We had another great trip this week. This was the long awaited naughty bus – not all that naughty, just a bit naughtier than our “regular” trips. Everyone was ready for a day away from the storm cleanup, ready for a day off. Don’t know if everyone heard about it, but Carol was dressed for the naughty bus and security at the rest area told her she would have to leave!

The 50-50 and extra BINGO cards for this trip benefited the Harry Chapin Food Bank. They feed those in need, including Hurricane Irma victims. I’m pleased to report that we raised $126.00 for the cause.

Looking ahead our next trip will be on Wednesday October 18. The theme will be Oktoberfest. The trip is already filling up, so give Debbie a call (239-247-0869) to reserve your seat. Wednesdays are when Calder holds their Roundup Slot Tournament. We’ve had a couple of big winners, let’s see if we can do it again!

BTW, our October trip will be during Calder’s Free Play Food Drive. Bring in $5 worth of food & supplies and get $5 in free play. This drive ends on November 11, so it will be over before out November trip (Wed November 15). Check out Calder’s web site for a list of items they can and cannot accept.

Here’s hoping that everyone fared as well as can be hoped for during Hurricane Irma. We had about 30 feet of seawall buckle, other than that it’s mostly cleaning up branches around the yard. We evacuated twice – once from Zone A to Zone B, then from Zone B up to some friends in Englewood. All we saw from there was a lot of wind and rain.

It sounds kind of funny to talk about a casino trip during the hurricane cleanup but if you’re like us you probably need a day away from all this, something of a return to normalcy. We’ve heard from several of you that you would still like to go, and we’ve heard from a couple that won’t be able to go.

We are currently planning on going. The bus company is good to go, and according to fl511.com I-75 is be good to go too. Calder Casino, however, is still closed. They plan on reopening as soon as travel in the Miami/Lauderdale area is deemed to be safe. Their 9/13 1pm update says that over 50% of the traffic lights in the surrounding area are still out (visit www.CalderCasino.com for the latest info).

This weekend Debbie will be trying to check with everyone that she hasn’t heard from. We will be very liberal with refunds and transfers to another trip, so if you’ve evacuated up north and can’t return yet, or just too busy with rebuilding & relief efforts just let us know. Keep in mind that this is a Tuesday trip – Tuesday September 19th.