And the Saga Continues...

Day 7:

This morning Jan headed out the door early to work at a Church Rummage Sale and should be back this afternoon.  After my morning walk around the subdivision, laundry duties called.  We began packing our suitcases for our trip north to Clermont where we meet up with Dan and Shirley at Summer Bay Resort near Disney World.  Goodbyes were said and we left at 1:00 p.m.  The interior of Florida is mostly grassland and barren with scrub brush and cattle.  Arrived at Summer Bay at 3:30 with no problems.  Dan and Shirley welcomed us with “open arms.”  Unloaded and shopped at Publix for staples, including Florida shrimp (yum, yum!).  After cocktails and dinner, we walked the resort and checked out the place, including the beach and clubhouse.  Played cards and jumped in the sack, readying ourselves for the next day.

Day 8:

Beautiful  day, plenty of sunshine!  Temperature today should reach a high of 74!  Dan and I put on our tennis shoes and did an early morning walk.  Had a quick breakfast and left for Downtown Disney which is an large complex full of shops and fun stuff to do.  There was a bus system and water taxi system in place (for free!) that connected all the various Disney resorts.  As a result, we toured Animal Kingdom Lodge where we saw a menagerie of wild African animals.
We water-taxied to the Riverside Resort whose décor and architecture reminded us of the landscape along the Mississippi River , including huge plantation mansions and all-things of the genteel Southern Living.  Next came the whimsical Port Orleans Resort featuring all things New Orleans.

Iron wrought balconies and  French architecture interlaced with fantasy Mardi Gras masks  and sculptured alligators .  Loved it!    Lunch at the Earl of Sandwich filled us; no need to eat dinner!   After a long day’s walking and touring we headed  back to the condo for cocktails and snacks.  Great day was had by all!

Day 9:  On Monday we checked out the Highlands Reserve Golf Course for tomorrow’s outing.  And naturally we shopped somewhat in Wally-World.  In the afternoon we awaited the arrival of Lee and Jan as well as Dick and Pat.  The day was overcast, but temperature was good enough to sit out on the patio—eatin’  and drinkin’ as normal.  The next-door neighbors from England,
Penny and Andy, joined our group.  Ordering pizza ended the evening.  Another good day in the Universe.

Day 10:  Tuesday we headed out early for a long, exciting day at the Epcot Center.

Marvelous weather and warm temperature!  Lots of walking for us “old farts”.  I bet we walked a bazillion miles.  Man, what a place for the old and the young.  The fireworks over the lake at the World Showcase was amazing and a good finish to the day’s end.  Made it home by 10:30 and totally pooped out.

Day 11:  Our tee-time for golf was around noon.  The men played their three-some while we women played our own game.  The first nine went well; I even par-ed one hole!  By the time we hit the 11^th hole, the skies let loose and chased us to the golf clubhouse.  Eventually we decided to take a rain check for Friday; most of us were drenched anyway. 
The rest of the afternoon was spent in playing cards (I learned a new card game:  1-11), preparing dinner, and again playing games late into the evening hours.  By 11:00 we headed into the beds.

Day 12:  This morning we said our goodbyes to Lee and Jan who were heading back home to North Port. Since the weather turned much cooler (a high of 57 degrees and a low tonight of 37 !!!!) we just did the day shopping and sightseeing.  The flea market was huge, and I picked up some great bargains—1200 count sheets for only twenty bucks!  We arrived back at the condo around cocktail time; we plan on cooking in tonight and eating out tomorrow.  Feels good just to sit after a day’s outing.
Day 13-14:  Dan and Shirl took us "around and about" the neighborhood.  We did get another 9 holes in with Larry playing a really great game!  We (the girls!) took care of laundry, etc. before leaving.  Larry and I headed to the Keys via the Florida Turnpike while Dan and Shirl headed to Jan and Lee's for a few days' visit.  By 3:30 we landed in Homestead at the top of the Keys.  We took care of getting some fresh herbs for planting, as well as fresh veggies right out of the garden.  The tomato crop was hurting from January's frost, but we still got some--along with freshly dug potatoes (eat your heart out Cotton!) and other stuff.  We connected with Sue, our lessee for the Keys' property, and we'll leave for Marathon tomorrow morning.  The day's temp reached 75 and we had our martinis pool-side.  The sun felt great!