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.