Making sure all is ready is not for the faint of heart...What did we forget, what if....?? So, we depart our home and dashed to ORCC for a quick check...all was progressing well!
From our front window we saw the sunset saying....
"All will be OK!"
The tables were beginning to take shape
We keep an eagle-eye on the dance floor... Must be just right!
Havana Nights is well on its way!
Almost there... Time to go back home and
finish bitting our fingernails!
Did You Know? - To ensure a year of good luck, firecrackers and noisemakers became tradition in order to scare away any remaining evil spirits and to ensure a brand new start.
Check In desk is "manned" with our daughters!
Sue keeps an eye on the activities since she knows all the faces!
Robin and Michele... Forces to be reckoned with!
Gentleman Pete... At your service!
Early arriver's... Note to self! Dancers arrive early!
Ah... They found the bar, this is good!
Vicky explains... Iris is amazed!
But what is being explained?
Goofy selfies! This ought to be fun!
Simply stand in front of the camera... use the props...act
grown up and giggle a lot!
Four more couples to go and we will have a full house!
More funny sounds from the band!
Found lurking in the hallway
Food has been found! Tummies are getting full!
Saving up dancing energy!
Wonder where they are?
Donnis and Bernie arrive just in the nick of time
p.s. Bernie is known as "The Bird Man" by the bands spouses!
Gentlemen...we see you have found dinner!
We lost money tonight... Did you see Tom's plate??
We thought the May's we brought his pet dinosaur!
Miss Charlotte and Wayne
Suddenly the noise level drops and all we hear is the
clinking of silverware...what could be happening?
Old Rancher's at Old Ranch!
No.. He is NOT the Maitre-de!
(He is a handsome devil, that's for sure)
Mary looks happy!
Decorated for Havana Nights
Did You Know? - A cigar box is a box container for cigar packaging. Traditionally cigar boxes have been made of wood, cardboard or paper. Spanish cedar has been described as the "best" kind of wood for cigar boxes because of its beautiful grain, fine texture, and pleasant odor.
10 fun facts to tell your friends about cigar boxes!
1. Pig bladders were among the earliest packaging of cigars. Yuck!
2. H. Upmann created the cigar box.
3. Cedar is a natural repellent of the cigar beetle.
4. A piece of cedar used to light the cigar is called a ‘spill.’
5. Cigar boxes are usually made of cedar plywood or solid cedar or mahogany.
6. Most cigar manufacturers now make their own boxes at the factory using expensive machines.
7. Cigar boxes are made using a method called ‘lockwork,’ sometimes mistakenly referred to as ‘dovetailing.’
8. The earliest cigar ‘clasp’ was made of string that was tied and sealed with wax. Today, the clasp is usually made of metal.
9. The Ashton ‘8-9-8’ cigar is called that because of the way 25 cigars are packed into a box in three layers: eight on the bottom, nine in the middle, then eight on the top row.
10. Cellophane ‘breathes,’ allowing in moisture, and is also biodegradable.
Marion makes her first pass... No, really!
Meeting and greeting!
Brian, Marianne, and Bob
(How come Marianne is the only two-fisted drinker?)
Grandson Connor enjoys a beer!
Tom enjoys everything!
The band be fired up now... Full of Cuban delights!
Did You Know? - The top New Year’s resolutions for 2019 are as you might expect!
So, what were the top New Year’s resolutions for 2019? Twitter attempted to answer that question based on users’ tweets. Here are the results:
Dinner is winding down... Music is winding up!
After dinner motion... Chase those calories away!
The floor gets heated up!
Lucky & Carolyn Swing dancing beautifully after 61 years of marriage! Wow!
Robin has them moving!
Love that brass
The floor was full all night long!
Bridgettte & Mike glide across the floor
Definitely Havana Nights!
Old cars... Must be Havana!
Did You Know? - Cuba is literally a rolling car museum. Everywhere you look is an old-school American brand vehicle, ranging from Oldsmobile to Chevrolet, Buick to Ford with a nice sampling of Chrysler’s old Plymouth brand. There’s even a few Russian Volgas thrown in the mix. These are all vehicles that the majority of American car lovers would spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on—and they are used as Cubans’ everyday vehicles.
This stuck-in-time feeling Cuba has generated is the result of a four-decade-long grudge the country’s late leader, Fidel Castro, held against the United States. Though the island floats only 90 miles away from Key West, Florida, Castro had placed a ban on foreign vehicle imports, making it nearly impossible to buy a brand-new, foreign-made vehicle. It also made it difficult to buy new parts and fuel for the old-school American cars Cuba is known for.
Speaking of hot stuff!
Sandy is looking for the pork.... Just turn around!
Caught on the 19th hole early this morning!
Did we say "hot stuff"
Be brave Bernie!
We did make a short stop at the bar
Playing for tickets... Seems to be popular