Ocala was dressed up for Christmas!
Dick and Sharon’s
home was no exception! The tall tree in
the living room was beautifully covered with a kazillion bright colored
poinsettias and miles of gold mesh garlands and icicles. Yes, in the beginning, the bottom was full
of gaily-wrapped gifts of all sizes.
When D&S, D’s son Rick, and his daughter Terri and her husband John
started opening gifts, the pile soon dwindled and all that was left was the
gold lame under the tree. The giant
boxes disappeared and the stack of gift cards began piling up! R manned the large black trash bag and we
each had to quickly hone our basketball skills with our spent gift-wrapping and
tissue paper wads! Somebody walked in
front of me as I was preparing my pitch from across the room. I deftly arched the angle higher and
applause soon erupted as my sphere found the depths of the black bag – with
“nothing but net”! Not even a single
hair was disturbed on the unsuspecting passerby’s head!
Downtown Ocala has a lovely green square, complete with a
white-railed gazebo and a stately tall Christmas tree that was adorned with
bright lights and big red bows.
Christmas music was floating out from some hidden source. The next block over was the “ice” skating
rink decorated with different Disney characters. But seeing a pretty young lady dressed as the littlest mermaid
and a plastic “ice” rink didn’t quite make our day! 
On several downtown corners and on several commercial
properties were almost full sized fiberglass horses all painted brightly to
represent a particular aspect of Ocala – the thoroughbred capital of
Florida. The one on the downtown
square represented the Ocala National Forest and had a cougar and a deer
painted on it’s sides and flanks.
The horse at the Central Florida College depicted founders
of that institution. We had gone to the
college to see the miniature train set up that had been advertised for the
Christmas Season. It was a very nice
setup but could not hold a candle to the display that the Swanton Ohio model
train club puts together.
We’ve been to flea markets, done a little shopping, visited
with dear friends from home and renewed past friendships here in the
campground. The trailer problem,
however, once more reared its ugly overheating wheel on our way in from Salt
Springs and has been fixed again. The
tire that was replaced last winter in Mt Dora has now been replaced.
