Avalon Update

Good evening friends,
I thought it was time to catch up a little. I've been enjoying the wonderful Florida sunshine so much I haven't hardly had time to read my e-mail.
Bev and Doug Seddon sent a note on November 17th to say that they had been to the hospital to visit Peter Craske (from First St) He has been in the hospital 3 times in the last 6 weeks, but he is on the mend now and he is planning to arrive in Florida in a couple of weeks. It will certainly be good to see him again.
I had a call from Geoff and Linda Hixson (Fourth St) and although Geoff has recovered nicely from his pacemaker operation and is clear to travel, Linda has been troubled with some heart problems and has to see the specialist before they can come down. They are hopeful that they will make it down this season, but it may not be until well into February or March. I will let everyone know when I get any more news from them.
People are arriving at Avalon every day and I expect there will be quite an influx after Thanksgiving. The weather has been beautiful and the pool is magnificent - of course nobody believes me because I have been seen in the pool on some pretty cool days!
Monday night Bingo has started up again and the crowd is building each week. The Angels and Devils are fighting over the nickels, dimes and quarters every Tuesday, and the Spades and Diamonds are trying to win bragging rights at darts on Friday night. The Mighty Avalon Shuffle Warriors are off to a great start this season with a couple of wins under their belt already. We are trying "Zumba" on Sunday nights until Line Dancing starts in January. If we keep it up we will all have to go shopping for smaller sizes by February - Oh no! ....shopping!!

Looking forward to seeing y'all here soon!

Home, Sweet Home away from Home

Yeehaw! We arrived in at Avalon very early Saturday Nov 6th and it sure is good to be here. Lots of folks are enjoying the sunshine and more northern "refugees" arrive each day. The weather has been fantastic - sunny and in the high 70's - low 80's. Not too hot, not too cold. Tomorrow I plan to make my first visit to the beach for the season. I have been in the pool a few times but apparently they don't turn on the heat until Nov 15th - good thing I'm Canadian!
Music night has started up again and the group is getting bigger each week. We are anxious for the return of all the musicians and singers and are looking forward to some great Thursday nights to come.
For those who have not arrived yet, don't worry, you haven't missed all the construction on US 19. If you are pulling a unit you might be wise to use the Courtney Cambell (SR 60) to cross over from Tampa to avoid having to turn around at Bellaire. Also, be prepared for a tight turn into Avalon. There are signs marking the driveway for Harberson and 2 for Donovans, but Avalon just has a ton of barrels piled in front of it - not bad once you do it , but not easy to see in the dark.
All of the usual activities are getting underway and there is a Turkey Dinner at the hall for Thanksgiving. Yum!
Good to be back!

BRRRRR!

Well, the great chill has begun and I am still north of the 49th. The weatherman is using that nasty "S" word and I hope to get underway before I see a single flake! Ed's brother Norm has arrived in Avalon and he tells me that the place is starting to fill up - not the island of course - that's reserved for Roy and all his friends - the January to April crowd. Norm reports that it has been so hot that one of the Depatie brothers has been in the pool - a new record for sure! He told me to be sure to bring my hedge trimmer. Apparently my bougainvillea is taking over my yard. We hope to head out by the weekend and we will get there when we get there. Hope to see y'all real soon.

A Word to the Wise

I received this warning from Ron and Pat Vanover regarding a very dangerous activity some of us might be engaging in. Make sure you don't end up like this!

New Feature on the Blog - our very own Flea Market!

Hi guys,
I thought this might come in handy. I added a page called Avalon Flea Market. It may take a little while to get going but once people are aware of it, I'm sure it will come in handy. My thought was to provide a place for people to post items for sale, or items they are looking for. It can also be used to ask where you can find a certain item, or do you know a good mechanic. Check it out and feel free to give it a try. ( I edited the page this morning to allow comments to be added - just add your post as a comment and it will be viewable by all who visit the page)
Once we are all back at Avalon I will make sure the blog is mentioned at the meetings so we will get more and more folks participating.
See you soon. (13 more sleeps for me before I get moving south!)

Hello My Friends

I'm writing a short note just to say hello to each and every one of you. Time is flying by and my work is quickly coming to a close so I have been very busy meeting deadlines and making sure everything is set to roll along smoothly while I play hookey. I am hearing from a few friends who have started their annual southern migration and I am getting very excited to get going....17 more sleeps! We are going to have a great season this year. I am trusting that the weather will be much better than the last few years.
I can't wait to give you all hugs.
I am hoping we can start a couple of more special interest activities. A craft night would be great so we can get the seasonal decorations spruced up. I would like to start a zumba class for any one who is interested in this fabulous workout geared to movement and rhythm in a party atmosphere.
Get ready to shake your booty! You will be amazed at how much energy you get and how easily the techniques adapt to people of all ages and abilities.
I can't wait to see my pink bouganvillia in front of my house - is it in bloom yet?
I am going to start packing soon...Florida .....here I come ...hang in there Linda Williams and Tom and Barb. You won't be alone for long. The invasion is on it's way.
Drive safe everyone.

Something new on the Blog

Hi friends. You will notice a new box in the upper right hand corner of this page. It will have labels of new pages I am adding from time to time. You can toggle between pages to get back and forth from the home page (this one) to any other pages that interest you. The newest label is Book Reviews and it will include reviews of books I have been reading that I will bring to Avalon with me. Happy Reading!