A Local Hero; Is That a Saw or a Knife? A 76 Year-Old Beauty; Parking Hall of Shame; A Flashy Pelican; Dinghy Towing; Wadsy’s Delight

While walking Rudy and Gretchen today at Sumter Landing, one very nice lady asked to pet them. We got to talking, and I found that Judy has a heart of gold. She rescues lost and unwanted dogs. She only has three now, but has had up to 7 or 8 in the past when one of her newly-rescued female dogs had an unplanned litter. Judy ensures that every dog she cares for gets his/her shots and is neutered. She has paid hundreds of dollars out of her own pocket for veterinarian care for her dogs, and ensures that they go to good homes. Judy gets our Hero of the Week Award. If you happen to see her around The Villages supervising a landscaping team, please thank her for her wonderful work.











What is really funny is that I had actually met Judy yesterday. I was on my way to grab a cup of coffee at Panera, and saw this group of guys trimming a small oak tree’s limbs. I started laughing when I saw the small (no, tiny is a better description) hand saw they were using. I ragged them about why they weren’t using a real saw, and Judy laughingly replied that their truck was around back, and it would take longer to get the big saw out of the truck than use the tiny pruning saw they had in hand… (they all had a great sense of humor, and I promised not to send a copy of this photo to management).







I am not really a car person. Let me clarify that statement. I like cars as transportation, and for carrying kayaks and bikes, but aside from an occasional spin in our convertibles, cars don’t mean a lot to me. But I really admired this beautifully-restored 1937 Packard, still looking good at 76 years old! However, I have to admit that I was more than a little disappointed when I saw magnetic signs for a real estate agent on the right and left doors…












Getting back to cars, this summer wasn’t a great time for Parking Hall of Shame Awards. It seems that The Villages has a higher than average number of folks who ignore parking stripes, like the owner of this yellow Daytona. The white stripe is under the center of the driver’s door!  (Sorry, Dale, I looked for Japanese cars, but Detroit drivers seem to have the Hall of Shame locked up…)

Pelicans have always intrigued me. The white pelican is the Louisiana state bird, of course, and while we were sailing, I always enjoyed watching them dive for fish. Pelicans go blind as they age because of the high impact with the water when they dive. When we were in Pensacola recently, I saw this fellow on a street corner. He is painted with the colors and emblems of the countries that settled, ruled or owned Pensacola over the years (Spain, France, England, the Confederate States and the USA).

In the RV world, the car towed behind an RV is called a toad, but the method of towing is called dinghy towing, relating to the small boat, or tender, usually inflatable, towed behind a sailboat or powerboat. This RV has taken dinghy towing literally!

Our final story is of my brother-in-law Brent’s Dachshund Wadsy. His name is really Wadsworth (yep, you guessed it, as in Longfellow), and he loves to chase geckos in his side yard. One had eluded capture and found refuge in a planter full of old golf balls. Well, that wasn’t a very bright gecko, because now he was trapped! We watched as Wadsy pulled golf ball after golf ball out of the planter. Thankfully, we left before The Final Reckoning…