Venice…Or is it Berlin, NH of the South?

January 27, 2014


Norma, Fred ~Pam, Rod ~ Helen, Lucien

We called Jeanette a little after 8:30 am and drove over to her park in no time. I had done a drive-by last night just to make sure I knew how to get there. We talked all morning long about all of the people that were living here in this park from Berlin. It was in the neighborhood of eight couples, not mention a few more couples down the road. I knew they were all down in this area, but didn’t realize that most were in this very park! We took Jen out to lunch and said our goodbyes.  (A note at this point. Helen has misplaced her camera and that's why Jeanette's picture is not in this blog episode) Rod and Pam Legendre were thirteen miles to the south near North Port. Rod and Pam have had a new house built in a new housing development that, I believe will have six thousand new homes. The development is first class! Every detail has been planned out both inside the new homes and outside streets, ponds landscaping. I was especially impressed with construction details. (Being a general contractor, I know the quality). Rod and Pam have done a remarkable job of furnishing and decorating their new home in such a short time.
Rod and Pam took us on a walk around some of the property. The club house is also top notch with everything from the large weight room to the pool and all of the different courts to play tennis and other ball sports.
After we arrived, another couple from Berlin dropped by to say hello. Fred and Norma Fournier. Fred and I had gone to grammar school together. It brought back many memories of our very early youth. In the early eighties, I had taught school with Norma’s dad.
Later in the afternoon, Pam hosted us to crackers and cheese. A toast was given to “Berlin, NH in the South”. Now, I know that everybody back home is saying it is going to snow in northern Florida. Well, I can attest that at the time of this toast it was eighty degrees and as I write this blog twenty-four hours later it is still 68 degrees at 8:30 at night.
January 28, 2014
Another night at our favorite “Cracker Barrel Campground Restaurant. It was very quiet again last night. This morning a decision was made to go a little further south than we had to. Jeanette and Henry Turgeon live in Fort Meyers Beach. It is always a pleasure to visit with them. Jeanette is a very savvy lady when it comes to computers and such. Henry, a very talented musician didn’t play the piano for us this time, but did show us a very fine violin that he had restored back in Berlin by Norbert Lessard.
Henry also gave us a tour of the house we could have rented a couple of doors down. It also was a thumbs up! Another Berlin couple will be renting it for a couple of months. (Wally Anctil) Boy it’s getting to be a small world!
We left Henry and Jeanette around five this evening. We are staying at another Cracker Barrel tonight. This even has a live jamb session on the front porch with all those rocking chairs.

That is what we did and saw!