Holiday decorations - Lake Sumter Landing

The purchase of a new golf car - Lake Sumter Landing

TooJay's (with ominous shadows) - Lake Sumter Landing

Car planter - Brownwood

The Iconic Covered Wagon in Spanish Springs

Arbor - Lake Sumter Landing

 

The above photo painted by Triqui

 

This photo has been give an Impressionist treatment

Golf cars in Brownwood

A Procession of Benches - Brownwood

New Corvette - Lake Sumter Landing

While there is a certain disparity in terms of wealth among residents of The Villages, some are quite rich. They are the ones who can afford new Corvettes like this one! What a car!

A Sign (not) For the Birds

Brownwood Town Square II

The town square - Brownwood

The town square in Brownwood is quite different than the other town squares in Spanish Springs and Lake Sumter Landing. Brownwood features stadium-type seating, although chairs could be set up in the open area of the square. There is a log-cabin type of stage and we'll post photos of that soon.

Ancient Olive

The Ancient Olive is one of the newer shops in Lake Sumter Landing. It is a tasting room for its products which include "Ultra Premium Extra Virgin Olive Oils," "Flavor Infused Olive Oils," "Balsamic Vinegars," Specialty Seed and Seasonal Oils," "Accessories and Hardware," "Cooking Classes," "Cookbooks," and gift cards.

So, if you're wandering about Lake Sumter Landing and have a hankering for some oils or vinegars of cooking classes, stop by and say hello. If you have any further interest in this store, the website is here.

The Evening Star

There are a couple of Evening Star boats. Docked at Lake Sumter Landing they provide relatively brief excursions around little Lake Sumter.

The kind of ride you get depends upon who is your captain. One time our captain regaled us with tales of his excursions on other lakes and rivers in central Florida.  But most of what he said was "horse hockey."

During the summertime, the people running this operation are in danger of dying from boredom or
contracting carpal tunnel syndrome from playing with their smart phones. It's too hot to go out on the lake and the folks who live year-round in The Villages don't give a flip about a 10-minute cruise on Lake Sumter to begin with.

But during the winter, when the snowbirds return and people come to visit in order to escape the snow and ice and cold weather of the northland, the Evening Star boats get quite a workout.

If you have a devious mind you might wonder if the Evening Star could serve as an escape route for a felon or someone being chased by an angry spouse. I don't think so. The boats are pretty slow. By the time you got to the other side of the lake the local county sheriff would be waiting to greet you!

Tribute bench - Spanish Springs

McLinBurnsed - Attorneys At Law

Business facade in the new "hometown" of Brownwood, The Villages.  The photo was taken about a year ago.

Golf Cars of The Villages - An Assortment

Golf Car Bridge

This bridge, built exclusively for golf cars, spans the 6-lane Highway 441 in Spanish Springs

Lake Sumter Landing reflections

The Villages Sales Office in Lake Sumter Landing

The Villages: Lake Sumter Landing on a calm summer evening

Ladies of the Red Hat Society - Brownwood

A quiet evening at Lake Sumter Landing with dog

Highway 44 entrance (Buena Vista Rd) to the new Brownwood Town Center

Lake Sumter Line - reflected

Golf car hauler

Sometimes, golf cars must be put to specialized uses, such as hauling stuff.

Scribbly truck

I would guess there is a meaning to all this scribbling, or a reason for it, but I have no clue as to what that might be. Maybe the driver just wants to gain some attention.

On the other hand, it may have something to do with a war zone or maybe a Florida jungle.  And if you look closely, there's some writing which says, "Ain't Skeered."

It's a mystery.

Zest for exercise

There is a huge exercise facility in The Villages newest hometown of Brownwood. A few people with a zest for exercise were taking advantage of the opportunity.

City Daily Photo's June theme is Zest. Please click here to see how other CDP bloggers the world over have portrayed the theme.

Heaven's Gate & Jacob's Ladder - Lake Sumter Landing

The "Outhouse" in Brownwood

Western bench - Brownwood

Gift shop in Brownwood

Tne other day we spent a couple of hours in Brownwood, the newest downtown of The Villages. It is located just outside of Wildwood which is about 30 miles south of Ocala.

The Villages now extends for miles in every direction from where it was conceived and birthed. It's amazing to see thousands of homes, many thousands of golf cars, numerous golf courses, recreation centers, swimming pools, and shopping centers spread out over this huge area which was not long ago dotted with horse farms and orange groves.

Brownwood is just getting started. There are many new buildings which have been constructed since our last visit of about a year and a half ago, but the majority of store fronts are still vacant. Several new restaurants are up and running, though, and we ate at Five Guys Burgers, a large fast-food chain.

We'll be posting additional Brownwood photos over the next few weeks.

Here are some fun facts about The Villages:

1. The population reached over 100,000 in early 2013. It is projected to be 110,000 by 2015.
2. 20 people move to The Villages every day.
3. Average age of males is 62 and females is 60.
4. Median income is over $93,000 per year.
5. In 2011, The Villages sold almost one percent of all the homes sold in the United States.
6. As of January 1, 2013, there were 46,000 occupied homes.
7. 200-250 new homes are sold every month.
8. 200 pre-owned homes are sold every month.
9. The Villages covers 32 square miles and 23,000 acres.
10. There are 100 miles of golf car paths.
11. The Villages offers 2,200 organized clubs.
12. There are 63 recreation centers.
13. The Villages has 540 holes of golf, the largest number in the world.
14. There are over 50,000 golf cars in The Villages.

 For more fun facts about The Villages, click here.

Bird on a fence

This was taken early evening in Lake Sumter Landing.

Heading home after dinner in Lake Sumter Landing

The Ever-sinking shop on an evening in May - Lake Sumter Landing

Dining at Cody's...

...Roadhouse Grill in the early evening at Lake Sumter Landing.

Walkway in the new hometown of Brownwood

Triangular covered bridge over canal - Lake Sumter Landing

The City Daily Photo theme for April has to do with triangles. You can view other takes on this theme by clicking here.

Photo by Lois Anne.

Town Square - Brownwood

The new "hometown" of The Villages, Brownwood, is coming along nicely with a lot of new construction. We will be visiting it again in the near future and bring you a series of updated photos.

A news article yesterday stated that The Villages is the fastest-growing municipal area in the United States.

Just what we need!  Yikes.  

Ay! Jalisco

Ay! Jalisco is a very fine Mexican restaurant in the Spanish Springs downtown.  It features a full menu and a full bar with a warm atmosphere, friendly wait staff and good food!