Just want to say thank you to the Activities Staff at Solivita. We are all having a ball at the Great Events you sponsor. The Wine Down Concerts, the Movie Nights, the Innovative Ideas, the Shows, and all The Special Holiday Parties you throw. Each Month when Reflections arrives it is a pleasure to look through the future events, make plans, and share memories of the events we all attended earlier. Your team is Creative and a Great Enhancement to Living life in Solivita Style.
After our delivery of toys in Lake Nona we stopped at Nona Blue for an early dinner. Great Experience, we sat at a table outside on the covered patio and enjoyed a beautiful breezy day, good music from the 70’s, a great menu, and a friendly server. Nona Blue is an attractive eatery with a great bar, a good chef and if you find yourself in the neighborhood, a good stop. The greens were fresh and served with house made dressing. Although we ordered salads for the veggie benefit, the crunchy house made croutons that topped each of our salads won our hearts. We followed our salads with an order of mussels. The mussels were plentiful, delicious, and served steaming hot in a nice pool of white wine and garlic broth. The serving was plenty for two and made a perfect meal. If you find yourself in Lake Nona, Nona Blue is a good stop. You can virtually visit Nona Blue at https://www.nonablue.com/.
Our team is always bragging about the generosity and kindness of the folks in Solivita. Recently we had a neighbor and a friend donate new cases of toys to our GAL Project. Lots of toys, too many toys for one project to handle, but this wonderful problem was solved this month. We are proud to say that our team got on the phone and found multiple Children’s projects to distribute over 50 cases of new toys in Central Florida. The recipients of these toys; GAL in Kissimmee, GAL in Bartow, the Ronald McDonald House in Lake Nona and the Healthy Family Project in Polk and Highlands Counties. All the deliveries were gladly received and will bring joy to the children and families that received them. Our family of realtors repacked the cases, assorted the goodies, put on some driving tunes, grabbed a map, and delivered to each of the recipients above. Happy to say that this week we not only sold some real estate but made some kids happy at the same time. Thank you Solivita for your kindness.
Place 1 cup cucumbers, ½ cup celery, ½ cup green onions and half of chilies in small bowl and reserve.
Work in batches, coarsely puree remaining cucumber, celery, green onions, chilies and next 7 ingredients in blender. Pour into large bowl. Mix in reserved vegetables. Season with salt and pepper. Chill at least 6 hours and up to one day.
As the weather heats up it is nice to enjoy a chilled soup filled with goodness and a bit of spice.
No Need to Miss the Mountains when we have the best of both worlds in the South, a Georgia mountain get away and warm, tropical weather all year long in Central Florida. If the mountains are calling, the Georgia Mountains are only an 8 hour road trip from Solivita and well worth the gas. One of our Bella Verde Team Members has found the perfect place to rest, relax and refresh in the sweet mountain air, Dahlonega, GA. Do you enjoy a nice glass of wine, a warming glass of spirits, or are you a craft beer drinker? You will find your perfect poison in the green foothills of the Blue Ridge mountains of Georgia. Dahlonega is a lovely small city, surrounded by mountains, streams, waterfalls, history, and beautiful scenery. This little mountain town has it all. A college town, filled with all the charms only the country can offer. Stay in one of the local accommodations in town and wander the village without the need to move your car, or stay outside of town in a cabin, cottage, or spa resort. While in the mountains we took a trip to the Tiger Mountain Winery and spent a day in the vineyard, enjoying award-winning wine and a delicious charcuterie platter. Later in the afternoon, a local band played music on an outdoor stage with a mountain vineyard backdrop. We danced, laughed, and enjoyed the mesmerizing landscape and cool mountain breezes. A great get away from the usual, we returned refreshed and rested. You can spend a week in the area and still not run out of things to do. Follow the Wine Trail, Shop for Antiques, Local Art, Quilts, take a walk in the woods, enjoy the falls, go tubing in the summer, visit the Gold Museum, spend a day at a spa, enjoy a delicious casual meal at a pub, or a lovely meal at one of the wineries. If history is your thing, you will find history in the hills, old cemeteries, restored estates, and farms. About 2 hours away from Dahlonega you will find the Warm Springs Historic District, Roosevelt’s Little White House Historic Site, a National Historic Landmark. If you head up in the fall, enjoy apple picking and watch Mother Nature’s Amazing Display of Changing leaves. This area of Georgia has lots of small towns to visit, and every small town seems to have its own charm. Visit www.exploregeorgia.org and take a quick tip toe through the website, it will give you a good flavor for the area. Dahlonega is alive and fun, a great get away from the flatland and palm trees of Florida. Georgia’s wine growing area is one hour north of Atlanta, so if a few nights in a small town is not your thing, book a hotel in Atlanta and enjoy a day trip to the mountains. We are planning to return in the fall and enjoy apple picking, apple cider and the wine harvest for a touch of all fun before the holidays.
Sales are starting to perk again, let’s just hope, America “does not fall off the cliff” with any bad decisions that may be made in Washington for us and our economy. Last month 31 homes sold in Solivita and housing price adjustments were minimal. Again, houses are moving off the market from listed to sold at a good clip. Bella Verde Realty closed 14 homes and remains the “leader of the pack” in Solivita. If you are looking to buy or sell a home, summer is the perfect time. As we near the Presidential Race and all the concern on both sides that comes with political uncertainty, sales in the housing market tend to slow down. So, if you are ready to buy or sell, don’t wait. Now is the time to jump in and choose the home of your dreams. Visit Our website to see every home in Solivita for sale. If you want to view any homes, we can set up an appointment for a remote showing, or we invite you to come down and take a look around with us. Call any of our realtors, they will be happy to provide you with a community tour and show you Homes in Central Florida and the many benefits of living in the Award Winning Community of Solivita.
A great stop for a casual, fun dinner on the dock or under the shade of the porch roof. Crabby Bills is located on East Lake Toho in the Lakefront Park Marina and features panoramic views of the marina and lake from both indoor and outdoor dining areas. Enjoy Happy Hour all day, listen to local live music on the weekends, and splurge for some fruity liquor infused drinks, but most of all have some fun. If you plan to dine outside, bring your shades and a hat as the sun on the deck can be intense. The atmosphere is relaxed, the service is friendly and the food is good. Crabby Bills is a local favorite and an easy drive from Solivita.
Recently we broke the Chain of Lakes with the Living Water Boat Cruises. It was fun, interesting, and a great couple of hours out on the water. We travelled through a few of the lakes in the chain, saw alligators, turtles, eagles, herons, anhinga, Ibis, and even a few pelicans. We docked in the water near Lego Land and watched the waterski show from the boat. Our Captain was fun and very interesting. After the show he took us on a waterside tour of “Old Cypress Gardens”. When I was young my mom and dad took us to Cypress Gardens to enjoy the quiet beauty of the gardens, see the Southern Belles, and best of all enjoy an ice cream while sitting on the shores watching the water ski show. This tour brought back some sweet family memories. Living Water Boat Cruises took us past the historic Florida Shaped Swimming Pool where Esther Williams swam, and pointed out the film sets where TV Specials, Gilligan’s Island, Movie Stars, and movies were filmed back in the day. After taking this boat ride we watched Easy To Love, an Esther Williams Move from 1953. Lee and I Enjoyed the spectacular scenes filmed at Cypress Gardens with over 30 water skiers towed in an arrowhead formation. Amazing and Dangerous, but beautiful to watch. The lake was cool and calm with a light chop the day we were out, but after experiencing the lake, I am certain filming this scene could not have been an easy feat. Today this spot is Lego Land, and a popular destination with the kids. A great place to take the grandkids and enjoy a day of fun. If you take the boat tour, you may want to visit YouTube first to view some of the footage filmed at Cypress Gardens in its heyday, after all Cypress Gardens is Florida’s first tourist attraction.
The Sargassum Blob, a 5,000 mile long mat of seaweed will be washing ashore this summer. The Blob, is actually a Bloom, with an estimated weight of 6-10 million tons. Like all seaweed, sargassum supports an amazing amount of life, from baby sea turtles to shrimp, crabs, fish and even some birds. This stinky pile of seaweed is double in size of what scientists deem as “normal” and is even worse than Science Fiction Writers could have ever imagined. Most of the beach communities already have plans in place to mitigate the stench, as decomposing sargassum emits ammonia and hydrogen sulfide, creating air that is far from salt water fresh.
Already Key West is starting to see sargassum on the beaches. The coastal areas of Florida expect to see and smell this blob/bloom over the next few months. This bloom, an already huge pile of stinking seaweed, is likely to increase in size as it is fed by high levels of nitrogen from fertilizers and wastewater that run from our rivers into the oceans. What to do? Well, this is just a suggestion, but don’t head to the beaches for vacation, instead come to Central Florida and enjoy all the sights, sounds and fun we have to offer. Enjoy the activities in our amusement parks, play golf or tennis, swim in our seaweed free pools, see a show in our many professional theatres or any of our local theatres, enjoy BOK Tower, visit our museums, take in an Art Show, take a boat ride or go fishing on our beautiful lakes, visit Kissimmee for a great slice of pizza and delicious wine at the wine bar, Visit International Drive, I Drive for the locals, and have some fun. The possibilities are endless for a great vacation in a beautiful spot. While in town, don’t forget to visit Solivita for a look at life in Central Florida. Solivita is a 55 Plus Community. Directly across the street from Solivita our builders have just begun building a Multi-Gen Complex of homes and condos that when complete will have parks and a school. No homes or condos are up yet, but keep your eye out, they will be up and ready to view by 2024. A new home in a new location is the perfect place for a family, especially if mom and dad are Solivita Residents. Now you can enjoy life in paradise with your family right around the corner. Easy to live in Florida, low taxes, good schools, great jobs, and best of all for me – NO SNOW.
This month we are arranging a Solivita car service for 12 to drive us to Ybor City for dinner and a flamenco show at Columbia Restaurant. Locally we have a Columbia Restaurant, and we have enjoyed quite a few meals there, but Ybor City is the home of the Original Columbia Restaurant and makes for a great evening out. We enjoy almost all of the items on the Columbia Menu but Lee and I always start with the 1905 Salad. Why is the salad called 1905 , well that is when the original Columbia Restaurant was opened on the corner of 22nd St and 7th Avenue in Ybor City. Columbia in Ybor City now seats 1,700 guests in 15 dining rooms and spans an entire Tampa city block. It is the oldest restaurant in Florida and the largest Spanish Restaurant in the world. Since opening, Columbia Restaurant has opened many locations throughout Florida, but in my opinion, the Ybor City Location has a special charm. With a car service we can drink, party, and enjoy the evening without the worry of driving back late. We may live in a 55 Plus Community and may have forgotten a few things, but we never forgot how to party!