My first visit to Moosehaven
Sonja Pratt
On March 28, 2010 Dan and I went to Moosehaven for Florida days. From the moment we arrived I was in awe. It is so beautiful!
We started walking around and came to the Florida Bermuda residence hall. We were greeted by a resident there by the name of
Kris Winsor. Kris told us she had worked at Moosehaven for 20 years before becoming a resident. She asked if we wanted to go
inside and look around. Of course we did! She took us inside and showed us the living room and then the dining room. There is a
food bar with hot and cold foods available at meals. Coffee, juice, milk and other beverages, along with bread, cereals and other
snacks are available all day long. There is a small room down the hall with a big comfortable chair and a phone for those residents
wanting to make personal calls. She then showed us her room. Her room has everything you need; bed, TV, recliner, desk, computer
and refrigerator, and pictures and wall decorations that she added. She told us she is the photographer around Moosehaven, and that
she used to write a column for the Moose magazine and has one of her articles framed on her wall. Of course I had to tell her that
she and I had something in common, as I am the photographer at our lodge and that Dan and I did the website for our lodge. A nice
size bathroom and closet completed the room. Kris showed us Carol Gilbert’s door across the hall. She told us that Carol made
crafts and decorated her door every day. We would meet Carol later as she was out selling crafts near the picnic area. Kris then
took us to another residence hall and showed us the rooms there. We met another resident who had been a widow when she arrived at
Moosehaven, but had met a man and got married at Moosehaven several years ago.
Kris then wanted to show us the New York Exercise Building. We caught a ride on one of the many golf carts going by and were
taken to the Exercise room. Kris took us first to her favorite place, the pool! She said she is there most mornings by 6:30am and
watches the sun rise just about every morning. The pool is heated and looked very inviting! Next to the pool room is a four lane
bowling alley, complete with shoes, balls, and electronic score boards! We went to the weight room and exercise room next. This
room has just about every exercise machine you could ever imagine, stationary bikes, stair climbers, weight benches, and free
weights. A poker room and billiard room, with several pool tables and shuffleboard, are down the hall from the weight room. At the
end of the hall was the beauty shop where residents can go to get their hair cut, colored and permed all at no cost! Imagine going to
get your hair done and not having to pay!
We left the New York building and walked over to the craft tables where residents were selling their crafts. We met Carol and told
her how beautiful her door was. She was selling jean purses, small bags, yarn dogs, and lots of other stuff. I bought a little jean bag
that was perfect for my phone, money and moose card! Other residents were selling wood shelves, moose lamps, moose hat racks,
spoon collection shelves, shot glass collection holders, ceramics and other craft items. We also met Verna Wilson and snapped a
quick photo of her and Dan.
We then toured the new Brandon Place section of Moosehaven. These are the new apartments for those wishing to keep their personal
property and assets, while paying a one time entrance fee and then a monthly fee, while enjoying all the amenities and service
of Moosehaven. The apartment that we saw had two bedrooms, two bathrooms, living room, kitchen, and a sun room complete with
a fireplace for those cold Florida nights.
After a wonderful lunch catered by Woody’s BBQ, it was time to head home. As Dan and I drove back to Lakeland we talked about
one day moving to Moosehaven. We both thought that one day we could live there, I could make and sell crafts, and Dan could play
his guitar and sing for everyone. No more dishes, no more mowing the grass and the best thing of all, NO MORE BILLS!
Jean bag three dollars, ceramic moose ten dollars, wood shelf twenty dollars, spending the day at Moosehaven with Kris priceless.