Sat - 14 Jan/17

Well, we survived Friday the 13th! The only misfortune was that it was cloudy with a few light scattered showers throughout the day. Today is nearly perfect with almost 80's F under clear blue skies with no wind and little humidity.

We took it easy this morning. As usual (unless we are on a road trip), on most non-craft days, we stayed in bed watching the local news until 9 a.m.

 

Sadly, a funeral for one of two fallen officers, Master Sergeant Debra Clayton, will be held today. She died while trying to apprehend the suspect at a Walmart. The accused was wanted for killing his pregnant girlfriend and seriously wounding her brother. Reports are the accused was wearing a bulletproof vest. These can easily be purchased down here at Flea Markets along with all types of guns. Once down, the officer was shot multiple times as the killer stood over her.

 

A second (motorcycle) officer, Deputy First Class Norman Lewis, died while responding to the manhunt. He crashed when a vehicle turned in front of him. The officer, with lights and siren on, had the green light. Charges are pending for the driver.

The reward, funded by donations to Crimeline, is now up to $100,000. Hundreds of tips have come in and numerous SWAT searches have been conducted. Three persons, to date, have been arrested for aiding the accused. The massive manhunt continues.

Both officers were exceptionally well liked and highly involved in the community.

Sad to say, homicides are a daily occurrence down here. We are no longer shocked as they are often the "Lead" story on the local news.

Breakfast today were McD's. Charlotte has making the McMuffin type sandwiches down to perfection. We enjoyed them while watching "Innovation Nation" on CBS.

Later, it was America's Test Kitchen which is always informative and interesting. (We have their cookbook - which is excellent.) There product reviews are also exceptionally well done.

Our outing today was at the Orange Blossom Opry in Wiersdale, FL. This is an intimate venue that features great entertainment (mostly country) for a reasonable price. The capacity is a little over 600 meaning there is not a bad seat in the house. We have already purchased tickets for several shows from now into March.

 

Today we attended the 2:30 p.m. show featuring "The Association". If there are two shows by a group we prefer the early offering so we can drive back in daylight.

Wow! This is the 50th.(+) Anniversary of the group. The started in 1965. The above album is one of my favourites. I originally had it on 8-track that I played continuously whenever I was in my Corvair Monza. Since I didn't have an 8-track in the house I would often just sit in the car so I could listen.

There were only 13 songs on the album and I enjoyed them all. My favourites were "Cherish", "Never My Love", "Windy", "Along Comes Mary" and "Six Man Band". I was surprised to learn at the concert that "Never My Love" is #2 in the top 100 song (plays) of the last 100 years. The Righteous Bros "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' " is #1. We are fortunate enough to have heard both sung live by the artists.

"Along Comes Mary" was controversial at the time thanks to the fact that "Mary" was street slang for "Marijuana". Needless to say I didn't know that at the time. Boy, were we "Innocent" back then!

Neither did I realize that "Six Man Band" was autobiographical.

They played all their hits. They also played a medley of songs from the movie soundtrack of "The Big Chill" that was exceptional. Humour and anecdotes were sprinkled throughout the show.

The harmony was fantastic. The memories sublime!

The reason given for choosing the afternoon show was irrelevant today. Instead of heading back to the motorhome we ventured off to the "Market Square" at "Lake Sumter Landing" in "The Villages".

The Villages is a 55+ complex of gated communities (pop. 120,000) with three "Town Squares". That each feature live music every day of the year. Golf Cars (they don't call them carts) are the "second vehicle" in most households here. There are over 100,00 of all types.Over 90 miles of dedicated paved roads just for golf cars folks can go anywhere in the area (including shopping in Lady Lake), as there are golf car overpasses and underpasses to facilitate safe passage.

If you look carefully, they may "Wink" at you. (Love those Eyelashes).

Mid-afternoon hundreds of chairs are set up in the square in preparation for the residents (and public) that will arrive a little later to listen and/or dance to the live music emanating from the band shell.

Today we decide on having Nachos at our usual table at "City Fire" on the corner across from the square.

We shared a large Nacho while listening to the music from across the street.

Our next destination was the "Van Heusen" store. My intentions were to have Charlotte find something new she might like. It didn't work - nothing caught here interest; but I ended up with 3 new shirts (I tried).

We then decided to stay and listen to the music for a bit. This line is not for the music; but for "Happy Hour" drinks. There is a "Shack" at each of the corners of the square where folks can purchase "Specials". When only 1 or 2 of the "Shacks" are open the line can be quite long.

Finding a seat after the music starts can be difficult as hundreds of folks turn out - especially when the weather is so nice. We managed to find two chairs that were available (in different spots) and placed them together to sit and listen.

We stayed for a full session. Even though it was now dark it was still shirt sleeve warm. Depending on the song folks are up and either line-dancing, waltzing or rock 'n rolling to the music.

Charlotte made a new friend while at the square (grin).

Everything in "The Villages" is "Top Notch". A Public washroom near the square looks like somebodies "Beach House". As you walk along the sidewalk speakers on the light posts play music from "The Villages" own radio station.

On the way back to the motorhome I stopped at an Advanced Auto Parts store (open until 9 pm) to pick up a signal light bulb. I noticed the turn signal flasher was blinking at a faster rate than normal. This usually indicated a bulb is burnt out. Charlotte checked and the driver's side front signal light was not working. I picked up a pair and will replace it tomorrow.

It was a quiet, busy day. As usual, TV surfing finished the day.