Thursday:
LAKELAND/PARTIN GATHERING
We were invited to Penny's (my cousin George's daughter...and her husband, Jon's) home in Lakeland, yesterday, for a family gathering. George (and his brother, Danny) were also my next door neighbors, during our growing up years, in Virginia. It's significant that George and Adel could get 10 of the Partin family gathered together in Florida at one time! David, the third brother, wasn't there. His wife, Jean, passed away recently. She was sister to Roy Clark, the musician.
Danny's wife, Jane, is a well known Virginia artist, her work is highly sought after, especially those who enjoy the Chesapeake Bay area the Labrador breed. www.janepartin.com She and Danny are a great team, since he frames her work and they work their art shows together. Chip, George's son, and his wife, Cheryl, drove in from Ft. Meyers. This was the first time we had met her and really enjoyed getting to know her. We feasted on barbeque chicken and pork with all the trimmings brought in from Curly Tail! www.curlytailsbbq.com George brought Penny and Jon a huge box of strawberries from Plant City and proceeded to prep them for a delicious dessert of Strawberry Shortcake. We suspected he was eating them as well...it was awfully quiet in the kitchen. Which reminds me...The Strawberry Festival started Thursday but our timing wasn't right for that this year. www.flstrawberryfestival.com
Chip and Cheryl handed out boxes of chocolate candy to everyone that rivaled my precious Godiva!! It's called Norman Love Confections. It's handmade and eye candy too, as you can see in the photo below and has no preservatives. www.normanloveconfections.com
We laughed and ate...and ate and laughed as the afternoon became evening. Moose, a little Terrier, was doing his best to monitor his new gathering of humans, but he had his paws full. Puchhi, an Italian Greyhound, was making every effort to maintain his dignity aloft on the couch. It was his birthday after all. He left the busy work to Moose. (photos)
Big thanks to Penny, Jon, George and Adel for including us in this event! Danny and Jane...have a safe trip back North...hope the remainder of the winter stays mild for you. Chip and Cheryl...thanks for the chocolates. I kept the green box...the fragrance of chocolate lingers.
We're leaving Torrey Oaks Resort this morning and heading about 100 miles north to a new location.
The place is called Recreation Plantation and we chose this because it is near The Villages.
We haven't been to The Villages before, but have been told a lot about it. Eager to find out what it's all about. www.thevillages.com
See map below.
