Getting Settled In and Our Golf Car

Well, we've been here three weeks now and we're still unpacking. On the bright side, we actually have a few rooms without any boxes in them but there are still lots of pictures to hang and things to, oh how shall I say it, adjust. Our new living room furniture is on order and we are finally beginning to enjoy life without having to unpack something every waking minute. We are now getting out of the house more and getting involved in the many activities around here. We have met (and continue to meet) our wonderful neighbors. We are going to love it here in The Villages.

Shortly after moving in, we picked up our new car, or should I say golf car. We ordered it on the Internet prior to moving and even selected the color and fabric pattern there. It is a 2010 Yamaha gas golf car (not 'cart' as it has turn signals, lights and other options that makes it a 'car'). It even has our names printed on the front fenders and a built-in 'beverage container'. We use it for most of our transportation needs within The Villages including going grocery shopping - it has a large bag that will hold a shopping cart's worth of groceries. If it rains or gets cold, we simply unfold the sides and lower the protective back and travel in comfort. One of our first long trips in it was to go to the Villages Polo Grounds where we enjoyed a picnic lunch and beverage of choice while watching a polo match from beneath a shady live oak. What a cool way to spend a Sunday afternoon! Life is good!

Moving Into The Villages, FL

After an over-night stay in Georgia, we arrived on Monday, 5/3, in Florida and saw our new home for the first time. It was just as beautiful as the pictures we had seen as it was being built - see our other blog at friedsnewhome.blogspot.com. It is located in the Village of Hemingway in The Villages, FL.

On Tuesday, the movers showed up and the real 'fun' began. Picture this...Susan is in the garage checking off each box and piece of furniture being moved into the house, I am inside the house showing the movers where to put everything. Then the guy shows up to install the washer and dryer. A few minutes later, another guy shows up to install our phone and Internet. Then the DirecTV guy shows up to install the TV dish. Then, our good friends Ken & Joanne show up (they are the ones who made us fall in love with this place) to welcome us to The Villages. Talk about multitasking!!! Then, before we knew it, everyone was gone and we had a house full of boxes everywhere - but our TV worked. ;-) We headed back to the RV for a well-deserved long night's sleep.

Concord, NC

Our first stop after saying goodbye to Knightdale was to attend the NC Good Sam RV Rally in Concord, NC. We arrived on Wednesday and stayed through Sunday morning. It was held in the camping park adjacent to the three Charlotte Motor Speedway tracks - a drag strip, a dirt track and the big NASCAR track. We took a complete guided tour of the main NASCAR track. We saw the garages, where the drivers park their RVs, pit lane and the winner's circle and we even rode around the track in a van at about 85 mph. Pretty cool. I wanted to take a ride in one of the race cars but just didn't have the time. Oh well...maybe next time.