Sistah's Gathering 2012 - Ahhh what memories!!!

Here's hoping your gardens survived your trip

Miss you all!!

Beautiful gardens Betty!

lol they are only one month late...

Well you have heard the old adage: "Better late than never"! LOL Beautiful. I am fighting the squirrels for my plants.

I have wanted to get a personal "thank you" in the mail to Betty for all the hard work she put into our wonderful visit. The gardens were beautiful and restful and the various trips to see local attractions was so much fun. I can still see Jonathan sweeping and racking the various cabins at the Jesuit compound. He loves to clean! And do we need him as Stacey has been very sick again with this pregnancy. Her stomach is very upset and she is light-headed when she gets up too fast. Her energy level is very low, too. I hope this will only last a little while.
It was so nice to see all our DG friends. BJ, my friend loved the earrings and has been showing them off to everyone. My neighbors are all jealous of my mushrooms, too. My extra thanks to the guys for being so nice to our little man. They were great!
It just doesn't seem possible that it has been a month since we were all together. I hope you all have been enjoying other parts of your , too.

Janice, it is now to saving your pennies for a trip to Florida....well about 12 miles from the Georgia line so we could call it a FL/Ga get together!

Do keep us posted on Tink. I am so sorry to hear she is having a rough time but take care of herself please.

OH you're only 12 mi from GA? I would love to visit Cumberland Island again, and so would Bob.........

Sorry to hear Stacey's having a tough time with this pregnancy........ poor girl has been having a time of it since before Jonathan's birth.... Is she on additional iron?

Sorry to hear that Tink is doing poorly. She'll be added to my prayer list!

Betty your phlox are amazing. Mine have been cooking and look just awful. So I'll just enjoy yours. What a wonderful trip and I'm still talking about it. Had just the BEST time! Thanks so much again for your hospitality!

You are so welcome..

Janice, sorry to hear that Stacey is feeling so poorly, here we were hoping she would breeze through this pregnancy.

You have no idea how I enjoyed having you all visit..we couldn't do everything in 5 short days so best you all plan to come back again.

Joyce, hoping to have coffee with you tomorrow morning..got to tell you I didn't realize I had so many phlox..gave the gardens water before I left this morning and asked Cathy and the girls to drop in to water from time to time so hooefully I can enjoy their splendor when i get back from my roadtrip..boy are they at their best right now..even the ones i thiught were burnt that were to the right of the pond
Have gorgeous giant flowers..

Going to be a long morning...let's hope Paul calls and tells us to get out of dodge before noon..

Don't forget your camera Betty! Have a great trip!

Always the first thing I pack LindaKay (Smile)

You guys aren't praying/crossing fingers/toes enough because Paul hasn't called to say 'leave' lol
Going to be a long morning waiting for the call

Geesh....what's his number, I'll call him! ^_^

wow what a great pictures and such a wonderful looking group of gradeners.... The gardens are really making me miss my northern OH garden days, but I really don't miss the snow and cold.

Thanks for sharing what a great time yall had together.

Jan

Didn't realize we had another "Florida Gal" on here. Hello meadowyck from the norther part of the state....however, I go through Bradenton quite often on my way to visit my Mom in Port Charlotte.

Maybe we can meet you in person next year, Jan!

Morning Maid Marion....

Mornin' Cookie. I really like the picture of you and the waterfall!! Oh my yes, Jan should plan to come...it is about 5 hr.+/- from Bradenton to here.
So easy to find too!

Cookie, how are the kitties? I ooohed and awwed but until we no longer have my Mau, I can't even consider a new kitty. Hope you and Sue are putting your pennies in a jar to come!!

Marion, yep I'm a native who finally made her way home to FL after being gone for 25 years..... Always lived on the east coast, and came to the west cause Dad was here, and I love it here. It is such a different gardening experience and haven't gotten use to it yet, like I tried twice to grow tomatoes during what was a normal time of the year to have no luck, so this week I've started my seeds....LOL Can't wait to have fresh homegrown maters for Thanksgiving....LOL

Thanks joycet, but I don't go north anymore....LOL, the 8 years I lived in Sagamore Hills was more than enough to last me a life time, although I do miss going to PIB and to Niagara Falls. I love Canada so much it is so beautiful and it seems like almost all the houses have some kind of gardener living there as there is always some type of flowers, trees, that just make it so beautiful to travel the back roads there. We especially loved spending weekends going to the locks.

Now if yall would like to come to my neck of the woods during your winter time, that would be great!

Jan

Jan, we're meeting at Marion's in 2013. That's why I said maybe we could meet. ^_^

Jan, we are a rare breed these days....native. Where on the east coast did you grow up? I was born in Punta Gorda (you know the place before Port Charlotte took over) but left when I was 18. Have lived in the central and northern part of the state ever since but do go back as my Mom and sister still live there. Well I actually live 1 year in London, Ontario. My sister is in Arcadia and my Mom is in a nursing home in Port Charlotte.

Morning..waving big time to JAN!!!!

How wonderful you found us..yes, these gatherings are such a fun time, let's hope to meet up with you. Ohhh what locks did you visit Jan?? My son just did part of the Trent, did my heart good to see them do it in the Foxy lady..brought back mega memories of when I went for same trip with Roger...the girls got to visit but they sure didn't see much of the area, don't know why they had to sleep, could have done so much more.

Got my penny jar out Marion..you were close enough tothis 2012 roadtrip that I could drop in with hugs...

Marion I so loved Arcadia, all the boutiques/antique shops..believe I've got the town right..when I spent winters in Bonita Springs we would do a trip north for the day to enjoy it's beauty

Betty you will be about 4 hours more or less from us. I would love to have you stop in but I have one major problem. The house is in total upheaval at the moment. Finally hired someone to come in and finish all the work my son has started and I don't know how long before it will be completed right now. Would like to try to arrange to meet in Pensacola if possible..always contingent on Mom.

Yeap, you have it right but I do believe it has changed so much since then. Seems Arcadia goes in cycles with being great place to visit then you wouldn't want to be there at all. Such a sad situation.

Marion, I'll keep posting my where abouts/route on way home here on the thread and hopefully would love to make a slight detour lol and end up close enough to meet up with you...

I would really love that! I would love to say come here but right now I would die of embarrassment if you saw this mess. Things are piled on top of piles and sometimes I wonder if I will find my bed at night. Of course, when the "dungeon" is finished and I move all the storage units back into it, things will be so much better. Besides, it does get cold in Canada and you might need a "warmer, upper" say about December, January?
The quote I got on doing the work was so good, I decided to go ahead and finish the room the way I had envisioned it from the beginning. No more dragging out the process.......6 years has been way to long for this.

Marion, there would be nothing to be embarassed about, I still have work to do on the house...had to close my eyes to it when everyone visited..I also got a good quote but then he found a job and I take 2nd place so if I want to save $$$ got to wait.

Actually if all goes according to Hoyle I will be in Florida for 2 or 3 weeks at Christmas..Darlene doesn't want to be here on the anniversary of Mike's death. Plan is I drive her down, spend time during the holidays with her then fly home..if she can spend a few months wonderful..I'd be on call to fly down and drive her back.. sooo waiting closer to fall to see if she rented the place she's been looking at.

These are the posts I love. I've been in my house for about six years. We've just finished the last interior walls and sealing the concrete outside. Now we've figuring out insulation and - the big one - getting things out of piles and put where we can find them. Huge amounts of organization have been let slide whle we handles what "needed" to be done. It's so good to know I have company.

I've told Tony that either he or son Antonio can stay here while Ii'm gone. Antonio might. Tony proably won't unless he has to due to a hurricne. Not likely.

I've gotten most of my seeds into one box. I have lots. I share them if someone will use them. We have old-fashioned petunias starting to bloom. They vine and twine. Several epis are blooming, including one dragonfruit.

hugs, katie

Katie, you are no means in that situation by yourself! My son was doing the remodeling on what was "mother in laws suite" but it was being done in sections....thank goodness the bathroom if finished. It was the most urgent as it has rough cut cedar shingles on the walls...brown/black coloring. It was so embarrassing to give guest their towels, soap, etc and a pair of tweezers to pick out the splinters they got if they touched the wall. My son's job just got more demanding and with 2 young girls (1 and 3 at the time it started) it was just to much. Maybe we can just cheer each other on in our efforts!

Hummm, you do know we have a storm headed in the Gulf...Eduardo.

Betty, the Christmas trip sounds like a great idea. Keep in touch on the plans. I can so relate to Darlene's feelings....it was a long time before I would be away from home on that date! Then you know all of this.

Yep, not an easy thing for sure! Seeing she has no children and alone she's thinking being away from home would be better..we tried talking to her about coming with us on this trip, she thought she would love to but as plans started to materialize she just couldn't at this time. Just got off the telephone with her and she so wished she had the strength to come.

Last Friday night at SIL's 65th I mentioned leaving early to Paul..he said, 'guess I wouldn't miss you if you left at noon' but haven't seen him since nor has he called in..think we are just going to e-mail him and thank him for the opportunity to leave at noon and oh well if he didn't want us to lol

Camping (tenting) stuff's packed and sitting on the deck, waiting for a bit of Bob's input, and his packing of the truck..... it's after 2pm, and he's still heading home. He ran some errands after work, and should be home soon........
Rain's stopped and should be sunny & warm/hot the rest of the holiday weekend!

chat with you on Monday evening!! (pssssssst taking my laptop, so may be chatting later.....)

WOW aren't you ladies a warm and inviting group.... It looks like you are about 5.5 hours north of me. What kind of hotels are around that aren't too expensive but are clean a safe as I would most likely come by myself? I would keep DH at home to take care of our 4 legged companions. LOL

I was born in Miami, back when it was a completely different place than now, lived in Ft Lauderdale and lived in Winter Park, (just north of Orlando). Now I'm on the west coast and so love it. It is more laid back and now that I'm older it is easier to live in this lifestyle...LOL

We are trying to recover from lost of DH and my jobs and our home up in Northern Ohio, came here for work got a job then was laid off from it. So now I'm trying to go to school for the next year to retrain, in hopes of this old lady finding a job that will pay more than min wage. So we are very tight on budget and I will just have to play it by ear for when yall get together again. I would like to come, but will wait to see if I win the lottery first. LOL

Jan

Well, I guess it is a "small world". I was born in Bradenton, lived there a few years and then onto Venice / South Venice til age 14. I still call it
my home town. I have family in Port Charlotte & Bradenton/Sarasota still.

Debbie

Waving from Columbus ohio

Betty - so are you in ON or USA Ohio?

Debbie the next time you are down give a holler and we could (provided you have time) meet up.

Jan

Betty was in Columbus, OH USA when she posted that!

Ah hem, by chance is Betty having coffee with Cookie?

Jan, sorry to hear about the recent lose of your husband. I can relate although mine will be 8 yr. in September......seems like yesterday. Congrats on doing classes....I have a lots of respect for anyone who goes back to school when they are older.

Jan, my late husband was born and raised in Hollywood, had family in Ft. Lauderdale. I know all the places you mentioned very well. I was born in Punta Gorda and my Dad had a large piece of land in what is now Port Charlotte under lease to train bird dogs. Oh how things have changed!! I have family in the Englewood area.

Now, first off, you will not need to look for a hotel near (there are some) as I will find a place to sleep everyone. We might have one room that is dorm style but hey...this is a get together to have fun!!! Time wise is about right....I do the trip sometimes in 5 hours but only when there is no traffic to speak of. What part of Bradenton do you live in? I usually take SR 70 over to Arcadia to go to my sister so maybe on one trip we could me?

Well the grocery store is calling my name. Later.........

When the sistahs met at BJ's house, there were 4 of us in one bedroom. Two in the queen bed and two on the floor. I always was the first to bed so I could be asleep when the snorers came in!

Marion I've not lost my DH it was his and my jobs.

I'm on the west side, just 18 miles west of 75.

Ok so when is the next gathering....LOL

Jan

Joyce, my snoring was so bad my brother banished me to another room! lol Said he heard me through the walls at the hotel.