Tarpon Turtle

Yesterday was the American Thanksgiving so what hungry Canadian could resist also celebrating? Off to the Tarpon Turtle for dins. I decided to forego the turkey and opted for shrimp primavera. Everyone else, hubby included, ordered the turkey, some including ham!

What a feast! Each plate had enough on it to feed two people! Beans, stuffing, potato with gravy, turkey, ham, squash, cranberries plus choice of two desserts, one pumpkin, the other apple. Some of us jumped at the chance to taste their wonderful key lime pie, certainly not a disappointment.

The Tarpon Turtle is located on the north end of Lake Tarpon and offers a marvelous view from its dock. We chose to sit inside as it was a little chilly last night. The server was very attentive and the food tasted great. Meal cost was in the $70 range for two, that is, if you also had wine. We had a marvelous time and headed home more stuffed than the turkey had been.

Regrettably, I didn't fare too well later as my discomfort moved from that of mildly full to awfully sick. Might have been the shrimp, or something else - who knows? But hubby wasn't sick nor were any of the others so I surmise something I'd eaten strongly disagreed with me. It happens. I'm a-ok now but I'll call the restaurant tomorrow to let them know.

Still, it was a very nice evening in a very nice location, not far from home. Guess you have to chalk it up to "you win some, you lose some."

Mortgage Hunting

We've pretty much made up our minds to go for the fixer upper! But that means, apart from our down payment, finding a bank to lend us the difference. So...what do we learn?

Bankers down here are very nervous. And given the recession, rightly so. First question:

• are you American? No.
• do you have a social insurance number? Yes, but it's a Canadian SIN.
• what type of house are you buying? We're interested in a condo.

Well, that won't do! Doesn't matter what your assets, what your credit history, what your down payment, we don't want to touch you.

Many investors (speculators) have dropped their investments and left the banks hanging. Banks are particulately not interested in mortgaging condos (which is what we're trying to buy) because condos are in a bad position given the incidence of foreclosures and a lack of condo owners paying monthly condo fees. The whole structure is in a downward spiral.

So, right now attitude is key. Are we positive, forward-looking people or pessimists? Well, I'd like to think we're the former so damn the torpedos, full speed ahead.

On the plus side, we're not investors per se. We're not looking to make money, only to have a second home, a home-away-from-home, one we plan on living in for repeating six months stints over the next umpteen years, God willing.

We'll keep you posted on our progress. In the meantime, other condo offerings just keep coming our way. Just this minute, a friend called to say her next-door neighbour is selling her upper floor unit. Would we like to look?

Decisions, decisions.

The Dilemma Begins Again!

Yet again, I have real estate fever. Several options have presented themselves:

1. a fixer upper which we could reno, live in and eventually flip (means sweat equity and lots of it!) but then we could more easily obtain a nice place on the water; or
2. an all-done walk-in-with-your-toothbrush & on the water place (means a mortgage and lots of it).
3. do nothing and stick with our rental
4. look around to see if there are other bargains...

Decisions, decisions!

When you have too many decisions and it's hurting your head, whaddya do? Go dancing. Having a great time dancing at the Starlight Studio in Dunedin...wish you were here.

Fall 2009

Readers, I've taken a short sabbatical from writing over the summer. Not from a lack of things to say (I've always got something to say) but just a kind of ennui with the whole thing. But many readers -- OK, four -- have prompted me to get back at it, so here I am.



Fall is definitely here when you hear the kabang of nuts falling on the tin roof of the neighbour's shed. It's also fall when in the dark of an evening's hot tub you hear the raccoon family munching on said nuts. It's ducking as the local jet fighters, better known as humming birds, caroom crazily over your head, protecting their turf, chittering frantically in their eensey weensey tiny bird voices. It's here when you look across the lake and discern burgundy amongst the green leaves. It's here when you sense the need to cram in as many golf games as you can since the good weather can't possibly last. Fall is pulling out gone-to-seed radishes from your garden, sharing oodles of cucumbers, tomatoes and zucchini with friends and praying the geraniums still have more bloom time. It's no longer back-to-school for us although I do intend to go back to piano lessons, yoga lessons and to following Canada's Food Guide. So many good intentions, it almost feels like New Year's. It's a time of warm days and cool nights and the breezes hold a hint of chill, just enough to want a sweater. Yes, it's Fall.

Playing Catch-up

I've been remiss, dear reader, in not keeping up! So...here's an update:

• Unhappily, something got the baby robins. We found baby-sized feathers on the lawn. Not a beak or a claw was left. We can only hope at least one escaped the massacre. Mother Nature can be so cruel. They were so close to fledging. My heart breaks.
• We've painted the deck. Yes, my darling. Blue again.
• The perennials are doing their thing so I've added some annuals. Ye olde garden is looking pretty good. Now to tackle the veggie garden.
• Dear friend T visited last week from BC. What a girl. We had our fill of girlie talk, catching up on years apart. Funny, we haven't changed a bit. We miss her already but she tells me she and her special man are making a road trip here next summer. Yes!
• I have a new project underway: a neat flag hung between the two birches which, unfortunately have died. Surely we can resurrect them as works of art? Only Rona can say (the flag I want is one of Rona's display flags).
• My sister L's concert was excellent. Check out the Capital Chordettes if you ever get a chance and certainly the men's quartet Real Time. They were professional level and the best I've ever heard. What a show!
• Golf is taking a back seat for the moment but I promise to tell you about my last but best game soon.
• Gotta go hot tub...catch ya later!