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| Time to hit the road |
In order to properly commemorate my first year of retirement I felt it was necessary to go on an official winter tour of some warm weather destinations. Fortunately I had some retired friends who were spending the winter months in some very desirable locations and therefore I had some great options.
Two of my friends from college, Jeff and Sue Wolfe, had recently both retired from teaching and they were spending the winter months in Florida this year. Jeff and Sue met in college and they have been married for over 35 years.(and yes I was in their wedding...1 of the 16 weddings I have been in during my life....fortunately none of these weddings have been my own....and I intend to keep it that way).
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| Hey Palmer...come and visit us...what else do you have to do? |
Jeff and Sue were spending the months of January, February and March in a retirement community in central Florida called "The Villages". Sue's parents have owned a place in this community for the last 16 years so Jeff and Sue had been to "The Villages" as visitors several times in the past. This year there happened to be house near the one that Sue's parents owned that was available for rent. Jeff and Sue decided to rent the house because they just couldn't pass up this great opportunity to escape the cold winter weather in Minnesota.
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| Let's see.....did Jeff and Sue want this?.... |
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| ....or did they want this?....an easy decision for Jeff and Sue |
I had never heard of "The Villages" so I had no idea what this place was like when Jeff and Sue suggested that I come and visit them. All I knew was that they were staying at a place that was 55 miles north of Orlando and several nice golf courses were very nearby. Even though I would be going into some uncharted territory it took only about 5 seconds for me to accept their invitation. Once I confirmed that the second week in February would work for Jeff and Sue, The Villages officially became "Stop #1" on my retirement tour. I guess you could say that this tour was going to turn me into the character that Red Skelton made famous, Freddy the Freeloader.
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| Yes, this is me...where is my room? |
The official web site of The Villages states the following:
The Villages is an active retirement community located in sunny central Florida. Conceived over 50 years ago, our hometown has flourished under the guidance of the family who created it, our dedicated employees, and most importantly the folks who call The Villages home.
Our purpose always has, and always will be, “To create a retirement community where people’s dreams can come true.” We continue to redefine retirement living by offering the best in homes, lifestyle and amenities for our residents.
The description from the website sounds very nice but it doesn't really tell the whole story about The Villages. A person really has to go to The Villages and see it first hand to totally understand what it's like there. The terms I would use to best describe The Villages are Pleasantville, Leisureville, LaLa Land, Fantasy Camp, Happytown, Perfectville, Disney World for adults, outer space, Bubbleville.
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| Yes, they even have a statue of the guy who founded this place.... |
- 15 square mile area
- Founded over 50 years ago by Harold Schwartz
- Must be at least 55 years old to live there
- 89,000 people live there
- Fastest growing area in the United States
- 30 Executive golf courses (Par 3 - 9 hole courses)
- 9 Championship golf courses (27 holes at each course)
- 2 Town Squares (Spanish Springs / Lake Sumter Landing)
- Selling 400 houses a month
- Softball, tennis, pickle ball, swimming
- Fitness centers, dance classes, seminars
- Restaurants, bars, shopping, health care
- Live music and dancing in the town squares every night
- 2 for 1...all day....every day
- Everything appears to be perfect and everyone is happy
- Every activity is accessible via a golf cart..you have to have one
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| This movie came to mind once I arrived at The Villages |
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| I also felt like I was in the movie "The Truman Show" |
Let's take a look at my visit to The Villages via my photo gallery....
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| Sue welcomed me to The Villages...I was still clueless at this point |
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| I had no idea that I had actually landed on another planet |
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| Freddy the Freeloader liked his accommodations |
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| You mean we can drive this golf cart right to the course?...Nice! |
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| We had to stop for the "breakfast special" every morning |
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| I was liking this......this place really is LaLa Land |
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| I thought this was Florida....what's with the cool weather? | <><><><><><>
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| An ambulance siren just means that a tee time just opened up |
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| OH MY!....my very own "WAY" |
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| Yes, we even did some lawn bowling....(don't call it boccie ball) |
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| These lawn bowlers were serious players....I was scolded a few times |
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| Check out my form |
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| I found Amy on the putting green |
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| I did everything I could to impress Amy |
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| Amy finally agreed to be my "date" for the week |
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| The town square was the place to be....a party every night |
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| This place really is a fantasy camp...... |
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| ....where else could I have an attractive 33 year old woman as my date? |
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| After a big night on the town it was "pool time" |
Jeff, Sue and I were of course by far the youngest people at The Villages. I happened to talk to a local real estate agent at the pool and she said there were quite a few people in the 55-60 age range living there (we never saw them however). I told this real estate agent to keep an eye out for a 55-60 year old rich widow who needed a good man to move in with her. She said it wouldn't be a problem to find one. (stayed tuned...I have her business card).
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| All I would have to do is move in.....hmmmm |
My friend Amy was visiting her parents and I saw her on the putting green and of course I had find out "her life story". As it turned out she actually grew up in the Minneapolis area and now lived in Los Angeles. She also was a very good golfer...shot an even par 36 on her first 9 holes of the week. My guess is that hanging out with me in the evenings probably looked to be just a tiny bit more exciting than staying at home with her 75 year old parents....just barely however...oh well.....I still had fun even though it was by default....as I always say..I'm shameless.
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| Only at The Villages..... |
All in all it was a great week and it's now onto Retirement Tour Stop #2 at Siesta Key - Sarasota, FL.
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| It was time to leave this planet and head back to earth |
