Sarasota, Florida November 2013

Sarasota, Florida
November 2013
Official Newsletter
Officers and Members of the Board of Directors:
Articles and letters are due no later than the
20th of each month.
All other communication should be directed
to…
President - Bill Davis
941-921-0913 – E-Mail: BillDavis00@verizon.net
PRIME TIMERS SARASOTA
P.O. Box 1411
Sarasota, Fl. 34230-1411
Vice President - Dan Smith
941 359-2526 – E-Mail: dansmith5@joimail.com
Secretary – Charles Tramer
941-371-0720 – E-Mail: Charfrasarasota@verizon.net
Treasurer – Thomas Imholt
850-878-1657 – E-Mail: Imholtt@yahoo.com
Members At Large:
You can also go to ‘Chapters’ and click on
chapter names and read many of the
chapter newsletters. Find out what’s
happening all around!
Randy Bailey 941 359-8614
E-Mail: rbailey1438@yahoo.com Dick Walker 508 282-7711
Email: dickrwalker@aol.com
Founder & Director Emeritus:
Michael Stone: 941-359-8212
E-Mail: Mstonefl@verizon.net
Bryan Wilt
941-792-1975
E-Mail: Baltbryan@msn.com
Cover Page
Presidents Message
Member Biography
Member Biography
Be sure to visit our website at:
http://www.primetimerssarasota.org
PrimeTimers Worldwide Newsletter
You can now read our
Primetimers Worldwide newsletter, online
free. Just go to our brand new website at
www.primetimersww.com, click on
Newsletters, and select the issue you want
to read.
Newsletter Editor and Member-at-Large:
Joe Coulombe
941 929-9769 – E-Mail: joseph417@hotmail.com
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2.
3.
4.
941-556-1344
Monthly Meeting Host for treats:
Al Cartier
5. Editors Note
5. Birthdays
6. Advertisement
6. Bulletin Board
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7. Event Photos 11. Travel
8. Event Photos 12. Travel
9. Meeting Photos 13. Calendar
10. Events
President’s Message
I hope everyone had a great Halloween and that you had many Tricks and Treats! As I
write this, we have not had the Halloween Party so I can’t mention what a great time I
will be having! I hope that everyone showed up and enjoyed himself. Thanks to Randy
and Art for volunteering their community center.
We are getting very close to the end of the year and as you know it is election time for
the Board. I hope that some of you will step forward and help out by volunteering to
serve on the Board for period of one or two years. I think it is very important that we
maintain a Board of at least seven to nine members. If we are going to have many
things planned for the coming year, then we need the participation of everyone. There
are so many things in the Sarasota area that we can put together for outing and lots of
theaters around that we can go out to dinner and a play. We just need members to
step forward and help us plan these activities. I believe that the Players Theater will be
doing “Sorted Lives” early next year. It is one of my favorites!
We also need couples or singles to volunteer for the write-ups that are featured in the
Newsletter. I am sure there are many interesting men in our organization and we would
enjoy their story.
Have a very nice “Thanksgiving Holiday” and we look forward to seeing you at one of
our functions real soon.
Bill Davis, President
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Bruce Veeder and Andy Makowski
Once upon the time two baby boys were born 5 months apart. One was born in November and the
other one in April of the following year. Even though they were born so close together in time they
couldn’t have been more separated by distance since one, let’s call him Andy, was born in Poland,
Europe while the other one, let’s call him Bruce was born in upstate New York, USA.
Andy grew up in the communist Poland where he received his grade school, high school and
eventually his higher education. Andy’s life in communist Poland was very different from Bruce’s life in
America. Food supplies and other goods were scarce. More exotic items like oranges or bananas
were available maybe two or three times a year. Shopping always involved standing in long lines,
hoping that there is enough to last till one gets to the counter. There was limited information about the
world on the other side of the “Iron Curtain”. The state media reported only bad things that happened
in the West and every piece of news was carefully censored by the government. Travel abroad was
very limited not only because of the difficulties of obtaining a passport but also because the Polish
currency was worthless outside of Poland. Despite all that Andy managed to travel quite a bit around
Europe and eventually he was able to come for a few weeks visit to United States to see his family in
the Buffalo, N.Y. area. Andy had no intentions of staying in America. He knew that not returning from
the trip would close the doors forever, for him to return to his homeland (he did not expect that
communism would ever fall). He knew that his family might be subjected to interrogations by the
communist government agents. However, things do not always go as planned. Soon after coming to
the US Andy met that girl with whom he fell deeply in love. After a few months courtship they got
married and spent the next 24 years in a union that can only be called a “perfect marriage”. They were
the happiest couple you can imagine, they did everything together and they loved each other very,
very much. Life was good. Professionally Andy was involved in helping those less fortunate than him;
he ran a program for people who were challenged by mental illness, developmental disabilities as well
as alcohol and substance abuse. Andy loved his job and stayed with the same employer for almost 30
years. Unfortunately, 22 years into their marriage Andy’s wife was diagnosed with scleroderma and as
a result of that illness she passed away two years later. Andy was devastated. He knew that there
was no other woman who could give him so much love, happiness, comfort, friendship etc., that he
decided not to look for another wife. On the other hand he did not want to spend the rest of his life
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alone. At that point he was not sure of his sexuality, which had been suppressed in his youth by the
communist/catholic environment. Did he have any
“gayness”? Andy started to talk about his
predicament to his gay neighbors and began to search the internet. It was on the Internet, on Gay.com
where he found the other boy, the boy who was born in April, whose name was Bruce. Bruce was born
and grew up in the town of Colonie, a suburb of Albany, NY. His dad’s family were farmers and Bruce
spent a lot of time on the farm. About the time Bruce started grade school his mom and dad quit their
jobs and opened a diner. Due to their hard work, it eventually expanded to become a 10,000 square
foot banquet house. Their success meant that family life outside of the restaurant was nonexistent,
except for family dinners on Monday, when the business was closed. The family restaurant stayed in
business for 50 years. Bruce learned early on the value of hard work, although he did not appreciate it
at the time.
Bruce married his high school sweetheart, after graduating from SUNY Albany. Bruce and his wife
proceeded to raise a family of four children, Bruce’s wife doing most of the raising as he was at work
most of the time. Also immediately after college Bruce joined the Air National Guard. His home base
was located in Schenectady NY and it is the only guard base in the US that flies C-130’s that are
equipped with skis. The base was responsible for moving all equipment, supplies, and personnel to
and from the US Antarctic Base.
Shortly after they were married Bruce and his wife got the “antique bug”. They lived in a modern four
bedroom colonial , but after the two car garage became filled with antiques they decided they needed
a large old home in which they could display all the antiques. They found a ten room Victorian
desperately in need of restoration. Bruce spent all his free time for two years making it livable, and
then worked on it for several more years before it was almost totally restored. Bruce and his wife lived
there for thirty years and never did quite get the last project finished.
In 2001 Bruce’s wife passed away in her sleep. He continued to work for two years before his parents
and he decided to close the restaurant. Always knowing that he had the gay gene, Bruce began a
frantic search to find a guy. Bruce found Andy on Gay.com in 2004 and they have been happily
together ever since. For the first four years of their relationship Bruce would commute 180 miles every
weekend to be with Andy, as Andy was still working. They both sold their homes, and most of their
belongings and permanently moved to Florida in 2009. They first did a search for “Gay Retirement”
and up popped The Palms of Manasota in Palmetto. At first they thought the units were overpriced,
so they searched both coasts and finally settled on a condo, across the street from The Palms. They
were new to the gay lifestyle and most people in the condos were younger and working or had
families. So, after home prices dropped they bought a place in The Palms and instantly had 20 gay
and lesbian friends. They have been very lucky to expand their friends’ network through ROMEO and
Prime Timers.
Andy thinks to this day that their wives got together somewhere in Heaven and made this unlikely
union of their husbands happen. Bruce disagrees. 4
Member Photographs
The Prime Timers Board discussed having member photographs on file.
Your photograph would be used at times when members are represented or referenced in any of the
chapter communications bulletins or the newsletter. Many times we receive information regarding a
member when it would be nice to be able to recall the image of the person. This was presented at the
last membership meeting without time for a discussion or feedback. If you have a thought or opinion
on this idea let a board member know. If you have a photograph you would like to be added to the file
or would like to make arrangements to have one taken during any event please let a member of the
board know your desire. The board believes having member photographs would help improve our
chapter.
Joe Coulombe
Newsletter Editor
Jack Carrier
Dale Cuzynski
Toshi Okada
Frank Balogh
Jim Gollattscheck
11/9
11/15
11/17
11/21
11/22
Charles Tramer
James McNerney
Andy Makowski
Wayne Officer
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11/22
11/25
11/30
11/30
Complimentary Members Business Cards Displayed
Bulletin Board
If you have an item you no longer need you can find a new owner. If you are looking for
something you want to add to your collection put it on the Bulletin Board. If you have an
idea or can offer assistance to members the Bulletin Board will be the place to post that
information. If you have a suggestion for uses of this service please contact any
member of the Board and discuss your idea with them.
Looking for a Cruise Cabin Mate: Prime Timer looking for a cruise ship cabin mate to avoid the
single supplement. dickrwalker@aol.com
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Event Photographs
Northside Lunch – LeAnh’s Vietnamese Restaurant
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Southside Lunch @ Mattison’s
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October Monthly Meeting
Randy Baily – Story Teller
Meeting Refreshments
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Friday, November 1 - Northside Luncheon at 1:00 PM: Barnacle Bill's Seafood North
located at 5050 N. Tamiami Trail, just south of University. Please RSVP to Dan Smith at
dansmith5@joimail.com or 941-359-2526 by 3PM Thursday.
Tuesday, November 12 at 11:00 AM: Board Meeting to be held in MCC Church.
7225 Lockwood Ridge Road, Sarasota, Fl. 34243. Friday, November 15 - Southside Luncheon at 1:00 PM: J Ryans, 8389 S. Tamiami Trail,
941-487-8427. RSVP to Dale Curtsinger at wdcurtsinger@Yahoo.com or 941-346-0757 if
you plan on attending.
Sunday, November 24 at 3:30 PM: General Meeting will be at the MCC Church of the
Trinity, 7225 Lockwood Ridge Road, Sarasota, FL 34243 - in the Sanctuary
If anyone wishes to join a group of members is planning to go to dinner after the meeting
to a convenient restaurant.
Thursday, November 28 - THANKSGIVING
That Time Again
Gentlemen: Before you know it, the end of the year will be here and it will be time for the
Election of Officers and Directors of Prime Timers Sarasota, which will take place at our
January 2014 Membership Meeting.
This year, we have several openings. If interested, please e-mail Secretary Charles Tramer
with your intentions to be included in the slate of nominees at:
charfrasarasota@verizon.net Monthly Meeting Refreshments
November
Al Cartier
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Joe & Frank want to share a tour with you!
Rome, Florence & Venice Carnival
About This Experience
Discover Venice at its most vibrant during the city’s annual Carnival. There, you’ll don a traditional masquerade mask and take to the streets with thousands of revelers from near and far. But, before the festivities begin, your Italian adventure starts in Eternal Rome and makes its way to Renaissance Florence.
YOUR TOUR INCLUDES Round-­‐trip airfare & transfers 10 nights in handpicked hotels Breakfast daily, 3 three-­‐course dinners with beer or wine Private deluxe motor coach Multilingual Tour Director Select entrance fees Starting from $3,359 – Includes deposit, taxes & Fees Tour dates are Thursday, February 20 to Monday, March 3, 2014. http://josephcoulombe.grouptoursite.com joseph417@hotmail.com
941.929.9769
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Travel Opportunities with Prime Timers Worldwide
Eastern Caribbean aboard the fabulous Celebrity Silhouette!
January 19 – January 26, 2014
There are still cabins and shares available on this
wonderful adventure. This is our annual Prime Timers
Caribbean cruise but this time itʼs aboard the most fabulous
ship weʼve ever sailed on. This adventure leaves from Ft.
Lauderdale and includes the ports of San Juan, Puerto
Rico, Basseterre, St. Kitts, Phillipsburg, St. Maarten, and returns to Ft. Lauderdale. Cabin prices are
as follows: Insides from: $574, Outsides from $724 and Balconies from $824 plus port charges and
taxes.
Contact Marc Solomon at Courtyard Travel at 917 359 3888
Repositioning Cruise from Barcelona to Ft. Lauderdale!
We are very excited to announce our affiliation in 2014 with Prime Timerʼs Sarasota member Randell
Johnson of Randellʼs Travel. It isnʼt too early to grab a cabin at early bird prices. Youʼre safe with
Randell because deposits are fully refundable until 90 days before the cruise! Weʼll be having a Prime
Timers group cruise aboard Celebrityʼs Equinox from October 27, 2014 until November 10, 2014. This
repositioning cruise starts in Barcelona, Spain and visits 7 ports before bringing us to Ft. Lauderdale,
Florida. Whatʼs even more exciting is that Randell has booked an optional 3 day pre-cruise stay at
Sitges at a beachside hotel. If you book that option it will also include transfers from airport to hotel
and hotel to ship! Cruise prices start at only: $689 plus taxes and port charges.
For Reservations call:
Randell Johnson at Randellʼs Travel: 1 877 377 9321
For Information call on either trip call or email: Michael Stone 941-359-8212
Robert Rosenthal 561-969 6958 , Email: robertd3343@mac.com
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mstonefl@verizon.net
Sun
Mon
Tues
Wed
Thur
Fri
Sat
1
Northside
Luncheon
1 PM
Barnacle
Bill’s
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
11 AM
Board
Meeting
13
14
15
Southside
Luncheon
1 PM
J Ryan’s
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
General
Meeting
3:30 PM
MCC
25
26
27
28
Thanksgiving
29
30
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