Visiting Lake Weir and our Final Days in The Villages

After mass and grocery shopping on Sunday, we decided to go for a drive around Lake Weir, and check out Eaton’s Beach.  Make made plans to meet Mark & Janie at 5pm at the restaurant at Eaton’s Beach, and we set out in the Jeep with the top down . . . it was a beautiful day!

We stopped at a couple of county parks on Lake Weir, where there were small beaches and a large boat launch.

It’s a nice lake . . . and I guess there must not be too many alligators, since there are swimming areas.  But, you know what they say about water in Florida!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We arrived at the restaurant about a half hour early, put our names in for a table, and walked out on the pier to enjoy the view.

It looks like a nice beach for families with small kids,

and a popular lake for watersports – we saw people water-skiing, and riding jet skis.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There were plenty of people enjoying this beautiful afternoon at the beach!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mark & Janie arrived right at 5pm, and about 15 minutes later we were seated at a table on the back patio, overlooking the beach and lake – great view!

Tom spotted this guy driving his truck right out into the water to load his boat on the trailer . . . who needs a boat launch!?!

We enjoyed a delicious dinner, and great company!  Thanks for meeting up with us, guys!  We’ve really enjoyed hanging out with you this last month!

As our days wind down here in central Florida, we’re making our plans for the drive north, and trying to make plans for the summer.  Still have some work to do there!

On Monday, Tom saw a crew of guys washing a couple of motorhomes in the RV Park, and he watched their progress and talked to them for awhile.  He was impressed with their work, so we hired them to wash and detail our motorhome and Jeep on Tuesday.  It’ll be nice and clean for our drive on Thursday!

The crew arrived by 10am on Tuesday.

They got right to work, giving the motorhome and Jeep a thorough cleaning.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I don’t think the Jeep has ever been this clean before!

They were very detailed, and no inch was left untouched!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They did a great job and we were really happy with the results!  3 guys, 4 hours, $300 . . . pretty great value!

So shiny!

All done and it looks great!

Now we’re ready to pack up and move north!

Brownwood–the newest area of The Villages

 

There was one more area of The Villages that we hadn’t been to yet, so on Friday we met up with Mark and Janie for another tour.

First, they took us to see their Villa Home, which they maintain as a rental property.  The Villas are more like condos – with less square footage and smaller yards, but still really nice, especially as a rental.

 

 

 

From there, we made our way down to Brownwood, which is the newest Town Square area – it’s marketed as Old Florida with a touch of Michigan.  All the streets are named after cites in Michigan.

The town square is not quite full yet, but it’s really cute, with a country theme – even the movie theatre,

and the sales office.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The recreation center in this area is the Eisenhower Recreation Center,

and that was our next destination.

As I think I mentioned before, each recreation center has a theme – this one is military-themed, and it’s stunning. 

 

All branches of the Armed Forces are represented, but as a Navy Mom, I found myself continuously drawn to the Navy memorabilia.

 

 

As you walk through the front door, your eyes are drawn to the life-sized models of service men and women on display on the 2nd level.

 

 

We recently found out that Nicolas will be assigned to the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier when he completes his training next month, so it was particularly emotional for me to see the many bits of “Ike” memorabilia.

He needs to get me one of those buttons!

CVN69 – Nicolas’ ship

 

Each Room in the recreation center was filled with military memorabilia, all of which was donated by residents of The Villages.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was like walking through a museum, so beautiful . . . even the furniture stayed in the military theme!

 

This Japanese flag was captured at Iwo Jima, and was signed by each of the service members who were there.

The floor in the main ballroom was really beautiful!

The recreation center is named for President Eisenhower, and there are portraits of him throughout,

as well as bits and pieces of his life.  He was a painter, and painted these portraits of Washington and Lincoln.

We really enjoyed our visit to this recreation center, and are glad Mark & Janie included it in our tour.

Our last stop of the day was the Rohan Recreation Center. 

We checked out the outdoor areas first.  Like all of the recreation centers, there is a pool and various sports fields,

Bocci Ball

Pickleball Courts (Check out the height of those fences, Bryce – even you probably wouldn’t hit over the top of those!)

and an outdoor fitness center.

Tom and Mark had to try out a few of the machines!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This looks like trouble!!

Next up was the rowing machine.

Tom made it look easy, but Mark  said he was going to feel this one the next day!!

The theme of this recreation center is the history of The Villages.  As you walk in the front door, your eye is drawn to the ceiling, where there is a huge mural of the community.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Displays throughout this recreation center chronicle the development of The Villages – from a single 55+ mobile home park to the 35 square mile all-encompassing retirement paradise . . . which is continuing to expand!

The founding families

In the ballroom, we studied the annual aerial photographs that show how the community has grown and filled in over the years.  It was really interesting to see.

While Mark & I studied the photos, Tom and Janie were taking a break!

That wrapped up a long afternoon of touring, and we were all starving!  It was well past dinner time!  We headed over to Sumter Landing for dinner, where the Mini Cooper Car Club was having a car show.

While we waited for our table, we checked out the little cars!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One that embraces its British heritage, and a couple of vintage Minis.

 

We enjoyed a delicious dinner, and called it a night after that – it was another great day in The Villages!