Sun N Fun Blog: RV Resort, Vacation Homes, Vacation Home Rentals in Sarasota, Florida

You may have noticed Tristram Allen around the office; he’s a hard fellow to miss. The former rugby player and champion clay shooter possesses a charming English accent, a ready smile that crinkles his eyes, and a firm handshake that are all helping him make – forgive us – hit the bullseye as a Sales Advisor selling vacation homes and RV rental sites here at Sun-N-Fun. And Tris couldn’t be happier doing it; getting to America is something he’s hoped to do since he was little. Now, at the ripe old age of 23, he’s achieved his goal. But then that’s nothing new for Tris.

When an injury to his knees at 15 ended a promising career as a rugby player, Tris took up clay shooting. And he quickly made – forgive us again – an explosive entrance into the sport.

Clay shooting is quite popular in Tris’s native England – he hails from Leicester about an hour and a half north of London where he grew up on his father’s sheep farm – and right from the start he showed a real talent for the sport. After completing a three-year course in Business Management at the University of Buckingham in just two years and graduating at 20, he got into shooting seriously and he was soon competing all over Europe.

As the only member of Great Britain’s under 21 team, he won a Bronze Medal competing against marksmen from all over Europe, shooting in France, Portugal, Italy and Spain. As part of a two-man team for England competing against the other countries of Great Britain – Scotland, Ireland, Wales and the Channel Islands – he took Gold. His success continued as part of England’s nine-man over 21 team, twice winning team Gold. He’s also won the prestigious Waterloo Cup as a senior – over 21 – for Great Britain competing against the other nations of the European Union. And he modestly admits to having won a few individual medals, all of which he keeps at his father’s farm.

It was while competing that his desire to come to America really started to take shape and his resolve strengthened.

“Loving outdoor activities made me want to come to the States because they just seem to be doing things right over here. I’d come to that conclusion because of all the stories I’d hear from fellows when I was competing on an international level. It was other competitors and friends that convinced me to give it a try,” is how he explains his decision.

He took a job with Bourne Leisure, the English company that owns Royalty Resorts, as a Sales Advisor at two of their properties on England’s South Coast. He quickly proved himself as adept a salesman as he was a shooter. He asked his grandfather, David Allen, to help him find something in the States and it was Sun-N-Fun’s good fortune that there was an opening here.

“The atmosphere here at Sun-N-Fun is really fantastic,” he says. “Everyone’s happy because everyone’s enjoying their stay and you feed off that energy. The team cohesion is really extraordinary. It’s an amazing place because everything is done so well.”

Nor has Tris been disappointed by his expectations of life here on Florida’s Gulf Coast. He’s gone fishing, caught a grouper and cooked it himself. He’s been to the Mote Aquarium to watch a friend, Frank Barbin, who operates a crane company weigh a Manatee and he got to feed it. This Thanksgiving he and Frank headed to Dallas to see the Cowboys play the Dolphins, an experience he looked forward to with great excitement. He’s even had the chance to keep his gun hand steady and his eye sharp; he’s been shooting out at the farm of a friend, at Clay Gulley and hopes to get over to the Knight Trail range south of Sarasota.

He’s also made friends with Jeff Dickson’s son, Scott, and Ian Wilbraham’s son, Greg. The three young men like going to Gulf Gate and Siesta Key, checking out the bars and listening to music. We were told we were a little too old to hang with them. Too bad.

Tris will return home for Christmas and then return to Sun-N-Fun in early January when he hopes to meet some of the folks he’s talked with about vacation homes and rented RV sites to. We’re sure we’re on the mark when we say they’re going to enjoy meeting this straight shooter as much as we did.

Sharon and John Halash have a motto: Have fun or go home – and this couple from Hamburg, Michigan lives every moment of their lives in that spirit. They came to Sun-N-Fun seven years ago, on St. Patrick’s Day – can’t imagine a better day to arrive – with their friends Mary Beth and Dan Blaszczyk, joined the party that was going on poolside and had such a good time they signed up for a RV spot the following year. Two years later they purchased a Park Model and are now here every year from October through May. They haven’t looked back since.

They soon discovered petanque and quickly became big fans of the increasingly popular game. How popular? Three times a year the group meets to play Beach Petanque at South Lido Beach and this year more than 100 people attended. Now, together, they head up the group that recently played our Canadian sister resort, Sherkston, to a tie in what we all hope will became an annual event.

“We designed a new petanque area, went to GM Tim Deputy with our plan, and Tim was right on it. That’s one of the things we love about it here. If Sharon and I want to try something, Tim and the team are always supportive,” John says.

When asked who is the better player; this very wise husband answered, “She is.” Sharon teaches water aerobics one day a week, is on the tennis club’s Board of Directors, and helps Tracy with various Lifestyle events like helping the kids paint pumpkins for Halloween. John volunteers as part of a three-man team that does sound and sight hookups for events like the Murder Mystery Dinner, and plays on the volleyball, softball, and tennis teams. Together, they golf, Sharon once a week on the ladies team and once a week on the coed team with John. With all this, John still has time to pursue his passion for trains, both model and real. He fixes and repairs Lionel trains and is a conductor on the Florida Railroad Museum’s line that runs from Parrish to Willow Creek near the Myakka River. Check it out; it’s our Hidden Gem this month. “We’re here to help and have fun. It makes the days pass much too quickly,” Sharon tells us. All we can say is that this is a couple that definitely lives true to their motto.

Margaret and Bob Hanson 

Spend a few minutes talking to Margaret Hanson and you’re sure to be as charmed as we were by the lovely lilt of her Scottish accent. Happily, she brings it, and her wonderful energy, to a host of activities here at Sun-N-Fun. The Hanson’s came to Florida seven years ago seeking a refuge from the winter weather in their hometown of Macclesfield, a small town in Manchester, England.

They met Marie Klebart, a cousin who’s been a Sun-N-Fun regular for 17 years, for lunch, fell in love with the Resort, bought a vacation home, and return every year from September ‘til after Easter. “We’re so glad we didn’t buy a brick and mortar,” Margaret says. “We just wouldn’t have the active social life we have here.”

And quite a social life it is. Dedicated ballroom dancers, the Hanson’s attend the bi-weekly dances at Woodland Hall. They “tread the boards” at the monthly Murder Mystery Dinners, Bob performing and Margaret serving as Stage Manager and makeup artist for the sold out shows. They help out at the annual 50th Anniversary Dinner, where those couples fortunate enough to reach that milestone are feted – the Hanson’s are celebrating their 33rd – and the Veterans’ Breakfast. And they also participate in the Children’s Christmas Party, decorating Woodland Hall for Santa and helping the kids decorate their gingerbread.

Of course, they also have their separate activities. Bob plays volleyball and plays golf twice a week with a group organized by Gary Novak. Margaret enjoys meeting her girlfriends for morning coffee, does tai chi twice a week, and walks about an hour everyday, the one activity this very social lady does alone.

Asked what she likes best about Sun-N-Fun; Margaret, without hesitation, tells us it’s the people. “Whether its Mardi Gras or Halloween, folks really get into the swing of things here in a way they don’t at home. And, of course, discovering new things. Every year there’s something new here we want to do and explore. I can’t wait for the new Indoor Pool and Wellness Center to be finished. I plan to do my tai chi there and use the resistance jets in the pool. Things here just get better every year.”

With couples like the Hansons and Halashs here at Sun-N-Fun, we couldn’t agree more.

When Leslie Hodges met his wife to be, he was working for her dad and she was the pretty girl driving up to the office in a Mustang to visit her father. Leslie may have been a bit wild in those days, his wife says now, but he was gentleman enough to ask for permission to date her.

Children enjoying their happy meals from their "adopted" grandparents

As these things happen when you’re teenagers, Joann went off to Florida State University, where she got her degree in Social Work with a minor in Music, and Leslie went to work for his father in the water-well drilling business.

Eventually they got back together, married and settled on a little farm just outside of Ft. Myers. But as everyone knows who’s married, that’s not the end of the story. Joann pursued her career as a nursing home administrator and Leslie eventually took over his dad’s business. About seven years ago they got a travel trailer, discovered Sun-N-Fun and have been coming here weekends from April thru December ever since.

Involved with their careers, they decided not to have children, but that didn’t keep them from having a loving spot in their hearts for kids. They always found a way to spend time and work with them, first at their church and then at Sun-N-Fun, where this summer their kindness and generosity earned them the title of the Sun-N-Fun’s day camp unofficial grandparents.

It started with just seeing what they could do to help. They began buying about fifty day campers breakfast every Friday morning at McDonalds. Then Chef JoAnn volunteered to do the cooking if the Hodges’ got the supplies. They were happy to comply and the kids were happy to gobble up pancakes and bacon and wash it all down with chocolate milk before heading off to a day filled with fun activities.

And they did lots of little things, like make medals for the winners of the day camp fishing tournament. When day camp was close to ending, they collected school supplies for all the children, sending them home to start the school year with notebooks, folders, paper, pencils and protractors. But mostly they took the time to spend time and that, after all, is what’s most important to a child.

The Hodges’ did this, despite some serious health problems of their own earlier in the year. Joann had a problem with blood clots in her legs and lungs. She had to learn to walk again, dress herself, and bathe. Leslie, who’d, had a stroke some years back, lost part of his right foot as a result of his diabetes. But Joann says that every day is a new day and their faith and love for one another has helped them along the road to recovery.

Part of that recovery for this remarkable couple was reaching out to the campers. One youngster in particular caught their attention. They noticed her because she often stood apart from the other children her head down and her shoulders slumped as though she was carrying the weight of the world. The Hodges’ soon learned that what she was carrying was the pain of her parent’s separation. A grandmother, with whom she was living, became gravely ill and needed surgery.

The couple developed a special feeling for the child and spent as much time with her as they could. They got her a new wardrobe for the start of the new school year and wrapped it all up as presents. The present they received in return was the warmth of a child’s smile at the hope that everything would work out. With people like the Hodges’ in her life, we’re sure it will.