first TOTV meeting!

[nONIE]

It would be really great to get a report on the first TOTV meeting which I believe is today! 024

[another Linda]

Yes, yes! And with pictures please.

[renielarson]

I'm just as excited :hot: :2excited: waiting to hear all about it and seeing the pics as I would be if I were going to be able to be there in person!!!!!!!

[handieman]

If my ears ring, I'm gonna have the herd of Buffalo's poop in your yards.
I'll be listenin
Handie :joke:

[another Linda]

If my ears ring, I'm gonna have the herd of Buffalo's poop in your yards.
I'll be listenin
Handie :joke:

Your ears are gonna ring, Handi!

[JohnnyM]

Ditto Brightspot!

[KathieI]

Addicted to TOTV????

I even have the meeting set up on my cell phone reminder as if I were going to be there.

Well, I will, in spirit anyway!!!

Have fun everybody, see ya in 2 weeks exactly!!! :hot: :2excited: 040 040 :beer2:

Remember me, Kathie (the shy one)!! :redface: :redface:

[renielarson]

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh96/renielarson/animals-madbison.gif

[handieman]

WHAT????
I can't hear a thing, thats it I'm off to herd the Buffalo's to your street
However, I'll let you off the hook if you tell us all or better yet Read off the minutes of the meeting ;D You did take them I hope???
Handie :joke:
Brightspot, get that Buffalo out of here Phewwwwwwww he stinks

[samhass]

It was great! It's so nice to put a face to some of the names. Tal, Fumar and others, sorry you could not be there. As for you Snowbirds...maybe next time.

[redwitch]

Handie, your ears should be burning from all the ringing. When I get my pics developed, I have a special one just for you from Barefoot. ;) ;D

[LovinItAtTheVillages]

Here ya go.............
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t190/DuchessOfSolana/totvsmaller.jpg?t=1200698739

[renielarson]

[b]Seems we have more than one discussion for this memorable occasion!* ???

[Bubbalarry]

Darn the guy with the hat moved at the moment the pic was taken and cut me out.

Next time I will be upfront with :hot: all the lovely ladies.

:hot: :2excited: :hot:

[LovinItAtTheVillages]

well no worries if you got cut out of that one..RedWitch took lots with her camera..and will post them soon Im sure

Im the one in front with Red jacket and behind me in Red is Barefoot..

[samhass]

I look forward to seeing Reds pictures. It was such a pleasure meeting all of you.

[Taltarzac]

well no worries if you got cut out of that one..RedWitch took lots with her camera..and will post them soon Im sure

Im the one in front with Red jacket and behind me in Red is Barefoot..


I will have to say hi to Barefoot at Last sometime at the Doggie Doo Run Run. Just hope she is not barefoot there as they do call it doggie doo for good reason. :joke:

[octcr]

I wanted to tell all of you how much I enjoyed meeting everyone at the luncheon...laughed and had a great time...TV is all about living life to the fullest...this is a wonderful place...and for those of you that are not here yet but with us all in spirit...you have so much to look forward to...and thats no bull...

[MSNPA]

I am so glad I went. It was nice meeting so many from TOTV. I look forward to attending each month. Thanks Barefoot for organizing.

[beady]

Definately ,thanks to Barefoot for getting us out to meet each other. :#1: :clap2:
Looking forward to next month, see you there. :bigthumbsup:

[Barefoot]

It was a pleasure to post the info about the TOTV luncheon, renew some old acquaintenances and meet some new Chat Packers. ;D

It was too bad that Fumar and Tal weren't there .. I think we are all curious to meet them ... perhaps next time. (Tal ... I am at Doggy Doo Run every single day with Brutus and Biggins, usually in big dog park. Please come say hi).

Next luncheon is Friday February 15, at 3 PM! Crispers seemed to work well, and if the weather is better, we can use the outdoor patio. :bigthumbsup:

[LovinItAtTheVillages]

Oh darn...I wont be here for the next meeting...
I will be in Merritt Island for a few days 14-16th

Have a great time!
but if March is the 21st I should be there

[Frangyomory]

I missed this one because I totally forgot!!! Seems like I do that a lot lately. I will post the next one on my BIG calendar and won't forget. I only live across the road from Crispers and can't believe I forgot!!! DUH!!!!!

[Barefoot]

Redwitch is suggesting we should change the venue; so I'll leave it to her to suggest one (hopefully central) for the February 15 luncheon.

Fran, sorry you missed the lunch, it was fun. ;D

[KathieI]

:agree: Barb

What's the reason for the change? It was confusing enough keeping everyone informed and on track, so my own opinion (and I think Barb's too) is not to change the venue or date unless absolutely necessary.

And if we want to keep this going consistently on a monthly basis, I agree with Barb, that we need to keep it less confusing and with so many people coming and going it would be best to just maintain the time and place as much as possible.

This too is my opinion. Kath :redface:

[redwitch]

The problem is that the tables were on a long bench on one side and two chairs on the other. This meant a very long banquet arrangement that made it hard to get up when needed. More importantly, you could really only talk to the people right next to you. So, if we could find something a little more conducive to gathering tables together, it would be nice.

Eating on the patio is possible but when it gets really hot or humid or is cold like now, I certainly wouldn't want to be outside.

[beady]

Good point Red. I did feel like I missed the opportunity to talk to some of you all at the other end of the table. Let's keep it at Crispers if we can do something else with seating. Changing the venue might cause some problems for those of us who suffer from senior moments (like all of us !!!!) ::) ::) ::)

[Barefoot]

Don't understand why the change? Is there a particular reason why RW hasn't addressed this on TOTV? It seems that where there's so many TOTV Members coming and going here in TV, it would be less confusing for all if the plans were not changed at this time. Anybody agree? If this is not maintained consistently, confusion will reign, just as it did during the initial planning.


Barb :agree:

I agree; however Redwitch said there were people who wanted the change. I think it would be confusing to keep changing the venue.

I thought it would be better to be consistent and have it at the same time (3PM) at the same place (Crispins) which is central, on the third Friday of every month. That way everyone can plan ahead. And if we start to get huge crowds, that would be the time to consider changing the venue.

Actually, I think the inside tables at Crispins can be moved, I did move two tables into a different position. It just wasn't done at the last luncheon! The patio is especially nice and the tables are definitely moveable there.

[golfnut]

I think if we talk to the mgr at Crispers we could find a better area in the restaurant to meet, this was the first time and we should be able to fine tune as we go along, I thought it was a great location and enjoyed meeting everyone. Kudos to everyone that helped set this get together up.

[redwitch]

Sadly, I had sent the message to Barefoot as a private message with the silly thought it would stay private, at least until it had been discussed and hashed about a little and I did give her my reasons why. Moving the tables indoors is really not feasible. If we bunch them together, only those on the end could comfortably get out. No matter what, it is one long line of tables (see the pics recently posted). The patio does seem nice and perfect for when the weather is conducive to being outdoors for more than 15 minutes.

Personally, I don't think it would bother most if the locale were to change even month to month so long as it was well advertised.

[bogart]

I like the idea of keeping our monthly meetings at Crispers ---------- 3rd Friday of month at 3 pm. (3/3) At least for our first few get-togethers, this seems to be the easiest way to welcome everyone. Later, we may wish to change the format -----IMHO.

It was a fun time last Friday. Granted, it was difficult to visit with everyone but we can try to mingle a little more next time.

[swrinfla]

I wholeheartedly agree with the concept of sticking to Crisper's on the third Friday at 3:00pm - at least for now.

As it gets warmer, and/or we get a larger crowd, and/or some folks agitate for a place where one could have a beer, then we investigate an alternate site. Of which there are "a gazillion!"

For convenience, it might even be possible to try Beef O'Brady's, which is next door and would allow for the "dinkers" in the crowd!

Meanwhile - stick with the plan is my vote!
SWR

[Barefoot]

Red, I thought you wanted the change of venue discussed on the TOTV site. I am very open to any site people feel would be appropriate.

However I agree with the comments that we should stick to "same place, same time" so there is no confusion. BTW, the floor manager at Crispers was most accommodating when I told him we were expecting between 20 and 200 people!! He even had an extra cook and more wait staff on hand! And we ended up having a turnout of about 20 chat packers.

I doubt there'll be big turnouts in the summer with the snowbirds gone. Perhaps in the Fall, depending on turnout, we should revisit this?

And leave it at Crispers for the time being, 3 PM, third Friday of the month? Chatpackers 024 ..... Whatdoyathink?

[Talk Host]

I believe it is appropriate for a discussion of this nature to be conducted openly on TOTV. I assume that these gatherings are for all members, not just a select few.

If, on the other hand, a group of friends develops from within the forum and wishes to meet privately, then it is up to the leadership of that group to communicate such plans outside of the forum. Perhaps by regular email or telephone.

[DickY]

I thought it was a great meeting, It was nice to meet people we have chatted wit and whose posts we have kept up with. If your new to TV is is especially nice to have a group of friends to talk to. I'll be back in May and will truly miss the next sessions.

[redwitch]

I believe it is appropriate for a discussion of this nature to be conducted openly on TOTV. I assume that these gatherings are for all members, not just a select few.

If, on the other hand, a group of friends develops from within the forum and wishes to meet privately, then it is up to the leadership of that group to communicate such plans outside of the forum. Perhaps by regular email or telephone.


I had made a PRIVATE comment to Barefoot because (1) I didn't want to get this bogged down the way it has and (2) to simply get her feedback. I never said to flat out change it. Here is my original PM to Barefoot, "A few of us were talking and hoping we could find a place where we could bunch the tables more, maybe even have a backroom for us rather than Crispers. It was fun but so hard to really get to meet anyone not just next to you." Her reply to explained that they had checked out several places but ohly Crispers was willing to work with an unknown quantity (I find this hard to believe but didn't argue it). So far as I was concerned, my question had been asked and answered. THEN, Barefoot posted here that I wanted things to change.

Sorry, I think when someone sends a private message, they have a right to expect it to stay private. At the very least, you ask before you make it public. I wasn't trying to go behind anyone's back and I really resent your implication that I did, Jan. I felt that since Barefoot had made the effort to actually set this meeting up, she should know there were some concerns.

Those concerns were summarily dismissed in this thread. Actually, they were pretty much ignored in her response to my PM. There is no way to move the tables in a reasonable manner to be able to talk to anyone but your immediate neighbors. The patio will make seating options much better (unless that tables and/or chairs are bolted down). However, there will be many times that the weather will make the patio unusable.

Since I am now on my high horse, I may as well address some other issues.


To say it would be too confusing for TOTV members if the meeting place was changed is too condescending to really discuss. So far as I know, we're all adults. We all know how to write things on calendars if we can't remember. From what I can tell, none of us have Alzheimers.

To set up a meeting for Good Friday is just silly. It either gets changed or cancelled for that month. I can't believe anyone would try to insist that a get together be held on that day.


I do know monthly meetings have been discussed long before this one came about.


Please do not get me wrong. I truly appreciate all the work Barefoot did in setting this up. It was suggested (again) by Barb and Barefoot went to the trouble of setting it up. I respect all the work that was done. However, others do have a right to make suggestions. This is not yet a club. No one has been elected to office. Other viewpoints and opinions should be considered and not just summarily dismissed as has been done here.

[beady]

Here's my suggestion.
February meeting at Chrispers's as planned. When we are gathered let's discuss the meeting place ,how we want to proceed as a group , and decide if we want to make any changes.
Has anyone spoken to the management about moving tables, both inside and out.
I had a really good time and I like the venue, would have been just right if the table were set up differently.

[jerseygirl008]

WHOA Red ! Sounds like your intentions were good but, please chill, as I am doing, literally, in NJ. Such a nice event shouldn't be turned into a big mess of hurt feelings. I don't think people really, LITERALLY, meant things the way you took them.

I vote for the event date, time, and place to remain consistent for the sake of everybody scheduling in advance. Things can be fine tuned once the need develops. I think the poster who talked about "forgetting", (ref: Alzheimer's) simply meant "can't keep up with changed dates, times, place". We all like things to stay the same once established, I know I do.

I,for one, can't wait to attend the April TOTV get-together, when I come for my week long Lifestyle Preview visit. I am sorry Russ_Boston and wife won't be able to attend as they are coming the following week. More pictures please.

[villages07]

For what it's worth.... I agree with Beady; Crispers worked very well...not perfect but good enough; very convenient location and we had the place to ourselves.

In Feb, we can collectively decide about March...postpone, move to a different date, etc.

[Barefoot]

Beady and Villages07 :agree:

To clarify my response back to Redwitch's PM, it was: "whatever the group wants is fine with me". That is still the way I feel! I'm in TV to enjoy life, and what a great place to live!

Peace and love everyone! lovehorse