Christmas Decorators

If you happen to walk into the clubhouse anytime soon, you'll see the results of the 30 or more dedicated residents who came together Sunday afternoon to set up the trees, the creche, and decorate the hall for this wonderful Christmas Season. In the Information Room, there is a board for posting your Christmas card. There is no reason whatsoever to deliver 2 dozen cards or more to your neighbors. We are GOING GREEN... eliminating paper.

Outlook editor Judy Webb snapped a marvelous photo of the "Memory Tree" which is appearing on the cover of the December Outlook. All residents are encouraged to add a family ornament to the Memory Tree

Please link to Club Regency for more photos.

Christmas Lighting Contest

The Bayside West Neighborhood Association is having it 3rd annual outdoor Christmas Lighting Contest. Decorate your house and we will be around to judge the houses on the weekend of December 12-13. President Jerry Frankhouser will be in the park that weekend for house judging.

Prehistoric Canoe Found at Weedon Island

1,100-Year-Old Prehistoric Canoe Found in
Pinellas County, Florida
Buried in the sand along the shoreline, a prehistoric pine canoe was found on Weedon Island Preserve, located on the southeast region of the peninsula that is Pinellas County on Tampa Bay.
An early mode of transportation, the canoe is attributed to the late Weeden Island Culture (alternative spelling) of Florida Gulf Coast dwellers. Measuring 39-feet, 11-inches in length, but believed to have been upwards of 45 feet in total, the pine canoe holds the distinction of the longest prehistoric canoe ever found in Florida. The canoe features a raised bow that indicates the canoe was used on open water. Under the canoe, a pine pole, used perhaps for paddling, poling, and/or docking the canoe, was also unearthed and dated to the same prehistoric period, approximately 1,100 years ago.
Local Pinellas County resident, Harold Koran, discovered the canoe while fishing among the Weedon Island Preserve’s mangroves. Many other investigators and archeologists from across the state have been called in.Only a pre-excavation dig was
performed, along with thorough radiocarbon dating and wood sampling, which confirmed the wood as pine, a prevalent local timber after which the county of Pinellas is named.

“This discovery expands our understanding and the significance of the not-well-known people of the Weeden Island Culture,” said Dr. Bruce Rinker, Environmental Lands director for Pinellas County. “A tremendous thank-you is owed to
the team involved with the research and documentation of this discovery, including Dr. Robert Austin, Dr. Donna Ruhl,and the Friends of Weedon Island, who helped provide supplies and radiocarbon dating.”

Using Strong Words

The next time you cut your finger chopping vegetables, or hit your thumb with a hammer, go ahead and let out a few expletives. British researchers at Keele University reported that swearing may increase your pain tolerance. It was discovered that swearing may trigger a fight-or-flight response that aids in reducing your body's perception to pain. Go figure.

Blessed Thanksgiving To All

(This is the 500th post of this blog. I'm glad that this is a special occasion)


The newest issue of Time magazine, coming out in a few days, will feature a cover story entitled "The Decade From Hell". In another month, our nation will be closing up a tumultuous decade, one that began with the worst terrorist attack on our nation, proceeded into multi-military conflicts in the Mid-East, and is ending up with the financial ruin of many of our primary businesses, industries, and, oh hell, the nation, as well. Unemployment is unprecedented, in MY lifetime.

It may be difficult to reflect upon the reasons to give Thanks on this day. Indulge me a moment while I consider this:

I have a wonderful husband who loves me, supports the things I do, and tolerates all the time I spend away from home, working on boards and committees, avoiding housework. I have a loving son and a family who miss me, and love the days we actually get to spend together. I have friends, here and back home, who know me and understand me, and love me in spite of myself. I live in a wonderfully diverse community. There are movers and shakers, whiners and complainers, and a few folks just hiding out all alone, but we all co-habit the same lovely residential community, and respect eachothers' individuality. I am honored to be serving on the board of directors with 8 other individuals who each have a passion to serve their community. We are just as diverse in our thinking as the community we serve. We have a manager and maintenance crew who are industrious and flexible, able to respond to emergencies, sudden demands, and resident needs, at the drop of a hat. I belong to a church; I am able to worship, hold hands and pray with my friends and neighbors, whenever I want.

My "Decade from Hell" may include some unexpected job transitions, an eventual retirement, a bout with malignant melanoma, my mother-in-law's death, my mother's death, and a move to Florida, involving a total change in life style. It truely is NOT any sort of decade-from-Hell... It's just 10 years in the life of..... little old me.

All considered, I am truely blessed.

I hope that you all are able to find some comfort in your reflections on this Thanksgiving day, and the decade. The official future predictions are: It can only get better! God bless you all, and have a meaningful day. Its not about the food, today is all about Thanks.

Palm Tree Update

A huge THANK YOU goes out to the volunteers who planted the 11 palms today: Barb and Jerry Williams, Roger Des Rosiers, Manny Maldonado, and Mike Ross. In a little over an hour the seven Sylvesters were planted on Pelican Point.


Barb Williams christened her new golf cart acting as water girl, shuffling buckets up and down the point.



There are actually 4 new palms at the pool, these three Chinese Fans, and a Sylvester on the other side of the pump house. These should eventually provide some cool shady spots around this area.



We will need volunteers to bring water out to the Point this entire weekend, if it doesn't continue raining. Call Sandy Ross to help out.

Volunteers Needed to Plant Palms

Through a remarkable donation to the park, we were able to pick up 11 beautiful palms today at a palm tree nursery in Plant City. Eight of the palms cost $5 each, those are called Sylvester Palms, and they were placed on Pelican Point. Three remarkable Chinese Fan Palms were also purchased for $20 each. If the economy wasn't so bad, they would normally wholesale at $49. The Chinese fans will grace the pool area, and soften the landscape there.




I had a delightful field trip out to the dump with our maintenance man Mike Barnes this morning. This will be another story for the Outlook sometime soon. After the truck was emptied, we continued on to Plant City. The owner Cecil met us with the tractor and helped get the trees over to the truck for Mike to load. Despite fire ants and some nasty thorns, our brave Mike loaded the the truck to the top.




Volunteers are needed tomorrow morning on Pelican Point, at 8:30 am to plant and water them. Please wear long pants, long sleeves, GLOVES, and eyewear, and bring your shovel. If you can't dig, stop by and bring refreshments or some words of encouragement. We LOVE our volunteers in Regency Cove. Watch tomorrow for photos.

OUR BLOG

Approximately one and 1/2 years ago, our blog was born. There were many that were against it, for whatever reason. However, with almost 42000..forty two thousand.... hits since its birth, obviously the majority are very interested in its content. Thats over 2300 hits per month, and 78 his PER DAY. Keep up the good work "Living in Paradise".

Sinkholes Already?

This photo was taken Saturday November 21, 2009 on Pelican Point. Can you believe it?

2010 Census to Begin Soon

WARNING: 2010 Census Cautions from the Better Business Bureau
Be Cautious About Giving Info to Census Workers

With the U.S. Census process beginning, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) advises people to be cooperative, but cautious, so as not to become a victim of fraud or identity theft. The first phase of the 2010 U.S. Census is under way as workers have begun verifying the addresses of households across the country. Eventually, more than 140,000 U.S. Census workers will count every person in the United States and will gather information about every person living at each address including name, age, gender, race, and other relevant data.
The big question is - how do you tell the difference between a U.S. Census worker and a con artist? BBB offers the following advice:
If a U.S. Census worker knocks on your door, they will have a badge, a handheld device, a Census Bureau canvas bag, and a confidentiality notice. Ask to see their identification and their badge before answering their questions. However, you should never invite anyone you don't know into your home.
Census workers are currently only knocking on doors to verify address information. Do not give your Social Security number, credit card or banking information to anyone, even if they claim they need it for the U.S. Census.
REMEMBER, NO MATTER WHAT THEY ASK, YOU REALLY ONLY NEED TO TELL THEM HOW MANY PEOPLE LIVE AT YOUR ADDRESS.
While the Census Bureau might ask for basic financial information, such as a salary range, YOU DON'T HAVE TO ANSWER ANYTHING AT ALL ABOUT YOUR FINANCIAL SITUATION. The Census Bureau will not ask for Social Security, bank account, or credit card numbers, nor will employees solicit donations. Any one asking for that information is NOT with the Census Bureau.
AND REMEMBER, THE CENSUS BUREAU HAS DECIDED NOT TO WORK WITH ACORN ON GATHERING THIS INFORMATION.. No Acorn worker should approach you saying he/she is with the Census Bureau.
Eventually, Census workers may contact you by telephone, mail, or in person at home. However, the Census Bureau will not contact you by Email, so be on the lookout for Email scams impersonating the Census.
Never click on a link or open any attachments in an Email that are supposedly from the U.S. Census Bureau.
For more advice on avoiding identity theft and fraud, visit http://www.bbb.org/

Gasparilla Planning Meeting

Arrrgh! Its that time of year again. Captain Ron Jeffries is calling for volunteers to meet in the hall Thursday, Nov 19 at 2:30pm. The Gasparilla Planning Krewe is having its first meeting of the season to outline the upcoming activities. Please stop in. EVERYONE is welcome!

Club Regency Thanksgiving Dinner

The clubhouse earlier this evening held 200 Club Regency members and guests for the annual Thanksgiving meal. For photos and additional information, please visit the link below:

http://clubregency.blogspot.com/

November 11 Veterans Ceremony

A huge Regency Cove thank you goes out to Mary Lou Mittel for organizing a wonderful Salute to Veterans ceremony last Wednesday! Within a matter of days, Mary Lou put together a solemn and very personal program that truely touched the hearts of all who attended. Our park has the distinction of having surviving veterans who served the Armed Forces of two nations. The U.S. and Canadian vets again served side-by-side this Veterans Day (Rememberance Day in Canada) to share stories, songs, and living memories in the clubhouse.

I don't have all the names of everyone who participated. (A family emergency pulled me away just the night before.) I wish to thank everyone who shared their talents or fought their shyness to contribute to this moving occasion. Next year, may it be ever greater.

Thank you Ed Bedore, for running back home for your camera, so we have these shots for posterity.

Block Captains Get Ready

All block captains will be required to pick up handouts on Friday. Ruth will be getting in touch with you today. You will have 3 days to pass out the budget items to all the shareholders, and by Monday morning, return any leftovers to the Office. They need to be in the mail Monday morning. Thanks for your service!

Interesting Facts About the Bay

Tampa Bay is the largest open-water estuary in Florida, encompassing nearly 400 square miles, and bordering 3 counties, Hillsborough, Manatee, and Pinellas. The bay's sprawling watershed covers a land area nearly 5 times as large, at 2200 square miles.

More than 100 tributaries flow into Tampa Bay, including dozens of meandering, brackish-water creeks, and 4 major rivers (the Hillsborough, Alafia, Manatee and Little Manatee).

A single quart of bay water may contain as many as 1 million phytoplankton-microscopic, single-celled plants that are an essential thread to the "who eats whom" marine food web.

Mangrove-blanketed islands in Tampa Bay support the most diverse colonial water-bird nesting colonies in North America, annually hosting 40,000 pairs of 25 species of birds, from the familiar white ibis and great blue heron to the regal reddish egret, the rarest heron in the nation.

Each square meter of bay sediment contains an average of 10,000 animals - mostly tiny, burrowing worms, crustaceans, and other mud-dwellers known as benthic invertebrates. The most numerous creatures in the bay sediment are a primitive, fishlike invertebrate about 2 inches long called branchiostoma. One of the organization's most tangible success stories has been its oyster dome program.

We are so fortunate to live in a very healthy and prolific area of marine life in Tampa Bay. It is our responsibility to care for and nurture our marine neighbors, both flora and fauna. We need to stop dumping our fertilizers and pestisides into the bay, with our run-off. There are still areas in Regency Cove where rooftop run-off runs directly into the bay. All the Florida-Friendly literature tells us to divert our rooftop waters into the ground to filter out impurities. If anyone still has a gutter-line draining directly to the seawall, and our beautiful Bay, please consider redirecting your over-flow through the ground.

There is a link to the right directing you to Florida Neighborhoods for landscaping issues.

Honoring Fort Hood

"Members of the Fort Hood family in Texas are doing what they do best when they are not on the front lines to protect the United States of America: They are tending to each other -- patching the wounds, sharing what must be shared, and figuring out what all military families must figure out: how to move forward.

"This is what happens in every military community that has taken fire and lost soldiers, at home or overseas, and Fort Hood is the big dog of military communities. The largest active-duty armored post in the U.S. Armed Services sprawls across 350 square miles tucked in among the hills and lakes of central Texas. Fort Hood has long been known as "The Great Place" for reasons of size, scope and spirit.
"All of that is under a tough spotlight today as military and civilian members of The Great Place remain wrenched by Thursday's carnage caused by one of their own. They are wondering why this happened, and they are wondering what it will take to move forward.
They will move forward. This is what the military does, and they help each other.
With trouble on post, with military men and women deployed in troubled places, and with Veterans Day approaching on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, all of us can help. Do so, please.
Send donations:
--- The Central Texas-Fort Hood Chapter of Association of the U.S. Army has set up a "Community Response to 11/5 Fund" for anyone wishing to make monetary donations to help support the families of the victims involved in Thursday's shooting. Make checks payable to the Central Texas-Fort Hood Chapter, Association of the U.S. Army, and send them to Community Response to 11/5, P.O. Box 10700, Killeen, TX 76547. Donations are tax-deductible. The tax identification number is 530193361.
0r:
Chaplain's Fund Office, Building 44, 761st Tank Battalion Ave., Fort Hood, TX 76544-5000. Make checks payable to "CTOF" (Chapel's Tithes and Offerings Fund) with a note on the memo line stating "Nov. 5 Tragedy." "

http://www.thetowntalk.com

Finance Committee Meeting Sunday

A Finance Committee meeting will be held in Goodwin Hall on Sunday afternoon at 3:30pm. Please try to attend.

Budget Meeting

Another of the series of 2010 Budget Meetings is scheduled for Tuesday at 1oam. This whole process has been an uphill battle for the board of directors. Hopefully this will be the final meeting. Once approved by the board, it will be mailed out to the membership 14 days before the December meeting.

Nov 11 Veteran's Day

It has been many years since Regency Cove has honored its veterans on this holiday designated just for them. We have nothing planned for this day. If there is anyone willing to share the responsibility of a small program in the hall on the morning of Nov 11, I am sure I can find a few other people, and board members to join in. We could use a color guard for posting the flag, and maybe a speaker.

Please leave a comment below, call my home (see directory under Ross) or stop in the Office with your offer for help. If you won't offer to help, we'll never be able to pull it off. Just offer to give a little of your talent. Thanks. LiP.