Merry Christmas from Orange Lake

  We would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. We just got back from dinner at the Bonefish Grille. I think I found a new favorite sea food restaurant.

We had mussels and coconut shrimp for appetizers, Doreen had the crab cakes for an entree and I had the Chilean sea bass. Absolutely delicious! We wanted to carry on the seven fishes tradition for Christmas Eve and The Bonefish Grille was an excellent choice.
  We arrived at Orange Lake Resort and Country Club on Sunday at about 1:30 PM after dropping off Asia at VIP Pet Resort in Kissimmee.

  We lounged by the pool until our room was ready at about 3 PM.

 

 

We got everything stowed away and sped off to Legacy Grille Sports bar here on property to watch a wild Steelers game that wasn't decided until the last ticks of the clock expired. What a game! The best part was the bar was loaded with Packers' fans and I was the only Steeler fan. When the last gasp by the Packers fell incomplete they had all scurried away from the bar before the errant pass had even landed on the frozen tundra of hallowed Lambeau Field. I was denied the chance to rub it in on a day when the entire NFC North went down in flames and a tremendous opportunity for the division lead was squandered by the Rodgerless Packers.
  Monday was a pool day and what a day for it! The temperature was a warm 82 degrees and the water was just right in the lazy river. We had a liquid lunch of long island iced teas and Blue Moons then had dinner at the River Island Grilling Company.

 

We made reservation for dinner here on Christmas Day and hopefully we can get more pool time in during the day. The temp is supposed to be 70 and sunny unlike today when the high only hit about 66 with a wicked wind. Sorry didn't mean to rub it in but some of you like to know how warm it is.

Hope Santa is good to everyone, happy holidays all.

Home Buying

  Well, we did it: we bought a house at Cypress Lakes yesterday. We close the week of January 13. It is a great deal on a 2001 Palm Harbor with vinyl windows, energy efficient roof, two bed, two bath, rear facing lanai with partial water view, golf car garage/ shed, and totally turnkey. We don't need to buy a thing for it except for a grill and golf cart; I am set. They even have RV storage on site. The best part is we paid cash so our only bills will be lot rent and utilities. Here is the listing:  http://homes.cypresslakesfla.com/Home_detail_CL.aspx?Listing_ID=779  It is located at the front of the community on a culdesac so it is easy in/ easy out.
  I am glad we did it. This will serve as a home base in the winter and we can take the trailer out whenever we want for as long as we want and have a place to go home to. The second bedroom is perfect for guests and I hope all of our friends and relatives will take advantage of the offer to come for visits during the winter. We will be centrally located in Lakeland which is equidistant to both Tampa and Orlando. The community is less than an hour from Tampa or Orlando airports, ten miles from the Amtrak station for the pteromerhanophobics ( those with a fear of flying), and about 85 miles from Sanford Airport where Allegient Air flies. They have ridiculously low fares.
  We did our due diligence selecting this community. We visited eight communities and looked at about 40 houses over the last few weeks. Cypress Lakes won out due to their impeccable amenities and value of their homes in comparison to other places. Their location is also a plus. We love Orlando and Tampa with all the attractions each has to offer. Also we can get to Tampa for sporting events when the Steelers, Penguins, Pirates, or Phillies play there and of course spring training is throughout the area.
  After all of the hustle and bustle of finishing the home search we went out for a relaxing drink and a bite to eat at Gaspar's Bar and Grille. This place has it all: a bar inside and out, pool hall, patio with a small stage; and even a liquor store that stays open until 3 AM!

There are some corny props but it works with the decor:

 

Well that is all the news up to now. We are off to Orange Lake tomorrow for vacation for 12 days. This might be our last visit there as we would like to sell our timeshare since we will be living here. Cypress Lakes is like living at Orange Lake. It is a great resort that we have been enjoying since 1999. Tons of golf and several swimming pools plus many other amenities. We will give first crack at it to relatives since they have all stayed there, and if there are no takers I will post more information about it. I am not trying to make any money on it but would like to recoup my maintenance fees for 2014 which are already paid. Until then Happy Holidays.

 

Travels and House Hunting

  Today is Tuesday December 17. Just eight shopping days until Christmas! It has been stress free for me: no digging out all the Xmas decorations from the basement; no tree to put up; no fighting the crowds in the stores. I can't say I miss it or the cold and the snow. It has been really nice here, mostly in the 80's. It was little chilly yesterday and last night, down to about 45. It has warmed up to 70 today and the highs will be back in the 80's by the time we go to our time share at Orange Lake on Sunday. We will be there for 12 days and the cat will be boarded so it will be kind of a vacation.
  It has been a while since my last post but there hasn't been that much to write about since Thanksgiving. I hope everyone had a nice holiday. The only thing we have done lastly is go to Busch Gardens. We went there last Tuesday. We got discounted tickets on line for $50, a savings of $35 off the regular price. That was a good deal for me since I knew we would not go on too many rides. Doreen is a little scardey cat. We went on the Cheetah Hunt and that was it. I was quite impressed with Busch Gardens Tampa. I don't remember too much about it from our family visit years ago except that it was called Busch Gardens the Dark Continent and I know they didn't have all the rides back then. The animal exhibits are the main draw. The exhibits are all well done where you can get up close and personal to most of the animals. We saw the cheetahs running;

we saw the lions come up to the Plexiglas and try to maul a little kid;

we saw orangutans shimmy across their high wire; we hand fed flamingos and kangaroos;

we saw gorillas lazing in front of the glass teasing a guy who would wave at it and the gorilla would put his hand out then pull it back quickly when the guy put his hand out. Unfortunately I forgot to take my camera and even my cell phone. I took some pics with Doreen's dumb phone so they are not the best plus it is a pain in the neck transferring them.
  Another place we went to was Punta Gorda about an hour and a half down I-75. We went there to look at a community. We are considering buying a small home in one of the many active adult communities down here. The community was okay, it had an executive 18 hole golf course, clubhouse, swimming pool, activities, fitness center, and shuffleboard. The community was nice but we will probably not buy there. After we toured the community we went into the town which was very quaint. Punta Gorda is right on the Charlotte River which flows into the Gulf. We had dinner at Fisherman's Village which is a collection of shops, restaurants, and a marina.

 

It looks like we will be buying a house. The good thing is we are looking at manufactured homes which cost a lot less than traditional homes. You pay lot rent and that is it. No real estate taxes, just electric and cable/ Internet. We have looked at about eight different places. My favorite is Cypress Lakes near Lakeland. It has two golf courses, a really nice clubhouse with a pool, hot tub, restaurant and bar, fitness center, billiards, rv storage, and beautifully landscaped grounds. http://www.cypresslakesfla.com/big-cypress-golf-club.aspx

 

  Now I know you all think we are crazy because we just sold a house and everything in it but the deals are just too good to pass up. A decent furnished home can be had for under $50K and the lot rent is less than what we were paying per month into escrow for taxes back in Exeter Township. They even cut the grass for you. What's not to like? We can still travel and have a house without a mortgage. We will probably keep traveling until next winter and have a place ready for us to spend the winter in Florida.