MORE PICTURES FROM "MY LADY" AND HER GANG

Oh my God. The lady did bring some pictures of her "Clan:"

Up on top is the 'quiet one.' He is tied to the chair, I think. Feeding him should help keep him busy for a while.












On the diving board is a kid with absolute fear on his face. It took only thirty minutes to get him to do the Jersey flop into the pool.




Running the bases is the kid from Florida. He was traded to the Jersey team for the pennant race.
















The guys on the right are off the baseball field here and dreaming of their future riding motorcycles and just having fun.








On the left is 'double exposure.' "No," she said "they are twins", and as cousins are proud members of the "Clan."

LOCKED UP

Here is a picture of one of the Lady Friends nephews. He is a wild child.

He seems content here during a picnic. V.W. thinks the 'locked him' in the 'play house.' I bet the gang was prying for "no jail break."

Later that Lady will bring over pictures of the entire clan.

PROOF THERE WAS A WEDDING

The Lady said the trip was to baby sit, but the picture on the right shows the little girl went with her mom and dad to the wedding. V.W. questioned this.

It seems someone had to 'watch" her during rehearsal and after the wedding. She also needed watching in the park, at the pool, or at the library.

The bottom line here, I think, is that Lady likes to watch this little doll so she volunteered for a return visit. Next time she just might bring a date.

THAT LADY IS BACK, WITH PICTURES

She said the trip was to "baby sit", but V.W. Resident has learned that it was far more.

First she got to visit with all of her five daughters, and her favorite "son-in-law". The other guy didn't make the way of the camera so he'll be 'favorite' on another day.

The three girls were captured together at a Jersey backyard picnic. One, despite counseling lives in NYC, while another still lives in the Garden State. The other has seen the light of the suns rays and lives in the Sunshine State. Now where did the other girls go?

Oh yeah, the little guy with golden locks. He is a nephew, a good kid and an athlete. He also loves his hair. I'd buy him a pair of scissors.

Well that lady has a few more stories to tell me, and a couple more pictures. They're for later.

CASINO TRIP AGAIN

At the "crack of dawn," more like 8:15am, the bus roared out of Verona Walk. It took a happy group of people across Alligator Alley to the Seminole Casino.

The Seminole's provided plenty of machines that took money, spun silly looking wheels, and in the end cleaned some pockets very good. But that was only "One" machine - mine. Everybody else was a winner.

There were certificates to be used in the food area, and it looked like they were put to use. This V.W. Resident combined his "winnings" and got a New York Cheesecake, and coffee.

The ride back was pleasant. No comments about gas; however our hostess did remember to bring some nice chocolate bars to make everyone a "Winner."

RED SOX ROOKIE

Hey, "Can I play for the Sox up at Fenway ?"

This is my Lady Friend's grandson, and he likes that Boston team. He is swinging hard, but only at a wiffle ball. Just maybe some day he will take baseball serious and be a star.

For now this picture reminds me of the old days when Ted Williams was swinging his bat. Thanks kid for bringing some memories back. Keep swinging.

C.E.R.T. CLASS - AUG 25 - AT TOWN CENTER

The second C.E.R.T class will be at Town Center at 6:00pm on Aug 25.

Fay disrupted last weeks session, but for now classes are scheduled each Monday (except for Labor Day).

FAY'S GONE

How did we do? The answer depends on who you talk to.

The majority of conversations that this V.W.Contributor had with neighbors was positive. Nobody lost a roof or suffered any major damage. This is good.

Most of "Fay's" naughty work was on trees, and she also spilled a good deal of water in the canals. The picture on the left is in the area near the preserve (where the fire was last year). Fay filled up the section between woods and the Boulevard.

The second "pic" shows how far up the grass the water came. There is an overflow system in place so water level was not likely to get any higher.

The third "pic" is on Sorrento. This was one of numerous trees that fell to Fay's gusty winds.

The last "pic" is of the tall grass in the water shown in prior post. When our Lady left town that grass could hardly be seen sticking out of the water.

No major damage, houses intact, electric working again, leads one to be glad that, Fay is now just a memory.

A GIRL NAMED "FAY"

The word was out. A girl named Fay was headed our way, and she was full of "steam."

Neighbors watched news reports and then went to work. Shutters were put in place, and homes secured. The pictures above show one house ready for battle, while the other is a "landmark" revealing where the water level was before the storm.

The next post will show how we did in this first (hopefully last) storm of 2008

ANOTHER ANNIVERSARY IN THE FAMILY

Here we go again! Another anniversary being celebrated here in "The Walk."

Only a few weeks ago this couple's proud parents celebrated their 41st wedding anniversary. Now its their daughter, LJ, who is sharing a happy moment with her husband Rudy. Aug. 19 marks their second wedding anniversary.

V.W. Resident is sure that there will be an extra reason to tap those glasses and say "cheers." I'll give you all a hint: One of the glasses held high for the Toast will be filled with Coke or Water."

Enough gossip. All that is needed now is a hearty

"CONGRATULATIONS !"

C.E.R.T TRAINING CANCELED

With Hurricane Fay heading into our area the Verona Walk C.E.R.T. training class has been canceled.

Training will resume Aug 25 at 6:00

FINANCE - KNOW YOUR OPTIONS

Another seminar will be offered at Town Center on Aug. 23. This one will be at 11:00am

The picture may not be all that clear, but Cindy Keller's presentation is well focused. Registration for this event is required.

HAVE A LAUGH

What's the difference between a good lawyer and a great lawyer?

A good lawyer knows the law. A great lawyer knows the judge.

FIVE DOLLAR DANCE

What is better than the $7.00 dance here in the Center? Even I know that. It's the Five Dollar Dance.

My Lady friend is gone for a while, so this resident got his information from a nice neighbor couple. They said, "As usual it was a great time because of good neighbors."

This is a function that seems to be well liked and hopefully will continue.

THE LITTLE HOSTESS

The little girl asks, "Who are those kids in my house?"

Well, they are all your cousins. A couple came to visit you all the way from Naples, Fl.

The big "girl" is your Aunt "LJ". She is hugging that little boy of hers. In the picture above he is actually "out of the water." The kid is a fish.

Not surprising the little girl had another question, then another, and another. She has that gift of a wagging tongue. That's OK.

AT LEAST THEY STILL BUILD POOLS

Another grandson of my Lady friend.

She tells me this little guy thinks he is ready for the Olympics.

I told her that it is going to take about 20 years or longer, and that she better get back here and start being my neighbor again.

WHEN DOES IT GET BETTER ?

In early 2005 CNN and other media sources were saying Naples Fl. was the most "over priced market" in the country for real estate. That was shocking then. The decline that followed initially looked like an "adjustment." We all know how steep that adjustment was in fact.

The above chart was recently displayed in the Naples News. It relates to New Building Permits in Collier County. Look at this year and 2003, when things were thought to be "OK." Now five years latter new construction has hit close to bottom.

Hopefully things will start getting better.

THEY GOT MARRIED A MILLENNIUM AGO

Oh yeah, the lady across the street told V. W. Resident about this one. Another anniversary in her list of memories. The couple took their vows in the last millennium - 1993

This wedding anniversary is being celebrated "Way up North." It's in one of those original colonies called Jersey. V.W. knows that State. That's where the Super Bowl Champs live.

The couple are at the 15 year mark, on Aug. 14, and still counting. Their five boys will certainly help them enjoy their special day. The pictures are with the Dad and Mom.

Congratulations Thor and Cheryl.

C.E.R.T. - FIRST SESSION A SUCCESS

Monday, Aug. 11, was the first training session for Verona Walk neighbors who can volunteer their time to simply learn how to best help each other in an emergency.

Their were roughly 25 attendees including a delegation from Lely. The sessions will run every Monday (excluding Labor Day) for six weeks.

Frank Borman and Greg Speers of the North Naples Fire District and East Naples Fire District kicked the session off by introducing Joe Frazier. He is our Collier County Emergency Manager, and his job is to "protect Collier County" by coordinating the efforts of "All" decision makers.
Mr. Frazier is very well qualified and is one of 200 certified managers in the country. That should tell residents that Collier County is very serious about protecting its' citizens.

When it comes to an emergency in Florida most people think the cause is hurricanes. It seems we should also be worried about "Tornado's." Florida ranks number three in the nation for the number of tornadoes. On the positive side S.W. Florida in general is considered much safer than the East Coast due to newer, up to date, building codes.

It was suggested that residents note and look at the following sites:

www:floridadisaster.org

www: emergencyemail.org

www:collierem.org

The next session will be Monday Aug. 18 at 6:00 pm (Town Center).

MAKE A SPLASH AT POOL PARTY

Our Town Center will host a "Back to School Pool Party" on Sunday August 17.

This is an "end of summer" special that includes Free ice cream and Live Entertainment. There is also a "worm eating" contest - thats what I read !

The time for this event is noon to 3:00 pm

"I SHALL RETURN" - TO "HOOTS"

It was a long long time ago When General Mc Arthur made that speech. This V.W. Resident wasn't there, but in modern times he will return to "Hoots" just down the road.

Our local gang of R.O.M.E.O.'s will return to their roots as the local facility is taking a short vacation. The change starts Tuesday, Aug. 12.

No matter where, it is always good to have coffee and pancakes with a bunch of guys that are just good neighbors and friends.

C.E.R.T. - TOWN CENTER HOST TRAINING

Aug 11, 2008 at 6:00 PM Town Center will host the first of eight training session for neighbors to learn various means of helping each other in an emergency. Participants must be registered. Training sessions are expected to last 2 to 3 hours.

This program is a positive for our community. A V.W. Neighbor asked that this information be "posted." Thanks for the contribution, and special thanks to those residents who care enough to participate.

PAPER WORK

Oh Boy - Here is another picture from V.W.'s Neighbor. She said this little guy is her grandson and he lives up North, in Jersey. That's just outside our gate, and a long "left" on I-75."

The story is the little guy is practicing his "paperwork" so he can be a "working man."

Our publisher wasn't sure about this news story from the "Jersey Desk", but did like the picture.

LIGHTS ON TONIGHT

Collier County Sheriff's Office has requested homeowners to "help light up your neighborhood" on Tuesday, August 5, 2008 as part of their crime prevention program.

Sheriff's deputies will also be presenting information and meeting the public at various locations in the County between 6:00pm and 8:00pm. The closest locations for residents in the "Walk" is both Wallmarts on Collier Blvd.

HAVE A LAUGH

V.W. went up the street to see his neighbor, Larry, who was in multiple casts and wearing tons of bandages. Naturally the question just came out: "What happened to you?"

Larry responded: "I was living the life of Riley."

V.W. repeated the question: "So, what happened?"

Larry painfully said: "Riley came home !"