Month: December 2017

Schindler Commune, Port Charlotte, Fl.

The inaugural fire in the fireplace on New Year’s Eve was a big hit, but nobody made it to midnight!

Schindler Commune, Port Charlotte, Fl.

Pat and Joel were digging stumps and clearing the east property line of invasive shrubbery while Dan and Penny went to the beach!

Even Shirley was working on her garden!

The vegetation behind her is encroaching into the property. I plan to prune it back in the next few days; it will add 6′-8′ of yard space the full length of the 120′ property line.

 

Schindler Commune, Port Charlotte, Fl.

Joel and Lindy’s has been the traditional gathering place for family feasts. The spacious kitchen, dining and living rooms are undivided. There is plenty of room to set up extra tables.

They will be moving out of this house they’ve lived in for many years and into the house they’ll be sharing with John and Shirley. Here are views of the neighborhood they will be leaving:

John and Shirley’s former residence is up this canal about 300 yards. Their son, Dan is moving in there so he can care for the sailboat!

 

Schindler Commune, Port Charlotte, Fl.

Christmas Eve at the Chinese Buffett is a tradition for the Schindler family. John and Shirley’s treat; there were 17 of us this year.

Schindler Commune, Port Charlotte, Fl.

The house in the suburbs is on a large lot but being encroached upon by vegetation on the east and back property lines. The ornamental trees also need pruning and the flower beds need cultivating. Items on my agenda.

The interior is nicely updated. A bedroom and bath are on each end with a large living room and family room with fireplace in between. The kitchen is a galley style; cabinet space is inadequate for one family let alone two. A screened lanai and a laundry room round out the communal areas.

 

 

 

After getting John and Shirley moved, Penny and I enjoyed our last couple of days on the Caloosahatchie river. She worked on a flag for her son, John. I did some bike riding.

 

John and Shirley spent the night in their new home last night. We slept in their mostly empty fifth wheel then headed back to our place. Dan came to visit this afternoon to go trail riding (my first ever) and to take us out to dinner as a pay back for my help replacing the water heater in his trailer. I got scratched up and a few bruises, but survived the trail ride with no major anomalies. Dinner at a nearby Italian restaurant was fabulous and a good time was had by all!

WP Franklin Campground, Alta, Fl.

Sunday morning sunrise in the mist is quite magical!

WP Franklin Campground, Alta, Fl.

We have been busy helping Penny’s folks move out of their fifth wheel trailer in Punta Gorda RV park where they have wintered for the last 15 or so years. It is in a canal park where they moor the sailboat right next to the trailer. Dan, one of Penny’s brothers, also winters there just a few hundred feet down the road. Joel, Penny’s youngest brother, and his wife, Lindy, rent a large home at the end of the road; they are there year round.

Joel and Lindy and John and Shirley have bought a home together about nine miles north of PGRV. It is about nine miles closer to Joel’s work. And, John and Shirley recognize that at their age they are going to need assistance as time goes on. The home they have purchased has bedrooms with bathrooms at both ends and lots of communal  space in between.

We expect to have mom and dad fully moved by Sunday. He has an outpatient surgery scheduled for Tuesday morning, so we all agreed to complete their move before then. Joel and Lindy have until the first of the year to complete their move and we will help in that endeavor as well. Then, too, Dan will move into John and Shirley’s fifth wheel. Sheez!

WP Franklin Lock & Dam, Alva, Fl., 156 mile jump

Saying good bye to Sebastian Inlet was a bit more difficult than our other departures because of the phenomenal color of the water, trees and the sky. And the birds, they too are alluring and magical. Before we left we walked up over the inlet on the Highway A1A bridge for a few final shots.

We arrived at the new camp a little after four and were treated to a campsite at the very end of the row with a full view of the  Caloosahatchee River. This river was developed by the Army Corps of Engineers to allow boat travel between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic. They installed three lock and dam complexes between Lake Okeechobee and the Gulf. Two years ago we stayed at the dam site east of here (Ortona), but this one is only about 30 minutes from Penny’s mom and dad.