IRT February 2016

Vol. 35, Issue No. 4, 2015-16
ISLAND REEF
TI
M E
February, 2016
S
Published since 1981 by the Island Reef Owners’ Association • 8770 Midnight Pass Road • Sarasota, FL 34242 • 941-349-2844
A scary day at Island Reef as . . Tornado hits Siesta Key the morning of Sunday, January 17
The February 2016
Siesta Sand Newspaper
flashed the headline: F2
Tornado Races Across
Key — Cleanup Efforts
Move Apace.
Tornadoes are extremely uncommon for this area, and it was a
very scary thing during the early morning hours
of Sunday, January 17, when cell phone alarms
went off with a tornado warning a little after 3
a.m.! The tornado raced across Siesta Key, Little Sarasota Bay, and parts of the Sarasota
mainland. It is thought that a second tornado
may have been spawned by the same system.
Sustaining the greatest amount of damage were
our neighbors to the north, about 3 miles from
Island Reef, the Excelsior Beach to Bay Condominiums (also on Midnight Pass Road), which
took the brunt of the storm’s force, with winds
reaching 135 miles per hour — they experienced torn-off roofs, damaged carports, loss of
electrical power, and damaged condos due to
blown-out windows. There was extensive damage to a home at 1604
Baywinds Lane, Sarasota, and there
were two lives lost in Duette, about
20 miles northeast of Siesta Key.
There, 2 grandparents lost their lives
after their mobile home was struck
by a tornado; their grandchildren
were able to escape to safety with
their father. Our prayers are with
the family of Stephen and Kelli Wilson and all those who sustained
damage due to the tornadoes.
These pictures were taken by
Board President Rick Wulterkens
here at Island Reef, who commented
that he had never, in his 30-year
history here, seen such high tides.
Our dock was submerged by the rising waters, and
the gulf was definitely unsettled, causing extensive
beach erosion! But, by the grace of God, Island Reef
came through this disaster relatively unscathed!
There was just some debris clean-up the following
day, thanks to our dedicated maintenance staff.
Susie, Angel, and Tim got things picked up and back
to normal again so quickly!
Property Manager Kathy Barshinger warns that,
should this happen again, she suggests leaving windows slightly open (so pressure doesn’t build up) and
that we retreat to a windowless area (e.g., interior
bathroom, stairwell, etc.). Do not get near any windows! Kathy reminds us that she will post updates
on the IR website (www.islandreef.net) as long as
she has electric power, which will especially ease the
minds of those owners who are not in residence.
2
Messages and
reminders from our
IR Property Manager,
Kathy Barshinger . . .
L
et’s stop was ng water!!! The Associa on
paid just under $69,000
Kathy Barshinger
for water and sewer in
Property Manager
2015. This is a part of your quarterly maintenance fees, and if you will help to conserve
water, you can help keep costs down! A plumber told
me that if your flapper or flush valve is leaking (you hear
your toilet running at odd mes), as much as 20 gallons
per day can be lost down the drain! In addi on to keeping a watch on your toilets, if you use the car wash, that
is a perfect place to cut back. I’ve seen people aimlessly
spraying water on their vehicles. If you are going to use
the car wash facility, PLEASE use the shut off nozzle and
only spray enough water to rinse the soap off aIer you
use a sponge to wash. Every drop of water that is used
on this property, other than irriga on, flows through the
meter. You know what they say, “The meter is running!” Thanks for your help in our conserva on efforts.
The website has been in the works for the past several months, and on January 27, I sat down with the designers for the final tweaks. By the me you are reading
this, the new website should be up and running. You
will need to click on the “Owners’ Area” tab and then
“sign up” in order to access the new site. This newsle1er
will now be on the owners’ page only and not displayed
publicly. In addi on, we will have a func oning calendar! There is a place to view announcements, which is
where the website administrators will post mely, current news and events. Please be pa ent with us, as
once the site goes live, we will have to upload all of the
pictures and informa on for each rental unit individually, and the documents for the owners’ side will have to
be individually uploaded as well.
The official, recorded Amended and Restated Documents are available on the website. If you would like a
printed copy, we have a limited number of copies in the
office available for you to pick up. When the supply is
exhausted, we will order more from the printer. We
also have printed phone directories available for you to
pick up. The documents and phone directories are 8
1/2” x 11” and printed on 3-hole punch paper for your
inser on into a 3-ring binder or notebook.
We’ve had plumbing leaks, some mes resul ng in a
situa on where mold remedia on is needed. Whether
it’s a small stain—or large, and you are suspicious of a
water leak, PLEASE call us as soon as possible to minimize the damage. I’d rather we find out that it was
nothing than come into a big problem because you didn’t want to bother us. On the last ‘big one’, we had
Servpro come out and found that they were very responsive, and had our problems wrapped up in minimal
me, compared to the 3-month ordeal that I’ve seen
some residents go through with other companies!
On a last note, I wanted to make men on of the
tornado that occurred on Sunday, January 17 which hit
Siesta Key. Island Reef was very fortunate and blessed
not to have suffered any damage like the communi es
that are just 3 miles down the road. I was able to post
a no ce on the website, but please remember, any me
you have a ques on or concern when the news shows
a disaster on Siesta Key or in Sarasota, you can call the
office phone number 941-349-2844 which is directed to
the answering service, and they will contact me so that
I can determine if it is an emergency that requires response. If it is not an emergency, I will call you back at
my earliest convenience. The best way to contact me
for a rela vely immediate response is via e-mail:
[email protected]. I do access my work e-mails from
home, so as long as I have not lost electricity or been
affected by the storm, I can respond to your email
within the hour.
W
elcome to Island Reef! Board
Member Bob Jamieson, has suggested we report brief ‘bios’ on
the new owners, so here are the
first few he submi1ed . . .
Let’s welcome Robin & Monica ‘Nicki’ Lawrence
(507F) to Island Reef. Robin and Nicki are from Toronto and, although they are s ll working, they can see full
re rement at IR in the near future. They are avid bikers and Robin likes golf and tennis. Nicki is interested
in the book club and has already tried water aerobics.
You might meet them in the fitness room as I did. Robin works in the health care/pharmaceu cal area and
Nicki’s exper se is commercial banking. They enjoyed
living in Philadelphia for a few years.
Please welcome our newest Island Reef owners,
Nancy & Bipin Shroff from Cincinna , Ohio (my favorite city!). They closed on 207F a couple of weeks
ago. Nancy is re red, and Bipin owns a company focused on biofuel technology/renewable fuels. Both
Nancy and Bipin like walking and biking. Nancy enjoys
water ac vi es such as sailing and kayaking. She also
likes to read and Bipin enjoys traveling both for business and pleasure.
A warm ‘Hello!” to Larry & Ruth Standlee (106F).
Larry (California) and Ruth (New York) met and married
while working in New Jersey, and they currently reside
in Chicago. Larry is VP for a na onal parking garage
company where he builds and maintains large parking
structures. Ruth (re red) was a partner in a company
that built mid-to-high rise condos in Chicago. They
both like to fish (Ruth claims to be be1er!), golf (Larry
is be1er), travel, and they have joined a local boat
club. Ruth also likes cooking, plans to join water aerobics, and women’s golf. Finally Larry, is currently avoiding Chicago weather by working at Island Reef this winter but will take some me off to join men’s golf.
3
President Rick Wulterkens’ Message
W
Jackson, Island Reef’s Longhaired Dachshund
by Tish & Don White (503B)
e have been inundated with
complaints regarding the IR
Wi-Fi, so . . .
First of all, a li1le history:
the current system was put into place
because our ini al foray into providing
'free' internet was failing. The biggest
reason for its failure was increased
owner usage and the way the internet
Your ‘fearless’ Board
evolved.
president with a
The upgrade we chose was to impet boa constrictor
prove BASIC access for all units. We did
briefly examine a much more expensive op on that might
have given owners the 'unlimited' access some sought.
The Board decided that IR should not provide this level of
service, and that choice was all about how pricey it was.
The company who provided our current system has
worked diligently with us from the beginning to make this
work.
There are two reasons why the system is not func oning as designed: 1) An insufficient incoming line from
Comcast (this despite upgrading to a faster line when the
new equipment was installed) and; 2) Owner abuse.
On the line problem, be advised that the property manager and Board are working on possibly geQng TWO incoming lines from Comcast (one for each side of the road)
or switching to a much faster Verizon line. Neither will
happen any me soon.
On the owner abuse side, you should know that we can
determine individual owners’ usage (not who those people are but the amount of bandwidth they are using) and
either curtail or ban completely those who are being
selfish. We are currently star ng this process, as the
Board voted to end streaming devices being used on the
system. I firmly believe too many people were using their
access to stream movies and videos on mul ple devices
or engaging in other bandwidth-sucking ac vi es to the
detriment of those who are using the system for what it
was intended: checking e-mail and light web surfing.
The Board has been VERY up-front about what our new
system was intended to do, but this has obviously fallen
on deaf ears.
There are many individual access points here at IR because heavy users decided that the frustra on of using
our ‘free’ Wi-Fi was not acceptable. If you want to use the
internet the way it is currently being used in our modern
world, you MUST purchase your own, individual access. There are several op ons other than using IRprovided internet access. They include but are not limited
to: Comcast cable, phone hotspots, and MiFi (MiFi is a
brand name used to describe a wireless router that acts as
mobile Wi-Fi hotspot. A MiFi device can be connected to a
cellular network and provide internet access for up to ten
devices - this from Wikipedia).
Some of the so-called experts have told us we are
figh ng a ba1le we cannot hope to win in providing internet access to our owners. However, I'm convinced that the
steps we are taking to improve owner access will work, up
to a point. Those steps will not solve all our internet woes
and will definitely not provide what many of us have come to
expect our internet experience is supposed to be.
You may have seen him stalking squirrels around
Island Reef. Jackson, the longhaired dachshund, is
the owner of Tish and Don White in the “B” building—or at least he thinks he owns them, considering the demanding schedule he keeps them on.
Jackson, named for President Andrew Jackson, is
the second longhaired dachshund named aIer a
president—the first being a black and tan dachshund named Lincoln, also a wonderful family pet.
Dachshunds are sight hounds, bred to hunt
badgers and other fury cri1ers, but have been
known to wolf down toads if nothing else is available. If you have ever seen them dive into a groundhole and burrow and dig like they were on their
way to China, you know they are fearless hunters.
Last February as snow piled up in Jackson’s
hun ng territory in Buffalo, he decided that the
ground mice digging tunnels under the 40 inches of
snow would be easy prey. He gave chase and began burrowing into the snow. To see the snow fly,
you would think the snowplow had moved through
the yard rather than the street. Eventually, the only
way to retrieve him was to grab his tail and pull him
out—he was not a happy camper.
If you meet Jackson on one of his numerous
walks, he is hard to forget. Long flowing sandy hair
mixed with black, a barrel chest and a 2-foot long
body posing 6-inches off the ground. Add a tail that
constantly wags with flowing hair that looks like
feathers; however, his most dis nguishing feature
is his long snout and Cleopatra eyes—the eyes appear to have black eyeliner sweeping back over his
cheeks to his cocked ears. Now you have the complete picture.
Jackson loves people and always tries to show
his affec on upon mee ng. He does truly hate
compe on, however, and can be unpredictable
around other dogs, especially if he thinks they will
receive a treat before him.
At home in Buffalo, Jackson’s best friend is his
Burmese cat, Toby. They play stalking with each
other with Jackson usually retrea ng when Toby
goes on the offensive. A cold day and a warm fire
will find them snuggled below the hearth sleeping
soundly together. This is truly an amazing friendship.
A wonderful pet and protector of the house—say
‘hello’ to Jackson
should you happen to meet, and
if you have a
treat in your
pocket, he is
your friend for
life.
How is Jackson ‘fearless’ like
Rick Wulterkens?
He rides a motorcycle!
4
IR February Ladies’ Luncheon
Thursday, February 25, 2016 at Noon
Michael’s On East
1212 East Ave. South
Sarasota, FL 34239
(941) 366-0007
Valet Parking OR park in the lot on East Avenue
(across from Valet Parking);
We will be billed separately.
We will order from an
abbreviated menu (in office).
Read Ahead for IR Book Club
The next mee ng of the Book Club
will be held in the C– Bldg. Card Room
on Wednesday, February 10, beginning at 4:30 pm. Come join us to discuss Boys in the Boat by Daniel
James Brown. Although a true story
of how nine young men from the University of Washington captured the
gold medal for rowing at the 1936
Olympics, it reads like a novel, with
Joe Rantz as the principal character. I
am 70 pages into the book and finding it very difficult to put down!
Some folks have asked if they can
come to Book Club if they haven’t
read the book. Of course! Our discussions can take us off on wonderful
tangents and we learn all kinds of
things from and about our Island Reef
neighbors. For example, last month’s discussion of
Harper Lee’s two books – To Kill a Mockingbird and
Go Set a Watchman – spawned discussions, led by
two of our par cipants, regarding apartheid in South
Africa and busing in Boston.
If you want to plan ahead for the March mee ng
on Wednesday, March 9, we will be reading The Winter Garden by Kristen Hannah. Please join in the fun!
Kathy Caltagirone (404B)
ISLAND REEF MISSION STATEMENT
Island Reef is a privately owned, residential
condominium complex designed to meet the living, recreational, and social needs of both individuals and families.
While not a resort property, Island Reef provides a casual and friendly atmosphere and strives
to maintain the highest standards for facilities,
landscape, care, and service in order to sustain
owners’ enjoyment and protect property values.
Remember to check the bulletin boards
outside the lobbies at the entrance of
each building for UPDATES ON ACTIVITIES!
They are no longer posted on the glass doors!
From our readers . . .
I would like to express my hearUelt gra tude to all of
you here at Island Reef who showed my dear Jack and me
so many kindnesses and expressed such caring and compassionate words these past weeks. Also, your cards and
food were so appreciated. Thank you all so very much.
Marion Mitchell 301F
IN THE MOOD FOR GOOD FOOD?????
I want to thank you for your excellent job with the IR
newsle1er! I am recommending a great place to eat for
breakfast and lunch - The Toasted Mango which took the
place of Javier’s. It’s right up the road (6621 Midnight Pass
Road in the Crescent Plaza). This is the 2nd Toasted Mango; the original one is on 41. They have new specials every
2 days. I love the banana granola pancakes! It gets a bit
crowded on Sundays. They take reserva ons for large
groups! Editor’s note: Did you see that The Toasted Mango made the lis-ng of the “Top 22 Breakfast Spots” in the
February 2016 edi-on of SARASOTA MAGAZINE?
Melissa Gindling 505C
Try out Thomas German Bakery, 2126 Gulf Gate
Drive. They specialize in daily selec ons of homemade
breads, croissants, strudels, and coffee cake......hot from
the oven. Breakfast and lunch selec ons include waffles
with hot cherries, omelets, German sausages, and wonderful sandwich selec ons. Hospitality abounds.
The Thomas German Bakery was a great place to hold a
special event for my Sarasota Walkers Group. We enjoyed a Gulf Gate Walk and an evening with Ann Greenwood (author Josephine Goldman) as she reviewed her
new book, Misbego<en, a personal account of her adopon experiences with a fic onal twist. Thomas German
Bakery provided a great place to gather and snack for this
special event.
If your book club would like to have Ann do a presentaon, please give me a call. If you want to enjoy walking in
a variety of loca ons and meet people who are living or
visi ng Sarasota, please check out Sarasota Walkers.
There are 3-4 walks weekly and we socialize aIer our
walks. Check out past walks and pictures and many upcoming walks. If you have ques ons, consult:
www.Meetup.com/Sarasota-Walkers-Meetup/
Carolyn Francis 105G 941-400-0083
The ISLAND REEF TIMES is published approximately monthly
(during the season) and otherwise approximately every other
month by the Island Reef Owners’ Association (IROA) at 8770 Midnight Pass Road; Sarasota, FL 34242; Phone—941-349-2844.
Editors: JOHN & KAY MAIER (401H). Suggestions for articles
and digital photos may be submitted to John or Kay Maier at
[email protected]. John also serves as the official
photographer for this publication, although your digital photos are
welcome and may be emailed to the above address.
Thanks, Bob & Andrea Arends, Kathy Barshinger, Kathy Caltagirone,
Bill Davis; Carolyn Francis, Melissa Gindling, Joanne Glaser, Bob Jamieson,
Yvonne Johnson, Rosemary Kelly, John & Kay Maier, Marion Mitchell, Bill
Roethel, Bonnie Rowley, Joan Schmidt, Barb Weyeneth, Tish & Don White,
and Rick & Diane Wulterkens, for your submissions for this current is-
sue. Neither the editors nor the IROA are responsible for material
submitted for publication or copied from other sources. Articles
may be edited for clarity and length. The deadline for our next
edition of the 2015-16 season will be March 3, 2016 so that we
can continue to pass IR’s latest news onto our readership!
5
FROM THE SOCIAL COMMITTEE
by Diane Wulterkens, Chairperson
“No Soup for You!” That was Batman’s (our unofficial mascot) message
at the Social Commi1ee’s February 2
gathering. The reality was quite to the
contrary! Our cast of characters: Skip
Krause, Richard & Mary Hummer, Judy
Hain (I.R. board liaison), Marlene Marshall (luncheon coordinator) and yours
truly, Diane Wulterkens, already knew
from experience that salad bars are a
bit hit at Island Reef. But, we wanted
to try a new twist. Soup sounded like a good idea! Then
the reality hit. How were we going to pull it off? How
much? What kinds? And how were we going to keep it
hot? We were about to panic, but it worked be1er than
we could have ever imagined.
Eight volunteers each agreed to bring about a gallon
of homemade soup. They included: Judy Hain
(Vegetarian Vegetable), Kathy Caltagirone (Len l), Charlene Morgan (Sausage Tortellini), Marlene Marshall
(Gazpacho), Lynn Nahmias (Chicken Noodle), Be1y
Dowling (Mixed Bean), Marla Walsh (Cream of Chicken
with Rice), Diane Wulterkens (New England Clam Chowder), and Rick Wulterkens (Venison Chili). It turned out
the biggest problem we had, for our crowd of nearly 80,
was to figure out which concoc ons to try. They were
all fabulous, even if I say so myself! Skip took charge of
the salad bar, and a variety of fresh whole loaves of
bread were cut into hearty slices. A simple dessert of ice
cream (vanilla, chocolate, strawberry or mint) with a
variety of cookies topped it all off.
Mother Nature was good to us. With balmy temps
and our pa o tents (with hanging lights!), we had plenty
of room to spread out and breathe.
Besides our cooks and commi1ee, addi onal thanks
go out to Marla & Jim Walsh, Janice Dayton, Mary Ann
Laritz, Laurie Rossi, Jerry Rosen, Nyleen Schmidt, and
Jamie & Bill Bray for seQng up, serving, cleaning up,
etc., and to Kay & John Maier for capturing the fun on
camera. The whole group of guests should also be commended for their helpful, pleasant demeanor. It makes
our job as a commi1ee a pleasure. Thanks, also, to our
Island Reef staff: Kathy, Anna, Sue, Tim, and Angel, for
their assistance and a1en on to detail.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR UPCOMING ACTIVITIES:
Wednesday, March 16 — St Patrick’s Day (Eve) Dinner;
Menu to be determined.
March 30: Orioles vs. Detroit Tigers— Night Game at
Ed Smith Stadium.
Mid-April: Le Barge Sunset Cruise —
Date to be determined.
May 14: Symphony in the OuIield — Sarasota Symphony at Ed Smith Stadium at sunset, with fireworks.
Other plans? To Be Announced.
A BIG REMINDER!!! Please watch the bulleKn boards.
That has all the informaKon you need to know to get involved in the upcoming acKviKes. When informaKon posts,
be sure to reserve your spaces quickly. It gets pre<y busy
around here during the season. Don’t get leM behind!
Le< below—4th floor neighbors in H-Building,
(Yvonne Heidi, and Geri) enjoy geDng together over
such a delighEul
repast! Right—
’heroes’ in the
kitchen, Lynne
and Nyleen,
worked diligently to the biFer
end! Many
thanks!
At le< below, s-ll smiling at the conclusion of a VERY SUCCESSFUL
soup, salad, and bread bar as the main organizers are Mary & Richard
Hummer (who were assisted by countless worker bees!). This February
2 event
was also
very special for
John &
Sue
Rainier,
who
celebrated their
49th anniversary with 75+ of their closest friends! They met when John
was with the U.S. military in Okinawa in July ‘66 and were married
2/2/67. The Rainiers, second-year renters in 105F, are parents of Edwin, John III, and Maricia. They reside in Wilmington, DE. Many happy
returns of the day!
Four complete tables of Island Reef ladies (le<) filled the back room
at downtown Sarasota’s Mediterraneo’s Restaurant (Cucina Italiana) the a<ernoon of January 28. Thanks, Marlene Marshall, for
organizing our monthly ou-ngs to such tasty places. Pictured at the
right are six ROMEOs (Re-red Old Men Ea-ng Out), also on January
28, whose ou-ng was organized by John Maier at Beckham’s on the
Trail. The Island Reef Dames & Dudes had a luncheon experience to
savor for a long -me — well, at least un-l next -me, February 25!
Other reminders . . .
Please remember that the remaining SCRAPBOOKING/CARD CROP DATES for 2016 include the following
Wednesdays (noon-4 p.m.) and Thursdays & Fridays
(10 a.m.-4 p.m.): February 17-19; March 23-25; and
April 13-15. Call Bonnie Rowley (941-349-2599) OR
email her at [email protected] to reserve
your table/work space!
Bill Roethel informs us that the start of play on Island
Reef’s TENNIS courts has been delayed from 8:30 a.m.
until 9 a.m. Players will enjoy this favorite IR sport until
10:30 a.m. — again, that’s 9:00-10:30 a.m. on Tuesday,
Thursday, AND Saturday mornings.
6
News from back home . . .
PEORIA, IL: This is Elisabeth Belle
Weyeneth (Ellie), right, and Esther
Weyeneth Bell, leI. Esther was
born in 1908 and Ellie was born in
2008. They are 100 years apart!
As you can see they had on matching shirts at Christmas me. It
seems that Esther and Ellie have
the same twinkle in their eyes.
Ellie is
Jeff and Barb Weyeneth's (406H)
youngest granddaughter, and Esther is Jeff's aunt and Ellie's greatgreat aunt. Esther was widowed
in her early 60's and has given her
a1en on and love to Jeff and
Barb's only son, Jeffrey. When he
married Jennifer, Esther had one
more person to love. Jeffrey and
Jennifer have four children, Barb
and Jeff’s grandchildren (pictured
above, right): Abbie-20, Maddie-17, Kenten-15, and of
course Ellie, who will be 8 on Valen ne's Day. Esther
adores all of them! It’s family gatherings like this that
Jeff and Barb really miss when they’re here in Florida.
The Weyeneths hope that Aunt Esther's longevity filters
through the family!
ST. LOUIS COUNTY, MO:
Rosemary Kelly’s friend
Linda Elden texted her
this photo of mustachioed Mr. Snowman who is
seeking relief from the
cold and snow up north
by ‘heading out of
Dodge’! Even though it’s
generally been an oIen
rainy and chilly winter
here in FL, it sure beats
what we could be experiencing back home. The
problem with the hitchhiking snowman? No one would
offer him a ride, even though he was packed and ready
to go with suitcase in ‘hand’! Rosemary and her husband Bob are renters in 305H.
We regret to inform you that Island Reef
will NOT be making its annual field trip to
Southeastern Guide Dogs this year due to
excessive construction on the Palmetto
Campus where we usually tour and do our
puppy hugging! The next time we visit, we will see new
dorms and a new training area!
The Making of a Guide Dog
We have followed Southeastern Guide Dog,
Maria (for whom Bonnie Rowley had naming
rights) prac cally from her birth (1/29/14). We
are pleased to inform you that Bonnie a1ended Maria’s gradua on ceremonies at St. Petersburg Yacht Club 1/28/16 and that she is now a
full-fledged Guide Dog! Here she is with her
fellow classmates on gradua on day (far right)!
Do you remember the cute pups named
Jackie and Gibson in the SEGD television com-
mercials about a year and a half ago? They both made the
grade too and graduated with Maria. Only 4 in 10 pups
make it to Guide Dog status. All others are put to good use
as other service dogs, but the ul mate goal is to be
someone’s eyes!
At leI, puppy raiser Mimi Lawson poses with Maria and
Allen who is a Vietnam Veteran (Navy) and Maria's new
owner. This is Allen's second
guide dog from Southeastern.
Mimi added, “I am beyond
thrilled that she will be HIS
hero as he is one of ours!
Thank you for your service to
our country, Allen, and for loving her as much as I did.”
At right, it was a proud
moment for Ed & Bonnie Rowley as they witnessed Maria’s
outstanding accomplishment
in becoming a full-fledged
Guide Dog with Southeastern. She is now the eyes
for Allen . . . quite a successful event at 2 years of
age! Thanks, Bonnie, for
keeping us up to date on
Maria!
P.S. Be sure to read Bill
Roethel’s volunteer story
on Page 8 and see how another “Maria” is making
another Veteran’s life
whole once again!
Mark your calendars for future IR Board Meetings
beginning promptly at 1 p.m. in the Club House!
February 10
March 9
April 6
May 4
7
The power of beginning something new!
WORD FOR THE DAY
for Monday, February 1, 2016
And suddenly you know: it's time to start something new and trust the magic of beginnings.
(Network for Grateful Living)
MEISTER ECKHART
BOB & ANDREA ARENDS (205H) write . . . Do
you want to know more about your family tree and
its roots? Then think about Adult & Community Enrichment classes at Suncoast Technical College, conveniently located at Beneva and Proctor. We have
been wan ng to know more about our roots lately
and decided to take a class in genealogy there in
January. Absolute Beginners Genealogy was just
the cket to open up the whole world of genealogy
and help us understand how to approach it. Taught
by the na onally recognized husband/wife team of
Jim and Terry Willard, this class demonstrated a
very systema c and organized way of beginning to
discover our roots. We were taught how to organize family pedigree charts and a family group sheet
in addi on to key genealogy vocabulary, geQng
organized, gathering addi onal informa on and
preparing for future research. We were given informa on about on- line resources, libraries, both free
and subscrip on websites, and the usefulness of
Google in genealogy. This awesome teaching duo
have been doing genealogy and teaching it for the
past 30+ years and have done a PBS genealogy series in the past. They currently teach 52 classes a
year at The Villages in addi on to their monthly
three-hour session in Sarasota during the winter
season. Future sessions by the Willards will be on
February 22 ( Ancestry.com), March 21
(FamilySearch.org) and April 11 (Google Genealogy
Search) from 1-4 p.m.
Our three hours there seemed to ‘fly by’ and we
leI armed with mul ple handouts and worksheets,
thinking we certainly could get our first four genera ons completed on our ancestral charts. We are
looking forward to the remaining classes!
YVONNE JOHNSON (402H) writes . . . I was
strolling around Books A Million looking for something — anything — to entertain my brain. I spo1ed
the coloring books for adults, so I purchased a book
and some colored pencils. For the month of January,
I went back to kindergarten. I am a fast learner and
wanted to move on to first grade, so I signed up for
my first ever acrylic pain ng class at Suncoast Tech.
For a leI-brained science-trained person, I have discovered my right side brain. I have gone from s ck
figures to a seascape pain ng in just two weeks.
Who knew school could be so much fun again?!
These first two
‘Kodak moments’
were captured by
Joanne Glaser,
houseguest of Bob
& Judy Jamieson,
103F. They were
taken of LiFle Sarasota Bay, and the
pictures were taken from the Jamiesons’ lanai. The
first is of the sunrise, and the second was taken mid
-day. Obviously,
the weather was
gorgeous!
Photo number 3
will be en-tled
“Rain, Rain, Go
Away!” as the water levels in the
Gulf-side pool elevate and two lonely ’souls’ head toward the beach
with umbrellas
protec-ng them.
The 4th photo at le<
was taken late at
night, on the night of
the full moon, by photographer Joan
Schmidt. Joan has already submiFed some
very beau-ful sunrises
which were captured
from her condo, 201F,
but this is the first -me
she submiFed a photograph of a full moon!
In Our Prayers . . . BILL DAVIS (106A)
writes . . . “Ron Steward, who with his wife Barbara,
shared a condo on Siesta Key with my wife Jeanne
and me, could not come down to Florida this year as
he is figh ng cancer back home in Pennsylvania.
Barbara passed away two years ago this spring from
leukemia. Please keep Ron in your prayers.” Bill
added that he and Jeanne are in 106A this year and
really enjoy the larger space and be1er view!
8
ISLAND REEF OWNERS’ ASSOCIATION
8770 Midnight Pass Road
Sarasota, FL 34242
(941) 349349-2844
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.islandreef.net
Bill Roethel (504H), volunteer at the Humane Society of Sarasota County (HSSC), shares a story
about a successful adoption of a wonderful dog by a
great veteran. “This soldier had served all of us with
duty in Bosnia, Iraq, and Afghanistan and informed
me that he lost his dog to a unexpected illness two
months prior to his visit to HSSC. This vet was presently being treated for PTSS, although you wouldn't
know it by looking at him — as he was about 6'2” or
more and extremely well-built. We looked over several possibilities, but he kept going back to one kennel where he made eye contact through the kennel
glass with a beautiful female Australian Cattle/mix,
smooth-skinned, that weighed about 50 lbs. When I
asked if he would like to have me bring the dog
(whose name is Maria) in for a personal meeting, he
agreed and I led him to a room for that purpose and
explained I would fetch her. I really believe these
dogs that we deal with have a feeling for what is
happening and she (Maria) was not going to miss
her chance to be adopted!
As this was going rather well, I suggested that he
take the leash and we would go outside for a
walk. After a total of well over an hour promoting
and letting them get acquainted, he decided that
Maria was the right dog for him. The paper work
was completed, the photo for the wall taken, and
they left with neither of them any happier than I
was! That is why I go there often and give them the
little help I can offer.” Thanks, Bill, for your service,
2 to 4 days each week for 2+ hours each time!
IR’S NAME BADGE PROGRAM . . .
Getting to know YOU and call you by name!
There seem to be ever-growing numbers of people at
our social gatherings, and often we have LOTS of new
people to meet and names to remember! To make it a
little easier on all of us — those who are “new” and even
those who aren’t! — we ask that you consider purchasing
and wearing a name badge.
Simply visit Anna, Administrative Assistant in the IR
office, and give her the following information on a preprinted form: first name (as you wish it to appear) and
last name; city and state of birth; contact phone number;
condo/unit number.
All orders are pre-paid; per badge price is:
Pin-backed— $6.42 (including tax)
Magnetic-backed— $8.56 (including tax).
Checks are made payable to
ISLAND REEF
CASH OR CHECKS ARE ACCEPTED.
A quick turn-around time is guaranteed! Wear your badge
to any and all Island Reef functions so we can get to know
each other by name. Both owners AND renters are
invited to participate.
Note: if you have a pace-maker, a pin-back badge is
required in lieu of a magnetic badge. Stop by the office
soon to pick up your order form!
Note: the actual size of the
name badge is 3.25” in length
by 1.5” in width. Get your
order in today; the official
season is just beginning!