Well, we are approaching the end of March and our time at Rainbow Plantation. It has been a busy month, and the weather finally turned really nice. We had many beautiful sunny days. The spring flowers are all in bloom, the grass is green and the mockingbirds keep us entertained.

       Phil has spent a lot of time working on his tractor engine with Jon LaPointe. There were a few setbacks and interesting turns, but the engine was finally declared 'Done' and reloaded into the truck. We really appreciate the space, help and advice that Jon provided to Phil. This is only the beginning. When we get home there will be more work to do in restoring the old faithful Ford 8N into running condition. However, having the engine rebuilt is a giant step forward. Every now and again Phil would join the Tractor Group with a tractor parade around the park.

    I kept busy with beading, jewelry making and quilting a jacket. In between all of that, we visited with friends, played cards, ate out, went to ice cream socials and so on. It is a tough life, but someone has to do it!
    A few days before we left Summerdale, we traveled back down to Billy's Seafood to stock up on shrimp. Phil bought about five pounds. Billy's cooked them for us and then we brought them home and peeled them all. This is what five pounds looks like, all peeled. Of course, there were a few that were subject to quality control and never made the bowl......

     Tom and Jean Forney left for Maine, we were sorry to see them go. A few days later, Dave and Karen Long joined us at the Plantation. The last Sunday in March we traveled to Biloxi MS to a Chapter 26 Rally. We had a fun filled week of socials, meals and nonsense. During one Happy Hour they picked Ron and Ruth Phinney to be wrapped in toilet paper. This is the final result:

 

     We took a few day trips and drove around Biloxi. It is a pretty city, however it is still recovering from the ravages of Hurricane Katrina. Many of the beautiful homes along the waterfront were destroyed. Some have been rebuilt and/or restored, but some have not. There are many waterfront lots that have been cleaned up and are for sale, many by auction. However, the casinos are all back in business and appear to be thriving. The beaches are clean and beautiful.

 

    So, it is almost the end of March and we will be leaving Alabama and heading toward Natchez. After a few days in that beautiful city we start our journey northward. Slowly.....

   

February in Summerdale

Soon after we arrived at Rainbow Plantation, Mardi Gras began. Friday evening began with dinner and the selection of the King and Queen. Saturday morning was breakfast, with the arrival of the King and Queen by tractor, with a mini tractor parade following. Sunday was the ice cream social. Monday was the lively parade followed by lunch and an auction of caned chairs for CARE. Bid as we did, there were people that wanted the rocker that I had my eye on more than I did. I had chosen a beautiful maple rocker that had a snowflake pattern on the back and a regular cane seat. I stopped bidding at $350. It went for $375. The winner donated the chair back to the auction, with a homemade teddy bear sitting on the seat. So, bid again I did. This time the bid went to $495 and we thought it was done, but Leo bid $500. He won and only took the teddy bear. So, it was put up again and it sold for the $495 previously bid. That one rocker brought in $1270. The total auction of 22 chairs and one ottoman brought in $4500. WOW. Needless to say, I came home without a chair. Here is the chair that I did not win.

Well, Fat Tuesday was another great meal followed by skits and music. A fun time was had by all.

King, Ron Phinney

King and Queen in the Parade

Jean's wild socks!

Parade

Well, since all the excitement things have settled down. Phil has been busy working on his tractor engine. He has had to clean and paint lots of parts. When he got the block on the engine stand, he and Jon discovered that it had two cracks. So, the option was to try to have it repaired or to locate another block. Jon found another block and went and got it for us. Phil has been cleaning that one, so hopefully they can start reassembling the whole thing soon.

I have been to beading and I am working on a project that I started several years ago. I had to research and relearn the pattern because it has been so long since I had worked on it. I hope to have it done soon. We also go to the Computer Group for tech talk every Thursday. This is a fun group of people.

We have played cards frequently and gone out to eat a few times. We have been to The Gift Horse, which is a great buffet in a really neat building. Of course, fried shrimp at Big Daddy's is always a good meal.

The weather has not been as good as it was in Florida, but hopefully we will see more sunshine this week. The grass is green, the azaleas are in bloom and the song birds are here, so I guess we can put up with a few clouds.

We have seen lots of our friends here, it is always wonderful to meet and catch up on news. March has lots of activities planned, I let you know what we are up to next time.