Monday, March 1, 2010

Slowing down

So here's a little something we've learned while staying here at the Thousand Trails Orlando preserve.  Slooowww dooowwwnnnn... (That's supposed to be a really slow "slow down")   There is really no need to be in a hurry.  And that's a switch for Val and me.  Actually, it's a huge switch for me.  Just ask Val.  We've been walking the 3+ miles around the campground each day and then I play some Pickle-ball while Val sits outside by the lake or a pond and reads.  After playing, it was about noon, and we decided to head back home for some lunch.  It's only about a five minute walk, but along the way we saw a buddy (Roy) that I play Pickle-ball with and he showed us his beautiful custom trailer that he hauls behind his motor-home.  This thing is 27 feet long and almost 13 feet tall.  He carries a full-size car, two Harley's, bicycles and other assorted useful toys and tools.  It was completely finished inside with racks and cabinets.  Very cool.  Then as we left, another friend (Paul) we've met struck up a conversation when I asked about his "Patriots Welcome" banner on his RV.  Turned out it was not the New England Patriots he was referring to.  I like that guy...

Then as we arrived home, our neighbors next to us (Ray and Gerie) had just taken his trike out of his trailer and wanted to show it to us.  It's very impressive to see up close.  Unlike some other trikes that we've seen here that are made from bikes like the Honda Goldwing or Harley Ultra-Glide, this is custom-made. And the engine?  You car fans might have recognized it (I didn't) as a 400 hp Corvette engine.  It's fully automatic, and he says it's a blast to drive. I asked about the danger of pulling the front wheel off the ground, but he assured me that having the engine so far forward prevents that.  He's insisted that I take it for a spin, so maybe in the next few days I'll get a chance.
So back to my point, by the time we got some lunch after leaving the Pickle-ball court, it was 90 minutes later than we planned.  We had slowed down, learned some things, reinforced some new friendships and had some fun.  And what a nice change it was.   

P. S.
I noticed while writing this blog that Val was working on her computer, rapidly typing away.  I assumed it was an email, but when I showed her this post, she laughed and showed me what she had been writing.  It was surprisingly close to what I'd written including talking about slowing down and mentioning all the people I wrote about.  So tomorrow may be a more thoughts on this change in our lifestyle.  That's assuming I get around to posting it..... 

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