Bingo and the dog

Sunday and Monday, January 22 and 23, 2012

DUNEDIN, FL – The days have been wonderfully pleasant here in sunny Florida. Time seems to slow down and there’s no pressure. There’s lots to do, or nothing to do, our choice!
Yesterday we did some dog sitting for John and Fawn. While they were gone for a few hours, Val and I went to see Algarve the dog and take him for a couple of walks. He’s an energetic, beautiful Portuguese waterdog, with curly black fur and a handsome white collar and paws, and wonderfully expressive brown eyes that gaze right through you. Everyone at the RV park knows and loves Algarve.
When we went to the trailer to get him, John and Fawn’s neighbour trotted over to say hello, and see what we were up to. We reassured him that we were there legitimately and had a key to the trailer, but it was nice to see that people keep an eye out for one another here.
Later, as we walked Algarve along the doggie path, another neighbour stopped his truck as he was driving by and exclaimed “there’s another dog in the park that looks just like yours!”. We had to explain that this WAS the other dog, it was just the people walking him that had changed! We both got a good laugh out of that one.
Our stroll took us to the shoreline of the Gulf of Mexico, where there were several marinas, plus a number of egrets and other crane-like birds. We passed some large homes with stately palm trees and exotic plants. It was fun to see some of the places near the RV park, and to get some exercise. We walked a short way along the Pinellas Trail, a bike trail that extends from Tarpon Springs, just north of here, to a point some 35 miles southward. It’s very popular with bikers, walkers and rollerblade enthusiasts. It won’t be our last visit to the trail!
Algarve was delighted to be with us and enjoyed being spoiled with extra treats while his folks were away. It was fun for us to borrow him for an afternoon as well.
Today we assembled in the recreation hall at nine o’clock for coffee and a rundown of the coming week’s activities. As we filed in, an enthusiastic band of volunteers played “Lara’s Theme” and “Some Enchanted Evening”. Everyone brought their coffee mug and their appetite for donuts and sat at the tables to hear announcements about cruises, excursions, craft classes, golf days. There were prizes and anniversary announcements. And the staff reminded us of tonight’s Bingo game!
After a heavy day of tea drinking and novel reading, we headed back to the rec hall for a supper of hot dogs, chips and pop, to be followed by an evening of Bingo. John and Val took off once they’d had their hot dogs – they preferred a visit to the hardware store to an exciting session of dabbing Bingo cards – while Fawn and I settled in to try for a big cash prize.
Now I have to confess that this was my first official game of Bingo. I learned a lot! People came with little tote bags with different-coloured Bingo dabbers, little mascots they set up on the table and noisemakers. When the caller said “I 22”, people tooted on whistles. When he said “G 54” they chorused “Car 54 where are you?”. It was a whole new world! I didn’t win any money, but I had fun.