[graciegirl]

Be prepared to fall in love.

Do you remember the Wizard of Oz, the movie? The first part of the movie was all in black and white, the storm, the witch, the aunt and uncle?

Then Dorothy steps into OZ....and the color comes on, the lights go up, the music swells and the tingling begins.

That is how The Villages are...you drive from rural Florida, from patchy prettiness and patchy not so niceness to bah-boom.........miles and miles of beautiful and well kept lawns and trimmed bushes, no trash ANYWHERE, and nothing but lovely homes, sometimes so similar you could easily get lost..... And lovely mature people, riding their bikes or running or riding in their over 50 thousand very individualized golf carts. Those people will be playing golf, pickleball, tennis, basketball, swimming, bowling, even roller blading and rowing in Dragon boats or watching Polo. We have our own Polo Stadium, take that Ralph Lauren.

There are three town units, each more beautiful than the last and dropped from a magical and fictional past with more than Disney cleverness.

The best village is the one that belongs to the person you ask and they are telling the truth. Except mine is really the best and so is Hadley where we had our first house here. BUT my dear friends all live in the best village too.

You will find grown up people of about your age living in all of them and growing younger every day. They belong to some of over two thousand clubs, one of the best being THE CINCINNATI CLUB. People talk funny here and it takes a bit to figure it all out. I heard someone order Kawfee at Panera's and my treasured friend MaryB pahks her cah.

The folks from the coast think they are smarter than the ones from the middle, but they are wrong, and there are healthy debates about that and almost every subject because we are all old enough to be damn sure about what we think. And old enough to not let debate ruin our days. Most of us are funny and fun and nice and patient and feisty too. I like senior people. They have something to talk about.

AND we are aware that the years behind us are greater than the years ahead of us, and most of us are treasuring and enjoying every wonderful day in this lower Paradise.

Hurry.....and Welcome HOME.

No. I don't work for the developer. I LOVE THE VILLAGES.