THE PELICAN

KEY VISTA NEWS LETTER

ISSUE 7

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER P a g e 2 KEY VISTA NEWS LETTER

KEY VISTA’S ANNUAL COMMUNITY FALL GARAGE SALE Saturday, October 17th

CHILDREN’S HALLOWEEN PARTY SUNDAY, OCTOBER 25th At Key Vista Clubhouse 12:00 to 3:00pm I S S U E 7 P a g e 3 PEACEFUL-CO EXISTENCE IN PARADISE

by Georgie Watson Boehlen Dear Readers, as many of you know, the Florida Walking Stick Insect is a venomous, huge rendition of its much smaller Northern cousin. It can shoot venom 12 feet which can cause massive stinging and rash. It is a master at aiming at eyes and can burn the corneas of pets, children and adults alike. The plentiful rain (some of us were building arks!) we have experienced through late August and September, possibly de- layed their mating activities until now. Therefore we are more likely to see them on doorsteps, lanai screens, and garage floors. They are also known as the “Devil’s Riding Horse” because of the propensity of the male to ride on the female’s back. (There is a joke in here somewhere!) My husband and I, upon finding such equestrians on our garage floor, and terrified our dogs would try to investigate, put a large plastic bag over them and squashed them. This resulted in a puddle of venom the diameter of a large mix- ing bowl. We then washed the floor with the power washer being careful to remove all venom. If one finds one on one’s screen, use a large handled implement to knock it off. In honor of the up-coming Halloween festivities, I thought it would be appropriate to compose a scary, goofy poem about the “Devil’s Riding Horse.” first published his poem, “Little Orphant ” in 1885 to delight his young son with stories of ghost, goblins and witches. Those of us who are from Indiana have probably heard this poem ad nauseum, as it was part of popular regional folklore from this beloved Hoosier. However, if Mr. Riley lived today in Key Vista Villas, his poem may take a decidedly Florida twist: As Little Orphant Annie says when the sun is red And you may want to muck around your flower bed. And your roses are needing you to prune And the wind is blowing woo-oo You’d better pay attention and turn your mind To the kind of insects you may find Ones with long striped bodies and huge black legs One atop the other so as to make eggs They love wood mulch and crepe myrtle shrubs They disguise themselves as twiggy buds. If one happens to be near your knee Leave it alone. LET IT BE!!!

KV ROAD WARRIORS

had a fantastic morning 9/19 on the road cleaning up. Many thanks to

Anne and Dean Latsch for using their truck to move signs, Tony Petricca for

spotting a 40 inch TV, in the box no less, and intrepid Phil Riekert for

bagging more on the return trip.

ROAD WARRIORS RULE!!!

*EM

NEXT CLEAN UP DECEMBER 5TH KEY VISTA NEWS LETTER P a g e 4

NEW NEIGHBORS The Villas welcome several new homeowners to their community: Barb and Jim Bennet, Debbie and Steve Smirlis, and Ann and James Cress, and Michael Fingerle have settled in on Wood Pointe Drive; Veni and Bill Whitaker, Ruth and Donald Rake, and Eileen and Joseph Calautte found Pleasant Hill Lane to their liking, and Pamela and Bruce Feinstein are new additions to Plain- tain Drive. We hope you will enjoy living here in beautiful Key Vista and getting to know your neighbors.

I’m sure there are many newcomers on the Single Family side, but unfortunately we don’t have a Welcome Wagon person who greets the new owners from the SF side the way Kathy Binette and her committee do in the Villas. Lisa is open to keep a list of names when new- comers come in to pick up key fobs, so be sure to do this so we can formally welcome all those from the SF side of the neighborhood.

As a homeowner on Eagle Crest Court, I and many others were happy to see that a poorly-kept home was purchased and beautified by a new set of owners. Their names are Adam and Sue Shoemaker and they are originally from Pennsylvania, but more recently were residing in Tarpon Springs. They have two daugh- ters and six grandchildren. Susan works for the Tarpon Springs Police Department and Adam for the Life Care Center on Trouble Creek. He also serves on the Tarpon Springs Chamber of Commerce and has a part-time position as a travel agent with East - West. A BIG welcome to you and your family! *tp

THIS N THAT

Spotted one Saturday morning at the clubhouse pool: four teen-aged boys who were talking, laughing, swimming, and gener- ally having a great time together without being loud or obnoxious, running amok, hanging in the swimming lane, or jumping on other swimmers!!!! Kudos to them AND their parents who raised them to be such polite and considerate young men.

The HOA Board has decided to send the PELICAN electronically going forward. It will now be published every two months and can be accessed through the mykeyvista.com website.

A new Pepsi machine has been purchased for the pool area. No more bugging Lisa to retrieve your coins!!

Bingo continues at the Master Clubhouse at 7:00pm on the second and fourth Wednesday of each week. Have fun and maybe even take home a few bucks……

October 10th: Crafters and vendors will be at the clubhouse from 10:00-2:00, and profits from their sales will be shared with The Haven of RCS which benefits victims of domestic violence.

October 25th: Halloween/costume party for children in Key Vista from 12-3:00. Lots of goodies to share!

November 2: Book Club discussion on UNBROKEN by Laura Hillenbrand; 7:00pm at Villas clubhouse.

LOOKING FOR A DOG WALKER? CALL HAILEY……….727-207-2183 16 YEARS OLD

I S S U E 7 P a g e 5

Key Vista Information The Melrose Management Partnership KV Master Clubhouse email Chris Haines Property Manager…….727.787.3461 [email protected] Email………[email protected] Master Clubhouse Hours Important Telephone Numbers Facility-Everyday……..5:00am-10:00pm KV Master Clubhouse………..727.943.0295 Pool-Everyday………...8:00am-10:00pm KV Master Clubhouse Fax…..727.943.0796 KV Maintenance Office………..727.944.577 Clubhouse Staff Sheriff ( non emergency dispatch) 727.847.8102 Lisa D’Aquisto…………..Clubhouse Manager A-1 Recovery Towing…………..727.536. 5600 Clyde Watson………….Maintenance Supervisor KV Official Website mykeyvista.com Key Vista Single Family Key Vista Master HOA BOD Tri Morocco…………….President Ron Mastrodonato, President……….727.916.7232 Ron Mastrodonato, Vice President Chuck Newman, Vice President…….727.946.4933 Chuck Newman, ………..Secretary Joe Harris, Secretary………………..845.399.0050 Tri Morocco, Secretary………………………………. Jim Acheson, Director……………….727.940.8982 Rich Miccio, Director………………..727.947.7734 Carol Smink, Director………………………………..

VISTA POINT– KEY VISTA VILLAS MANAGEMENT COMPANY FOR VILLAS Board Of Directors Resource Property Management Jim Rice, President………………….727.935.5328 Chuck Pitassi, Property Manager...727.796.5900 Shirley Drallmeier, Vice President..727.942.1513 Fax…………………………………...727.796.5011 Email……………[email protected] Ken Nadler, Treasurer……………...727.937.2012 JM Gibbons, Secretary……………..727.939.2233 Joe Careccia, Director…………….727.945.1802 Kerry Cushing, Director…………...727.847.8102 Marie Hawkins, Director………….727.945.0794 P a g e 6 KEY VISTA NEWS LETTER ADVERTISMENTS If you would like to advertise in the Newsletter please contact The Key Vista Clubhouse Office 727.943.0295

I S S U E 7 P a g e 7

CRUISING AT SEA - 50th ANNIVERSARY

So last year my husband and I started to think about how to celebrate our 50th anniversary in 2014. We knew we didn’t want a big party; preferring instead to spend time with our two daughters, son, daughter-in-law, and our granddaughter, all of whom we left behind (except the 4-year old who was born since) when we moved to Florida. We decided a cruise would meet our needs…..a time to be with one another (or not), a place where we didn’t have to clean or cook or even make our beds! So we booked aboard the Royal Caribbean’s Independence of the Seas, gave the kids the dates, and looked forward in anticipation to our celebration.

As we were sailing out of Fort Lauderdale, the “kids” all flew down from Chicago and met up with us there for dinner as we talked in eager anticipation of what was before us the next day. Tony and I had been on few cruises before, but they were smaller ships, and as the shuttle pulled into Port Lauderdale to drop us off, my granddaughter announced loudly: “Gramma, this is a REALLY BIG boat!”

The ship was beautiful and offered many forms of entertainment - we loved the ice show with all the colorful costumes, and the Broadway evening of dancing and singing and glitter. We also enjoyed the casual times spent playing silly games of trivia led by an hilarious host. One evening I told my son and daughter-in-law to take some time for themselves while I watched over Ava. (I never get to have her all to myself.) When Mike and Claire returned I could tell they enjoyed going to the casino without having to chase Ava around as if it were Chucky Cheese. Drink in one hand, cigar in another, my son and Claire returned, both of them laughing. It was obvious they made the most of their time alone!

The kids pool area was awesome with its fountains and sprinklers, along with a “whirlpool” and hot tubs. It was such fun watching the kids and parents enjoying all these amenities. The adult pools on the other side, were always crowded with people catching rays, swimming, drinking and socializing; a Master of Ceremonies lead all kinds of different contests which entertained those gath- ered around the pool. A large screen also captured the activities - much to the embarrassment of the contestants. (Then again, maybe not!)

The mornings were beautiful…early risers saw the sun slowly peek from the ocean’s edge as they ran around the perimeter of the ship, or just sat and shared a cup of coffee. Of course it was always a thrill to see a land mass after seeing only water for many hours. We visited four islands: Labadee, Haiti, Falmouth, Jamaica, George Town, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel, Mexico. All kinds of activities were offered at each location, but other than shopping a lot, the only excursion we went on was a “submarine” in Cozumel to see the beautiful fish, coral, and rock formations. (Also some snorkelers and scuba divers “gettin down” with the fish.) Another observation I found fascinating was my daughter-in-law’s skill for bargaining! The seller in the Cozumel jewelry store found his match with her. Before she left, she’d haggled with him for silver ankle bracelets that he wanted to sell for $54.00 apiece. She “negotiated” for three anklets for $60.00! I think he just wanted to get her out of the store!! We had booked rooms for everyone with balconies, which made our space feel so much roomier. They also provided beautiful vistas for quiet time and coffee in the morning, and velvety-black evenings for reminiscing with a glass of wine. One evening was particularly memorable as a full moon glistened, casting a shard of silver, connecting the orb and sea to the ship.

Whenever entering the large dining area for breakfast or lunch, there was an employee who greeted everyone with the phrase, “No washee washee, no yummy, yummy”, as each person approached. The entryway had several Purell dispensers for guests to use. While acknowledging it as a good idea, we found it amusing the first and second day, but as the week progressed, we found it an- noying as all get out.

The staff was a cosmopolitan group to say the least! All were friendly, caring, and performed their tasks well. We got to know our dinner waiters by their first names and looked forward to seeing them each night. (They knew what cocktails we liked to drink be- fore dinner and had them in place at the table when we arrived! ) One of the men sang a beautiful song the first night to celebrate our anniversary, and also entertained our girls with a song for their birthday celebration. They kept referring to Ava (our grand- daughter) as “Princess”; she loved being in the ranks with Anna and Elsa! Our daughter-in-law, ever the decorator, brought all kinds of baubles and gilded garnishes to festoon our table and our rooms for our special days.

Obviously the cruise provided a perfect venue and met the expectations we were hoping for when we planned the trip. We all en- joyed the week and still liked each other when it ended! I love happy endings.

*tp Beware of monster in aisle 8!! HAPPY HALLOWEEN!