We had a great New Years in Fort Meyers with Noel and Jo Ann.   I did not get a picture uploaded the other night so I added one in todays album.  As usual Jo Ann was cooking for us.

Cool and overcast today, but it was a good day anyway.  My Cuban friend Jose invited me to meet him for breakfast.  So he ordered me the Cuban food, all of which was great.  The pork croquettes, potatoes stuffed with pork and fried, tamales – it was a great start to my day.  After spending a fair amount of time there and visiting with Jose’s friends, he took me to our next stop. 

His good friend Yojanny has a cigar store.  Yojanny worked in a Romeo and Julietta cigar plant in Cuba and when he came here worked for someone here rolling cigars.  And then he started his own business.  He has a wonderful clean shop where he and another couple make cigars.  Yojanny buys the tobacco leaves in a warehouse and then takes care of the leaves and they mix and roll the cigars.  A wonderful selection of very tasty cigars.  I think I needed a bigger breakfast to have a double madura before lunch, but it was great.  Besides having room for customers to relax and have a smoke a number of friends gather there to catch up on the days happenings.  Good friends and I got to see how cigars are made.   Yojanny and Marta are masters at what they do and I got an education today.  Check out the pictures in the album or www.habaneroscigars.com .   We left after Yojanny ordered in pizza, made us some Cuban coffee, and I had my  second cigar.  Nothing like catching up for lost time.   His cigars can be ordered and he will ship them out, or let me know and I’ll see what I can do for you!  See me soon when I get home if you want a geat taste!

And Chris and I had a great meal tonight at our neighbors Al and Viv, who you can see in some pictures from earlier in the month.  A great couple who treated us to a wonderful meal and cocktails.    I did not have much time today to notice the cool weather!  And this evening is warmer than yesterday, so I think our weather is taking a turn for the better. 

So life is good.  We leave Saturday night, so we have more quality time to put in.  And it sounds like the weather at home is nothing to run back to!

Happy New Year to all!  May 2008 be healthy and happy for all.

We spent New Years Eve with good friends Noel and Jo Ann Enders in Fort Meyers.  They took us out for some great ribs, then we attended a New Years party in thier rec hall at Shady Acres.    Food, beverage and dancing ensued.  We had a great time and rang in the new year.   And Jo Ann cooked for us today and in between meals we watched the Badgers play hard in a loss.   A young team that will get better. 

So we came back to Boynton Beach late afternoon, it took just over 2 hours across Alligator Alley.  A pretty easy ride.  So now having a Shipyard blue fin stout brewed by Shipyard Brewing in Portland Maine.  Just to relax from the ride.   We had rain today and it cooled down a little, but still in the 70’s at6:30 pm.  But tonight supposed to get cold and a very cold day tomorrow for the Floridians with a high around 60.  But then the next days warming up quickly.  But I think we will survive it.   With the temperature back home looking to be around 2, and MJ and John continuing to get snow in Detroit. 

So again a very Happy New Year!

Had a great day so far.   Slept in late and caught up on some sleep.   Then went to late mass, and when we got home spent some time catching up with neighbors.   Then Chris, MJ and I went to a local restaurant /sports bar to catch lunch and the Packer game.  There is something better to it when you are outside in the fresh air watching the boats go by.  Maybe it was the bloody mary bar!   The Packer players looked cold but we rooted them on to a win.   NOw a couple of weeks rest and see who they play next.  Could it me the Holmgren return to Lambeau?   That would be a media dream come true.

So I think I may run down and toake a quick plunge in the pool before the sun is all the way down.   Then we will be going to Fort Meyers late tomorrow to spend New Years Eve with our good friends Noel and Jo Ann.  So I won’t have updates for a few days.  And at some point I will learn how to do a better job of this, but for now it is fun.

So Happy New Year to all.  May 2008 first of all be healthy for all, and then may all your dreams come true.   Love You all.

Made it down today.   Got into Milwaukee when the snow was about done last night, and to the airport at 4:30 am this morning.   They were offering a free flight to give up a seat, but I was too anxious to get out of the cold to take the chance of spending another day in Milwaukee!  Airports are still very busy and all planes full.    Weather here is wonderful as always.  Chris and MJ picked me up at the airport and then we stopped at my favorite restaurant/brew pub on the way back to the condo for lunch and a beer to celebrate.

Life is good, hopefully it is for you!

Randy

We enjoyed our Christmas very much.   A relaxing time with family.   Mom continues to do well and enjoyed the day.  And brother and sister in law made a wonderful meal, I ate too much as usual.   And my neice was there and even my nephew, who gave me this web site for Christmas!  This is his business now and I guess he knows I like to play, so now I have to learn how to manage it.  This is my first test!

So more important I hope you all had a great Christmas and your dreams came true!

Before we shut down for the holiday, I just wanted to say one more time, Merry Christmas. We have lot’s of old friends out there we don’t see or talk to enough. Thanks to this computer at least we know that each other are still out there. MJ is home and we are very blessed. We will spend this evening with my Mom and tomorrow with my brother and sister in law and niece and nephew. To those we won’t see you are still in our hearts and prayers. We all have been blessed in some way, and life could still be worse. And we have been blessed with knowing you.

Here are our wishes for a very Merry Christmas, and continued blessings in a healthy 2008.

Enjoy Life!

-Randy & Chris