Happy first day of Summer!

Hey there friends! Hope you are all well and enjoying the weather. We have had some good & some bad, but all in all it has been fairly nice (soggy, but nice!) I received the following message for everyone from Linda Williams (Fourth St):

WE'RE STILL HOLDING DOWN THE HOMEFRONT. IT IS HOT,HOT. I FORGOT TO THANK NANCY & JOE FOR HOSTING OUR BREAKFASTS EACH MONTH. THEY PICK A PLACE & WE ALL MEET THE FIRST SATURDAY OF THE MONTH. THE CORP. OFFICE HOSTED A BBQ FOR MEMORIAL DAY. WE ALSO ARE GOING TO HAVE A POT LUCK AGAIN THIS MONTH.
I WANT TO THANK EVERYONE FOR THEIR NOTES TO ME FOR MY LOSS OF MY DOG MISSY. SHE WILL BE MISSED.
OK TILL NEXT TIME.SEND US SOME RAIN OR SNOW OR SOMETHING THAT WILL COOL US OFF.
LINDA 4TH.ST.

It's good to know that all is well in Avalon. I always enjoy spending time in Canada with my family, but I sure do miss my friends from Avalon!
Take care & keep in touch. If you have any news to share, you can send me an e-mail or post it as a comment.

Happy days to all.

Time for an update!

Hope you are all well and happy and enjoying the summer with family and friends. Ed and I have been busy selling our Fifth Wheel at the lake in order to replace it with a bigger unit eventually.Right now we have put our 27 ft travel trailer on our lot at the Lake so we can still enjoy the summer with our friends. We are still trying to sell our house.Some day.... when God is ready to unleash us on the full time RV world!
For those of you who have been asking, our granddaughter is walking and running and doing very well. We are hoping to spend a weekend in October at Avalon, just her and I - doing all the things a 13 yr old and a nana can enjoy together.
I am headed to Sudbury this week to see my sisters and of course, to drop in on Norm and Brenda and see if I can stir the pot a little!
I have heard from the Seddons, the Vilanis, Ron & Judy Steeves, and Mary and Ray Schmidt. I get the feeling we are starting to miss each other! I know I miss each and every one of you!
Keep on having a great summer. Musicians...get busy picking a few new songs for Thursday night....its coming up quickly.
Love you all & can't wait to be back in paradise with the nicest folks on earth.
God Bless you all real good!

I wonder how the old folks are at home?

Well, the words of one of Joe's favorite songs came to mind so I thought it was time to say hi to all. Although we are far apart we are still close to the heart. I get the odd piece of news from Avalon. Linda Williams sent along this greeting:

I thought I'd write & let everyone know what's happening here in AVALON. The weather is beautiful & hot,hot. We still have NICKEL BINGO on TUESDAY. LARRY & FRIEDA from 3rd St. hosted a last minute POTLUCK SUPPER this past SUNDAY. We had about 20 people. Most everyone who is leaving for the summer has gone. I went to the Doctors the other day & it's been 1 yr. & I'm cancer free so far. JACKIE & JOHN from 5th St. are getting married on our cruise in JAN 2012. I have everything set for that . The bus is booked, the cruise is booked and I'm ready to go. Well goodbye til next time. We're all fine here and we'll keep it going till you guys get back.
LINDA 4TH ST.

Thanks Linda for holding it all together for us while we are gone. Hooray for you and your cancer free body!!! I am sure we are all thankful for your super recovery.

Ed and I are enjoying our weekends at the lake and we are happy to report that our granddaughter Erin is walking and running and doing great. She is even participating in some sports. Thank you for all the prayers on her behalf.

Everyone else is doing fine as far as I know. I will post any news I get as it comes in.
Take time to smell the roses this summer and take good care of yourselves.

Update

Greetings to all.
Sad news from my brother-in-law Norm Vanier. His mother passed away quietly late Thursday night. All of her children were able to make it to Oregon in time to see her before she passed. She lived 88 years, mostly in wonderful health, survived 2 husbands and had 5 children, around 20 grandchildren and over 30 great-grandchildren. I guess none of us can ask for more than that. RIP Margaret Vanier-Stossel.

On another note, Donna and Scott Hillier (4X) made it home last week. They were trying to slip through Georgia in between storms but I guess their truck didn't want to co-operate. They had to hunker down while a few repairs were being made, but all in all they managed fairly well and are now back in Ontario.
I haven't heard of any other troubles so I guess the rest of the crew is making out just fine.

The weather here in Windsor is as fickle as ever. Spring in the afternoon and winter after the sun goes down. My brother-in-law Norm Depatie who is still at Avalon tells me it is a hot as h*** but strangely enough I do not feel sorry for him!

Take good care of each other wherever you are!

Just when you thought it was safe to go home....

After a great ride home on Sunday we woke up to the cruel reality that it is still winter in Canada....not officially, but that white stuff on the ground is strong evidence that Mother Nature is not finished playing tricks on us yet. Hopefully the Easter Bunny won't have to borrow a sleigh from Santa to make his rounds.
I hear from those at Avalon that the sun is still shining. Wouldn't it be nice to have just one more day at the beach?
My sister Pat and husband Norm Vanier (from Third St) arrived home last Friday, but are already on the move. Norm's mother (88 yrs old) who lives in Oregon is doing poorly and the family has been called in. His sister Vivien from Washington state suffered a heart attack just 2 weeks ago. I am sure they would all appreciate your prayers at this time.
Take care and keep in touch.

Where have all the snowbirds gone?

It is hard to believe that just a few days ago the streets of Avalon were full of merrymaking vacationers and it was hard to get from the pool to the Rec Hall without a lot of hand-waving and hello-ing! It is really quiet here! And it's going to get even quieter by the end of the month. But, it has been a good season! The weather has been awesome and the fellowship....well, you all know why we love Avalon.....it's the people who make this place a wonderful home away from home.

I heard that Paul and Jan Urquhart have arrived home safely in New Brunswick after being chased by a tornado (maybe it was just a cloud of dust kicked up by an angry greyhound trying to get his share of the winnings!)
Ansel and Dorothy had a small mishap on the way (somebody rear-ended them!) but they were able to continue on and made it home. As they say "No news is good news." so I imagine the rest of you are doing just fine.

I have added a page to the blog called AVALON BULLETIN BOARD. A number of folks have expressed an interest in being able to contact people who might have a place for sale or rent in Avalon. If you click on the page heading you will see the instructions for those interested in posting an ad. We will see how this works and modify it as we go along.

Ed and I will be leaving for home on the weekend. I will miss this place - but most of all I will miss you guys! Six months is a long time...I am sure I will be looking forward to November before I even get across that old Howard Franklin Bridge!

Happy trails to all! I will be in touch after I get back home.

Are We Having Fun Yet?

We are getting close to the end of the "season" and the pictures are coming in fast & furious. I am adding them to the photo link as time allows and I hope you will all take a peak and see how much fun we are having! A special thank you goes out to Sam for taking such nice photos and sharing them with us. I have added a few names and comments here and there but to be honest, it's a long job and one that I hope to continue after I return home. (Notice I put hope in bold....at least it will be on my "to do" list!)
I have been away quite a bit this winter (thank you for asking about my granddaughter - your prayers have been a great source of strength for us as a family and I am very excited about the great progress she has made. I hope to put a nice picture of her on the blog when she is standing up free of crutches) I have missed a lot of time here, but I am I truly grateful for every minute I have had here with my wonderful Avalon friends and family. You guys are the best and I love you all very much.

This week will be jam-packed with activities. Have a blast and finish off the season in true Avalon style!

I want to give a special word of thanks to all the hard working volonteers who make Avalon a fantastic place to stay. We have the best cooks, servers, decorators, organizers, and cleaners etc... around! When there is a job to do at Avalon there are always lots of eager helpers and each and every one deserves a huge thank you from everyone. Every weekly activity from the Monday morning meeting, Shuffle, Bingo, Bunco, exercise, biking, Music Night, Bid Euchre, Darts, Line Dancing takes planning and preparation and commitment. Thank you, thank you , thank you! You are the life of our "Avalon Party". The special activities like Barb B Q's, Dances, Can Am Day, Ft Desoto, Cruises, Casino trips, Luncheons etc are all the result of a lot of hard work by people who want us all to have a great vacation. Thank you friends for your participation.

So lets get out there and have a great time celebrating our friendship this week!