Bill Ropko and Max Diehl organized a small informal gathering of Plank Owners at Mount Dora, Florida. The Fling included a short cruise which included lunch and then the day was finished off with dinner at Max Diehls home. This was followed by a trip to Disney World. Several photos are included to illustrate what a great job Bill and Max did and what a great time their shipmates had.
The attendees are shown in the following photo.
L to R - Damon Casey, George Laichas, Max Diehl, Don Booth standing), John Succhajda (sitting) Bill Ropko, Russ Wood, Ed Lange
The name of the boat was the Rusty anchor and was operated by a very capable Captain who can be seen standing at the helm.
The boat had to be moved forward to clear a piling that blocked the boarding ramp. Some temporary deck hands did their duty.
The lake was very calm and a pleasant ride in the sunshine and mild temperatures was enjoyed by all.
Max and Ed had the bow lookout duty.
The lighthouse on the shoreline marks the entrance to a canal.
The start of the canal winds it way through some hardwood forest. Many varieties of birds were seen.
As the boat progressed throught he forest turtles, and an alligator were spotted by the sharp eyed lookouts.
As the boat made it's way through the narrow channel the forest gave way to swamp land and the color of the water changed from blue to brown.
The swamp was densely populated with Cypress trees and was quite beutiful. The water reflected all the trees and birds and made this a unique passage.
At this point we are nearing the end of the Cypress swamp and returned to the lake. About half way across the lake we stopped at a lake side resturaunt for lunch. A great way to end the cruise
We returned to the hotel and rested at the lakeside gazebo for a short while before shoving off for Max Diehls home.
Carol Diehl gave us all a huge welcome and made us feel at home
Boy! What a dinner. Loads of appetizers, platters big enough to feed the entire crew, full of food, and any kind of beverage you desired. It was more like a banquet than a meal and we all stuffed ourselves. We retired to the patio for some after dinner drinks and then got caught up on some picture taking.
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Russ is getting the "treatment" from the ladies.
A visit to Disney World was the last item on the agenda and was a fun experience. Of course it was also tiring
Deciding where to go first was tough. There are so many interesting and enjoyable experiences available.You need a map to find them and that is another puzzle. A sequence was finally decided upon and Hi ho, hi ho, it is off to work we go.
It wasn't too long before the urge for ice cream became too big to resist any longer.
The rests become more frequent as the day progressed.
Finally the guys pooped out. Notice the ladies have not given up. They are still going strong. It seems to have gotten to the point where the men told the ladies to go on. We will wait here. Pick us up on the way out.
And so ended the Florida Fling. Great memories, great companionship, all in all a great time had by all.
*Go to the Second Time Around Gathering.*
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