BACK TO SCHOOL - HELP THE KIDS

That V. W. Neighbor lady I know showed me these school supplies she had just purchased. Some was for her grand kids, and the rest, She told me, was for the "School Supply Drive" hosted at our Town Center Aug 15, 2008.

A good old neighborhood dance will also be on tap this date with doors opening at 6:00pm These events are always fun, so grab a neighbor and go have fun. Cost $5.00

Don't forget this is a BYOB event. That makes for more fun.

HARD ROCK CASINO TRIP - OUT OF GAS

V.W. Resident "sorta" expected to run out of money, but he never expected to run out of gas. Well both expectations were achieved on Saturday during the Verona Walk excursion to the Hard Rock Casino.

The above bus pulled out of our community about 8:15 am and got us to the casino around 10:30 am. Everything was fine. We got vouchers for lunch, and our tickets to play the games. It was the "poker machines" that held this writers attention for almost 90 minutes on their dime. Finally it was lunch time - time to rest the eyes, feed the stomach, and then go back and "beat" those machines. Well it didn't happen. The Seminoles' cleaned me out of my gambling funds - $20. At least they didn't "Scalp me." It was a good day. This is where the story should end, but there is more.

Our coach pulled out, and headed West on Alligator Alley. At mile marker 84 we pulled to the right. I assumed this was so we could get a better look at the jungle, and wild life. The plants were beautiful, but then we got the word that: The bus ran out of gas. The A/C no longer cooled. The passengers got to know each other better as the temperature rose; and through the open door came a herd of "wild mosquitoes" that caused some agitation. There was nothing to worry about as a "rescue mission" had been deployed.

Everyone stayed calm and in their seats. There was nowhere to go, and who knew what was in crawling in the tall grass. Our hostess served chips and candy, but ran out of those "crunch bars" too quick. That could have been a crisis at least for this reporter, but he kept his cool. The lady made a few more friends during this adventure because she did an exceptional job.

The rescue bus arrived about fifty minutes after our "S.O.S.' We were fortunate to have a retired N.Y.P.D. officer on boarded. He assisted us as we made the trek through that tall jungle grass. It will be taller for sure, when the story gets told to our grandchildren. Then it may contain a snake or two, and a "Gator" for sure.

It didn't take long to get us home. We got out where we boarded: Town Center. Everyone seemed a mixture of: tired, relieved, and glad to be home. In the end It was still A GOOD DAY, and on Monday it got better. That nice travel lady announced everyone on board the bus would receive a free trip on Aug 23rd. Great Job. What could be better? Maybe more "crunch bars."

HAVE A LAUGH

V.W.'s good friend up North called to say he was sore.

I asked, "What happened?"

He said, " My wife hit me with a pot."

I said, "Why?"

He advised, "She demanded to go out to some place expensive, so I took her to a gas station. When we got home, she hit me with the pot."

SAFETY TIP: TELEPHONE SCAM

A friend up the street just showed V.W. Resident This story in the newspaper. Neighbors may recall a similar report a number of months ago. At that time the Sheriff's Office warned Collier County residents to B.O.L.O. (be on the lookout) for a specific scam in our area. Well they have repeated the warning regarding a scam aimed at elderly women. This is how it seems to work:

" The Scammer calls victim and states he is a Sheriff's Officer working on a "drug case." He tells the Lady he is an undercover Sheriff's Officer and out of contact with his HQ. He needs immediate help and asks her to assist him. She is requested to go to her bank and make a specific withdrawal. She is told to bring the funds to a public location, where the undercover officer will take her money. He will then "make a buy" and shortly thereafter make an arrest of the bad guy. Once the lady gives the "officer" her funds he leaves to make the false drug deal. At this point the lady has been "taken for a ride."

Most of the victims are recently widowed females, aged 80 years or older.

This past week the Collier Sherriff's Office has again asked residents to be aware of this Scam. The Sheriff has advised anyone getting such a call to notify his office at 793 9300 or crime stoppers at: 1 800 780 TIPS

TOWN CENTER TO HOST SEMINAR ON REFINANCING

V.W. Resident just made a trip to Town Center, and noted this posting advertising a seminar on July 30, 2008 at 1:00 pm.

The focus is on: monthly house payments, credit card bills. mortgage debt and more. Considering our "hurting" Economy, and the housing situation in SW Florida, this seminar appears to be one of interest.

The number for registering is 248 4049

V.W. will be there.

COUNTRYWIDE BANK HAS LEGAL PROBLEMS - BUT HOME SALES IMPROVING

This may be of interest to "friends and neighbors" here in "The Walk" if you have, or had, a mortgage with Countrywide Bank.

In Tallahassee, Attorney General Bill McCollum said, his office will pursue charges against Countrywide for "misleading and unfair trade practices." Other states, California and Illinois to be specific, earlier this year filed charges against the bank for "persuading homeowners to apply for "risky mortgages far beyond their means."

This is interesting as Countrywide is a huge nationwide money lender and their mortgages are part of our SW Florida environment. On the other side of the coin Naples' home sales are said to be improving, but at a lower average selling price.

FOLLOW UP TO "POST" ON REPLACEMENT PLANTS

A V.W. READER has asked who should be contacted regarding replacement plants within our community.

The best answer is to make a personal call to the office of the Town Manager.

A REAL "HIP" GUY

V.W. RESIDENT has this "friend" over on the next street. Sometimes this guy is a real "pain in the ..." Well neighbors, we can't say that anymore. It's no longer true.

This guy was a regular at Town Center's Seven Dollar Dances. He loved "chasing women," and getting them out on the floor to "shake it up a tad." As he did, i t became evident that he could only "shake it" at half speed. So a plan was developed: He would go "bionic;" bring the ladies into the house; and then make them feel like "The Queen (s) of the Hop."

The plan worked. V.W. Neighbor got a complete hip replacement. He is now into the second phase of his grand plan - "Dancing with the Stars."

XL Care ( 2640 Golden Gate Pkwy, Suite 206, Naples FL) was contacted to provide help with dance moves at the"local ballroom." Right from the start it was clear as to who leads. The ladies won that right. They also got to pick the dances. What a workout they gave teaching steps that "neighbor guy" never thought of - even in his dreams.

Eventually the dance ended and "neighbor guy" asked; "Can I walk you home." The answer was a definite Yes! Of course a swat on the backside with a cane, and getting yanked by the ear back into the house has to count as Y E S.

In the neighbor's opinion these ladies from XL Care were just excellent. They did their job well, and will alway be the "number one" memory of the recent surgery. Great job ladies.

TOM AND HUCK THINK ABOUT RAFTING THE MIGHTY "VERONA"

HEY, Mr. Twain. Does the Delaware flow into the Mississippi?

If so, how do these little guys get their "raft" from their home, down to the Gulf, and then over the "Mighty Verona."

It may take a few years, but they will be welcome in our little kingdom. All they need is a big sail and a dream. Thanks to V.W. Contributor for sending this great picture.

NEW PLANTS ON THEIR WAY

The rains certainly here, and management has stated that the "plantings" shall follow.

Reportedly a street by street approach to replacing dead plants has begun. It will start in the front of our development and circle .round the community. It might be a good idea to male sure your name is on the list.

Think green !

JERSEY TOWN RENAMES STREET

Hey, is there anyone out there who is from Newark, New Jersey? How about the general area.

Can you remember back 50 years ago? Well here is a story that might take you back to those "good old days."

The story starts near Branch Brook Park on Newark's North side. Just outside the park were a few bars that often had entertainment. One bar was known, but not that well known, for featuring a local group called "The Four Lovers." They appeared on the Ed Sullivan show once, then quickly went nowhere.

History tell us that they auditioned for a "gig" at the "Golden Branch Room" located inside a popular bowling alley in Union, N.J. The place was across the highway from the well known "Flagship" on US 22. The "Four Lovers" did not get the job. Dejected they sat in the parking lot of the bowling alley, and finally decided to start over and use a new name. They chose the name of the bowling alley - The Four Seasons. Needless to say the name changed worked.

Fifty years later the singing group "The Four Seasons" are legends. The old bowling alley is gone. It is but a memory and part of history. The land that it once stood on is now home to Costco. How things change.

Another change occurred a couple of weeks ago. It seems West Chestnut Street where the bowling alley was located no longer exists. A few weeks ago the Municipal Council authorized a name change. In tribute to the singing group it has now been named "Four Seasons Lane."

V.W. Resident got this information from his "Jersey Connections" and thought it interesting enough to share.

WATERWAYS LOOKING GOOD

Remember a couple of months ago V.W. Resident hired this expert to look at the waterways? He paid for a New York consultant to look over the situation from top to bottom and issue a report. That report has finally been released.

It was a fair number of pages. It discussed hydraulics, depth finders, the moon, and seasonal inputs. It also had some real nice graphics. The bottom line was: "Expect water levels to rise the more the rain comes down." That sounds pretty scientific.

The rain meter was checked and rechecked. In addition V.W. peeked out at the actual waterway and it absolutely looks great. That lady friend suggested a picture and provided this cute kid who is visiting the "Grandma." She did a good job dressing up the picture.

EMERGENCY VEHICLES

As noted earlier in this blog the police throughout Florida ran a week long campaign to educate drivers to pull over for "Emergency Vehicles." The event ran from June 23 to June 29.

Over 10,000 warnings were given out, and an additional 4500 people received a formal citation. That projects to be close to 60,000 incidents per month. That is a staggering number.

Our contributing source belives no citations were issued here in "The Walk" which is good. Lets keep doing a good job.

THOMAS JEFFERSON HELPS WITH BABY SITTING

Wow, another day of rain here in "The Walk." That's good for the canals. They sure look good. Well guess what? My Lady friend just stopped by with her grand kids. She wanted to know if V.W. Resident could help her out. It seems she needed a "volunteer" to tell the kids about our history and founding fathers. This neighbor lady actually thought my memory goes back that far! I knew this much: She wanted to go out shopping for a while.

Well I thought it was "amusement time." I always tell these kids stories, and sometime get the facts right. Today I told the kids about George Washinghands (kid language). He was our number one hero. He had a big White Horse, a Row Boat, and a Mission to accomplish.

I told the kids that Gen. Georgie had a job to do. It was simple: Go beat up Charlie Cornwallis; and tell Betsy Ross to "Start sewing a flag." Georgie was successful. He was so successful our leaders decided to do something to always remember his great contributions to our country. They placed his picture on the One Dollar Bill. Now when ever we see a dollar we always remember our "number one" hero.

V.W. thought that was a pretty good story as the kids were interested. Too interested! One of them asked "Who was the number two hero?" I started praying that my lady friend would finish shopping soon. I tried to suppress the kids desire to hear another yarn, but I yielded to their demands.

I told them about "Tommy" Jefferson and how he was also a big hero. My memory is not clear on all those things he did so I "winged it." I told the kids that Tommy " Jay" was also a good guy, but, unlike George, he didn't have a boat or a horse. Tom had only one item of value - An H/P desktop computer. It was fully equipped with word processing and lots of storage.

Using his writing skills Tommie wrote about all sorts of things (God, I don't remember them). I think he did the "Bill of Rights," and a couple other books. While doing this he got a couple of people very angry with him. They argued, and argued, and argued. Eventually most of them found common ground and united for a common good.

Tom didn't always agree with his contemporaries, but he valued opposing opinions and truly understood the value of debate. Driven by a desire to appear on our currency, He entered the line below into his book entitled "Cool Sayings:"

"The freedom of opinion and the reasonable maintenance of it is not a crime and ought not to occasion injury." --Thomas Jefferson , 1801.

TJ's plan worked. Jefferson got his picture on the Two Dollar Bill. Those kids fell asleep, and that lady is in my driveway. Hope the kids like the story especially the one who contributed the name "Washinghands."

THE GREAT BAMBINO

Only a few of our "heros" are known to the "kids" of today. Here is a name that people still talk about: The Great Bambino. His full name was George Herman "Babe" Ruth.

He started his career on this date in 1914 as a member of the Red Sox as a pitcher. If memory serves this V. W. Contributor correct: The Red Sox played, their cross town rivals, the Boston Braves, in the World Series that year.

Now you got some "trivia" for the kids.

SWEET 16 BIRTHDAY IN VERONAWALK

Wow, How time flies when your having fun.

This young lady is 29 years old today. That is 29 using V.W.R's, patent pending, method of calculating.

In using this calculation method one must remember to just forget the starting number or d.o.b. This way the number on the bottom line can be 29 or whatever fits the need.

Well the "young lass" is taking a few minutes from "playing Jane" in some jungle to hear those "special words" that come around every year - HAPPY BIRTHDAY. Today, July 11, is her special day. She will be pleased with a card or call from those "kids" of hers. V.W. couldn't find a picture with all her tribe of five, so three of the tribe will have to do.

How will she spend the day. Maybe sail down the Nile; or catch a turtle for dinner; or a Gondola ride on Verona Lake enjoyed with a fine glass of wine. Sad to say there is no gondola, but the wine sounds fine. Happy Birthday LOIS.

AMENDMENTS PASS

V.W. Resident just got a call from her "political correspondent" up at the Capital. It's official, and there were "No Hanging Chads on this one." All four of the proposed amendments have passed.

Each amendment passed by a huge majority. Well over a thousand votes were cast on each issue.

A full report will appear in the next Viva.

40 PLUS YEARS AND STILL GOING

Check, Check. Memory Check. Yes the number is a solid 41 years. The date to remember is July 8, 1967.

V.W. Resident has his Time Machine working and with its' help he members the day - JULY 8, 1967. On that date He and his Lady had a joined hands in marriage in a, "quaint little Town," called Irvington, NJ.

For 41 consecutive years the couple both remembered their day. It was always something simple. They never did anything lavish to celebrate these anniversaries. A card and a simple glass of wine made the day.

Over the years they saw some rough times, but they were always managed in a way that kept them going. They worked, and worked , and worked. They played a little too. Their bills were paid on time, even as five "kids" joined their little homestead. Now the "kids" are grown and having lives of their own. They are doing well and that will add to the good thoughts reminisced on this anniversary.

The next 40 years will be different. With the "kids" out of the house, and, having "time on their hands," these guys can now get out and have some real fun. They will "hit the road" as much as possible and do their thing - traveling. In the last few years the Passports have been opened quite a bit: Germany, Egypt, Mexico, Costa Rico and more. Their eyes are now on Peru, Argentina, Brazil, and of course New Jersey for a few nights.

The goal is to do another 40 years, 40 trips, and 40 barrels of wine.

GET OUT AND VOTE

July 8th at Town center ballots/proxy's will be counted to determine the fate of four amendments proposed by our builder.

The amendments were the subject of a "workshop" on the 1st. Based on that meeting it appears the proposal regarding the parking of vehicles (trucks) in driveways overnight was the item of greatest concern. Arguments for this proposal (help sales and working person) were countered with arguments (existing rule is sufficient) to keep a status quo.

Get better informed on this issue, and then vote.

SAFETY TIP

Safety begins at home. Each of us has to recognize that he/she is responsible for our own safety.

V.W. Resident has a neighbor who said, "The key to your safety is being aware." Knowing what to do in an emergency can help not only the individual, but family members and neighbors. "Each of us needs to develop a personal plan, so we can be effective in an emergency."

With the tropical storm season upon us the first "rule of thumb" is to keep informed. V.W's Friend offered these tips to "keep you in the loop." Take a minute when on line and visit: www.nhc.noaa.gov This site tracks tropical storms and can quickly provide you with valuable information. Another means of getting information at your fingertips involves signing up for emergency rmail or text messages by going to: http://emergencyemail.org Once registered one need not do anything, except expect a warning message when there is a need to have certain information.

V.W. suggests friends and neighbors make a note of these "tools" that can be a help to us. When V.W. learns some more he'll pass it along.

VERONA WALK NAVY

This V.W. Contributor was enjoying the view earlier this morning when she saw something that actually made her "jump" out of her chair. At first blush there was an all out "attack force" steaming in the direction of our fabulous beach front property. This was a moment to remember.

"I took hold of my chair. I took a real deep breath. And then I took another sip of that morning coffee." There had to be an explanation for this "attack."

With the help of that strong coffee the picture became clear. I was not seeing a "fleet of attack vessels" on our waterway. It was just one ship - an air boat - dispatched by our VeronaWalk Naval Service. It had a mission! If successful that "buzz buzz" sound, from our insect friends, that we just "love" to hear, may soon be gone.

INDEPENDENCE DAY BASH

Well it is not happening on the "4th" of July, but on the "5th." That's right the 5th will be a Verona Walk's Independence Day celebration at Town Center.

This is a "$7.00 dance so everyone knows the routine. Sign up, pick a table, and bring an appetizer.

Use the event as aways to get to know your neighbor and just have fun. But also take time to reflect on what we are really celebrating.

Music will be provided by a fellow neighbor (and Great Guy) Dan Melvin.

PROPOSAL TO CHANGE TRAFFIC PATERN CAUSES INDIANS TO PUT ON WAR PAINT

Once upon a time there existed a fictional Tribe of Indians called the "Veroni." They were best known for being good friends and good neighbors.

They resided in a peaceful camp in Napoli on the great "Collier Trail." Membership in the "Veroni Tribe" was freely granted to "braves" from all of the other great "Indian Nations" such as: The "Cherokee", The "Carnarsees," The "Chippewa's," and The "Yapalots."

With the purchases of a private "Tepee" one was granted membership in the tribe. The new "braves" enjoyed not only their personal abodes, but many things in common. The most obvious was the "Great Community Tepee." This was the hub of the "Veroni Nation."

At this meeting place tribesman routinely gathered to swim in the custom pool, sneak a peek at "Little White Dove," and chat about life in their new tribe. Management of the reservation was the responsibility of the "Grand Council." When all the Tepees were sold the "Grand Council" would turn over control of the camp to the tribe. Occasionally the Grand Council accepts guidance from tribesman, but in the end the final decision is theirs.

One day in the camp a brave, named, "Lone Eagle," decided he was not pleased with how the ponies used the trail around their washing station. A great archer, who only carried a single arrow, "Lone Eagle" often flew so high, that he lost sight of the rest of the tribe. One day, while on a solo flight, he decided it would be best if the ponies only drove "one way" on this trail and parking facility.

Another brave named: "Broken Arrow" said, to "Lone Eagle:" "How does the rest of the tribe feel about this?" Lone Eagle knew he was right, and dismissed Broken Arrow's plea to hear from the rest of the tribe. This caused ill feeling between the two braves. They put on their "War Paint," "Yelped," and finally let their arrows fly. "Lone Eagle" was determined to silence the "brave" who he once called"friend," but his arrow only wounded "Broken Arrow." Then out of the dark sky came a lightening bolt that sent the two warriors into a state of unconsciousness.

While the two braves were having their skirmish the "Grand Council" using great wisdom decided: "The ponies shall continue to run in both directions around the washing station."

Days later the above pictured Chippewa Medicine Man, and the neighbor in the next Tepee joined hands to revive their friends "Lone Eagle" and "Double Arrow." They danced (at least one did) over the fallen braves. They chanted, but only one knew the words. And finally they called on the "Great Spirit" to make the two warriors realize: First they are "Veroni" with equal standing in the Tribe; Second they are also "Yapalots;" and; Last they need to bury the hatchet. Hopefully the two braves heeded the words of the wise medicine man, and they can walk the trails in peace.


This story is fiction. It is not meant to be harmful in any way. Hopefully, someone might just find only one word humorous, and let out a chuckle. If that occurs then the Indian who has contributed this ancient tale has done his job. For now He is off to "his home" in the Swamp.

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