Our first house guests- fun times!

My oldest and dearest friend in the world came
to spend the Labor Day Weekend with me in FL!
Greg and Wanetta flew in Thursday night, and
Len greeted us with margaritas right away.
We go waaaaayyyyy back- all the way to Morrison
second south, at Anderson University, as freshman
college roomies. We've been friends ever since,
thirty-six years and going strong <3
We had an early morning start on Friday- we
did a 16 mile float on Fisheating Creek.  The
shuttle van couldn't get us to the drop off point
due to recent rain and flooding, so we had to
slop through high water, and at times the
boys had to portage the canoe- rough start!
So proud of my 'medium maintenance' bestie
slopping through the swampy water :)

We LOVE canoeing! (or as my daughter's
boyfriend aptly has named it, 'ca-brewing'!)

We have not been this far north on Fisheating Creek, and with
 all the recent flooding, it was a tricky maze! At times we weren't 
sure if we were still on the river.  We made a few wrong turns 
here and there as we sometime had difficulty finding our
trail markers. Greg and Wanetta made the most of their paddling! :)

We saw very few gators today- there was no
dry ground for them to sunbathe.  It was
very peaceful and beautiful. Not another
soul in sight for nearly eight hours!

Lunch tasted great, the splash fights felt
refreshing, and we all were sunburned by day's end.

Um guys....are you sure that's the way?
Do you see any markers on the trees???

And then the afternoon storms arrived, as they
do every day this time of year. While the distant
lightening and thunder was a little unsettling,
the rain was beautiful coming down- it made 
bubbles on top of the water!
Fortunately, we were just minutes away
from our take out point, and the weather
was never really too close for discomfort.

Dinner was ready in the crockpot when
we got back home, and we were worn out! 
Len treated us to some music, and the neighbors
treated us with shots, before we called it a night.
The next day we took Kantiya out for a boat ride.  Though
the mast is down, the iron genny purrs like a kitten!
We weren't far from home when we realized the boys
forgot their fishing poles AGAIN! 0 for 2 fishing so far :/

Not even a mile downriver on the Okeechobee
Waterway is the Ortona Lock where we drop
eight feet! Greg helped handle the lines.
  
You can see the waterline on the wall as the
water was released out of the lock.

It feels good to be on the boat again :)

We rode about twelve miles in to LaBelle.  They
have several city docks that are free for takers;
you can stay for three days and have free wifi,
electric, and water- compliments of the city.
They get a lot of traffic in high season. We grabbed
a slip and walked a block up to Forrey Grill,
one of the nicer restaurants in town.

Any day on the water is a very good day :)
By Sunday the boys had enough fun and games
and felt the need to bring out the tools. After some
discussion of which project to tackle (we have SO
MANY to choose from!) they decided to build a
dock box to run electric out to the boat.

Hot as all get out, but Greg was happy as a pig in mud!

A hard day's work (for the boys) led to
an invite for cocktails at Deb and Ed's.
That led to an invite back to our place
for dinner, as Len was cooking up a
German treat- spaeztle!

They neighbors all pitched in with the preparations,
and we had a wonderful evening with friends.

Though are home is not complete, and we have not built our
dining room table yet (it is on the project list!) we made do
in the living room.  This is one of the things I love about
Turkey Creek- no pretentiousness whatsoever. Just good,
good people- a community of misfits who all fit together, as
our neighbor Sondra says.  I think she is right; we love it here.

Len took requests :)

He is a man of many talents <3

Greg and Wanetta had to leave before sunrise the next morning to catch their early flight from Ft. Myers back to Indianapolis.  They left on Monday (which was Labor Day) and that allowed them the time for an impromptu pizza party with their own children and grandchildren for the holiday.  After three days away, I think (I KNOW!) Nana was going through withdrawal from her boys <3  I know that feeling; Mimi misses her grandkids, too. Thankfully, I have a trip scheduled for this coming Friday to Indiana.  It is time for me to pick up Willis T. Cat and bring him home to Florida.  I have plans to love on my own children and grandchildren by the end of this week.  

Life is good.  

God is good.

I am blessed.  

Richly blessed.

G'nite, y'all!

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