| JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2008 |
| BAY AREA SAMS Our January campout was held at Lake Louisa State Park, Clermont, with 21 member rigs and one guest rig in attendance. We sharpened our skills in outdoor games. Our host, the Scheffers, treated us to beef stew and strawberry shortcake Saturday evening. Weather was brisk; we had another great time together. In February we had 12 rigs at the Dunnellon Samboree. The staff always goes out of their way to make sure everyone has a terrific time. Our chapter volunteered at the door prize table and Dr. Sambones. Our February campout was at Highland Hammocks State Park in Sebring. We are continuing our food for the needy program this year and bring food to each campout to donate. Also, we are sending packages to Iraq for soldiers. CALUSA SAMS In January we met at Little Manatee River State Park with five rigs present. We had beautiful days and chilly nights. The Sauders were our gracious hosts; we all enjoyed the meat loaf as it is one of those comforting foods that suits all palates. In February we were at Lake Manatee State Park with five rigs plus guests. We had our up and down weather as tornado watches were out all night; it did clear up for our breakfast in the morning but it was scary. What do you do in a campground in the middle of the night if a tornado hits? I am thinking that the restrooms would be filled to overflowing with homeless campers. The campground had to be cleared by Thursday as the TIN CAN Rally was arriving for the weekend and all sites were reserved. Some of the vintage campers had already arrived and we strolled around the park enjoying the old-timers. DOGWOOD GOOD SAMS Payne’s RV Park, Theodore, AL, welcomed our group of 12 chapter rigs this month; we also had three visitor rigs. President Bill Schoenherr reported receiving lots of thank you mail from groups we’ve supported with charitable contributions. Bob and Sandy Brewer attended the Dunnellon Samboree and represented us in the parade of chapter flags. FLORIDA EAGLE SAMS Our February campout was held at KOA Mims with 16 rigs present, plus guests and ASDs Merle and Rae Schimke who installed our new officers. Our hosts, Babbs and Browns, planned a Hobo/Valentine theme. Friday was potluck; we then played card bingo, cards and other games. We held our semi-annual brown bag auction to raise money for the dogs. We watched a video of a trip to Pigeon Forge, TN, by the Getsees, Browns, Westons and Griffiths. GATEWAY SAMS The Suwannee Valley RV Campground has not changed much over the years, just the owners. Traditions of the campground remain as does some of the help as the years pass. The trees are older and many need to be trimmed. Yet, this is a high and dry campground with a relaxed atmosphere. It is a drive to go shopping; but the town of White Springs has a good restaurant. As we park near each other, it is soon apparent that the dinner options are limited to the RV or a short drive to the Coach House. So many of us descend upon the restaurant and their buffet. We nearly fill one room and enjoy the table talk along with the food. Saturday we have a cloudy sky and many eat in their RVs. GETAWAY SAMS We finished off the year with a bang as 12 member rigs and a guest rig arrived at Oaks n Pines Campground in Lake City to help us show out the old year and welcome in 2008. After a good business meeting Saturday morning, the day was filled with card and football games. After a delicious meal of homemade lasagna cooked by our hosts, the Meehans; our ASDs, Sharon and Gene Bundy installed our new officers for 2008. Following the installation, hosts Marty and Cathy organized a team trivia game. The weather ran the gamut from beautiful, to raining, to cold, but it did nothing to dampen our spirits. The food was great and the fellowship wonderful. We started the New Year out in fine fashion with seven member rigs gathering at Pecan Park RV Resort. The weather could have been better; a little rain and then got a bit cold and windy but didn’t dampen our spirits as all said it was a great campout. We did have to change plans as it was too raw to be outside. Instead of beanbag baseball, we substituted an indoor game of Apples to Apples. The Sunset Ramblers were also at the park this weekend and, as they had only three rigs, we invited them to join us. It was nice to join with another Chapter and talk over how to make things better. We will be getting together at other campouts. GOLDEN TRIANGLE SAMS Everyone had a wonderful time at the January campout at Lake Oklawaha RV Resort in Ft. McCoy! We had chilly nights but beautiful sunny days – just the right kind of weather for gathering around the campfire (thanks to Ken and Brandi Cole). There were 10 member rigs plus one guest rig and one drive-in for the meeting. Most folks arrived on Friday and many grouped around talking in the afternoon; but as Happy Hour approached the temps fell and we moved inside. We decided (since the VFW no longer has their fish fry) to bring whatever we’d planned for supper back to the clubhouse and eat together. Later we met for various games. Shortly after the meeting Saturday everyone gathered around the fire to create pie iron sandwiches. That night we had a delicious chili supper. After dinner, some stayed inside to play games while others went back out to enjoy the campfire. The real excitement of the evening came when someone spotted a Florida black bear roaming through the campground! We kept a respectable distance, of course! GOOD SAM SEAHORSES Another lovely December campout (11 rigs, 24 happy campers) was held at Sun ’N’ Fun in Sarasota! We started out Friday morning feasting at the Amish Restaurant’s all-you-can-eat buffet, so good! Friday night we went to an all-you-can-eat Italian buffet restaurant; I don’t think they made any profit on us! We held our annual Christmas dinner (thanks to Karen Glas who baked the ham and Fran Bissell the pork tenderloin). The table was beautifully decorated. We held our $1gift exchange, sang Christmas carols and talked about enjoyable past Christmas memories – humorous and sentimental. Our new officers were installed. Outgoing President Walter Smith thanked all the officers for their help and faithfulness to the Chapter. He also encouraged everyone to support our new president Fritz and the other new officers to make our Chapter grow and to prosper for future years. GO-SEE-UM SAMS We were back at Little Willies Campground for our annual Christmas party. Eileen Scheid and Linda Reuss helped put it all together. We enjoyed decorating with what we had in our rigs and using red tissue paper, cotton, etc to make Santa outfits. Our newsletter is an extremely important entity of the chapter. In addition to being informative, and humorous, it keeps all members aware of the chapter activities. ASD Bob Louis installed our new officers. There were 15 rigs at our January campout. We discussed plans for the garage sale. Beanbag baseball game was set up and all enjoyed playing. JUPITER LIGHTHOUSE January outing was held at Okeechobee Landings resort and hosted by Bylsmas’s and Primozic’s with 18 rigs attending. The campground treated us very well with private use of the clubhouse and nearby campsites as we were competing with Bass Busters Tourney for facilities. About half arrived Thursday and we visited until dinner time. In the clubhouse, we played various card games. Friday started out nice and warm and we played bocce ball, holey board and hillbilly golf. We decided to have happy hour at the screened in porch of the clubhouse which was a great idea since it poured a heavy rain 30 minutes later. After dinner many joined in with the campground’s bingo. February outing (20 rigs) was held at Glades Campground. It’s about 7 miles from Rte 27 on 80W. Thursday was cool and sunny; mostly, we visited. Overall, the weather throughout the weekend was just beautiful; some of us even got a little sunburn. Friday Jim Smith and Shirley Nairn started in on a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle featuring a Harley Davidson motorcycle. Two days and nights would go by before it was completed (many of us tried to help). Some of us traveled to LaBelle to dine at the historic Ella’s and Flora Restaurant. On the way back, we stopped at the locks at a Corp of Engineer‘s campground – three boats came through just as we got there. Two foursomes played golf; for dinner, many of us enjoyed the fish fry at the golf course grill. Friday night we had the antique clubhouse on the river to ourselves so we could play cards. LAKE EOLA SAMS We had ten rigs plus two guest rigs (prospective members) at our January campout. Thursday we played a new outdoor game, very much like holey board, as well as wizard, dominoes and triominoes. A great time was had by all. Most went to the Oakwood Restaurant in Leesburg for supper. Friday some went to Crisper’s for lunch. Games were played in the afternoon with plenty of visiting and yarn telling before going to the Oakwood Smokehouse in Clermont for supper. More inside games were played after supper. The February campout was at Clerbrook in Clermont with nine rigs and one guest rig. We had great weather and we used the porch off of the clubhouse. One day the women played holey board; as usual, we played a lot of wizard. Friday we went to our favorite restaurant – Oakwood. Our hosts Jenova and Charles Holescher and Joanne and Morris Durrance did a super job. OCALA CENTRAL SAMS In January several of us made the trek to the Tampa RV Show. Ted and Jody were there but busy working at the show. We were surprised to find that the electric hookups so efficiently handled in the past were nowhere near ready for us; a new contractor had been hired for the job but was unable to provide the service. Wisely, the organizers of the show negotiated with the old contractor and electric hookups were set up before the day was over. There was some rain that turned a few sites into lake front parking but fortunately did not swamp any of us or dampen our spirits. As usual there were a great many vendors of 1000s of new RVs of all sizes to inspect. In February we were at Olde Mill Stream. We are grateful for the near perfect weather. There was a really good turnout with 14 people as earlybirds. Nine more people joined us later. We played card games and outdoor games (what is bolo toss?) And, of course, we enjoyed conversation. Wednesday we ate at The Mason Jar with cards and conversation accompanied by coffee and cake. PASCO LOAFERS Twenty-eight members plus guests were at our November meeting. We gave money to the Metropolitan Ministries and food donations to Immanuel Lutheran Church Thirty two members were present at our December meeting. Donations were given to the Florida Dog Guides and Dogs for the Deaf. SALTY SAMS We had a great anniversary meeting at Fisheating Creek in Palmdale; and, as usual, we celebrated with a fine dinner and good conversation. All but two members attended plus we had some guests who have aspirations of becoming a Salty Sam. The weather was excellent for the whole week. Our dinner was at Dons Steak House in LaBelle. During the day we played beanbag baseball, had campfires, went fishing and, as usual, a little nap time during the afternoons. SASSY SAMS We had 10 rigs at the Samboree in Orlando. It was a fun filled week and a rewarding one. We met new friends and also reunited with old ones. We served donuts in the morning, played holey board, beanbag baseball, cards and dominoes. Our January campout was in Old Town. We had a real nice time. Most of our activities were done inside because of the weather. It was cold. Games and cards were played in the clubhouse. A wonderful potluck dinner was served by Jim and Diana Bowman and Al and Pat Koralewsky. They did a beautiful job with decorations. SOUTH FLORIDA SAMS The December campout was held at LaBelle Woods Campground, LaBelle. The Christmas dinner was held on Saturday night with the wagonmaster bringing turkey and stuffing and everyone else brought a dish. After dinner, everyone participated in the Christmas gift exchange and received some great presents. Thursday night we joined in the campground bingo. Friday everyone dined out at Flora & Ella’s in LaBelle. After the meeting Saturday, the new officers for 2008 were given the oath of office by ASDs Caroline Swinea and Bob Banasack. The January campout was held at the Marina campground, Moorehaven. Henry and June Fuller were the wagonmasters and we want to applaud them for doing an outstanding job. The campground served breakfasts and dinners so many of us ate there. Saturday the Fullers hosted a BBQ dinner and everyone brought a potluck dish. We had some great dishes as usual. Friday night the campground had some local area musicians play instruments and sing country and bluegrass music – very enjoyable!! We also played some games. An unofficial campout was held in February at the Glades RV Resort, Moorehaven, with six rigs attending. Friday everyone dined out at Flora & Ella’s in LaBelle; Saturday it was potluck. There was rain Friday afternoon but it didn’t spoil anyone’s fun. All in all everyone had an enjoyable time. Three couples attended the Dunnellon Samboree. They had hard rain Thursday and Friday nights. Some activities were rained out. The entertainment was good and the dinner was very good. Rosemary Bates gave a seminar on things to know and do when losing a spouse. ST. JOHNS PAL-A-TAKA GOOD SAMS The February campout was held at Pacetti’s Campground, Orangedale, with six rigs plus guests and two drive-ins. Friday night was wonderful salad night; there were some great ones this month. We had dinner and later played cards under the pavilion. Saturday was a wonderful ham dinner. We played bocci ball, holey board and cards. SUNSET RAMBLERS The January campout was held at Pecan Park RV Park in Jacksonville with four rigs and one drive-in. The Getaway Sams were also at Pecan Park for their campout. The weather was ok until Thursday when it turned misty. The mist was only a taste of the weather to come for the weekend. Saturday we were invited to a potluck supper with Getaway Sams. We visited the flea market and RV store next to the park. SUWANNEE RIVER GOOD SAMS We had six rigs at Casey Jones in January; since we only have 20 members that was pretty good. The weather was great for sitting out and enjoying the fresh air and good company. The Wheelers hosted and had chili with go-alongs on Thursday; by Friday lunch it was all gone. The men beat the ladies most of the weekend in hand and foot. SUWANNEE VALLEY SAMS `We had 11 members at our Christmas party which was held at the Telford Hotel in White Springs. We missed those who were unable to attend because of illness. The weekend’s weather at Oaks ‘n’ Pines was perfect and we held our meeting outdoors in the beautiful sunshine. We turned in our gifts and canned goods for our annual holiday baskets for families in need in our community. The Petersons generously agreed to sort and deliver our donations as they have done for the past eleven seasons. If you weren’t with our five rigs and one visitor rig at our last campout, you missed a fun time! The weather was a bit cool, but we managed to visit Travel Country RV and the Lake Park flea market. Cheri had chili for us Friday and a breakfast pie Saturday. Best of all, we had the seafood buffet at Old Times Family Buffet in Valdosta! TRAIL BLAZING SAMS Our December meeting was held at Rally Park in Seffner with 19 rigs and three guests attending. Rally Park was very busy at this time of the year but what a great place to hold a campout. Our hosts treated us to a delicious ham and pasta dinner Friday followed by a Karaoke singalong. Saturday’s dinner was catered by Pop Pop Pete’s BBQ. After dinner we sang Xmas carols accompanied on the keyboard by maestro DuBose, ending with our rendition of “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” Later we all got in a big circle and exchanged gifts. Several letters acknowledging our recent contributions have been received; our gifts of money, goods and services are very much appreciated by these organizations and the needy they serve. Christmas donations of $100 each have been sent to Hospice Foundation of Florida Suncoast, Clearwater; Children’s Home Society of Florida, Tampa; Joshua House, Tampa; and The Spring of Tampa Bay, Inc., Tampa. WUN WUN WUN Our Christmas party at Bavarian Gardens was enjoyed by all. As usual Cal did a great job entertaining everyone. He showed videos of past outings that brought back great memories. We also did our version of 12 Days of Christmas. Installation of officers was held. Our January outing was a success with 10 rigs and some guests. Weather was great on Saturday but on Sunday it was threatening to rain and we had to hold our meeting under a pavilion. (Webmaster’s note: Loved that picture of all the children – future Good Samers I bet!) |