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Published: January 4th 2023
A new year has arrived! Happy 2023 everyone. We wish you a happy and healthy New Year. Before we entered this new year, we finished up the old one with many festive and fun times with friends and family. Hop on your faithful time machine (it's been getting quite a workout, I know) and back it up just a little...midway into December will be good. All set? Great....let’s go......Buckle up!
Remember the golf cart parade that traveled through Old Town and we ended up being a participant? It was part of our last blog....remember? Anyway....go back if you need a refresher. The holiday parades didn't end with that one. They kept coming....and coming....and coming.
A group of us (TP folks) made our way over to the town of Celebration on golf carts. Fortunately, our friend, Ray, has a big, gas-powered golf cart that could carry all of us quickly and safely over to our destination. We weren't certain our trusty battery-operated one would make it all the way....besides going through busy traffic. Being stranded would not have been fun and we prefer fun. Our caravan of golf carts made an impressive entrance into this festive town. It was just
like “Santa is coming to Town” but instead it was “TP friends are coming to Town.”.....watch out as we whizz by you! Hold on, everyone! Ray drove us to their well-known street called Jeater Bend. The residents here go overboard in decorating their beautiful homes for Christmas. The street is closed to vehicles to allow the many awestruck folks to meander along it.....enjoying the gazillions of brilliant lights and very clever decorations. It was even snowing here! Yes....it looked like snow, anyway. Ooooooo, Aaaaaaaaa......Beautiful! What a fun experience.
We wish you all could have fit on Ray’s golf cart but, alas, seating was limited. I would normally say “maybe next time” but we heard this was the last year for this street-wide extravaganza. Too bad!
Tropical Palms also planned a Holiday golf cart parade. Cory decorated our trusty cart with lights and garland and we took our place in the lineup. Sam & Sandy joined us. We all buzzed throughout the entire park. Folks came out to wave and call out a “Merry Christmas”. We hollered back the same while jingling our Christmas bells. Another festive time was had by all. The following week, the park had a
second golf cart parade. This time we sat it out.....we were all “paraded” out!! Party Poopers!
One day, Cory and I drove over to Palm Harbor to a favorite restaurant, The Lucky Dill. An excellent place if you should be in the area. We were the Lucky ones cause we were meeting our dear friends, Millie & John. We met this great couple at our last visit to the mothership for our Tiffin RV: Red Bay, Alabama. Of course, everyone who comes here is having work done on their Tiffin RV.... that's the first thing we all have in common.....A great conversation starter amongst strangers who soon become your friends. That's how it happened with us and Millie & John. It was wonderful to be with them again. A definite Christmas gift to us! Hopefully, we shall see them one more time before the snowbird season ends. They were making their way to Naples to stay for a few months. Lulu will be joining us because she didn't make the trip to The Lucky Dill.....she had partied too much the night before. That will teach her! She needs to start slowing up and settling down! She can be such
a wild fire at times.
Christmas in Florida looks different than back home in New York. No snow, no heavy clothes. No frozen nose hairs. We end up sending Christmas checks to our family instead of presents. It's an adjustment. Lulu received an unexpected Christmas gift. When she accompanied us to a Thursday morning coffee gathering, our friend, Dave, gave her the best gift she could ever wish for. She went into shock! She was stunned! Her eyes glazed over and she froze in place. It's hard for her to move around.....you know why. Want to know what caused this astonishing response? Inside a uniquely wrapped box was Luigi! That right! Luigi....a short, dark, handsome boyfriend.....just for Lulu. She was speechless. It was love at first sight. We think the haircurl on his forehead was the main clencher. Their eyes met and the next thing we saw was they were kissing. Smooch! Oh, my! A Christmas Miracle! Lulu belted out in song: 🎶Joy to the World and ME!🎶 We are all so thrilled for the happy couple. If she had legs, she would have been kicking them up and doing a happy dance. Instead, her beaming eyes did her
talking and dancing for her. She wants to be called Cinderella now because she has found her Prince Charming. For short....we may call her “Cin”.....more appropriate for her current activities....”sin”ful.
Christmas morning arrived and we found ourselves surrounded by many of our wonderful Tropical Palms friends. Our friends, Jill & Bob, organized a Christmas brunch for everyone. We all took a tasty delight and a merry spirit to share. It was the perfect way to celebrate this holiday since we couldn't be with our families. We were with our Tropical Palms family. Best friends are the people in your life who make you laugh louder, smile brighter and live better.
Christmas Day is the holiday commemorating the birth of Christ. Everyone celebrates this occasion in their own way. We had much to celebrate because of another birth....in our own family! Our third great-grandson, Jack, was born on Christmas Day! Our grandson, Alan, and Brittany are his parents. His big brother is Luke..... Mister Cutie Pie! What a gift to receive on Christmas! A true Christmas miracle! We are so happy for them and us! Our other great-grandson is Henry. Besides being a nurse, his mother, Amber, is a
photographer! Aren't his Christmas photos great? He is so adorable! Our grandson, Ryan, is his Dad.
One fabulous Christmas present that we received was the opportunity to spend a day with our daughter, Kim, son-in-law, Jim, grandchildren, Haley & Travis and his girlfriend, Thalia. Cory and I drove over to their Air B&B in Tampa. Thank heavens for our GPS & Waze or we would still be looking for them! It was a joyful time being with all of them. After a guided tour past Haley’s workplace, the high-scale restaurant: The Meat Market, and her apartment (in a huge, old renovated hotel....I WANT TO LIVE THERE!), we found ourselves dining at the Hattricks Sports Bar & Restaurant. Cory & I had been here before....a very popular place. We were so happy being altogether. We hadn't seen Travis for a couple years because he and Thalia live in Dallas, TX. “Happy Days were here again!”
We love surprises and spur-of-the-moment times. We had just that when one of my favorite nurse friends (we worked together at our hospital) called to say she and her significant-other were in the area. Yahoo! We jumped on our golf cart and zoomed up
to Old Town to meet and greet Mona & Tim. Such a thrill seeing them again. It's been a long time! We raised a glass and cheered one another at the Southern Breeze bar before heading over to the Tavern in Celebration. Mona is such a dear heart and so funny. I wish you all could have met her. When Lulu spied her, she fell into Mona’s arms and went right after Tim. Lulu is such a ladies man....even though she now has Luigi. She’s fickle! A real Hussbucket!
Speaking of surprises! Boy, I had one the other morning that just about did me in. I feel that I have been permanently traumatized and scarred. At our canopy coffee time, I started to go into our RV. I opened the door and let out a horrific, blood-curdling scream.....the scream heard ‘round the world! Everyone at coffee was frozen in fear.....a fight or flight situation. Looking straight in my face at eye level was a CAT! So what's the big deal, Guenter? WE DON’T OWN A CAT! Of course, my hideous scream scared the kitty so bad it flew out of our motor home like a bat out of he_l.
What a shocking surprise I had! Now we wonder how long it had been in our RV, let alone, how did it get in there? We haven't seen it since so it is probably still running!
Now we are almost up to the New Year! Breaking from our normal tradition of “trying” to watch the ball drop in Times Square on New Year's Eve, Cory and I joined our Tropical Palms friends at a park party. It was wonderful. The DJ played all the right tunes for our generation. We wiggled and gyrated until, at least MY muscles and bones, called out...“enough!” Cory has better stamina than me. He's like the Energizer Bunny....he just keeps going and going. At one point, Cory decided to disguise himself at this party. A small top hat and a mustache did the trick. Most of the other merry men present followed suit. How distinguished they all looked.....right?? At 11:45 pm, my Prince Charming and I raced back in our Pumpkin carriage to our RV to watch the ball drop. Made it!! Wow! We haven't seen that happen in years....why you ask? Because we always fall asleep way before it even comes close to
showing the ball, let alone watching it drop. YippiKaiYay! What a great start to the New Year! We are on a roll now.
So stay with us. More good times shall follow! And we want you to be right there with us. As I have said many times before: The More The Merrier! Happy New Year and Happy Days. Please note: there are 16 photos for your perusal.....remember to scroll WAY DOWN to see them all. Also, just in case you didn't already know: if you tap on each photo....it enlarges so you don't have to squint or get out your magnifying glass.
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John Perry Petereson
non-member comment
New YR.
Thanks for the pictures and Happy New Yr. Please greet our friends. John Perry