Home Sweet Home – Myakka River Motorcoach Resort (MRMR)

Driving back into Florida gives me the sense of being home (the state even welcomed me personally!):

I’m not sure how to convey to you the past four + months and our adventures with Myakka River Motorcoach Resort (MRMR). So much to discuss. I’m going to break it into sections.

Lot

You may recall that we purchased Lot 51 back in June. We loved the site with the views of the lake, the sunsets, the fountain and the bridge and we wanted to build a casita during the construction period in 2021.

We needed to decide on a plan that we liked so we looked around at other ones already built. During the New Year’s Eve celebration we scoped out a casita that met our desires on Lot 97. We liked it because it tucked the bathroom behind the kitchen. We contacted a builder and an architect to get the drawings started. But, then….

Three days into the New Year, the owners of Lot 97 (with the casita that we liked) decided to sell their lot. Lot 97 is also on the Myakka River and has an extra pergola in the front that can not be duplicated with the current resort architectural standards.

There are beautiful sunsets over the river right from the backyard. I thought that we should put an offer in and I had to talk Katrina into it! We talked with the owners and came to an agreement on January 9th. They were leaving on January 21st, but we weren’t going to close until February 1st. They let us move over to their lot on the 21st! What great trusting people! By the time we closed, we had repainted the interior and the changed trim on the exterior from mustard to dark brown.

On February 1st, the day we closed, our new neighbors threw a “There goes the neighborhood” party.

That’s when we were absolutely sure that we made the right decision!

We decided to sell Lot 51 and in March we had a buyer and closed. The good news is that we sold for a profit of $7,000. Not too bad for owning the lot for nine months!

Excursions

For our Christmas presents, Katrina and I decided to get each other electric bicycles. Based on a recommendation from Alan Godfrey, we zeroed in on the Magnum brand and found some up in Venice.

We purchased them so that we could keep up with all the electric bike owners at MRMR. Good thing because we took numerous bike rides over towards the gulf to have lunch at the Tiki Bar. The electric bikes make it so much more enjoyable (although you don’t quite get the same work out).

A group of us rented kayaks one day and paddled out to Don Pedro Island. We got to paddle through the mangroves which was very interesting to see that type of growth close up. I’m not sure how they grow in the brackish water and no soil. We packed a lunch and spent the afternoon on the beach hunting for shark’s teeth.

Seems to be the thing to do – and we did it!

Katrina’s niece, Macy, who turned pro playing beach volleyball after college had a tournament up in Clearwater Beach so off we went to watch her play. We stayed at Derek and Nikki’s (Katrina’s brother) house in Madeira Beach and drove up to the contest. Katrina’s mom, Rita, and another brother, Darin (Macy’s dad) and his wife Lisa, as well as Katrina’s other brother, Bret, all joined in on the viewing. Since my sister Janis and her husband Steve live close by I called them to join us as well.

Macy didn’t have the tournament that we would have liked, but it was great getting together with so many family members. Best of luck at the next one, Macy!

Another time we took the truck and stayed at the Shell House in Indian Rocks – thank you Laurie Calfee for letting us use your beautiful home – again. Our friends, the Fluharty’s, from Delaware were down in Florida for a field hockey tournament and were able to join us on this adventure.

It was great seeing them and soaking up the sun.

Since we spent the Thanksgiving holiday with our kids in Jackson Hole, we were able to spend Christmas with our good friends from Mundelein, the Hausauer’s (Barry and Rhody) and their Aussie, Ruger.

The Hausauer’s now live in Palm Beach so the trip over was quick and as the dogs got acquainted we were able to catch up on life. The dogs loved playing with each other and it was fun watching them run around and play on the beach together.

Rhody had planned a couple of fun meals. This was not one of them!

Aussie meat? We love our puppies too much!

They took us to the Palm Beach Grill which had excellent food! We don’t really have as many great restaurants near us at MRMR, so eating out in Palm Beach is a treat (although much more expensive)! She booked us at The Breakers for Christmas brunch with a couple of their friends. All you can eat and drink for the low price of 1/2 million – each ha! We had a fantastic time and ate until we were stuffed!

It was great meeting their friends, Deb Breeden and Bill Dalton and Sue and Rob Taylor.

So much FUN! Fun playing dress up and eating a delicious meal! After a wonderful visit, we headed back to MRMR.

Since a number of friends have boats, we had the opportunity to get out on the water numerous times. Each time we got to explore the area by water which gives one a completely different perspective of our new “home”. It is so refreshing being on the water. Being on the water all day usually includes stopping for lunch. The best stop was at the White Elephant while we were on the Fratini’s boat. Carlo can really maneuver the craft into tight spaces! We even got to hear a guy strumming the guitar and I asked him to play “Turn the Page”.

I took a picture of a sign by the bathrooms as I thought that it a funny. Thoughts? Pictures from one of the Kelso’s boat rises:

The most inspiring time that we were on the water was when a couple of boats tied together (Fratini and Kelso) to watch the sun set over the gulf and then about 1/2 an hour later we turned around and watched the full blood moon rise.

Outstanding evening!

Katrina has really improved her pickleball skills and by the end of the season she was confident enough to enter a tournament down in Ft. Myers. She was in a mixed doubles 50+ group and her partner was Larry Smith from MRMR. Since the tournament started at 7am, we decided to spend the night close by and go out for a nice dinner and chose the Deep Lagoon Seafood and Oyster House. Outstanding food! What made the experience much better was that the Fluharty’s were down visiting and they were able to join us. Since rain was forecasted, the tournament was shortened by starting earlier and only playing one game to 15 instead of best of three to 11.

Larry and Katrina didn’t do as well as we had hoped, but the entire weekend was enjoyable.

At MRMR there are a lot of people with dogs (good thing that we have two dog parks). A few times we were able to pack up Bear and head to a dog beach with neighbors, Greg and Sara Macklin and their dog, Lexie. The Macklin’s are also from Illinois and their dog is the reddest golden retriever I’ve ever seen.

The two dogs loved chasing after their toys splashing in the waves. Every time we were there, both dogs came home exhausted and in need of a bath..

The reason we skipped stopping at Disney World on the way down to Florida was because we didn’t want to get exposed to the Corona virus with all the people there. We had planned on going to St. Martin on a vacation in early January and didn’t want to jeopardize our trip. We had invited our friends, the Hausauer’s, to join us for the week. We even found a place to get our pre-flight COVID test to ensure acceptance onto the island. What we didn’t do however was to verify that our passports were still valid. Katrina’s wasn’t – trip postponed. Katrina was able to rebook us for spring break so that Ari, Matt and Keenan could join us. Sorry Rhody and Barry, we will have to wait until next year January for our trip. It is so wonderful spending a week with your adult children, being able to go out to nice dinners and staying out at piano bars and such. Unfortunately, Matt could not join us due to his work. The four of us visited favorite beaches and found a new one that was enjoyable. Same goes for restaurants. This was the first trip back to our timeshare after hurricane Irma in 2017 that devastated the buildings. The updated resort was beautiful and we are still happy with our decision to purchase a timeshare 34 years ago. All in all, we had a wonderful week! I will discuss our vacation in another post titled “St. Martin Vacation”.

There are two Farmer markets close by MRMR. The first one that we found was the Englewood Market opened on Thursdays. What a great place to get fresh vegetables, food and crafts. It’s only about 15 minutes from us and we made the trek a few times over our stay. The second one is in Punta Gorda on Saturdays and it’s about 15 minutes south of us. We only went there once, but really enjoyed the differences between the two. That one was more crafty and it is location near the water where there are many restaurants to have lunch. Both are great and we plan on using them throughout the season.

Towards the end of our stay at MRMR, we were invited to Rachael Horton and Daimeyon Griggs wedding just north of Charlotte, NC. Rachael is the daughter of Cathy Horton, founder of Renegade Brands where Katrina worked and I’m on the Board. After getting our temperature taken (we are still warm blooded mammals – good) we witnessed a beautiful ceremony and awesome reception afterwards. The venue was outstanding!

What a wonderful wedding! Congratulations Rachael and Daimeyon!

Janice Bradley (a BeautiControl gal from Fort Wayne, IN), her son Justin, his wife Ashley and their kids took a spring break vacation in Sarasota. Katrina and I drove up to meet them on the beach!

It was good seeing the beaches opened up again! After the fun in the sun, Janice, Katrina and I went out to dinner so that we could catch up and eat at the Lobster Pot.

Great food!

Activities

To know MRMR is to know pickleball. There are about 30-35 people that play pickleball every morning from 8:30 until 11:30. These are dedicated people. Katrina became one of them. I probably would have as well, but I had a bum back most of the season so I got to watch a lot of the game. If you haven’t played, I can convey to you that it is fun and becoming more popular every year. I like to think of the game as a life-size table tennis (ping pong). Sundays were always the most fun as we turned it into an entire day of activities and drinking. Starting with pickleball and bloody Mary’s, beer, and mimosas to grabbing lunch or bringing it in, then ending up in the pool playing volleyball with an over-sized beach ball until dinner time.

Great fun!

One of the most fun activities that we did was cosmic pickleball where we played at night under black lights. It took some time to set up the courts as each court lines had to be outlined with glow-in-the-dark tape and each net had to be topped with the same. Additionally, we had to string up the black lights and provide electricity to each light. Furthermore, we put the fluorescent tape on our paddles so that we could see where we were hitting. Molly and Jeff Wills provided everyone with white t-shirts that she had painted signs on with fluorescent paint.

We had so much fun that we decided to make it a monthly event next year.

Another activity at MRMR was the annual pickleball tournament which is hosted internally and ran by Bob and Jan Oakley. We utilized all five courts and had six players on each court.

That enabled us to break our players down by ability in groups 1-5, with 1 being the most proficient players. Since they needed an extra player, I was coaxed into playing. I was evaluated to be in group 3. Here’s the kicker: Katrina was in the first grouping as the only female and I was the only male in group 3. Here’s the funny part, I ended up second in my group and won all sorts of coveted prizes.

John and Sherry Murphy hosted a crawfish boil on their site. What a great event and meal! A lot of people had to be shown how to “bite the tail and suck the head”.

Thank you Murphy’s for organizing (and paying) for this wonderful, delicious event!

One of the long term renters this year was Traci Daines who has all sorts of tools to make beautiful cards. She offered her knowledge and taught anyone who wanted learn on numerous evenings.

All the people who attended constructed lovely cards and had a great time in the process. What a great new addition to the MRMR activities list!

Katrina learned to make bracelets at the Newmar International in 2019 and offered her skills teaching others. A number of ladies joined in on the fun and soon enough they all had new wrist jewelry. Here’s a picture of the gals:

Several of them (Molly, Marge, Bouraine, and Bonnie) caught the fever and Molli made so many that I think she started doing them in her sleep!

Traci, Molli and Kat decided to use Traci’s machine to make earrings and asked others to join in. Now the ladies have beautiful jewelry hanging from their ears, as well as on their wrists. What a talented bunch of people that gathered at MRMR for the season! Everyone was so willing to share their skills with their fellow neighbors!

Ann Waterloo is an outstanding painter and shares her skills with others at MRMR. She hosted multiple events and painted all sorts of landscapes.

Ann Hodges hosted a “pet rock” painting course where people painted rocks of their previous and current pets to be placed in the pet memorial within our dog park.

MRMR hosted “dog days” where a local pet shelter brought dogs available for adoption.

The event even featured pet photos and at the end of the event, we paraded to the dog park and placed our pet rocks into the fenced in area.

One of the extremely fun events was the cooking class that a dozen of us attended. We drove down to the culinary school (KitchenSocial) in Fort Myers and learned to make pasta, chicken with asparagus and a dessert.

Bob and I were selected to make the dessert for everyone:

What a fun and delicious event!

Every Friday evening the owners/developers of MRMR, Amber and Ralf Guendwald, host a Meet & Greet where everyone is invited. It’s a great way to for the owners to meet with the temporary residents. Occasionally there are food trucks that most people stop by and visit. Usually very good! On a couple of occasions, there was also a band brought in to play while we socialized.

Special occasions deserve special treatments. For example, due to the Corona virus and no desire to gather indoors with large crowds we decided to have the annual Christmas party outside hosted by different people at their sites. Each host offered drinks and snacks and all of us walked, rode our bikes, or rode our golf carts around the resort stopping at each of the twelve sites.

What delicious food and drinks people came up with. The resort also hosted a “gingerbread house” competition. Each entrant designed and constructed their gingerbread house and there were 12 entries. Katrina received first place in the voting with her take on a Swiss chalet. Here are the entries:

Congrats Katrina!

The next special occasion was New Year’s Eve where we once again had a resort “parade” serving food and drinks at different sites.

Katrina and I, along with Laurie and Steve Chubb offered slice filet mignon on baguettes for our snack and my mom’s famous Southern Comfort punch (and here is her recipe):

Everyone enjoyed stopping by! Wonderful food and drinks all around! Hey, when life gives you lemons, we made lemonade! Another successful evening! Excellent food and drinks. People are so creative.

During the Super Bowl, MRMR hosted a chili cook off where a number of sites participated in the competition. We, of course, where one of the entries. Katrina made a white chicken chili (a recipe she got from Molli), Molli and John Murphy joined together with our presentation, all in front of our new casita and pergola. It was a nice stop for people to try three different takes on the old favorite. Here’s our stop:

John received first place while Katrina got second after all the votes were counted.

On St. Patrick’s Day, MRMR hosted Irish games, Irish music (sort of), and Irish culinary dishes.

There were a number of games like “axe throwing” (actually throwing a hatchet through a hoop), darts, discus (kettle ball), hammer throw (weighted rubber mallet), and cabbage roll. I won the discus and hammer throw. I received fabulous prizes. We also were one of the food stops. I smoked a corned beef and made a BBQ/mustard sauce that received rave reviews! The food part was not a competition, but I have to say that I outdid myself with that creation.

The people that owned the casita that we purchased, Mike and Carol Johnson, hosted a wine tasting event before they left MRMR.

What a great event! The Johnson’s sure know their wine. Thank you for hosting this event and sharing your knowledge!

Even when there are no official events, MRMR creates them. One such event was having people host snacks and/or drinks from their home state or town. We again hosted a stop and decided to bring in Portillo’s Italian beefs with sweet peppers and giardiniera hot pepper mix.

Since Tracey lived in Chicago, she was so excited to help and eat Port’s! Most of the MRMR folks had never had an Italian beef before and thought that it was delicious! Not a competition, but we won!

Every week there is an official game night at the MRMR clubhouse. We have never been to that one. However, there was a group of us that regularly met up to plays games at night. Here’s a picture of us playing “Pigs” at our house one night:

What fun, from large LCR, to poker, pool, charades, and the familiar card games. Katrina ordered a new game called “Oh Frock” which was a huge success. It’s like an adult version of “Uno” as there are action cards that change the rules each game played. Simple and fun to play, I highly recommend playing it!

One night, MRMR hosted a comedy event at Visani’s which is a steakhouse and comedy club. About 25 of us attended and we had a little section in the back.

The food was very good and the comedy sketches were even better. We listened to two different comics who were hilarious! On the way home some of us saw a very pale full moon. Everyone had a wonderful time!

While this last one is not an official activity, I wanted to include it as it occurred very often. Bear loves riding in golf carts and since we don’t own one, we had to either borrow our neighbors and drive him around or our neighbors would just stop by and take him for a ride. It’s too funny when Bear hops into anyone’s golf cart and expects a ride. He sits up pretty in the front seat, gives the driver kisses and just looks around like he’s the king of Sheba.

It’s hilarious.

Visitors

Once we purchased Lot 97 and had the casita, we had a place for people to stay and visit with a separate bathroom and pull out sofa. The following people came to visit:

Since we visited with Barry and Rhody Hausauer for Christmas, they came to visit us and brought Ruger as well. We had a great, relaxing time and they joined in on our activities. They got to watch the MRMR Pickleball tournament, plays games, went to the dog park and hit the beaches.

We were able to take them to the restaurant South Beach down on Boca Grande which sits right on the gulf beach. Great place to eat with great food and beautiful views! We also took them to the Prime Serious Steak restaurant for a wonderful dinner. Not quite as yummy as one would find in Palm Beach, but pretty close (and a lot less expensive). It was our first time there and we will definitely go back. At the end of the Hausauer’s stayed they told us that MRMR reminded them of our neighborhood in Mundelein, IL where we had a ton of fun throughout the years.

Katrina’s mom, Rita, came up to see us and our new place. Rita lives in North Naples so it wasn’t a very long drive for her. She brought her dog, Toby, to visit as well to check our place out. We were lucky enough to use a golf cart from the Kenley’s for the duration of mom’s stay which made life easier. Thank you, Kenleys! While mom was there she was able to watch Katrina play pickleball – she stated that it reminded her of when Katrina played tennis and she watched endless games then, always a proud mom.

We were able to take mom out for meals; including South Beach, Big Bamboo and we tried a new place called Ken and Barb’s Grove City Kitchen which is on an inlet of the Intercoastal waterway. Rita really enjoyed our place and the resort!

The Jaroch’s, Kathy and Gregg, also came to visit, a couple that we knew from Libertyville (Kathy was also our dentist). They are nearing retirement and have been investigating different areas of Florida for possible locations. Last year they were up in the panhandle and really liked the area but thought that it might be a bit chilly during the winter months. We took them down to Boca Grande (lunch at South Beach) and drove around showing them the barrier island.

We kept looking up houses for sale and they couldn’t believe what one could get for the prices. “Old” Florida is still somewhat affordable compared to the new Florida areas (Sarasota, Ft. Myers, Naples, etc.). We also took them to Manasota Key and checked out the properties around that area. We got caught in an unusual rain shower so we headed into the Sand Bar for a drink to let it pass. I think that the Jaroch’s liked the area and will be back to explore more of what the area has or offer.

Kevin and Kathleen Fluharty came by to see us when they were down visiting Kevin’s family in the area. They got to see our place and meet some of our new friends at MRMR. We took them out for dinner at the Big Bamboo and the next day we spent time at the beach in Boca Grande, of course having lunch at South Beach. We also had the opportunity to get a bike ride in down to the Tiki Bar.

It’s a good thing that we kept our old bikes so that four of us can ride together. We got our agenda’s crossed as they came on the same weekend that Katrina had entered the pickleball tournament in Ft. Myers. It was a good thing that we were able to expand our reservation at the Deep Lagoon so that they could meet us there for the wonderful meal.

Joe and Michelle Midolo (whom we met the previous year at Anchor’s Down in TN) stopped by with their coach and were able to get the spot right next to us. Joe helped us out when our entry door failed and I had to drill the latch in order to get back in to the Busse Bus. We have kept in contact with them via Facebook ever since. We took the Midolo’s to the typical places we visit when we have guests (Boca Grande and South Beach restaurant) and The Sandbar for some live music.

I guess we need to expand our horizons and find other locations to take visitors, but it’s hard when the ones that we have found are so much fun, beautiful and the food there is excellent. Unfortunately, the Midolo’s didn’t have a lot of time with us, but I think that they will return next season.

Brian and Kathy Wendt stopped by for a visit. We know them from Keenan and their son, Tommy, played soccer together at the University of Illinois. We got to really know them from the the trips that we took with the team multiple years in a row when they reached the season ending tournaments.

Mary and Frank Buscalucci and Dan and Sara Allen came by early during our stay. We met the Buscalucci’s, along with the Chubb’s, at our first Newmar International Rally in 2018. Here’s a picture of the girls:

Unfortunately, they were with us when we were just purchasing the Casita so we were really busy and we weren’t able to spend a lot of time with them on this visit.

A couple that we met last year in Spearfish, Shug and Blair Bury, stopped by MRMR on their way down to Pelican Lake Motorcoach Resort in Naples. They were able to park their coach for a few hours as we showed them around our resort. They really liked what they saw and had wished that they booked at MRMR instead of Pelican for January as their resort was much more closed due to COVID-19. We have talked to them afterwards and Pelican did open up after some time and they were able to enjoy their friends there that they had made over the years.

Responsibility – ACC

Because of my background and education, I joined the MRMR Architectural Control Committee (ACC) where we (three of us owners) approve landscaping and casita plans. It’s been an interesting ride so far as we are trying to adhere to the architectural standards set forth by the developers and the county. In the past the standards were not strictly enforced which makes it difficult to explain why new requests must comply when some sites did not conform in the past. I think that we are making headway (we have allowed some variances when the requests make sense). It was also a great way for me to get to know the other two members very well, as well as other owners and the developer.

Restaurants

I wanted to briefly write up the restaurants that we patronized over the season. It will help us remember which ones we tried.

Big Bamboo – excellent Thai and Sushi just across the street. Our server, Leo, was outstanding the first time we went there with Molli and Jeff and we asked for his table every other time we went. Great place that we went to with large groups.

Leo even joined us at our table at the end of his shift! The “Love Boat” was our favorite dish and we seemed to order it every time.

Plaza Mexico – allegedly the best Mexican restaurant around.

Not really, but good margaritas. We need to find a better place for Mexican food.

Buffalo Wings & Rings – the boys went here when the girls were crafting one night. Good place if you like wings.

South Beach – excellent place on the beach in Boca Grande. Fantastic food, especially the appetizers like Shrimp Escargot and Baja Shrimp. Great grouper sandwiches. THE place to take visitors.

Sand Bar – on Manasota Key. Great pub food with music across the street from the gulf. Good place to take visitors. Nice to eat lunch with your feet in the sand!

White Elephant – just down the street from the Sand Bar. Decent food. Live music. Boat dock.

The Waverly – higher end restaurant near the Sand Bar with occasional music.

Farlows on the Water – on an inlet with fantastic food. Fusion of Caribbean and South US flavors. Great place to take visitors.

Ken & Barb’s Grove City Kitchen – we only made it there once, excellent lunch food. Try the burgers and craft beer.

Waterside Grill – Tiki Hut – on the road to Boca Grande. Boat marina. On bike path. Good food.

Serious Prime Steak – only went there one time with the Hausauer’s. Good steaks and atmosphere. Excellent mixologist and you can sit at the bar.

The Lighthouse – we went there for Katrina’s birthday with the Smith’s (Larry and Bouraine) and the Stewart’s (Cub and Marge). The place is on the water, offers a nice seafood selection, fun bar, and room for a band.

Good place to catch the sunset with a drink.

Landy’s – Seafood place on an inlet. We only went there once with the Serrino’s (Mike and Jeanine) and Tracey Ritter. We had a wonderful meal. We didn’t sit at the bar, but it looked like it could be fun for an evening.

Beach Road Wine Bar & Bistro – only went there twice and both times we had a very enjoyable time. It’s located on the way to Manasota Key and sits on the water. They have boats rentals. Seating outdoors so only go in good weather.

Although not a restaurant, I wanted to tell you about what I smoked because I had read wonderful reviews. A watermelon! Yep, I smoked a watermelon!

I psyched people up about it all day and they stopped by around 5 to try it. It looked great! It tasted like it came from our black water tank! Total failure! Never again!

People

This section is to briefly discuss people that we have met at MRMR.

Bonnie and Carlo Fratini own across the street and were one of the original owners at MRMR. Their home state is Massachusetts- so east coasters. Beautiful casita! Liberty Coach.

Stayed all year last year due to COVID, so they bought a beautiful boat to get out on the water during the extremely hot months.

Molli and Jeff Wills own across the street on a pad. They have an Allegro Bus and a jeep. From Georgia and they are still running a Wealth Management company there.

Probably the youngest owners at MRMR. Molli and Katrina definitely became besties this season!!

Jan and Bob Oakley own next to the Wills across from us. “Pickleball Bob” has justly earned his nickname as he is on the courts everyday and both him and Jan organized the tournament for MRMR.

They also have an Allegro Bus. Their daughter, Tiffany, surprised them by visiting during their birthday weekend in early March. They plan on building a casita this summer.

Laurie and Steve Chubb were long term renters that ended up purchasing a lot down the street from us. We met them during our first rally (Newmar International) in Gillette, WY in June 2018. We have traveled to numerous locations with them and told them about MRMR. So happy that they loved the place as well as we did and purchased so that we get to see them annually.

Steve (Chubbs) likes to smoke and grill so we will have great time creating meals next season. They hail from Kansas and still have a home there.

Sherry and John Murphy were long term renters this year that fell in love with MRMR and purchased a lot across the street from us. They hail from Colorado and are outdoorsy with kayaks and a jeep.

They hosted a crawfish boil and love to cook as they won the Chili Cook-off this year. It will be fun creating meals with them next season. There little dog, Teddy, gets a lot of attention from everyone as he is very cute. They plan on building a casita this summer.

Jeanine and Mike Serrino own directly across the street from us and they built their casita two years ago. I think that they are the only owners to drive a Beaver. Mike loved giving Bear a golf cart ride and would ask us if he could take the “kid” out. Thanks Uncle Mike! They still have a place in Tennessee with a house boat. We plan on visiting them and going out on their boat this spring.

Cub and Marge Stewart own on Lake 3 and they also gave Bear golf cart rides. The Stewart’s hail from Pennsylvania and still own a house there. They have enhanced their lot through pavers, outdoor furniture and landscaping, it is very beautiful! The Stewart’s accompanied us on Katrina’s birthday.

Cub has a thousand hilarious stories regarding his background. Marge sits on the Clubhouse redesign committee with Katrina and Bouraine.

Larry and Bouraine Smith also hail from Pennsylvania and own on Lake 3.

They have built arguably the nicest casita at MRMR- the lanai is wonderful! They drive a Mountain Aire from Newmar. They still own a construction company in Penn and have a rental building in Colorado. Because Larry likes to grill, we were able to have a number of delicious meals at their place with a number of participants. The best being Mexican – I guess we found the place to eat Mexican when we get the itch. Bouraine is also on the Clubhouse redesign committee with Katrina and Marge.

Tami and Kim Mulder own a lot on Lake 1 a few sites away from the Kenley’s. They are building a casita this summer. They also own a construction company and hail from Michigan. We met Tami last year and got to know her more on a bike ride. This year we went out to dinner with them and Tami drove us there in her Tesla. My first time in that brand and she showed us all the fun gadgets that come with it.

Ann and Dave Waterloo – Ann is our local artist who hosts several painting parties teaching everyone who attends. We enjoyed several dinners and outings with them!! They also bought a lot on Lake 3 this year.

Antoinette and Wayne Smalley – Antoinette is on the Social committee and Wayne is on the board. Both of them are dedicated to making MRMR a better place to rent and own. They are on Lake 2.

Greg and Sara Macklin rented this year for the first time and have already booked for next year. That is great news for us, especially Bear as their dog Lexie and Bear like to go to the dog beach together. We look forward to spending more time with them next year!!

The Macklin’s still have a permanent residence in Illinois.

Ruth and Ron Sherman have been renting at MRMR for six months for the past six years. Although not owners, they have become a “permanent “ fixture at the resort. Ron is also a permanent fixture at the pickleball courts. They take our activities like the Christmas and New Year’s parades to a higher level with the way they go all out. For example, they decorated their golf cart like a train engine for the Christmas parade! It was outstanding!

Debbie and Mark Hildenburg rented and then purchased a lot across from Lake 2 this year. Mark is a grill master and always grills some very tasty treats for our get togethers. He is serious competition that I will need to step up my game for. Debbie volunteers on the social committee organizing our resort activities.

Peg and Larry McBean also bought a corner lot on Lake 2 this year. They also own at Old Beau in North Carolina where we visited two years ago and really liked one lot, but we didn’t purchase it as we weren’t ready yet. The funny thing is that the McBean’s purchased that lot. It is a small world after all. Larry also serves on the ACC with me.

Ann and Ron Hodges have been long term renters at MRMR on the Myakka River about five lots down from us. They also purchased the lot that they have been staying on.

I guess the purchase fever hit a lot of people this year. They organize great bike rides!

Across the street from the Hodges are Tom and Alice Clark who have also been renting for years and decided to purchase this year. Tom purchased a drone and had fun delivering a can of beer to his neighbors and candy to some of the visiting grand kids at Easter. Special deliveries! We will be meeting them at the Balloon Festival and traveling with them to Moab!

Tris and Jim Johnson own on Lake 2 and have been coming to MRMR for years. Jim heads up the ACC. Thank goodness as he is very dedicated and writes up our responses very well.

We have our resort doctor, Mike and his wife Koleen, owning across from Lake 3. Mike is the first one helping anyone who gets injured (particularly on the pickleball courts). We are glad to have him at the resort.

Traci and Gary Daines came to MRMR this year for the season for the first time. They were working remotely due to COVID and really added a touch of youth to the resort.

Their enthusiasm really got us older folks off our seats! They now own a home near Myakka.

Jessie and Kris Milton also came to MRMR for the season while they worked remotely. They found our resort because Kris’ parents live close by.

Jessie is the CIO for the University of Oregon so we had a lot to talk about. Their youthfulness and enthusiasm were contagious playing games until the wee hours of the morning.

Sheila and Alan Godfrey, who we traveled with earlier in the year came by for about month. Alan was working remotely so he wasn’t able to participate in a lot of the activities that MRMR has to offer.

It was good to be able to show them around the area and we were able to get out for dinner a few times.

Well, I know that this post is a bit long, but trying to encapsulate four + months into a single post has been difficult. Perhaps next year I will do multiple posts throughout our stay. I hope that you got the feeling that we really enjoy this place that we found and are now able to call “home”. If I forgot to mention anyone or any activity that we participated in, I’m truly sorry. I’m sure I didn’t include some photos as well.

On the road again…