FEBUARY FLORIDA SEA TURTLES CHAPTER MESSAGE
Hi everyone,
It is late December as I write this. The November and December Sea Turtles rallies are history. We’ve got some really creative members. Both these rallies were held in locations the chapter had never been to and had activities members had never done.
Our November rally was at Williston Crossings RV Resort. This is a very nice resort with all paved and full hookup sites. The rally was hosted by Jerri and Bob Connelly and co-hosted by Mimi and Paul Poore.
Something special happened at this rally, with these two couples. They both qualified for the NKK Host Rally Bar with the number 5 insignia in the center! Wow, how many times does this happen? They were presented these very special rally bars at the December rally.
At the November rally we were blessed with participation of Winnie & Jim Guerdon and Ursula & Paul Suddard. Past members are always welcome at Sea Turtle rallies. Betty & Carl Stevens also joined the festivities as guests of Mimi & Paul Poore. Rally entertainment was unique. Street golf is a game I had never played. It very quickly became apparent that a golf ball will roll a very long way on blacktop/concrete surfaces! I do mean a very long way. The chapter Secretary, Nancy Miller had a hole in one! This was achieved on a blind hole. Nancy was looking for her ball and couldn’t find it. By golly, it was found in the hole! Congratulations Nancy.
The chapter had a tour of Two Tails Ranch. This is a place for elephants. Retirement, rehabilitate or temporary place to stay this is the place, if you’re an elephant. The owner, Patricia Zerbini, provided us with an excellent demonstration of elephant intelligence, behaviors and humor. Yea, elephants do have a sense of humor.
Our athletic activities had prizes for first place. Ken Greenwood took overall first place by winning two prizes. There was an interesting development during the horse shoe and shuffle board events. Due to the skill being demonstrated, the scoring was changed (in the middle of a game) so the event would finish before sundown! If one thinks the Sea Turtles are an informal and fun chapter, this surely proves it. Just so we remain balanced, in the final round of horse shoes, John & Paul skunked Bob & Gary 11/0. The competitive spirit is still alive. The rally was blessed with excellent weather, outstanding food and most importantly the renewal and continuation of friendships. A full complement of officers was nominated for their respective offices. Elections will be held at the December rally. Congratulations Jerri, Bob, Mimi and Paul on an outstanding welcome back rally
The December rally was held at Highlands Hammock State Park. Our hosts were Nancy & Kent Miller. Co- Hosts were Paul & Mimi Poore. Nancy and Kent were presented with their Rally Host rally bars. This is the first rally they have hosted! Imagine that, the chapter VP who organizes the rallies and lines up the hosts had never hosted a rally! This reminds me of the contents of John Sammut’s speech at the International Rally. Until John went on the Newmar executive tour, he had never lived in a motor coach. There is a similarity here. Both gentlemen are VPs. The rally started with a welcome social and pizza dinner under the stars. Yep, the hosts decided it was time to actually use our awnings, chairs and all that outdoor stuff we carry with us. Breakfasts, socials, etc were held outside. This turned out to be an excellent choice.
The campground has many, many, squirrels. The first night there was a thud, thud on the coach roof. This was followed by a scurrying noise and then silence. Rising to the occasion I went outside to check and saw nothing. The following morning, I checked the roof and saw nothing. All I can think of is that one of those very overweight squirrels fell out of its’ nest and landed on the coach roof.
A visit to Heartland Horses Handicapped was one of our activities. This is a non-profit organization that uses horses to provide handicap individuals an adventure of their own. Attendees saw how individuals look forward to riding the horses or the buggy pulled by horse power. This is a worthwhile venture and if you’re in the area, consider visiting the facility. The chapter also visited the City of Lake Placid, Florida. We had a presentation by the founders of the Mural Society. Lake Placid has about 43 murals painted on the side of different buildings throughout the city. Hidden inside the murals are items for visitors to find. This turned out to be an outstanding afternoon. Nice stroll, beautiful murals and an excellent restaurant for lunch. This is a great way to spend the day.
The chapter also had a private tour of Highlands Hammock State Park. The ranger leading the tour (via our own private tram) knew all about the park. She has hiked almost all the park and knows where all the interesting flora and fauna can be found. Quite a variety makes their home in this state park.
Around the camp fire the main topic of conversation were the adventures of the summer trips. Bob & Jerri Connelly took the best tale by letting us know they could not get their coach out of Park for several days. Now we all know how, by routine, we automatically put the vehicle into Park. The fix turned out to be simple and easy, but the adventures of getting the coach out of Park (until it was repaired) were reminiscent of a Lucille Ball comedy show. The Poore’s were close behind with a Hydro Hot hose bursting 3 times! They had to reroute their summer trip through Elkhart for a permanent repair.
The Sea Turtles go where we have never gone and do what we have never done (Captain Kirk would be proud of us). If you’d like to attend a Sea Turtle rally contact me for the latest information. Our February rally will be at Torrey Oaks RV Resort in Bowling Green, Florida. The March rally will be at Upriver Campground in North Ft. Myers, Florida.
Gary Doolittle, president
561-762-7387
garykdp@bellsouth.net
OCTOBER FLORIDA SEA TURTLES CHAPTER MESSAGE
Hi everyone,
I really hope all is well and your summer travels are a success. It is late August as I write this. We have completed our summer trip with the Gkids. While everyone had a good time and returned safely, the trip did have a tragedy. As we pulled into the ST. Mary, MT KOA I was immediately informed (by the 3 Gkids) that we had no cell service. This meant a week of no texting, voice or other communications! This also meant a week of uninterrupted adventure at Glacier National Park! The KOA WIFI was useless and I refused to turn on my Internet hot spot (which did have service). When all was said and done the week had passed and the Gkids had a wonderful time (yea, they admitted it). On our hikes, we were able to see a juvenile black bear (about 20 feet away), a grizzly bear (about 100 feet away) yikes, big horn sheep and countless other animals. This is a picture (see Konnection article) of a grizzly bear cooling off on a snow bank. The picture does not do justice to the size of the bear. When there is nothing between the bear and you, they really look large.
As we climbed out of the valley St. Mary is in, I immediately heard vigorous thumb typing. It seems the Gkids may really believe their world can not get along without their guidance every hour or so.
For those of you who drive the coach, this picture is a scary sight (see picture in Konnection article).
Attend the November Sea Turtle rally and find out where we encountered a 23% downhill grade. The body of water, in the background, could be a hint. Send me your answers via email. Be the first to guess and you could be a winner. I do not have a prize, but you could still claim being first.
Mimi, Paul, Jerrie and Bob have been traveling, up north, together for part of the summer. I haven’t heard from them lately. Assuming all is well, it would be great if they could have pictures of their adventure for our November rally. Maybe a picture of a Polar Bear can top my picture of a Grizzly Bear.
Speaking of the November rally, it will be at Williston Crossing RV Resort, Williston, Florida. The dates are November 7 through 11. This is the Fall Season Starter Festival rally. Please call the campground (800-615-5774) and make your reservation. Mention you are with the Sea Turtle rally. Everyone should have received an email with the rally information. If you have not, please let me know, via email. The Poore’s and Connelly’s will be hosting. They are experienced rally hosts. For me, I look forward to attending this rally.
At the November rally maybe we can revive what we all remember was our first assignment when returning to school. Letting everyone know what we did last summer.
Continue your safe travels. See you soon.
Gary Doolittle
17178L
President, Sea Turtles Chapter
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