Christmas is getting closer!  Time continues to fly by.  We have had a great week.    Time with good friends and relaxing.   I had a head start last week,  one night I went to a whiskey tasting.  Fratello’s restaurant sponsered Fred Noe,  great great great grandson of Jim Beam to come in.  6 courses of food and 6 Jim Beam whiskey’s.  The food was great, the story telling was wonderful, and the bourbon’s were enjoyable.  Did you know bourbon has to be made with 51% corn, made in America and be aged in new American oak barrels?  It can be made anywhere but there happens to be a lot in Kentucky.  A nice way to spend an evening.

Last Wednesday night we headed down to Milwaukee to spend the evening with Mom.  And Thursday morning we flew off to Fort Lauderdale.  We booked some direct flights from Milwaukee to Fort Lauderdale, the way flights are over booked and few flight choices it takes out some stress!  We landed on a rainy day in south Florida and a little cool.   But that gave us time to open up the condo and do some cleaning.  I even took Chris to the cigar store and she learned how to play domino’s!  Friday started off sunny and getting warmer fast.   Now that is south Florida weather.    We had been planning some new cabinets for the dining room and spent some time at Lowes in the morning.  We ordered some cabinets and got some other shopping in.   And in the afternoon Noel, Jo Ann and Al Miller arrived from Fort Meyers.  Friday night was the Boynton boat parade on the intercoastal, and we always enjoy seeing them.   So we had planned our trip around Friday night.  Jo Ann brought the steaks and we got down the pool early to grill out and start the evening.  And Al and Viv, our neighbors from New Jersey joined us.  We had a fun night, much warmer than last year.  The boats were fun as usual.   On the album page I have some pictures.  You can click on them to see them larger also.  I was playing with my new camera and different settings, but still hard to get  a solid picture of a moving boat at night.  But you get the idea.

Saturday was even a nicer day.  We had a little walking and a lot of relaxing.   And probably too much eating and drinking – hold it how can there be too much of that?  We had a fun lunch with Al and Viv also at hurricane alley.  One of my favorite places.   We sat outside and enjoyed the sun and warm air.   Had lots of raw oysters and good food.  It was nice to spend time with our friends and just relax.  And the warm weather adds to it.  Sunday we went to church and then to 2 Georges to watch the Packer game.   The boys got there early to make sure we were in front of the Packer TV.   They have all the games on here.  We were there early enough to talk to the bartender into having the Packer game on the main TV.   2 Georges in on the intercoastal, and the bar is a deck built over the water.  And Sunday was the warmest day of the weekend, in the upper 70’s.  so the game was not what we wanted,  but we still had fun.   After the game back to the condo and we even made it for a swim in the pool.  So  much fun!

Monday brought some cooler weather, and the fact we needed to come home.  Enders stayed over and offered to take us to the airport in Fort Lauderdale.   So that saved us some trouble renting a car for the ride there.  Thanks Noel and Jo Ann.   Allen flew home with us.  He had driven down with the Enders a couple of weeks ago.  Spent some time with his daughter in family in Tampa, and to Fort Meyers and then the days with us.  Of course you may have heard Wisconsin had some snow and cold come in.   we were not looking forward to coming home.  The flight was good.  Standing outside waiting for the shuttle to the car was not.   The good news was Milwaukee had very little snow and the car did not need to get dug out and scraped,  and we were on our way quickly.  We dropped off Al and were on our way to Oshkosh.  There was certainly more snow as we drove north, and was dropping the temperature.   I was hoping to put the Trailblazer in 4 wheel and get in the garage when we got home.  but the size of the drifts in front of the garages changed that plan.   So Chris got a fire going in the fireplace, and I spent the evening having fun in the driveway.   I know Florida is having a couple of cold days,  but it doesn’t match up!  They will be 30 degrees warmer in a couple of days,  we will be 3 degrees warmer.

1 degree temp right now.  The roads and parking lots are iced up from being driven on, and too cold to melt even though we had sun today.  Tonight will be colder!   The best thought is we will be back in Florida in a couple of weeks!  How long does winter last?  So once I get over the cold weather,  I will try to get into the holiday mood!     Take care.