They have a condo winter home in Bird Bay Village which has over a thousand condo homes of many description. Two three story buildings, bay houses, villas, houses, several two story condos.
Winding roads run through this beautiful area with many trees, bushes, and flower beds. And there are several swimming pools and lakes here and there.

Debbie and Tom where my neighbor’s and lovely friends for several years before I moved to Ohio to be close to my daughter Pam and her husband Tracy Drake. After nine years in Ohio I am now back in Florida and my friends come too visit this 93 year old, much to my delight.

This is from their condo on the third floor of the same building I lived in.

Throughout the year, when they are residing in Venice Florida or their beautiful lakeside home in Tomahawk Wisconsin I continue to receive cheerful cards and emails from them.

Here are the pictures I just received from my friends.

And this is their beautiful Tomahawk Wisconsin home.

And looking out to the lake

Here you see my wonderful friends as they live the beautiful life. Even though she is legally blind, her signature is on the cards they send me.

This is my latest one

And inside

Have you ever seen a card made of wood? Well…….have a look see at this one they sent me.

And the reverse side

You can understand why I treasure these dear friends. I AM VERY FORTUNATE!!!!!!!

FRF ❤️

It all started with a family practice by Dr Peter Drake in Richwood Ohio. He and his wife Barbara, a nurse, had three sons…..two became doctors  Kelly whose  practice is in Georgia and Cody in North Carolina. The third son Tracy is an attorney who is married to my daughter Dr Pamela Drake.

But now we have a new Dr Evin (Drake) Bender as of this month of May in Ohio.

Here you see her receiving her match for residency in a little town in north east Pennsylvania where Evin and Matt will be moving.

Dr Evin Bender with her proud husband Matt

And now the graduation from medical school day have a look see:

Dr Evin Bender with her mother Dr Pam Drake

Sarah, Pam, Dr Evin Bender, Tracy Drake

A happy ending to  BEAUTIFUL DAY!!!!!!

FRF ❤️

FRF ❤️

Mother’s Day in Sarasota. Brunch at the Broken Egg. At 1:00PM.

WAFFLE WITH SLICED BANANAS, STRAWBERRIES AND WHIP CREAM:    YUMYUM!!!!!

FLO’S toes

Pam at Broken Egg for brunch.

Sarah in Europe

FRF ❤️

I found my mind was shut down. I was 75 years old and could no longer work in my profession as a real estate agent, I could barely do the everyday essentials of taking care of myself for a few years. When cancer took my daughter Carole Suzanne I was at a virtual stand still.

But my daughter Pamela who is a psychiatrist who everyday was helping people similar, got me painting again after not touching an artist painting brush since I was 17 years old.

To encourage me she sent a set of French oil paints, brushes, and an easel to my home in Venice Florida. Well…..her effort worked. And I spent 6 months painting my first portrait of her daughters (and my granddaughters) Evin Nicole and Sarah Christina replicating the picture on the Christmas card she had sent.

The above is the Christmas card and below is my first portrait after over 60 years of not painting.

And this is my two little  granddaughters as they look today all grownup.
Sarah and Evin

Seeing she loved that painting, had it framed and hung it in her living room gave me the courage to continue with others.

So I decided…….OK, now I’ll paint a portrait of her using a little black and white snapshot showing her in the tap dance outfit she wore in a program at her dance school.

After several weeks of drawing, painting over and over (you can do that with oil paints) adding what I thought were special touches, I sent her a picture of my prize completed portrait that I was very proud of. And here it is:

How you like???????????

My daughter hated it!!!!!!!!! And looking back I can see why. Now……I don’t like it either. I must have drifted back into my sorrow phase of loosing my daughter Carole Suzanne who we all called by her nickname Susie.

So now I start over, working in a much lighter mood and after a few months this is what I came up with:

SHE LOVED IT, framed it and hung it in her living room in Salem Ohio. So Mom done good!!!

But who really did good was my Psychiatrist daughter Dr Pamela Dawn Drake. She got her depressed mother moving again and now at age 93 I have painted over twenty portraits. that currently hang in family homes in Montana, Ohio, Georgia and in Florida where I am living with my daughter Pamela and her husband Tracy Drake in their home in the gated community of Deer Creek Sarasota.

You can check my blogs to see pictures of that home including my private rooms of bedroom, studio for painting and my private bathroom.

I lived in my own home until September 20, 2015, last year when after selling my condo home in Highland Creek Salem Ohio I flew here I currently live with my daughter Pamela And her husband Tracy Drake in beautiful Sarasota Florida.

After living in Venice Florida 28 years before moving to Salem Ohio in April of 2006, I am now back home and consider myself VERY FORTUNATE!!!!

FRF ❤️