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.