Church picnic in February???

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(Florida Bible Christian School)

Our project officially ended January 27th, but with this being back-to-back projects (yay!) we had the days off and no move to make. We decided to go to Leesburg (in the Orlando area) for the Florida RVICS reunion. We went expecting to see old friends, but were blessed to see new friends that we hadn’t yet met! What an uplifting, wonderful time it was. Leesburg is where RVICS began, and was their official headquarters until they moved to Smithville, Texas, in 1989. (Here’s something worth noting~~in October RVICS completed their 2000th project since they began in 1977! (Quite an accomplishment for a bunch of retired people!) Some of the couples we met we will be working with on future projects, some we may never see again. It was a spirit building time for sure. It rained the whole time we were in Orlando, so we didn’t go to Disney World, or do many of the tourist things.

We have a new couple…Ron and Rose. They are very nice (I haven’t met anyone in RVICS who isn’t!) but Rose is a hospice nurse…that makes me nervous. I understood when hospice appeared it wasn’t a hopeful sign, and now we travel with one?! They’re from Michigan.

We had a winter spell last week (again, I’m not expecting condolences, and the wording isn’t mine, it’s the weatherman’s!) and it did get down to the mid 30’s. Last Tuesday, when it was in the low 60’s, the teacher I’m working with was telling me that she thought that day was supposed to be warm, so she wore her sandals, and her feet were freezing. “Freezing?” I asked, and she said “These are Jamaican toes, and they don’t like this temperature!” Ok, that’s why my Montana toes were completely happy in sandals!

We had a wonderful event last week~~our friends, Bev and Rich, from Billings, came to visit us. It was such a joy to visit with them, and to be able to show them our lifestyle. Now they’re back at home anticipating their spring weather, and sandal toes!

On Saturday our church had their family picnic, which we all attended for our tour. The men really got into horseshoes, and think they're ready for the circuit! (is there one?!) Sadly, there were no tropies~ The women were involved mostly with ladder-golf.

I’m thankful that it’s warmed up where our family is, and I can only imagine the slush and mud involved now. Recess duty is not fun this time of year.

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Photos

Guess where we went!
South Beach is part of Miami Beach (yep, the southern part~~you're way ahead of me!) and was someplace we were curious about. Not any more...

In case you're on South Beach and suddenly
need a haircut or makeup! The color correction made me laugh because there were times (mostly in college) when I would have paid about anything to have mine corrected...especially if I was going home soon!

But the water is beautiful there.
The sand along that part of Miami beach is different than the sand along Hallendale beach where we usually go. I don't think that makes any sense, but somehow it's more difficult to walk there. Where we can easily walk for an hour along this beach, at South Beach the sand kind of rolls under your feet and walking was difficult. But the water was beautiful! Notice the man standing far out...there is a shelf, or sandbar out quite a ways that is about knee-deep. It's quite large, and is quite startling when you first see people out there!

Back in our world,
here's a shot of the lunch space. They go through the lunch line and then either eat in the limited space there, or can eat outdoors. There's also the multipurpose room for the much younger kids.

A buck apiece for these coconuts
if they take them to the swap meet. I'm going to try one before we leave.

This is why I'm not trying one
off this tree! Plus the fact that that would be stealing! And in Miami you don't just walk up to houses and ask if you can have one of theirs!

I was walking to the store
and saw these snails on the fence. The snails were along the fence in one area~~probably a typical city block in length. It surprised me because I haven't seen them any place else since we've been here.

This guy was planted too deep!
Doesn't it look like a pineapple stuck into the ground?!

It looks like planes are going
to need to watch kites as well as birds...but there was a considerable altitude difference!

Comments

[Carrell]

pineapples?
Hey, Vicki, them's coconuts, not pineapples, at the top of that very tall tree, although the one in the ground does look like the top of a pineapple. Keep thinking fronds - and I'll let you know how many - Pastor says, yes.

[Rhonda]

Hi - Butch, Karly and I will be in the Miami area March 16-23. Will you still be there then? I think we will be in Miami the first 3-4 days and then somewhere in the Keys the remainder of the time. I am not the planner on this trip, so don't even know for sure. With a GPS and an address, we could sure find you.

[Danielson]

Hi, Carrell--
I was thinking of coconuts, not pineapples. I'll go back and change it. Have you tasted the fruit while it's green? Thanks for proofreading for me! I'm on the fonds project, just tell me when!

[Danielson]

Hi, Rhonda!
This project ends Feb. 24, and then we move north to Keystone Heights, south of Jacksonville. Bummer.

[Sara!]

I don't care if it's pineapple or coconut, I'd just be happy to be there! Especially the ocean! I'm glad you two are there and not here this time of year.

[Danielson]

Hi, Sara!
It's a coconut, you silly! Are you ready to retire and join RVICS? Oh wait, you can't have pets in RVICS, and I'm afraid the boys would count! But the RVICS women would love to have them!