I'll start by backtracking to March. We had a BIG hail storm in March unlike anything I've ever been in in my life! All that morning the weather folks had been warning of severe storms and possible hail. Well usually hail around here is small and kind of a novelty...so I started off thinking Oh maybe I'll see some hail. I "heard" it falling and looked out...but then it kept getting louder and louder..and I decided I might not want to be sitting out on the porch near windows. well.moving into the kitchen/living area wasn't any better and it was still getting louder, That's when I decided I need to go o a room in the house with no windows...and I actually got into the closet. I was so glad Brenna's dogs were not here because they might have had a heart attack. One by one after the storm ended people began poking their heads out after the storm to see what the heck had just happened. I asked my neighbor if he had ever been in a storm like that ...he's from Ohio, he said "No, that was terrifying!"
. There was 10 inches piled up in the corner of my garage door.
 |
| the poor plants took a beating |
 |
| meter took a hit...we didn't even know it until FPL showed up a few weeks later because they noticed something was "off" |
 |
| an hour later still this big! |
My car had been in the garage so I wasn't worried about it. At a glance the screen on the porch looked intact...as compared to my next door neighbors...their screen was shredded! It wasn't until almost an hour after the storm that I realized that two of my front windows had gotten broken in the storm. All the ones I Could see were okay...but the two front windows in our bedroom were behind the shutters...so until I opened those shutters I didn't see the cracked windows.
Indialantic got mentioned on the Weather Channel that evening...and everyone agreed none of us had ever seen anything like it.
As a result...we had an insurance adjuster and roofer come out to take a look and assess the damage. We had the windows and the screened porch and few window screens replaced quickly....it pays to know people ;)
Last week the roofing crew was here tearing down and redoing our roof.
We have a few more odds and ends to do...but things are pretty much back to normal.
In April my friend and I tried to made a trip to Sea World, but Karen and I finally made it on Friday May 3rd.. She wanted to take me to celebrate my retirement. I tried to tell her that was unnecessary but she insisted so why not. The first date we planed to go didn't work out due to the weather. She was in town anyway with her mother, so we did go to the Melbourne Art Show together. We got a late start...hahaha but still made it before closing. Of course we immediately ran in to a good friend and got sidetracked talking...so we didn't see much Art but we found my brother's booth and I planned to go back the following day anyway. We tried again the following week to find a day we could both go to Sea World. The one good day...was once again a wash out as far as weather. Time was running out to be able to make it for the Food and Wine festival...so we made a date for the following week and decided we were going to go... rain or shine. I had not been to Sea World in over 25 years...so it was nice to go with Karen who knew her way around the park.
We lucked out..it never rained in spite of the forecast. we were able to enjoy the day without umbrellas or ponchos. We saw shows,exhibits and enjoyed some tasty treats throughout the day. It was a nice day, different than my usual routine. I won't feel the need to rush back....but I did enjoy it.
As I mentioned. The annual Melbourne Art Festival was in April. The day Karen and I went , we didn't have much time to see all the artwork. I went back the next day and took a slow loop around. David got a nice prize for one of his pieces, so that was fun. He didn't sell much, but prize money was nice. You can check out his art at www.davidburtonart.com .
The first weekend in May is when Melbourne Beach celebrates Founder's Day. It's a fun day at Ryckman Park. There's artwork, local clubs have informational booths set up, there's a Talent Show (confess...I try to miss that hahahaha), pretty much everyone in town stops by at one point or another, there are food trucks, live local music, etc. just good hometown fun. I met a former co-worker at the library and we walked down to the park (a couple of blocks away). Naturally we ran in to some friends and other folks we knew from the library. We both enjoyed the afternoon.
From the park...I went home and cooled off for a bit before we headed down to LongDoggers for a little Kentucky Derby fun.
 |
| Sue had a nice hat and a rose print dress...a clear winner! |
I did not wear a hat, but a few people did and we all placed our 'bets" and had some good snacks. We had lots of chances to win...but our horses came up short.
A couple of weeks later we were invited to some friends house for the Preakness Race.
  |
| "Redneck Derby" fight to the finish hahah |
Most of us barely took time to watch the race...we had fun eating, drinking and playing a few games.
John and I watched the "grand dogs" for a couple of weeks in May while Brenna and Josh were off to Australia. They got a great deal on their tickets,,,and it was too good to pass up, so they went. Now that the dogs are older...they are a lot easier to "take care of" and we knew they'd be a lot happier here than anywhere else.
In early May we got together with friends for "Happy Hour". John, Reid, Chandler and another friend had gone out and gotten a lot of fish...so
it was a good excuse for a get-together. It was a BYOB, pot-luck party (the best kind I think) so no one had to do too much. John did cook up a bunch of the fish so even though it wasn't meant to be dinner...we all had plenty to eat. Everyone had a good time. It was just a fun relaxing 2-3 hours on a Thursday evening. At the end of May some friends had their annual Memorial Day party. Craig cooked up some great burgers and hotdogs, everyone brought side dishes...my favorite once again was Brenda's avocado/corn/black bean salad. YUM! It was a nice day...unlike last year when rain was in the forecast ALL day Long. It was a little hot...but the pool was cool for those who wanted to get in.
A old friend of ours was in town at the end of May/early June. He has been living in the Solomon Islands for many years...but was coming home for a surprise visit to his family. His brother was turning 60, and he hadn't seen his 80- something mother in 5 years, so he was surprising them. We joined them all for Johnny's birthday party down a a lovely park down in Grant/Valkaria. (near where we used to go cut down our Christmas trees years ago) I didn't know many of the people there...but it was a lovely afternoon and I enjoyed meeting some friends and family. And of course there was CAKE! (from Publix!! the best kind hahah)
 |
| 60th birthday bouquet |
 |
| little library |
At the end of the month well actually June 1st, our friend Al was taking part in a Fundraising/competition..".Dancing For The Space Coast" The winner is the person who raises the most money and dances well. ( 60% fundraising-40% skill I think I read). Al knows a lot of people in the community. He taught for a few years, attended FIT and is one of the founders of LongDoggers...so he was rallying his troops/supporters. He was able to get 10 tables of 10 people to commit. I was invited to join friends at one of the tables, so I decided to check it out. (another friend had participated last year...but we were out of town for that one). John was out of town for the weekend, so it was nice to have a plan with my friends.
 |
| posing with Al the "STAR" |
Honestly...I don't know if John would have made it through the whole program hahahah Cocktail hour, dinner, auction THEN the show, and Al was the LAST performer. It was fun, but a little slow...but we had a great time cheering Al on. He was definitely the top dancer as far as I'm concerned, and I believe he got the top scores for dancing.
 |
| *One friend laughed at this photo..Chris scratching his head as if he's wondering what the heck all the commotion is about |
 |
| Fran looking dapper...or like a waiter haha |
He got beat out by two of the others in the fundraising department. It was all for good causes, we got to get dressed up a little and we did have fun.
 |
| lots of good stuff...if you like that kind of thing... |
 |
| new phone with "action photos" ,,,still figuring it out :) |
 |
| overheard some young guy say to his friend "Did you see that guy with the matching shirt, shoes and hat? His wife must've picked out that outfit" hahahah |
Next week I am off to NC to meet up with my sister Liz, my niece Meredith and her boyfriend Adam, my brother-in-law Rob and my nephew Shane. We are all going to spend a couple of days in Charlotte, then head to Asheville for one night where we will get to visit with my nephew Ryan. I am looking forward to all the fun.
Good times ahead!
