Final Tour Blog Post: Home! Good Noses; Heat, Humidity, and Weeds; “Hey, Where Is.....?” Early Reveille

We knew for sure that we were back in Florida as we drove down County Road 475 off I-75 in Marion County. The scenery has changed just a bit since we left Colorado...  

Rudy and Gretchen went on alert as we turned onto our street in Mallory Square Village. We have noted this reaction before when returning from trips; Rudy in particular has an amazing sense of smell, and Gretchen keys off his alert. They did get a chance to go for a w-a-l-k in t-o-w-n, Sumter Landing to be precise. They are glad to be back at home and have the run of the house, but I think they will miss the squirrels, gophers, prairie dogs, and rabbits that they saw out west during our tour. 

The Bus is now parked happily in front of the house, at least for two days, when she will move to her winter storage lot. She will also be at the Lake Miona Recreation Center on Friday afternoon just prior to the End of Tour/Welcome Home Party if you’d like to see her. 

When we opened the door and stepped outside into the heat and humidity, we were reminded again that Florida has a wet, warm climate - maybe November 1 would have been a better date to return. The summer here has been wetter than normal, our hedges were totally out of control, and our flower beds were overgrown with weeds. 

I am taking applications for high school kids wanting to make a few bucks by weeding the garden. That’s if they aren’t too tied to their iPads and computers. I remember when I was that age, I had a paper route and cut lawns; what’s happened to kids these days? (Suzanne gently reminds me that my parents’ generation was saying the same thing about mine a few decades ago... “Thanks for the reality check, Sweetheart!”) 

While unloading The Bus (not a minor undertaking), Suzanne’s mom Ruthie dropped by with a homemade lasagna dinner and dessert. Ruthie is A Doll, and the best mother-in-law a guy could ask for. I thanked her profusely and told her that she could cook for me any time! 

Our neighbors all know by now that if our flagpole isn’t up, we’re out of town. It was a happy moment when we hoisted the Stars and Stripes and the Marine Corps’s Eagle, Globe, and Anchor. 

Suzanne made a quick stop at her flute choir group's rehearsal, just to say hello to the ladies she's so fond of. She will be back to practicing this week; it's one of her favorite activities in The Villages, with weekly group practices and frequent concerts. 

Tuesday morning was early reveille, even if we weren’t moving from one campground to another. Why, you may ask? Well, I had forgotten that the golf course maintenance guys got started at 0550, and once you’re awake, getting back to sleep isn’t easy. So after walking the puppies while Suzanne was meditating, I grabbed a cup of coffee and drove over to the grove of oak trees a couple of miles from the house. There is a small pond there with resident herons that I wanted to shoot (with my digital camera) at dawn. 

I was a bit disappointed that the sky wasn't red like I had hoped, but as I drove home, the clouds brightened and I stopped to catch this photo. It was a good way to start the morning.

Some of the "interesting" things about returning home after 5 months in The Bus:

- getting the wireless Internet server working is a chore

- did I mention that I can't stand weeding?

- you ask, "Where is the ....." about fifty times an hour

- you have to search for the right light switch

- you are amazed how much larger a three bedroom house is than The Bus

- you wonder wistfully why you need so much room when you were totally happy in The Bus at 8,500 feet on a cold Colorado morning

- it's amazing how much dirt builds up on your lanai (patio) floor over the summer

- smiles and waves from our neighbors remind us why we love it here

- our cars started up right away because our good friend and neighbor Bob Blythe charged them while we were gone (Thanks, Bob!)

- we have this thing called a "dishwasher:, and it's not a 64 year old guy with gray hair

This is the final Messages of Hope Tour Blog post; I will be starting the Life As Ty Sees It blog tomorrow. You can sign up for posts or view the new blog at www.LifeAsTySeesIt.com. It's been a great book and movie tour across the US and Canada. Suzanne and I both appreciate your following the tour via the blog, and your comments. Hope to see you all around The Villages or on our tour next summer... more to follow on that itinerary as it firms up. "Bye, ya'll..."