Sun - 9 Feb/14

Stayed in bed to watch Sunday Morning on CBS. This is one of our favourite programs. It is nice to enjoy news that isn't all doom and gloom.

Being the weekend, we are hearing a lot of small plane traffic. If we look across East Lake in the evening we can see the lights of Umatilla Municipal Airport. Nearby Tavares, FL has a municipal seaplane base and marina on Lake Dora. Tavares, with several manufacturing facilities, known as the "Seaplane Capital of the World"; however, Lake Hood, AK is actually the busiest seaplane base with nearly 200 flights per day.

The first recorded seaplane flight off the shores of "America's Seaplane City - Tavares, FL, was off Lake Eustis on February 23, 1914. Piloted by Tony Janus, the first licensed airline pilot in the world, in a Benoist airboat, the event was in recognition of Eustis’ first Washington Birthday Celebration.

Beaver Air Tours in Mt. Dora, FL offers reasonably priced tours of Lake County - maybe someday?

Incidentally, the first DHC-2 Beaver, rolled off the de Havilland production line in Toronto, ON in 1947. Able to land on water, snow and runways the Beaver has gone on to be Canada's Bush Plane. 1,657 Beavers were built by the time de Havilland ended production in 1967 (a record for a plane manufactured in Canada). Eventually, Beavers were registered in 60 countries, and Beavers are still flying around the world today, as civilian and military utility aircraft (e.g. U.S. in Viet Nam) and as private planes.

Our first mission of the day was to find Site # 384. The folks there are organizing the Canada Day Potluck at the park. Actually, it is not a Potluck, as it is being catered and we are off to pay for our tickets. Nearly 100 of the park RVers are from Canada - it should be a good event.We found the site, paid and were then on our way.

It was a clear blue sky kind of day with temps in the mid 70's F. To nice to not enjoy having the top off on the Del Sol. It was an enjoyable ride over to Lake Sumter Landing in The Villages. Our choice for lunch was the Lighthouse Point Bar & Grill situated just a short walk from the Lake Sumter Landing Market Square. It was a great day that we to be eating outside by the water.

Charlotte enjoyed the Mahi Mahi with rice and coleslaw while I savoured the Rib Eye steak with garlic mashed potatoes and slaw.

Charlotte had a mission - to find paper bags for a basket she wanted to make and show the park craft group. Paper bags are now a hard item to find. Back home Charlotte used what is known as a 10 lb (Pound) paper bag which we have had no luck finding down here.

Our first try, Sam's Club, possibly had what Charlotte wanted; however, she couldn't determine the size by the way they were packaged and with the only selection size was 500 bags - she passed.

I filled up at Sam's Club gas bar and then we went next door to Home Depot. Hardware stores often sell nails and screws in paper bags - they didn't. No luck at the Dollar store or Walmart either. Next we tried Staples without success. Finally, at Target, Charlotte found "Giant Lunch Bags" which are close enough for her to make a sample.

A short stop for other needed craft materials at Jo-Ann Fabrics.

While waiting for Charlotte to return from Jo-Ann's a lady (originally from England) had noticed the licence plate on the Del Sol - TAFFY*G. She came over to the car and asked if I was Welsh. I am not (I had been asked this before because of the plate).

The term "Taffy" takes part of it's origins from the Welsh river "Taff" on which Cardiff, Wales is built. This term has been in use since the mid-18th century. Various poems of the era are similar to this poem:

          Taffy was a Welshman, Taffy was a thief;

Taffy came to my house and stole a piece of beef;

I went to Taffy's house, Taffy wasn't home;

Taffy came to my house and stole a marrow-bone.

England rivaled Wales during this period resulting in an "attitude" that was particularly evident in the English counties bordering Wales. Although the image of thieving Welshmen had died down by the mid-twentieth century, the name "Taffy", for any Welshman, carries on.

We introduced ourselves and soon discovered our homes are less than an hour apart in Ontario and that she (Janet) has friends that live in my village. (See Saturday's Blog for "Six Degrees of Separation").

Charlotte and I then returned to Lake Sumter Landing Market Square in time for the start of the daily live free music session with the "Smokin' Torpedoes" Blues Band. This 5 member band is a 2 time winner of the "Central Florida Blues Challenge". Their easy brand of blues had most folks tapping their feet to the beat.

The Villages features live music nightly in it's 3 Town Squares. 2  of the 3 "Watering Holes" on the square were open with a continuous line of 40 or so getting their favourite beverage before finding a seat to listen to the music.

A few hundred folks were in the square listening while a dozen or so line dancers and several "Rock n' Rollers" moved to the beat.

With 90 miles of paved roads dedicated exclusively to Golf Carts folks find it easy to access the Village Squares. The street parking is soon overwhelmed by the carts.

Protocol seems to dictate that they park 2 to a parking slot - staggered and mirrors folded inward to allow easy egress for each cart's occupants. This leaves only a few spots for cars on the streets. Most autos are parked in the large parking areas behind the main buildings.

A real neat '32 Deuce Hot Rod came disguised as a Golf Cart and "scored" a prime parking spot.

For supper, we decided on the City Fire (American Oven & Bar). Here the outside patio veranda is actually a large bar that wraps around the corner and runs the whole side of the restaurant. We decided on a table at the quiter end of the veranda.

The Nachos were the best we have had anywhere. Most places pile the "Fixins" on top leaving just dry nachos on the bottom. Here each layer of nachos was smothered with ingredients, just like the top. There is a reason this restaurant has the highest ratings in The Villages.

We finished in time to cross the road to the Old Mill Playhouse for the just released movie from director George Clooney. "The Monuments Men" is based on the true story of an unlikely World War II platoon formed from a group of museum directors, curators, and art historians, that were tasked by FDR to rescue art masterpieces stolen by the Nazis. The art, ordered stolen by Hitler for his planned "Fuhrermuseum" (Leader's Museum), was now hidden behind enemy lines. Adding to the impossibility of the mission was the fact that the German army was under orders to destroy everything should the Reich fall (which it did). This art, representing a 1000 years of culture, once found, was to be returned to their owners. The race now included finding it before the Russians who now were confiscating any found art for their museums.

We both gave it a "Thumbs Up!"

Charlotte was eager to start her craft project. She worked on it while I did today's blog. The Olympics was on TV as we worked. We called it quits at 1:30 pm.

No activities until tomorrow afternoon so I turned off the 7:30 am alarm.

Another busy and enjoyable day down south.