By Frank Caccavo Sr.

Our February Rally brought us to Rock Crusher Canyon R.V. Park in Homosassa Springs, Florida. This rally was hosted by Bernie & Emil Gaudet who did a great job of organizing and planning this event. There were 12 coaches in attendance. We were joined by the new WIT Eastern Representatives Mikki & Dick Dodge. We were also joined by Roy & Dagmar Newman who were checking us out and liked us so much they later joined our chapter.

All of us arrived on Monday afternoon February 6, 2006 and began our ritual of setting up. It didn’t take long for us to form up our usual afternoon circle. This time, however, our group was so large the circle was enormous. We all introduced ourselves to the new WIT Eastern Reps, who turned out to be extremely friendly. We all laughed and had a good time catching up on any new news any of us had.

That evening we all went to The Outback Restaurant for a delicious meal. It was difficult getting such a large crowd in any of the area restaurants. We managed to take over the place. A good time was had by all.

Tuesday morning we all got together for coffee and gossip. Later that morning most of us went to Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park for a walking tour. The weather was not very nice with drizzle all day but we went anyway. Due to the inclement weather our trip was shortened but we managed to see some of the park as well as the feeding of Manatee’s which was really nice. That afternoon we met in the beautiful clubhouse provided by the campground. With so many people, each bringing food to munch on, it was difficult to leave room for dinner. We decided to go to Oyster’s Restaurant. They were fortunate to have a separate room, which our loud and hungry group filled for several hours.

Wednesday morning we had our general meeting, which lasted for several hours. We were setting up events for the rest of this year as well as next.

That afternoon the WIT representatives opened their new Tour motor home to us for inspection and answered any questions we might have. They were very gracious and patient. It was fun to see the improvements Winnebago has made. We were all impressed.

That evening many of us decided to try Applebee’s for dinner. It was tough to get such a large group in but they accommodated us and we took over the place.

Thursday morning our hosts, the Gaudet’s, put on a sumptuous feast of muffins, banana bread, donuts, bagels, coffee and juice. It’s difficult to lose weight with this group. I Keep trying but to no avail. After an hour or so we began our hugs and goodbye’s. Wishes for a safe trip home were extended to all.

Stan White 321-777-4050