This and That, Now and Then, Before and After

We recently added a front lanai to the house.  In Florida, the doors swing out, in Minnesota, it is just the opposite and we could always have a screen door so we could open up the house.  With the door swinging out, we just could not find a solution to the screen door dilemma so after much thought, we decided to add a lanai to the front of the house.  This is not typically done, the lanai usually is in the back of the house but we had a nice front patio that was never used and we figured we could kill two birds by adding the front lanai. We could open our front door finally and use the front patio.

Unfortunately by the time it was added it was too hot to open up the house so we are looking forward to some cooler weather when the AC can be shut off and we can enjoy our front lanai.

Gary is busy doing odd jobs in the area, I am still busy with Hersheys but have had time to create some yard art for us and our new front lanai.  Pinterest has become an obsession for me, I am always looking for "junk" that needs a makeover.  I'm trying to keep stuff out of the landfills if anybody asks.

I found this kiddie rocking chair for $2 at a garage sale.  It just needed a little love and some paint.

Found some bowls and a vase at the thrift shop for little less than $10 and now we have a planter and it even has some dolphins on it.  Yeah!

I bought a colander at a garage sale for a buck and now we have more windchimes.

So if you have some junk laying around, think twice.  Or at least check out Pinterest.  You just never know what you might come up with and you won't be filling up a landfill.   Margaret

A Long Weekend in Minnesota

I spent a long weekend in Minnesota beginning June 12th and returning to Florida on June 17th.  As many of you know I have a special brother and sister in Minnesota and it has become too difficult for them to travel to Florida to see me so I headed up north to spend time with them.  My nephew also had a graduation party so it was all family all weekend.

Noreen and Steve - trying on hats at gift shop.

When I left Florida in was in the 90s and pretty humid.  So I assumed it would be that way in Minnesota. When we landed  on Thursday afternoon and I saw all the baggage handlers in hooded sweatshirts and gloves I got a little worried.  I was pretty sure I would be cold.

Paul Bunyan Land - kinda cool.

On Friday morning,  I picked up my brother and sister in southern Minnesota and we headed to Brainerd for a little "up north" vacation.  My other sister lives in Garrison which is close so we could spend time with her too.

Steve - Mille Lacs Lake

Fish in Garrison, MN

It rained pretty much all day Saturday and into Sunday morning when we left for a graduation party in Minneapolis.  Things were not looking too good for the party but as we approached Minneapolis, the sun came out and it was a perfect afternoon to spend an afternoon in the park where the party was in full swing.

Diego Grad Party - Lake Harriet - Mpls.

We headed back to southern Minnesota after the party and it was a fairly nice until about Monday afternoon when I had to return to Minneapolis so I could fly home Tuesday morning.  The rain started falling as I left Mankato and just got worse as I got into the city where I hit rush hour traffic.  It was basically a nightmare.  I could have kissed the ground when I got to Ted's apartment located on Washington Avenue in Mpls.  He lives in an old warehouse which has been made into apartments.  It is an awesome building right in the middle of all the action.  Its just not easy to get to.  Especially in torrential rain and rush hour.

Skyline outside Ted's apartment window.

It was nice to see my family and catch up.  I bought a sweater at a thrift shop in Brainerd.  It was worth every cent.  And its hanging right next to my suitcase in the closet so I don't forget it next time.  Margaret

June Already?

It is hard to believe we are almost at the half way mark of 2014.  Where did the first half go?  Since moving to Florida it is very difficult to keep the seasons straight.  In Minnesota, dirty snow clumps meant spring would show up in a few weeks, orange leaves meant school was starting and the first snow fall was our sign to head south!   We don't have any snow clumps or orange leaves or kids in school so we have to remind ourselves what season we are in.   We've learned that June 1st means Hurricane Season in Florida.  Yikes.

Debora and I enjoying Sanibel Island.

Last weekend we had our annual visit from the Georgia Peaches, Debora and Ken.  The drive from their place to ours is about six hours.  We had great weather so we spent the day at Sanibel Island, checked out the Mucky Duck, headed to Hooters for Debora's first ever visit and then Gary thought Ken would like Barista's, a new coffee place where the servers wear only underwear.  Apparently he thinks the coffee is really good.

A stop at the Mucky Duck.

Debora's first Hooters.

New coffee shop in Cape Coral. 

This week Gary and I decided that a tree that we planted when we first moved here had to go.  It is a Washingtonia palm that grows very tall and just gets uglier and uglier cause the dead branches hang like a skirt on the trunk.  Either you have to hire someone to climb up high and trim the branches or you do it yourself. And it can be dangerous with the razor-like branches.

Close up of razor-like branch.

Good bye ugly tree.

It grows so tall you don't really notice the branches that can become the home to rats and it can be a hazard during hurricane season.  So Gary cut it down while I stood on the street in case a car came by so I could stop them since he was falling the tree that way.  At least that's what he said, since he had me stand right where the tree was coming down.

Old tree out, new Foxtail tree in.

Its been a lot of work for Gary but it looks much better, we don't have that worry if we should be in the middle of a bad storm and the rats moved down the road. Now I gotta go turn the calendar.   Happy June!  Margaret

Happy Mother's Day!!!

Let me start out by wishing each and every mother out there a great day - hope you are being pampered and loved.  You deserve it.

Now to the blog.  I didn't realize it was so long since my last entry.  Time flies especially when it is hot and there is a pool in the back yard with a floatie with your name on it.  Spend way too much time lying on that thing.  I wish I could say I was so busy I can't get to the blog but I keep looking at that pool and that damn floatie.  Leave me alone!!!  I have a blog to write.

We had a very nice surprise when our brother-in-law Mark from MN stopped over for a visit Monday afternoon and he even brought us dinner.  Apparently he had a chance to go on a "guys' weekend" to Naples so he was able to fit us in on the tail end of his weekend.  He brought us some shark meat from a shark he caught himself. (At least that's what he said.)  Shark meat was a first for us and it was delicious, tastes just like chicken.  There weren't any bones and not even any teeth.  Best part I didn't have to cook.  Everything tastes better when someone else cooks it.  We had a chance to show him around Cape Coral a little, had a great supper, caught up on Minnesota news and it was just so nice to see him.  Hoping for a return visit someday.

After that excitement, Gary and I headed to Jet Boat Fun in Fort Myers Beach yesterday.  We had scheduled this Groupon adventure a while ago and since the weather was perfect, we were able to go on our ride.  The driver heads out on Estero Bay and once we are there we do all kinds of turns and spins at high speeds and we get really really wet.  It felt great and I think I screamed the whole time we were out there.  The boat is made special for these kinds of rides and only sits 4 inches in the water.  It has a big block V8 Chevy motor in it whatever that means but I guess that makes it go fast and it did.  Great fun and I highly recommend it but don't even bother with your make up or hair. You look like a drowned rat when you get off.

It is getting warmer and the fans are going steady, the AC is in the batter's box, it won't be long now and the switch will be on.  Gotta go, the floatie is getting an attitude.   Margaret

Summer Here We Come

The past couple of weeks have been pretty quiet here, the weather is definitely warming up, we have lots of blue skies and with that comes more humidity.  We had a first 90 degree day yesterday!  Won't be long and the rains will start too.  But we don't mind. Really, we spend more time in the pool and at the beach, we move a little slower and when it rains, Gary doesn't need to water as much.  Its a win-win.

Mary and Pat have left us, they returned to Illinois after spending about six months here, this was their first season in Cape Coral and while they had lots of remodeling to do on the home they bought here, we had lots of time for fun too.  We even managed to get to the beach a couple weeks before they left.  Sanibel has some of the nicest beaches around and the water is so pretty there, we almost always see dolphins and taking the dogs there is much easier since there are fewer people and even fewer other dogs.  Mojo and DeDe want all the attention when they are on the beach, they have no time of other dogs.

Gary, Karen, Mary, Margaret & Pat at The Dek.

We spent our last nite with Mary and Pat at The Dek in Cape Coral.  It is a biker's bar and its where Mary feels most at home.  And they serve a "Meat Lovers Pizza" which is loaded with bacon, bacon and more bacon.  It was Pat's last wish before leaving so what could we say?  Note to self, get a tattoo or ten before you visit The Dek again.

Today we headed back to Sanibel and as you can see, Mojo and DeDe are loving the beach life.  I guess they are meant to lay in the sand and dream snowy dreams of a previous life in Minnesota.  Margaret

Cape Coral Cardboard Boat Regatta

The New Residents Club decided to enter a cardboard boat into an annual boat race here in town.  Pat Wood was in charge of the boat building which took months.  There are lots of rules about using cardboard and what glues you can use, no nails, foam rubber, etc. to make the actual boat.  Pat used used 125 tubes of contact cement which was permitted and lots of cardboard.  There are categories for People's Choice which are really all about creativity and of course there are prizes for actual race winners.

Wizard of Oz Boat.

Our boat - Its a Small World.

Ford Car - that's Fred from our group in the back.  He had nothing to do with building this.

We used our boat for three races and the race I was in (55 and over) actually came in second place. I was a little upset that everyone assumed I fit in that category.

I am in the front of far boat trying not to fall out.

Many people turned out for the races and some just stood out a little more than others.  Not that I would notice.  It was tough getting a picture of rug man without him noticing, I pretended I really really liked the boat he was standing next to.  We discussed the possibility it was a rug just for fun but some of us thought it was for real.  So many unanswered questions, is there life on Mars?  Does he go grocery shopping with that on his head?

Best part, I think he's single, ladies.

The pink skirt is asking herself "WTF?"

Some boats even had help from man's best friend. I think he was supposed to scare off the other rowers.  Didn't work, they lost.

The last race was a free for all and basically a chance to completely destroy your boat so you wouldn't have to trailer it home.  Some people really didn't want to take their boats home.

We had a great time, a really fun event and we could not have ordered nicer weather.  So much going on around here, who knew you could glue some cardboard together and sail away??? I got some boxes out in the garage....  Margaret

 

Who Doesn't Love a Wiener????

Yesterday Gary and I spent the day surrounded by wieners.  As most people know we have two little wiener dogs, Mojo and DeDe.  There are wiener dog races every once in a while so we decided it was time to put our money on DeDe and retire for good.  Looks like we will be working for a while but she did come in second in her first race.  After that it was all downhill.  Mojo has retired from racing basically because she refuses to run anywhere and she thinks its beneath her.   DeDe shows promise and if there was a competition for barking, she would win first, second and third.  In fact, she barked so much yesterday, she used up a whole week's worth.  At least she is not alone, seems like wieners like to bark.  Alot.  

Please enjoy the wieners below, we had a great time and we are still all worn out from our race day.  We didn't bring home any trophies but I don't think we will hear DeDe bark for a day or two.  Margaret

Third place is pretty nice.

Stanley had a whole team there and it seemed to work.  He won!

The only thing better than one wiener are three wieners.

Ten week old wiener, still unnamed.  I called her adorable!

There are lots of spoiled wieners.

Wire haired wiener.

Let's just call her Spot.

Mini Honeymoon on North Captiva

On Saturday, Gary and I took the Calusa Queen which is a charter out of Punta Gorda to North Captiva Island.  This is an island that has intrigued me ever since we moved here.  We have been to Sanibel and Captiva many times and love taking our visitors there because it is so beautiful but there is no way to get over to North Captiva unless you take a boat or small airplane.  And since we don't have a boat yet and I lost the keys to our  plane, we decided to take the charter over.  The boat trip took about 2 hours and we had a pod of dolphins playing next to the boat on the way there and a couple on the way home.  If I see a dolphin, the rest of the trip is just a bonus.

North Captiva was developed in the 1960s but didn't get electric or telephone service til the mid 1980s.  The island has about 300 homes and about 300 vacant lots.  There are no cars on the island so golf carts are used to get around.

Eating outside by the water and a singer too.

Gary and I took a walk after we ate lunch at Barnacle Bill's to check out the island and there are many homes for rent and some for sale.   Looks like we'll be staying in the Cape cause there is no way we can afford a house out there and a parking stall for the plane.

The water is truly beautiful around the island, it feels remote and we decided it would be a great place to spend a vacation.  On the way out to North Captiva Gary and I were amazed at all the other islands, some with homes.  As we were leaving North Captiva, I asked Gary if he could find his way back and he was completely turned around which is something since he usually can find his way home.  I had a hard time finding my seat on the boat.

Stilt home outside North Captiva Island

We are having fun seeing different parts of the area and would recommend this daytrip. Now I gotta go look for those plane keys.  Margaret