Heading West From Florida to Arizona

Heading west on I10, I can't help but stop and spend a couple of days in New Orleans 

Famous New Orleans Landmark: Mercedes Super-dome

after living there for the better part of two years a few years ago. I was particularly hoping to see one of the female golf team members, Daria Delfino, who visited Loyola the spring of my last year there and was going to graduate this spring. I had been in touch with her throughout her college years. We had a bit of a special connection because she is also Jewish. Unfortunately she was too busy studying during my time there to see me, but on Friday I did get to visit with some of my former professors, 

Sarah Allison with her newest book.

some staff members, including some in the cafeteria who remembered me quite well. I also visited the synagogue I used to go to and some of my favorite restaurants during my three night stay.  

I stayed at the Bayou Segnette State Park Campground, which had vary reasonable rates and had free laundry, which I took advantage of immediately upon my arrival, seeing as I hadn't been able to do it in Punta Gorda. The campground offers good sized sites in a pretty natural bayou setting with lots of trees and grass.  

While I was away from the trailer on Friday I believe an electrical storm went though and did some damage to my main electrical feed. The park handy man and I tried to trouble shoot the problem and were basically unsuccessful as the problem was intermittent. It will be resolved further down the road. 

On Saturday I drove to the Algiers ferry dock and took the ferry across the Mississippi to the French Quarter and had a good walk about. 

While in The Quarter I came across this marijuana van: 

I'm wondering how long it will be until we see something similar in Ontario, now that pot has been legalized. 

I also came across my favorite zydeco band leader Waylon Thibodeaux playing an afternoon set.

The Maroon, Loyola's student run newspaper, which I wrote for both years I was there, was celebrating it's birthday and I was rightfully invited to the party, which was held at a restaurant in the quarter, not far from the ferry dock, which was convenient for my trip back. I didn't stay out too late. 

Sunday December 2nd I headed out from New Orleans on a b-line to Tucson. Unfortunately, there were a lot of Asian Lady Beatles in the campground and though I tried to keep them out several managed to get in and will be carried along on my travels. The first night I stayed at the Cracker Barrel in Houston Texas. The following afternoon I visited the Caverns of Sonora in Sonora Texas:

There were quite a few deer on the property at twilight.

Butterfly wing shaped formation.

Colorful ribbon formation.

and spent the night at their campground. It wasn't too busy there so I was able to get a private guided tour of the caves. 

Because I was such a well behaved tourist I was able to get the whole tour and because I handled the terrain well I got to see some bonus areas. That evening I had a nice visit with a couple in a Class A motor home parked next to me. We had a good chat about our respective travels. 

My last night on the road prior to reaching Tucson was at the Cracker Barrel in Las Cruces New Mexico. 

Western Florida

From Boca I was headed to Punta Gorda, Fl, where I spent parts of several winters a few years back. I was going to stay there for a couple of nights so that I could meet up with some friends from the area and play with the group of guys I used to play with on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. 

Alligator Park in Punta Gorda was the reason I bought the Passport America membership. I had actually visited it the last time I was in the area thinking I might want to stay there in the future. I is a well established 55+ park with lots of amenities and activities. I played euchre with them on Monday night. My only complaint there was that I was hoping to do laundry, but the room was closed much earlier than the posted hours. 

The golf game I though I had arranged with some ladies on Monday fell through, which gave me time to visit the Vietnam War Memorial that was in the planning stages when I was previously in Punta Gorda. The memorial is a scale replica of the wall in Washington DC, which I was in the mid 1980's.

Flags of various branches of the armed services.

Donors stones. I contributed to the Islemen's one.
The one to the left is from the fellow who organzies the Islemen.

It was good to see the fellows at Twin Isles on Tuesday morning. I was aware a couple of the guys had passed away in the three years since I was last there, but there were still enough that made the visit worthwhile. The golf pro was the same. I also got to see these plaques in person for the first time:

Course record from the Red Tees during a ladies day game.
Somewhat contentious, because they felt it should only recognize full members of the club and I was seasonal, but Will Johnson stood up for me at the golf committee.

Hole in One on #16 achieved during an Islemen's game.

Both are on display in the corridor outside the locker rooms, on the way to the pro shop. 

After golf and lunch I headed north to Clearwater to have dinner with my friend George from Loyola. I had last seen him in Chicago a couple of years ago, but he had since moved back closer to his birthplace in Ormond Beach Florida for work. I parked my trailer at the Cracker Barrel restaurant near his office. He picked me up after work and drove us downtown in his new Jeep. We enjoyed some Mexican food and a nice visit. He is doing very well. After dinner he dropped me back at Cracker Barrel, where I spent the night and had breakfast before carrying on. 

My last night in Florida on this trip was at another Passport America campground, this time River's Edge RV Campground in Holt. It was a bit dated, but fine for a one night stay. There were some strange noises in the morning. I spoke with a longer term resident on my way out of the park in the morning, apparently there is a bombing and riffle range nearby on Eglin Airforce base and they practice certain days of the week, including Wednesdays. The fellow was insistent on giving me one of his just out to the oven pineapple/carrot muffins. I enjoyed it a few miles down the road, he is a good baker. 

Pressman B'nai Mitzvot

After getting the truck and trailer situated I checked in. I was sharing a room with my brother Peter as he was also traveling alone and my cousin Stephen had generously offered to pay for our rooms and we both felt it unreasonable to take separate rooms at the rates they charge. Peter had arrived before me, but was not in the room when I got there. Ours was at the end of a very long corridor, a long way from the elevator. I don't mind walking, but given the distance I had to play where I was going to go and take everything I needed as to not travel any further than necessary. There was a nice bag of welcome treats and an itinerary for the weekend for each of us, in the room. I dropped off my bags and went down to the lobby to see who else was around. I found Peter in the lobby restaurant having a snack. I saw some other relatives as well. 

The first event of the weekend for the out of town guests was Thanksgiving Dinner at a nearby French restaurant called Casimir. A small bus was arranged to take us from the hotel to the restaurant and back. Due to the size of our party and the busyness of the restaurant on the holiday, we had been asked weeks in advance to pre-select our dinner. I choose the french onion soup followed by the turkey entree and cream brulee for dessert. (The original menu included a Caesar salad, but this was during the height of the romaine lettuce scare, so it was changed to a garden salad.)

Turkey Entree with all the fixin's.

My immediate family sat together along with Judy and Stephen. There were three or four other tables of our group there as well. 

While waiting for our dinner to be served Elizabeth, Shirley and I posed with Judy.

Friday morning and afternoon were unstructured. I took Stanley, Elizabeth and Robert on a bit of a shopping trip in the morning. They were looking for some snacks for their rooms, because the resort prices on food were quite exorbitant. 

I was hoping to play some golf, but one of the two 18 hole courses at the resort was closed for renovations and with the holiday the other one was jamb packed. I was able to get a good practice session in, range balls were included in the price of the room. 

After golf practice I checked out the pool area, where I round this wave rider. I was interesting watching people using it:

I then got on the water taxi to the beach. Many of my younger cousins and their children there. 

View from Water Taxi.

Friday night the bus took us to the synagogue for dinner. This fruit platter was part of it. 

Thanksgiving turkey or peacock fruit skewers.

Friday and Saturday contractors were busy around the hotel putting out the Hanukkah and Christmas decorations:

 

They were were going to have a big party Saturday to light it all up around the same time we would be at our private party. 

Saturday morning the bus met us at the hotel again to take us to the synagogue for the religious part of the weekend's celebration. I felt like there was an exorbitant amount of security in place (metal detectors and x-ray machines at the entrance, several armed guards both outside and inside) so much so, I wondered if there was an imminent threat. ( I guess these days you can't be too careful.) Thankfully they were just there as a precaution. 

Unfortunately Judy wasn't up to attending the service. The kids did an amazing job conducting most of the service all on their own. They did way more than most kids do. Afterwards there was a very nice buffet luncheon at the synagogue. 

Saturday afternoon I spent some more time practicing golf as no tee times were available and then went to the beach, where I spent some time with my 2nd cousins their spouses and kids. It was nice catching up with many of them who I hadn't seen in quite a few years as they live in various parts of the states, and abroad. The weather all weekend was very pleasant, especially compared to the weather I had endured in Ontario earlier that month.

Saturday night there was a lovely party at the hotel, starting with a cocktail party, hors d'oeurves and then a sit down dinner. 

Erin and Joshua with their mother Judy.

Peter, Stanley, Elizabeth, Robert and Steven at the cocktail reception.
Shirley shared this photo with me. 

Robert and Elizabeth taking part in the candle lighting ceremony
with Samantha, Cathy Lisa, Daniel and Andy Pressman.
(Shirley shared this photo with me.)

Sunday morning we all got up, enjoyed a buffet brunch in the hotel lobby and departed. I believe a good time was had by all!

Heading South Fall of 2018

Ultimately I will be spending the majority of the winter in Tucson, Arizona, but first I headed  to Boca Raton, Florida for a very special event. My twin second cousins are celebrating their coming of age, 13, there with B'nai Mitzvot (Bar and Bat).

I left Silver Dove on November 17th. I crossed into the USA at Sarnia. On this trip I planed on driving not more than 400 miles each day. My first night I stayed in Florence Kentucky at the Cracker Barrel restaurant. I enjoyed the drive through southern Kentucky, it is hilly (as opposed to flat or mountainous) with pretty scenery.

The second night I stayed in Adairsville, Georgia at a campground I found through a new club I had joined called Passport America. It offers sites at 50% off the usual rates, generally in the off season and/or for short stays, which worked out well for me. Some locations want cash only though, which I don't generally have much of with me. I was put on to the club by the manager of a park I will stay at later on in the trip. The membership fee will be easily paid for in a few stays, so well worth it at this time. At this park I met up with a nice couple from Florida who were headed north. They had a nice little white dog who enjoyed sitting on my lap and having me stroke him. 

I spent some time with them in their R-pod trailer (not something I usually do, but I felt at ease with these folks.) They arrived after the office was closed and didn't have any cash. We agreed that they would give me a check and I gave them the $25 cash they needed for their one night stay. (The check didn't bounce.) While here, I was able to clean some of the mud off the trailer I had accumulated in Appin. 

The following night I stayed at the Cracker Barrel in Lake City, Florida. While eating breakfast I met a nice couple from Nashville who were heading to Key West in their 5th wheel. 

The following two nights I stayed in Jensen Beach, Florida, at the Ocean Breeze Resort, another property from Passport America. I wasn't sure I would ever want to leave there. The entire park was top notch. It had a combination of park models and RV spots. It is the first place I have stayed that had a full size gas Bar-B-Que on every site as well as a nice table and chairs, as opposed to a picnic table. They had a pool and activities as well. It was walking distance to the downtown area, which was very quaint with shops, cafes, bars and restaurants. There were also several golf courses in the area including Eagle Marsh which I played the morning following my arrival in the area. 

Typical hole at Eagle Marsh

I had allowed myself an extra night on this journey in case I ran into any bad weather along the way and had to slow down my progress. I definitely didn't want to be late arriving in Boca. Thankfully everything went smoothly and as originally planned. 

I arrived in Boca Raton right on time around 2:00 on Thanksgiving Day afternoon. I had called the resort in advance and they informed me they would provide a place to park my truck and trailer while I stayed there. Their security people met me when I arrived and helped get me situated. The parking spot was very close to the outer end of their entrance driveway. I disconnected the truck from the trailer so I could shuttle some of my other relatives around during our stay. 

Early to Mid November

To fill the time between the end of the season at Maitland Shores in Dunnville and heading south I returned to Silver Dove Estates. It was nice to see all the folks I had spent last summer with and partake in some of their activities, like coffee clutch,carpet bowling, euchre and cribbage. Unfortunately the fall had been quite wet there and the ground was very muddy. It was a good think that my truck has the option of 4 wheel drive as without it I don't think I would have been able to get my trailer onto the site. 

Newly purchased boots to survive in the wet, mud and snow.
Not the most fashionable, but very functional.

The weather most of the fall was too nasty for golf as it was very rainy and it snowed! More than once. I went through quite a bit of propane trying to keep me warm and the pipes and tanks from freezing. I'm not a big fan of cold weather camping.

During my stay there I went to visit my friend Lorraine who was the moved from Toronto to Grand Bend when she retired. I had visited with her a couple of times last year. We went for lunch at the native owned and operated Rob's Fish and Chips in Kettlepoint,Ontario:

It is just a shack, really.

I had fish and upgraded my fries to poutine. Yummy.

After lunch went for a drive and a walk to look at some unique rocks in the Kettlepoint area. 

This is a good example of the Concretions you can find there.

While in Appin I also went to London to attend the synagogue and see my friends there. On another trip into London I visited Shirley Cookson and Dawn Harvey and had my Lectronic Caddy serviced. 

Mid to Late September and October

On the weekend my friend Catherine Chan from Toronto came for a visit and some golf. I missed out on the Senior League final round and banquet due to Catherine's visit, but I didn't mind, it is always great to get together with her, and with her busy schedule it isn't easy to meet up. 

Tuesday night was the beginning of Yom Kipper so I was back at Beth Jacob. 

In the early summer I had made a commitment to play the Ladies Fall Classic scramble at the Greens at Renton (another course I had driven past many time and not played yet, near Port Dover.) 

Unfortunately it conflicted with Yom Kipper day, and perhaps I should have cancelled out of the team when I realized the date conflict, but as it turned out I guess g-d wasn't too upset with me because we played well enough to get called up to the prize table. We came 3rd or 4th and were happy with that because the prizes were pre-selected, and we were all thrilled with our gifts, more so than any other of the other places. We got a basket sized metal beer tub, which contained a throw blanket and a couple of bottles of locally produced wine. We traded the packages around until we were all happy with the color of blanket we had, I got a neutral one. 

John wants the tub. One of the features of the tournament is an all you care to eat dinner at the Erie Beach Hotel restaurant, one I have frequented over the years, which specializes in Lake Erie fishes, celery bread, assorted home made salads and other goodies. Dinner was terrific. Perhaps in order to compensate for the food deal we felt the drink prices were rather inflated. One glass of wine was enough. I would be happy to play in the tournament again, provided it doesn't conflict with the High Holidays, lesson learned.

Sunday September 23rd I made the trip into Toronto to play an unofficial practice round for the Provincial Four-Ball, which was being played at Ladies' Golf Club of Toronto my former home club. Catherine and I were to play the practice round together. I arrived a bit early and was able to visit the clubhouse to take a picture of the Club Champions plaque that is in the front lobby. I had been there to see my name inscribed there for the final time: 

Overview of the plaque.

Close up of my three entries.

Not too much has changed at the club, except for their tag line, which is now "your home for feel good golf." I believe they are catering to new and weak golfers who don't want to be very competitive. 

I stayed the two nights with my friend Mary Howard. She joined Catherine and I for a Curried Crab dinner after we were done golf. 

My partner for the Four Ball was Susan Postian from London, Ontario. She had asked if I wanted to play with her as her usual partner was taking the season off. I wasn't all that keen on playing the event initially. I believed we had agreed to meet a the range at 11:00. I was there and she wasn't. I didn't see her until about 15 minutes before we were to tee off. In the mean time I had been worrying she had been in a car accident or something and that I would have to play by myself! When we did meet up she said she had been the first to register and we probably passed each other on the road between the club house and driving range. Then she wanted me to basically caddy for her with yardages and reading greens, drive and keep score. She did bring us some nice snacks. I didn't play all that well due to my level of worry and her demeanor. I should have declined. 

The following day I did some errands and visited some friends in downtown Toronto. 

The last Sunday in September was the closing tournament at Freedom Oaks. I won a couple of gift cards for Tim Horton's and Swiss Chalet. 

Friday October 5th I traveled to Twenty Valley in Vineland to meet up with a golf friend named Karen Vamplew who I became reacquainted with at the Niagara District Championship. 

She was widowed recently, so we have that in common. Her game isn't quite as good as I had remembered her to be, but we had a nice day. She is on the Niagara District Committee so will be a great resource to provide me with information about the various tournaments in my new home district. 

Thanksgiving Monday, October 7th I went to the last day of the Simcoe Fall Fair. They had a full program of animal showing, which I watched:

Kids showing calves.

 And the usual produce and handicraft competitions:

Colorful assorted produce display competition.

I enjoyed my day checking everything out there. I walked around the midway, but didn't go on any of the rides. I spent quite a bit of time in the arena where they had a karaoke competition going on. 

The following day I ventured over to Niagara-on-the-lake to play the 9 hole course there, another one I had never played before. I was joining another couple of old golf acquaintances that I was reacquainted with at the Niagara District Tournament of Champions, Louise Rabitaille and Yolanda Henry. 

It is quite an old club.

Right on the shore of Lake Ontario.

We had a nice game at plan on playing at Freedom Oaks the next time we can get together. After golf I went to the Welland Canal Museum to learn more about the lock system between Lake Ontario and Lake Erie:

Cross section of the lock system to overcome the elevation changes between the bodies of water.

After visiting the museum, I treated myself to dinner at The Keg. Many years ago (30-35ish) I was a regular at the various locations of The Keg in Toronto, but hadn't been to one in years. Not much has changed with their menu, which for me was a good thing. I enjoyed my dinner thoroughly. 

The following day I went to play Port Colborne for the first time in preparation for the Niagara District Championship next year, just in case. I played with Alec, a fellow I met at the Lowbanks Euchre game earlier in the summer. He has a 10 round membership there and plays in their Senior Men's league. He was difficult to play with because he is a bit hard of hearing and can't see as far as he hits his ball, yet wanted to drive the cart. I had to raise my voice all day to direct him to all the balls, mine and his. If we ever play together again, I will drive and insist he wears his hearing aides. The course isn't anything special.

Thursday October 25th I had the opportunity to ride in a combine harvesting soy beans. It was something I lined up with one of fellows who plays Euchre at the Legion game, whose last name is Armstrong. We met at a farm about 30 minutes from my place. It was quite fun to sit in the cab of the large combine, which is highly computerized. 

Side view of combine.

Front view of Combine.

We made several passes the length of the field and when the hopper was full, made our way to the trucks to unload. He explained quite a bit of what was happening to me. It was all very interesting. I can strike this experience off my bucket list. 

In the fall the national coffee franchise Tim Horton's has a fundraising raising event selling smile cookies with the proceeds going to charity. Low and behold the Dunnville location sold the most cookies of any location in the entire country! 

Celebratory jumbo "smile cookie" cake.

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I think their success is partially because there is only one store for miles around and a good sized population and the money was going to the local hospital. In appreciation for the community they held a free skating event at the local arena complete with refreshments. I had no interest in skating, but I had never been to the arena so I used the event as an opportunity to see the building. It was great to see so many people from the community getting together for the event. 

I have to say that the Dunnville area is great for supporting local events and causes. Most of the churches and clubs hold various fundraising meals and sales and everyone makes a point of attending and supporting them. The town is small enough to be friendly and safe and yet offers enough that I don't feel the need to travel regularly to other nearby cities or towns for shopping or entertainment.  

Maitland Shores closes October 31st, so I packed things up and headed out. I had an appointment for the trailer to get some service done on it on the way to Silver Dove Estates, which is open longer. While waiting for the trailer to be serviced, my brother Peter and his girlfriend Debby and I went for lunch at August 8, a Japanese place and visited the well known Hamilton Mum show. I hadn't been to the Mum show in many years. It was still impressive. This years theme was Toys:

Lego in chrysanthemums. There are so many varieties. 

Baby stacking game/teething rings.

Mr. Potato Head

Snakes and Ladders.