Saturday Night

 

 Tonight when I started out biking I was fascinated at this blue parking lot. Normally it is not blue, but I think it was a reflection from the sky.

David has help in putting new tile into this apartment, getting it ready for winter residents.

 I biked to the park and immediately sensed something happened, although everything appeared peaceful. It simply looked like somebody got kicked out of some place and then moved to the park. The bedding is soaking wet.

 No one around. The crocs on the creek bank and the hat on another picnic table. I left the park.

The Best of Life at the Park

 The best of life at the Park is: 

Visiting at the pavilion.

 Karl at work getting the apartments ready for winter residents.

 

 A fat necked Great Blue Heron. Looks like he got dinner stuck in his throat. He looked at the peanut I offered him but he didn't want it so he walked off.

 Good table manners.

 Tonight was the Shuffleboard Tournament. There were only two teams. 

 

 The other side of the boards.

2015 Pinecraft Calendar

 

The Pioneer bus came in today. In the luggage compartment were five boxes of these calendars stowed. So now I am ready to advertise the new 2015 Pinecraft Calendar. The theme is children. If you are the parent of any of these children, please send me your name and address and receive a free calendar. 

The price is $18. This price includes shipping and handling. Please make check payable to Katie Troyer and send it to my mailing address, which is 3422 Schrock Street, Sarasota FL 34239. A few asked me to send them a calendar and then they will pay, but I don't want to fill charge orders. 

These calendars are also available at Yoder's Amish Village and at Der Dutchman's in Sarasota. I also sell them from the back of my bike for $17 each.

Blooms and People

 Tonight I took my camera and went outside, not knowing what I am going to shoot but something, anything... The empty streets are starting to wear on me. It is time for Snow Birds to come back and it will be only about 4-6 weeks until the first ones arrive to stay. 

All summer we have been having the right amount of rain to keep the lawns green and blooming and I have been seeing various shades of red flowers. 

 I never know how long I will be outside for it all depends who else you just happen to meet. I was at the park when Enos came in and right behind Leroy pulled up. It didn't take long before the group doubled in size. And the next thing I knew it was dark, so we all went home.

 

For the last couple of summers quite a number of people were here to doctor. But this summer not many came. This is only the second couple I remember coming down to doctor. 

A Few Sunday Shots

 Darrel, the painter. I haven't seen him in a long time, that is until today.

 Have a seat.

Five wall flowers.

My Evening.

 I was out biking tonight. I had a dinner invitation with Eli and Bonnie, but I took a rain check for tomorrow. I needed to bike, and bike fast and furious. I had been at my computer almost all day and knew what I had to do tonight. 

So I biked down to the park. Two squirrels met me almost as soon as I turned in. One of them took the peanut from my fingers and the other didn't. They both like me, they just don't like each other. 

I noticed these Trumpet flowers trumpeting  over the vines that tangle and strangle them.

  

 Then it started thundering in the distance and the skies became yellow.

 And turned a different shade behind Erma's house.

It became dark and foreboding, enough so to bring people out of the house. Then it thundered a bit, and lightened a bit and rained a bit. That is it... 

This and That

 Dawn getting her exercise. I love her bike. she is artistic and so it will get some more decorations. 

Sam Fisher and John doing some visiting. 

 It is Wednesday night and so the Shuffleboard is being used.

 Peek-a-boo

The ending of another beautiful day.

An Evening at the Park

Tonight at the park there was a police car, a U-Haul truck, Enos Bontrager's car and Tim Miller's motorcycle parked out front. Under the pavilion people were in two groups, them and us. I biked past the them group to get to the us group. I don't have names for the them people but in the us group were Enos & Tim, plus Reuben Yoder. The cops were called because of a verbal fight and the instigator had to leave the park. 

This all happened before I arrived, so we did some good visiting. The most interesting pieces of information I gathered was that 40-50 years ago in a certain Mennonite group they had a spit bowl up by the pulpit so the preachers could spit their tobacco juice. This was just a common everyday thing as during that same time-frame an Amish bishop from the mid-west used spit on the floor, and smash the spit ball with the sole of his shoe and rub in into the floor for good measure or for whatever reason. That is just how life was back then...

Tonight's Bike Ride

 After two days of thunder storms the landscape has changed. This is down by the creek. Already this last week the foliage in the creek is dying. I never did figure out if it was sprayed so it will die, or if it is just time for a natural death. 

 There is a bit of debris in the creek.

 I have no idea what is in this granite bowl.

 Beautiful storm clouds.

One of these days this old pine tree will be cut down. Yesterday a few dead branches dropped due to the high wind and pouring rain we had. 

Wednesday's Shuffleboard Tournament

 Right side...

Left side... I never stay long enough too see who wins. When it is too dark to take pictures I head for home. Most every time there are a few new or different people playing, plus the regulars. 

Boiled Peanuts and Pizza

 Today from 4-6 PM Stephen Borntrager served Boiled Peanuts and various samples of pizza, using his spices. These kettles are the peanuts and Emma made the pizza.

 A group of five stopped in for the samplings.

 A sampling of three spices. One piece was Emma's pizza and the other three each had different spice combination.I had a hard time deciding which one I like the best because I just like spicy foods.

The different spices lines up in a row.