Family Portrait at The Hut

This picture should have been at the bottom of the next post instead of the picture duplicated there. It was the last picture Becky R. took of the rest of the kayak party.

Thanks, Virg and Becky

Our thanks go out to Virg and Becky for a lovely day. It was our last get-together before they return to the snows of Minnesota for the season.

Kim, Adam, and Virg took kayaks into the Orange River for a peaceful run under the trees while both Beckies and Allen sat in a coffee shop, watching the kayakers float off. It wasn't long before they disappeared around the bend. Two hours later we reunited and headed back to Becky and Virg's condo for a chat and a tour of the grounds. We spotted an alligator at the edge of the water near the condo.

By five, we drove to The Hut for dinner and a last family portrait.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Becky J. and Al here. Becky R. and Virg drove to Venice and cooked while we ran off to Tampa to retrieve Kim and Adam. By the time we returned, the house was filled with Thanksgiving scents. An hour later, we filled our plates at the buffet and sat down at the small round table in the dining room to share Thanksgiving Day. We're so grateful for our beautiful family.

Tomorrow we're off to Virg and Becky's where three of us will watch from a perch at the side of the Orange River while the other three get into kayaks below. Virg says he's never seen an alligator while kayaking there... Maybe tomorrow one will turn up. Stay tuned.

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

Becky and Al here, from Venice, Florida where oranges are ripening on the tree in our backyard. Christmas tree tents are rising on parking lots and cartoon-y air-filled Christmas characters billow and sway on people's lawns. We're baking cookies for shut-ins and donating groceries to South County Food Pantry (the lines of young people are much longer this year). Once in a while, we go out to nap on the hammock or look upward into bamboo branches while counting our blessings.

We're looking forward to Thanksgiving--thankful we have a home where we can roast turkey and a car to help us pick up Kim and Adam at Tampa's airport. We are thankful we can celebrate together.

Note to Hunter and Blake: We won't pick out a Christmas tree until you get here. We want you to help us pick it out.

Becky's Happy Birthday

Becky and Al here from Venice, Florida where the day was perfect to walk about and become 66. We parked at St. Armand's Circle and Marina Jack's to revisit some of our favorite haunts. On the way home, we stopped for a late lunch at Phillipi Creek...a fish-eater's paradise. Later tonight, we'll take in the sunset at Sharky's Pier and come home for cake and ice cream in the garden after dark (we'll turn on the garden lights so we can see what we're eating).

Here are a few things that tickled our fancies as we slow-poked around.

OK, So I'm a Screw-Up

Becky here, trying to get back to blogging after a long sabbatical. I meant to send more pictures but just can't quite figure out how to do it...

Got the Gator

Becky and Al here from Venice, Florida where alligators warm themselves on in the sun. Brother Virg and Becky Lynn drove from Fort Meyers to spend an Old Florida afternoon with us. That means Snook Haven, sweet potato fries, and a stop at Pop's. We took a little boat ride down the Myakka River to see what we could see...