| MAY - JUNE 2009 |
| CALUSA SAMS We journeyed to Myakka River State Park for our March meeting with 10 members attending. Hosts Rosemary and Ron Rands provided us with chili on Monday. Later we all enjoyed the campfire kindled by our Firemaster Bob Owens. Tuesday brought a chilly morning so we bundled up to enjoy our morning oatmeal. At 10 am we held our monthly meeting our Director Bob Ward and his wife Reba as guests. We had an interesting meeting with questions being answered that dispelled many of the rumors that were circulating. We heard the reasons why the Orlando Rally is being discontinued; it was a dollar wise decision. Our Calusa chapter is primarily a fun club but our active members do many good deeds individually. Myakka is a great place to camp, a short walk to the Myakka waters where birds, crocodiles and rabbits are in abundance. There are also tram rides and boat cruises available. There are many hiking trails andbtird watchers throughout the park. Many day visitors enjoy fishing of all kind – nets, poles and boat fishing. In April we met at Highlands Hammock a week later than our usual scheduled meeting so that we could all caravan on to Okeechobee for the Spring Samboree. We had four rigs and a guest rig in attendance. Since we didn’t have a host we had a real old potluck dinner; we ate whatever anyone brought and it was all delicious. The weather was absolutely beautiful. We took the tram ride out into the wilds of Highlands Hammock. We were able to see a yellow crested heron, a red-shouldered hawk, a red-breasted woodpecker, alligators and their babies, juvenile horned owls and tortoises. It is an enlightening trip; we have done the tram ride numerous times and it is still as interesting each time that we go. At Okeechobee we all participated in the outdoor games or the indoor games. We all came away with a door prize so we were all winners. Our chapter volunteered for the door prize table which we always enjoy doing. Four members met at Franklin Locks in May; two members arrived as day visitors. DOGWOOD SAMS We traveled to Mystic Springs RV Park in McDavid for the May campout with 12 member rigs attending the chapter meeting. Saturday we had a delicious BBQ dinner hosted by Bill and Carol Braxton. A modification to the chapter bylaws was passed limiting membership to 23 rigs. A Chinese auction netted $64.50 following some spirited bidding. A few winners were omitted from the report on the AL Samboree. Ed Elliott won 1st in men’s horseshoes with Larry Blake and Tommy Crutchfield taking 2nd. The Blakes and Braxtons attended the NC Spring Samboree and Larry, Bill and Carol won 1st place in beanbag baseball. The Blakes, Braxtons and Crutchfields attended the TN Samboree and Lois and Jackie took 2nd place in the washer toss competition. FLORIDA EAGLE SAMS In May we camped at New Smyrna Beach with Bill and Emily Griffith hosting. We had 13 rigs plus guests. We enjoyed meeting in the newly renovated clubhouse. It is always a pleasure to have nice facilities to meet in. Friday we enjoyed our usual potluck supper. After dinner we had a semi-annual “brown bag auction.” We always have fun bidding on unseen treasures. Bob Brown and Debbie Weston always make it so much fun. The proceeds go to our chapter’s charity – Florida Guide Dogs. Then we played our usual Friday night card games. Saturday afternoon we were entertained by a group known as The Bedpan Band. In the evening we went out to eat at the Main Street Grill, then it was back to the clubhouse for the raffle and 50-50 drawings. GATEWAY SAMS Bright, spring warm, real country views are where we camp for our May meeting. Bob and Jean Samples have prepared, with the assistance of Bob and Gerri Shumaker, a clean campground for RV clubs. The park name is Homeland RV Club Camping. On Friday evening we ate at the Okefenokee Restaurant. The original building had suffered a fire some time ago; the new building has more windows, new furnishings and a larger buffet. After supper we took a tour of the large grounds. The clubhouse is large and has a well equipped kitchen. For June we went to the Lake City campground. We had to work around the birds who had laid their eggs on the ground. We had a great time using the pool and other facilities; also had wonderful meals. GETAWAY SAMS In April we were at Wild Frontier RV Park in Ocala. Friday several went out to eat at Walter’s Famous Restaurant (The Big Apple); the food was great at reasonable prices and everyone enjoyed their meals. We also had a rib roast dinner; afterwards we played bingo. It was a great weekend for camping; the weather was wonderful and the fellowship outstanding and, as usual, the food was five stars. We have been camping for 40 years and this was a first – PRIME RIB on Saturday evening. Our May campout was at The Springs RV Resort in Ocala with eight rigs. Thursday most of the gang went to the rec hall to hear country music provided by a local group. Friday breakfast was delayed because the campground gave us a key to the kitchen and not to the rec hall. Cards and games filled in most of the spare time as usual. We hit the local Red Lobster for dinner with some of us splurging and actually having lobster. Saturday potluck dinner was highlighted by deep fried turkey by Chef Al and was followed by bingo and cards. Sunday potluck dinner featured pulled pork and beef by Chef Al. Everyone enjoyed having the extra day due to the Memorial Day holiday. Even with the rain we had every afternoon everyone had a great weekend. Fortunately the campground drained well and we did not have to deal with standing water. GOLDEN TRIANGLE SAMS The May campout was held at Wekiva Falls RV Resort (which will also be the location of the Florida Fall Samboree next November) with 12 rigs camping, two drive-ins plus our State Directors, Bob & Reba Ward, for the meeting and lunch on Saturday. There were a number of early birds Thursday who went out for dinner in Sanford. Friday we had happy hour and then many played games in the tent in the evening. Vice President Tom Leonard did an excellent job of leading the meeting (Mickey says Thanks Tom!). The picnic lunch was great; we managed to keep the flies at bay to enjoy all the delicious food! Because of the heat games were postponed til late afternoon. Most enjoyed the pontoon boat ride on the Wekiva River (Thanks Steve for organizing that). We thanked our hosts, Jerry and Carolyn Breitweiser and Dick and Dotty Weis, for a wonderful weekend. We left wishing each one a safe and happy summer! JAX RAMBLING SAMS The best laid plans can become undone and our chapter meeting for April was planned to be at the W.O.W. Senior Campout. The rains in the panhandle area of Florida had made the road to the campground unpassable. President Bill Amos rescheduled it for the Starke KOA. Twelve members were present. We were able to have the meeting/exercise room for the weekend. We had our Thursday supper at Cedar River Sea Food at Starke. Friday we met in the KOA Conference Room for a free (donations accepted) waffle breakfast. We used the exercise equipment, played chicken foot, did some walking. A number of wild animals live on the property. We had a hotdog supper. Janell Kent showed how to convert colored paper into a flower. Many visited the Strawberry Festival; also the Waldo Flea Market. For May Don and Janell Kent had our chapter travel to the “other Kelly’s” – the campground on US 41 called Kelly’s RV/MH Park. The weather was almost hot until Saturday evening then a thunder shower cooled off our RVs. Saturday the campground served a breakfast. Then several left to hunt treasures at yard sales. Friday we went into White Springs to eat at the Telford Hotel and Restaurant. After supper we gathered in the shade to talk and hear the latest. On Saturday we had a spaghetti dinner. OCALA CENTRAL SAMS We had seven rigs attending our May campout at St Johns RV Park. It was a hot day the first day but it soon settled down and we found different places to go during the say shopping and sightseeing. Alvin and Diane were hosting with Matt and Linda as co-hosts. The Luau party was a great success with Linda doing up a BBQ pork loin that all seemed to enjoy. We had a wonderful time sitting around and chatting. After breakfast we moved the chairs back over into the shade so we could have the chapter meeting. Dinner that night was at The Saltwater Cowboys which proved to be the best recommendation yet. The weather was great and really helped as we were cooking and eating outside. Thank you Mother Nature. SOUTH FLORIDA SAMS May campout was held at LaBelle Woods with seven rigs attending. Everyone enjoyed a great time though it was extremely hot 99 degrees. We played beanbag baseball, had a heavy hors d’ouevres potluck dinner in the camp clubhouse Friday with some delicious dishes being served. Then we played card game 313 after dinner. Saturday there was a flea market in town. Saturday night we all dined at Flora & Ellas in town and celebrated Mother’s Day. This was followed by us playing 313. Some of us went in the campground pool and hot tub which was really refreshing and helped us beat the heat. It was a great campout and enjoyed by all. ST. JOHNS PAL-A-TAKA GOOD SAMS The May campout was held at Whispering Pines RV Park with nine member rigs plus several guests. We played cards, holey board, bocce ball and sat talking and enjoying each other’s company. The food was great as usual. Since we were camping on Mother’s Day, Nelda presented all the mothers with a rose and had a Mother’s Day cake. Also there was something special for the youngest mother, the one with the most children and a grand prize which went to Ruth Bartel. The June campout was held at Wilderness RV Park. Ten rigs were in attendance along with an honorary couple and several guests. Nancy Brandlein won the 50/50. Frances, Linda & Don Thompson really outdid themselves cooking this weekend. Our brunch - sausage gravy, biscuits, bacon, grits, etc. etc. etc. was wonderful. The fish fry, hush puppies, cheese grits, etc. etc. etc. were terrific, along with all the side dishes. Talk about over eating. Yikes It was all sooooooo good. SUNSET RAMBLERS The May campout was held at Pecan Park RV in Jacksonville. By Friday everyone had rolled in. After supper everyone gathered to visit. Saturday morning the skies were a bright blue. It was nice to see everyone in attendance for our meeting. Later that afternoon we had a surprise visit from Bob and Reba Ward, former members of Sunset Ramblers and our new state director. Everyone gathered and had a good time catching up, We had a potluck dinner; the food was wonderful and the company was better. That evening Leo hosted a ham radio net from his truck. Others played hand and foot. The June campout was held at Wild Frontier in Ocala. Thursday night we played Joker until late. Friday we went to Sam’s St. John Seafood. We had to wait for a table but the food was great. Early Saturday, after a quick trip to the grocery store, Sue made fresh monkey bread. John served it rig by rig and got to greet most everyone with their coffee. It was a very nice surprise. Al had made arrangements with the S*M*A*R*T camping club to play beanbag baseball at the clubhouse that afternoon. Sherrie kept score and reported that we beat the Special Military Active Retired Travel Club-Florida Sunshine Chapter 25 to 11. Everyone enjoyed all the Italian dishes for dinner that night. SUWANNEE RIVER GOOD SAMS Our May campout was at Grand Lakes RV Resort with the Wheelers as our host and hostess. We had a good crowd come in on Tuesday. Some of us started Hand & Foot in the afternoon, then stopped for dinner, then back to playing. The ones not playing kept busy talking and getting all the news. Wednesday the ladies did hand work either crocheting or making hand & foot items to sell at the Rallys. The Wheelers furnished a roast with potatoes & carrots & onions. So much was left over that we decided not to go out to eat and each rig put $10.00 into the treasury. TALLAHASSEE GOOD SAMS Our May campout at Topsail Preserve RV Resort, Santa Rosa Beach, was attended by 12 rigs. The weather was picture perfect which was a blessing for our cleanup of the beach in connection with National Cleanup Week. We are still in awe of being recognized as the top non-corporate team fund raiser (over $7800) for the American Cancer Society Relay for Life. Not only are we very proud of the monetary contributions we raised, we are very excited to have won the use of a fully set-up tent to be provided by In Tents Events at the 2010 Relay. We would also like to recognize and thank Bob and Reba Ward for joining us and taking several of the walking time slots. Someone representing our Chapter was on the track continuously from 5:30 PM Friday until 10:30 AM Saturday and their efforts to help us are greatly appreciated. We will not be camping June - August; however, we will be visiting our Adopt-a-Teen at the Lighthouse Childrens Home during the summer months and, thanks to proceeds of $608 from our annual April Garage sale, we will be donating $300 worth of items from their needs list (meats, paper and plastic items, cleaning items, etc.). Happy summer to all!! TRAIL BLAZING SAMS Our Memorial Day weekend attended by 19 member rigs and one guest at Rally Park in Seffner will certainly be remembered as one of our Chapter’s most unforgettable campouts. Traditionally this weekend is the time we pay tribute to the many service men and women, past and present, who have given and are giving so much so we can enjoy our liberty and freedom. Our Chaplin Harold Johnson delivered some very nice comments about the many who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. This year we were dually blessed by being able to spend a wonderful 50th Wedding Anniversary celebrated by Bill and Nancy Carter. What a beautiful celebration it was. From champagne to an absolutely beautiful Wedding Cake with all the bells and whistles. Several members worked very hard to make this a night to remember. Special thanks to Mike and Joanne Lima, John and Jill Perry, Bill and Joan Conway and the Carter’s daughter, Lynn. John and Joan Russano are off to an extended trip to Alaska and the northeast where they will celebrate their 50th Wedding Anniversary. We are not necessarily crazy but maybe just a little nuts. We volunteered to put on the Friday Entertainment at Okeechobee in April 2010. A committee headed up by Joan Russano and Joan Conway are busy putting together some thoughts and ideas as to what type of show we will present. Boggy Creek has been chosen to be one of the many organizations we will be making a contribution to this year. What a worthwhile charity and very much in need of contributions in order to provide a summer camp for the under-privileged children. Good Sams has endorsed Boggy Creek on the national level and is encouraging Chapters to consider them . For additional information on Boggy Creek go to: www.boggycreek.org |