Saturday, December 31, 2011
Gay Dec-30-11
6:56 AM | 
Posted by
Sharp's Travels
Cheri and I were at Wal-Mart a little after 7:00 am this morning doing our grocery shopping. It is a great time to getter done; there weren’t very many people out and about that early. We didn’t have to dodge any shoppers and no accidents with other shopping carts. It was almost fun (can’t believe I said that). We also use Wal-Mart for our ATM service and we needed to replenish our cash as we used all we had to pay the guy that did the painting on the truck and needed more today to pay him for the rest of the painting he was going to do today. He was going to be here at 10:30 am to finish the truck and he still wasn’t here at noon. So I called him and got his voice mail and left a message for him to call me. He was going to clean up and paint the running boards, so I worked to get them removed. I had to heat a couple of the bolts to get them to come out. I went to Lowe’s to see about getting some new bolts to replace the ones that got damaged when I remove them, no luck at Lowe’s. So I have decided to wait until Paul and I go to the car show and swap meet Sunday and see if I can get what I want there. I also checked into ordering new wheel covers for the truck. All I need are the front ones as a few years ago I scraped a large rock with the right front wheel and put a large dent in it and then this summer I hit a cooler that was laying in the highway that I couldn’t avoid with the left front wheel and put a big dent in it. So as long as I got all the stone chips fixed I need the new wheel covers to make the truck look new again. Later this afternoon I see Paul washing his truck so I went up and talked to him and Jack came over and told me he got a call from the painter saying that his truck broke down and wouldn’t be here today. He didn’t have my number so that is why he didn’t call me. Cheri worked all day on her pillow project, looking better each day. The rest of my day was doing odd jobs. We played dominos with Paul and Bev this evening and we guys were the big winners.
Friday, December 30, 2011
Gay Dec-29-11
7:01 AM |
Posted by
Sharp's Travels
It was 41 degrees this morning but the sun was out and warmed up to 52 degrees by 10:30 am which was the time Bud, Gary and I left for a motorcycle ride. My back has been feeling much better the last few days and today was the test as far as riding the motor cycle. We rode over to the Kissimmee Harley shop and met Larry there. We visited for a while and Bud didn’t get anywhere trying to buy a bike there. Then we made a stop at McDonald’s for lunch and more visiting. Then it was time to head to the Clermont Harley shop by way of some new roads we haven’t been on before. Bud check out the bikes and found one he liked and sat down with the salesman and got a price, now he has to make a decision on what he is going to do. He said he was going to sleep on it and then make them an offer. It was 4:30 pm and 130 miles later when we got home. I wore my back brace while riding and didn’t have any problem with my back, which was great news because I have missed riding. The Mobile Paint and Body guy came and looked at our truck and gave us an estimate on getting the stone chips and some rust on the roof where the paint was coming off repaired. He was working on our neighbor’s car yesterday and I liked the work he did. So long story short he was working on our truck when I got home. What he got done looks very nice and after seeing what he had done he is coming back tomorrow to do the running boards. Paul was my overseer while I was gone. So at 5:30 pm Paul, Bev, Cheri and I went to Sunrise Eatery for supper. Cheri and Bev worked all day together on their pillow project and what they have done looks very nice, pictures to come later as I think it will be a few days before they finish.
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Gay Dec-28-11
7:06 AM |
Posted by
Sharp's Travels
It was a cool morning, jacket weather. After getting around this morning I asked Cheri what she was going to do today. She said she was working on her quilt project. I was waiting for it to warm up a bit before I tackled the job of washing the truck. About 10:00 am I said to Cheri, for some reason I am really hungry. About that time Cheri got a call from Mike and Pam as they were taking Jenny and Rick out for brunch at Sunrise Eatery and wanted to know if we wanted to join them. Of course we couldn’t say no to that. They serve breakfast all day and I had been akin for a big breakfast. After we eat we all got in Mike’s van and took a ride out to Ron and Sandy’s Green Acers to see what work had been done. Then Mike took us through some different subdivisions looking at houses. It was 1:00 pm before we got home and it was time to tackle that project of washing the truck. It took me until 4:30 pm to just get the outside washed and I felt like a whipped puppy when I got done. The inside will have to wait until another day. While I was finishing up Cheri said she was going up to Paul and Bev’s and I told her I would be up as soon as I cleaned up. So Paul and I visited while Cheri and Bev went over the quilt project they are working on. This evening we were invited over to Dean and Betty’s for cards and dominos. Grandma went with us and Rick and Janis were there also. Dean, Betty and Grandma played dominos and wipeout. Rick and I were partners and beat Cheri and Janis really bad at a game of Hand and Foot. Cheri and Janis usually win at anything they play so Rick and I had to rub it in. We also played a game of SOB that I won. It was a good night for the guys.
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Gay Dec-27-11
7:27 AM |
Posted by
Sharp's Travels
Cheri, Bev, and Betty had plans to leave and head to Dade City for the sale at the quilt store. Cheri got a call from Bev around 7:30 am to tell her that Brit (their dog) was having another seizure and wouldn’t be able to go. But that didn’t stop Cheri and Betty from going and were on the road by 8:45 am. I went up to check on Brit and he was starting to come out of the seizure. An hour later he was back to his old self out running round looking for squirrels. It was cloudy and cooler this morning so I worked on getting the Christmas lights taken down and then washed the roof of the 5th wheel, couldn’t believe how dirty it had gotten. I just finished up when it started to rain which was great as it gave the roof a nice soft water rinse. The rain didn’t last long and then it turned to partly cloudy and warmed up nicely. When Cheri got home she had to tell me about her great buys and how much money she saved (wonder where the money is that she saved). I went to see if I could get another prescription for the pain medicine I am taking for my back and was told that I would have to call Tampa to find out. So I called and was on hold for several minutes and then sent to another recording and was told the hours and then disconnected. I am frustrated and think I will wait until tomorrow to try again. I stopped by Wal-Mart to pick up another medication that I had called in the day before and told me it would be ready by 10:00 am today. I was there at 12:30 pm and it wasn’t ready, so I waited about half an hour for it, it does frustrate me but what else do we retired people have to do. When I got home Cheri was already done with lunch and ready to leave for the quilt gathering at the Rec Hall. After lunch I tried to work on the computer but my mind wasn’t into it so I just sat down in the recliner and relaxed the rest of the afternoon. We went up to Paul and Bev’s to play SOB, Paul won the first game and Cheri won the next two games. I asked Cheri if she felt guilty winning two games while Bev and I had won any. She just gave me that look and laughed (guess she didn’t feel guilty). It was a fun evening to spend with friends. You can never have too many friends.
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Gay Dec-26-11
6:40 AM |
Posted by
Sharp's Travels
It was another day of rest for us. For some reason we were both tired and lazy today. Not sure what the reason was for it, maybe it was all the good food we had yesterday. We did go out for a late lunch with Paul and Bev to celebrate Bev’s birthday which was on Christmas day. We sat and visited when got back at Paul and Bev’s. It wasn’t long before Cheri and Bev disappeared down to our place going over their next quilt project. We were invited up to Mike and Pam’s for supper and cards this evening. Their daughter Jenny and her husband Rick were there from Tennessee. We had never met Rick before, what a great guy. It was a fun evening playing SOB.
Monday, December 26, 2011
Gay Dec-25-11
8:09 AM |
Posted by
Sharp's Travels
Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year to everyone, take time to thank God for sending Jesus to save us from our sins. Remember everything is possible through Jesus. We didn’t have church today as there were three Christmas Eve services and it was nice that everyone could spend the day with their love ones. After a slow process of getting cleaned up and ready to face the day we headed down to the Rec Hall to put our dishes on a table so we would be sure to have a seat for the big Christmas Dinner at 1:00 pm. Then we walked up to Paul and Bev’s to wish them a Merry Christmas and Bev a happy birthday. After our visit with them we walked down to Bud and Joyce’s to wish them a Merry Christmas and have a glass of wine. Then on the way home we stopped by Ed and Loraine’s for a short visit as it was time for Cheri to get home and prepare the baked beans that we are taking for the Christmas dinner. We picked up Grandma at 12:45 pm and headed for the Rec Hall. I didn’t eat much this morning so I was ready for the big Christmas Dinner. There were over 160 people from the park attending the dinner so there was a lot of good food and no one went away hungry. After dinner we went back to Grandma’s and played cards, SOB which she likes to play. We only played one game as my back was hurting and need to go home and rest. Of course that met having a nap to settle the big Christmas dinner. We call Kari and had a nice visit with her; she was getting ready for the Green Bay Packer game party. Our evening ended watching the Packers win their football game. In the beginning the Bears were pretty tough on the Packers but the Packers prevailed in the end.
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Gay Dec-24-11
7:18 AM |
Posted by
Sharp's Travels
It was another beautiful day in the neighborhood with a high temp around 78 degrees and lots of sun. We are so blessed to be where we don’t have to fight the cold and snow. Cheri and I took our time getting around this morning and my lovely wife fixed me a big breakfast of eggs, biscuits and sausage gravy, now that what a call a real Christmas treat. First thing this morning we got a call from Cheri’s girlfriend Pat from Maine wishing us a Merry Christmas, they will be down in January to spend the rest of the winter. We look forward to seeing them and playing cards and dominos. After we got around, Cheri got out her next quilting project and needed to go over to Staple’s to have some copies made of the project. It is going to be a pillow and she and Bev are each going to make one. I won’t tell you anymore about it because when it comes to the quilting projects I am not with it. As I learn I will keep you posted. After Staple’s we stopped at the new Five Guys Burger place. We decided it was too expensive and when to Chili’s for soup and salad which is always very good. We also had to get a prescription filled for Grandma at Wal-Mart and not a place to be at today. I waited in the car while Cheri when in to get it and was back in short order without it. They said that they were out of it and we have to go somewhere else to get it. After we got back home we got a phone call from our granddaughter telling us everything she got for Christmas. She was very excited, we also got to talk to the rest of the kids and they are having a good time spending Christmas together. We walked down to get our mail and stopped to visit with Marline and Norm as they were sitting outside. We left early this evening for church so we could stop at CVS and drop off Grandma’s prescription and they told us it would be ready when we came back from church. We got to see all our fiends at church and wishing them a very Merry Christmas. The church program was amazing and the church was packed for the first service. After picking up Grandma’s medicine we made a stop at DQ for a Christmas Blizzard treat. After a little TV we headed to bed so we could have sweet dreams about what Santa was going to bring us.
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| Cheri's note book folder |
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| Cheri's note book folder |
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Gay Dec-23-11
6:59 AM |
Posted by
Sharp's Travels
I got up this morning with more back pain and I am running out of the pain medication that the doctor gave me and it’s a no refill prescription. I am trying to stretch the medication on until next week. Cheri gave me a much needed hair cut this morning, glad to have that done. Bev called and wanted to know if I had a skill saw Paul could use as he was remodeling a closet for the microwave. She wants to have more counter space to cook on. I told her I would bring the saw up and help Paul but she said she would come and get it as he wasn’t sure how he was going to do it. Late morning I took the garbage up to the dumpster and decided I would walk down and get the mail. Dean and Betty were sitting outside so I stopped and visited with them for a while. Then on down to get the mail when I met Bud with the golf cart. He gave me a ride on down to the post office and home which was really nice because the old back was beginning to hurt more. When I got home Cheri had started another quilt project which she worked on all day, not sure what you call it but I will have pictures of it when she gets it done and some details to post. Mid afternoon I replaced the wind sensor on the awning, sure hope that it will work the way it was designed, so now I have to wait for some wind to see. This evening Paul and Bev picked us up and we went to Wiregrass to see the Christmas light play to music. It only last about ten minutes but it sure is something to watch all the dancing lights on the big Christmas tree. There were over a quarter of a million lights.
Friday, December 23, 2011
Gay Dec-22-11
6:56 AM |
Posted by
Sharp's Travels
The reading didn’t help any so I watched TV until 4:00 am and then went back to bed to sleep for about an hour before I was up again. Today is the first day of winter, here in sunny Florida we had a very warm day with a nice breeze, my kind of winter day. This morning I headed over to Ron and Sandy’s Green Acers to work on the wiring. I finished up at 1:00 pm and got the wiring ready for the carpenter to remove the kitchen wall. It was hot working up in the attic. When I got home Cheri had moved to the living and dinette area cleaning the carpet. After a late lunch I sat down in the recliner to rest. A little later Mike stopped by with some Christmas candy for us and a gift for Grandma. After our visit with Mike we tried to watch some TV but within a few minutes we were both asleep. I woke up about 5:00 pm and it was time to get the grill fired up to do some lemon chicken for supper. Later we went up to Paul and Bev’s to play a couple of game of dominos which Paul and I won. I think it is the first time we have won this season. We called it an early night because of not getting much sleep last night. So long story short we were in bed by 10:00 pm.
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Gay Dec-21-11
1:07 AM |
Posted by
Sharp's Travels
Another night that I can’t get my mind to quit working so I decided to get up and do the blog. I still think it is the medicine I am taking for my back. I had a good day and the back didn’t hurt that muck so tomorrow I am going to back off on the pain medication. I had a 7:30 am appointment at the VA audio clinic to get fitted for hearing aids which I can pick up 1-26-12. I am excited about getting them and sure hope they help. On the way home I stopped by Camping World to pick up the wind sensor for the awning for a total of $262.00. I am going to try and send the old one back because it never did work. When I got home Cheri was doing complete cleaning of the bedroom carpet, closet and all the drawers. We had an early lunch and then I headed over to Ron and Sandy’s Green Acers house. Ron and Jay (the guy that is doing the remodeling) had some questions on how to move some electrical wiring. After some discussion I told them I would lay out a plan for them. When I got home Cheri and I went to Wal-Mart for groceries and it wasn’t a good place to be this afternoon. The store was packed with people and had to park clear out at the end of the parking lot, won’t be making that mistake again. When we got home and got things put away we rested until it was time to meet Mike, Pam, Ron, and Sandy for supper at the Flaco’s Café, a good place to eat and very reasonable. As soon as we got home it was time to go up to Paul and Bev’s to play a couple of games of SOB. Paul and Cheri each won a game. We watched TV until 11:00 pm and then to bed. So now it is 1:00 am and here I am setting at the computer. I guess I will try reading to see if that will slow the mind down.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Gay Dec-20-11
4:45 AM |
Posted by
Sharp's Travels
Not much going on today. Cheri and I did a few errands this morning. Talked to Paul and Bev and their dog Brit was acting funny this morning and took him to the vet and they said that he has a tumor in his brain. It is very sad and they gave them some medication. He would be fine running and playing and the next thing it was like he was drunk, not walking right and a glaze in his eyes. It would last about five or ten minutes and then he was back running and playing. I had to go and get a couple of tanks of LP and Paul also needed a tank filled so I took their tank with me while they went to the vet. At 12:30 pm Cheri and Bev left for a quilt lunch one of the ladies had for the quilt instructor. Paul and I went to Lowe’s so I could get a piece of plywood to put between the mattress and box springs on or bed. The mattress and box springs are starting to break down and thought that it might help my back. We see what happens with that tonight. After that project was done we sat and visited and a little later Cheri and Bev were home. At 4:00 pm we headed back to the 5th wheel to relax the rest of the day. We got our candy and cookie care package form Nikki yesterday and now we have been on a sugar high that will last for a few days. We really don’t need it but it is soooooo good. She does this for us every Christmas since we retired. Before that Cheri and Nikki would spend a long day making cookies and candy to give away to all their friends and family.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Gay Dec-19-11
6:42 AM |
Posted by
Sharp's Travels
I was up at 3:15 am this morning, another night I couldn’t sleep, I think it is the back medication that is causing the problem, still have more pain than I can handle without the medication. Cheri had a follow up appointment for her eyes at 9:30 am. Everything is coming along nicely. She has to do drops in her left eye for two more weeks and four more weeks in her right eye. She doesn’t have to go back until next November and her eye site should be at 100 percent, great news. Thanks for all the prayers as she has went through the long process. After her appointment I dropped her off at CVS so she could get her eye drop prescription filled and I drove over to make a follow up appointment for my back. When I got back to pick her up she was still waiting for the script to be filled. It was noon by the time we left there and stopped at DQ for lunch. We each had a burger and treated ourselves to a Blizzard. We took it easy the rest of the afternoon and tried to catch up on some TV shows we had recorded earlier. This evening we went up to Paul and Bev’s to play cards. We taught them how to Play SOB. They like the game and we need to play more so they can get used to what cards to play. All we ever played before was dominos and this will make for a nice change. Then we told them we would teach them how to play Hand and Foot. It was a cool 42 degrees this morning but warm up to be a very nice sunny day.
Monday, December 19, 2011
Gay Dec-18-11
4:33 AM |
Posted by
Sharp's Travels
Grandma went to church with us this morning; several of our Life Group was out of town for Christmas or sick. So it was just Grandma, Cheri and I that went out for lunch at Ruby Tuesday’s. I was disappointed in our meal as it wasn’t that good and pretty expensive. We dropped Grandma off at home and we were home by 12:30 pm. I settled in to watch the Green Bay Packers play the Kansas City Chiefs, not a good game as the Packers lost. They never were in the game and were out played by the Chiefs on every level. Cheri finished her paper quilting project this afternoon. We didn’t have any supper this evening because of the large lunch and settled for a couple of pieces of toast with peanut butter. Bud stopped by to tell me that they weren’t going on the motorcycle ride tomorrow and are going to wait for my back to get better. Sure nice of them to wait, Bud said they couldn’t go without their leader, made me feel good. I was feeling pretty good last night when I went to bed so I didn’t take a pain pill. I guess that wasn’t the best idea because I got up this morning with quite a bit of pain. I took three pain pills throughout the day and my pain level was still above a four. This evening Paul came down and wanted to know if we wanted to play dominos this evening, of course we couldn’t turn that down. We played two games and Cheri and Bev beat us really bad, no pity at all.
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| Cheri's Paper Piece Quilt |
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| Denise's paper piece Quilt |
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Gay Dec-17-11
6:41 AM |
Posted by
Sharp's Travels
I was awake at 1:30 am this morning not able to sleep. I am not sure what the problem was, maybe the drugs, my back pain was very low so it shouldn’t have been that. I finally got up at 3:00 am sat and read in the Bible. At 5:00 pm I went back to bed and slept until 8:00 am. I can’t remember the last time I stayed in bed that late, but I didn’t care. Cheri also slept in a few minutes later than I did. Long story short it was after 10:30 am before we were ready to meet the world for the day. We went down to say our goodbyes to Larry and Denise as they were about ready to pull out. We sure are going to miss them for a couple of week because we have done a lot of things with them the last month. Then we walked up to see good friends Paul and Bev. They arrived last night from Ontario. We had coffee and visited with them until 100 pm and then home for lunch. After lunch Cheri worked on her paper piecing quilt and I went back up to Paul and Bev’s to hook up their Direct TV. Bev was across the street visiting and when she returned and I told her Cheri wanted her to come down so she could show her the quilt projects that she was working on. They also visited and planned the projects they are going to work on this winter. After getting the Direct TV hooked up Paul and I sat down and visited until 4:30 pm. When Bev came home we visited a little longer and then I headed home and Cheri was working on her quilt so I went and got the mail, looking for the candy and cookie care package from Nikki and Coz, but it didn’t come today. The only bad thing today was I wasn’t able to go on a motorcycle ride with the boys. I needed to rest the back. So you can see that it wasn’t a very productive day for me. Actually I kind of enjoyed it.
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Gay Dec-16-11
9:29 AM |
Posted by
Sharp's Travels
Today started out much like yesterday. I had a lot of back pain and I did walk over to the gym, didn’t do much as the back was hurting too much. I walked straight back home and Cheri continued with her walk. Cheri massaged my back before I took a good hot shower and it seem to feel little better. Larry stopped by to drop off the oil filters and motorcycle cover I had ordered. The place we order all our motorcycle stuff is going out of business, so no more great deals. While Larry was here Bud stopped by and said that John wants to go for a motorcycle ride Monday to the Saint Pete Pier. I told him that I would have to wait and see how the back was on Monday. Cheri took Grandma for her doctors back appointment this morning. It was noon before she got home and a little while later Denise came to finish her paper quilting. They are moving out of the park tomorrow and won’t be back until January. I walked down to the park office to fax some paper work to the insurance company. Well the walk was almost more than I could handle, didn’t think I would make it back home. When I got home I told Cheri I was going to the doctor. I got to talk to the nurse and she told me I should go the emergency room at the hospital. So at 3:30 pm Cheri and I were heading out of the park when we met Larry and Denise coming in. We stopped told them where we were going and they wanted to come with us. I had to wait about 45 minutes before I got to see the nurse and then I waited another 45 minutes for the doctor and he told me that there was a MRI to be scheduled for my back. Then the nurse came back in and gave me pain killing shot. A half hour later I was feeling pretty high and the nurse took my vitals and told me I could go, had to stop by the pharmacy to pick up some pain killer to take while waiting for the MRI. It’s hard to tell when that will happen as with the VA some things take a while. It was near 8:00 pm by the time we got home. The shot of pain killer kind of upset my stomach, tried to eat something but that didn’t help either. At 10:00 pm I was feeling better and ready for bed.
Friday, December 16, 2011
Gay Dec-15-11
7:37 AM |
Posted by
Sharp's Travels
Today was going to be a down day for us as we needed some time to relax. Well this morning shortly after I got up I turned wrong and got instant pain in the back. I have been having trouble with my back anytime I would bend over. It has been bad enough that I have to lie in bed in order to put on my socks. This morning when it was time for us to go for our work out and walk I only got as far as the street and told Cheri I couldn’t do it. So Cheri went on without me. By 10:00 am I was able to walk and feeling some better. We took Grandma to Wal-Mart for groceries and medicine. Cheri picked up a few things and I looked at back braces. I found one that I that would work. As soon as we got back home I put it on and it did help. Then we headed over to the eye doctor to get some copies of the bills so we could send them in to the insurance company. We got there at 12:05 pm and they are closed from 12:00 pm until 1:00 pm. So we drove over to Wal-Mart to see about getting tires rotated on Grandma’s van. Our timing was just right as they did it right away, so we sat outside and waited. Then we headed home for lunch. After lunch we went back to the eye doctor to get the paper work we needed. Then home to finish filling out the insurance papers and put them in the mail. Cheri did some laundry and cleaning this afternoon. I took it easy, reading and napping. This evening Larry and Denise stopped by with a gift basket for Cheri. It was for the help Cheri gave Denise on the quilting projects. Then we played a game of Hand, Knee and foot, we really like this game better then Hand and foot.
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Gay Dec-14-11
6:42 AM |
Posted by
Sharp's Travels
We five Old Hogs did a motorcycle ride today; it was another ride that I planned. At 10:00 am we headed for New Port Richey and stopped at the Harley dealer. We spent quite a bit of time there as Bud was pricing out a new bike. I had on a tee shirt that was from Wisconsin and one of the salesmen asked me if I was from Wisconsin. I said yes and he said that he was from Wisconsin also. So we had a nice visit and learned a lot about the different models of bikes. When we left the Harley dealer we headed north to Hudson with John leading because he used to live in Hudson and wanted to take us to a place to have lunch that was right on the Gulf, the lunch was very good. Then John led us through some back roads in the area until we got back on highway 52, then I lead the rest of the way home. It was an enjoyable 115 mile ride and most of it was in short sleeves. It has been a while since we could ride without a jacket. We got back home around 3:30 pm and Cheri and Denise were still doing the paper quilting. From hearing them talk they won’t be doing any more paper quilting after they get this project done. After Larry put his bike away he came up and we visited until it was time to go down to Bud and Joyce’s has they were having a pizza party for us Old Hogs and our wives. It was a fun time with a lot of laughs and storytelling. It was another great day to spend with friends.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Gay Dec-13-11
7:20 AM |
Posted by
Sharp's Travels
Larry, Denise, Cheri and I headed for Lakeland to go to Sam’s. Larry has been taking an over the counter medication for joint mobility. It has 1500 mg of Glucosamine and 1500 mg of MSM. Larry has been taking it for years and has helped him. Another friend, Lyn told me that he has had good results with it. So when we got to Sam’s we couldn’t get in until 10:00 am. So we went on downtown to the quilt store for Denise and Cher. Then stopped back at Sam’s on the way home. As it turned out I was looking for the medication, ink cartridges and playing cards, they didn’t have the medication or the ink cartridges. The playing cards ended up costing us over $60 dollars as we found some other things we thought we had to have. We were home just before noon and had a quick lunch and then took Denise and Cheri down to the Rec Hall for their quilt gathering. Then I went and picked up Grandma for her 1:00 pm knee appointment, it was after was after 3:00 pm before we got back home. After dropping the van off at the Rec Hall for Cheri and Denise I headed home to get ready to go for a motorcycle ride with Larry. We made a couple of stops in town as Larry was looking for some special exhaust pipes so he can install the baffles in the motorcycle exhaust pipes. Then we headed over to Sam’s in Wesley Chapel where I found the meds that I couldn’t get in Lakeland. It was a little after 5:00 pm when we got home, nice ride. This evening we went down to Larry and Denise’s to play cards, the girls won.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Gay Dec-12-11
6:56 AM |
Posted by
Sharp's Travels
After we got our morning chores done we made a trip to the post office to mail out a package. From the look of the parking lot and the line of people inside I think the whole city of Zephyrhills was there. Cheri needed to pick up some Christmas cards so we stopped at Walgreens on the way back home. As we were driving into the park we saw Ed and Lorain setting outside so we stopped to visit with them. It is the first time we have visited with them since Lorain had her gallbladder removed. She is having a rough time but is on the mend. After lunch I headed over to Ron and Sandy’s Green Acers. Ron told me after church yesterday that the outside security light wasn’t working. I told him I would check it out; I thought maybe I had done something while tracing out the electrical circuits. It turned out that the blubs were burned out. I was just about done when I got a call from Cheri telling me the man that does the lawn spraying in the park was there (1:30 pm). He was supposed to be there until sometime between 3:00 pm and 4:00 pm. I asked her to see if he could do Grandma’s lawn and also spray inside. When I got back to Grandma’s he just got done with the inside and was starting on spraying the outside, good timing on my part. Cheri worked all day on Christmas letter and cards. I printed off the letters for here and by 5:00 pm she had the Christmas card ready to mail. This evening I grilled up a steak for supper and some hamburgers for tomorrow. Around 7:00 pm Larry and Denise stopped by for a visit and I was saying we wanted to play some more Hand, Knee and Foot before they move out of the park. So we headed down to Larry and Denise’s place and play one game which we guys won.
Monday, December 12, 2011
Gay Dec-11-11
7:50 AM |
Posted by
Sharp's Travels
After church eight of us from our Life Group went out for lunch. We eat at Chili’s which is the first time with our Life Group at Chili’s. After lunch we said good bye to Ron and Sandy as they had to baby sit their grandson this afternoon. The rest of us (Pam, Mike, Michelle, Craig, Cheri and I) got in the van and we headed to Tampa to visit the Henry B Plant Museum. It was a step back in time around 1891. It was their 30th annual Victorian Christmas Stroll. Inside each room highlights an intimate detail related to the hotel. Outside we enjoyed the peaceful view of Plant Park while sipping hot cider and cookies on the veranda. We also got to watch two groups of bell ringers doing Christmas music. I really enjoyed this as I have only seen this once before. Then we made our way to the Grand Ball Room. What a spectacular room. We even climbed the stairs to the top and had a grand view down on the ball room. At 4:00 pm it was time for us to make our way back to the parking lot by the church to drop off Mike, Pam, Craig, and Michelle. As soon as we got home we started watching the Packer game that I was recording. The Packers must have learned a lesson from last week as they played a great game and looked a whole lot better than they did last week and the playing by the defense was the best they have played all year. It was a wonderful day that God made for us to spend with special friends. For more information on the Henry B Plant Museum go to this web site http://www.plantmuseum.com/
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Gay Dec-10-11
6:55 AM |
Posted by
Sharp's Travels
Today was our park wide yard sale with lunch and crafts in the Rec Hall. We always go to the gym and do our walk before 7:00 am. Well when we got done at the gym people were already setting things out for the yard sale. So on our walk Cheri found a couple of things to buy, two cooking bowls with covers and a bag of craft things. After we got done with our showers and breakfast we headed out to check out the rest of the yard sales. We were down by the Rec Hall when Joyce Avery came pulling up in her golf cart. I was teasing her that she needed to get out of the cart because Bud sold it to me. She laugh and said that would never happen, then she said we could use it while she was working in the Rec Hall. So we took it on the rest of our adventure of yard sales. Cheri also found some jewelry at a couple of places and I bought a 30 lb LP tank for the 5th wheel. After the yard sales we made a quick trip to Wal-Mart to pick up a few groceries and some cash as we spent all we had that the yard sales. On the way back in the park Ed was putting up some Christmas lights so I stopped and helped him with the lights while Cheri took the groceries home and picked up Grandma to go down to the Rec Hall for lunch. This afternoon we headed up to Mike and Pam’s. The four of us went to the First Baptist Church in Dade City to see the musical I’ll Be Home for Christmas. It was about family and hope in the golden days of radio. It was so good that the two hours just flew by. Then it was time to go for supper. We ate at Kafe Kokopelli! and it was excellent. Then it was time to take in the Dade City downtown Christmas stroll. They had all the streets blocked off and all sorts of Christmas activities going on. All the stores were open so Cheri and Pam did some shopping while Mike and I visited and waited for them at each store they were in. Then we headed back to Pam and Mike’s to play some cards. They taught us a new game they call Paws and Claws which is another form of Hand and Foot. I thought it was a lot of fun because Mike and I won. We also played one game of SOB which I was I won. It was a wonderful fun filled day to spend with friends.
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Gay Dec-9-11
6:39 AM |
Posted by
Sharp's Travels
The temp this morning was 55 degrees, much better than the 39 degrees yesterday morning. It was a very nice day with a high near 80 degrees. Cheri did some cleaning and laundry this forenoon and I went over to Grandmas to work on her computer. She wasn’t able to get on line. She had her user name and password missed up. I couldn’t remember what it was and had to call Kari to find out what it was. After I got that done I sat down with her and showed her how to send and receive e-mail on her I-pad. I got a call from Ron and he wanted to meet for lunch before we went to Green Acers to work on the electrical wiring. So I headed back home to get the bike and Larry and Denise where there talking to Cheri. I didn’t have time to visit as I was supposed to meet Ron in 30 minutes. I guess Larry was heading for another park to help a friend build some steps. So Cheri and Denise worked on some more quilt projects, something about paper quilting. After lunch Ron and I headed to Green Acers. I had all the wiring traced out and to which breakers except for some outlets and a light in a closet that didn’t work. After some more testing I opened up the wall where I thought there should be a light switch and sure enough I found a switch box that had been plaster over, that took care of the light problem. After making three more holes I founded the wiring that went to the outlets had been cut and plastered over. Mike stopped by to see what we were up to and hadn’t been there for some time to see the improvements that had been done. It was after 4:00 pm when I got home and Cheri and Denise were still sewing and making patterns.
Friday, December 9, 2011
Gay Dec-8-11
7:39 AM |
Posted by
Sharp's Travels
Wow! 39 degrees and very breezy this morning and if you are a Floridian, that’s cold. I had a motorcycle ride planned for today leaving at 10:00 am. Well it was 42 degrees at 10:00 am and we decided to wait until 10:30 am when it would be warmer. Yep a lot warmer, the temp was up to 44 degrees. Two of our riding group didn’t go, one said it was too cold and the other said his arm was bothering him, bet if it was warmer his arm would have been ok. Well Bud, Larry and I headed north to Ocala and back. Our ride turned out to be 190 miles and got back at 5:30 pm, it was just getting dark. The high temp for the day was around 60 degrees and the wind died down and turned out to be a great ride. Cheri and Denise work on Denise’s table runner and they got it quilted and all they have left to do is sew on the binding. Looks really nice and they were still working on it when I got home. Later we walked over to see how Grandma was doing with her knee after the shot Tuesday. She said that it felt some better which is good news. After all the cool air from riding I had a hard time staying awake to watch TV. Cheri’s eye is coming along nicely and is getting better each day. She said that she was able to thread the swing machine needle without glasses.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Gay Dec-7-11
6:18 AM |
Posted by
Sharp's Travels
This is a day in history we should never forget. It was a test to see how strong our country was and how everyone worked together for our freedom. I wonder if our country is strong enough today if we were ever tested like we were back in 1941. I pray for our country. Our politicians need to be doing what the people want instead of what they want, enough of that. Cheri had an 8:15 am follow up appointment for her eye this morning and everything is going according to schedule. I took Grandma for her B-12 shot and to the bank. On the way back to the 5th wheel I see our friends from Ontario, Lyn and Pat have arrived. Lyn was working outside so I stopped to visit for bit. At 12:30 pm I headed for the VA hospital in Tampa where I had an appointment at 2:00 pm for my shoulder. The good news is there isn’t a tear in rotator cuff. The bad news is the joint is full of arthritis. If it gets any worse I will have to have surgery to have it cleaned out, something I am going to put off as long as I can. Before I left for Tampa I uncovered the motorcycle so I could do some cleaning on it. Well while I was gone it clouded up and was raining when I got home. So now I have a wet and dirty bike to clean. Cheri did do a load of laundry today and then rested like she was suppose to do all day.
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Gay Dec-6-11
6:44 AM |
Posted by
Sharp's Travels
Cheri had her surgery at 7:15 this morning and we were back home by 8:30 am. Thanks for all the prayers as there were no problems with the surgery. Tomorrow she has an 8:15 am appointment to have the eye checked to make sure everything is ok. So please continue to pray for her. After I got her settled in her chair for the day I went and trimmed Paul and Bev’s palm tree. It had grown a lot over the summer and it would have been hard to get in their front door. I was just finishing up when a lady came over and wanted to know if I would trim their palm tree also. So those two projects about did me in. I also filled the house batteries with water, another good job to have done. I went to see Bud about a motorcycle ride on Thursday or Friday and I guess it is going to be on Thursday so now I have to get a ride planned. This afternoon I left at 1:00 pm and headed to McDill AFB to have a MRI done on my shoulder. I wasn’t sure where I was going so I left early in case I had trouble getting there. I did have to stop at the visitor’s center to get a pass to get on base. As it ended up I was a little over an hour early which was ok as I needed to unwind from the drive down. After I got done and headed for home the GPS said I would be home at 5:30 pm. Well I was right in the rush hour traffic and it was after 6:00 pm before I got home. It was a stressful day not knowing how everything was going to turn out. I needed to put more faith in God.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Gay Dec-5-11
6:22 AM |
Posted by
Sharp's Travels
It was a perfect day weather wise, high 70’s and some clouds. It could stay like this all winter for me. We did our early walk and work out at the gym and then we got lazy as we took our time getting around. I did take the wind sensor off the awning and made a trip to Camping World to see about getting a replacement. It is going to cost around $280; I of course thought it would be around $100. The dollar doesn’t go very far anymore. I tried to get it fixed when we were at the factory for other repairs on the 5th wheel, but they ran out of time working on our 5th wheel and now it is out of warranty, which is my fault for not following through with it. We made a stop at Lowe’s to get a new light bulb for Cheri’s sewing light that I rebuilt a couple of days ago. She is very happy and likes it better than the original light. How about that I took something old and made it better that it was when it was new. I checked the air in tires on Grandma’s van and had to add air as they had leaked down over the summer. I was going to detail the motorcycle today but I am having a lot of back pain and didn’t think I could handle it. As it turned out the bending to air up the tires about did me in. I grilled up some burgers and pork steaks for supper and enough for a couple more meals. This evening we tried to call Bev and Paul Web to see when they are coming to Florida. No answer. They called us around 9:00 pm and said they plan on leaving Ontario on the 15th. They said it was cold and are looking forward to getting here. Cheri has the cataract removed from her other eye tomorrow morning and I would like to have everyone pray for her to have a successful surgery.
Monday, December 5, 2011
Gay Dec-4-11
7:36 AM |
Posted by
Sharp's Travels
We played hooky from church today as we had motorcycle ride planed with Larry and Denise to ride up to Webster for a motorcycle flea market. It was an all day event and interesting to see all the used and some new things that was available for motorcycles. It was near 4:00 pm before we got on the road and headed towards home. We made a stop at two different restaurants to eat and they were closed. So we rode on back to Zephyrhills and had pizza at Pizza Hut. When we got home we settled in to watch the Green Bay Packers play the New York Giants. I had recorded the game because I wasn’t sure what time we would get home. Sure glad I did because it was a great game and a real nail bitter at the end. The Packers pulled out a win with only seconds left in the game. God made another wonderful day to spend with friends.
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| one of several rows of bikes |
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| Denise and Larry. Larry thought maybe he needed a cap for the Florida winter |
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| Four cylinder Indian |
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| Show bike |
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Gay Dec-3-11
7:34 AM |
Posted by
Sharp's Travels
This morning Cheri and I went to the flea market near Lakeland and it turned out to be a bust, not many vendors and the ones that were there didn’t have much to sell. On the way home we stopped at DQ for lunch, Cheri still has coupons. When we got home we decided to go over and visit with Dean and Betty to see how they made out on their cruise. They said that they had a good time and when they got to their cabin it was all decorated for their 65 wedding anniversary. Rick had made the arrangements to have it done, what a nice surprise. While we were visiting Cheri got a call from Janis and she wanted to bring her sister over to see Cheri’s quilts. So we headed back home and they came about 2:30 pm. We guys visited while the girls looked at the quilts. This evening Cheri and I went up to Dade City for the car show. We got to see a few different cars that we hadn’t seen before. I never get tired of looking at the old cars and trucks. I keep dreaming that someday I will have one. Come to think about it I guess I did have those 50 years ago. The only different is the ones I bought 50 years ago cost me between $200 and $400 for them. Now they want between $20,000 and $40,000 for them. I guess I will have to settle for just looking and dreaming. When we got home we watched the Wisconsin Badgers play football. What an exciting game it was, the Badgers won and will be going to the Rose Bowl. It was another beautiful day that God made for us.
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| 1924 Model T |
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| 1955 Ford Ranchero |
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Gay Dec-2-11
7:42 AM |
Posted by
Sharp's Travels
After some house cleaning this morning we went shopping over to the Wire Grass Shops. We were looking at Nooks at Barnes and Nobles. Then we stopped by the church to drop of some goodies to be sent overseas to our guys in uniform for Christmas. When we got back in Zephyrhills we stopped for lunch at DQ. Cheri had a coupon for a two for one lunch, so burgers it was. Late this afternoon Michelle and Craig Hanson picked us up to go to Mount Dora to do the Christmas walk and see all the Christmas lights. The first thing we did was to have supper at Fiesta Grande Mexican Grill, pretty good food. They had the down town streets blocked off and all the stores were open for the evening. So we had nice stroll through town and down by the water to see all the Christmas lights. There was a large choir singing Christmas songs in the park and also a group of singers in one of the stores front window. There were also a group of drummers doing their thing at one of the intersections. We managed to do a few stores and Cheri was a very good shopper as she didn’t buy anything. It was a wonderful evening, thanks Michelle and Craig for taking us. I have uploaded some pictures of the lights. Click on this link https://picasaweb.google.com/sharpstravels then click on album: Mount Dora.
Friday, December 2, 2011
Gay Dec-1-11
7:20 AM |
Posted by
Sharp's Travels
Wow! Don’t know where November went. It’s hard to believe we have been here for a month already. December arrived with a cold night as it was only 41 degrees this morning. Cheri had her eye appointment at 9:30 am. Her left eye is doing better than expected. So they have her set up to have the cataract removed from her right eye next Tuesday. After her appointment we went to Wal-Mart to have a prescription for eye drops and Wal-Mart did have it so we headed over to CVS and they had what we needed. After all was said and done it was after noon, so we decided to go the Cuban restaurant for lunch. We both had a taco salad. When we got home I got the lawn mower out. I figured it would be a job getting it started as it has been used since April. Well it started on the first pull and ran better than it has the last two years. Cheri’s sewing light quit working yesterday so I headed over to Lowe’s to get a new fluorescent light tube which didn’t work so I did some voltage checking and turns out that the ballast transformer is bad. So I had some extra parts lying around and I made it into a regular lamp with an indecent bulb. Cheri took Grandma for her 2:00 pm eye appointment at the same place Cheri had her appointment this morning. Denise came over to at 3:30 pm to work on her table runner. They work on it until 7:00 pm and have it almost done. After supper we went done to Larry and Denise’s to play more Hand, Knee and Foot. It was another fun night.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Gay Nov-30-11
7:39 AM |
Posted by
Sharp's Travels
Today was play day for me and Cheri. Cheri worked with Denise all day helping her with her first quilt project. They were still working on it when I got home at 5:30 pm. Cheri said she had fun doing the project with Denise. I am not sure what it was supposed be used for, I think it was a large table runner. It was supposed to be sunny and 50 degrees this morning. Well it was very cloudy and the temp was better at 55 degrees. It was a little chilly for a motorcycle ride. But if you dress for it it’s not too bad, much nicer if the sun is shining. I had a long ride planed for the today so we were on the road at 8:30 am (John, Larry, Gary, Bud, and me). Our first stop was in Leesburg at the Harley dealer for a break and a hot cup of coffee. The sun came out just before we got there and we all had cold hands so the coffee felt good to warm our hands and to take the chill out. After our 20 minute break we were back on the road heading for the Harley dealer in Daytona Beach, actually the dealer is located in Ormond Beach. It is one of the world’s largest Harley dealers and has a large complex with other stores in it. We arrived there at 11:45 am and I told the guys we had to be on the road home by 2:00 pm. After another cup of hot coffee we check out everything in the Harley store and then headed a few buildings away to J&P Cycles. It is a huge store with all kinds of accessories for all kinds of bikes from 1936 to 2011. They also have a lot of clothes. It 1:30 pm we headed over to Burger King which is in a service station so we could fill up the bikes with gas and ourselves with a burger. We were back on the road for home right on time, 2:00 pm. We made one more stop about half way home to rest and then back on the bikes for the final push to home. We got back in the park at 5:15 pm and road 250 miles, a big day for the Old Hogs. This evening we went down to Larry and Denise’s for cards. They taught us a new twist to Hand and Foot. They call it Hand, Knee and Foot. You get an extra had hand of cards to play and the rules are similar to Hand and Foot. We enjoyed it and plan on playing it again. Then we taught them how to play SOB which they liked. So it was another wonderful day to spend with friends.
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