Last night was our fifth meet the neighbors event. It was a great turnout under a full moon near the firepit. We’ll do it again in a month, as I’m starting to get a feel for names and locations of those on our street. We’ll join two of them Friday night for dinner and the Trailer Park Musical at the Venice Theater. I’m sure it will take me back to my grandparents and their mobile homes in Michigan and Florida. Having grown up in the Recreation Vehicle capital of the world, I’m sure I have my own unique perspective on this nomad way of life in homes on wheels.

The Trailer Park was my first experience with Florida life, all packed together in a semi-circle with the nicest properties with a view of Lemon Bay. (See Post #124). In all honesty, it was not much different from where we live now. However, in our resort community, the only wheels are parked in the garage, while concrete replaces aluminum siding and flat roofs are tiled peaks. We have bigger yards but the homes are still side-by-side with little space for privacy. Just like a trailer park, there are bigger homes, wider driveways, and better landscaping, but the real distinction is the size of your pool and lanai. Otherwise, every property is essentially the same with only limited opportunities to try and keep up with the Jones once the home is built to custom specifications. We expanded our driveway and added some giant red urns and a fountain to differentiate ours from the rest. Landscaping and lighting will eventually be upgraded. 

There are six different home models in our section of Islandwalk, just as there are numerous manufacturers of similar looking mobile homes. Some may be double-wide or add a screened in porch, but they all have a bay window in the front and/or back with the main entrance into the living room on the side. I can remember six of us trying to sleep like sardines in the crammed quarters. It was often too hot and sticky to sleep outside, not to mention the bugs, but not much better indoors without air conditioning, as was the case back then. In my experience, you can live comfortably in Florida with AC and a pool. Anything else is primitive in my opinion. 

My grandparents’ main recreational activities were fishing and shell collecting. The park where they lived provided few common amenities. In our community we have pickle-ball, tennis, water aerobics, a playground, community center, dog park, bocce, shuffleboard, and any clubhouse activity you could possibly think of trying. I might describe it as a trailer park on steroids and without wheels.