July/August 2019 Newsletter
Don’t forget to visit our website at rifca.net
Bruce Squillante - Newsletter Editor
Bruce Squillante - Newsletter Editor
Newsflash - Clubhouse Facelift Update
New Look Inside the Clubhouse - Painting
In the last Newsletter we indicated that there were changes coming to the Clubhouse during the Summer of 2019. The inside of the Clubhouse has received a long overdue face lift. Julie Squillante spent over 10 hours repainting the inside of the Clubhouse with the patriotic blue color to match the lanai. The job involved over three gallons of paint and primer. Julie was a virtual contortionist as she maneuvered around the television and bookcases. After providing the walls with a fresh new color, Julie went back and painted the trim, baseboard and all doors as well.
The next improvement was replacing the faceplates on all of the electrical outlets. Julie also changed the look inside the clubhouse by moving some objects around. We hope you like all of the changes inside.
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New Look Inside the Clubhouse - Lanai Ceiling
Finishing the lanai, however, is taking a slower path. Henry Burden removed all of the old styrofoam “insulation” below the ceiling. Henry began work on the box around the air conditioning ducts. As of June 30th, work has ceased while permits are taken out. The hope is to have a finished and painted ceiling before the end of the summer. Our electricians will be putting in 10 new dimmable lighting fixtures and electrical boxes at strategic locations around the new lanai walls installed earlier this year. The lanai should have a fresh and bright look by the end of summer.
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Summer In River Forest
by Carol Kennedy
Have you ever heard of the summertime blues? Some think it is a fantasy; it’s all in our heads, and there is nothing to it. However, there is a condition referred to as ‘Seasonal Affective Disorder’ (SAD). We feel sleepier than normal, especially in the hottest part of the day. Ladies, yes, it does hit me (Carol) more than Dick. Each person is different.
Something about the high humidity, the soft air, the summer aromas and the verdant beauty of summer in SW Florida, makes me ponder and appreciate the summertime. Right after a steaming rain, the fruity, sweet smells fill the air. The summertime is the only time the sweet palm tree smells are pungent.
June 21 is the first day of summer; June is the first month of the Hurricane Season. The summer heat has been with us for a while so the aforementioned date is not well timed for the Deep South. It’s almost too early for some of our Northern States. While recently visiting Michigan, the temps were in the 40's at night, and it was quite a change from the 90's of Ft Myers.
Speaking of hurricanes:
I for one will not be stocking our freezer with meat. We lost the entire contents of the deep freeze and all the food that was in the refrigerator. Think about eating all the good stuff now, and buying it as you need it.
Speaking of summer, July 4th is just around the corner. I understand we will be having another delicious barbeque. This is always such a nice holiday and our grill should get quite a workout. Volunteers are always needed, so please give a few hours for the preparation, the serving or clean-up, at the event. Invite a neighbor to the event and let's prepare our hearts for this wonderful holiday and be grateful that we live in such an unbelievable country.
July 4th~~~Freedom:
Having recently spent a full week in Washington D.C., we have a newfound appreciation and love of our country, freedom, the founders, and its present leaders and elected officials. Especially touching was a night -time tour of the monuments and memorials; lights shone brightly on each memorial, as the tour guide recited valuable information.
Full blown American pride and tears came easily. We visited as many sites as we could within the time frame.
If you should ever have the opportunity to visit Washington DC, please do. You won’t be disappointed.
July 4th~~
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the Declaration of Independence. It was ratified on July 4, 1776; it was signed on Aug. 2nd.
Jefferson was the vice president under John Adams, the second president of the United States. Jefferson was the third president of the United States. John Adams and Thomas Jefferson both died on July 4th, our nation’s Independence Day.
THINK ABOUT THIS:
Coincidence? We don’t think so……………………..
Have a wonderful day and summer!
Dick and Carol Kennedy
www.drcarolkennedy.com
Something about the high humidity, the soft air, the summer aromas and the verdant beauty of summer in SW Florida, makes me ponder and appreciate the summertime. Right after a steaming rain, the fruity, sweet smells fill the air. The summertime is the only time the sweet palm tree smells are pungent.
June 21 is the first day of summer; June is the first month of the Hurricane Season. The summer heat has been with us for a while so the aforementioned date is not well timed for the Deep South. It’s almost too early for some of our Northern States. While recently visiting Michigan, the temps were in the 40's at night, and it was quite a change from the 90's of Ft Myers.
Speaking of hurricanes:
- Now is the time to order extra water and have extra storable foods around in case we have a bad one and the grocery stores are shut down.
- If you have a generator and everyone should, time to start it up and tune it up if needed. Sand bags are always a good idea in case we should have a 'wet' Hurricane or Tropical Storm. Sometimes a Tropical Storm can be as bad as a hurricane. We have had many wet ones that have caused a lot of concerns.
- Sand Bags can be found at the Big Box Hardware Stores and sometimes our local ACE Hardware Store carries them. Sand is free at our local Fire Precincts (Buckingham Rd., past The Hut, on the right) and they have traffic cones to help you fill the bags.
- Also useful are the Hurricane Guides produced by Wink TV and Emergency Medical Services. These guides list emergency provisions that our households need. Advice is given for proper preparation and they also list the Emergency Evacuation Routes, and the shelters available in SW Florida.
- Hurricane Shutters are a worthwhile investment. But the best aide that we all have in River Forest is caring neighbors.
- Who hasn't helped neighbors with their shutters or provided assistance with lawn furniture, getting extra gasoline, or starting generators? We are so fortunate to have RIFCA neighbors who will cover your back and be there if trouble is encountered. While we were out of town for Irma, we were so grateful for all the neighbors who texted us photos of our house and yard. Thank you to Frank and Barb, Joe and Ashley, Lee and Cloy and Doug and Faydra. What a blessing you all were to us!
- Be sure you have cell phone numbers of neighbors. There is nothing like seeing a real picture of your real house and yard when mayhem is breaking out. We kept hearing horrid reports and were so overjoyed when our neighbors texted us pictures of our house and the rest of the neighborhood.
I for one will not be stocking our freezer with meat. We lost the entire contents of the deep freeze and all the food that was in the refrigerator. Think about eating all the good stuff now, and buying it as you need it.
Speaking of summer, July 4th is just around the corner. I understand we will be having another delicious barbeque. This is always such a nice holiday and our grill should get quite a workout. Volunteers are always needed, so please give a few hours for the preparation, the serving or clean-up, at the event. Invite a neighbor to the event and let's prepare our hearts for this wonderful holiday and be grateful that we live in such an unbelievable country.
July 4th~~~Freedom:
Having recently spent a full week in Washington D.C., we have a newfound appreciation and love of our country, freedom, the founders, and its present leaders and elected officials. Especially touching was a night -time tour of the monuments and memorials; lights shone brightly on each memorial, as the tour guide recited valuable information.
Full blown American pride and tears came easily. We visited as many sites as we could within the time frame.
If you should ever have the opportunity to visit Washington DC, please do. You won’t be disappointed.
July 4th~~
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the Declaration of Independence. It was ratified on July 4, 1776; it was signed on Aug. 2nd.
Jefferson was the vice president under John Adams, the second president of the United States. Jefferson was the third president of the United States. John Adams and Thomas Jefferson both died on July 4th, our nation’s Independence Day.
THINK ABOUT THIS:
- THOMAS JEFFERSON AND JOHN ADAMS BOTH DIED ON JULY 4, 1826.
- Adams was 90, Jefferson 82
- Adams lay on his deathbed, and his last words were: ‘Thomas Jefferson still lives.’
- BUT, he was mistaken:
- JEFFERSON DIED 5 HOURS EARLIER at Monticello
Coincidence? We don’t think so……………………..
Have a wonderful day and summer!
Dick and Carol Kennedy
www.drcarolkennedy.com
Independence Day - July 4th, 2019
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EMPTYING THE NEST – TRAVELS, TRIALS, AND TROUBLES
Julie and I have three children in their 20s. It is a heady time to be sure, as the older two have found permanent professional positions in their chosen fields within weeks of one another. Looking out for our children’s welfare, we of course welcomed the opportunity to get each established in their new home. First was our daughter Joyce in Seattle. Yes, our daughter found a job just about as far away as possible while still in the lower 48.
Joyce’s move was a bit more complicated in that half of her furniture was in Corvallis, Oregon where she was getting her Masters Degree in Radiation Physics at Oregon State University. Julie and I flew to Seattle early Saturday morning and rented a car. It was in the 60s when we got to Seattle…positively cold.
Before seeing Joyce on Saturday night, Julie and I took a short detour to Mt. Rainer. If you have never been to Seattle, Mt. Rainer is a very steep volcano less than 100 miles away. On a clear day you can see the volcano, which is to say in Seattle you rarely see it. In our case the GPS took us to the north side of the Mt. Rainer National Park and quickly got us lost. The lack of good signage had us driving for two hours and two bad turns looking for the visitors’ center. The temperature dropped to 53 degrees so it was cold. We finally found our way to the southern part of the park and saw the volcano (parts of it) through the clouds from a distance, …and yes there was snow there. On the way to back to Seattle, Julie and I had to stop for a moment to admire a sign that read “Volcano Escape Route.” It is just something you will never see in Florida.
Most of Sunday was spent with Joyce seeing the sights of Seattle. Julie and I have been there several times, so Joyce took us to a street fair near Fremont and the locks in Eastern Seattle. I had never seen locks before, so it was really interesting watching the boats going up/down as they moved through. On Monday morning, as Joyce set out for the first day at her new job, Julie and I headed out for Mount St. Helens on the way to Corvallis.
Julie and I have been to Mount St. Helens in 2007. It is a slow long drive in the park, which starts with a State run visitors center right off I-5. An hour into the park you will find the National Park’s visitors center about a quarter mile from the north face of the Volcano. That is the side of Mount St. Helens that blew off in 1980. In the 12 years since Julie and I last saw the volcano, much of the side of the mountain has begun to recover its natural splendor. The devastation is still apparent, but it is healing. On the morning we were there, one annoying low hanging cloud obscured the middle of the north slope. Julie and I sat shivering on a bench for over 90 minutes hoping to no avail for the weather to clear. We finally gave up and ate lunch, sitting next to two young ladies that were going to medical school here in Florida. We were all cold.
We arrived at Joyce’s old apartment at around 8pm and it was in fairly good shape. Her sub-lessee left it in reasonable but dirty condition. The next morning we planned to drive down to Crater Lake National Park. If you are ever in Oregon, Crater Lake is a must see for its pristine beauty. It is actually a simple lake, but its pure blue water is amazing. Unfortunately, the weather report in the morning indicated that the north entrance to the park was closed due to snow, and what would have been a six hour round trip (not including hiking in the park) was going to be at least nine hours. Julie and I quickly changed plans and drove up and down the Oregon coast.
On the way back from the Oregon coast drive, U-haul texted us that the truck we reserved weeks ago in Corvallis would not be available. While driving along the coast, I actually had a U-Haul representative on the phone looking at the all the small towns we were approaching for a truck. Amazingly enough, U-Haul found one about 60 miles from Corvallis. Julie and I stopped at the business, got our truck, and were on our way. It would not be the last time we found ourselves in the wrong place with that truck. We tucked the truck nicely into the parking lot outside Joyce’s apartment at 9pm and went to sleep shortly thereafter.
Moving Joyce’s furniture and belongings was simple enough. I brought her items down the flight of stairs in multiple trips while Julie cleaned the apartment. Did I mention there were stairs? I have always wondered what I would be thinking the moment I started to fall down stairs. Somewhere around the 20th trip up and down the stairs to bring items to the truck, I fell down 5 concrete stairs. In that fleeting moment only one thought came to mind…”Please don’t break anything.” As I hit the ground first by my hands and then my head, I knew I had my answer. I remember laying on my back on the ground making sure I had all my parts and hoping Julie did not hear the ruckus. Thankfully the door upstairs never opened; and in a few minutes I was up and going again. Luckily nothing broke but from that point on I would be much more careful.
The next day we drove back to Seattle and to Joyce’s apartment. Julie and I took out all of Joyce’s old furniture and replaced them with the items from her Corvallis apartment (a new bed, dresser, couch, desk, bookcase, etc). We packed up the old items in the truck and set out for the Salvation Army downtown, the only charity that would take large furnishings. Julie and I hopped in the truck and made our way for the location that was supposed to be on the south side of Seattle near the stadium. Unfortunately, GPS took us to the heart of downtown where we were greeted by snarled traffic, snarling drivers, and steep hills. Did I mention the hills? At that moment it occurred to me that if you ever see a U-Haul truck, you should just assume the driver is lost. Seattle residents were not so kind. Luckily, it only took us one turn (and almost 30 minutes) to find our way back on the highway and to the same address, but with the suffix “south.”
We backed up our truck and the Salvation Army workers there took everything off until the boss said no to the couch (it had a stain). Julie told the man our tale of woe finding the Salvation Army and the boss agreed to take the couch. Frankly, I had my eye on the ocean as a good resting place if the couch was rejected. With that drama resolved, the truck was returned in Seattle, so Julie and I could relax.
On Friday as Joyce was finishing her first week at the new job, Julie and I set out to shop for everything Joyce needed. About 32 years ago when I went into Julie’s apartment for the first time, I opened her refrigerator and there was only a sad little bottle of mustard in it. Joyce’s refrigerator was not much more inviting. Julie and I visited Target and a grocery store that day to bring a little homeyness to Joyce’s apartment. We would leave the finishing touches for her.
After a trip around West Seattle to Alki Beach early Saturday, Julie and I set out for SeaTac and our red-eye home. It was sad to say good-bye to Joyce, but she was at a place she wanted to be with a good job and a bright future. There is a great deal of comfort in that.
Joyce’s move was a bit more complicated in that half of her furniture was in Corvallis, Oregon where she was getting her Masters Degree in Radiation Physics at Oregon State University. Julie and I flew to Seattle early Saturday morning and rented a car. It was in the 60s when we got to Seattle…positively cold.
Before seeing Joyce on Saturday night, Julie and I took a short detour to Mt. Rainer. If you have never been to Seattle, Mt. Rainer is a very steep volcano less than 100 miles away. On a clear day you can see the volcano, which is to say in Seattle you rarely see it. In our case the GPS took us to the north side of the Mt. Rainer National Park and quickly got us lost. The lack of good signage had us driving for two hours and two bad turns looking for the visitors’ center. The temperature dropped to 53 degrees so it was cold. We finally found our way to the southern part of the park and saw the volcano (parts of it) through the clouds from a distance, …and yes there was snow there. On the way to back to Seattle, Julie and I had to stop for a moment to admire a sign that read “Volcano Escape Route.” It is just something you will never see in Florida.
Most of Sunday was spent with Joyce seeing the sights of Seattle. Julie and I have been there several times, so Joyce took us to a street fair near Fremont and the locks in Eastern Seattle. I had never seen locks before, so it was really interesting watching the boats going up/down as they moved through. On Monday morning, as Joyce set out for the first day at her new job, Julie and I headed out for Mount St. Helens on the way to Corvallis.
Julie and I have been to Mount St. Helens in 2007. It is a slow long drive in the park, which starts with a State run visitors center right off I-5. An hour into the park you will find the National Park’s visitors center about a quarter mile from the north face of the Volcano. That is the side of Mount St. Helens that blew off in 1980. In the 12 years since Julie and I last saw the volcano, much of the side of the mountain has begun to recover its natural splendor. The devastation is still apparent, but it is healing. On the morning we were there, one annoying low hanging cloud obscured the middle of the north slope. Julie and I sat shivering on a bench for over 90 minutes hoping to no avail for the weather to clear. We finally gave up and ate lunch, sitting next to two young ladies that were going to medical school here in Florida. We were all cold.
We arrived at Joyce’s old apartment at around 8pm and it was in fairly good shape. Her sub-lessee left it in reasonable but dirty condition. The next morning we planned to drive down to Crater Lake National Park. If you are ever in Oregon, Crater Lake is a must see for its pristine beauty. It is actually a simple lake, but its pure blue water is amazing. Unfortunately, the weather report in the morning indicated that the north entrance to the park was closed due to snow, and what would have been a six hour round trip (not including hiking in the park) was going to be at least nine hours. Julie and I quickly changed plans and drove up and down the Oregon coast.
On the way back from the Oregon coast drive, U-haul texted us that the truck we reserved weeks ago in Corvallis would not be available. While driving along the coast, I actually had a U-Haul representative on the phone looking at the all the small towns we were approaching for a truck. Amazingly enough, U-Haul found one about 60 miles from Corvallis. Julie and I stopped at the business, got our truck, and were on our way. It would not be the last time we found ourselves in the wrong place with that truck. We tucked the truck nicely into the parking lot outside Joyce’s apartment at 9pm and went to sleep shortly thereafter.
Moving Joyce’s furniture and belongings was simple enough. I brought her items down the flight of stairs in multiple trips while Julie cleaned the apartment. Did I mention there were stairs? I have always wondered what I would be thinking the moment I started to fall down stairs. Somewhere around the 20th trip up and down the stairs to bring items to the truck, I fell down 5 concrete stairs. In that fleeting moment only one thought came to mind…”Please don’t break anything.” As I hit the ground first by my hands and then my head, I knew I had my answer. I remember laying on my back on the ground making sure I had all my parts and hoping Julie did not hear the ruckus. Thankfully the door upstairs never opened; and in a few minutes I was up and going again. Luckily nothing broke but from that point on I would be much more careful.
The next day we drove back to Seattle and to Joyce’s apartment. Julie and I took out all of Joyce’s old furniture and replaced them with the items from her Corvallis apartment (a new bed, dresser, couch, desk, bookcase, etc). We packed up the old items in the truck and set out for the Salvation Army downtown, the only charity that would take large furnishings. Julie and I hopped in the truck and made our way for the location that was supposed to be on the south side of Seattle near the stadium. Unfortunately, GPS took us to the heart of downtown where we were greeted by snarled traffic, snarling drivers, and steep hills. Did I mention the hills? At that moment it occurred to me that if you ever see a U-Haul truck, you should just assume the driver is lost. Seattle residents were not so kind. Luckily, it only took us one turn (and almost 30 minutes) to find our way back on the highway and to the same address, but with the suffix “south.”
We backed up our truck and the Salvation Army workers there took everything off until the boss said no to the couch (it had a stain). Julie told the man our tale of woe finding the Salvation Army and the boss agreed to take the couch. Frankly, I had my eye on the ocean as a good resting place if the couch was rejected. With that drama resolved, the truck was returned in Seattle, so Julie and I could relax.
On Friday as Joyce was finishing her first week at the new job, Julie and I set out to shop for everything Joyce needed. About 32 years ago when I went into Julie’s apartment for the first time, I opened her refrigerator and there was only a sad little bottle of mustard in it. Joyce’s refrigerator was not much more inviting. Julie and I visited Target and a grocery store that day to bring a little homeyness to Joyce’s apartment. We would leave the finishing touches for her.
After a trip around West Seattle to Alki Beach early Saturday, Julie and I set out for SeaTac and our red-eye home. It was sad to say good-bye to Joyce, but she was at a place she wanted to be with a good job and a bright future. There is a great deal of comfort in that.
Board Meetings
None further until October 7
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Potlucks
June 1
August 3
Notice to River Forest Residents
Bees are of vital importance to our food chain, but they can be frightening
If you see a honey bee swarm, PLEASE DON'T SPRAY IT!
Doug Lints is working with an Alva Bee Removal specialist and can offer a no fee bee removal and relocation from River Forest.
Please call (239) 850-3746 or Rhinodoug@yahoo.com
Bees are of vital importance to our food chain, but they can be frightening
If you see a honey bee swarm, PLEASE DON'T SPRAY IT!
Doug Lints is working with an Alva Bee Removal specialist and can offer a no fee bee removal and relocation from River Forest.
Please call (239) 850-3746 or Rhinodoug@yahoo.com
Donations to the Ronald McDonald House - Pop Tabs
Please save the pop tabs from your cans of soda/beer. Dick Kennedy collects them to donate to the Ronald McDonald House. If you let him know when you have a bag full, he will come and pick them up.
According to the Ronald McDonald House website, Advantage Metals buys the tabs at market rate and then makes a charitable contribution on top of that. Last year the pop tab program brought in $20,000. They even had a Pop Tab Pandemonium day earlier this year.
Contact Dick Kennedy to pick up your pop tabs.
According to the Ronald McDonald House website, Advantage Metals buys the tabs at market rate and then makes a charitable contribution on top of that. Last year the pop tab program brought in $20,000. They even had a Pop Tab Pandemonium day earlier this year.
Contact Dick Kennedy to pick up your pop tabs.
