january, 2016 - Miata Club of Southwest Florida

THE MIATA CLUB OF SOUTHWEST FLORIDA http://www.miataclubofsouthwestflorida.com
JANUARY, 2016
ZOOMZOOM...
Board Members
Dana Breda, President
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
BY DANA BREDA
336-416-7464
[email protected]
Jerry Williams, Vice President
864-436-2902
Hi everyone,
[email protected]
Jean Fischer, Past President
305-389-7864
[email protected]
Noni Cockrum, Treasurer
239-278-1729
[email protected]
Leslie Schmitt, Secretary
651-235-4803
[email protected]
Donna Noyes, Membership And
Events Coordinator
239-454-5665
[email protected]
Sandy Bowers, Newsletter Editor
Well, if you weren't at the Key West Christmas parade
in December, you really missed a great time. It rained
on us a bit on the way down, but overall the weather
was fine. This was my second time in this event and it
was even better than last year. We had more cars and
the crowd seemed even more merrier. Sandy was under the weather so I went alone and even though I hated she wasn't there, it was still a blast. I realized I was
running out of candy about 3/4 of the way through the
parade and was tossing one piece at a time. If you
haven't done the parade, you would never believe how
big the parade is and how many kids there are in Key
West. I don't know what was up with all those halfdressed guys on the balcony...
239-567-2149
[email protected]
Gary Blessing, Webmaster
239-910-4610
[email protected]
Dealer Liaisons
Steve Bowers, Palm Mazda
239-567-2149
Our Christmas party was very recent as I write this. It
was a fun time and some great presents were shared.
The cane with the rear view mirror and horn was a hit;
the welding helmet was a favorite, too. I guess you had
to be there to appreciate them. It was a fun time! I'm
really looking forward to the Christmas Canal Cruise,
too.
[email protected]
Ruth Brewer, Cox Mazda
517-331-4618
[email protected]
Ron Lindensmith,O’Brien Mazda
239-699-6339
[email protected]
NEWSLETTER DEADLINE 25th OF EACH MONTH
As I mentioned last month, it's really important that
you let us know if you're coming to the monthly
meeting, particularly now that have a new venue.
Hope to see you all at our meeting on January 11!
Dana
OUR CLUB
IS MOVING !!
We have made some important changes to our meeting location and meeting
dates for 2016. To accommodate our growing club and the great turnout we get
during season, we have changed our meeting location to Capt’n Fishbones at the
Shell Factory in North Fort Myers. Capt’n Fishbones has a large parking lot, a good
varied menu that should appeal to everyone, reasonable prices, a liquor license,
and – most important – a separate meeting room that can handle our group in
comfort and privacy. The restaurant is a part of the Shell Factory complex located
on Rt. 41 in a separate building on the west side of the Shell Factory itself and
should be easily accessible for most of us. The Shell Factory is about 1.5 miles
north of Pine Island/Bayshore Rd. The meeting room has its own entrance to the
right of the actual restaurant.
Moving to this new location does affect the dates of our meetings. The only consistent day of the month that is available for our meetings is the second Monday
of the month. So, beginning with our January meeting and continuing until May
2016, we will meet on the second Monday. The dates are January 11, February 8,
March 14, April 11, and May 9. It is possible that we will be able to change back
to the first Thursday of the month during the off-season and the fall of 2016, but
that is not guaranteed.
The Officers and Board of Directors are hopeful that the members will agree that
this new location offers a better arrangement for our meetings and that the new
meeting dates are acceptable. We hope to see you at our first meeting at Capt’n
Fishbones on January 11. Dinner at 5:00 p.m., the meeting will begin at 6:00 p.m.
We’ll see you there! Check out the Shell Factory at www.shellfactory.com.
Capt’n Fishbones Restaurant
Meeting Room entrance next
to restaurant
Tour of the
Center for Great Apes
Saturday, January 30, 2016 at 1:00 pm
$25 per person donation
ORGANIZED BY
SANDY DUNHAM
The following information is from the Center…..
Thank you for your interest of a tour to the Center for
Great Apes sanctuary in Wauchula, Florida. It is truly a
special place and we hope that after your visit, you will
help us spread the mission of the Center. As you may
already know, the Center for Great Apes is not open to
the public and we only provide tours under special circumstances and for educational purposes. Therefore,
we are sure you will understand that all tours, including yours, are subject to certain parameters.
Tours begin at 1:00 pm on your scheduled day and the donation is $25 per person. All
visitors will be required to sign our guest book, as well as sign the Visitor Consent and
Release form.
Tours will last approximately 1 ½ hours. Your scheduled tour will be a walking tour of
about ¼ mile on shell-rock paths with limited sitting spaces. Be prepared to be in the
Florida elements including sun, rain, bugs and other critters. Please wear comfortable
clothes, hats and walking shoes and bring your own bottled water. Please note that
your scheduled visit may be cancelled, rescheduled or interrupted at any time due to an
emergency, staff availability, weather, routine care of the apes or other reasons deemed
necessary.
Details about the event……...
TOUR OF THE CENTER FOR GREAT APES CONTINUED
BY SANDY DUNHAM
Details continued…..
We will meet at the McDonalds at 26570 Jones Loop Rd. Punta Gorda, FL
on Saturday, January 30, at 9:30 am and leave at 9:45 am for the first leg of
our adventure to Nicholas’ restaurant in Wauchula where we will have an
early lunch at 11:00 am prior to going to the Center for Great Apes.
Our route (about 60 minutes) will take us up US-17. Once in Wauchula and
after crossing Main Street, we will turn left at Townsend Street and then
make another left onto US-17 South. Nichola’s restaurant is on the right just
after you make the turn.
After lunch, we will make a right turn onto US-17 south and go to the light
at Main Street where we will turn left and follow the road to Maude Rd.
(about 9 miles) Turn left onto Maude Rd. take it for about 1and ½ miles,
parking is just after Van Simmons Rd. on the right. Bring your cameras.
If you plan on attending, please contact Sandy Dunham at 239-731-8226 or
[email protected] prior to January 22, 2016. It is only by special invitation that we are able to tour this sanctuary. It doesn’t happen often!
For those who have a GPS here are the addresses.
McDonald’s- 26570 Jones Loop RD. Punta Gorda, FL.
Nichola’s restaurant- 615 N. 6th Ave. Wauchula ,FL.
Center for the Great Apes- 1065 Maude Rd. Wauchula, FL. 33873
NEXT MIATA MEETING
JANUARY 11, 2016
WHERE:
Captain Fishbones (Meeting
Room) at the Shell Factory
2787 N. Tamiami Trail
North Ft. Myers, FL 33903
TIME:
Dinner 5pm (optional)
Meeting 6pm
REPLY TO: Donna Noyes
[email protected]
239-454-5665
PLEASE RESPOND BY FRIDAY, JAN. 8, 2016
SAVE THE DATES !
Monday, January 11, 2016
Monthly Miata Club Meeting —
New Location —Capt’n Fishbones
Tuesday, January 12, 2016
Three Suns Ranch Tour
Saturday, January 30, 2016
Center for Great Apes Tour
Monday, February 8, 2016
Monthly Miata Club Meeting
Saturday, February 27, 2016
Palm Mazda Car Show and Event
Monday, March 14, 2016
Monthly Miata Club Meeting
Saturday, March 19, 2016
Annual Miata Club Picnic —
Franz Ross Park, Pt. Charlotte
Monday, April 11, 2016
Monthly Miata Club Meeting
Monday, May 9, 2016
Monthly Miata Club Meeting
EVERYONE NEEDS A LITTLE SUNSHINE
By Sandy Cole
I assume your December has also been a busy and hectic month. We are feeling overwhelmed, even though we are enjoying all the festivities. It would seem every club,
neighborhood and friend or family has decided to arrange a Holiday Gathering. Therefore, it becomes a challenge to squeeze in the activity and be rested and reserve enough
energy to get the house decorated, gifts bought, wrapped and mailed. WHEW!!!! Of
course, if you are traveling, that will add another dimension to the situation. At any rate,
we are blessed to be well enough to be able to enjoy all the fun. We are not complaining, just stating the obvious.
We have continued to have a pretty healthy membership. My only request in December
has been for Cindy Reynolds. She had knee surgery on December 11th. With no report
to the contrary it would indicate all went well; she had to miss our Miata Holiday Dinner.
(Sorry Cindy, it was a fabulous time. And, we missed you.) Please keep up the good record for good health and safe travels.
Once again we have members who are celebrating another birthday. PLEASE join me in
wishing the following a HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Gary Bedwell, Al Busche, William Dunstone,
Jean Espenchied, Jean Fischer, Jerry Friedman, Delores Golob, and Parker Moore. We
trust you will enjoy a happy and safe year ahead.
God bless all of you and your loved ones. HAPPY NEW YEAR to all of you. May 2016 continue to bring about new friendships and happy memories of the Miata Club of SW Florida. See you all soon.
Sunshine Sandy
PALM MAZDA CAR SHOW AND EVENT
BY STEVE BOWERS
The Palm Mazda event will be on Saturday, February 27, 2016. There will be food, giveaways, music, and a chance to show our cars to the community. Let’s see if we can break
last year’s record attendance of 52 cars! Stay tuned for more details!
KEY WEST CHRISTMAS PARADE
BY JESS DUNHAM
As always, we started our trip down to the Keys from the Cracker Barrel restaurant in Naples, FL. We had 14 cars signed up this year; one of the largest numbers we have had. Those
in attendance this year were Steve & Sandy Bowers, Dana Breda, Jess & Sandy Dunham,
Dick & Jean Fischer, Rick & Charlene Hayman, Carol Ross and Bev Davis, John & Karen
Chapman, Francis & Frank Kinslow, Sherry & David Moore, Parker & Elaine Moore, Brent
& Pat Mosher, Jay & Leslie Schmitt, and Rich & Judy Yando. I want to thank all of you for
joining us this year; you made this event a success.
We made our way down to the Keys via U.S.-41 with rest stops at the Oasis rest center and
RaceTrac gas station in Homestead, Fl. to top off our gas tanks. We had a fairly wet ride
down and all wondered what the weather would be like in Key West for the parade. We
stopped for lunch at the Islamorada Fish Company restaurant which is part of Bass Pro. Everyone must have liked the food, because there was nothing but crumbs left on the plates! It
continued to rain while we ate but we had high hopes of a good weekend. After lunch we
continued to our motel, the SugarLoaf Lodge; they were ready for us and check-in went
smoothly.
Oasis Rest Center
More rain!
Lunch at the Islamorada Fish Company
Sunset at the Sugarloaf Lodge
Friday evening we had dinner at Mangrove Mama’s which was located about three miles
back up the highway from our motel. The only problem getting there was someone decided to drive into the mangroves! The police had one lane blocked, so as you might expect,
there was a delay. We didn’t let that slow us down from having a great evening.
Continued
Saturday morning everyone was on their own to explore the islands. Many took advantage
of that because the weather turned into sunshine just like we ordered. The Bowers, Dunham’s and Fischer’s along with Carol Ross & Bev Davis went to the No Name Pub where
we had a great lunch. The Pub is located on Big Pine Key - home of the protected Key
Deer. One needs to check out the wallpaper in the Pub! It is covered floor to ceiling with
one dollar bills including one which Carol Ross left behind on behalf of our Miata Club. If
there is one there are a million dollar bills. I hope they never have a fire! As we were leaving the pub, what do we see about a hundred yards up the road; nothing more than a six
point buck standing on the side of the road. It is illegal to feed the deer but someone must
have been feeding this one because it stood just inches away from our open car window and
let us take pictures of him. We were quite excited. Then a little further down the road a
doe stood on the side of the road to let us take a picture. She wasn’t as tame as the buck.
Those driving in the parade met at the Horace O’Bryant Middle School to decorate our cars
for the parade. Each car was decorated in a wide variety of styles, no two alike here. As
always, the parade was a lot of fun and I’m sure there were sore arms from tossing out all
that candy. I know Sandy & I had 4,500 pieces of candy and ran out before the end of the
parade. After the parade we had dinner at the Pasta Garden Restaurant on Duval St. There
is a big parking lot behind the restaurant where we could remove all the decorations from
our cars.
Continued
The decorated cars
The parade
The crowds
The Pasta Garden
Sunday morning everyone was one their own whether returning home that day or spending more time visiting the Keys. The Dunham’s, Fischer’s, Carol Ross & Bev Davis made the
trip back home on Sunday. A bit of excitement was added to our journey when about five
miles east of the Oasis rest area we found the West lane of US41 blocked because a little
Cessna airplane had made an emergency landing on the highway due to of fuel problems. No one was hurt and we heard they fixed the problem and flew it off the road back
to Miami. I bet the semi and motorhome that had to take evasive action wondered if they
had ventured onto a runway somehow.
Next year’s Key West parade will be December 2-3-4, 2016; put it on your calendar now.
Christmas is different in the
Keys !
MIATA CLUB CHRISTMAS PARTY
BY SANDY DUNHAM
Once upon a time, no,no! 'Twas the night before Christmas .... No,no! It was 5:30 and
they started arriving until their numbers were 54 Miata members eagerly waiting to see
what the night would bring. Excitement filled the air as we filled our "gas tanks" with a
choice of chicken, steak or salmon followed by cheesecake. A big thank you goes to Dick
and Ruth Brewer who started the fun by explaining the rules for a "white elephant" gift
exchange. After drawing numbers, who was going to be the lucky member to draw #1 meaning that they would have their choice of which "white elephant" they would take
home. With no #1 drawn, Rafael found that his #2 indeed was going to be the lucky
number. The question would be, would the "gift” someone wanted be available since
the rules of the gift exchange were the third owner of a gift could keep it! Some of the
popular "gifts" that brought many comments were a welder's helmet, handbag (bustier),
remote control (how to control a woman!), a chef figurine, the Better Homes & Garden
New Cookbook (being a club that loves to eat out -- no one knew how to use that) and a
coveted “boot” cover. It was now approaching 9:00 pm; the evening was drawing to a
close. Would #2 find his perfect gift? Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus as Rafael found
his boot cover was still available. With laughter and smiles all around, the evening came
to a close with everyone wishing all a Merry Christmas
Dick and Ruth Brewer moderate the gift exchange
as Don Cole admires his welding helmet.
The club members anxiously wait to see which
beautiful gift they will get
Continued…..
Bob Cockrum and Frank Kinslow are both excited about their new hats!
Leslie Schmitt got this beautiful (?) purse
Rafael Marin was the first to get a gift, which was
one of the evening’s most popular…. A cane
equipped with a horn and side view mirror!
Is Jean Espenschied excited about the can
dispenser, or the beer can in it ??
Lynn Soller seems pleased with her nightlight
MIATA CLUB ADVENTURE—WHERE THE BUFFALO ROAM!
BY DONNA NOYES
Did you know that the state’s largest bison herd is located on a 5,700 acre ranch
just off of State Rt. 31 in Punta Gorda? Join us for a relaxing and educational tour
of Three Suns Ranch where you will learn about American Bison, their history
and their life here at the ranch. You will also learn about the ranch’s cracker cattle, descendants of the original cattle brought to the southern United States by the
Spanish Conquistadors. The mission of Three Suns is to bring clean, wholesome,
hormone and antibiotic free meats to the folks of SW Florida and beyond.
We will have a 1-3/4 hour tour of the ranch on Tuesday, January 12 at 2:00
PM. A large wagon with bench seating along each side will take us out to the
pasture to view the herds of bison and cracker cattle. The wagon has open sides
so you will be able to get photos easily from all angles. The ranch has a market
on site that sells ground bison, bison steaks, wild-boar sausages and cuts of
grass-fed beef. The market will be open after our tour so if you think you might
want to purchase something, consider bringing a cooler and some ice with you.
Here are the important details.
• The cost of the tour is $23.50 per person, tax included. To get this group rate, I
need to pay the total amount for our group up front.
• The tour is limited to a MAXIMUM of 20 people. If you want to sign up for the
tour, send a check for $23.50 per person, made out to Donna Noyes, to the
address listed below.
• When I receive your check, your name will go on the sign-up sheet. Once I have
20 names on the list, I will start a waiting list.
• The deadline for signing up is January 5. No refunds can be made after that
date unless someone on the waiting list is able to replace you. Also, if you don’t
clear the waiting list, your check will be returned.
We will caravan to the ranch from McDonald’s on Jones Loop Road in Punta Gorda, leaving there at 12:30 pm. We need to arrive at the ranch by 1:30. After the
tour, we will proceed to Hurricane Charley’s Raw Bar and Grill in Punta Gorda
for dinner at 5 pm (and maybe a nice view of sunset on the river at 5:54 pm).
This should be an interesting experience so I hope some of you can join me!
Donna Noyes
17721 Canal Cove Court
Ft. Myers Beach, FL 33931
239-454-5665
Three Suns Ranch website - http://
threesunsranch.com/
Hurricane Charley’s http://www.hurricanecharleys.com/
When ordering from Duragloss Car Care Products
- 1-800-638-7245 or www.duragloss.com use the
promotion code #10-25 to receive a 10 percent
discount on your purchase of any of their products. This is available to all Miata Club members.
MIATA SHIRTS AND CAPS
Embroidered shirts and caps available from Cathy,
owner of the Golden Needle
941-743-4410
Port Charlotte
PUNTA GORDA CHRISTMAS CANAL CRUISE
BY LESLIE SCHMITT
We were so blessed with a warm and beautiful evening for our Punta Gorda Christmas
Canal Cruise.
We began our evening with dinner at Harpoon Harry’s in Fishermen’s Village. They provided our group of 51 with good food, good service and a great view of Charlotte Harbor
and the setting sun. We had plenty of time to enjoy our dinner and get to the dock. In
fact, we were all there with time to spare so the boat left for our cruise ten minutes earlier than the planned departure time. We Miata people are a prompt bunch!
The Banana Boat took us on a short jaunt across Charlotte Harbor to the canals of Punta
Gorda Isles. Captain JR narrated our cruise with lots of humor and stopped behind some
of the displays that were his favorites, including Santa running from an alligator, and baby Rudolph. Festive Christmas music filled the air while we glided past the stunning
homes and spectacular lights. The light displays were amazing and varied and covered
homes, trees, docks and boats. Captain JR even pointed out the fish hanging around
some of the snook lights along our journey.
Our path took us up and back in each of the canals we traversed, so everyone was able
to enjoy all the displays on both sides. Captain JR turned the Banana Boat around at the
end of each canal with such skill and ease.
The boat was comfortable, the water smooth, the air balmy, but the best part of it all
was the Christmas spirit shared by our wonderful group.
Dinner at Harpoon Harry’s
Waiting to board
Fisherman’s Village
On board the Banana Boat
…..Lights along the canals…..
Santa’s dirty laundry!