21 Feb 2014 - Another Great Week in Paradise

Hammond Stadium. BTW...the woman in orange was NOT happy she was in the photo. I'm checking Most Wanted List.

In case he wins MVP....Samuel Deduno....and I was there!

The boys of summer....Minnesota summer. Bet the weather is better here!

I turned to Wayne this morning and said, "Is it Friday already? Where the heck did the week go?" I've got to try and understand that retired people don't really go on holiday....we just continue the holiday....but regardless, time flies.
I actually got to the gym for yoga twice this week! I expected to be stiff and sore but was surprisingly agile for an old girl. There were a few young girls there but I think the mean age was about 60 so I didn't feel out of place at all. I did a half-hour stretch class before the yoga class and perhaps that's why I wasn't sore.
One of the girls in the writers group suggested we go to Clam Pass which is a beach area near the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. The route to the beach from the hotel is quite a distance but the hotel has built a boardwalk through the mangroves and provides a tram service from the hotel to the beach. The best part is that the public, as well as hotel guests, are welcomed to use the service. We took the tram down and other than the concession stand the hotel runs along with the umbrella/lounge chair thing, we decided that our beach at Lover's Key is much nicer and we haven't missed anything.
While we were there I went up to the concession stand to get a couple of ice cream bars. The girl in front of me ordered 3 bottles of water...small bottles, not litre-sized bottles. The bill came to $13.42. The girl said she only had $10 and needed to get more money. When she returned from asking her parents for more money she told the Waldorf Astoria clerk that she'd like to change the 3-bottle order to just 3 glasses of water. The clerk took 3 large glasses, filled them with ice and then water and handed them over to the girl. "What do I owe you for that?" the young girl asked. "Oh, nothing", said the clerk, "we don't charge for glasses of water". I burst out laughing at the irony of it and the clerk just smiled and shook her head. "I don't try to understand it, I just do it".
It's been mega hot there this week...hotter than usual for this time of year I'm told...but we packed up and went to the beach one day. We got there a little later in the day than when we usually go and it was crowded but there was a nice breeze and we just laid around for a couple of hours. I managed to get out of there with one tiny shell...a new record for me. We are building up quite a collection and I'm trying to figure out how I'm going to explain to the border guard the trailer is just filled with shells...no cigarettes or alcohol.
The Minnesota Twins baseball team do spring training in Ft Myers so we bought tickets to see their game against the Blue Jays next week. They have Seniors Day every couple of weeks and the ticket price is cheaper plus we get a hotdog and drink thrown in with the ticket price. In consideration of Wayne's enthusiasm to support our Canadian team, I will not say more about the price of the 2 Blue Jay hats we had to buy at the Lids store. I wonder, can people carry concealed weapons to a baseball game? The stadium was open and we were able to wander around and watch the team practice in different areas. It was quite neat actually and kind of rekindled the excitement I had a few years ago when I watched (and slept through) every game on television all summer.
Wayne made a best friend this week while she was walking her dog. She lives in the condo complex next door and after talking to her (Vera) about wanting to rent a place here next year, she put us on to 3 different people in her complex who are renting out their condos next year. In the end, she has decided not to come to Naples next year as she likes the east coast better, so we are going to rent the unit she is in. It's a bit older than the one we are in now but looks to be quite a bit bigger and will be a bit cheaper so it all works out. We love this area and are familiar with everything around us so really wanted to stay in North Naples again.
Tomorrow is market day again and then I'm off to the Art of Needlework, An Exhibit of Contemporary Embroidery. There was an article in the newspapers about the exhibit and there are some amazing things being done by people who belong to the embroiderers guild......gone to sleep yet? I will take photos....proof will be in the pudding! Sunday, of course, is Daytona 500 so that means junk food and an afternoon of television. It doesn't get much better than that!
We picked up a pizza from the Truly Organic Pizza by Jason...place. We got the Tree Hugger: organic dough w/vine-ripened tomato sauce and mozzarella, bell pepper, fresh seasonal mushrooms, garlic slices, onion, peas, rosemary potatoes and bruschetta, and we added Jason's own homemade organic sausage meat. IT WAS AWESOME and I mean AWESOME!!! We didn't seek out organic, it was just on the way home and was convenient. However, it will now be our pizza go-to place.
That was our week. Hope everyone is fine and coping with whatever Mother Nature is hurling at the rest of North America. Until next time, love and hugs to all. xx