A Store About My Winter

I got delayed coming home and spent some time in the Tampa airport and decided to write a poem about my experience at Camp Venice Retreat. Here it is, I hope you like it!

A Magical Place

Once I dreamt of a magical place
Where people were friendly and took you for face
Where all of the days drifted together
And you couldn't possibly beat the weather.

I took a chance and bought a trailer
Named her Nellie and vowed not to fail her
I took her to that magical place
Where the people were friendly and took you for face

I couldn't believe what happened to me
A warmer place I never did see
Tom and Harry are wonderful and kind
Whatever you need they never do mind

There's gators and fish and armadillos and owls
Stick around and you'll hear their howls
There's parties and campfires and a"apple pie" and fun
There's a cool pool for spending the day in the sun.

There's Flo an dRick and the Traveling Vaughns
With them around there's never a yawn
There's Roger and Ginny and Big Mike and Sue
There's always happy hour and something to do.

But what make it rich, sweeter than sweet
Is the way it's a family, a close one to keep
We help each other day in and day out
All you have to do is let out a shout

I value so this wonderful place
That I'll come back to each year to be taken for face.
The time of a lifetime that I'll hold so dear
That I hope to be part of year after year.

I made some great friends that I'll have forever
Honest sincere people, who are the best ever
So when I think of Winter '09
It's the hearts I'll remember and the way they do shine.

The Party's Over...

Well, here I sit boarding up my windows for the season wondering where all the time went. And then I look at my blog and my photos and I read my journals and I know where it went this best winter of my life. It was challenging at times, joyous most times, full of new friendships, new experiences, getting to know Nellie and best of all enjoying the time I had here over this four months. I want to thank all my family and friends who supported me coming down here and hearing all my stories about living in Nellie and what that was like. I am a changed person for this experience, better I think, a little older and a little wiser. A day didn't go by that I didn't thank God for giving me this opportunity and giving me the kind and generous people I was surrouncded by all winter. I have decided to come back in November, I have a job waiting for me which is great, and I'm looking forward to a few extra months in the Florida sun. Thanks for coming on this odyssey with me. I am planning to visit friends I made here and will come on and put up pictures of them and my travels. So far I've been invited to Toronto, upstate Vermont, New Hampshire and I have one local couple in Stoughton Massachusetts. I will look forward to keeping the blog alive as these wonderful people touch my life once again. Thanks, I'll see you soon.

Love,
TZ