February 26, 2012: Homeward Bound

I was not looking forward to driving through Tampa.   I am glad it was Sunday as the traffic should be less.  Well, that was what I thought. We got into Tampa and the traffic was horrible. I hate driving on I-4 or anywhere around that area. I was glad to drop off the rental car and be done with that part.

The flight home was a different story.    I had these two kids sitting behind me who kicked my seat for almost the full 2 hour flight.  I was so pissed. Finally, I pushed the button and slammed my seat back into their laps. I think that helped make my point for a little while.    The mother barely did anything to them. I would have separated those kids.    

There was a nice family sitting next to me.  Their son was afraid of flying and crying throughout the flight.  The father said he was from Grand Haven.  He was pretty nice.  The mother was sitting in front of us with the daughter.

Jeanne and Kevin Reenders picked us up from the airport and we went for a wonderful dinner at Turk's Restaurant in Nunica.  That cheeseburger was fantastic.  I loved the bar cheese and chips too.

When we got home, we went inside and Maggie came to see us. I think she was happy to have us home and we were glad to be home.

My mom and I have wanted to move to Florida for many years and have travelled there on several occasions checking it out.    We both agree that the traffic is terrible around there.    It is a nice place to go on vacation in the winter.    

I have been following the job market and news around Florida and North Carolina and it's bad. The unemployment rate in Ft. Myers was around 12% for the past year.     My mom read in an article that Tampa has a high rate of suicides due partly to lack of jobs and people getting depressed about their situations.   

Steve Dykema moved down to Florida 3 years ago and wasn't able to find a good paying job, nor was his wife able to find out.   I read on his facebook he was glad to be moving back to Michigan, as he thought the people in Florida were rude and crackheads, not to mention the bad traffic, especially in the winter months.
Leah said she wants to move in about 5 years.    She said the summers are so hot and miserable.      I think she misses her family and friends back in Michigan.

So, now, we have to figure out what our next step will be in our lives, as moving out of state was our plans for many years.

February 25, 2012: Wiregrass Mall in Wesley Chapel

Mom and I had a nice breakfast at the hotel and began our trip back to Zephyrhills. We stopped at the Wiregrass Mall in Wesley Chapel to do some shopping.  The weather was alot cooler here than down in Sarasota or Naples. People were wearing long pants and long sleeved shirts.

My mom and I had dinner at Sonny's BBQ which was fantastic.    We went to Zephyrhills and went to visit Norm at Heartland.   Cheryl, Norm, my mom, and I went for dinner at the Village Inn Restaurant.   My mom and I had dessert there and they had dinner.     

Then, we went back to Norm's house to stay the night.   Cheryl has been such a fantastic hostess.   

February 24, 2012: Ringling Brother Museum

Peggy picked us up at the hotel and we drove to the Ringling Brother Museum. There was quite a line.  I didn't think it was very organized this time.   We paid $25 for the ticket to tour the grounds, but it only included the tour of the first floor of the mansion without a tour guide.    You had to get a separate ticket to have a guide or to go to the 2nd floor. I thought that was ridiculous.
This was Ringling's winter home. It is on the water.

We went to St. Armand's Square and did some shopping at Chicos and other stores.  We had a nice shrimp lunch at one of the restaurants. Then we had some gelato for dessert.    I am glad we finally got to go to St. Armands.

Ken took us all out for dinner at Spanish Pointe which is near Venice.   We had a nice dinner and there was a band.  Ken said I look alot like my Grandma Gonyo and remarked how nice I was.   That made me feel good.   It was nice to sit and chat with Ken and Peggy.       I remember going to the cabin as a child and they would come visit us and we would chat for hours. I miss those days.        

Peggy said she helps out at the beauty pageant each year in Baldwin.     I didn't realize they even had a pageant there.   It was good to see both of them.     

February 23, 2012: Naples

My mom and I left Jim and Marty's place and drove back to Naples.  We wanted to go to Dilliards at the Coastland Mall to see if Lori Lear was working.   We ran into Lori as she was coming into work.  She looked great.     We got to visit with her.  She said they had moved to a home but were buying it on land contract.  Her youngest daughter is in high school. Her other kids are back in Michigan. She said she misses seeing them and her grandkids.       She said she has arthritis in her hands.       I think she was happy to see us.  We love the Dilliards in Naples. They carry the good quality clothing which we like.

Then, we went to Tin City and had a nice lunch down on the water.   We didn't think too much of Tin City. It had restaurants and touristy kind of shops.       Then, we drove around the neighborhoods to see the big mansions. I picked out the one I would love to move into. 

After Naples, we went to Sarasota and stayed at the Holiday Inn Express.  We called Peggy Katt to let her know we got there.  We were going to go with her to the VFW in Venice, however, we got in late.  Peggy wasn't too happy with us at all, even though we had called earlier in the day to say we didn't think we would make it by 5:30.   It's hard to make definite timed plans on a day you are traveling from one city to another.    

February 22, 2012: Naples/Ave Maria

I woke up in the morning with my back still in pain.    I was able have breakfast but then had to go lay down again.     After I got dressed, I went out to their deck and saw Jim, Marty, and my mom taking turns jump roping. It was so cute. 

Then, we drove to Naples to go to Ave Marie, which is a development started by Tom Monaghan. Tom started Dominoes Pizza.   He was a good friend of my Aunt Marianne's brother, Mike, who lives in California.    Tom wanted to build this university and community around a catholic church in Ann Arbor, however, there were some issues in the community with the project.   Collier County, which is where Naples is located, offered 4000 acres of land in their county for him to build the university, church, and community. We went to it around 4 years ago and were quite amazed.       We were wondering what changes had occurred in the past few years.  They wanted to have around 30,000 residents in the community, but only have around 1500.    Tom has stepped down as CEO and is just the Chancellor.    

We had a nice lunch at this pub on the grounds and then went through the visitor's center.     I am glad we got to go back to see this area.

We had pizza at Heavenly Pizza in Ft. Myers which was delicious.    I highly recommend it.

February 21, 2012: Ellenton to Ft. Myers

I woke up in the morning and took a shower. While I was bending over to get dressed, I felt this sharp pain in my lower back.    I could barely walk back to my bed.     We had breakfast at the hotel and then walked over to the Ellenton Outlet Mall.  I was in such pain and walked so slow.   We went through some of the stores, but I had to sit down quite a few times and had a hard time getting up.
My mom had to help me walk up this hill.  I was wondering how on earth I was going to drive us to Ft. Myers as I couldn't even sit in the car.     I took some aspirin and somehow was able to sit in the car and get us to Jim and Marty's condo in Ft. Myers.  I was the only one authorized to drive this rental car which made it more difficult.    As soon as we got to their condo, I went to bed.  Marty gave me a vicodin, which I have never taken in my life.        

Marty made us a delicious chicken enchilada dinner.  I was able to sit long enough for the dinner and then had to go back to bed.   I felt so bad this happened, as I didn't want to cause any problems for anyone.    We wondered if we were going to have to bring me to a med center or to the hospital.    I really didn't want to have to go there.     They all took good care of me which I was thankful for.

February 20, 2012: Dolphin Tale/Clearwater

Mom and I had a nice breakfast with Cheryl and then started our drive into Clearwater to visit the Clearwater Marine Hospital, where the dolphin, 'Winter', is in rehabilitation.   Winter was featured in the movie 'Dolphin Tale', that was filmed there between September through December 2010. Winter's fin was injured in the Atlantic Ocean over near Cape Canaveral.  She was rescued and brought over to the Clearwater Marine Hospital.    A gentleman saw the story and contacted a doctor to help create an artificial fin for Winter. If Winter did not get this artificial fin, it would jeopardize her health and further swimming.  
The movie was filmed on location at this hospital. Although the characters were fictional, the dolphin played herself in the movie. It starred Ashley Judd and Morgan Freeman.    

They had a museum at a separate location that told about the making of the movie. Then, we took a trolley over to the Marine Hospital.    When we got to the hospital, the crowds were huge. Thank goodness we already had our tickets, as I would not have wanted to wait in that line.

We got to see Winter do a short show.    We got see the houseboat that was made for the movie.

After the marine hospital, we drove around Clearwater Beach which was packed.  There were no parking spots, so we didn't stop.     I was so glad to get out of that mess.   We stayed the night at the Hamptons Inn in Ellenton.

Cheri Kersting, whom my mom and I used to work with at the County of Muskegon, was now living at a mobile home park near our hotel in Ellenton. We went to dinner with Cheri at a Crab Restaurant near the hotel which was delicious.  We had a nice conversation with Cheri. It was good to see her.

She took us to her mobile home so we could see it. We got to meet her husband and her precious dog, who has had some health issues with her eye. The little dog is so spunky, despite all of the medications she had to be on. I think Cheri said she had 18 medications/eye drops to give her.

February 19, 2012: Silver Springs and The Villages

Cheryl Duplantis, my Mom, and I headed for Silver Springs. My mom hadn't been to Silver Springs since she was in 8th grade.   On our way, we stopped at one of the Florida orange stores and bought orange perfume, which Betsy had asked for me to get her if I found it.  All of us got one for ourselves, as it smelled so good.     Then, I drove by Jumbo Air in the town of Anthony to show Cheryl where John Travolta lives.   She thought that was so neat.


We got to Silver Springs and it started to rain. I was hoping it wouldn't rain all day, as this is an outdoor park.   


Here is some history on the park.


"Throughout history, Silver Springs has been a timeless oasis and a place of unparalleled beauty, offering respite to early settlers who drew sustenance from its 99.8 percent pure artesian spring waters.

In the early 1500s, Timucuan Indians settled in the area around Silver Springs which they referred to as Ocali, a sub province of Timucua. In 1539, the area was invaded by Spaniards, led by Hernando de Soto, looking to exploit wealth. After many battles, the Ocali Indians were able to retain their claimed territory.

In time, the Timucuans were succeeded by other Indian tribes including the Seminole Indians. When the U.S. Government attempted to move the Seminoles from Florida to reservations in the western U.S. in 1835, Chief Osceola and the Seminoles retreated to the southern swamps. His slashing of the treaty the U.S. Government representatives presented to him is the famous gesture that gained him the respect of the Seminole Indians, and many joined Osceola’s forces in future battles. Today, all of the Glass Bottom Boats are named in honor of those Indian leaders who fought in Florida.

In the 1850s, commerce was introduced to the Silver Springs area as barges carried cotton, lumber, and nonperishables up the Silver River to the area’s growing population. Hubbard H. Hart founded the Hart Line, a stagecoach connection between Palatka, Silver Springs, Ocala and Tampa. In 1860, Hart hired James Burt, who brought conventional steamboats to Silver Springs. From that point on, tourists flocked to see the crystal-clear waters that had attracted attention for centuries.
Silver Springs’ popularity flourished after Hullam Jones invented the glass bottom boat there in 1878. By installing a glass viewing box on the flat bottom of a dugout canoe, he created a window to an underwater world teeming with fish, turtles, crustaceans and fossils more than 10,000 years old. 


Six of the original Tarzan movies, starring Johnny Weissmuller, were filmed on location at Silver Springs.


Lost River Voyage opened to the public. The voyage begins where the "Sea Hunt" television series was filmed and continued one mile down the Silver River, show casing an untouched and untamed part of Florida. "             


We took a ride on the glass bottom boat which was nice.    I didn't realize how much lime stone there is around Florida.   We saw the beautiful fish.


Then, we walked around the grounds and came across the animal section. We enjoyed watching people feed the giraffe.  Then, we looked at the animal farm.


After Silver Springs, we drove to the retirement community, The Villages, near Leesburg, in order to see what changes had been made.      We had a wonderful lunch at Panera Bread.     Then, we walked around the shops and around the neighborhood where my mom and I stayed a few years ago.      The neighborhood reminds me of this perfect little street with perfect lawns and big homes.     


The Villages sits in 3 counties.  The third village is being developed. This will be the final phase.   It will have a western theme.


Cheryl Duplantis is so funny.  She was telling us about living home with her parents when she was 37 years old, but had to move out when she got her poodle, as her parents didn't want a dog. I thought it was so funny, as that is just like my story.      She said she loved staying home with her parents, as she didn't have to worry about bills and could spend her money traveling. She worked for a law firm in downtown Chicago.    She had some boyfriends, but never got married.       Her two sisters also have never married.   It felt good to know that I am not the only single gal out there and even if I never marry, it will be OK.     


We got back to Norm's house and had some dessert.  Cheryl and I stayed up until 1 a.m. talking. I told her my soap opera story that occurred back in Chicago when I was living there.    

February 18, 2012: Tampa, Zephyrhills,and Bartow, Florida

My Mom and I had decided that we needed to go on this trip to Florida to check out the areas once again to see if this is where we wanted to move.     We had a nice flight on Air Tran from Grand Rapids to Tampa.   Jeanne and her husband, Kevin, drove us to the airport which was so nice.   It made it so much easier.     We got to Tampa and picked up our rental car through Dollar Rental. I was shocked that the cost of the rental car for a week was going to be $575.   Roughly $194 of that cost was just for taxes.    I think I need to be in the car rental business.    


We drove to Zephyrhills to the Heartland Assisted Living Center to visit Norm.    He was waiting in his wheel chair at the door for us with a big appreciative smile.      


We took him to lunch at Chilis.  He told us this was the last restaurant he took Grandma to before she moved back to Michigan 2 years ago.      We had a nice waitress and meal.      Norm was using his walker to get around.     I took him to the bathroom and waited for him outside.     


Then, we went to Grandma's mobile home to check it out.  It hasn't been lived in for 2 years.  We were shocked that most of the furniture was still in there.   We were expecting it to be empty.    The ceiling in the living room had mold and looked very bad.    We were shocked at how much the trailer had deteriorated.   


Norm had some bathroom issues and had to use the bathroom immediately. We didn't know what to do, as the water was shut off. My mom went to the neighbors to find someone to help, but no one was home. Meanwhile, Norm had exploded all over the floor and toilet and in his pants.    I helped clean him up.   The smell made me throw up in the garbage can.  We didn't have any toilet paper so used what tissues that were there.     Poor Norm felt so bad.       This happened about 3 separate times. What a mess to clean up.    Mom found the neighbor, Theresa, who came over to turn on the water, so I was able to flush the toilet and wash my hands.


Theresa has been taking care of Grandma's neighbor, Ruth, every day.   


Then, we went to see the memorial stone that Norm had made for Grandma.  It is over at Betmar on the other side near this Canadian flag.   


Norm's niece, Cheryl, stopped by the memorial to meet us.    She is 67 yrs old and never been married.  She has 2 sisters who have never been married.  They all live in Chicago.      Cheryl is such a sweetheart. She has been taking care of Norm's 7 rental properties, plus his house, and him.     She comes to Florida for 1 1/2 months and then goes back to Chicago for 1 1/2 months.    


We dropped Norm off at his home and then followed Cheryl back to Norm's house for a 2 night stay.  


We had plans to meet my high school friend, Leah Engle, in Lakeland.  We hadn't seen her new town home she got there so that was nice to see.  Leah took us to this wonderful restaurant in Bartow called "Stanford Inn".   It was a fancy restaurant inside an old house.  The food was excellent.     Then, we went back to Leah's house and got to meet her dog, Misha, whom she has been taking to obedience classes.   Misha showed us all of her tricks.    Leah took us on a tour of her new home which was very nice.      

February 4, 2012: April, Matthew, and Cyrus Come to Town

I was so excited to hear that Matthew was finally coming back to Michigan for a visit. Unfortunately, the reason for his visit was due to the passing of his Grandma Tomasiewicz.     Matthew's father passed away a few years ago which was very sad.    


Matthew has always been like a little brother to me.  When we lived on Lawnel Avenue, he used to come over to our house almost every day and I would play baseball, kick ball, play video games, ride bikes, get ice cream, and go to the movies.    I remember one time when he was a kid and he said he was so sad that I was going away to college, as he couldn't come over.   


I had been trying for several days to get something set up so we could go visit with them.     They stayed the last week at his mother, Patty's house.      My mom and I went for a visit.    Little Cyrus is such a doll. He is almost 15 months old.   Cyrus was born in November 2010.    


Matthew was in the Navy and then decided he wanted to be in the Army.     He has been stationed in Afghanistan since last July.    He is supposed to come back to the states this coming July which will be good.     He would like to finish with the army in the next couple of years and move back to Michigan.  They were going to look at properties up north, near where he lived with his father.    

We brought Cyrus a cute shorts and top and a pillow pet.   It was cute watching him open up his present.     Patty looked so happy having them all here for a visit.