CALOOSA WINNIES

   Local Chapter
   By Nancy Miller

January 5 – 8, 2006 was the celebration of the 35^th birthday of the Caloosa Winnies at  Sun ‘N’ Fun RV Resort in Sarasota, Florida. As always, the resort’s facilities and personnel made this a memorable weekend for us. Thursday evening Happy Hour began the weekend with our traditional joke telling time! Another option to telling a joke was remembering where you were on your birthday in 1970. There was some head scratching and memory retrieving but several members did remember that information and shared it with us. Dinner was at Olive Garden, and enjoyed by everyone. Cards games after dinner at the recreation hall finished out the evening.

Friday morning dawned cool and windy for Florida, but that didn’t keep us from visiting Marie Selby Botanical Gardens. Happy hour commenced at 4:00pm, followed by a caravan to Troyer’s Dutch Heritage Restaurant for some of that great home style food! Card games again were enjoyed by those who like to win and lose money!

Saturday morning temperatures were in the high 30’s, COLD for Florida, but we soon warmed up at our pitch-in breakfast! GREAT food – we have the best cooks in W.I.T.! It’s always amazing what a variety we have! Installation of officers for 2006 was performed by Bud Geng, President of the Winnie-Gators state group. Newly elected officers are: Nancy Miller, President; Jerry Miller, Vice President; Sue Fuss, Secretary; and Jane O’Neill, Treasurer. Nancy Miller presented outgoing presidents Barb & Chuck Wood with a brass clock, with the inscription “Remember The Good Times”. They got a round of applause from the group for their 2 years of service.  The business meeting followed with New Business topics about the Winnie-Gators March Rally to be held in Orlando. The Caloosa’s will have several responsibilities at the Rally, which we discussed, and volunteers came forward to offer their help. Next we had a presentation by some representatives from Sky Med, which is a worthy service for those who travel.

A new tradition was started last year at our January campout, and continued this year because it proved to be so much fun! Each person was instructed to bring a 1 pound package of something – wrapped – and Barb Wood did an outstanding job of auctioning the packages to the highest bidder! Some of the “exciting” packages included candy, spaghetti, Crisco, books, mugs, plant fertilizer, just to name a few. This brought lots of laughs and everybody took home a “prize”!

After lunch our shuffleboard tournament began, in beautiful sunshine and a bit warmer temperatures. Winners were awarded medaled ribbons, Bill Fuss and Jim Armstrong were the recipients. Bill was also our champion last year, so he continues his reign!

The evening party began in a beautifully decorated room, THANKS to Sue Fuss for her time and effort in making this special. Happy Hour, complete with punch and snacks on a candlelit table just set the mood for a wonderful dinner. Bud Geng was the chef, with his specialty - GREAT meatballs and homemade sauce with spaghetti. The aroma alone would put you under a spell! Salads, bread, and wine complimented the delicious meal. A special cake for dessert was decorated with the picture of the emblem for the group, a Roadrunner, which was adopted by the group at their first meeting in 1970.

After dinner, Nancy Miller did a presentation about the history of the Caloosa Winnies. Fortunately for us, the previous members kept books filled with articles and pictures from campouts dating back to the formation of the group in 1970. The books were on display for everyone to look at. In reading through the information, it was fun to see what coaches looked like through the years, as well as see all the activities the group enjoyed. At one time the membership reached close to 50 coaches! Imagine planning a campout for that group!  Sue Fuss also had some pictures on display from years past when she and Bill were at campouts. We have decided to revive some of the old traditions the group had, and add some “new” activities to our current group. We enjoyed coffee and cake while playing cards for the rest of the evening.

Sunday morning we met for breakfast, juice, coffee, bagels, donuts, the usual good food! We said out goodbyes and began looking forward to the February campout.

If you are traveling in our area, you are most welcome to come and visit at a campout! Check out our schedule in the section “Who’s Inviting Travelers.” We’d be happy to have you join us!

Nancy Miller  239-574-2511