AMISH ON BICYCLES AND WE ATE AT YODERS

MORNING WALK ON THE PROPERTY WE ARE STAYING AT

Kelly headed off to the Station 400 restaurant to meet Leslie and Peter for breakfast this morning.  I stayed home with Pheebs and was able to finally get the interior front end of our coach all spiffed up.  A lot of desert dust had settled on the dash these past few months and this morning while it was still cool I figured it would be a good time to get at that job.  Nice to have everything shiny and sparkly again.  I even found a speedometer under all that dust.

I WAS TRYING OUT SOME FURNITURE RENOVATIONS THIS MORNING BUT ENDED UP PUTTING EVERYTHING BACK THE WAY I HAD IT……..WHICH ISN’T THIS PHOTO

Kelly was home around 2 and after a rest we headed over to Aunt Jeans with a stop at Home Depot to pick up 4 bags of mulch.  Three of those 4 bags I put on Jean’s front flower bed.  Twenty minutes later we we were in the Speedy Gonzales Mobile headed for Yoders Amish Village.  Well we were in Amish country alright except that it was in the middle of Sarasota Florida.  No horses of course but I have never seen so many Amish people on bicycles.  They were everywhere. 

WE SAW A LOT OF 3 WHEELER BIKES PLUS A FEW WITH ELECTRIC MOTORS

WITH SARASOTA’S MAD MAX TRAFFIC CHAOS JEAN SAID THERE HAVE BEEN A NUMBER OF PEDESTRIAN FATALITIES IN THIS AREA…AND I’M NOT SURPRISED

Yoders Amish Village is a superb Amish restaurant that has been around for a long time.  Jean remembers going there many decades ago and wanted to take us out for supper.  Reminds me of Anna Mae's in Millbank Ontario.  And like Anna Mae’s it was the broasted type chicken I had.  Jean had potatoe ham soup and Kelly opted for the Smoked BBQ chicken.  Kelly and I both polished ourselves off with chocolate cream pie too.  All of us really enjoyed our meal.

LATE AFTERNOON SUPPER LINE-UPS ARE LONG THIS TIME OF YEAR AT YODERS…..RIGHT OUT THE DOOR IN FACT

KELLY HOLDS OUR PLACE IN LINE WHILE JEAN AND I HOLD DOWN A BENCH NEAR BY

AUNT JEAN WHIPS OUT HER CELL PHONE AND CALLS HER FRIEND PAT….’HEY HOW’S IT GOING EH’

THAT’S THE CHECK-OUT’ CASHIER OVER THERE AND 2 TAKE-OUT WINDOWS…..THIS IS A BUSY PLACE!!!

Must say my 90 year old Aunt Jean is probably one of the best drivers I’ve ever driven with.  She slices through that Sarasota traffic like a hot knife through butter.  But then again she’s been doing this for about the past  50 years or so.  Being one of the locals she has helped set the fast race car pace which out of town tourists had better adjust to pretty fast or they will be speedily run over.  Aunt Jean’s reflexes in traffic are that of a Mario Andretti.  Nice to be in the hands of a competent driver:))

LOOKS LIKE THERE’S SOME DEEP ‘FOOD THINKING’ GOING ON OVER THERE THE OTHER SIDE OF THE TABLE

THOSE MASHED POTATOES AND GRAVY WERE EXCELLENT AS WAS THE BROASTED CHICKEN

TEXAS TOAST DON’T GOT NUTHIN OVER ON AMISH GARLIC BREAD

OF COURSE DOWN HERE IN THE STATES WHERE FOOD PORTIONS ARE BIGGER WE ALWAYS HAVE LOTS OF LEFT'- OVERS TO TAKE  HOME

RARE FOR KELLY AND I TO EAT DESERT IN A RESTAURANT BUT TODAY WAS AN EXCEPTION

Now folks not to worry, I am not turning this into a foody blog.  In a couple days we will be on our way north and it may be a long time before you see any food pictures in my blog again.

AND THIS IS WHERE AUNT JEAN LIVES

GROANER’S CORNER:((  The art-supply store sold artists' canvas by the yard. It came in either of two widths: 36 inches or 48 inches.  Customer: "Can you please cut some canvas for me?"  Clerk: "Certainly, what width?"  Customer: (confused and slightly annoyed) "Scissors?"

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A doctor, an engineer, and a politician were arguing as to which profession was older.  "Well," argued the doctor, "without a physician mankind could not have survived, so I am sure that mine is the oldest profession."  "No," said the engineer, "before life began there was complete chaos, and it took an engineer to create some semblance of order from this chaos. So engineering is older."  "But," chirped the triumphant politician, "who do you suppose created the chaos in the first place?"

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PHEEBS AND I HEAD OUT FOR A MORNING JEEP RIDE AND AUNT JEAN COMES FOR SUPPER

NOW WHAT WOULD PHOTOS OF FLORIDA BE IF THERE WAS NOT AN ORANGE TREE PICTURE

Here I was just a few short days ago doing my usual complaining about the heat and humidity and first thing this morning we had to crank up our furnace here in the Motorhome.    We were in the low 40’s.  Guess it’s good preparation for our northerly travels which will be under way soon.

YES IT’S A NICE QUIETLY PRIVATE LITTLE SPOT WE HAVE HERE

WE MUST BE UNDER THE LONG FINAL APPROACH TO THE BRADENTON AIRPORT

NO THIS IS NOT BOEING GECKO FLIGHT 873 ON FINAL APPROACH TO BRADENTON

A FEW GECKOGATORS IN THE BACK YARD

Beautiful looking and feeling morning going on so Pheebs and I headed off in the Jeep.  Took us a bit of looking but we did manage to find us some decently slow back roads without jumbles of traffic on them.

AHHHHH, IT’S JUST US ON THE ROAD:))))))

With windows down we cruised through some nice scenic rural countryside dominated by big cattle ranches.  With heavy growth right up to the sides of the road in places I didn’t dare stop to let Pheebs out anywhere for fear of her meeting up with something slithery in the tall grasses and thick underbrush.  Cruised around with our windows down thoroughly enjoying ourselves before heading on back to the Motorhome about an hour after we had left.

A NUMBER OF THESE PLACES SURE HAVE THEMSELVES SOME FANCY GATES

THIS BLACK IRON GATE LEADS TO NOWHERE

‘HEY DAD A TOT I TAW AN ALIMAGATOR JOGGING ALONGSIDE THE JEEP/

Turned out to be a lazy afternoon and with the heat building up again we were happy for the slight breeze we had.

THIS PHOTO IS FOR YOU MARY ELLEN WAY UP THERE IN THAT NEW HAMBURG PLACE IN ONTARIO:))

AND WE BE BACK TO WHERE IT IS WE HAVE BEEN STAYING

Kelly decided to have supper here tonight so Aunt Jean came over about 2:30.  She is good friends with our hosts JoAnn and David so she had a chance to visit with them as well.  It is thanks to Aunt Jean, David and JoAnn that we are in this beautiful spot we are in.  Kelly BBQ’d Pork Chops and Bratwurst sausage for supper.  Another great visit with Jean.

AT OUR HOUSE WE KINDA EAT WHEREVER WE CAN

GROANER’S CORNER:((  Frank Perdue's lawyer was working on an inspired scheme to sell more chicken.  He called the Vatican and requested a private audience with the Pope.
The request was refused, but the lawyer called again and again, and finally his request was granted.  A few weeks later he was brought into a grand and stately room for an audience with His Eminence.  He knelt and kissed the Pope's ring and explained who he was and who he represented.  Then he said, 'Your Holiness, I have a proposition to make that I think could be of huge benefit to both of us.  I'd like you to change the words of the Lord's Prayer from'Give us this day our daily bread' to 'Give us this day our daily chicken.'  It will help my client sell more chickens, and we are prepared to pay the Church $1 million for this.'
The Pope shook his head firmly and said, 'No, young man, I am afraid that it is out of the question.  The words to that holy prayer have remained unchanged for 2,000 years.'
But the lawyer persisted. 'Well, Your Holiness, would you do it for $5 million?' 'No, no,' replied the Pope, 'absolutely not.
The Church holds tradition sacred and does not make changes casually.'  The lawyer stood up. 'All right, one hundred million dollars!  Would you do it for one hundred million? Think of what you could do with that money!'  The Pope reflected silently upon the starving people around the world, the far-flung missions, and the myriad of other financial burdens on the Church.  He looked over at the papal attorney before he nodded his assent. 'Please tell Mr. Perdue that we have an agreement.'  The next day, the Pope called a meeting of the College of Cardinals. 'Dearest colleagues,' the Pope began, 'I have for you some good news and some bad news. The good news is that we are receiving one hundred million dollars from Mr. Frank Perdue to change the words of the Lord's Prayer from 'Give us this day our daily bread' to 'Give us this day our daily chicken.' 'The bad news, friends, is that we're losing the Wonder Bread account.'

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