Parks

On April 13, approximately 40 residents and friends visited Lings Chinese Buffet in Lakeland. This was our monthly lunch connoisseurs get-together.

The luncheon was hosted by Sandy and Al Lindke, and we all had an excellent time.

Before the lunch started, Galen Parker was good enough to say grace, while we bowed our heads in a moment of silence.

We got there a little early, but the room was held for us. We passed through the  front room, where they had some fish in a small pond (in the center of the room) and proceeded to our tables.

The interior of the restaurant was very nice, and the buffet was excellent. They had salad, soups, main dishes (chicken, chow mein, rice, vegetables and more.)

For dessert, they had several types of melon, ice cream with a few toppings, plus cookies. 

We certainly had our fill, and I don’t think anyone went home hungry.

We spent a good hour and a half just mingling and small talk about several subjects.

The lunch connoisseurs will still go on in the summer months, but many of our residents are returning to their other homes that are elsewhere. 

By Helene Rubenstein, Grand Horizons

 

 

 

 

 

On March 25, we had a potluck in the community center. Nancy Huey arranged for this to occur and did a marvelous job of getting everyone together. Unfortunately, she was unable to attend that day, so Ron and Rachel Gamache were kind enough to fill her shoes and get it started.

Each table had a number and, before tables were called, Jim Leitzke said grace, while the rest of the people bowed their heads in silence.

Eighty-five to 90 people filled their plates with the different foods that were offered. The social club provided the ham, and it was simply delicious. This, along with the many side dishes provided for a nice meal. There were many desserts to choose from, including cherry cake, apple squares, chocolate chip cookies and more.

There were several helpers, and they each knew exactly what to do, so things went very efficiently.

On March 28, we had an ice cream social, and we celebrated Al Lindke’s birthday with a delicious cake. Well over 100 residents joined in for the birthday celebration, plus the ice cream social that consisted of many toppings and two delicious flavors of ice cream.  There was so much that we were able to go back for more.

The social was hosted by Joyce and Ron Bell, Chuck and Shirley Carlson, Ron and Rachel Gamache, Robbie Lockard, Sandy and Al Lindke, Rosie Semian, Greg Thomas and Barbara Williams. Donna Scott cut the cake.

They had every topping imaginable, including strawberries, bananas, pineapple chunks, chocolate and rainbow sprinkles, tiny M & Ms, tiny peanut butter M & Ms, Butterfingers crunch, peanuts, cherries and whipped cream, plus hot chocolate syrup, coffee and tea.

It was a lovely afternoon and, between the ice cream and cake, we walked away filled to capacity.

We would all like to thank the people who worked to make this function as memorable as it was. 

By Helene Rubenstein, Grand Horizons

Twenty residents from Grand Horizons went to a Boston Red Sox vs. New York Yankees game in Tampa at Steinbrenner field on March 23. The stadium was really nice, and the game was exciting.

There is something special in seeing a live game. It started out as a pitching duel, as there were no hits or runs the first several innings but, eventually, Boston broke loose and scored a few runs. It was still a close game, but Boston won.

Our thanks go out to Tom Carter who arranged the game outing and the transportation that picked us up at the community center. He did a fine job, and we thank him for it.

The following night, on March 24, 92 Grand Horizon residents and visitors enjoyed a comedy- magic show. Terry Gardner was the host and arranged for the show. A few minutes before the show started, Terry Gardner told us several cute jokes to prepare us for the show.

Ron Gamache then introduced Elliott Smith with a few words about where he has performed.  Smith came on stage to a loud applause.

He asked if anyone in the audience could spare $50. After several moments had expired, Joan Lawrence produced the $50. When she loaned it to him, Elliott started to fold it in half to double her money. At one point in the performance, he actually did double it to $100 and was going to hand it to Joan, (but she wasn’t fast enough to accept) so he withdrew it, and it eventually turned back to the original amount. He had Joan read the serial number on the bill, while he wrote it down on a blackboard. Elliott then performed some type of skit with the money, and eventually it disappeared into thin air. 

That was the end of the skit until sometime later in the show, he had Joan retrieve a box that was sealed. She brought the box up to him, and inside was a smaller box that he gave to her.  She opened the box and found her bill with the same serial number that he had written on the board. How it was done was beyond me!

Next, he brought Joyce Bell up to the stage. With her, he did some type of magic skit that involved red and green handkerchiefs. It was interesting and had everyone in the audience wondering how it was done.

He also called up Eugene Martin to do a rope trick. It involved three pieces of rope, and one was longer than the other. It left people scratching their heads in wonderment.

Several more people were called up to the stage, but there was one real cute performance that involved Rachel Gamache. It was a mind-reading game or body language demonstration and was hilarious.

Rachel pulled a card with the word ‘eat’ written on it. Elliott then asked if the letter “e” was in the word. Of course Rachel said “yes,” and now the fun starts.

Elliott  wrote down “sex” for the audience to see. At this time, the audience was thinking that the word was “sex.” Elliott proceed to ask Rachel leading questions, and she responded with the truth as she really had the word “eat,” but the audience thought it was “sex” and laughed a lot. Questions like, ”Do you do it several times a day?”

At the end of the game, Elliott asked Rachel what the word was and when she responded with “eat,” we all laughed.

Bill Donlon  also went on the stage to help Elliott with a cut-and-restore tissue paper trick.  This had us all in stitches with the antics that Bill performed with Elliott. After several movements and dance steps, Elliott pulled the paper from his throat. Everyone was laughing, including Bill. 

There were several more magic tricks, but the last one was very cute. It involved having Tim Holton helping Elliott with the “how to vanish water” trick.

Elliott and Tim went through the entire segment and had everyone laughing. How the trick ended was, when each cup was filled with water and placed on top of the head, now the cup is turned over and with “trust and belief” it should be empty and, you know what? It was empty!

We all left the community center full of laughter and questions on how each trick was performed.

We thank Terry for the entertainment and look forward to December, when more shows will be announced.

By Helene Rubenstein, Grand Horizons

A community yard sale was held on March 17 at the community center of Grand Horizons, as well as some individual houses.

This is the time of year that several people look forward to, as they may be able to find certain hard-to-find items either at one of the many homes or in the community center.

There were several houses that had sales, and you could find items such as shorts, books, housewares and much more. 

You could also find a big variety of items at the community center. Here, there were shoes, slippers, games and more.

In the community center, they also had a book sale that was headed by Linda Tutin and many helpers. There was a bake sale that was headed by Mim Gardner, where you could purchase cupcakes, peanut butter, mini-pies of several different flavors, cookies and other goodies. In addition to these sales, Chuck Carlson and Ron Bell made their famous hot dogs and fries. I never got to try one of them, but I heard they were delicious,

On Monday, March 19, we had our weekly game of dominoes. This is a fast game that keeps you on your toes.

There was an unusually large crowd of domino players, and we had approximately six or seven tables, with several people at each table. 

Friendly banter went back and forth among the players at the same table, and you could hear comments like, “I’ve got a small train” or “You knocked my train off its course” and several other remarks. 

We have fun with this weekly game, and it is a good opportunity to socialize with others.

By Helene Rubenstein, Grand Horizons

On March 9, a lunch connoisseurs was held at the Columbia Restaurant in Ybor City. It was hosted by Dale and Terri Satterlee.

From what I heard from those who attended, the food was delicious, and they had several dishes to choose from. The menu was varied with quite a bit of Cuban influence. Before people placed their order, Cuban bread, plus butter, was served to each individual table. Salads were out of this world, as they are known for their house salads.

From what Terri mentioned to me, the fact was that 51 residents and friends attended this lunch connoisseur.

The restaurant was set up in a way where there were 10 or 12 people at a table, and there were several tables. Terri went on to say that there were Spanish tiles on the outside of the restaurant and partially inside. She also said that there was a huge chandelier when you first walked in the restaurant, and she also mentioned that the waiters were dressed formally. This restaurant was established in 1903 and has the same family running it.

A few days later, on March 11, a volunteer lunch was held at the community center and hosted by Chuck Carlson. Close to 80 people attended.

Everyone was greeted with “thank you” signs posted throughout the community center and cute “thank you” cards, with a table number, on each individual table.

Before table numbers were called, Jim Leitzke said grace, while the people attending observed a moment of silence. There were several helpers in the kitchen, and everyone had a specific job, so everything ran smoothly and efficiently. 

These helpers included Ron and Joyce Bell, Chuck and Shirley Carlson, Ron and Rachel Gamache, and Mim and Terry Gardner. 

In addition to the delicious hamburgers with buns, they had tomatoes, lettuce, onions, baked beans, potato salad, Cole slaw, cake and ice cream, plus coffee and lemonade.

There was much conversation among all of the people who attended, and some people played dominoes after the meal.

A great time was had by all. Thanks go out to all who participated in this lunch.

By Helen Rubenstein, Grand Horizons

On March 3, we had an egg in a bag at the community center. A nice crowd of 92 people were served omelets that consisted of any or all of the following: ham, cheese, mushrooms, onions, green pepper, jalapenos, plus home-fried potatoes, biscuit and gravy, plus coffee and orange juice. Before the tables were called to create their omelets, grace was said by Galen Parker while everyone bowed their heads in a moment of silence. There were several helpers, and since everyone had a specific job to do, it all went very smoothly and efficiently. This was a lovely way to start the morning, and everyone had a nice time.

On March 4, Marty and I decided to visit with our cousins. Once a year we try and meet at some location that would be convenient for all. Our cousin, Helene Sheehan, came in from Hawaii to stay with her sister, Elaine Cunningham, and they met with us, Danny Redak and Laurie Kruh. We all had a lovely lunch at the Myakka River Restaurant that is located right on the water. So, being that we were on the water, we had lunch while seeing a fantastic view.  We spent a lovely afternoon together, and Danny was the perfect host, while the rest of us talked and caught up on past news and reminisced of days gone by.

Then, on March 6, the Ladies Lunch Bunch got together to have lunch at Sergio’s. which is located in Zephyrhills. There were approximately 25 to 30 women who attended this luncheon that I hosted. The dining room was decorated with pictures on the wall. The menu was varied and included such dishes as sandwiches, salads and soups. There were also main dishes, such as eggplant Parmigiana, baked manicotti, lasagna, baked ravioli with meat or cheese, and several other dishes. They started off the meal with delicious rolls and butter. There was much banter going on during the meal, and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. A door prize was awarded to the person with the closest birthday to St. Patrick’s Day. The winner was Mary Wurpts. She received a drinking cup that had a cute saying on it.

By Helene Rubenstein, Grand Horizons