Happy. Buster got a longer walk today and he was smiling.

The Times they are a Changing

"End of Season" is rolling around. Folks are hurrying to get in those last activities in their remaining days. Even with a lame lower left quadrant, I got some needed chores done in the cleaning and tidying department. I can ride a bike, I can walk, I can sit, but standing is painful. I got my ordered visit from the honeywagon today. It would have been better on Friday but it came in the nick of time today. This afternoon, Lew and Greg came by and invited me to go to Denny's for late lunch-their main meal. I had a dinner invitation but I went along for a cherry, cherry limeade which was almost as refreshing as an ice cold douche (I've been told those are very refreshing.). We went by their new digs which are very nice-boy did they suss out a deal. Through the car window below- a wide single wide with a Florida room, a carport, patio, and mostly furnished with all acceptable furniture. I took pix inside too. I'm almost envious but I really like the social interaction of the park except when it gets to be too much. Their dogs are welcome and as the cohort of 55 and olders is thinning (for the usual reason) they have dropped the age requirement to 40. So they are set and I have a picture of where they'll be.


We went on down to Denny's and visited while they ate and I teased the waiter-told him I didn't have any money and they wouldn't buy me anything and asked him where my order was when he brought theirs. We spotted this 1941 Packard 120 in the parking lot-one of the sexiest cars ever made in my book. A straight-eight engine, suicide doors, this is the business sedan-not the fanciest. Way cool. They got me home by 6:00 so I could grab a bottle of wine and go to Andre II's for fish.

Andre's fishing buddy, Guy, (pronounced ghee) got skunked yesterday so we ate Andre's fish and admired Guy's catch of today. A nice dinner-Guy's wife is an alcoholic and drinks tea- until Guy left the tent and she slugged the rest of the bottle of wine in two glugs. Andre had a lot of interesting tales of Montreal when it was wide open-before the Olympics were held there.

I got two calls and an email from Wyoming describing the blizzards. Rasty's funeral was nice-the video was moving. Delores caught me up on Wyoming and West Virginia. Cousin Jayne was supposed to get a pacemaker after heart valve replacement in Vero Beach but somebody forgot to charge the battery on the pacemaker so that will take place tomorrow. Her kids are there. Marilu is back in WV and after Howard's death and her neighbor's passing, is at loose ends. Delores is going there for most of the summer so that will help. Jayne, Marilu and Delores and her granddaughter Cade, will have "porch therapy" all summer long on Wingrove Hill.

Weekend Update

Honey treed a squirrel on our morning run today. The squirrel I have seen in action before. He loves to taunt the dogs. He plays with JJ often. He has a mouth full of some plant that grows on the powerlines. Saturday brought more rain and winds-2 tenths of an inch of rain. I made a Saturday run to Home depot to buy dirt and grass seed to spruce up the campsite. The drought and my dog have been hard on it. I was hoping for more rain but it only spit on us and that just after my dinner party for Andre and Nicole II- the former policeman and his wife in the Roadtrek-paybacks. I was paining a bit but put on a pretty good feed for them- big ribeyes, sweet potatoes, asparagus with parmesan, salad, french toast for dessert. They seemed to enjoy it. I like them-they are comfortable to be with and with each other.

A Deputy drove right through my campsite yesterday-Andre had called. A man had suffered what sounded to be a stroke and then he disappeared. Turned out he was in the shower but it gave a scare and he was reluctant to seek medical care.

Rene and Terese had friends from Quebec come to visit and they seemed to have a grand time. The neighbor to their left moved to a site with a full hookup. The campground is beginning to empty out. Greg and Lew came to invite me to go to the Reggae Fest in Lake Worth but I had committed to entertaining so I gave it a pass. I had driven past yesterday and there were some intriguing characters and I wanted to go but it was not in the cards today. They move on the 24th and that is coming right up.

It has been fun to watch the birds scoop up Honey's free falling undercoat. It is in demand for nesting material. I brush the dogs daily but Honey drops tufts of the softest hair imaginable and it is gone in minutes. Doing our part for the ecosystem. Nice to think of baby birds swaddled in Honey fur.

Buster was kind enough to snuggle my aching back last night-better than a hot water bottle. I hope he'll do a repeat tonight.

Catch U Up

Thursday was busy with drying things out and mildew prevention. The LaTour rolling manse leaked in the 5 inches of torrential rain we received, One of their slideouts had a weather stripping issue so I helped Marc use his salvaged old awning to make an awning for the slideout. I keep thinking of the PBS show "Keeping Up Appearances" as Mme. has plastic cutlery that looks like silver in two classes-the ones we used and the ones she will use if anybody important shows up. And I can hear her chirping away in a high soprano some days. And now she has a big old sloppy piece of awning hanging off her largest of the line 5th wheel camper. But I have to admit she is a pretty good egg. Of course we have had no rain since.

I introduced Andre and Nicole to the miracle of awning tape as their skylight also leaked.

Departure is starting to loom in my thoughts and I am chipping away at chores. It will still probably be a sprint when I decide to go but little bits of progress are being made.

Greg stopped over yesterday-they are already nesting down at Mar a Lago on Lawrence. It will be a year-round residence and they will commute. They plan to sell their RV. Greg is anxious to go home and start gardening and working with his fish up north. It won't be the same in the park without them but they are only about 2 miles away in a gated mobile home park. The monthly cost is about the same as here but they will pay for 12 months. We will find out if the friendship is one of convenience and proximity or something else. But I am glad for them as this solves their place to stay problem.

The pinched nerve problem seems to have worsened into a constant pain but lowly old aspirin works wonders. I took a vacation from all meds while my stomach healed and now I am adding them back into the regimen. Aside from that I feel great-two good bike rides a day at least, with the hound, walking and staying pretty active and sleeping pretty well.

Brother Bob went under the knife in a nine hour operation today. They removed tumors but none were malignant. They found his pancreas in bad shape from his diabetes and removed part of it and his gall bladder and re-sectioned the liver bile ducts. No chemo but some problematic conditions that will require some pretty severe lifestyle changes. The doctor says the survival rate is 95%. Bob will be hospitalized for two weeks if no complications ensue. Wishing him well. I imagine him waking up tomorrow and saying, "You took out my what?" The surgery certainly veered from the original intent. Gotta trust your doc, I guess.

Rainy Day

"Isolated showers-20 percent chance," morphed into a half inch in an hour and on and off rain all day. I am not complaining about the rain but the forecasting is pitiful. Honey has been like the seven year old (dog years) she is, telling me she is bored, bored, bored. She got two good runs today-one clear to the gatehouse and back. They also got chickenhearts in gravy over rice for dinner tonight. Buster was complaining a little awhile ago so I took him out and he got finished (#1 AND #2) in less than 3 minutes. The boy does not like to get his fur wet. In between I napped a little, played some Free Cell, Scrabble and played with my toys. When the rain would let up I would run outside and wash the van or the coach and let Mother Nature provide the rinse. Andre hollered out his Vanagon window at me. I offered to wash his van. He opened up the door and a big bottle of Yellowtail Wine (empty) rolled out. They were over there getting well lit up and being naughty. They are cute.

Amazon has released an iPhone/iPod Touch application that allows you to download your Kindle books to the iPod. It even synchs the pages. If you are on page 42 of a book on the Kindle, when you open up the same book on the iPod, you are on page 42. Can they see me picking my nose? Not that I would do such a thing...

I got another application for my iPod that does streaming radio. Over 1800 radio stations from around the world-National Weather Service, NPR, etc. Very cool. I had bought an iPod radio attachment during the Circuit City frenzy for $20.00-steep discount. It wouldn't work on on my very new or my behemoth older one. But it did work on Andre's. He was thrilled to get it.

Brother Bob sent an email-he is operable-the PET scan showed no signs of other cancer cells in other places. He goes in soon- a pathology team has to be in attendance and the surgeon slices, the tissue is inspected slice by slice and after the cancer cells disappear they take a little more to be sure. He set a protocol for contact. Sounds like he takes the same attitude I do. If I am feeling lousy-don't bug me.

Brother Rich has settled into his new job-selling windshields and other auto supplies. Blue Cross was going backwards for them all. The economic times are forcing people to drop company and individual policies left and right. He got a very good offer from an old friend and took it. Drug Testing of Casper is doing pretty well. He always has several irons in the fire.

Have to walk the Honey-bear- probably another false alarm but it is not raining very much right now- so getting out will do us both some good.

Impromptu

Mme. LaTour was dragging her feet on my planned St. Patrick's party- I needed her space. So I scrapped that idea. Fortunately, because yesterday afternoon blessed rains started. But I was pondering dinner on Monday and my mouth was hollering pizza. I knew I couldn't eat a whole one so I told our little group- "Happy Hour in 45 minutes" and made a beer and pizza run. LaTours had more shade on this blistering hot day so we moved. I had been saving a large bottle of Sangria and it came into play to good effect. Terese made a salad, Nicole a veggie plate. As usual we had a good time.

Moreso because it was unplanned and nobody had to cook on this hot day.

St Patrick's Day was low key- ran the dog a couple of times and since I had mentioned a party to Joyce, Gary and Mervi and Ken, I took them to dinner at the Grumpy Grouper-early bird special: "all you can eat fish." Ken and Mervi exhaust me-there is rage just under the surface-Mervi interrupts Ken at every juncture. They are nice people but I really think I can do with less of them. I find my psychic energy is just sapped by some people but is augmented by others.

My old friend Rasty passed away and I am glad. I gave him a farewell hug as I left two seasons ago. He was slipping away before our very eyes with Alzheimer's and I really didn't expect to see him last spring and I didn't. His husk was still on the planet but there was nothing left of his essence. We are all, in our age group, facing our mortality but I can say with certainty that outliving your mind is a very crappy way to go. He had a helluva rodeo in his lifetime. Lots of stories. I didn't know him until most of the orneriness was burnt out and I was truly fond of him. All will have their take on him based on their interactions, I just have memories that make me smile.

The Whale's Rib and Rocket Ships

I got a call from the kids with an invitation to bring my hounds to make a fivesome for puppy play day. Marcia and Bob have a sick parent so Jason and Lori are looking in on Maximus and Lucy. I have been missing the kids, Juneau and (the washer and dryer) so I cancelled a dinner invitation and went south. Maximus is huge. Even Honey was a little intimidated but he is a sweet boy and Lucy is a love. The dogs had a great time and we did too-watching them. We went out to dinner at the Whale's Rib. Great food but the service was lousy tonight.

One of the things I respect about Honey is her independence/self sufficiency. If the water bowl is empty she brings it. Tonight she taught Juneau how to skip the intermediary and go directly to the dog-food bin. Since he taught her to bark, I regard it as payback.

These pictures from Jason's iPhone. Pretty good camera on it- Saw pictures of last night's black tie Charity Ball and last week's Motley Crue concert at the Hard Rock Casino. Those tickets were a birthday present from Lori.

He snapped one of today's shuttle launch. We were on Deerfield Beach when it went up. Saw the vapor trail and the flash from the second stage separating and a mysterious cloud of something. My camera was in my van-I went there just before we left and I left it there! darn darn darn.

I made my second trip to Harbor Freight today. Sidewalk Sale! It is Macy's for men. What a busy place. Got some really cool stuff, only about one-third of it pre-planned.

We have been home an hour and the air conditioning is finally pushing the day's accumulated heat from the coach.

Andre and Anna

Andre and Anna came by and we had a nice long visit over orange juice. Andre is such an elf - a pixie and is hilarious. Anna at 81 is still a pistol. They ride their bikes everywhere-Anna goes to the Senior Center to work out and take whatever classes are on offer. They were in a reminiscing mood and I heard of many of their adventures-mostly biking across Iowa or Wisconsin or taking trips with their kids. I have a feeling this is their "farewell tour." They are hitting the spots they went to in years past. Andre is feeling that they and their 1989 Ford Van are getting tired and they will fly into Ft. Lauderdale and rent a car next season so, sadly, this will likely be our last visit. They leave for Naples, FL tomorrow. We exchange emails from time to time. Andre is amazingly flexible and with it. He says he has no doubt he will sell his $400,000.00 house to a Muslim-they are plentiful in his neighborhood now and he finds them agreeable neighbors. His youngest son is married to a Korean woman-both are multi-degreed. He has seen a lot since he emigrated from Quebec at 18 and went to work for Ford 62 years ago.

Honey got three runs today-she is getting better and better and enjoys it-we stop to see her friends-a sheltie and Pupper, a chihuahau and a moody dachshund and whoever else wants to visit, then we are off again. I thought we were so cool until I saw a kid being pulled on his skateboard by his dog this morning. They were flying. A cat over on Cobia Lane damn near upset the applecart tonight but we got past that. Buster enjoys his little walks and rolls on his back in the street and I stop traffic for him.

I played with my pictures and made some souvenir collages for my playmates. Ate light today because my stomach is still not back to normal , though it is better. I have a hitch in my get-along. Step a certain way and I am frozen. It has been this way a few days and I thought it a one-off, or two-off event, but it seems to be lingering. I can do most everything so it is not a biggie at this point.

Dejeuner du Andre et Nicole (the other ones)

For a couple of years Andre has been using my computer to check his internet messages. They are near neighbors this year. They have a van type camper and a tent. The van is a Roadtrek (about $85,000 per copy) and they also have a small boat. Andre is keen on fishing and caught our dinner, small-mouth bass, which he cooked in a vintage Sunbeam electric frying pan just like my mother once had.

Nicole cooked rice from scratch, carrots cooked in potato water (squeeze a lemon on them -magnifique!) served dilled tomatoes, gherkins, cookies and good coffee. These French derivatives are somewhat fanatical about their wine and coffee.

The tent was cool and airy. Other guests from way north were there. He used pictures stored in his camera to bridge the language barrier. He (Guy)and Andre have parallel interests except Andre and I both quit hunting after our first kill. They both own homes (Andre's is a fourplex in Montreal) Andre and Nicole's kids all live close-Sunday dinner at mom's house. They both have summer camps- Andre's is a 32 foot camper trailer on an acreage on a pristine lake/island close to Lake Champlain. He can start in Quebec and end up 31 miles later in Vermont.

Andre and Nicole have two daughters- four grandchildren, and a "Godson " with three children. They are his only parents. Good people and a very good life for which they are duly thankful.

And they shared with me for which I am duly thankful.

A Warm Florida Day

I could not help but notice a 68 degree difference between here and home in Wyoming at 7:00 a.m. EDST. It warmed right up today. Honey did well on her bike run. I headed to PetSmart to re-up my supply of dog poo bags and shopped for treats for my two and Juneau. I stopped at Best Buy to inquire about a computer repair job for HPWide. After asking the Geek Squad guy and describing the symptoms he said the dreaded "Replace the motherboard, big bucks." I may eventually send it in to HP for a second opinion but he is probably right. Took in Shane's BBQ for a sandwich and wandered back to camp. The LaTours offered me a lunchtime Corona and so I visited and drank a beer. We rehashed the party. They had received my emailed photos and I got to see Jeanne's on her camera.

The beer and the heat induced a nap. Took Honey on another bike run and this one was ill-timed. Everbody was walking their dog so there were lots of interruptions but no crashes.

My stomach has been distended for 3 days- partly for the usual reason but it does not feel like it is emptying, It needs a rest and that is is hard to do- a giant piece of blueberry coffeecake was brought by Bonnie, for instance, but it must take place and soon. Sipping peach tea prior to bed.

Pour Moi?

The neighbors hosted a party at which I was the guest of honor for being such a fabulous neighbor and entertainer. Joe's phrase "Throw out a fish head to catch a salmon," rang in my ears because it was a fabulous party and we had salmon. Nicole started us with a delicious and deadly punch: vodka, cranberry and orange juice and soda water-big tumblers. Then she and Andre served delicious canape's. After it had cooled on this warm day we had dinner: grilled salmon steaks, saffron rice and asparagus with parmesan cheese prepared by them all. A nice white wine furthered the felicity and before we knew it we were having a hootenany and dancing. Rene', well-oiled, told a hilarious story about his early army days as a kitchen worker. It did go on and on so every so often Andre would call an intermission and everybody would drink. The La Tours provided dessert -cake and ice cream, well after dark. It was a great party and a blast. Lot's of witty talk and kind artistic souls. Some pretty fair voices.

Nicole and Andre have quite the life: July through October on their 31 foot sailboat on Lake Champlain: then to the chalet on the ski slope before going south to Florida, then home to the Chalet in April.



Everybody was very chipper this morning-most have gone to the beach. I have been here under the air with the hounds. Andre stopped by and we had a great visit- he is so well read and has 80 years of stories. While it was still cool, I took Honey on a bike run and she did pretty well. Blowing off the steam makes her much calmer. She chased a coon last night-I had the fridge taped but then I remembered I'd left some rice and stuffing in a bag outside and she broke free. She did not bark. I was out looking for her and met an Annie Lennox look-alike walking her dog. Honey came bounding up to scare the poor pup and the lady and I talked for a few minutes. Her dog is named after a vampire. I heard my mother calling me and went home with Honey.

Sunday

Marc fixed my bike tire and I took Honey on a bike run. She did a good job save for a pause to sniff a chihuahua and a pit stop. Unfortunately when I took another bike run to deliver some pasta to Joyce, the tire was low so I think the next step is to discreetly get the thing to a bike shop. The run was beneficial for us both in that she got to go faster and run offf some excess energy. She is trying to bury her toys in the sandy soil down here.

Harold and Julia stopped by from 10th Avenue. Last year neighbors, they have adjusted to their new spot and took a cruise to the Virgin Isles which they enjoyed immensely. Their details made it sound well worth the money. They will begin migrating northward to New Brunswick (slowly) in ten days. It was thoughtful of them to come by to see me.

Greg came by. I need to buy some beer. Honey and J.J. got snarly with each other but Pupper and Honey played well. Buster has to sit it out inside because J.J. causes him consternation and Pupper whines: be wants to visit Busty. Very complex interactions these visits engender.

The borrowing of spaghetti pasta came with a last minute invitation to dinner with Ken, Mervi, and Joyce and Gary at their campsite. It was good food. Helped Gary stow his awning because the four of them are going to Orlando to use a time share Joyce bought.

Dinner tonight with the Andre, Nicole, Terese and Rene hosting. The LaTours will attend also. Looking forward to it.

Rich called. He had a great visit in Denver for Alicia's graduation recital (Master's Degree). I love it when Richard's Casper Consevative prejudices are confronted by the real world. Alicia's accompanist was a very talented Muslim about whom he raved. Val's nephew Curtis is a computer genius and gay- he was accepted enthusiastically into the family and Alicia's circle long ago.

Brother Bob meets with his surgeon today.

Catch up day

Saturday was a beautiful warm day that found me just puttering. Marc took it upon himself to fix the flat on my bike. It did not take but he told me last night he had the same problem with his new bike tires and now knows the solution. Andre stopped by when we were working on that and kept us in stitches. Marc and Jeanne got their truck back. They went on the tandem bike, Rene and Terese went to the Metropolitan Opera simulcast and I took a two hour nap. I think I have been resting well at night save for frequent potty breaks which require two steps so the nap was a surprise but very nice.

Miss Honey met Parker, a great yellow lab, that does not bark (!) and had a nice visit on one of our walks. Two hundred or more scouts settled on Scout Hill and their joyous noise was music. Some ding dong dad brought a portable light setup that was truly offensive.

I ordered a 32 gigabyte smartmedia card from Amazon because the card reader on old HPWide still functions and that will let me get my documents and pictures off it with only four or five transfers. Then I will turn it over to a tech person who can possibly fix the USB ports.

Grilled cheese sandwich and soup made this quiet day complete. I guess I needed some down time because I was quite content with my day.

Beautiful Day in Florida

We finally got the day we've been wanting- warmish, sunny, a little breeze, and folks enjoyed it with a vengeance. My day started at Joyce and Gary's with a "Founders Day" breakfast- a meal that will founder you if you don't watch out. Below is a Blueberry Buckle so named because the rich dense batter rises above the blueberries and the crust buckles.

Joyce made her breakfast souffle- "a heart attack on a plate," as Gary calls it. Bread ,eggs, cheese, bacon and artistry combined.

Bonnie sliced and diced ripe fruit-papaya on the left-very good when ripe. Probably the only healthy thing we ate.

We also met for the early bird special at the Rum Shack in Lake Worth for dinner. Full, good, meals for $9.95 per head (and we had coupons!) including a drink of choice-definitely a bargain and were it not for live entertainment on Friday night-it would have been very pleasant. Lake Worth has "Evening on the Avenues" every other Friday and it is great fun- shops are open late, street vendors, street musicians, a concert in the park: some real good blues and a harmonica player that was out of this world.

Joyce and Gary on a street bench on Worth Avenue. Bonnie and Dave were at both events. During the day all went their separate ways. Joyce and Bonnie went to the beach and the beauty salon. My neighbors went biking and roller blading at Okeeheelee Park. I went there too with the pups to the dog park. Honey was the sole big dog for quite awhile but she got to run around without a leash and sniff and pee to her heart's content. As we were leaving some big dogs arrived and we went back but they were Pit-Bull mixes and, while sweet enough, were intimidating to the girl. But nothing bad happened and I will view it as a successful maiden voyage. Buster backed out of his harness before we even made it to park gate so he sat it out in the car-much to his relief, I think,

Do Not Hit the Panic Button, I repeat...

I just caught Jason as he was turning into the park with his guest from Chicago because my baby brother tried to call me this morning- I must have been walking the dog, and when he called this evening I had my hands in flour and chicken livers and was not about to sully my new phone with bloody wallpaper paste! So Richard hit the panic button, called Jason, Jason called the gatehouse- they had seen me yesterday, but not today. Sheesh! If I tip over, no worries. If I don't tip over, no worries. If I am comatose, just let the situation resolve itself- no worries. If I am in a jam I will call! This place is grand central station: I had no fewer than six drop-by's today and that is about usual. I am on overload most days- especially for a hermit. Besides, I am sure Honey would be raising hell the first time she missed potty break.

Lew was in Boynton so Greg came by- his consolation on the recession is that the nest egg is back to 1996 levels which is when he decided they had enough to retire. So he is still sitting pretty- it is as if the last 12 years didn't happen except they have had a pretty good time in the meantime.

Gary came by with lunch-Joyce made a huge pot of tortellini soup and shared. I walked Honey down to see Andre and Anna. They went down to Briny Breezes (the town that was slated to be bought out by developers and make every resident a millionaire-it fell through and most of them are happy it did) to square dance last night. They are going somewhere else tomorrow to do the same. The original Henry Ford was a square dancing fanatic and built a huge pavillion in Dearborn to promote it.

I spent and hour and twelve minutes on the phone with Amazon trying to get my Kindle straightened out. Books I know are on it would give me an error message. The very patient tech helped me reboot the works and commenced a three hour download of all my purchased books. It seems to be O.K.

The dinner scheduled for Friday has been moved to Monday in hopes of better, more, balmy weather and the beginnig of daylight savings will make it longer before it starts to get chilly. Whatever...I will be happy to attend, whenever. Breakfast is still on- Joyce has already made a blueberry buckle (Pennsylvanian for coffeecake). ...if I don't croak before then.

The Saddest Happy Hour I Ever Attended

But first, Jeanne, sent me her pictures of the infamous breakfast. The French Toast looks great but there is no photo of the Frittata which is regrettable because when one has a gorgeous Frittata, one would like to splash photos of it all around the Internet. You will just have to imagine it.

Below, Marc, the O.F., Rene and Teresa, seated: Nicole and Andre. I just flip up the side curtain and my culinary equipment is just inside. Works great. Now if we could have some decent weather, I would practice some more. I am reaching the point where I have to admit the season has been less than ideal in the weather department. Cold and occasional drizzle today- not enough rain to do any good. Meanwhile Denver has a record breaking 76 degrees today.

We will gather again Friday for vespers and dinner at Nicole's. I will have breakfast at Joyce and Gary's. Gary brought me a plate of warm chocolate chip cookies about an hour ago. Yikes! The pants are getting tight again.

I re-did the network this morning and re-opened it, I had to go get Jeanne ( formerly Mme. LaTour) to translate with one guy- a very nice man who gives me pure Maple Syrup from his sugar house. I have cut down my customers to people I know I can trust. Marcel brought me a bottle of wine but my heart did not soften.

Gave myself a haircut after catching a glimpse of myself. I try not to do that.

As friendships grow, the intimacies increase. Terese and Andre invited me for Happy Hour tonight. He had bought a single Corona for their tiny fridge to hold for me. We talked of our two healthcare systems and how ours can cost catastrophically- wipe people out. They told of their daughter who died 12 years ago- a college student who was driving when a wreck occurred and how they not only lost their daughter but were sued for $8.2 million. Terese's mother is 89 and losing her marbles- she is in care in Canada but came here to this very park for 30 years and then to a mobile home on 10th Ave until Hurricane Wilma destroyed her home. They have a severely epileptic daughter who cannot work. They are remarkably chipper and together but the sadness leaks out of their eyes occasionally when they talk of these things. They have only had these last two years to travel together without caring for someone. "You do the best you can," says Terese. "Takes a licking and keeps on ticking," applies to more than Timex watches. I was crying in my beer after one Corona.

Fixed hamburger gravy and baked potato for dogs and man. Early to bed again> I think.

Art du Terese

Neighbor Terese is an artist. Her big paper comes out from under their mattress most afternoons and she works either in the VW Vanagon or in their screenhouse. Nicole is also an artist and she and Terese are spending several afternoons a week working together. As we have gotten to know each other Terese, loaned me her thumb drive with many of her works. She is into a feather motif now but has painted many subjects. Rene' listens to his iPod and reads while she works.

I was pleased to see Andre an old (80) friend from Dearborn, Michigan. He and his wife Anna (81) are back in the park-riding their bikes and kind of scaring us-Their 1989 Ford Van was stopped from ending up in Lake Osborne by a tree that fortunately got in the way. I introduced them to my neighbors as they are all bilingual and have things in common. He is sharp as a tack and has good stories. I took Honey on a walk to see them this afternoon but they were off gallivanting.

I keep looking for the black cloud that is hanging over these sites. I am continuing to have computer trouble-enough so the new one hasn't gone back to the store. HPwide doesn't want to recognize any USB connections on which I depend. Meanwhile, Mark got his truck out of the transmission shop and had to drive it directly to the Ford dealer on 10th Ave. The engine is likely shot. My troubles are nothing compared to theirs.

Honey managed to look like Mike Tyson while the Camp Manager was nearby. I have been expecting a ticket all day. Plus, she chewed the vacuum cleaner cord in two when I went to bed early last night.

Greg dropped by- the "recession" has dropped their assets by $ X00,000.00. He is going to go home and start minting "Greg money" out of copper and silver he has collected-it will be worth its face value. He has many original thoughts-an interesting mind. Lew has been shrewd, though- they have lost less than most. As stocks are so cheap right now Greg wants to go on a frugality kick and start pouring assets into stocks so he can get a bigger voice. I have had the same idea. Believe me they don't want Greg at a stockholder's meeting. He is beyond ticked off. It didn't come easy and it disappeared in a flash. We all feel lucky to be be free and clear and debt free with a patch to garden. His morning rant was on the olive oil scandal which I missed- apparently some big companies have been substituting corn oil from cattle feed corn (genetically modified to boot)and selling it as olive oil. I need to research this. My "belly buster" dietary changes may be adding fine marbling to the haunches. We both wonder where the "perp walks" are. Steal a candy bar from 7-11 and you get jail time. Rip off $50 billion and you get an ankle monitor in your penthouse.

At 7:00 a.m. this morning is was 40 degrees here and 52 degrees in Casper, Wyoming. Supposed to be 80 here on Friday, though so I will overlook the discrepancy. A nice jacket day here with lots of sunshine.