CALOOSA WINNIES

January 2012 outing

Pictures by Nancy Miller

Kicking off the New Year, the Caloosa Winnies traveled to Pioneer Village in North Ft. Myers, FL on

January 5 – 8, 2012 for a weekend of fun with great friends! Some of the members arrived early to meet with the winter social committee at the park and work out our schedule. The officers from the committee were very accommodating and together we made a few changes to our agenda – and lucky for us the Caloosas are very flexible!  Thursday at 4:00pm we all met at the rec hall for our traditional Happy Hour, followed by dinner cooked and served by the hosts, Gene & Lois Hogan, Bill & Sue Fuss, and Wagon Queen Nancy Miller. We even had the new President, Corinne Wightman in the kitchen peeling potatoes! Following a great dinner with side dishes contributed by the members, we celebrated the New Year with an Ice Cream Social!  At 7:00pm we played some team trivia games, followed by cards and other games.

Friday morning dawned bright and sunny when we gathered for a pot luck breakfast! As always, we have the greatest cooks and everything was delicious! Soon it was time for some of the group to travel to the Thomas Edison/Henry Ford Estates for an exciting adventure! We had excellent guides and enjoy the several hours going back in time and learning about these great gentlemen and their lives in Florida. After the tour, everyone was off to lunch at nearby restaurants.

At 2:00pm was the set up for our Silent Auction. THANKS to Sue Swift for organizing this event! Many members brought items that were spread over 3 tables, tickets were purchased and dropped in the bowls to be drawn for the winners. At 4:00pm it was Happy Hour time, and at 5:00pm we caravanned to Ft. Myers Ale House for a dinner. Returning to the rec hall about 7:30pm, tickets were drawn for the Silent Auction and everyone went home with a treasure donated by another member. It was fun and a few items even got exchanged at the end! Many people stayed to play cards and games for the rest of the evening.

Saturday morning we all participated in a breakfast at the rec hall hosted by the park social committee. They did a great job cooking and serving – and we didn’t have to do clean up! At 10:00am Corinne called the meeting to order – we met outside the rec hall as it was a beautiful sunny day. Much of the meeting was devoted to discussions about the March Rally and the chapter duty of parking. The rest of the day was free to explore the park, some went shopping and others just relaxed with coach conversations.

At 4:00pm it was Happy Hour time, followed by a Beef Stew Dinner and side dishes from the members. At 7:00pm the park had a band that played great music so we joined in and had many dancers on the floor.

Sunday morning our continental breakfast of donuts and bagels was ready at 8:30am and there was nothing left as usual! This was a great kick-off to a new year and as always the Caloosas know how to have fun!

Nancy Miller