Sunday Church Service Observations

Over the years we have attended Sunday Mass in Italy (including St. Peters), the Bahamas, Canada and many of the US states. Oberserving who attends is quite amazing and different. In Italy the attendees were dominated by and fewer young people, many older women and few old men and families.

In the Bahamas there were again many old women and many young women in their teens. We observed very few young men.

In the states we again found church services dominated by the old with men and women about equal in attendance. The most surprising observation was the make-up of the attendees at the Church of Guadalupe in Fellsmere, Florida. Never have we seen more young people both single and with families or more young single men that single women. Cultures in countries obviously vary but significant is how different cultures in the states display different church attendance patterns. This one is for some Jesuit to research.

Our favorite churches are St Basils in Ft Lauderdale, St Francis DeSales in Abaco, Bahama and the Church of Gaudelupe in Fellsmere, FL.

So Much to Do & See

We really forgot how much the Vero/Sebastian areas have to offer. While the weather is cooler than Fort Lauderdale there are a ton of things to do and see. Pawn shops and boat shops, county parks and state parks, Intercoastal and river beauty. It' s all here. Fran's doing water aerobics and Bob joins Jim at Mickey D's for mud every am.

Sunshine Travel Park, Vero beach

The park here in Vero is quite nice and full of organized daily activities. Last night we attended a Valentine's Dance and earlier in the week a Jamb Session. We may be the youngest couple in the park but the travelers here certainly don't let age get in their way. Many of the folks actually spend six months here and have permanent pad that they maintain yet rent.

We have some great neighbors..John from Maine, Helmut from New York and my coffee buddy at Mickey D's, Jimmy from Rehoboth DE. We are a little farther from the water than I'd prefer but the park has so much to offer you can do more things here.

We were visited Friday by old time buddy Jo Bear who drove up from Stewart. We did a grill out then headed to the Legion for the afternoon. It was my first day this winter at being a bad boy. Oh, I'll never learn.

Looking forward to getting on the new boat and some fishing. We'll have the grandkids to tags along.

The Wheels on the Bus

The wheels keep going round and round. Busy and active are key words this winter. It seems we just never stop. We already took day day trips to Ft. Pierce dock, state park and downtown, Sebastian, Wabasso, and the Vero Beach Marina. Park activities we participated in include water aerobics, exercise, jam sessions and sing alongs (Bob not thrilled) but surviving. Our plans include a day at Sebastian State Park and dinner with Denis and Carol. The weather is holing up but mornings are a bit chilly and not as warm as Ft Lauderdale. All is good except Bob's bad tooth.

The wheels on our bus go round and round.

What a Great January

Our one month stay in Fort Lauderdale was terrific. Great weather, a well located RV Resort, an array of friends and cousins within 8 miles all made for a fun month. We even completed a project of buying a small fishing boat for use here and up north. We had visits from Dave Hurd, Shirley Capin, Ed and Carol Manson, Norm & Phyllis Namey, Lori and George Cook and Doug and Zary Decker. We dined in Irish Pubs, dock-side restaurants and fast food establishments (Chick Fillet was the best). We cooked for ourselves and friends and ate in their homes. We never got to see cousin Ida's condo though. We did manage to lunch with her in Boca.

We toured Miami and Biscayne Bay and found the areas breath-taking (for more than one reason). We traveled to Fort Myers and Cape Coral. We shopped at flea markets and the Saw Grass Mall, boat supply houses and Bealls.

Today we sit in Vero Beach at an RV park we stayed at on two previous trips to L. It's near Sebastian State Park and the Vero Beach Municipal Marina. Two friends and yacht club members are at Vero and the beach and fishing is at Sebastian so we should manage to keep entertained, especially since Carmen and Irene arrive today. They will join us for the net two months and they are fun friends and neighbors.