South Florida Winnie-Gators

APRIL 2008  OUTING REPORT

By Marlene Sholtes

Our April meeting was held at Upriver RV Resort in North Fort Myers.  This is a wonderful place for our meetings.  The sites are big and the meeting room and kitchen are also large.  We had 26 member coaches and two guest coaches in attendance.  We welcomed future members Bob & Estelle Armstrong, Dan & Linda Tuzzolo’s sister Barbara and her husband Randy VonMosch, and Jerry & Nancy Miller, chapter presidents of the Caloosa Winnies.  We also welcomed back Ed & Rose Weisman and Harvey Peacock, after recovering from their various health problems.

After our March meeting, we were invited to Mo Shaughnessy’s beautiful big home in Hernando.  She treated us to lunch and refreshments.  We all had a grand time!  This month, Butch & Pat Crosby invited us to their beautiful big home in Fort Myers.  They had a Mexican Buffet, also complete with refreshments!  We are so lucky to have such generous members to go to the trouble of entertaining all of us!

Lee Macdonald held a class on making Soda Can Spinners.  Members were very pleased with how theirs turned out, but it was an intense project for most of them.  They looked quite pretty spinning in the wind!  Chuck & Joan Seager just purchased a 39’ Latitude, and we had our traditional champagne toast to wish them many happy miles.  It is a gorgeous coach.  Later in the afternoon, we had our Happy Hour and 50/50 Raffle with Raffle-Babes-In-Training, Mo Shaughnessy and Virgin Vandervlugt, selling the tickets.  The winners were Joan Heath, Sue Wilson, and Debbie Wiersum.  For dinner, Bob Gill worked his magic making pulled-pork sandwiches, baked beans provided by Damaris Travers and cole slaw provided by Marlene Sholtes.  As usual, the members provided many desserts to top off the meal.  Quite tasty!  Our entertainment Friday evening was a dice game called LCR.  It is quite a “challenging” game; and the winners were Rick Bunn, Pat Crosby, Ed Miles and Debbie Wiersum.

Saturday morning’s breakfast consisted of French Toast and Sausages, prepared by George Shaughnessy, Rick Bunn, W.C. Herndon and Bob Gill. 

We were eager to begin our World Renown Easter Egg Hunt!  We participate in this every April (even if Easter was last month).  400 plastic eggs were hidden in plain sight, and all but six were found!  They are filled with candy and 100 prize numbers for the corresponding prizes.  We have to wait for the Chick In Charge, Becky Bunny, to blow her whistle and then we all charged forward to locate the eggs.  We are not allowed to run, push, kick or fight over the eggs.  Luckily there were no injuries this year.  It was quite warm, and we all came in perspiring from our hard work.  Everyone found at least an egg with one number, some with many more, and received great prizes.  Becky does a great job emceeing the distribution of prizes.  She has a talent for making every prize fit the recipient.

For Happy Hour, the Raffle Bunnies, Becky & Damaris, hopped in to sell their tickets for the many wonderful raffle prizes.  Ken Perry also entertained us as he called the winning numbers.  For dinner we dined on succulent steaks prepared to order by Rick Bunn, George Shaughnessy, Bob Gill, Bill English and W.C. Herndon.  Lee Macdonald prepared a super salad and Bob & Joan Gill baked many potatoes.  Once again, the members supplied the decadent desserts.  Dinner was followed by our favorite lively game of Chase the Ace.  The winners were Damaris Travers and Sandie Williamson.

Sunday morning after our breakfast of English Muffins and Coffee, we had our monthly Board and Membership Meetings.  We departed ways until next month’s campout at Paradise Island in Ft. Lauderdale.

 Raffle Bunnies, Damaris Travers and Becky Bunn.

Chuck & Joan Seager in front of their new Latitude.

A close-up of Chuck & Joan Seager with their Latitude.

The Arts & Crafts Class made Soda Can Spinners.

 
 Pat Crosby, Peter Vandervlugt, Rose Weisman, Marlene English, Estelle Armstrong and Sylvia Smith.