Villages Concert Band

One thing the Villages is never lacking is entertainment.   No matter what your tastes, there is something for everyone.  There are local performers and famous names (although most of the famous names we get have been around for a long time.)  Not long after returning home from our vacation, we saw a listing of Spring concerts and events in the newspaper.   We looked at tickets for Herman's Hermits and Willie Nelson, but both were sold out.  There were two local performances that we were also interested in and we did get tickets for them.

Last night we went to see the Villages Concert Band's Spring Concert at Savannah Center.  This is a group of about 100 musicians who have probably played their instruments all their lives.  Now they are retired and play for fun.  The director is a retired music educator and the associate director is a retired high school band director.  The ensemble rehearses weekly and performs 5-6 concerts a year, with all profits going to a local charity.

This is not an amateur band.  These are excellent musicians, many of whom worked as musicians or teachers prior to retirement.  They love music and it shows.  We enjoyed a wonderful evening of music including a great rendition of the 1812 Overture, American Folk Rhapsody, an Irish music medley and much more.  There was even a special performance of the Trombone Rag featuring "The P-Bones of the Villages".  This is a group of 10 musicians who play colorful plastic trombones.  I had never heard of this before but these P-Bones sound very much like brass trombones but are much less expensive and come in all kinds of colors.  They are gaining popularity with students just learning to play.

Sunday night we have tickets for another concert, but I'll save that for after we've heard them and can give them a proper review.

Epcot Flower and Garden Festival

I have wanted to write another post here for weeks, but have been so busy I haven't found the time.  There has been so much going on here that I've been struggling with what to talk about first.  I'll have to write several posts to cover it all, but I thought Disney World would be a good place to start.

We are very fortunate in being so close to Orlando. Every Spring there is a Flower and Garden Festival at Epcot.  We spent a day there last year and I was very much looking forward to it again this year.   This time we reserved a room at the Swan for last Saturday night so we wouldn't have to drive there and back the same day.   We love the parks but walking around for a few hours is tiring.   This way we got there Saturday afternoon in time to check in and go for a nice dinner.   The Swan is a short walk from Epcot.   After dinner we walked over to the International Gateway entrance near the World Showcase and found good seats for a concert by the Turtles.  This 60's group only had a few hits and they are quite old, but the concert was great fun anyway.  They showed a real sense of humor and made it fun for everyone.

After the concert we stayed for the fireworks, which were spectacular as always, then walked back to the Swan.  The next day we checked out and drove to the Epcot parking lot so we could go in through the main entrance.  Most of the special topiary and exhibits are on the entrance side of Epcot, not on the World Showcase side.  We spent the morning photographing the gardens and butterfly house.   It was beautiful as always, but we are not young anymore.  3-4 hours walking is our limit and we were happy to drive home Sunday afternoon.

The availability of the annual residents pass is a great benefit of living in the Villages.

Happy Easter

Today is Easter Sunday and it is now 73 degrees F outside.  We have had the heater going on the pool for the past few days and today the air temperature should be high enough this afternoon to make a dip in the pool comfortable.  We just uncovered it so the filter has a chance to skim the little bit of dirt that has accumulated off the top.  We have a pool maintenance guy come in every week so the water is crystal clear, it only has a little dirt from the cover.  Of course, there are over 60 community pools scattered throughout the Villages and we could go to one of them any time, but it's nice to have one in our back yard.  I don't know if any of the community pools are heated and I like warm water so I can swim year-round.  Last year we did swim daily all through the winter, but since we were away Jan-Mar, the heater has been turned off and it needed a chance to catch up.

We woke up early this morning and decided to go to the 7am mass at St Timothy's Catholic Church.  Last year we went to a later mass that was overflowing so we thought we'd try the early one this year.   It is always amazing to me how full this huge church gets on a regular Sunday, but today all the CAPE (Christmas, Ash Wednesday, Passion Sunday & Easter) Christians show up so it was standing room only.  We got there a half hour early and got some of the last available seats.  Normally this church has 6 masses each weekend, 2 on Saturday night, 3 on Sunday morning and one Sunday evening, and they are all pretty full.  During the winter another one is added at 12:45PM on Sundays to accommodate the extra "Snowbirds." However, this weekend the schedule was expanded to 7 masses on Sunday, with an overflow mass in the church hall chapel starting 10 minuted after each regular mass in the church.   Many residents have family visiting for Easter, so they need to be accommodated as well.   All the masses were full!   There is also another Catholic Church on the other side of the Villages and many other large churches in the area serving people of other faiths and I am sure they were full as well.

 It is nice to live in a faith-based community.  It shows in how people interact with each other.  Everywhere I have gone in this area, I have met with the friendliest people I have ever found.  People greet you with a smile, are usually patient and polite, and willing to help each other.  They expect you to do the same and that expectation encourages newcomers to be just as friendly.  The golden rule is alive and well in the Villages.

Water Management

One thing we learned quickly upon moving here is that water usage is always an issue in Florida.   I believe one problem is that the ground doesn't hold it well.   On the cruise we just returned from, one of the speakers talked a lot about how water rights are a significant political issue as well.  I came home even more aware of how critical an issue this is.   In the United States, we use 570 liters (150 gallons) of water per day, while the average consumption in the world is only 100 liters per person per day.   We have a responsibility to be more aware of our water usage and cut back where we can.  So, the notice I found in my email last week announcing a seminar on irrigation system management was well timed.

All the homes in the Villages have lawn irrigation systems installed, but people moving in from other areas of the country may not be familiar with how to use these systems or how much water the landscape actually needs.   This was a great, one-hour talk by a master gardener from Florida-Friendly Landscape.  He explained how to set the irrigation system, how frequently you should water and for how long.   The system should deliver 1/2" to 3/4" of water each run time.  Watering should only be once a week in Spring, Summer, and Fall and every other week December-February.  He explained how to measure how much water your lawn is getting and how to check and clean the sprinklers.   He also gave several web sites that provide more information.

This presentation was part of a regular series of talks called Twice on Tuesday, held the last Tuesday of each month.  The same presentation is done at 2 locations,  in a rec center on the north end of the Villages in the morning and at a rec center further south in the afternoon.   It is just one example of the great programs available to residents of the Villages.

By the way, we have been making adjustments to our irrigation system since we moved here.  I am happy to report that our water usage is now half of what it was when we moved in.

Traveling With Peace of Mind

After a long, adventurous winter vacation, we are now back at home in the Villages.  It is easy to travel from a Villages home without worry. Besides wonderful neighbors who keep an eye on what is going on in the neighborhood, there is a Neighborhood Watch organization.  For a small weekly fee they will check on your house a couple of times a week to make sure everything is OK.   If there is a problem, they will contact you or someone else you designate.

The biggest problem was our mail.  The post office doesn't like the hold mail that long.  I asked if they would throw out the catalogs and only hold the other mail, but they wouldn't do that.  About half way through our carrier was nice enough to bring some of it to our house and our neighbor let her in. By the time we got home we had 3 big mail buckets full. Once I sorted it I filled one bucket with catalogs, one with solicitation mail, and a small pile of letters we actually needed to look at, mostly subscriptions that were expiring.  We pay all our bills electronically, so that wasn't an issue.  I wish there was a better way to deal with this.

Although our 2 and a half month trip was wonderful, it's always good to get home to my own bed. The only problem is, because we were gone so long, there was no food in the refrigerator .  No worries, Food shopping is easy here.  There are three Publix, a Winn-Dixie, a Fresh Market, and a Sweet Bay grocery stores, all accessible by golf cart.  There are also several Walgreens and CVS drugstores that also sell groceries.  A Walmart  and a Target are also nearby, but not easy to get to by golf cart.  I tend to use the car though, because it holds more bags.  The closest store to me is one of the Publix and I shop for some items there, but mostly I go to Winn-Dixie.  They offer gas credits at Shell stations based on how much you spend and special bonus credit items. I like filling my gas tank for half the price and sometimes even less. The only problem is that Winn-Dixie doesn't always carry the brands I want. That's when I go to Publix. Or, if I want something really special like really good cuts of meat or gourmet food, Fresh Market is a little further but definitely worth the trip.

The Many-Purposed Polo Field

When we moved to the Villages, we knew that there would be lots of activities at the recreation centers and town squares, but one of the surprises for me have been the activities at the Polo field.  Yes, the Villages has it's own polo field and polo matches are held here in season.  When the polo clubs are not using the field, it is used for a variety of other events.   The field is available for radio control model airplane enthusiasts each morning.  There are kite flying days held there in the spring.  The Christmas Golf Cart Parade was held there at the beginning of December.  Last week there was a performance by the Lipizzaner Stallions.

Today's paper has an article about the Villages Renaissance Faire, which will take place at the polo field this Saturday and Sunday. There will be a live chess game, jousting and sword-fighting demonstrations, and vendors selling Renaissance related articles.  The article says this is a new event on the Villages calendar, held for the first time last year.  It was so successful, they plan to make it an annual event.  We will not be able to check it out this year, as we have other pans, but I will definitely look for this next year.

Happy New Year 2013

There were a ton of things to do in the Villages last night.  I think every one of the country clubs had a party with live entertainment.  There are now 11 country clubs, so this made plenty of options.  There was also entertainment on each of the 3 town squares, plus a number of other restaurants in the area with special New Year's parties planned.  As for us, we prefer staying home and watching the ball drop on TV.  Golf carts can be just as dangerous as cars in the hands of a driver who has had a little too much to drink.  Hope you all had a safe beginning to 2013.

We are going to be doing some extensive traveling over the next few months.   This blog will be going on hiatus while I am gone.   In the meantime, I will be working on my latest travel blog.  If anyone is interested, the link can be found on our main web page.  If you know me, you know how to find it or how to email me to ask.