Oh My

Two pink birds we saw as we took the boat shuttle

I can't believe it has been over two weeks since I blogged.  Maybe that means my life has been vanilla!
First tennis as that is one thing I spend some time on here in FL.  Last week was our first match of the fall.  We kind of look at fall as spring training for the winter.  This is my first season of tennis at the 3.0 level.  For the last 3 years my team competed at the 2.5 level and improved each year so it was time to take some players and move up a notch.  Last Wednesday we lost all three courts but I was actually not that disappointed.  Rusty and I played on court #1 and lost a match tie breaker.  We won more games than we lost and out played them in rallies but they took us down in their service game.  Our serves---something to work on for sure.  I was short 3 of my top 6 players so things will get better, maybe!  We play tomorrow at home so will see what happens.  I will still be short 2 of my top players that I will count on in the winter but this is a time for some players to get on the court as their court time will be less in the winter.  One good thing for me is I have not experienced any back issues so far and that is good!  I did take a 1/2 hour lesson last Friday and my homework was to hit the ball cross court for 30-40 minutes each week with a player who is much better than I.  I did that yesterday and it was good.
We had a RAINY day last Saturday.  It started late AM and I am guessing we had about 2 inches of rain.  We needed it.  It is interesting to see the tennis courts after a rain.  I would say it rained off and on from Saturday AM through early AM Sunday and still by Sunday noon you could have gotten on the clay courts.  They do soak up the water.
Terry and I took the boat shuttle once last week.  Over the last couple of years we have not used it that much.  It was raining lightly the day we took it so we did not stay on the beach but stayed on the pontoon and came back.  Saw a dolphin on the way out and many birds.  That 15 minutes ride is always relaxing and fun.
Our next door neighbor John came down a couple of weeks ago.  He had us over for dinner and we had him over here.  He seems to be doing OK but I know he misses his wife Diane who died last January.  He does have his home in Toronto for sale and has purchased another one which is about half the size.  The one for sale is on Lake Ontario which means that it is on the upper scale of homes. He said he will not move out until it sells but he is going back up there November 4th to get things settled in his new place so it will be ready when the other sells.  In some ways John reminds me of my brother Ronald.  ALWAYS doing something, always into an adventure, always busy with making things happen.  Of course I did not live close to Ronald after he left home for college but that has always been my perception of him.
I have a couple of things I want to accomplish this winter but I have not been able to get beyond this tennis thing and home life.  Not a bad thing but I had better get moving soon.
Terry's son and wife have finalized their plans for a visit this year.  They will leave MN the afternoon of Thanksgiving, stop in Peach Tree City and arrive here Saturday, November 25th.  They will leave the following Friday.  At this time we do not have any dates for others coming but we may get more family down here in the winter.
Enough for now as I just poured the last drop of FP into my favorite cup and will savory it for a bit.

Irma will be remembered for a long time

there once was a car port over these spaces

along the road

Common curb side view

Hoping there were no cars under it

The remains of a huge tree

These pictures are from around our neighborhood.  It seems that trucks are hauling away downed trees and junk almost 24/7.  Yesterday, Sunday, they were heard hauling at 7:00 AM.  I know that here in Naples there were no lives lost and Irma was predicted to be much worse than it was but still the scars will remain for years and years and of course the $$ are there as well.  Many lost their homes and all possessions.
Terry and I had a fun filled weekend.  We took in an open house kind of thing at the Alamo which is a  large gun place and shooting range.  They served hot dogs and brats with the trimmings.  In one gun display case they had about 6 rifles which dated back 500+ years.  One was totally made with inlayed ivory.  The guy said there was over 2 million $ worth of rifles in the case.  We sat and watched the gun range for a bit.  One boy, about 10 or so, was shooting for the first time.  He had this HUGE grin on his face yet each time a shot was fired he would flinch!
We drove 5 miles east of I75 to an open house at a new development.  They will have a large recreation building, outdoor courts and 610 units when finished.  They had 8 models on display, free Royal Scoop ice cream and hot dogs.  We were too full from the Alamo!  The units ranged in price from $300,000+ - $600,00+.  I found their marketing method a bit offensive.  We walked into a unit that was listed at $317,000.  Wow I thought, very nice with a spa and pool out back.  The sales person was talking to other people and mentioned that the pool and spa were a $170,000 up grade!!!  Of course that was not listed and you would not know that if you did not ask.  Many of the units had top loading washers and dryers in white and fridges as side by side.  Well we know that perhaps nobody is going to spend half a million dollars on a home and get those appliances so the name of the game, it appears, is get the people in and then convince them to add on many $$s in upgrades.  Anyway it was fun to see what was there and it certainly enforced the idea that SW Florida is growing and growing.  As for Terry and me we are very happy where we are.
Yesterday we picked up some friends and took in an open house at the Naples Zoo.  It was free for Collier county residents.  The normal cost for seniors is $21.95 which in my opinion is high so why not go on a day when it is free!
Time to sip the last of the FP and get on with the day.

The real deal but not the real deal!

This picture is not of our Jayhawk stacker but it is very much like what we had on the farm.  We had an M international and a Jayhawk with rubber tires like this.  It seems to me that ours was a bit taller but I am not sure.  I do know that we could make hay stacks much taller than anybody in the country. One can see the metal tips on the end of the wooden tines.  I have one in my wood shop that came off our Jayhawk.    According to my memory Dad never allowed anyone else to drive it.  Not sure why but then that was Dad.
There were times I wondered why we had a M with narrow front end wheels but as I think back I think we had to have a narrow front end to use the Jayhawk and the cornpicker.  The only bad thing about those narrow front tires was if you were in the middle of a dirt field and it started to rain you had better head out or the front tires would plug up with mud and skid along the ground.  All the better to quit early, right??

I had to buy a pumpkin yesterday.  Terry had a Dr. appt on Wednesday.  The building and office were very nice and I am thinking this is a first class place.  Then I go up to the front desk and there sits a tiny plastic pumpkin, what the heck!  So when Terry has a follow up on Monday the office will get this nice REAL pumpkin.  I am sure they will be thrilled!
My FP is on its last swallow so it is time to shave and get set for my Friday match.  Yesterday I lost my focus and tried to be too fancy with my shots.  This morning it will be "hit it over the net" and make them make a mistake.  We'll see what happens!

Audrey 9!

Today, October 13th Audrey turns 9.  She is such a cute, sweet and smart young lady.  Audrey we are so proud of you and love you so much.  Grandpa and Terry

Closing in on our first week

Six of these guys will move up to 3.0 tennis this fall--fun but perhaps humble pie too!

We have been here a full 5 days and MOST things are put away where they belong.  Maybe a first for me as I don't know if I ever got things put away in St. Paul last summer.
We are into our annual fall Dr. visits to make sure we look good, the plumbing is working and the mind is kind of OK!!!
I have been pleasantly surprised with my tennis play.  Not great but really doing fine since I found proof that I did not have cement in my shoes.  Still not moving as I should but that will come.  It is so easy to hit the ball and then stand there and wait to see what happens instead of hitting the ball and then moving to where you think it will come back.
As of now our first match will be 2 weeks from today.  As I looked at the teams they are all different from the 2.5 teams we played the last 3 years so that should be fun.  It is always fun to travel to new clubs and meet new players.
Our weather has been a bit hot and a BIG bit humid.  Yesterday a record was set with a temp of 93.  As one could guess the temp here does not fluctuate as much as in MN.  It seldom gets below 70 for a high for the day and seldom get higher than low 90s for a high for the day.  This time of year the normal is 85-87 but the humidity has been near 100%.  When we play tennis at 9:00 one is soaked in a sweat by the time the first point is won.  With a starting time of 7:30 you may not be soaked until the 3rd or 4th point!
My goodness this weight of mine is not so easy to lose now compared to a few years ago.  It still can come off but the effort is much more.  I have a goal for the month of October so I will see how I do.  I have to learn to eat when I am hungry, not just eat because it tastes so good!  Perhaps it is called discipline which way too often escapes me!  I have been arriving at the courts a good 30 minutes ahead of a match and spending that time in the fitness center.  I am trying to warm up before I play to cut down on the chances of an injury.  Many guys get out of their car with racquet in hand and step onto the court.  Not a good idea at our age.
Enough for now as the FP is almost too cool to enjoy.

PROOF

I am playing tennis for the first time since mid May.  Last year when I first played in the fall I was sure I had cement inserts in my shoes for about a week or so.  This morning I had to compare to be sure that is not true this fall.  Looks like I am good to go.  By the way the bottom is my court shoe😆
My court time is 9:00 AM and as I rolled over in bed and looked at the time I was amazed to see that it was 7:07.  Enough time to get ready but I thought I should get up.  As I walked into the kitchen to start the water for FP I glanced at the stove clock and it smiled back at me with 5:07!!!
For the most part things are put away and in order as we head into day 4 here in Naples.  I glanced at the headlines in the Naples Daily News this morning and they said so far the price tag to Naples after Irma sits at 64 million.  Most of that so far had been clean up.  I suppose the only silver lining in that is most of the workers cleaning up certainly can use the extra money.  I am sure the clean up will go on for a long time.  Yesterday Terry and I walked to an open house 5 doors down from ours. In back of the house, about 5 feet from their screened in porch was a huge tree that had fallen down in the storm.  Of course it will have to be cleaned up but I am guessing that kind of clean up will be a long time in coming.
Enough for this morning.  The FP is almost history and I should get on with my day.

Day One

It is 7:27 AM in Naples and I am still thinking of the walls in the sun room, the door of the bath, the paint touch up on the house, the living room walls, the steps going upstairs and all that is in St. Paul.  What the heck, I need to let it go for the next 6 months!
Terry and I arrived yesterday, October 5th at about 4:00 PM.  That was after a 9 hour 600 mile drive from Peachtree City GA.  We found the house in good shape.  There is a blue tarp on the neighbors roof but hope it does not extend to our roof..  The house was clean and cool which is what one wants.  Our trip down was uneventful.  A night in Madison, a night in South Bend, a night in TN, a night in Peachtree City GA and then home.  I noticed something that has changed in Madison and South Bend.  The grand kids seem so much older than the last time I saw them.  Leo was so mature, Elspeth seemed to have changed overnight, Henry and Liam are into a motor bike they have made and the list goes on and on.  It couldn't be that I am older, oh no.  Henry is not only taller than grandpa, he is WAY taller it seems.  Liam is not far behind!  I am always amazed at what Aaron/Amy and John/Mary get done as they raise families.  From redoing the exterior of a house to redoing the entrance the work gets done.  I think their work ethic puts dad to shame but then each generation is supposed to get better, right? 

Terry and I had a great time seeing Tori at college.  She seems so so happy and is so successful.  We did have time to see her digs and I think dorm life has changed a bit since 1965/66!!!
There is much to do around here.  The pool deck needs to be power washed and much needs to be put away.  It will get done in time. 
I am going to wander over to the tennis courts this morning and see who is there.  I see where some of the courts are used but not all.  I really should take my things and practice a bit on my serve but will save that for another day.
As I took out the recycle and garbage this morning I was face to face with FL humidity!  It will take a while to get used to it. 

We greet October 2017 with cool temps and rain

Packed and ready to move on

It is kind of "D" day today:

• the wood shop is set for the winter
• the camper and car are batteryless and resting
• suitcases are packed and sitting in the living room
• the radiators are bled
• the bikes are in the basement parked on their seats and handle bars
• the house is picked up and looks nice (should have done that in the spring!)
• the lawn is a lush green and waiting for winter
• the paper is stopped
• the TV is stopped
• the garbage is stopped
• the mail is stopped (the only thing that is not stopped is Terry and me)
• the GPS is programed for Madison, South Bend, Chattanooga and Peachtree City
• three Christmas presents are in the car for delivery at different places with additional presents sitting in the den 
• furnace is turned down to 50
• the car is gassed and ready for the road
• the Sunday paper is waiting for Terry in the car
• There are a few last second things that need to be put in the car.  The Chromecast for Netflix needs to come, the WiFi needs to be turned off and packed, the computer needs to be turned off and packed but that is about it.

So it looks like a go from here.  We are scheduled to land in Naples late afternoon on Thursday.  We will take in the hurricane effects as we arrive and then take Friday to unpack and start to settle in for the winter.  I do have a tennis match scheduled for Monday and most likely it will not be pretty.  I have not had a hand on anything related to tennis since May so I may end up arriving at the courts with a bat instead of a racquet. AND maybe will think the bocce balls are meant to be on the tennis courts!
With this entry I will turn off the computer, drink the last of my AM FP and pack the last few items into the car.  I do remember that today is the Twin City marathon so will avoid going past Summit Ave but rather will head east to 35W and then out.