St. Petersburg

March 4

What a crazy change in the weather. Rain last night and really windy all day today. The temperature went from the high 80’s to the 60’s. The rest of the week looks nice. It wasn’t beach weather so we drove into St. Petersburg to check out the city. It sits right on Tampa Bay and is beautiful. We walked out on the pier making every attempt not to be swept away by the wind and came across a fabulous restaurant for lunch. We were going to try for picnics on the beach and some home cooked meals this week but what can you do when the weather doesn’t cooperate. Lunch out sounded like a good idea. At the end of the pier we hit our mark with the Columbia restaurant overlooking Tampa Bay. It has been in existence since 1905 in the Tampa area in Ybor City. A Cuban immigrant, Casimiro Hernandez, opened a corner café serving lunch to people working in cigar factories close by. Now the restaurant is still in the family and takes up a whole city block. They can serve 1,700 people a day at that location! They have seven other locations now and we were lucky enough to run into one of them today. They have won one award after another. Somehow we find these great places. I guess our stomachs are leading the way but our waistlines are paying the price. Our server was great and encouraged us to try some tapas and their signature salad that is finished off at the table. We chose empanadas, mussels and lightly breaded scallops for our tapas along with Cuban bread. They have been using the same bakery for 90 years! We couldn’t leave without having dessert, white chocolate bread pudding made with the Cuban bread topped with a rum sauce and dark chocolate. Oh my! Needless to say it was a one meal day. Norm is under the weather with a cold so we took it easy the rest of the day.

We loved everything about the historical Columbia Restrauant;
the food, service and water view!

Our Tapas Tray - YUM

Last Day at Disneyworld

March 2 and 3

We got a slow start before checking out a couple of the deluxe resorts today and delux they are. The Floridian in Disney World reminded us of the Del Coronado in San Diego, beautiful. It sits on one of the large lakes. The rooms ranged from $500 to $3,000 per night!. We enjoyed a nice lunch on an outside patio near the lake. Next we checked out the Contemporary Hotel Resort, another on the deluxe list. Norm’s sister Sandy had told us the bar on the 14^th floor was a great place to see the Magic Kingdom fireworks display and we wanted to check it out. We made a plan for the evening and went back to do some laundry, easier here with a washer and dryer in our unit. We dressed up a bit and went over to the Floridian to hear an orchestra that plays every evening. It was delightful to sit in the beautiful setting and listen to the music while we did a bit of people watching. Some must have been the cranberry pickers for the Ocean Spray convention that was taking place there. We took the monorail over to the Contemporary Hotel and luckily got a seat at the bar overlooking the Magic Kingdom. As the sun went down the lights came on we enjoyed our drinks and an appetizer dinner. The fireworks were beautiful but we were glad that we had seen them the night before close and personal. It was a great send off for our last night in such a magical place. Now that we had everything figured out in this magical world we have been living in the past week, it was time to good bye.

We are sitting at the beautiful Contemporary Hotel Bar
waiting for the fireworks to begin.

Today we are back home in the Manor and all settled in with clean clothes, even clean sheets and food in the cupboard ready to go. We took the short drive St. Petersburg to a KOA campground that is at Madeira Beach on the gulf. $82.00 a night is a bit steep for a KOA camp ground spot and it‘s not even on the water!!! No, they don’t have room service or fresh warm towels after your shower. It does feel good to be home again. We love both worlds, the ritzy and the Manor.

More Disney World

Feb 28, 29 & March 1

I loved walking down Hollywood and Sunset Blvds as we entered Disney Hollywood Studios. We headed for the exciting rides first. The Rock N Roller Coaster ride was a thriller featuring Aerosmith complete with rock concert music! Fabulous! The Tower of Terror and the Twilight Zone kept my heart racing. The Star Tours ride is based on Star Wars with great new 3D effects. We did these without even needing to use the fast pass. It wasn’t crowded enough to need to use it until later in the day. This is a great time of the year for Disneyworld! Disney Hollywood also has two great shows. The Lights, Motors, Action Extreme Stunt Show was my favorite. Tire Squealing cars, high flying motorcycles with a little pyrotechnics mixed in made for a good show with insider info on stunts. The Indiana Jones Stunt Show is a good one also. The museum, One Man’s Dream, is the story of Walt Disney’s Life. What an amazing man with amazing dreams. Just walking along the streets is fun with all the familiar Hollywood sights. In the evening we went over to Epcot to walk around the World Showcase before finding a good spot for the night show, Illumination: Reflections of Earth. The show features fireworks, music, lasers and magic! Everyone was enthralled with it all!
We walked 23,812 steps or 9.02 miles today and used 1055 calories! WOW!!!!

Aerosmith Rock N Roller Coaster

Lights, Motors, Action Stunt Show

Christy Drink of Choice

Grauman's Chinese Theater

Resort Pool

A new day and all revived we went back to the Animal Kingdom. With 88 degrees forecasted we figured the Kali River Rapids ride would cool us down. We all got wet on our first time down the rapids but on our second ride I got soaked to the bone! A big wall of water got me from behind. I was plenty cool for the rest of our visit. We had to do a couple of repeat rides on Expedition Everest roller coaster. Again no fast pass needed. We finished off with the Jeep Ride to see animals in their natural habitat. Then it was back to the resort to cool off at the pool. Yes, we put on our bathing suits. We drove over to Downtown Disney for dinner at Wolfgang Pucks and went to the movies to see “The Artist.”

Soaked to the Bone After Riding the Rapids

Close and Personal on Safari

Today we left the park for the first time to go to Gatorland. One of Rachel’s clients had thought it was great so we had put it on our list months ago. It was great! It opened in 1949 and is the longest running amusement park in Florida and still family owned. It surprisingly well done. They had three shows: Up Close Encounters, Gator Wrestlin, and the Gator Jumperoo show. Lots of humor, audience participation and information along the way made them all fun. As well as raising gators and crocodiles, they are a refuge for reptiles and birds. They had a nice walk through a swamp and areas for alligators and crocodiles of all sizes. Florida birds like the stork, ibis, herons etc were right in there with the gators. They have one of the few white alligators ever found. They weren’t even discovered until 1987. We were glad we put this little gem on our list! Back to the pool for a swim, 88 degrees again, before going to the Animal Kingdom Lodge for dinner at the Sanaa restaurant. We loved the atmosphere, the food and the view. Right out our windows we could see zebras, giraffes, and ostrich enjoying their natural surroundings. It has been a wild ride this week! From there we took a Disney bus over to the Magic Kingdom for the night show. It might have been even more spectacular than Epcot’s. They did a wonderful light show on the castle with scenes and an array of lights that were somehow projected onto the castle. It was beautiful to be followed by Tinkerbell flying down from high atop the castle beginning an amazingly fabulous fireworks show. Another full day!

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Gators Jumping Up for a Bite of Lunch

Disneyworld

Feb. 25, 26 &27

Things have changed a little since I was here in 1993. There are now four parks and over 20 huge Disney Resorts making up Disneyworld! That doesn’t count the water park and a race course for adults. Everything is very spread out. We lucked out with our condo right behind the Wild Animal Kingdom. It makes the driving really easy. The condo is huge & I have my own bathroom, very nice! Saturday afternoon we went over to Downtown Disney to check out the Earl of Sandwich for lunch but the line was out the door. A pretzel dog did us just fine before heading over to the Magic Kingdom. Both were so crowded we were afraid we might be dodging strollers all week. We did a few rides, figured out the Fast Pass and got our bearings. It takes a little more figuring out than Disneyland. Our favorite ride was getting soaked on Splash Mountain. I think Christy could have rung out her pants they were so wet!

We're Here!

Sunday we decided to do something totally new and headed for the Wild Animal Kingdom. We were pleasantly surprised to find it not crowded at tall. Our favorites were a great jeep tour through Africa with live animals and a nail biting, screaming ride through Mount Everest with the Yte chasing us. Disney has really made an effort to educate us tourists on conservation and the dangers of man to our environment and the animal kingdom in a very entertaining manor. It was great to have employees all along trails telling us about various animals we were seeing. The grounds were lush and beautiful. We walked about five miles through Africa and over to Asia before going back in time to the land of the dinosaurs. We left in time to pick up one of Chris and Norms favorite pizzas from Pizzaria Uno and settle in for the Academy Awards on our very large screen TV.

Wild Animal Kingdom

Our Jeep Ride

Norm and I on the Dino Roller Caoster

We walked six miles through Epcot today and didn’t even get to World Showcase where the various countries have displays. When I was here before that was all there was to Epcot and we thought it was fabulous. Now it is a two day experience. We blasted off to Mars. I did the more strenuous side while Chris and Norm took the less strenuous ride; heavy warnings on motion sickness. Nice to have a choice. What an amazing ride! Next we did the race track. Epcot also has some very educational but fun shows and rides on conservation. We took a bus over to Downtown Disney to the Fulton Crab House for a late lunch. It sits on the lake and looks like a river boat. We ended the day with Soarin California, one of our very favorite Disney rides. We got back home just before a down pour.

Getting Ready to Take Off to Mars

Waiting in Line for the Race Car Ride

Feb 22

We had a wonderful day in ritzy Palm Beach. Henry Flagler (1830-1913) is said to be responsible for the growth of tourism in Florida. He made his money as one of the founding fathers of Standard Oil and had fun building a railroad linking Jacksonville at the northern border to Key West before the turn of the century. Along with the railroad, he built beautiful hotels along the coast. Mom first told us about him when we were down in Miami and Key West a couple of years ago at Christmas time. We had a very special Christmas dinner at the Flagler Hotel in Key West. I read that a ship bound from the west Indies to Spain went aground along the barrier island that is now Palm Beach spilling coconuts on the shore. Seeing the palms, Flagler decided the area would be his next project and laid out a fashionable resort. In 1902, the Gilded Age, Henry built a mansion for his bride as a wedding present. The deed was even in her name. With more than 75 rooms, the house was hailed as “grander and more magnificent than any other private dwelling in the world.” It is now a museum with a fabulous tour. I like this quote from Andrew Carnegie. “It is well, nay essential, for the progress of the race that the houses of some should be homes for all that is highest and best in literature and the arts.” Building the kind of house described by Carnegie was one way that Gilded Age leaders sought to inspire and educate the public. They made their homes literally museums. Museums like we have today were not common then. The tour pointed out that Flagler was interested in providing a better life for the people of Florida by providing jobs by building up tourism. It worked. The house is really amazing. The entrance Hall is 5,000 square feet. It was very modern for its time with a bathroom in every bedroom. The huge master suite even had a shower. Electric lights were throughout, a telephone and thermostat in every room was unusual for the time, even for the wealthy. Each guest could set the temperature in their guest room! All this and they only stayed in the home for two months of the year! There was a guest exhibit titled “A new Light on Tiffany: Clara Driscoll and the Tiffany Girls” that was excellent. We learned so much about Clara who played a crucial role in the design and creation of Tiffany masterpieces. The lamps they had on display were so beautiful. They also had Flagler’s personal Pullman train car on display. What a beauty. It was 1,000 square feet and all done with hard woods. It included a bathroom and kitchen with a wood burning stove.

Henry Flagler's Mansion in Palm Beach

Flagler's Amazing Private Rail Car

Taxi's for Tourists

Another great stop was The Norton Museum of Art. They had two special exhibits that we really enjoyed. The first exhibit we took in was the Corning Hot Glass Roadshow. Three glass blowing artists gave a great demonstration in just 30 minutes with interesting and down to earth explanations of the process. They have a travel trailer that goes right down the freeway with their ovens etc. I always enjoy going to the Tacoma Museum of Glass and watching the glass blowers but have never had any commentary on the process. The second exhibit was called “Cocktail Culture” and was described as an exploration of the cocktail party from the 1920’s to today through the lens of fashion and design. I loved it. It went decade by decade with gowns, jewelry, and cocktail ware from famous designers. It was so well done. The private collection had some wonderful pieces. My favorite was a Monet different from any I had seen before.

Glass Blowing Exhibit at Norton Museum of Art

A Lightful Renior

We had a late lunch outside enjoying a view of the water and the balmy air at E.R. Bradley’s Saloon before walking out on a pier to see some amazing and long, maybe 100 feet, and beautiful boats in the harbor. We drove along the coast gasping at one gorgeous stately home after another! We stopped and walked through the peaceful gardens at the Bethesda By the Sea church. What a day…

Surfers in the Distance at Palm Beach

More than One of these in the Harbor!

Bethesda By the Sea Gardens

Feb. 23

With an extra day before getting ready to head to Orlando and our time share, we decided to take a drive out to Lake Okeechobee. It is the second largest lake in the continental U.S. but at it’s deepest, it is only 14 feet. It was surrounded by levy with a number of canals coming out of it and is used for flood control. We have seen canals everywhere and in this part of Florida, they all drain from the lake to the ocean. It works out great for the farmers. It wasn’t pretty at all but we stopped at the north end and walked out on a fishing pier to do some bird watching. We saw a pair of limpkin and black moorhens with a red, red forehead and bill along with a turtle basking in the sun. I’m sure there were alligators out there but we didn’t see any. We plenty of time in the afternoon, we decided to drive north to Melbourne back at the coast looking for sporting goods stores for shirts for Norm plus a couple of new things for the girls before going to Disneyworld. Not much luck. We had a stop at Sebastian Inlet State Park to do a little bird watching and see the beach once again before sunset. The ranger told us it is one of the premier fishing places in the world. We are thinking maybe in Florida, but they had four really nice fishing piers with lots of fishermen. A surfer and boogey boarder were trying to catch some waves. The beaches are so pretty! We saw a large number of pelicans roosting in trees back in Fort Pierce along the inlet. I sure didn’t know the did that.

Flat Lake Okeechobee - Second Largest Lake in Continental U.S.

Sebastian Inlet State Park

Feb. 24

Today got up to 90 degrees and broke a record! We got ready for our week in Orlando. It was a little hot for chores! We will shut down the Manor tomorrow for a week and enjoy a time share condo! We have a seven day pass to Disneyworld so we should be able to see it all!

Fort Pierce

Feb 20 & 21

Today we drove the A1A that traverses the barrier islands along the coast. Two bridges cross the Indian River inlet, one going north and the other south. The northern side is much newer with lovely homes and resorts while the southern side was developed earlier and a little on the funky side. Both have nice parks so everyone can enjoy the beaches. It is so much less congested than the Fort Lauderdale area. We liked it much better. We enjoyed walking on the beach. The water temperature about 69 degrees and felt pretty warm. With a little less wind and a little warmer sun, Chris and I would be in the water. I do have my limitations. We had a late lunch at “the original Tiki Bar,” a fun place sitting on the water and delicious food. The fish tacos were fabulous. Mom would be loven the raw oysters. Big plates are served everywhere we go.

Small Dunes, Salt Grass and Aqua Marine Water!
Great combination!

A Little Windy!

Mexican Train in the Manor

Today was tour day with a tour of a citrus packing plant, the Manatee Center and the Navy Seal Museum. Big Al’s Family Farm tour was a nice surprise. We all usually like tours of plants and businesses so we gave it a try. It’s a family run small packing plant that put on a good show. We came away learning a little bit about the citrus industry here in Florida. 70% of our citrus comes from Florida and of that 90% is used for juice. The oranges grown along the Indian River have 30% more juice. With a taste test, we could see that indeed they are fabulous! We had to buy some fresh squeezed juice! We were impressed that the owner was on hand to answer questions. He walked through the lunch area and talked to people along the way, very personable. They had lunch, best hand made tamales I ever had, and the tour for $10.00. 40 people joined us on our tour! Next stop was the Manatee Center at the harbor along Moore Creek that feeds into the Indian River. We didn’t have any luck seeing any today but they have groups of 100 at times. That must but a sight to see. They provide a nice information center. Last on our list was the Navy Seal Museum. Again we were impressed with the information, displays and films. Fort Pierce is the birthplace of the U.S. Navy “Frogman.” From 1943 to 1946 Navy volunteers were trained as members of the Underwater Demolition Team. Today they are now the Navy Seals and train in San Diego on Coronado Island and San Clemente Island. They said it was the most demanding and arduous of any training in the armed services. Hell Week sounded unreal with five days of training and maybe a total of four hours of sleep during the entire time. Only a third of the class graduates. They are sent all over the world and have been in every war since WWII. We were thinking of the elite training our dad had in WWII in the 10^th Mountain Division. Interesting day.

Al's Farms Citrus Tour

Manatees do actually rest on their backs underwater.

Navy Seal Museum

Me sitting in one of the boats on display.

Fort Lauderdale

Feb. 18

We had a very relaxing day with a little blog time, some grocery shopping and a drive down to the harbor in Fort Pierce in the late afternoon. Nice to move in slow mothion once in a while.

Habor Full of Large Recreational Fishing Boats

Sunset at the Jetty

I love these pleicans with the golden heads.

Feb. 19

Today we planned to go down to Fort Lauderdale in the morning, just under a 2 hour drive, and check out the largest swap meet in the country. Norm and Chris had seen it on HGTV. Norm wants to pick up some things to sell on Ebay along the way. That part of our plan worked out great. The swap meet is huge and he did find some treasures. We walked over a mile but the 87 degree temp encouraged us to move on and go down to the beach. That’s where our plans went awry. Even though we have luck on our side and live on the sunny side of the street, we didn’t get close enough for a good look. Fort Lauderdale on a Sunday of a three day weekend with a marathon going on didn’t lend itself to a picnic on the beach. We couldn’t even get to the beach! The traffic was miserable so we headed back north on the coast highway but the few public parking spots were taken and the road was lined with high rise hotels and condos. They have most of the beach front. We wanted to see where all the college kids party for spring break but didn’t get so much as a peek. We decided to picnic in a corporate parking lot and see the beach another day. Next week we will drive down to Palm Beach during the middle of the week. Life is great back at the Manor after a shower and wine time on the horizon.

Looking for Ebay Finds

This one's for you Faye

Stuffing Jake's Chico stuff bag full. Thanks Jake.