APRIL 2021
WINTER GARDEN’S L AKE COVE POINTE COMMUNIT Y MAGA ZINE
THE
HOAN & KIM
Their journey from the other side of the world
ARCHITECTURAL D E C O R AT I V E F O A M
FA M I LY- O P E R AT E D
COMPANY
F OUNDED
550 Susan B. Britt, Winter Garden, FL 34787 407-905-3626 efoamllc.com @efoamllc
IN
2007
CONTENTS 12
Journey of a Lifetime
Kim and Hoan share their amazing story.
6 4
21 To the Pointe
6 Pointes of Interest Numbers, news, and need-to-knows about the neighborhood. Learn about our new Little Free Library, mindful recycling, and our monthly Lake Cove Pooch.
20 The Home Front One neighbor offers recycling tips for keeping Winter Garden green. The Parrishes share a green Easter project for kids of all ages. 22 The Dish Reviewing Moon Cricket Grille’s most popular dish in its least popular form: The Bam Bam Shrimp Taco.
24 25 Off the Vine This month: a serving of wine advice from a wine novice. 26 Pointe of View This month’s Lake Cove Pooch and her brother Blaze prove that two pups are better than one.
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TO THE
POINTE
“Reduce, reuse, recycle” has been drilled into me from a young age —I think it may also be in my genetic code! My mother is a Baby Boomer, and when things were tight after the war ,my grandfather would collect newspapers and aluminum to resell. He would also bring home any treasure he found curbside that could be used by the family. Mom still uses the muffin tin he brought home, like new, when she was a teen. Fast forward to my stepfather and his passion for woodworking. He would come home with a trunk full of wood scraps from some local neighborhood that was in development. My mother forbade him from making any more tables or clocks, but that left a lot of other projects to explore. Today I have my collections of old cabinet doors, pieces of pallet wood, random chunks and planks of wood, handrail and decorative trim all ready for projects on a moment’s notice. Not to mention my assortment of tiles, jars, and, most of all, samples of decorator fabric from a neighbor … anytime I see something at a craft fair, a co-op of local artists, or even Pinterest that inspires me, I am ready to create! It is true that one person’s trash is another’s treasure, particularly if you have imagination and creativity. Luckily, we have a neighborhood that is willing to notify others when they have reusable items but also keep an eye out for those Monday morning finds. Even an old fan blade can have potential, and look what you are bringing to the world while reducing waste! Happy hunting!
Nicole Soulsby, Editor
HAVE SOMETHING TO ADD? Send your ideas and images to lcp@emagency.com
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THE POINTE APRIL 2021 EDITION
NUMBERS YOU NEED E M E R G E N C Y C O N TA C T S
HOA BOARD MEMBERS
Gabriel Irizarry President gabriel.irzarry@gmail.com Mary Langley Vice President marylangley3@gmail.com Cheryl Lessard Secretary cherless1@aol.com Erik Halluska Treasurer ehalluska@withum.com David Leon Director lakecove@peapage.com
ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW COMMIT TEE
Marsha Bentley Jordan Gatenby
911 Fire, Ambulance, Police 211 Suicide Prevention 800-222-1222 Poison Control 407-254-9140 Animal Control
FINING COMMITTEE
Erica Diaz Ryan Hinricher
WELCOMING COMMIT TEE
Jana Beckwith
EVENTS COMMITTEE
Desiree Halluska Nicole Roach Tiffany Jensen
IMPROVEMENTS TEAM
Vickie Parrish Wes Parrish Sue Aduss
ADVERTISING INQUIRIES
Jamie Ezra Mark jamie@emagency.com 407-573-6061
N O N - E M E R G E N C Y C O N TA C T S
407-532-6797 407-836-4357 407-877-5775 407-656-3636
Florida Highway Patrol Orange County Sheriff Winter Garden Fire Dept. Winter Garden Police Dept.
LOCAL GOVERNMENT/SERVICES
407-656-4111 cwdgn.com 407-656-1117 oaklandfl.com 407-656-3344 407-836-2070 407-656-1304 407-835-7323
City of Winter Garden Winter Garden Official Website Town of Oakland Oakland Official Website Post Office Voter Registration The West Orange Chamber Winter Garden Public Library
844-219-5293 877-862-9343 407-629-1010 407-656-2734 407-656-4111 321-436-4559
Spectrum CenturyLink Duke Energy Lake Apopka Natural Gas Winter Garden Water & Sewer After-Hours Water & Sewer
UTILITIES
H O S P I TA L S / U R G E N T C A R E
APRIL 2021 / VOLUME 1 NUMBER 7 A P U B L I C AT I O N O F
Jamie Ezra Mark Publisher Nicole Soulsby Editor __________ Rheya Tanner Art Director Lynette Azarow Photographer Matt Tullo Photographer Josh Clark Designer Wendy Mak Designer Caleb Jensen Web Garrett Reardon Digital 407-573-6061 hello@emagency.com emagency.com @EMagencyinc
PROUD MEMBER OF
The Pointe Volume 1 Number 7 Copyright© 2021 by Em Agency. All rights reserved. Published monthly. Em Agency is not affiliated with or contracted by Lake Cove Pointe (LCP). This publication, including the articles, opinions, and advertisements contained herein, is not authorized or endorsed by LCP. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. Opinions expressed in the articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the opinions of Em Agency. Advertising or products does not imply endorsement. Em Agency can not be held liable for the business practices of these companies.
407-654-4965 407-614-0500 407-296-1000 407-656-2055 407-841-5111 352-394-4071
Centra Care AdventHealth Winter Garden Health Central Hospital Health Central Express Care Orlando Regional Medical Orlando Health South Lake Hospital
A N I M A L H O S P I TA L S
407-656-4132 407-901-4923 407-347-8514 407-656-1800 407-654-1800 407-449-1369
Winter Garden Animal Hospital Wintermere Pointe Animal Hospital Oakes Animal Hospital WOVH Vineland WOVH Stoneybrook Orlando Animal Hospital
QUESTIONS OR PROBLEMS
Will Gonzalez Vista Management wgonzalez@vistacamfl.com 407-682-3443 vistacamfl.com
To create an account on the Vista portal, you will need your account number, found on your annual bill.
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POI N TE S
OF
INTEREST One for the Books
Lake Cove Pointe’s new Little Free Library project is well underway. It wasn’t long ago that a few of our neighbors on our LCP Facebook Group (look up “Lake Cove Pointers,” if you’re not already a part of it!) suggested that a perfect addition to our new Conservation Nature Preserve would be a Little Free Library. And it wasn’t long after that when another neighbor, Jordan Gatenby, took up the helm in building one. “The opportunity to get back in the garage was exciting,” says Jordan, a woodworking hobbyist, “but even more exciting was the chance to build something that could strengthen our sense of community.” Little Free Library is a nonprofit that promotes neighborhood book exchanges in the form of a small bookcase like the one Jordan has built. Our unofficial version will soon stand at the front of our Nature Preserve for readers of all ages to give their old books a new opportunity on your neighbors’ shelves. “It’s a chance for the community to connect in a new way,” says Jordan. “I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to provide a platform for that.”
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RESIDENT BUSINESS DIRECTORY _________
Dan Bessetti
Strength and Conditioning Coach 407-976-8738 totalathletetraining.com
Erik Halluska CPA Partner 407-849-1569 withum.com
Ally Budnik
Attorney 407-499-2082 wgfamilylawfirm.com
Erica Diaz
Real Estate Agent 407-951-9742 ericadiazteam.com
Michael Collins Flame Boss 800-978-9078 flameboss.com
Sierra Clemmons
Young Living Essential Oils 352-636-0960 myyl.com/sierraclemmons
Halluska & Roach Families Winter Garden Bounce wgbouncehouse@gmail.com wgbounce.com
LET EVERYONE KNOW YOUR BUSINESS This is a FREE listing open only to residents of Lake Cove Pointe. Space is limited. Include your: • Name • Profession/business • Phone number • Web address Send to: lcp@emagency.com
THAT FIGURES
74
MILLION The estimated number of citrus trees growing in Florida’s 569,000 acres of citrus groves. SOURCE: visitflorida.com
5.25 TRILLION The estimated number of pieces of plastic waste currently polluting our oceans.
1
SOURCE: condorferries.co.uk
#
HOTTEST
SAUCHA AND RECYCLING Cher Lessard shows us how mindful recycling can also be a form of yoga.
When most people think of yoga, they imagine people in a class on a mat doing postures. This is yoga, but it is only one aspect, or “limb,” of yoga. Yoga actually consists of eight of these limbs, none of which are arms, legs, fingers, or toes. Instead, they are more like different dimensions of yoga. Our postures on a mat are our Asanas. Our breathing techniques are our Pranayamas, and so on. But one of these limbs is our Niyamas—which are positive duties or observances, both on and off the mat. Saucha, meaning purity, cleanliness, and clarity, is found in the Niyamas. A great way to practice Saucha is by taking care of our environment through recycling. Making recycling part of a yogic practice is as simple as being more mindful and intentional about it. We use recycling to give new opportunities to things that would otherwise be wasted. We remove clutter in our homes to bring purity and clarity to our spaces. The Earth is a part of you, and you are a part of it. Do what you can to keep us clean and healthy. In doing this, you are practicing yoga.
Florida has the hottest spring temperatures, with an average of 70ºF. No. 2 is Hawaii, followed by Louisiana.
SOURCE: currentresults.com
50%
The average amount saved on thrifted clothing as compared to buying new. SOURCE: True Activist
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POINTES OF INTEREST VOX
Question: What is your best trash-to-treasure/upcycle story?
RICHARD GIBSON
CHERYL LESSARD
_________________
_________________
Amazing Dad
Back in high school, one of our friends had this ugly fuchsia sport jacket. I asked to keep it and I wore that thing until I couldn’t wear it anymore.
Unbridled Book-Buyer
When we first moved here, one of my daughters asked me to make her a T-shirt quilt. I saved enough of her shirts over time to make her a queen-size quilt.
KEITH ROSENBAUER Madi Daddy
_________________
A neighbor gave us an old golf cart when she moved out. We stripped it down to the frame and rebuilt it to the UCFthemed ride it is today.
JOVON HARKLESS
Movie-based Menu Enthusiast _________________
I love upcycling and giving new life to old things. I found an old canvas at Goodwill and did decoupage on top of a sticker to make it something new.
RECOMMENDATIONS
READ
It’s the kind of book I enjoy poolside: a memoir by an author whose humor shines in her gift for storytelling. McKeon details her journey from an impoverished but happy childhood in Ireland to becoming Jackie Kennedy’s personal assistant. Jackie’s Girl (Simon & Shuster, $17) is a heartfelt account of a young woman building her own life and family alongside one of the most iconic in American history.
Joey Harkless Joey is often seen walking through LCP with her little nuggets, pooch, and hubby. And you know where she lives because she loves to experiment with outdoor holiday decorations!
KIDS’ PICKS
Dog Man by Dav Pilkey is a children’s book. It’s about a dog and a cop and an evil cat named Petey. It’s a graphic novel, and there are multiple books in the series. I’d recommend this book for kids seven and up who like graphic novels. Food for Thought by Saxton Freymann and Joost Elffers is about opposites and colors and numbers and shapes and the alphabet. Pictures of food show animals and people and an elephant and play things. I like this book because I like to read it funny and say the wrong words and Mama does the right words. I really like Food for Thought. All the kids would like to read this book. Eli & Matthew Gatenby Eli is 3 1/2. He loves everything that’s Mario and reading funny books. You may see him in his Mario pajamas, hunting for treasure in the neighborhood. Matthew is 7 1/2. He loves reading, music, math, Minecraft, and cooking.
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LAKE COVE
POOCH
SPONSORED BY PUPPY DREAMS
Hello, My name is Belle,
and I’m a Mini Australian Shepherd. I’m just 12 weeks old, so I don’t really know what I am like yet. But I know that I am pretty and I like to have fun! My humans, Keith, Mary, and Kevin, call me a Pretty Girl, and I know they would only tell me the truth. I am learning how to do tricks (stay is my least favorite so far), and how to go to the bathroom correctly. They also give me plenty of tasty things to chew! They don’t give me their shoes to chew, but I chew them anyway. My brother Blaze helps me with that a lot! He is very smart, and so I like to sneak up on him and fight. I hope we will be great friends! I am excited to be a puppy in the world! I look forward to all the things I get to see and do and smell, and I will do my best to be a good puppy for my humans. I love them.
Featuring 38 dog kennels of multiple sizes 1 indoor playroom 3 outdoor play yards 6+ play times a day! P E T B O A R D I N G & D AY C A R E
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THE POINTE APRIL 2021 EDITION
f o y e Journ e m i t e f i aL
da ry morning, an ve e lk a w a re a ey oan Nguyen sh y. This month, th b ss a Kim Bui and H p y e th rs o am. with the neighb e American dre th f o pleasant word ry o st a — a deeper story graciously share nner Story: Rheya Ta
llo
Matt Tu Photography:
Bui ses, too—Kim nd the time it ri ou ar er at d ev an ly n rises— k. “We on s sure as the su hour-long wal r ei th on t ou yen will be and Hoan Ngu Hoan. ke Cove s raining,” says ous around La miss it when it’ em rather fam th e the ad m s ha to health it. It’s tradition and their good s Their morning ip sh e nd th ie of fr r st the re attribute thei ng together as lli ro st , Pointe, and they em ney th ur jo ow rt of the eir neighbors kn st one small pa ju e ar ks way many of th al w e long work. But thes world heads to t unity’s gates. co obe she brough into this mm em th t gh ou our state on a gl br at g that tin in tle po lit , a d ar w,” says Kim g her finger tow “We are here no site side, tracin po op over here. t ay ac w ex e th its it to try is all un co y m nd before spinning “A t Asia. try in Southeas p.m.” S-shaped coun gan. And ietnam, it’s 10 V in now, but re their lives be re he w he . is m h a. rt ea 10 e It’s es d of th is how their liv the opposite en sey to America ys This country on od l fu pe ho g, g, heartbreakin their harrowin began again.
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The End of Beginnings
Kim and Hoan first met in college, where they were studying to be teachers. “We had many of the same classes,” says Kim. “But I didn’t pay much attention to him until the end of the year.” The school held a festival to celebrate the New Year, complete with a stage for students to perform music—one of Hoan’s passions. “He led the band with his guitar, and I was a singer, so we worked closely together,” says Kim. “That was when I started to like him.” But their quiet love story was set to be overshadowed by a greater conflict. That new year was 1968, a pivotal time in the years-long Vietnam War, when the Tet Offensive escalation began devastating South Vietnam. Kim and Hoan’s hometown of Vĩnh Long was one of many in the crossfire. “The school closed, and we didn’t see each other for two months,” says Kim. “At that time, there were no cell phones, and no way to say that we were safe.” “Before that, we were too shy to talk about love,” says Hoan. “But when we got back together, we were so happy that we both survived.” “Maybe we felt pressure from the war,” says Kim. “Two of our classmates died during the conflict. It made us say, ‘Life is too short. Why don’t we show our love?’” The several wars Vietnam endured in the ‘40s and ‘50s, including World War II and the First Indochina War, had left the country fractured, in much the same way Korea is now. Kim and Hoan lived in South Vietnam, which remained a republic, while North Vietnam became a communist state. Unfortunately, this divide was heavily disputed—which was the catalyst for the war.
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Times were tough, but because the couple lived in the southernmost part of the country, they lived in relative safety and normalcy. They dated for about five years, opting to finish school and get stable teaching jobs before they got married. “I taught Vietnamese literature, and he taught mathematics. We lived so peacefully, but the North wanted to change everything,” says Kim. America supported South Vietnam, but in 1973 they
didn’t want to fight anymore,” says Kim. “They abandoned us.” “They left us with guns, but no bullets and no support,” says Hoan. “April 30, 1975, was the day we’ll never forget.” April 30, 1975, was the day the North captured Saigon and officially seized victory, and total control of the country. This new Vietnam was the one the couple and their two young sons were now faced with surviving in.
The Sound of the Soul Hoan has been a lifelong guitarist and lover of music. “When there’s live music playing in town, he will always just sit down and listen while I go inside the stores,” says Kim. “When I was in middle school, I learned how to play, and have played until now,” says Hoan. “I have four guitars, but I gave my granddaughter one of my acoustic guitars so she could learn.” One of their favorite pastimes is singing karaoke. “Singing is exercise for your lungs,” says Kim. “We sing loud, and we enjoy it!” The couple’s living room is decked out with equipment for this purpose—not just guitars and an electric keyboard, but amps, sound boards, surround sound speakers, and a microphone hooked up to all of it. “We love to play and sing Vietnamese music,” says Hoan, “but we also love to play American music.” Hoan’s favorite American bands are The Ventures and The Shadows, both ‘50s and ‘60s rock and surf bands of “Wipeout” and “Apache” fame.
A Life Worth Risking
“Our lives were flipped upsidedown,” says Kim. “We had everything before. But they took everything, wanted to control everything. They made our lives so difficult.” They went from a life of peace and freedom to one of strict government control. “Every family had to make a book of how many people lived in the house,” says Kim. “And any time you wanted to go to another village, you had
to fill out a form saying where you were going, the reason for the visit, and for how long.” Government-issued rations were scant. “They wanted to control it all, but they didn’t have enough to provide, and nobody could sell anything,” says Kim. “Every month, one family could have 10 kilos of rice, 1 kilo of meat, 1 kilo of sugar, and so on. We were starving. We were not ‘hungry.’ The word is starving.”
And for simply being government employees of South Vietnam, there were punishments. “All the military officials were sent to reeducation camps,” says Hoan. “But they were actually jails and labor camps in the jungle.” “We were only spared because we were schoolteachers, and they had a shortage in schools,” says Kim. “But they did make us go to the reeducation, and tried to brainwash us.” But the worst thing that was revoked from them was a future for their children. “They said our sons can’t go to college,” said Kim. “Because we worked for the government before. Their children can go to college, but they can’t.” “They were allowed to complete ninth grade, and that’s it,” adds Hoan. “We were deprived of a future for our children.” In 1981, they decided they couldn’t live like that any longer. “A lot of people bet their lives to escape in boats, but it was very difficult; only 10 percent survived,” says Kim. “They could be killed by the army, or they can die on the sea if the boat sinks or if pirates captured them.” It was even difficult to get on the boat to begin with. “To get a ticket, you have to pay so they can build the boat,” says Kim. But after years of suffering, they determined that the life ahead of them was worth risking. That’s when they decided that Hoan and their oldest son (age 9 at the time) would attempt to escape on one of these perilous voyages—and that Kim and their youngest son would stay behind. “Someone had to stay to keep the house,” says Kim. “If for whatever reason they did not succeed, and we all went, we would have been homeless.”
THE NEXT GENERATION Though Kim and Hoan are no longer citizens of their home country, Vietnamese culture still has a deeply important place in their hearts. “We are teaching our grandchildren Vietnamese because we want to pass on the culture,” says Kim. She is delighted that her daughter-in-law volunteers to teach Vietnamese to children at Phan Văn Minh church in Orlando. “My birthday was last month, and her children, my grandchildren, hand-made a birthday card in Vietnamese for me,” she says. "It was a wonderful gift, and it was all because of her.”
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“It was a wooden boat, about 12 feet wide and 45 feet long, but it held 75 people,” says Hoan. “We had to duck down so they could cover the top of the boat, so the police didn’t see us. We escaped in the middle of the night.” The voyage was about three days and three nights out on the open Pacific. “We were lucky. The sea was very calm. No thunderstorms or hurricanes—it was like a river,” says Hoan. The little boat’s final destination was a refugee camp in Indonesia. “We had to cut our own wood to make a tent and stay for a while,” says Hoan. “And they sent a representative of the United Nations to speak to us and ask where we wanted to go.” Fortunately for Hoan, he already had family in America—a sister who had escaped before him, and a once-removed aunt who left Vietnam just after World War II. “My sister’s family already lived in Florida,” he says, “so I put on my application that my son and I would like to go to Florida.”
Freedom Day By Day
The boaters who escorted them sent letters back to their families to tell them whether their loved ones survived. “From when he left, one month passed before I received the news that he was OK,” says Kim. It was an incredible relief—but the nightmare was far from over. “I lived, but it was like I had died,” says Kim. “My heart was broken.” Remaining in Vietnam alone with her 8-year-old son came with risks. “The local police were asking about Hoan. They could punish us if they found out he escaped,” says Kim. “I had to write out a letter saying, ‘my husband and I argued, and he took my son
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and left me. From now on, I am not responsible for anything my husband has done.’ The police even joked with me, saying, ‘Don’t worry, he’s just mad. He will come back to you.’ But they could no longer do anything to me if they found out.” From there, they continued to try and live a normal life. They worked and went to school and kept a low profile while Hoan worked tirelessly in America to provide for them. “I worked for
my family to death,” he says. “I worked all day, worked all night.” Hoan lived with his sister’s family while he got on his feet. “The first year I came, I had no idea how to speak English,” says Hoan. “In St. Petersburg, they had a private school where foreign people could be taught English, so I went there to learn.” It took months of practice to become proficient. “In that school, there were five levels; level one was for people who know nothing in English, level two was for people who know a little bit, and so on,” he says. “Because I could read and write in English, they
first put me in level three. But it was too difficult for me, so I asked them to put me back in level two.” Once he passed through that school, he immediately enrolled in a local vocational school. “I chose to be an electronic technician because I wanted to work at an office,” says Hoan. “The class is supposed to be two years, but I learned fast and finished in one and a half years.” With this education under his belt, he started looking for work, but struggled at first to find employment. So, he returned to vocational school for an extra six months before finally finding a job with a company called Conax, where he helped build life rafts and other lifesaving devices for military pilots. There he remained, working slowly but surely toward providing for his family and earning his American citizenship. Kim and Hoan’s family was split into two for a total of eight years. “The day he left was October 16, 1981,” says Kim. “And the day I saw him at the Tampa airport was October 16, 1989— exactly eight years.” But even reunification was a daunting task with many hurdles. “For him, it was easy, because he was in America,” says Kim. “He sent the petition to the U.S. Embassy, and I applied for a passport to leave Vietnam. But every paper they signed, I had to pay them, and I had to wait.” “And for a long time, they didn’t present the application,” says Hoan. “So my wife was stuck in Vietnam and I didn’t know what to do. Then my friend gave me the idea, ‘why don’t you write to your congressman?’” That’s exactly what he did. He eventually went to the congress-
man’s office—Bill Young at the time—to explain the situation. “Mr. Young was very nice, and asked his people who worked on the paperwork to send another telegram to the U.S. Embassy asking why the paperwork hadn’t been processed.” With this help, Vietnam finally opened the file and completed the paperwork. “We went to the airport in Saigon and flew to Thailand,” says Kim. “Then we had
to stay in Thailand for ten days, and then flew to San Francisco, where I finished our immigration paperwork and procedures.” Finally, with freedom in hand, mother and son flew to Tampa to truly bring their family together again. “My son had grown up before my eyes,” said Hoan. Their sons were 16 and 17 then, each one having missed the other’s childhood. “I don’t know how to
describe my emotions when I saw them at the airport.” “Something you need to know about many Asian people is that we don’t show our emotions in public. We never hold hands when we walk, we never kiss in the market. Our culture doesn’t do that,” says Kim. “But that reunion was full of emotion. He doesn’t usually say, ‘I love you, I love you,’ but he did then.”
FA ST FAC T S
LCP residents since: 2014 Married for: 49 years Children: Henry and Kevin, both adults Occupation: Retired Favorite spot in Winter Garden: Downtown Secret talents or hobbies: Hoan plays guitar and we love karaoke Favorite Family Meal: Vietnamese (Phở) One thing we want to start doing more: Staying active One thing we want to start doing less: Spending time on iPad One family tradition: Celebrating Vietnamese New Year Favorite day of the week: Friday—we get to have dinner with our son’s family Next on our home improvement list: Paver sealing Favorite vacation spot: Clearwater beach Where we’d live if we weren’t in LCP: Wherever our children are
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“I love her more than I love myself,” he says. “The first time I saw her that night is filed away in my mind forever and ever.”
A New Life
With the worst of their history finally, finally behind them, the family was ready to make good on the American Dream. “We worked two jobs. We worked hard to survive,” says Kim. “I didn’t want to be a burden on the USA.” These first years in a new country weren’t without their hardships. “I didn’t know English, apart from writing and reading,” says Kim. “Even when you talk to me now, I still have to translate in my mind to understand, and then I have to translate back to English to talk to you. It’s very difficult.” In the first few months, one of her sister’s friends invited her to apply for a job with her. “Before then, Hoan was the only one working to provide for us,” she says. “So I went to work with her, and she showed me exactly what to do.” Though she had a guide to help her through, the language barrier proved to be too much. “I felt sorry for myself,” says Kim. “I said, ‘I’m not stupid. I am a teacher. But I am acting like I am deaf and I am mute, because I can’t speak, and I can’t hear!’ So I quit, and I went to ESOL school like he did.” But Kim’s day-to-day learning strategy was very different from Hoan’s. “The best way for me to learn to listen and speak English was the TV,” she says. “Hoan put the captions on for me, and I’d read them and say ‘oh, now I know how to say this word.’ Just a couple years later, I could talk to and understand people easily.” Her favorite show to watch was Everybody Loves Raymond. “I love
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that show, it’s the best,” she says. About six months into her education, she told Hoan she was ready to go back to work. “He didn’t believe me,” she says. “He took me to a small electronic company and waited outside while I did the interview.” “I couldn’t believe she could talk and understand everything!” adds Hoan. “I got that first job and I worked for that company for about a year,” she says. “Then his sister got a job at Baxter, and she took me to work with her there.” Kim remained with Baxter, assembling and installing circuit boards for dialysis machines, for the rest of her career. “When I first started there, I was an assembler,” she says. “But by the time I retired, I was testing and inspecting the machines. I worked there for 17 years.” Hoan also remained with his company for the entirety of his career. Out of all their accomplishments, though, the family feels
the greatest pride for their two sons, who would have had no future at all in Vietnam. “My oldest son went on to be the valedictorian of his high school—the first Asian in the school’s history to do that,” says Hoan. “He went all the way through medical school with all As and became a doctor. And my second son became a chemical engineer after just nine years in the USA.” “They have a good education, good jobs, and a beautiful family,” adds Kim. “Life is good.”
Together From Now On
This is the way Kim and Hoan live and thrive, through good times and bad, for the rest of their lives. Now they enjoy retirement in Lake Cove Pointe, where they spend every morning walking in the Florida sunshine. “As long as we are together side by side, we are happy,” says Hoan. What they love most about the neighborhood is the community’s helpfulness, and the friends they’ve
made—especially their next-door neighbors, the Halluskas. “When the pandemic hit, we were scared to go anywhere, because we’re old,” says Kim. “Desiree and Erik bought groceries and brought them to our house two times. And they didn’t accept any payment.” And, of course, the couple loves downtown. “We love the Farmer’s Market,” says Kim. “We have a lot of friends and relatives who come visit from northern states,” says Kim. “Everyone came with me, and I took all of them downtown to see the market and take pictures!”
On their list of favorite spots is Winter Garden Pizza, Axum Coffee, and the beautiful gardens behind the clock tower. “The little park in the center of the road with flowers and benches, that’s our favorite place,” says Hoan. “You can sit down there and not worry that someone’s going to hit you.” They enjoy being close to their oldest son and their grandchildren, who live in Windermere, and look forward to visiting their youngest son in Sugarland, Texas, again soon. “We have a new life,” says Kim. “Especially for
our sons. They and their families always take care of us. They studied hard, worked to succeed, and now they help people like people helped us.” “America welcomed us with open arms,” says Hoan. “They gave us freedom.” “If we didn’t get an opportunity over here, I don’t know what world we’d live in,” says Kim. “We are good citizens, and we give to charity. We always remember what America has done for us, and we try to pay it back. From the bottom of our hearts, we say thank you to America.”
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THE
HOME FRONT
A Greener Garden Neighbor Chris Comstock shares his family’s recycling tips. Among the many reasons my family moved to LCP were that the neighborhood had a lot mature trees and a great spot on the lake. Thanks to that, we have thoroughly enjoyed the nature and wildlife we have seen here over the years. However we’ve also seen how much trash washes up on the shore. If it wasn’t already clear that we needed to be more diligent about recycling and sustainability, seeing the state of Lake Apopka is a
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great reminder. In honor of Earth Day (April 22), here are a few things we do as a family to minimize our impact. Compost. Composting is simple and has significantly cut down on our trash output. All you need is a pail on your counter and a container in your yard. You can put all food waste in these bins, including coffee grounds and tea bags. Set Aside Hazardous and Electronic Waste. We keep a
separate box for all our used batteries, light bulbs, paint cans, and anything with a plug. We then take this box to the Orange County Landfill once or twice a year. Reduce. We try to always bring reusable bags when we go shopping, including bags for vegetables and fruits, bring reusable straws when we eat out, and when we get takeout just don’t take the plastic silverware when offered.
Reuse. Our “curb alerts” and garage sales are one of the best things LCP does to reduce its environmental impact. We all get the chance to reduce clutter while still providing the chance for that clutter to continue having a useful life. Recycle. We do our best to recycle as many items as possible curbside. We also take plastic overwrapping and other food plastics back to Publix or Target for recycling. Below is the City of Winter Garden’s complete list of what is and is not recyclable. Chris Comstock It is not uncommon to see Chris and his wife walking with their dog and their daughter. Be sure to say hello and “Go Bills!”
RECYCLABLE
• Pasteboard (cereal boxes, shoe boxes, paper towel rolls, toilet paper rolls, etc.) • Corrugated cardboard (flattened and cut down to no larger than 3 ft. x 3 ft.) • Newspapers, magazines, telephone books, junk mail, etc. • Office paper • Aluminum and tin cans (remove lids) • Glass bottles and jars (remove lids) • Drink boxes and milk/juice cartons • Empty aerosol cans • Brown paper grocery bags • All plastic containers (remove lids) with #1 or #2 symbol on the bottom • Plastic bottles with a neck with #1 through #7 symbol on the bottom
NOT RECYCLABLE
• Plastic bags (grocery bags, garbage bags, food storage, etc.) • Greasy pizza boxes • Shredded paper • Partially full aerosol cans • Light bulbs • Window glass, cookware, drinking glasses • Empty toxic chemical containers (motor oil, pool chemicals, pesticides, paint, etc.) • Polystyrene foam (Styrofoam), such as egg cartons, cups, and packing peanuts • Cell phones • Plastic or metal hangers • Mirrors • Toys • Packing material • Aluminum foil • Syringes
GARDENING FOR SPROUTS Spring project to cultivate a green thumb for kids.
Springtime is the perfect time to introduce your children to gardening. These living Easter baskets are a simple project with fast-growing results. The instructions are simple: line a flat basket or other container with a garbage bag, pushing the plastic to all corners. Then, add garden soil or potting mix to the basket, and trim the plastic bag, leaving a half inch beyond the soil. Finally, sprinkle rye grass seed (or any other fast-growing grass seed) all over the soil, place it near a sunny window, and water it with a spray bottle every few days. The basket will germinate in a little over a week. Children can trim the grass with scissors to keep it even, and it should be durable enough for light plastic eggs. Wes & Vickie Parrish These LCP residents know their landscaping. Each has spent years studying the science of horticulture, and they previously owned their own nursery. Wes frequently travels around Florida to give seminars about his passion and knowledge.
THE EXCLUSIVE PUBLICATION OF LAKE COVE POINTE
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THE
DISH
Bam! Straight to the Moon The Moon Cricket Grille serves up a tortillawrapped variation of its most popular dish. Bam Bam Shrimp is one of Moon Cricket Grille’s most popular menu items. But while most people place this order as an appetizer, our server Barbara—who you can tell has a warm, friendly smile, even under her mask—
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suggested the item’s less popular cousin: Bam-Bam Shrimp Tacos. The presentation alone is a plateful of fun. Three warm flour tortillas are generously packed with the Grille’s signature Bam-Bam Shrimp over fresh lettuce and diced
tomatoes. On the side is a fiesta of colored tortilla chips and bright salsa—a whimsical twist on the classic side for a whimsical twist on tacos. But the real question: how does it taste? Fried shrimp can be tricky to trust from a new restaurant—
oftentimes, a thick layer of breading only serves to cover up a small portion of substandard shrimp. Fortunately, that’s not the case here. These shrimp were large and juicy, with just the right amount of breading to enhance the flavor and add a wonderful texture. And despite what the name “Bam Bam” typically suggests, this dish is not spicy. The name instead alludes to the zesty burst of flavor that comes from a generous drizzle of their homemade sauce. It’s easy to see why this dish has become a fan favorite! As for Barbara’s advice on trying it as a taco, we say that
tip was a win. The tastes and textures of the fried shrimp create something special next to tortillas and tomatoes, while the bright flavor of the sauce pulls the whole thing together and can teach the Colonel a few things about the meaning of finger-lickin’ good! We extend a big thank-you to Barbara for her helpfulness and great taste! (Side note: Barbara also recommended the Filet Mignon sandwich. We’ll let you experience that one for yourself.)
WE GOT THE BEET Among the newest items on the Grille’s menu is a Roasted Beet Salad that’s as flavorful as it is colorful. With mandarin oranges, walnuts, crumbled goat cheese, and of course, the freshly roasted beets served over a bed of mixed greens, this salad has that good-foryou variety that will leave you feeling the healthy kind of full. The portions of each ingredient are well balanced, so you aren’t left with a tasteless heap of greens at the end of your meal. The salad comes with a special honey vinaigrette dressing, whose unique tangy sweetness pairs well with the milder earthiness of the beets. There is an option to include chicken on this salad for an upcharge, but the warmth and texture of the perfectly charred beets is hearty enough to satisfy without any meat at all.
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Orlando, FL contact@inperspective.co | Tel: 863.443.4623
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Sweet Relief
T H E O N LY S E L E C T I O N S J A M I E W O N ’ T W H I N E A B O U T
Jam Jar Sweet Shiraz
Manischewitz Concord Grape
Innocent Bystander Pink Moscato
If you are serious about wine and enjoy reading this department every month, you should probably stop reading now. I never developed an appreciation for those fancy wines—the ones with gentle nuances and oaky aftertastes that people blather on about. For me, grape juice still tastes better before the fermentation process. Luckily, there are a few wines that retain their fruity sweetness. Manischewitz Concord Grape is the Gold(berg) Standard of sweet wines. It is the anesthetic of choice at your Briss, and you simply can not have a Passover without it. This grape juice plus has got Kosher cred and is Elijah approved! Jam Jar Sweet Shiraz is a wine that my aunt discovered while in South Africa. It’s just juicy and sweet enough to satisfy, with a hint of dark chocolate. I safari over to Publix when hunting down this beast. Innocent Bystander Pink Moscato is a great alternative. The Australian wine is light and easy to drink, but filled with the flavors of lime, peach, and raspberry. It is also sealed in the prettiest bottle. That’s a good reason to choose a wine, right? Well, it should be!
Jamie Ezra Mark Sommeli-ain’t Jamie knows absolutely nothing about wine. He also thinks whiskeys are what kitties have on their nosies.
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POINTE OF VIEW
“Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole.” — Roger Caras
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THE POINTE APRIL 2021 EDITION
Lake Cove Pooch Belle enjoys a warm spring day with her brother, Blaze. Photograph: Lynette Azarow Taken March 5, 2021
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