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.

A Week in the Life

Yes, I know, it's been over a month since I wrote anything here.  Life in the Villages has been so much fun, I haven't had time to write.   I finished my Mah Jong class last week. Now I know all the rules and rituals, but it's going to be a long time before I feel comfortable playing with anyone who has been playing for awhile.  It takes me a long time to figure our which hand to select to play towards.  That's the hardest art of the game, but I'm practicing.

We started another Tai Chi class last week.  It's the same instructor and basically the same class as we took before, but they changed it from a 4 to an 8 week class.  That will give us more time to memorize the movements and maybe add in a few more.

I started a beginner's quilting class last week too. We are supposed to be able to finish a small quilt by the end of the 5 week course.  The first week we just learned about selecting material and what tools would be the most useful.  Our homework was to buy our material and this week we learned how to cut the fabric and piece it together.  We're supposed to have our quilt tops done by next week. It's going to be fun.  I really think I can do this.

I'm also still very much involved with the Fun Fabric and Crafts group that meets each Saturday afternoon.  We have been visiting the Homewood Assisted Living facility at Freedom Point once a month to lead the residents in a craft project.  This has been so rewarding that we added a second Assisted Living facility, Mission Oaks.  We visited these residents for the first time last week.  The ladies who came to make bookmarks and flower magnets with us had a good time and thanked us over and over for coming.  It was a great afternoon.

We have also been making Fidget Quilts for the Memory Care sections of these facilities.  These are small (20-24 inch) quilts made with different fabrics, beads, zippers, etc. to provide a variety of tactile experiences for the person who receives one.  The members of Fun Fabric and Crafts have really taken to this project.  We delivered 18 to Freedom Point and 21 to Mission Oaks.  Both the administrators and the residents were really excited to receive these.  I am now the Fidget Quilt coordinator for the group.  Each week I collect the quilts the ladies have made and bring them home.  When we have a place to give them I gather up a bunch and bring them.  We are looking for more places to donate these and hope to get some press coverage to let people know about these quilts.

Between these classes and projects I'm also working on a couple of other needlework projects, reading a book, and working on eliminating some of the clutter around our house by scanning papers and digitizing old LPs.  It's a busy schedule, but it's all stuff I enjoy doing so I'm having a great time.  If only there were more hours in a day.

Mah Jong

I have been so busy lately, there has been no time to post here.  Even though there are a ton of new things to try here in the Villages, I may have to say no to myself on some of them.  There just aren't enough hours in the day or days in the week.  

My latest learning experience is Mah Jong.  I am taking a 5 week class to learn how to play this game properly.  It is not easy.  There is an elaborate ritual to start the game, which I equate to shuffling cards.   I have purchased an inexpensive traveling Mah Jong set for myself so I can practice this.  I have attended 2 classes so far and we haven't even begun to play - we are still working on this process of preparing to play.

There is a national organization for American Mah Jong and they issue a card each year showing the winning hands authorized for the year.  I understand that about 40% of the hands change each year.  There are 52 hands shown on this year's card and each one has variations within it.  Learning these is going to be a challenge.  It is an interesting game though, and I have already been invited to play with 2 different groups.   I will have to practice a bit on my own before I play with anyone else though.  Otherwise I would slow down the game as I have to think about every move, and that would surely annoy experienced players.

Getting Healthy

One of the things that attracted me to the Villages was the number of opportunities available to get healthier. After so many years of long work hours behind a desk and long car rides, the thought of getting the exercise of my choice during retirement was very appealing.
The list of activities is simply amazing. Most people stop when they hear that there are over 500 holes of golf in the community, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. There are softball fields, tennis courts, pickle ball courts, bocce, shuffleboard, bowling, community pools, and every kind of exercise class you could possibly think of.
Although there are lots of community pools in the Villages that we could go to, we opted for a house that as a small pool on the lanai. This way, we get to swim almost every day.  We just look for an hour when the weather looks best and jump in. It gives us the opportunity to avoid the afternoon thunderstorms and have plenty of time for other activities.
There are also plenty of safe paces to walk or bicycle.  I like to do some yoga exercises then go for a walk in the early morning around the neighborhood.  I get to say hello to other early risers and see what is going on in the area.
Last week we took another step towards health - we took the first of four beginning Tai Chi classes.  Since neither of us has done Tai Chi before, we thought a class would be a good place to start.  After we've completed the class, we hope to join the Tai Chi for Arthritis and Fall Prevention group that meets every Monday.   By combining some gentle exercise with a healthy diet, we are on our way to loosing weight and getting a little healthier.  The Villages make it all much easier.

Memorial Day

There are a a large number of veterans living in the Villages and veterans organizations in the area are very active.  Today there were memorial ceremonies scheduled in several locations and lots of flags were out in front of neighborhood homes. 

We stopped at the Hacienda Hills country club pool for a few minutes to say hi to some friends down from MD for the weekend, but otherwise did not go out today.   The country club pool was pretty crowded, and I'm sure all the other pools were too.  There are over 40 pools in The Villages.   Some are designated family pools, so visiting children can swim too, but most are either adult only neighborhood pools or member only country club pools.  Since we have our own small pool at home, we don't go to the community pools.  Today, as usual, we spent the day enjoying our own pool and barbeque.  The people at Hacienda Hills were having a good time though - we could hear the music from our back yard, over a mile away.