Karen at Fifty Four

A cute little bike shop in Sanford hosted a class for women on bike maintenance. The shop is owned and operated by women and they have a mission to get more women into the sport and feeling confident in their abilities. The class was interesting and I learned that my bike is dirty!!! They said you should clean it every third or four ride. I've cleaned mine maybe twice since purchasing it a year ago!!! I'll get the right stuff and do a better job in the future. I need degreaser and lube and "gear floss". Yes, that is a real thing! These are pics from the web of Dees Brothers Brewery. Before class I met two ladies from the Florida Freewheelers, El and Chris, for a bite. This is all in the interest of being social. I feel I need to fight the urge to become a hermit. So dinner out and getting involved in the biking community was my effort. Dees was a very cute establishment. If I lived closer, I would definitely come here again. Food was good and they had a great selectio...

In the interest of keeping my brain growing, the new skill I am learning is crochet! The library has free classes every Tuesday, then after the class they have an open lab for people to come and crochet together. The instructor was so kind and patient. Unfortunately, most of the ladies in the crocheting "lab" only spoke Spanish. I worked on my project quietly while they all gibbered on in Spanish. Then when I stood to leave, one of them changed to English and had a small conversation with me. They all encouraged me to return, but I'm not sure this is my "tribe". I still want to make my own afghan, but I don't think I'll make any friends. I should keep an open mind though... maybe after I finish the afghan, my new skill will be to learn Spanish! The project was to make a bookmark... but mine got a little out of control and it's more like a scarf for a cat (Mango would not agree). It was fun and I think my finished product looked ok. I'm already si...

I had a great trip with Epic Adventures at Blue Springs. We put in just north of the park, off W. French Ave, and paddled on the St John's river to the springs. It was beautifully peaceful on a Monday morning. Our tour guide said the place is lousy with motor boats on the weekends.  It was the tour guide that took all these pictures. After the trip he uploaded them to a Flicker website and you can take any you wanted. I think that is a fabulous service. That way I didn't have to worry about taking my own pictures and possibly dropping my camera in the river! I should get a waterproof camera if I want to to get any shots while I'm paddle boarding. Losing my phone would be disastrous! At the launch site... trying to strike a flattering pose ;) Action shot... still a little shaky on my feet but I didn't fall in! We saw maybe a dozen manatees. They are very cute and much larger than you would expect when they are right next to your board. I got on all fours or sat when they...

 Bastille Day is France's Independence Day and is celebrated on July 14th. According to the internet 😉, that's the day in 1789 that sparked the French Revolution. This lead me to thinking... Who were they revolting against?! Who controlled France prior to it's "independence"? Again, according to the internet, it was the Bourbon monarchy... which I think was Spanish. I could be way off base.  Anyway, in the spirit of the French holiday, the wine bar, Swirley's, had a French themed evening. There was a tasting of five French wines and some French dishes served. I just love this bar. It's very small, but tastefully done and the owner, Melissa, is a Sommelier. They always have some kind of event going that is fun to join. I plan to become a regular! Ha!! I'll have to exercise control so I don't just become an obnoxious wino! Of course, I love the first one, the blanc de bland Brut. That means white on white sparkling wine. Really, I think I love all s...

I spent 4th of July home with Mango. I spent the 3rd there too... just not feeling the need to go to a hot, over crowded venue to watch fireworks. Ugh... the heat, people, traffic, noise, smoke... all the things I hate! I should add "now that I'm an old lady", because I think I used to like these things. Well, I'm sure I never liked traffic, but I remember past 4th of July's that I enjoyed... I think.  Anyway, I turned down a date with Mark on Saturday night, then cancelled on him for Sunday night and that must have been the last straw. We are no longer dating and I'm quite relieved. He was a very nice guy and very generous with his money, but not the right guy for me. We wished each other good luck and now Mr. Mango is my only date in the foreseeable future.  Mango on the 4th of July. The neighborhood poppers just starting to be heard in the background. Didn't phase him a bit. That's one cool cat 💗😎.

 For Father's Day this year, Donna and I took Dad to a game. The Rays won! Great game and great company. It's very special to be able to share the experience with family and I love that I am once again close enough to do these kinds of events. I also love that the Rays play in a closed, air conditioned stadium!!! It is hot as Hades down here right now.