September/October 2019 Newsletter
Don’t forget to visit our website at rifca.net
Bruce Squillante - Newsletter Editor
Bruce Squillante - Newsletter Editor
Newsflash - New RIFCA Treasurer
New Treasurer for RIFCA Coming this Fall
By Bruce Squillante
After ten straight years on the RIFCA Board of Directors (the last 5 as Treasurer), Bob Croson decided to retire. Richard Abraham agreed to take over as our new Treasurer, subject to the Board’s approval in October when it meets next. Bob has served on the Board with distinction the last ten years. First as a Vice-President, then as President, and finally the last five years as Treasurer after Kate O’Reilly left.
On a personal note, my earliest memories moving into River Forest in 2013 was the kindness and friendship Bob showed me. I moved in the weekend before the 2013 Rummage Sale. He encouraged me to take part in the Rummage Sale and make friends with all those who participated. Shortly thereafter he asked me to be his Vice-President. He was open to new ideas – thus starting Luminaria Night – and encouraged me to be creative in ways to help the clubhouse. As Treasurer Bob has provided the Board with a clear picture of our financial condition. Because of his dedication and hard work with Jan Croson, we now have beautiful windows in the lanai. Our financial outlook still looks strong.
Bob has always had a friendly smile when I stop over at his house or meet at the clubhouse for various events. I consider him a friend.
On a personal note, my earliest memories moving into River Forest in 2013 was the kindness and friendship Bob showed me. I moved in the weekend before the 2013 Rummage Sale. He encouraged me to take part in the Rummage Sale and make friends with all those who participated. Shortly thereafter he asked me to be his Vice-President. He was open to new ideas – thus starting Luminaria Night – and encouraged me to be creative in ways to help the clubhouse. As Treasurer Bob has provided the Board with a clear picture of our financial condition. Because of his dedication and hard work with Jan Croson, we now have beautiful windows in the lanai. Our financial outlook still looks strong.
Bob has always had a friendly smile when I stop over at his house or meet at the clubhouse for various events. I consider him a friend.
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 is now complete. Look at the pictures of the freshly painted interior of the Clubhouse.
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New Look Inside the Clubhouse - Lanai Ceiling
Finishing the lanai, however, is taking a slower path. Henry began work on the box around the air conditioning ducts. As of September 1, 2019, work ceased while permits were taken out. Our General Contractor is Ryan Fitch of A&R construction. He is the son of one of our River Forest residents. He will be completing the ceiling we hope before the end of September. 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. We are still hoping to have a fresh and bright lanai by the end of summer.
Rummage Sale Volunteers and Donations Needed
Jan Croson and Gail Beals passed the torch for the RIFCA annual Rummage Sale to Bruce and Julie Squillante. Bruce and Julie are keeping with the great Rummage Sale tradition. We are planning to do some things a little differently. For example, we are going to post Thursday evening hours for our neighbors and keep the Friday/Saturday times. To have a successful Rummage Sale, it takes a community. We are looking for donations of items that we can sell in November. Donations can include home furnishings, kitchen items, tools, home décor, clothes, collectibles, linens and more. Bruce and Julie are happy to pick up your donations or feel free to drop them off. If you drop off items, please let Bruce or Julie know so that we can organize them.
In addition, we need your support the days of the Rummage Sale. As you can imagine, it takes at least 15 people each day to run the Rummage Sale efficiently. Please call Bruce or Julie if you could volunteer your time to help us. Remember, the money we raise is used to maintain our clubhouse.
In addition, we need your support the days of the Rummage Sale. As you can imagine, it takes at least 15 people each day to run the Rummage Sale efficiently. Please call Bruce or Julie if you could volunteer your time to help us. Remember, the money we raise is used to maintain our clubhouse.
Drinking only a Half-Gallon of Water for 30 Days
by Bruce Squillante
For years I have read about the benefits of drinking only water. Last month I decided to immerse myself in the idea and drank 64 ounces of water every day. I stopped drinking a combination of tea, lemonade, and pop (or soda as some call it). The interesting perspective about drinking water exclusively was that none of the articles I looked at had the same benefits.
First let me start with some basics. A gallon of water weighs 8.4 pounds. This interesting fact came up on the British version of “Who Wants to be a Millionaire.” It was the $1 million question asking “what weighs more – a gallon of (a) petroleum oil; (b) water; (c) ice; (d) vegetable oil. The answer was water.
If you do the math, 64 ounces is essentially half a gallon. So I would be drinking a four pounds of water every day. That did not sound like fun. When I started, I will admit it was difficult to get over the blandness of water having switched from mostly tea and lemonade. After about a week, though, water started to get a “flavor,” so the rush of regret giving up tea and lemonade quickly faded. Nevertheless, I was still drinking four pounds of water, and there certainly consequences to deal with during the 30 days. The one concern I did have was suffering headaches during the transition. I was fortunate to not have any headaches so the transition was easy.
You may be asking then what were the benefits. Strangely enough the benefits were not at all what I expected. The most notable change was in the touch and feel of my skin. My complexion got better, which made shaving easier. My skin got softer and actually looked better. Whenever I visited my mom in Arizona, I would immediately get chapped lips from the dry air there. This time, I had no problems with chapped lips in Arizona for the week I visited. One of the benefits I read about was that drinking only water helps the joints. I was skeptical about that but for me it was true. I had knee replacement surgery two years ago and the area around my new knee always hurt when I got up. After just a week drinking water that pain went away. For me that was the greatest benefit of all.
While there were some tangible benefits from drinking 64 ounces of water every day, there were some not so beneficial results. The first was obvious. Four pounds of water into your body means something has to give. Frequent trips to the bathroom was one consequence. Most of the articles I read touted weight loss during the period of water only consumption. Not only did I find that illusory, it was outright wrong. I actually gained 3 pounds and often felt a bit sloshy.
I ended my experiment after 30 days to reflect on all I learned. I now drink tea and lemonade – a little – but still drink a lot of water. I suspect the long-term benefits of drinking only water will show only if I dedicate myself to that regimen.
First let me start with some basics. A gallon of water weighs 8.4 pounds. This interesting fact came up on the British version of “Who Wants to be a Millionaire.” It was the $1 million question asking “what weighs more – a gallon of (a) petroleum oil; (b) water; (c) ice; (d) vegetable oil. The answer was water.
If you do the math, 64 ounces is essentially half a gallon. So I would be drinking a four pounds of water every day. That did not sound like fun. When I started, I will admit it was difficult to get over the blandness of water having switched from mostly tea and lemonade. After about a week, though, water started to get a “flavor,” so the rush of regret giving up tea and lemonade quickly faded. Nevertheless, I was still drinking four pounds of water, and there certainly consequences to deal with during the 30 days. The one concern I did have was suffering headaches during the transition. I was fortunate to not have any headaches so the transition was easy.
You may be asking then what were the benefits. Strangely enough the benefits were not at all what I expected. The most notable change was in the touch and feel of my skin. My complexion got better, which made shaving easier. My skin got softer and actually looked better. Whenever I visited my mom in Arizona, I would immediately get chapped lips from the dry air there. This time, I had no problems with chapped lips in Arizona for the week I visited. One of the benefits I read about was that drinking only water helps the joints. I was skeptical about that but for me it was true. I had knee replacement surgery two years ago and the area around my new knee always hurt when I got up. After just a week drinking water that pain went away. For me that was the greatest benefit of all.
While there were some tangible benefits from drinking 64 ounces of water every day, there were some not so beneficial results. The first was obvious. Four pounds of water into your body means something has to give. Frequent trips to the bathroom was one consequence. Most of the articles I read touted weight loss during the period of water only consumption. Not only did I find that illusory, it was outright wrong. I actually gained 3 pounds and often felt a bit sloshy.
I ended my experiment after 30 days to reflect on all I learned. I now drink tea and lemonade – a little – but still drink a lot of water. I suspect the long-term benefits of drinking only water will show only if I dedicate myself to that regimen.
Potluck - August 3, 2019
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Welcome to Our New Neighbor and RIFCA Members - Larry and Shelly Fitch
If you driving around River Forest at all, you probably noticed the new house going up to the left of Tom and Robin Evans' home. Our new neighbors wanted to send a message to RIFCA members:
Hi my name is Larry Fitch Jr. My wife and I Shelly Fitch are in the process of building a new house located at 13798 River Forest Drive and plan to move in early 2020. We are a 3rd generation construction company who specialize in full remodeling and new construction. We have lived in Lee County for 32 years. If you have are in need of any type of remodeling services call my son Ryan Fitch with A&R Construction Services LLC. at 239-229-3166 or email arconstruction8181@yahoo.com
Welcome Larry and Shelly to River Forest and RIFCA.
Hi my name is Larry Fitch Jr. My wife and I Shelly Fitch are in the process of building a new house located at 13798 River Forest Drive and plan to move in early 2020. We are a 3rd generation construction company who specialize in full remodeling and new construction. We have lived in Lee County for 32 years. If you have are in need of any type of remodeling services call my son Ryan Fitch with A&R Construction Services LLC. at 239-229-3166 or email arconstruction8181@yahoo.com
Welcome Larry and Shelly to River Forest and RIFCA.
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Summer Dreaming in California – Our Trip out to Santa Barbara
What would summer be without at least a wedding to attend. Julie and I were invited to my nephew’s wedding in Santa Barbara, California in August, so we decided to combine the trip with an opportunity to see two more National Parks. In fact, these two National Parks (Pinnacles and Channel Islands) would complete our journey to see all of the National Parks in the continental United States. We actually only have four National Parks left to see, all in Northern Alaska – the most infrequently visited National Parks in the United States.
But first, we started in Los Angeles. Julie and I met up at LAX as we were flying in from different airports. It took me over 40 minutes to get from my airport hotel two miles away to the American Airlines terminal to meet Julie at 11am. Time and distance in California became a theme for us as the trip continued. Los Angeles traffic is challenging and it is tough to see being 3 miles away from your destination, but expecting to be in traffic for 30-40 minutes.
Julie and I decided to take in a few sights before heading toward Pinnacles National Park. We first had to go see Rodeo Drive. Just outside of Rodeo Drive we saw a sign for an Estate Sale. “We are so going to this Estate Sale,” I said to Julie as she quickly agreed. But alas, there was no sale to be found. We continued to Rodeo Drive and what we encountered really surprised us. We found public parking and walked up and down Rodeo Drive. Nestled inside a community of nice but not fantastic homes were two streets of super high end – and highly decorated – shops. I like walking around shops, but the ambiance was not there. It was not crowded and I did not get a sense of wonder I had hoped for. Julie and I ate lunch at a bistro on Rodeo Drive. It was nice with good food but very pricey. It was time to move on to our next destination.
The Hollywood sign was not far from Rodeo drive, so it was our next destination. All my preparation for this trip really worked against me. We drove into the hills under the Hollywood sign. What I did not anticipate was that the closest view actually involved driving narrow residential streets with no good view of the sign. The better view came from the Griffith Observatory which saw at the end of our trip. The final destination our first day was the La Brea tar pits. The park and museum around the tar pits was actually a lot of fun. The tar pits are just what they sound like. The smell of asphalt hung all over the park. The tar pits are fenced off but if you stand there for long enough you will see bubbling tar coming out of the water. The museum was well worth the hour long tour as you could actually see the scientists carefully looking over the fossils found in the Tar Pits.
Our planned route took us on the inside of California just south of San Jose. Pinnacles National Park is relatively new – about 5 years old – and had some amazing 4-5 mile trails that took us over 1200 feet in elevation. It was an exhausting two days of hiking, but the views were fantastic. The rocky trails were hard to negotiate and one moment of inattention would lead to falling. Julie and I were both victims, she was going forward and I was going backward. In the end I would not consider Pinnacles one of my favorites. It falls somewhere in the bottom 10 National Parks because it is so small and isolated.
From Pinnacles Julie and I took a road trip to the Monterey Peninsula. We stopped in Monterey first but the town was more of a tourist trap. The real show is the 17 mile drive around the peninsula which ended with Pebble Beach. Each stop along the way gave you new vistas of the coast and the Pacific Ocean. We walked along the rocks and beaches and had a wonderful time. We stopped for a late lunch at Pebble Beach. We were two days early for a car auction where the cheapest car was a half a million dollars. We saw some of the cars and you could tell they were gearing up for a very big crowd.
The next day Julie and I continued south down the Pacific Coast Highway stopping at scenic overlooks along the way south to Santa Barbara. The Bixby Bridge with its arch is a favorite stop for tourists and was every bit as stunning as the pictures showed.
We reached Santa Barbara where we would stay the last 5 days of our trip to California. The first day was spent at Channel Island National Park. Channel Islands is unique in the Park system because its attractions are islands most of which have no services on them (water, bathrooms, etc.). Julie and I planned to see three of the islands wrapped around my nephew’s wedding. It took a 1-2 hour boat ride to reach each island. We had 4-5 hours to hike the trails and see the rock formations looking out to the Pacific. These were peaceful walks because there were only about 20-30 other people on the island at a given time.
The second island we visited – Anacapa – was unique in that it had thousands of seagulls all over the island. As you walked on the trail near a group of them, they would let out cry that was deafening. Every two hours, thousands of the seagulls would suddenly take off at the same time. The sky would be filled with the beasts. As we watched, Julie quipped that I needed to keep my mouth closed. After about 10 minutes the seagulls would come back to the island like nothing happened. As fate would have it, Julie was right in her warning. While we waited for our boat, one of the seagulls hit me on the top of the head with its droppings. Yes, it was one of the most disgusting things I experienced. Nevertheless, the peacefulness and remoteness of the island was welcome.
We returned to Fort Myers knowing we have crossed off all the National Parks outside Alaska on our “to travel” list. Next we start to see Europe in 2020.
Board Meetings
October 7
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Potlucks
September 7
October 5
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Snowbirds Dinner
October 26
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Rummage Sale
November 7/8/9
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
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.
