The New Xavier Cugat Orchestra

Tonight we went to another concert at the Savannah Center.  This one was a little different than the ones we've been to so far.  The New Xavier Cugat Orchestra is a combination tribute to Xavier Cugat and Desi Arnez.  They call their concerts BABLU-CY, and they are wonderful.  Although at 8 musicians, they are a lot smaller than the original bands Xavier Cugat and Desi Arnez led, they managed a big Latin sound.  The show also included a couple who came out periodically to dance various Latin dances.  Very Sexy!

I was surprised that the show was not as well attended as previous shows we have gone to there.  I guess the people here are not into Latin music or maybe they don't remember Xavier Cugat.  It's definitely their loss.  They missed a great show.

New Italian Restauant in Brownwood

Ray has been assigned as Sacristan at the 12:45PM mass during the winter, so we don't get out of church until at least 2pm.  This is an extra mass that St. Timothy's schedules between January and May to accommodate the snowbirds.  We recently decided this would make for a great opportunity to eat Sunday dinner out after mass.  We will get to the restaurants after the lunch crowd but long before the dinner crowd.

There are so many restaurants in the area and we have only tried a fraction of them, so we've decided to try some we haven't been to before.  We saw a new Italian restaurant in Brownwood called Ricciardi's  the last time we drove through there and saw it featured on the Villages vmail last week. Since we love Italian food, that was this week's pick and it was great.  They have both indoor and outdoor seating, a casual but classy interior, and room in back for large groups.  (There was a group of 35 in there when we arrived.)

Ray opted for his favorite chicken parm with a garden salad and coke. I was a little more daring, and ordered one of the specials of the day - mahi mahi and thin linguini in a wine and butter sauce with mushrooms and artichokes. I also tried their pasta fagioli instead of salad and a nice glass of Chardonnay.  Ray said the red sauce on his entree was thinner than usual but still good.  I thoroughly enjoyed my dinner.  I'm not usually a fan of artichokes but the sauce made even these taste fine.  This restaurant will definitely be one of our choices for future meals and to bring guests to.  In addition to the full meals they also serve a full page of pizza varieties plus calzones and salads.  I think the next time we go to Brownwood for a movie we might stop there for pizza afterwards.

Kingsston Trio

On Monday night the Kingston Trio performed at Savannah Center.  Ray isn't into folk music so I asked my friend Micki if she wanted to go with me and she gave me an enthusiastic yes. 

We had good seats and it was a full house.  The Kingston Trio were great, but an absolutely horrible warm-up act opened for them.  I did not catch what they called themselves, but I hope I never have to sit through their show again.  It was the longest half hour I have ever experienced.  The act consisted of 2 men, one with a guitar and the other on drums, doing bad impersonations and even worse jokes. This was the first time I've attended any concert here that had an opening act.  I guess known recording artists expect this, but I would rather have given all my admission price to the trio.

We were very relieved when the Kingston Trio came on stage. They played their 2 guitars and 1 banjo, with a bass guitar backing them up. Their harmony was right on.  Although they only played 2 songs that I actually remembered, the music was great throughout.  They did a 2 song encore and we left on a positive note.

Stayin' Alive Concert

Yes, I know I am not consistent in posting to this blog.  I am having so much fun here and I am always so busy, I don't always remember to write.  This week has to be an exception. 

We have been to quite a few tribute band concerts over the past year.  They've all been fun, but this Monday night was one of the best.  We had tickets for Stayin Alive, the Canadian Bee Gees Tribute band and they were fantastic.  If I didn't know better and had my eyes closed, I would have thought I was hearing the real thing!   They had everything down, including the timing.  During the show they had video of the Bee Gees playing on the screen behind them and when you could see the Bee Gees lips, they are perfectly in sync with the voices of the tribute band. 

They also played 2 Andy Gibbs songs, with video of him on the screen and did those perfectly as well.  All together, it was a great show and I will definitely look for tickets to their show again next year.

In the past year we have seen tribute bands for the 4 Seasons, The Eagles, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, and The Bee Gees.  They have all been excellent shows, but our favorites so far are The Eagles and The Bee Gees tribute bands.

Carting to a Concert

We are very lucky that the house we purchased here int he Villages is close to Savannah Recreation Center, as well as Spanish Springs.  Savannah hosts most of the great shows that come to the Villages.  Last night was a beautiful night and we took the golf cart to Savannah to see a show b the Alter Eagles, an Eagles tribute band. The band performed 2 shows last night and we went to the earlier one.  It was lots of fun hearing them play the Eagles greatest hits and the audience was fun too.  We retirees tend to be an irreverent bunch.  When the lead guitar broke a string and the had to stop for a minute to retune the guitar, several quips shouted out from the audience atucally had the band members breaking up with laughter.  They said we were entertaining them as much as they were us.

Getting out onto the cart path from the parking lot at the end of the concert was easier than getting out with our car the last time we saw a show there.  And leaving in a car is pretty easy too.  We got right out using a special cart exit and were home in under 10 minutes.

There are so many places that are wasy yo drive our golf cart to from our house.  Since speed limits are low on roads in the Villages (20-35 mph, depending on the size of the road) and on most routes carts have totally separate paths off the roads, it doesnt take much longer to get somewhere in out 18 mph cart.  We are using the golf cart more and more as we get used to the concept and learn the dedicated paths.  I took the cart to Tai Chi class  on Tuesday at Mulberry Grove rec center and to Lake Miona rec center on Wednesday for Happy Stitchers.  Today Ray is planning to take it to an eye doctor appointment and tomorrow I plan to take it to my hair cut appointment in the shopping center just beyond Spanish Springs. Many of the paths are along golf courses or ponds and under shade trees, making the drives very pleasant and relaxing.  In a car we are closed in with the air conditioner but in a cart we are shaded by the roof but open to the breeze and moving slow enough to enjoy nature around us.

Movie Dates

We went to see the new Disney movie "Planes" yesterday.  Lots of fun for people like us who love aviation.   I noted that we have been going to the movies much more than we did in Maryland and I know why.   Where we lived before the local theater (25 minutes away) was small, sticky floors and people talking through the film.  Not a great experience.  When we did go to see a movie we drove either an hour to Waldorf or an hour and a half to Annapolis.   It had to be a special movie to make the effort, and even then,  crowds or people talking through the film were occasional hazards.    It is sooo much different here.

In the Villages we have 3 town centers and there is a state of the art theater in each one.  All the theaters are clean and neat.  Since we are retired, we can go to an early show and we have not experienced lines or anything near a crowded theater yet.   Prices are reasonable for Village residents, the popcorn is good, and, so far, all the other patrons have been polite enough not to talk during the movie.  With 3 theaters, 5, 15, and 25 minutes away respectively, we have lots of choices in current releases.  We've tried all three theaters and, of course, the newest is the nicest, but it is also the farthest from the house we chose.  That's OK.  We are very pleased with this aspect of Villages entertainment.

By the way, for those who like foreign or independent films, there is a club that shows these at on of the recreation centers.  There are over 2,000 different clubs here, in case I haven't mentioned that, so there really is something for everyone.   I know the Villages may sound too good to be true.  I assure you, I do not work for them, and get no profit from promoting the community.  However,  I am extremely happy we found this place.  Everything you hear about this retirement community really is true.  It is a wonderful place to retire to.

Quilting Fun

My First Real Quilt

I haven't written anything here in over a month because things have been hopping here.   First, I completed a 5 week course on beginning quilting and have had homework to do each week.  Making mistakes at just about every step of the way and having to pull stitches out and redo made it take longer than if I could follow directions.  However, I'm the kind of person who learns by doing and the mistakes have helped me learn why there is a right way to do it.  Despite it all, I was able to finish my first quilt in the allotted 5 weeks and, despite it's imperfections, I love it.

Quilt Back

Our instructor, Linda Hungerford, was excellent.  She is an experienced quilter whose passion is modern quilting, but her class effectively taught all the basics needed in the creation of any quilt.  She will be conducting several all day seminars on free motion quilting in the fall, and I've signed up for the one in October.

I have also gotten involved with the new Eastern European genealogy special interest group.  Their first meeting was held in June.  As it turned out, questions came up about 2 topics I am very familiar with, Dropbox and Cyndi's List.   As a  result, I presented these topics at the July and August meetings.

Custom Fidget Quilt

While all this was happening, our Fabric Fun Arts and Crafts group Fidget Quilt project has taken off.  The local newspaper sent a reporter and photographer to interview us and they ran a great article with 3 photos in the paper about a week ago.  Then they followed up with a second volunteer salute in the Sunday paper.  As a result, we've been getting lots of calls  It's wonderful.  We have delivered fidget quilts to 3 area nursing homes and to almost a dozen individuals caring for loved ones with Alzheimer's.  (I'm particularly proud of the one pictured here. It went to an Irish Catholic mother of 10 and grandmother of 27. The pocket contains a rosary for her.)
 Yesterday I received a call from the Community Educator for the Alzheimer's support groups in the tri-county area. She is going to spread the word about what we are doing, so we have an opportunity to help even more people. I am very excited, but it's going to be a bit of work.  Over the past 2 weeks I made several quilts specific to the life of the person who was to receive it and that has taken up some time.  It was worth it.  The ladies in the group continue to bring me new fidget quilts every week, so I will have a stash available to give to those who call.

I have found a real home with the Fabric Fun Arts and Crafts group and a volunteering effort I can embrace with a passion.  The ladies in this group are creative, always willing to help each other and willing to learn new things.  I feel like I have found a group of women who  will be friends with for the rest of my life.  One of the many things I love about the Villages is the fact that, with all the different clubs and special interest groups, it is easy to find friends with similar interests.