A Mayoral Family; An April Bug; SOARing; Sprinkler Buddies

While walking with my blonde girlfriend, I met a delightful family from Nova Scotia, Canada, who are spending a couple of months here in The Villages. Billy Joe MacLean is the Mayor of Port Hawkesbury, NS. His lovely wife Glenda and daughters Eileen and Trish seem to be enjoying the warm, sunny weather here in Central Florida. I did a weather check for Port Hawkesbury today, and the low tonight will be 21F, the high tomorrow a toasty 37F, with snow likely by Thursday. That may indicate very good judgment on the mayor's part, being here for his vacation and not skidding on snow and ice back home! (Note: the reference to my blonde girlfriend actually refers to Jingles, a friend's one year old Golden retriever who needs LOTS of exercise.)

Port Hawkesbury, like most of Nova Scotia, is known for its hospitality, great seafood and beautiful scenery; located on the Strait of Canso, it is also the deepest ice-free port in North America. Suzanne and I sailed there back in 2003 and again in 2004, but we had the foresight to visit in mid-summer when the nearby Bras D’or Lakes are not frozen.  No wonder Mayor MacLean and his ladies leave town when it’s dark and frozen. (Of note, the weather there isn’t nearly as brutal as in Minnesnowta). We hope to visit again in August of 2014 in The Bus, and meet Mayor MacLean on his own turf. For more information on this lovely part of the Canadian Maritimes, visit http://www.townofporthawkesbury.ca  

This photo of an unidentified but fascinating bug/moth/other insect was sent to us by Bev Garlipp and her daughter Amy. They spotted it the other day in Spanish Springs. Being a Navy guy and a life-long sailor, I am far less acquainted with insects than sea birds, fish and marine mammals. If anyone can identify this little fellow, please email me at ftgiesemann@aol.com or make a blog comment below.

My Lovely Bride held her last SOAR! Class of this season on Saturday at Unity of The Villages, with 30 attendees (28 women and 2 men) finishing the day-long class energized and better attuned.

While Suzanne SOARed, I spent the day in more earthly pursuits... I ran 5 miles, trimmed our oak tree, cemented some driveway pavers that had come loose, and installed seven Sprinkler Buddies. These are round rubber gizmos that should reduce the maintenance on sprinkler heads (keeping them clear of grass and weeds). I’ll let you know in the Fall how they worked over the summer, but they sure were easy to install, and I’m very optimistic about them. The highlight of the day came when Rudy and Gretchen got to chase and tree ten (10) squirrels in Spanish Springs...