Fri - 11 Apr/14

A few clouds today with the temps starting to creep up. High 70's F today with low 80's tomorrow. It will keep climbing until it hits the low 90's in a few days. Then rain.

We still haven't decided if we will add an extra week here or go somewhere else for a week before starting home. The problem is Easter - we don't want to be on the road from Thursday until Monday of the Easter weekend due to the increased traffic.

Charlotte made a smoothie with the remainder of our frozen strawberries for breakfast - yummy!

The park staff delivered a set of stairs to our neighbours across the road. They weren't home. When they get back they will have to watch their step or move them closer to the door (grin).

Our destination today was "Flea World" in Sanford, FL. They bill themselves as the largest flea market in the USA. Although they have 1700 indoor spots they don't even come close to the flea market we visited in San Jose (CA). Here they have aisles - In San Jose they have streets: eight miles worth and a population (of vendors) and la and mass larger than some small towns.

Flea World is open Fri/Sat/Sun. Friday was not the best day to come. I suspect many booth operators work Mon-Fri somewhere else and open their stall on the weekend. About half of the booths were not open today. Like San Jose many booths here had similar items. Bigger isn't always better. We enjoyed the smaller Twin Markets in Mt. Dora, the Webster West Side and the Marion Market more. The only things we bought here were Hot Dogs, Fries and Drinks.

Oh well - It was a nice day to enjoy convertible weather in the Del Sol. We avoided I-4 and a Toll Road both going and coming making the trip less hectic.

Instead of returning to the RV we decided to continue our outing by continuing on to Lake Sumter Landing Market Square in the Villages. Today, around the Square, The Villages Yester Year Kart Club will have their karts on display.

It was even more packed today than yesterday. Carts were parked 4 deep in the car spaces. We had to go 2 blocks away to find a spot. We returned by the "Boardwalk" that runs along Lake Sumter.

We decided to take the Lake Sumter Boat Cruise that docks at the far end of the boardwalk. Lake Sumter is a man-made (or modified) lake that is 1 mile long and a half mile wide (more or less). The cost of the half-hour cruise is an exorbitant $2 each (grin).

Being it was supper time we were the only 2 on the boat and had the best seats - at the stern. We told the Captain that we were in no hurry and would wait until they had a few more passengers for the trip.

After a bit we were joined by a nice family visiting from Minnesota. They were fun to talk with as we plied the water of Lake Sumter.

We passed The Lighthouse Bar and Grille. Carrying on with correct "Boater's Protocol" we waved and they waved back. This is at the opposite end of the boardwalk from where the cruise is docked. It is where we parked the Del Sol.

The bridge on our usual route in to Lake Sumter Landing (supposedly) was modeled after the London Bridge. This is fitting since London Bridge also (now) spans a man made body of water in a community built by a real estate mogul.

The Villages "Bridge" does have similar profile to "London Bridge" (above) that now resides in Lake Havasu City, AZ. It is the relocated 1831 bridge that formerly spanned the River Thames in London, England, until it was dismantled in 1967. The dismantled bridge was bought by Robert P. McCulloch who had the exterior granite blocks from the original bridge numbered and transported to America and re-construct in Lake Havasu City, a planned community he established in 1964 on the shore of Lake Havasu. The bridge was completed in 1971 (along with a canal), and links an island in the Colorado River with the main part of Lake Havasu City.

On the grassy area between the sections of the "Villages Bridge" has a golf cart parking area. It is known as the senior's "Lover's Lane". There are several parking spots here where residents park each night to watch the sun set across the lake. Often they bring a picnic lunch or wine and cheese to enjoy as they watch the sunset. (When we crossed on leaving The Villages it was packed with a few dozen golf carts waiting for the sun to set).

Personally, I found the London Bridge in Lake Havasu City, AZ much prettier at night.

Side Note: When in Lake Havasu City I ran out of 1000 ISO 35 mm Colour Film and went to a Photo shop to purchase a few more rolls for the bridge night shots. There I saw a picture of the artificial waterway taken from an airplane. You could hardly see the water for the boats (hundreds). The photo shop owner said he took the picture that Memorial Day Weekend after which he didn't drink tap water for at least a week. This made perfect sense when we ventured down to the artificial waterway. It was so shallow boaters would park their boats side-by-side and stand in the water (up to their hips) and drink beer (all day?) out the cooler case in their boat. No fear of that here - the average depth is 14 feet.

I saw; but, couldn't photograph an Osprey flying with a fish in it's claws. Neat! This lake is stocked with several kinds of popular fish for the residents who enjoy this pastime.

Same goes for a getting a picture of the (Arnold) Palmer Legends Golf Course. The Villages is the only place in the world where residents can play golf free (memberships are provided "free" as part of the mandatory resident amenities fee) for the rest of their life. The Villages has more holes of golf than any other community/facility in the world with 540 holes (and growing) resulting in about 10,000 tee times available each day. (Mission Hills in China is second with 216 holes). A "Hole-in-One" occurs 5 times a day in The Villages. There are over 50,000 golf carts in The Villages that are used on over 100 miles of golf cart paths with overpasses and underpasses that allow residents to avoid problems on major roads.

Village Facts: The Villages is the fastest growing residential area in the USA, selling almost one percent of all the new homes in the entire United States. It is growing at the rate of 20 new residents a day. At this rate, by next year, the population will reach 110,000.

Golf isn't the only game in town. There are over 2,200 organized clubs in The Villages.There are currently 63 recreation centers in The Villages with more than 100 Tennis Courts and over 100 Pickle Ball Courts. Softball totals for the past year are 555 teams (6,660 players) playing approximately 5,572 total games over 3 seasons.

After the boat ride we headed to the square. We each picked up an Ice Cream in a cup at "Ambrosia on the Square" and sat on a bench to enjoy the treat.

Next, we "Walked the Square" to view the golf karts on display. I thought "Yesteryear" referred to old time golf carts. I was wrong. Yesteryear is the name of a golf cart (Kit) that was developed and manufactured in 2003 by Jerry Letney (assisted by son-in-law Jim Parry). Six different molds were made. Owners further modified these with great results. Many of these efforts were on display around the square.

A "Tow Truck"

A "Fire Truck"

A Hot Rod

A pickup

A Limo

A Convertible

Hey, I think this one, with ice and wine under the hood,  may spend some time tonight at "Lover's Lane" between the bridges (grin).

And from the crowd: A Peterbilt.

We then found seats and listened to the live music from the "Gazebo" while watching folks dance.

Before leaving we picked up another "Butterfly" T-shirt (original got spotted from a park bench at Blue Springs) and some items at IZOD.

Then a nice ride back to the RV - still topless (no, the car - big grin).

This was another busy and fun day.