Monday, March 18, 2013

On The Road Again.

Seven weeks and four days after we arrived at Seminole Campground in North Fort Myers, we pulled out. The full-timer's itch must be scratched again.  But we won't soon forget the winter we've had here -- made possible by the wonderful people we've had the good fortune to have met. 

In addition, we've done something we'd never done and have vowed we'd never do: make advanced reservations.  But indeed we did reserve space here at Seminole Campground for next winter.  I'm sure next November and December will be anxious months for us because by then, we'll be so excited to rekindle these friendships.

The last few days have been just as much fun as had been the previous weeks.  For the first time since an outing with the children, when they were teens, we played 18 holes of Putt-putt Golf.

Ken, Nancy, Me and the Wayner
I swear Ken is just an overgrown little boy as he can always find something fun to do.  This day, we waited until late afternoon for the ride over to play at Castle Golf. What a blast!

Here, I'm trying to give Ken some putt-putt pointers.
Voila!  See how easy! 
 
And here Nancy gives Wayne a lesson

Nancy hit two hole-in-one shots.
This expression shot was taken when she saw the first one.

What?  Me cheat? No, Ken did though.
Then on March 12 we forced ourselves to have yet another birthday party. Oh darn!  More cake and ice cream!  This birthday party was for Joyce and it was a special labor of love for us as Joyce's twin sister passed away and we wanted to be sure we honored the tradition while celebrating new friends.

Joyce with her birthday flower pot.


We cooked steaks on the grill and everybody pitched in.

The birthday girl was transported everywhere that afternoon in the specially decorated birthday carriage.
Our final night with the West Side Trailerhood gang was a celebration for our departure the next day. As a special surprise, Linda treated me to the first professional hair cut I've had in a dozen years!   I'm still not real sure if they were sending us away happily or in sadness as the side-splitting laughter continued as they cooked on the grill, made special dishes and desserts for us to gorge upon... again.

Difficult to see here but Wayne has a big Cheetos puff in his mouth, making a big orange smile.

The big Cheetos puff crumbled leaving just an orange stained smile.


Farewell dinner.  Burgers, Dogs and brats, vegetables, mac and cheese and all the fixins.

Such sad faces on Dale and Linda.
They're going to miss us I'm sure.

Around the farewell campfire.
The campfire lasted until late in the night. Hours, probably, after we had gone to bed and fell asleep. 

Next morning, just before we pulled away, we ate again. This time, it would be Nancy's family's recipe of baked oatmeal with coffee, juice and fresh fruit.  Holy cow, it was great.. again.  With Nancy's permission, I'm going to share her family's recipe here:

Wagner Family Baked Oatmeal

2 eggs beaten
1 c milk
1/2 c oil
1 c brown sugar
1 t salt
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t cinnamon
3 c quick oats
1/2 c raisins (optional)
1/2 c chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
 
Mix first seven ingredients. Stir in oatmeal, raisins and nuts.
Pour into a 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.
Serve with warm milk.
 
Repeat the next morning.

We said our goodbyes around 10:30 Friday morning and of course, I cried.  These are special friends and I'm going to miss them.   

1 comment:

  1. I am so sorry we did not get a chance to say goodbye. I have unexpectedly been in Oregon the last ten days lending some emotional support to one of my children. Hope our paths cross again this year!

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