Thu - 2 Feb/17

The weather is great here in Florida continues.

Elsewhere in the USA may not be so good as Punxsutawney(PA) Phil has predicted another 6 weeks of winter after seeing his shadow. This prediction is based on an old German legend connected with Candlemas: If a furry rodent casts a shadow on this day winter continues; if not - spring comes early.

Canada's Wiarton (ON) Willlie and Shubenacadie Sam (NS) both didn't see their shadow predicting an early spring. Good news for our return home to Canada, Eh!

Craft day saw us do the usual routine. Charlotte went to the Craft Room. Always nice work being done there.  I went to The Lodge.

Today it is set up for round two of the photo session for the park directory. Regular residents of OMS (Olde Mill Stream RV Resort) may include their picture and contact information in a directory if they so desire. It will be available for a reasonable fee and includes OMS Lot # as well as summer address, email and phone numbers folks wish to include. We got our pictures done in the first session.

I finished updating virus definitions and fixed another non-working program. I left the car (and keys) for Charlotte and walked back to the motorhome to prepare lunch. Today it will be Marie Callender's Turkey Pot pie - a favourite of ours.

Charlotte returned a little after noon. Like a "Good Hubby" - lunch was ready. OUCH! (I hurt my arm patting myself on the back - grin)

Charlotte returned to the Craft Room after lunch for a special session. She returned about 3 p.m. with an almost finished a "Casserole Holder" that will come in handy for Potluck Suppers at the park. Really neat!

We left for The Villages a little before 4 p.m. It was a perfect afternoon for a "Topless " ride in the Del Sol.  Our event today was "The Kingston Trio" at  Savannah Center.

No, this isn't a ticket line - it is for the bar. Many get drinks for the show.

Once again we had decent seats for the show. This is why I bought all show tickets for our time at OMS when we first arrived. Good thing - both shows for this event were sold out (as usual).

The show opened with Nicholas Marks (appeared on America's Got Talent - 3 seasons). We were treated to a half hour of fantastic "Rumba Gypsy Flamenco Guitar"! No wonder they call him the "Jimi Hendrix of Flamenco Guitar". There were shades of classical guitar sound worthy of virtuoso Andres Segovia; however I don't think Andres played with the guitar over his head, sideways, backwards, single-handed and other indescribable positions. Simply unbelievable - check him out on You Tube.

The Kingston Trio began in 1957 in San Francisco. Their first big hit was "Tom Dooley" (1958)which helped fuel the "Folk Song" era. We haven't seen them perform for a dozen years (also in Florida). It brought back memories of the 60's. If you are old enough you know about a "Hootenanny" (for those who don't - it is when a large group got together - usually sit on the floor = and to listen to folk music). If you don't remember Folk Music - you missed the '60's completely! (grin).

Their songs that I like best are "Where Have All The Flowers Gone"; "500 Miles Away From Home", "Leaving on a Jet Plane",  "Tom Dooley", "Raspberries, Strawberries" and "Scotch and Soda". Charlotte's favourite is "M.T.A.". It was a "protest" song that told the story of a man named "Charlie" who got trapped on the Boston Subway by an (unfair) fare increase. (Subconsciously, I think Charlotte likes it because here nickname is "Charlie" - grin). It was actually first used as a mayoral campaign song in 1949 for Walter O'Brien. (Not TV's Walter O'Brien on Scorpion). We both like "Sloop John B." which became a big hit for The Beach Boys. Other top hits were  "Tijuana Jail", "Greenback Dollar" and "A Worried Man"; but they didn't sing these at this show. They might be saving these for the next tour. They come every year or two to The Villages and they wouldn't want it to be the same show (repeated).

Ah! Memories of youth.

Today's Digression: TV's Scorpion is fictional; however, a real Walter O'Brien (Irish, not Scottish) is the CEO and founder of Scorpion Computer Services that promotes itself as a genius based think tank. This O'Brien claims an exceptional IQ and that the NSA (through Interpol) arrived after he hacked into NASA at age 13 (Hacker ID: Scorpion). He also makes other claims, such as developing the video-recognition software that aided the FBI in catching the "Boston Marathon Bombers". These facts are all unverified. He claims that being bound by non-disclosure agreements hinders his proof of these claims ( Right!); however we all can see the similarities with the TV program.

Supper was at our usual Steak and Burger on the way back to OMS. Back at the park about 9 p.m. I went to The Lodge to do today's blog and got back to the motorhome by 10 p.m.

It was another busy day.