When we got up this morning we decided to do some sight seeing and to give out my Florida knitted wheelchair lap rope to a nursing home here is Eustis where we are now staying.  I got that done.  They were very interested in why I did them and how many states I given to so far. 

We also decided to visit "The Villages"  

The Villages is a master-planned age-restricted retirement community located in Florida,

Many come to The Villages for its amazing golf facilities. It’s said there are some 35,000 golf carts in The Villages. There are over 90,000 residence living here now.  It is a extremely large Del Webb like community.  Interesting since The Villages were modeled after them.  Residents enjoy “free golf” at over 20 executive golf courses.  Or, for a modest fee, they can use any of the eight champion golf courses.

Those who reside in The Villages, Florida are drawn to it because of it’s safety and ease of access to its facilities. Not only is it a beautiful gated community, but it also has very low crime rates making it one of the most comfortable places to live in Florida.

The Villages also has an ample supply in entertainment and recreational activities.  Given the fact that The Villages is widely known and extremely popular for its Golf activities, there have been special trails built specifically for golf carts. This residential development consists of over 40 recreation centers, over 20 executive golf courses, polo fields, fitness centers, and 8 champion golf courses that include country clubs.

With all the golf carts running around it reminded me of the Amish country with all the horse drawn buggies on the roads, (LOL) without the little piles of "stuff" on the roadways.

 The Villages Florida is one of the largest age-restricted active adult communities in Florida - as well as the world. What started as a small neighborhood in 1978 has blossomed into a sprawling community that will eventually be home to an estimated 75,000 households of people aged 55 and better. The Villages Florida spans three counties, three zip codes and over 20,000 acres. The entire community is connected by over 100 miles of golf cart legal streets and trails.
The Villages Florida is an entirely self-sustaining town complete with retail establishments, restaurants, banks, post offices and countless recreational amenities. Residents of The Villages, known as Villagers, have flocked to the community from every state and several countries to be a part of what is boasted as Florida's Friendliest Hometown. The community has drawn retirees from around the world with the lure of warm weather, quality ranch homes and free golf for life. The Villages in Florida has appealed to mature adults because it offers a lifestyle unmatched by any active adult community in the country. In fact, every week a 50-page newsletter and activity guide highlights all of the various clubs, activities and events for the week.


Brownwood Paddock Square is the third and final planned town square for The Villages. 
The theme of Brownwood (everything in The Villages has a theme…) is “Old World Florida” and takes residents back to a time in the 1800’s when Florida’s cattle hunters and cowboys roamed the state.

We spotted this interesting displays on the road so we had to stop and see what this was about.  You see the enormous bronze statues shipped in from Park City Utah depicting the "cracker" cattle and the cowboys that are bring the cattle in from the Florida scrub.  

 The Florida Cracker is a breed of cattle developed in the state of Florida, and named for the Florida Cracker culture in which it was kept.  Also known as the Florida Scrub or just as the Cracker cow.  Florida Crackers are one of the oldest and rarest breeds of cattle in United States.   Descended from Spanish stock imported to the continent in the 16th century, Florida Crackers are a small, horned breed that quickly adapted to the Florida landscape and have long been prized for their resistance to parasites and other hardy traits.   They weigh generally under 900 pounds, come in many colors, and are horned in both cows and bulls.  After 1949 the combination of new laws about free-roaming livestock and the introduction of larger beef breeds led to the rapid decline of the Florida Cracker.   Despite the continued work of the Florida state government and a breed association, the breed is still listed as critically endangered

You see here the cracker cowboy bringing in a calf with his trusted dog at his side.

 

The detail was unbelievable.  I did not take close ups of the behinds of the animals because of the detail, if you know what I mean.

They even had the cattle guard to the entry of the complex.

The detail was down to the hoof marks in the mud, but there were no little bronze cow pies anywhere to be seen????

 

 

This is the resort were we are currently residing.