Good News!

I received this piece of news about George and Janet Hazen (2nd St - across from the Rec Hall) via Ron & Pat Vanover and I know that you will be happy to hear it:

Hi all
Life is good!!! Had my final test at the hospital on Tues. Mike (doc.) called me yesterday and said no-- CANCER, tumors, polyps, or stones. The bleeding was from a weakness in the prostate (radiation 6 years ago).
Doug called yesterday (thanks again Doug) and said that Gineen's place was available for renting. It was tempting, however, not enough time, now. If it could have been for 2 mo. we would be on our way.
Here's a little tip for you guys heading home (north east) at the end of the month. Don't be in a hurry, they are forecasting, long range for a cold Spring in Canada. I also kid you not!!!! the snow back here is something else. One of our outbuildings is 14 ft. from ground to eve and I could easily walk unto the roof from the ground (albeit mostly slide off from the roof). On second thought maybe you should stay down there until June and surely the snow will be gone by then.
Enough of the gloom, it rained yesterday and over the last couple of weeks daytime temps have been above freezing but damn cold at night.
Enjoy, drive easy on the way home, and with any luck we will see some of you guys this summer and if not in the Fall for sure.

Keep in touch Geo & Janet


What great news! I guess this has just been a crazy winter for medical issues for so many of our Avalon family. Hopefully next year will be better and we can have one happy crazy re-union!

I think this little cartoon says it all:

I'm rich! I'm rich! Silver in the Hair Gold in the Teeth Crystals in the Kidneys Sugar in the Blood Lead in the Butt Iron in the Arteries And an inexhaustible supply of Natural Gas. I never thought I'd accumulate such wealth.

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New Photos

Just a little note to let everyone know that I have added some new photos. Eventually I will sort and label as many as I can, but for now they are just in one big album. Newest additions are from the Shuffle Day and Pulled Pork luncheon. I will be back in Canada for a couple of weeks, but if you want to drop off pics to me when I get back (Lot 340) I can post them on the site. If you have them on a disc or a photo card it only takes a few minutes for me to download them to my PC and I will add them from there. Thanks for all the contributions so far. Hopefully we will get some good shots from Mardi Gras, Can AM, Ft DeSoto, Thurs night music and even Bingo!
As Kirby says....keep having fun at Avalon!

Summer in Winter....I love it!!

Hello friends. Hope you are somewhere in the sunny south enjoying the winter. The weather has been fantastic the last couple of weeks and it looks like there are more beach days in the forecast. I will be heading home for a couple of weeks and then returning for the last Hurrah from March 13th to mid April. It has been a short winter for me but my granddaughter is getting better and that's what counts.
I am in the process of adding pictures to the blog. I have had to set up a new account with "Photobucket" in order to add and edit photos. The new account is directly linked to the blog. There are some great shots in there from breakfast, the dances and the cruise to name a few. I will organize them and put some names on in my spare time (Hahaha!) You can still find the old photos from Avalon on the Photobucket site under AvalonRV but I had to create a new account due to passwords etc. to add the photos from this year. The Vanovers have been generous in sending me a great selection of photos to work with. The pics should give us a few good chuckles and lots of great memories. When you click on the picture link (palm trees beach scene)on the right hand side of the blog a page will pop up with a purple palm tree background and a lot of little pictures. You will see above the pictures in VERY small print: View all...view slideshow etc. I suggest you click on View slideshow and work through the pics from there. Enjoy!
Thanks again to Pat and Ron Vanover. You guys are a couple of the nicest boys and girls I have ever met!

Lori

It's beginning to look a lot like winter ---YUKKKKK!

Well here we are in the great white (and I do mean white!) north recovering from yet another snow storm. You don't know how badly I wish I was at Avalon. But, duty calls and when your kids need you it's impossible to enjoy yourself on a vacation. It is good to see our granddaughter improving each day. There have been ups and downs and relapses along the way, but we are grateful for the progress she has made and we are getting ready to celebrate her return to school (at least part-time) next week. We have also been able to get in some extra hugs and kisses from the rest of our grandchildren so that is a great bonus.
I am hearing from the folks in residence at Avalon that they have been enjoying some fairly nice weather. The "cruisers" have returned and all activities are in full swing. I bet there will be a few "Super Bowl" parties this weekend....ahhh, the good life!

With Valentine's day coming up, I thought I should pass on this information from Marv Harrison:

A store that sells new husbands has opened in New York City, where a woman may go to choose a husband. Among the instructions at the entrance is a description of how the store operates: You may visit this store ONLY ONCE! There are six floors and the value of the products increase as the shopper ascends the flights. The shopper may choose any item from a particular floor, or may choose to go up to the next floor, but you cannot go back down except to exit the building! So, a woman goes shopping for a new husband. On the first floor the sign on the door reads: Floor 1 - These men Have Jobs. She is intrigued, but continues to the second floor, where the sign reads: Floor 2 - These men Have Jobs and Love Kids. 'That's nice,' she thinks, 'but I want more.' So she continues upward. The third floor sign reads: Floor 3 - These men Have Jobs, Love Kids, and are Extremely Good Looking. 'Wow,' she thinks, but feels compelled to keep going. She goes to the fourth floor and the sign reads: Floor 4 - These men Have Jobs, Love Kids, are Drop-dead Good Looking and Help With Housework. 'Oh, mercy me!' she exclaims, 'I can hardly stand it!' Still, she goes to the fifth floor and the sign reads: Floor 5 - These men Have Jobs, Love Kids, are Drop-dead Gorgeous, Help with Housework, and Have a Strong Romantic Streak. She is so tempted to stay, but she goes to the sixth floor, where the sign reads: Floor 6 - You are visitor 31,456,012 to this floor. There are no men on this floor. This floor exists solely as proof that women are impossible to please. Thank you for shopping at the Husband Store. PLEASE NOTE: To avoid gender bias charges, the store's owner opened a New Wives store just across the street. The first floor has wives that love sex. The second floor has wives that love sex and have money and like beer. The third, fourth, fifth and sixth floors have never been visited.




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Hail, hail the gang's all here...well almost!

It is starting to look more like the Avalon we know and love every day. Most of the regulars have arrived and all of the activities are starting to have a following. Thursday night Music has resumed and we had a terrific time with lots of pickin' & a grinnin". We rang in the New Year with "Kenny K" who entertained us with his singing and music stylings on the keyboard, guitar and sax. We had many compliments about the great party and we are happy to say that he has agreed to provide the entertainment for us for next New Year's Eve as well.
I have heard from Geoff and Linda Hixson (Fourth St). Linda has one more specialist appointment and then they are hoping to get things arranged so they can come down for at least part of the season. They will know better in a week or two. It will be nice to see Linda relaxing by the pool and Geoff being...well...Geoff!
I received an e-mail from Evan and Neva who used to own a place on Fourth St. They have been in contact with Art and Joyce Akrill of Fourth St. Joyce has had surgery and is undergoing by-weekly treatments so they will not be returning to Avalon until the fall. I'm sure that we will all keep them in our prayers as we look forward to a full recovery for Joyce and a great reunion next season.
Ed and I are back in Canada for a few weeks. Our granddaughter Erin has been ill and we want to be home to help her as she recovers. While we are gone we hope everyone continues to have a great time and enjoy the beautiful Florida sunshine. We have had a few cold spells, but so far it still has been nicer than last year (although that was one year that won't be hard to beat weather-wise) Trust me, a cold January day in Florida is still better than a warm January day in Canada - it just costs a little more, that's all!

I look forward to hearing great things about the January 21st "Hollywood Dance" with Donna and Lenny. Although costumes are optional I'm sure there will be a few "stars" that come out to Avalon to join in the fun.
Hope to see you all at the pool soon!

It's the most Wonderful time of the year!

That's right...it's the Holiday Season, and you know what that means at Avalon....parties and dinners, sing-alongs and Christmas parades! Yep....we're having a great time. And it keeps getting better. This week we are expecting a large number of our friends to arrive for the season. A few more days and the island will be bustling.
Last week we enjoyed a terrific Christmas dinner. Kudos to Mary and Ray (Third St) and their team for preparing and serving a fantastic meal courtesy of Corporate.
On Christmas Eve Kirby led the 2nd Annual Avalon Christmas Parade with twice as many participants as last year. I'm sure the residents of Avalon and Donovan's were WOWED by the beautifully decorated golf carts, trikes & bikes and "seasonally dressed" pets...not to mention the appearance of at least THREE Santas!!! Afterwards we had a great time in the hall singing, snacking and being silly!
I am looking forward to ringing in the New Year with "Kenny K" who is being brought to us by Rick and Dianna Frick (formerly of First St) Shine up your dancing shoes and get ready for a great evening.
All of the regular activities will be in full swing in the new year. Bingo, shuffle, darts, cards, line dancing, bunco, Monday morning exercise, Thursday Night Music, zumba... there is something for everyone. In addition, a large number of residents are going on a cruise the last week of January. Imagine....going on a vacation from your vacation! It doesn't get much better than this folks!

Long time....no post!

Hello everyone. I am sorry for not being more consistent in my posts, but I had to fly back home to be with one of my grandchildren who has been very sick. She is making good progress and hopefully will be out of the hospital soon. It has been nice to be here for her and her Dad, and also to spend lots of "Nana" time with my 4 other grandchildren. What isn't nice is that white stuff on the ground! I think I am getting used to bundling up every time I step out the door, but when a mighty blast of winter hits you in the face it sure makes you long for Florida. I know, I've heard that the weather in Florida hasn't been the greatest lately, but trust me, it's still better than this!
I will be getting back to Avalon just in time to start preparing for all of the upcoming events. We are looking forward to the 2nd Annual Golf Cart Christmas Eve Parade followed by Carols and goodies in the hall. Our New Years Eve Dance is always a great occasion and this year our entertainer is singer and musician Kenny K - on loan from "Eaglewaters Resort" in Wisconsin. Then comes January with all the activities in full swing!
Hope to see you all soon at Avalon.