I love a parade! Particularly, when it’s with my extended family here at The Landings – the members of our wonderful Carefree Boat Club’s “Sea Sisters of Carefree.” This year, they took creativity and imagination to heights surpassing all prior years and converted a golf cart into a boat on wheels. Paulette Hamilton, Sea Sisters, social director, Laurie Sattler, Liz Munro, and Mary Heidbreder convinced
Chris Ragland, our Ops Manager, to break out the tools and re-engineer the Hamilton’s golf cart into the likeness of a Carefree Boat and string it with flashing lights, Christmas garlands, and a real Johnson 4.5 HP outboard engine. (We have not yet tried it in Delegal Creek – and for good reason!)

Of course, the Carefree converted cart was nominated by more than just this bystander, but others as well, as the “Best in the Show” and would have been too, under a slightly different set of circumstances. Well planned, well developed, well construed, and without flaw, i.e. until the lights failed. Electricity isn’t what it used to be. Too much resistance and not enough capacitance, a weak battery, and “Lights
Out.” Great Fun, and in spite of a little hyperbole, perhaps a little too much-mulled cider, and a little less decorum – we all had a wonderful time. Congratulations Sea Sisters of Carefree.

With camaraderie and lots of enthusiasm, the good ship, with 4 Sisters in the boat, scooted off to meet the other parading partners at a predetermined place and time to join the fun. The ‘long and winding road’ from TLA Soccer Field to the Plantation Club was lined, at places, with supporting residents and visitors who kept up the enthusiastic cheering and picture taking until the serpentine chain of lighted vehicles wound its way into the parking lot at The Plantation Club. Here drivers and guests enjoyed the cookies and drinks at the end of the route. Not since I watched the holiday parades of my youth, did I have as much fun cheering on those who came together to do something out of the ordinary and bring some joy to all those who were out and about this evening.