Back on the road again...trying to catch up, so here was this last week:
Tuesday, March 21:
Cor went to the Verandah in Ft. Meyers, where the vintage Verizon retirees have their annual luncheon.
Cor worked for New England Tel for 30 years, retiring in 1974. NET became NYNEX, then Bell Atlantic,
and now Verizon. Throughout it all, they have taken good care of him via great benefits including health
and prescriptions. Now he's been retired longer than he worked and his fellow retirees tease him,
saying there's probably a contract out on him.
Anyhow, they had a great time reminiscing and Jack Campbell returned him home by 3:00 pm.
That night we took the Vlontises to dinner at Sweet Tomatoes, a Sarasota deluxe salad bar. Just yards
and yards of fresh vegetables, great soups, hot fresh breads, pastas, and to top it off: make our own
sundaes.
Wednesday, March 22:
Found a great Internet coffee house in Venice - in Bird Bay Plaza - called 24/7. Cor's eyes lit up when
he spied the fresh blueberry muffins. We ordered 2 cups of coffee, one muffin and one half hour of
Internet time. That was enough to upload the last entry.
After that, we drove to the Venice Art Center to meet our friends Bob and Pat Kuelper for lunch. That is a
delightful place! The current show was of weaving: baskets, wool, pine needles (new to me). There
are several small tables for four to six where a light, flavorful luncheon can be had. It's all cooked on
site and benefits from the fresh foods available that day.
We had a great time, laughed a lot, then turned over our Meyer Lemon tree to the Kuelper's perpetual
care.
The tree safely transferred, we headed off to complete our errands. The first was to Venice Stationers
where they have a terrific selection of melamine trays. Ours needed replacement. Mine was a vintage
1952 Curoc tray that suffered a broken corner from a run-in with the floor. Cor's had lovely lilacs on it
but had experienced a similar fate. We'll see how long these last!
I stopped in at The Collector's Gallery in Venice. I once worked there (way back) and wanted to see
what was up with my old boss, Peaches Haas. As luck would have it, I was told that she had just come
in. And luck it was as she was on her way out....for good. She had sold the gallery and the new
owners took over that day! When I was there in the early 1990s, another employee, Mary Erickson, and
I used to have great fun going on sketching trips - to back woods FL and even to New Mexico. Mary
pursued her painting, and today is well known among wild life painters. I'm not.
We had company for dinner that night - so nice to entertain at home! Leslie served split shrimp
covered with a flavorful scallop dressing; fettucini alfredo; sugarsnap peas and carrots; apple crisp and
ice cream. In a separate pitcher, she had heated butter with lemon and tarragon to drizzle over the
shrimp. I'm getting spoiled.
Thursday, March 23:
Among other things, I drove into the driveway of my old condo (from 1990) Bella Costa to show Cor
where I had lived. A man was taking advantage of the downpour and cleaning off his green Blazer.
When we started to turn around, he asked if he could help. He'd seen our VT license plate and
wondered where we lived. When we said "Burlington" a funny look came over his face. He's from
Colchester and his house is about 100 yards from where we lived on our boat for 3 years. Small world!
Friday, March 24:
Cutting trip short...bad knee. Going home early. Left Venice around 10:00 am; stopped at IHOP in
Sarasota for brunch. I had their Swedish Pancakes - so yummy with tart lingonberries on top. We then
hit the road. Now in motel in Richmond Hill, GA. Dinner at Denny's - also good - plain old Club
Sandwich and Cor had a hamburger. Really daring of us.
Only interesting event on road was just north of the Jacksonville airport. We noticed flashing lights of
three police cars coming down I-95 abreast, totally blocking traffic, and we assume movind at the
speed limit. That's certainly one way to keep the speed down!
Tuesday, March 21:
Cor went to the Verandah in Ft. Meyers, where the vintage Verizon retirees have their annual luncheon.
Cor worked for New England Tel for 30 years, retiring in 1974. NET became NYNEX, then Bell Atlantic,
and now Verizon. Throughout it all, they have taken good care of him via great benefits including health
and prescriptions. Now he's been retired longer than he worked and his fellow retirees tease him,
saying there's probably a contract out on him.
Anyhow, they had a great time reminiscing and Jack Campbell returned him home by 3:00 pm.
That night we took the Vlontises to dinner at Sweet Tomatoes, a Sarasota deluxe salad bar. Just yards
and yards of fresh vegetables, great soups, hot fresh breads, pastas, and to top it off: make our own
sundaes.
Wednesday, March 22:
Found a great Internet coffee house in Venice - in Bird Bay Plaza - called 24/7. Cor's eyes lit up when
he spied the fresh blueberry muffins. We ordered 2 cups of coffee, one muffin and one half hour of
Internet time. That was enough to upload the last entry.
After that, we drove to the Venice Art Center to meet our friends Bob and Pat Kuelper for lunch. That is a
delightful place! The current show was of weaving: baskets, wool, pine needles (new to me). There
are several small tables for four to six where a light, flavorful luncheon can be had. It's all cooked on
site and benefits from the fresh foods available that day.
We had a great time, laughed a lot, then turned over our Meyer Lemon tree to the Kuelper's perpetual
care.
The tree safely transferred, we headed off to complete our errands. The first was to Venice Stationers
where they have a terrific selection of melamine trays. Ours needed replacement. Mine was a vintage
1952 Curoc tray that suffered a broken corner from a run-in with the floor. Cor's had lovely lilacs on it
but had experienced a similar fate. We'll see how long these last!
I stopped in at The Collector's Gallery in Venice. I once worked there (way back) and wanted to see
what was up with my old boss, Peaches Haas. As luck would have it, I was told that she had just come
in. And luck it was as she was on her way out....for good. She had sold the gallery and the new
owners took over that day! When I was there in the early 1990s, another employee, Mary Erickson, and
I used to have great fun going on sketching trips - to back woods FL and even to New Mexico. Mary
pursued her painting, and today is well known among wild life painters. I'm not.
We had company for dinner that night - so nice to entertain at home! Leslie served split shrimp
covered with a flavorful scallop dressing; fettucini alfredo; sugarsnap peas and carrots; apple crisp and
ice cream. In a separate pitcher, she had heated butter with lemon and tarragon to drizzle over the
shrimp. I'm getting spoiled.
Thursday, March 23:
Among other things, I drove into the driveway of my old condo (from 1990) Bella Costa to show Cor
where I had lived. A man was taking advantage of the downpour and cleaning off his green Blazer.
When we started to turn around, he asked if he could help. He'd seen our VT license plate and
wondered where we lived. When we said "Burlington" a funny look came over his face. He's from
Colchester and his house is about 100 yards from where we lived on our boat for 3 years. Small world!
Friday, March 24:
Cutting trip short...bad knee. Going home early. Left Venice around 10:00 am; stopped at IHOP in
Sarasota for brunch. I had their Swedish Pancakes - so yummy with tart lingonberries on top. We then
hit the road. Now in motel in Richmond Hill, GA. Dinner at Denny's - also good - plain old Club
Sandwich and Cor had a hamburger. Really daring of us.
Only interesting event on road was just north of the Jacksonville airport. We noticed flashing lights of
three police cars coming down I-95 abreast, totally blocking traffic, and we assume movind at the
speed limit. That's certainly one way to keep the speed down!
Saturday, March 25:
Wow! GA, SC, NC, VA, MD and almost PA! That's a lot of states - and a lot of time...11 hours with a half
hour out for lunch in Smithfield, NC. Traffic heavy, but we still moved along well. No surprises. Just
checked Mapquest for best route home tomorrow. They estimate 8 hours and 55 minutes. I disagree
with their route, but will use their time as a goal.
The last time we used them on our way to Hanover, NH via Fairlee, VT, they had us cross the
Connecticut River and take a left. After a mile or two we kept thinking, "This is not right!" - and it wasn't.
We were to have taken a right turn, go a few hundred yards, THEN take a left. Small distance, big
mistake.
I guess, like AAA, they try to stick to routes that are well-known. For instance, tomorrow, they suggest
we go all the way to Middlebury, VT then take US 7 north from there. They don't consider US 22A - the
hypotenuse, a perfectly fine road with very little traffic and fine views.
Our first attempt at a motel was futile... US 40 exit through an old part of town. Fascinating architecture,
but we couldn't find a motel in the dark. Went back to 81 and took next, busier exit. Ended up at the
Hampton Inn - very nice; very comfortable. And so to bed...want an early start tomorrow. 'Derci!
Wow! GA, SC, NC, VA, MD and almost PA! That's a lot of states - and a lot of time...11 hours with a half
hour out for lunch in Smithfield, NC. Traffic heavy, but we still moved along well. No surprises. Just
checked Mapquest for best route home tomorrow. They estimate 8 hours and 55 minutes. I disagree
with their route, but will use their time as a goal.
The last time we used them on our way to Hanover, NH via Fairlee, VT, they had us cross the
Connecticut River and take a left. After a mile or two we kept thinking, "This is not right!" - and it wasn't.
We were to have taken a right turn, go a few hundred yards, THEN take a left. Small distance, big
mistake.
I guess, like AAA, they try to stick to routes that are well-known. For instance, tomorrow, they suggest
we go all the way to Middlebury, VT then take US 7 north from there. They don't consider US 22A - the
hypotenuse, a perfectly fine road with very little traffic and fine views.
Our first attempt at a motel was futile... US 40 exit through an old part of town. Fascinating architecture,
but we couldn't find a motel in the dark. Went back to 81 and took next, busier exit. Ended up at the
Hampton Inn - very nice; very comfortable. And so to bed...want an early start tomorrow. 'Derci!
March 21 on
Back to Page 1
Bob Kuelper
Pat Kuelper with Lemon Tree
Cor Hunter
Pat Kuelper with Lemon Tree
Cor Hunter
About the lemon tree: In 2000 we bought a house with a Meyer
Lemon tree in the yard. It was fantastic! One lemon produced
up to 2 cups of juice! They were the size of a grapefruit. The
tree itself was a weed! It grew everywhere, including under our
neighbor's sidewalk, which it pushed up at least a foot.
Cor wanted a clone, so I started 12 seeds in an egg carton.
Months went by and nothing happened. Just as I was about to
scrap the whole project, someone mentioned that watering
them with hydrogen peroxide would do the trick. And it did! It
apparently softens the seed coat enough so the sprout can
break through. That was 5 years ago and the plants went up
and down the ICW on our trawler with us all that time. Time for
them to return to the warm Florida sushine!
Lemon tree in the yard. It was fantastic! One lemon produced
up to 2 cups of juice! They were the size of a grapefruit. The
tree itself was a weed! It grew everywhere, including under our
neighbor's sidewalk, which it pushed up at least a foot.
Cor wanted a clone, so I started 12 seeds in an egg carton.
Months went by and nothing happened. Just as I was about to
scrap the whole project, someone mentioned that watering
them with hydrogen peroxide would do the trick. And it did! It
apparently softens the seed coat enough so the sprout can
break through. That was 5 years ago and the plants went up
and down the ICW on our trawler with us all that time. Time for
them to return to the warm Florida sushine!
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