Encore Superpark in Port Charlotte, Florida was the destination for the Caloosa Winnies

April 7 - 10 campout. Nine coaches gathered on Thursday to join in the fun! Members in attendance were Bill & Janet Burbage, Bill & Sue Fuss, Bud & Paula Geng, Bob & Anita Law, Glenn & Judy Mercer, Jerry & Nancy Miller, Jim & Jane ONeill, JoAnne Weber, and Chuck & Barbara Wood. Co-hosts for the weekend were Bud & Paula Geng and Glenn & Judy Mercer. Everyone was parked and ready to enjoy Happy Hour at the recreation hall at 4:00pm. Our hosts prepared dinner which included delicious Sloppy Joes, salad, chips and desserts. The rest of the evening we enjoyed some card games and conversation in spite of a wild thunderstorm going on outside! The next day we read in the newspaper about a tornado that touched down about 10 miles away! Luckily, we were all safe!

Friday morning dawned sunny and warm, which was a perfect day to head to Fishermens Village, a local inside/outside mall located right on the Peace River. The setting is really beautiful with great views of the water. It was evident that hurricane repairs were still underway since this area took a direct hit from Hurricane Charley on August 13, 2004. All the shops and restaurants were open for business, and it was nice to know we all helped their economy by buying those must have items! The group decided on The Village Restaurant for lunch and enjoyed a great meal.

Happy Hour was held at 4:00pm, with some of the conversation turning to GNR in July. We will have 9 member coaches attending. Some of the veteran GNR attendees gave lots of good information to the rookies attending this year. Soon the aroma of Italian food filled the hall, and we were treated to Bud Gengs famous baseball sized

meatballs!! Served with a wonderful sauce and spaghetti, plus salads, and bread, this dinner was WONDERFUL! A table of desserts topped off dinner. For those who still had quarters left from the previous nights card games, we joined in playing 31.

Saturday morning was our pitch in breakfast and its always amazing we have such a variety when no one knows who's  bringing what dish! Such GREAT cooks in our group “ there aren't many leftovers! The business meeting followed breakfast. Since this year marks the 35th anniversary of the founding of the Caloosa Winnies, we discussed how that event should be celebrated. We will plan a big celebration for the December campout when the officers are hosting the event. GNR was also discussed, and how we planned to participate in the events.

After lunch a rousing game of Bean Bag Baseball was on the agenda with the men vs. women as usual. The first game was won by the women's team, the second game the women were leading until Jerry Miller pitched a 3 run home run at the bottom of the 7th inning with 2 outs, which gave the men the lead they needed to win the game. Since the score was even once again  1 win for each team  no one had the nerve to play another game and risk defeat!

At 4:00 pm it was time for Happy Hour, and we were delighted to have guests join us. Barbara and Harlan Evans who live in the area came by, and we invited them to join us for dinner which was at a local restaurant, International Buffet. Back at the campground the group enjoyed playing cards once again we always have an endless supply of quarters!

Sunday morning our co-hosts provided breakfast, muffins, coffee, juice and more fellowship! We discussed our next campout for May 5 - 8 to be held at Fort Myers Beach RV Resort. Our agenda for that meeting was passed out, and it will be a fun time once again, including beach combing! The members living in the Fort Myers will get a chance to show off this part of the state! This will be our last campout for the season as many of our members head north, west and east for the summer. Soon we had to say our goodbyes and packed up to head back on the road again! THANKS to the Gengs and Mercers for hosting a great weekend!

Our open invitation is extended to anyone who is visiting in the area please fell free to join us at a campout. Our schedule appears in the Who's Inviting Travelers section of the WIT magazine. You can be sure if we are visiting in YOUR area we will stop and say hello!

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The 35th anniversary party of the Caloosa Winnies will be held December 1 - 4, 2005 at Lakeland RV Resort in Lakeland, Florida. We welcome anyone in the area to contact us and join in our celebration!

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Barbara Wood 239-945-0190