Last night was probably our best meal since we arrived in The Villages. We’d eaten at the Blue Fin Restaurant with friends Carol and Mark when they visited about a month ago, and Tom and I hadn’t tried it again since. It was good that time but last night, it was even better.
The Villages are not known for having the best restaurants in Florida, perhaps due to the slightly lower prices than in other parts of the state. With 90% of the population over 60 years old and many on fixed incomes, a restaurant wouldn’t survive in this area at higher prices.
Many of the establishments are chain restaurants, which we weren’t familiar with since most are in the southern part of the US. After spending so much time outside the US this past almost 11 years, we are unfamiliar with many businesses, shops, and restaurants.
It was wonderful to be with Karen and Rich again, for the second time since we arrived here almost seven weeks ago. Gosh, how time flies. The four of us are working on deciding on dates for us to stay with them for a few nights at their new home sometime in July.
Since we don’t have a car, they’ve offered to come to pick us up after they visit Karen’s mom Donna, who we visited a few weeks. Ago, Donna lives in Leesburg, only a 15-minute drive from us. Karen explained she’d be happy to pick us up when she leaves her mom’s after an overnight stay and bring us back a few days later.
We hesitated to let them do all the driving. It’s a two-hour drive each way. But, after being with them this past day and evening, we’ve decided we’d love to accept their generous offer. We’d love to be with them again and see their new home.
Karen and I have been friends for almost 20 years and have always been very close. The more time we can spend together, the better. And Tom and Rich have become good friends. Last night, after we returned from dinner, the “boys” sat on the lanai while Karen and I had much treasured “girl talk” in the living room.
Later, everyone had the apple crisp I’d made (not me) topped with ice and whipping cream. We all stayed up until after 1:00 am, which was late for us. Somehow, we all managed to get enough sleep. I didn’t doze off until 2:00 am and awoke at 4:00 am but returned to sleep, awakening around 8:00 am. I stayed in bed, playing with my phone, until Tom finally awoke at 9:45.
We bolted out of bed, and I showered dressed and rushed to the kitchen to make breakfast for our guests. After breakfast and a short chat, they needed to head out to see Donna, who was looking forward to their arrival. Once they left, we did a load of laundry, cleaned up the kitchen, and did a little planning for tonight’s dinner.
We won’t go out tonight since our next guests, Lea Ann and Chuck, who arrive tomorrow, and we’ll all be heading out to dinner tomorrow night. It’s a fun and busy weekend.
Be well.
Photo from ten years ago today, June 17, 2013:
