Author: ginnyinshanghai

A friend of mine had the opportunity to transfer from Disneyland CA to Walt Disney World, Orlando FL and I’m her driving and/or her riding partner.

I met Adrienne during my 6 months in Shanghai, when we opened up Disney’s latest park.  Since our return, she has made several trips to Orlando – business and pleasure – but now she’s coming to Florida for good (or at least a long time) 🙂

 

Eric booked my flights, which required a stopover in Atlanta.  I worked before we headed to the airport.  We allowed plenty of time, but seeing traffic coming to a standstill and then finally noticing there was no traffic from the other direction, gave both of us a moment of concern.  We were coming up to the turnpike exit, made the decision to find a better way, navigated through the 3 lanes of traffic and once again we were speeding along.

Eric did something amazing for my one way flight…..booked first class!  Having ‘Sky Priority’ to drop off my bag was a total dream.  Walking into the airport there were lines everywhere, except in the Sky Priority line, there was no one.  Already I’m in love with first class.

I was one of the first to board and sitting in my seat was a pillow, blanket and bottled water.  I took advantage of a perk and ordered a glass of white wine during the pre-boarding process.

My flight to Atlanta was uneventful.  After landing I was confused when looking on the departure boards to confirm my next gate, since I assumed I was looking for the destination as Los Angeles. Nope, not my flight. I had been told the airports’ name was John Wayne, but I couldn’t find that either.  I finally had to stop at a Delta Airlines help desk and the destination is called ‘Orange County, CA’ – who knew?

Boarding was quick and with being a longer flight, a meal was served: chicken orzo salad. The meal it self was unremarkable, but given a cloth to cover my tray table was a definite step up from being in coach (along with real China and silverware).

Flying at night is interesting as long as clouds are absent.  Here was the view of Orange County as we were landing

Adrienne was waiting at baggage and mine was one of the first that hit the carousel.   We stayed up late talking and had little time to spare before the movers were due to arrive the next morning, therefore breakfast was a trip to Starbucks.   Adrienne had packed a good deal of her items so they primarily had to wrap her furniture and box the few odd-shaped things (lamps, weights, frames).

They were an efficient team of two (Shane & Jose).

Everything went smoothly, but I couldn’t  sit (stand) around and just watch.

After 4 hours work, we went from an empty truck to one that was ready to roll.

I’m sending Adrienne my bill once we get home – just saying.

It was time for lunch and I’ve worked up an appetite.  We walked down the street to Karl Strauss.

Naturally, I had to get in the spirit, so Adrienne helped order me a beer.  Maybe by the time we get to Florida, I will know what to order myself!

We started with pretzel bites, cooked in duck fat – very yummy.  I ordered shrimp tacos for my meal.

It was a fitting end to a day moving out of an apartment.  Adrienne had a few errands to complete before leaving the city, then we were headed to her parents house in Chino, CA.  We’re spending the night before meeting her sister on Sunday for brunch.  Dinner was at a local Italian restaurant.  My body was still on Florida time, so I headed to bed 8pm CA time.  This was a great start for a cross-country adventure.

 

 

 

 

 

Our friend Dennis, flew in for a business trip and we were able to spend most of Sunday with him.  We met at Epcot after his flight got in late morning.  He wanted to see a bit of the Flower & Garden Festival and with rain coming mid-afternoon, we were able to squeeze in a few hours, walking around World Showcase to see all of the extra gardens and kitchen kiosks.  This is the guests first exposure to this year’s topiaries upon arriving at Epcot.

It was really hot this particular day and pineapple soft-serve ice cream hit the spot.  A version exists alcohol, but the kid-friendly style is my (new) favorite.  There’s always been a lot of talk about Dole Whips – which in my opinion is overrated.  This was a nice soft-service ice cream with a gentle pineapple flavoring.

We shared a few plates from the kitchen kiosks as we walked around the lake and I grabbed a violet lemonade when we departed to cool off and stay hydrated.  I was told the violets are being grown at The Land greenhouses.

We escaped from Epcot just in time.  The heavens opened up as we reached our vehicles and drove to Winter Park.  Dennis was staying at The Alfond Inn, which is owned and run by the Rollins College.

The inside is as stunning as the outside.  Orchids were inside the lobby while their courtyard is a nice green space with numerous flowering species.

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Since we weren’t hungry, we walked to the Cornel Museum of Art.  Hard to see, but the archway above says Rollins College.  It was a few blocks away from the hotel.

The Museum was nice, small but nice.  It sits along one of the many lakes in Winter Park.

We wanted something different for dinner and we found ‘Hotto Potto’, s short drive from the hotel.

Sitting down, the spice jars were the first thing to arrive, along with the menu.  Drinks started our experience and was quickly followed by a pickled trio of tasty goodness.

Our waitress gave us great advice.  We tried to get a variety of broths, meats and veggies.  She helped us balance out our choices.  Food started to arrive.  Meats included chicken, beef, dumplings, beef tendon meatballs, shrimp and fatty marbled pork – a table favorite!  Veggies were daikon radish, bok choy, snow peas and enoki mushrooms.  Eric added some ramen noodles for additional texture.

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Cooking is half of the fun, mixing veggies and meats seemed like unlimited options for flavoring.  We ordered three broths:  beef, miso and meat with numbing spice (my favorite).  The bottom half of this photo was the meat broth that I used almost exclusively.

One thing we ordered was quail eggs.  Eric tried to poach them, but eventually ended up soft-boiling the eggs.  Then he had the task of removing the tiny shell.  They were very tasty, but a lot of work for a small morsel of food.

It was a very pleasant way to spend a Sunday with one of Eric’s childhood friends.

The restaurant experience was a lot of fun and close to Dennis’ hotel, but WAY too far from our home in Lake County.  We’ll probably be back, but not any time soon.  Eric is trying to figure out a way to have our own ‘hot pot’ experience at home.  I’m sure he will come up with something inventive!

 

 

 

We headed to the Florida Panhandle for a quick weekend trip, specifically Tallahassee.  Eric had a meeting there on a Monday so we took an extra day to explore and enjoy another part of Florida.

Before actually going into the city, our first stop was Bradley’s Country Store.  A bit of history about the store and family……………  Mrs. Bradley began selling sausage out of her kitchen in 1910 and the store was built in 1927.

Through the years various buildings were added to expand their offerings:  cane press, syrup furnace, grist mill and smokehouse. In 1984 it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Inside is pretty much how its been since the beginning, showcasing local products they produce and a few other similar ‘country’ items.

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Naturally, Eric needed to purchase some smoked meat products (sausage, bacon and pork chops) to take home with us.

Being around so many goodies, we had to taste one of their sausages immediately and shared a spicy sausage dog.

Getting there is half of the fun.  Tallahassee has several scenic ‘canopy roads’ and traveling to Bradley’s Country store gave us the opportunity to see them in the Spring.

Limbs of huge Moss-draped live oaks, sweet gums, hickory trees and pines provide a towering canopy over roads that were once paths traveled by native tribes.  Tallahassee has nine official canopy roads offering more than 78 miles of shaded drives.

Being in the spring, we ran into some flowering trees not commonly seen in Central Florida.  The ‘fringe’ tree, named for obvious reasons……….

………….and dogwoods.  I grew up with them, but they need some chill hours to bloom and we don’t get that.

We stayed at the Governor’s Inn in downtown Tallahassee.

It is a small boutique hotel, with an interesting concept of ‘naming’ their rooms with one of Florida’s governors.  We stayed in the ‘Fleming’ room.

     

The rooms themselves are decorated with numerous antiques and dark wood abounds throughout their common areas.

   

Since we had been in the truck so long, we searched for a walk-able restaurant for dinner on Sunday.  Eventually we settled on Backwoods Bistro.

They subscribe to the popular food scene by growing some of the food on-site along with sourcing local products whenever possible.  We settled into the bar and ordered a series of appetizers.   After drinks were ordered, our food began to arrive.  Each one seemed better than the previous one.  The seared tuna with apples & balsamic vinegar was good, the deviled eggs really good and the shrimp platter even better.

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Walking back from the restaurant, we came across a few interesting local sites.  One of those was this plaque and tree stump, all that remains from the Tallahassee May Oak.

Tallahassee is Florida’s state capital.  The original building has been kept as a museum, while the current, more modern state capital is in the background.

 

Afterwards we were hanging out at our hotel and saw a family of four.  Eric heard them speaking and realized they were German.  While his German is rusty, we were able to communicate.  Their English was much better than Eric’s German.  We ended up spending the next several hours with them at a nearby bar & grill.  I always want to take selfie photos, but this time it was a mistake.  I didn’t check the quality of my photo before our new friends left (so, so sorry).

Keeping with the theme that started yesterday, driving on one of the canopy roads, breakfast was where else but Canopy Road Cafe!

It was a great, filling breakfast.  My French toast was topped with bananas and pecans while Eric ordered a skillet breakfast.

  

One of the things we noticed on the  menu was their coffee – proudly serving  locally roasted coffee beans from the Lucky Goat.  Thus began our next quest, finding a source for the coffee and bringing some home.

We eventually located one of their cafes and stocked up on beans and a cup for the road.

The Lucky Goat began roasting coffee in 2010 with the intent to provide top-quality wholesale beans for other cafes, but eventually they needed to expand with a bigger warehouse and storefront.

They have four locations in Tallahassee and multiple partnerships.  If you want to know more and find out the origins of their name, check out their website  luckygoatcoffee.com.   They have a pretty good menu of their coffees, brewed teas and breakfast goodies to nosh.  This board helps explain the differences in their coffee options.

We finally came to the reason for the trip – Eric’s board meeting, the Florida’s Wildflower Foundation.  A primary source of funding comes from the sale of the license plate.

I brought a book and magazines to read and kept myself occupied while they met.

For a quick, weekend trip, we made the most of our time sight-seeing and enjoying another corner of Florida.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While somewhat unusual, we’ve been checking out some local eating establishments and all things local.  One morning, we had breakfast at Artisan’s Table in downtown Orlando.

Both of our selections were good.   Eric ordered a rice bowl with pork belly & eggs and mine were 2 eggs that topped fried tator tots.  Who doesn’t like tator tots loaded with breakfast goodness.

I think your first visit to a restaurant is always the most impactful.  Nothing was wrong with this experience, but it didn’t quite live up to our expectations.

Another day, we drove to a nearby town that has a local and (very) vibrant downtown – Winter Garden.

The West Orange Trail goes through their downtown and this is a great meeting place for locals.  They have one of the best Farmer’s Markets on Saturdays and recently I heard it was voted one of America’s best.  This particular evening we dined at Urban Flats.

The weather has been so good, we snagged a table outside to enjoy our meal.  Drinks were a good start with the raspberry & bourbon cocktail being Eric’s drink of choice.  He also enjoyed their tomato basil soup while I savored a BBQ sandwich sitting upon a patty of mac & cheese.  Mine was big enough to save half for lunch the next day.

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One evening we tried a different locale in downtown Winter Garden, the Winter Garden Pizza Company.  It’s a cute place, focusing their theming on the surrounding citrus production, which is sadly turning into a thing of the past.

Naturally I had to order pizza, but we started with cheesy bread – which was probably the weakest part of the meal.  The mariana dipping sauce was great, but the bread didn’t match its excellent taste.  What goes great with pizza – beer!  Pepsi for the designated driver (me).  Eric had to break from the norm and ordered penne pasta with a vodka sauce. He said it was the best he had ordered in a long, long time.

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Another ‘foodie’ place we visited was the East End Market in Orlando.  It has shops, various small local food counters, a cheese shop, juice bar and a bread place to name just a few.  If possible, they try to source local Florida products.

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They have something interesting out front of the market building – boxed gardens.  This time of year there’s not much growing and the recent cold spell knocked out some of the plants in the other boxes.

In this neighborhood we saw something else interesting:  Fleet Farming.

According to their website……..

Fleet Farming transforms unproductive, wasteful lawns into community driven urban farm plots.  Rather than traveling 1500 miles from farm to plate, the produce is hyer-local. Everything grown is sold at local farmers markets and restaurants within a 5 mile radius.

There is much more info on their website, but there were 10 gardens that were part of their initial effort.  Here are two photos from one home we saw when driving around looking for a place to park.

One Sunday, breakfast was our goal and we headed to Briar Patch in Winter Park.  The weather was so nice, we were able to be seated outside (after a short wait).

I had been there many years ago and they have expanded and greatly upgraded their restaurant and menu.  They have a few traditional plates, selected by our dining partners.  Eggs, cheese grits, bacon and their breakfast twist – fried green tomatoes.

The pancakes struck my fancy and included granola along with bananas – delicious!

Eric ordered the pulled pork benedict.

Our last local eatery was the  Moon Cricket Grille in downtown Winter Garden.

We tried to get their early enough for a table, but ended up hovering over a table while they finished their meal.  This place didn’t seat you, but diners had to grab tables as they were vacated.  Not a method I prefer. 😦   I just don’t like hovering.  They specialize in a large number of unique bottled beers and interesting atmosphere.  A live band showed up before we left.  While Eric ordered a corn beef sandwich, I tried the Bam-Bam shrimp tacos.  We both enjoyed our selections.

To eat out at this many local eateries was very unusual for us but gave Eric a break from cooking.  He had lost his ‘creative cooking mojo’. Lucky for us, he got his mojo back and he’s cooking at home again.  🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In an earlier post, I mentioned my Disney career journey and referenced a future post about the actual celebration held in the Park.  I finally got around to it and here it is.

The evening starts at check-in, picking up your credentials (lanyard) denoting the years of service.

After a short ride on the monorail, you arrive at the front of the Magic Kingdom.  Banners, photographers and balloons greet you to begin the festivities.  It’s a little hard to see in the photo but the balloons say ‘Celebrate You’, which is the theme of the evening.

We got our photo taken in front of Floral Mickey.  I’ve never been a big fan of the Disney Photo Pass program, until tonight.  Afterwards when I downloaded my photos, there were some cool banners & graphics that could be added, like the one below with 35.

 

Walking under the train station, I ran into my leader, Kartika.  Got to tell you, that’s pretty amazing.  All of the Disney executives are in attendance, greeting the honorees and there’s just so many of them……spread out near the entrance and along Main Street.  We both know many of the executives in attendance, but to find your own – magical.

Also ran into my Park Vice-President, Melissa, who was able to attend my anniversary date in July.

When the celebrations were at the Studios, something (hokey, but well-themed) was started and it continues today…………’walking the red carpet’, since we are the ‘stars’ of the show.  At the end of Main Street USA, the red carpet starts and there are ‘screaming fans’ to greet us.  Cast members get paid to be ‘screaming fans’ – crazy.

There are photo opportunities all along the route and although we kept running into friends, we got one photo near the Christmas tree.

At the end of the red carpet lies the Magic Kingdom Castle, all lit up in its glory.

While Service Celebrations are being held for numerous milestone anniversaries (10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40 and 45) and the park is huge, arrivals are strategically spread out during the event.  35 and above come at least an hour earlier than most.

First on the agenda is food.  This event is famous for the large shrimp.

Excuse me, they are called ‘Legendary Large Cocktail Shrimp’.  While very good, I’ve been spoiled by having shrimp fresh off the shrimp boat, that were swimming the day before – now that’s fresh.  But still, these were good and everyone loves them at their Service Celebration.

A special celebration drink was created and numerous tables hold all manner of edible treats.

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Bands are staged through the Park, catering to a variety of music tastes:  pop, country and Latino.

Something special you can only get at Disney are our characters.  For this event, they are everywhere!  In the beginning I was ambivalent about their photos, but by the time the event was over, I had been converted.

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My all-time favorite Disney movie is The Lion King.  We had to come back twice before we were able to get our photo with Timon and Rafiki.  Alas, no other Lion King meet & greets exist.

Working here so long, you definitely take things for granted, it becomes the norm.  This really is a pretty cool place to work.  I can step outside of my office and see one of our Park icons mere feet away from where I’m standing. I can meet people from all across the world as I walk through the park to a meeting.  I can give advice, directions and tips for those that just walked in so they can get the most out of their time in the Park.

I can’t say for sure that I will be here another five years for my 40th anniversary.  Not that I’m ready to quit, but there is more to life than Disney, believe it or not.  Traveling the world is high on our list.  But since that takes money, work allows that to happen.

Who would have thought 35 years ago, a girl from the rural Midwest, fresh out of college would stay in Florida and have this amazing career which included the chance to live and work in China – certainly not me.  🙂

 

 

 

This area was originally settled as a British trading post but after the United States acquisition, the town was incorporated and given the name of Apalachicola in 1831.  It has been a major cotton port, a  sponge trade industry but most recently famous for oysters.  At one time, more than 90% of Florida’s oyster production was harvested from Apalachicola Bay.   The oyster business is currently having a slump due to a variety of reasons, but will hopefully rebound soon.  Shrimping is also an important business and Miss Martha was docked right along the downtown water front.

The Grady Market is an easy walk across the street from Miss Martha.  There are rentable rooms above the mercantile below, but any time we have inquired they have all been booked.  Some time we will get there.

The craft brew business is alive with the Oyster City Brewing Company founded in 2014.  They have three unique brews to date – Apalach IPA, Hooter Brown Tupelo Honey Ale and Mill Pond Dirty Blonde Ale, my personal favorite.  The OCBC is cash only, no food served and draws a strong local crowd that spills into the open seating right outside of the establishment.

While Eric stopped for a brew, I headed over to ‘River Lily, a shop for your senses’.  It is one of those places that has been around since our first trips in the 1990s.  They have a wide variety of items, mostly appealing to the female crowd.  Soaps, lotions, stationary & cards, candle holders, novelty socks, scarves, beach clothing and the MOST amazing earrings & jewelry.  For years and years it was my favorite place to buy earrings (before I started making my own).

There’s just no way to showcase all of the cool places to shop. This trip had a specific purpose in mind and shopping was not the top priority.  However, we did find a super neat bar that opened in 2016 and has been a great addition to Apalachicola – Bowery Station. Located in the historic Bowery district, the owners wanted an eclectic little beer and wine bar that brings to life a little piece of old Apalach!  It welcomes locals and tourists alike to this fun casual location.

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Live music happens Wednesday through Sunday and their schedule of bands is amazing for such a local place.    Saturday night the place welcomed back Highbeams, three brothers with true passion for music playing high-energy Folk Rock.  Boo Radley was playing Sunday and is well-known along the Forgotten Coast for their vocals, guitar and songwriting skills.

Okay, don’t laugh, but there’s another place we LOVE to visit, a grocery store…….PIggly Wiggly.

While there is no Publix (my absolute favorite!) grocery store in this Florida county a visit to the Piggly Wiggly is a must.  They are a locally owned, full service grocery store.  For such a small size, they have a wide variety of items, some of which we have a hard time finding at home.  I am a big fan of Community Coffee and they offer blends I’ve never seen anywhere else – we stock up when there!

Piggly Wiggly History Lesson – Americas first true self-service grocery store, founded in Memphis, TN in 1916.  It revolutionized the grocery industry and many of the conveniences that American shoppers now enjoy were introduced by the first Piggy Wiggly.  Exaples being the first to provide checkout stands, prices marked on every item in the store, high volume/low profit margin retailing, refrigerated cases to keep produce fresh longer and the list goes on.  Today there are more than 600 stores, serving communities in 17 states, primarily in the Southeast.

 

Tuesday we headed back home, but made a quick trip over to SGI to pick up some local shrimp.  Our normal guy wasn’t there, but Doug’s allowed us some fresh seafood purchases.

We did see something interesting along the bay as we were driving along US98, a ‘duck blind’ in the water.  Driving here on the weekend allowed us to see one of the duck blinds being used (sorry – no action photo, didn’t know what it was until after we passed it).  I had seen patches of palm fronds stuck along the bay in the water, but until we saw one being used, we had no idea.

(This photo really isn’t the best as the day we were leaving was a super low tide.)

We had one more (local) seafood meal before getting home:  Deal’s Famous Oyster House in Perry, FL.  “The finest people in the world come through that door” is heard any time someone comes in or out of this establishment.

It is an unassuming white building along the highway with lots of vehicles parked in front.  It has some of the best seafood in the region – fried of course.  We started with their smoked mullet fish dip (left bowl, cole slaw on the right), served with a sleeve of saltines and it was excellent!

Eric had to have one more order of raw oysters before leaving this part of the state.

I had a fried flounder sandwich (left) while Eric had more oysters – fried this time.  I’ve got to say………………most of the time when I get a fried fish sandwich, I leave the bun and only eat the fish.  This was the perfect fish sandwich.  Home-made tartar sauce, iceberg lettuce leaves, a squeeze of lemon and a ripe tomato combined for a tasty treat.

Taking this ‘explorative’ trip in January solidified our thoughts about Apalachicola – it’s where we want to be upon retirement.

Oh yes, ending on a teaser……we found a lot in town and made an offer.

 

 

 

 

 

The Panhandle of Florida is one of our favorite areas to visit.  We’ve never visited this time of the year and this is an ‘explorative’ trip, seeing how we like the area during a non-touristry season.  We have stayed at nearby St. George Island many times (since early 1990s) and visited Apalachicola, but never with this purpose.  The next four days will be spent exploring the city and surrounding area.

it’s roughly a five-hour drive, taking a scenic, non-interstate route.  Rocky’s is our normal stopping point, a chance to stretch our legs and walk through their store.

And the store is amazing!  Combination gas station, eatery, truck stop, fishing supplies, convenience store, deer stands, animal feed, crab & pinfish traps, scalloping supplies and the list continues.  We needed gas.

There is a BBQ competition this weekend in Apalachicola, their first such event and one that they are trying to grow into an annual event.  Since we’re were arriving late, we stopped to check it out before going to our hotel.

Music was part of the event as the judging was occurring.

The whole event was winding down so we headed to our hotel, Water Street Hotel & Marina.  It’s a fairly new place that we have never stayed at and tried it for a change of pace.

There was a welcome committee that never moved as we went inside.  I assumed they’re siblings. Throughout the weekend, we kept running into the cats.  One evening they followed us to our room on the fist floor and was used to being invited inside (but not us – sorry kitties).

Our room was much nicer than what I expected.  It has a small kitchen, two bedrooms – one with bunk beds – and a screen porch that overlooks the Apalachicola River.

After dropping off the luggage we started walking.  We’re close enough to walk to the downtown area which was very fortuitous.  We walked past a new storefront that had a name from the past:  Betsy’s Sunflower.  When we started visiting in the 1990s, this was the coolest store.  I bought so many linens, dishes and food items, Eric tried to limit my spending, ha!  They just had things in that store that I couldn’t seem to find anywhere else!

We had to step inside the store and ask the question……….were they related to the other store?  Yes!  It is the same owner. 🙂  She left in 2005, headed for Maine and recently scoured Apalachicola to find another store front in the town to reopen her store in Florida.  Yeah!!!!!  She graciously allowed me a photo.  She mentioned how she has heard numerous stories from shoppers that remembered her other store.  Betsey is on the left.

There are just too many things in her store to capture in a few photos but since my purchases in the past always involved linens, I couldn’t resist.

Our walk had a purpose in mind, dinner.  After checking restaurant hours over the next few days, we settled on ‘Hole in the Wall’ since Saturday night would be our only opportunity on this trip to eat there.

There are several ‘salty’ characters and the lady that controls it all (Barbara) keeps all the men in line.  There’s no photo on purpose, she wouldn’t stand still for such nonsense.  This gentleman does all of the shucking and preps the oysters.

Eric had to start with oysters, since Apalachicola is the ‘oyster capital of the world’.  While 1 1/2 dozen didn’t nearly satisfy his craving, it was a start. Yes, I ate one and they were good.  🙂

This fish dip is always a great starter and suited my appetite more.  Somehow fish dip always taste better when eaten near the coastline.

And the seafood baskets (grouper, oyster), fried of course………….

It’s just a fun place to grab a bite to eat.  When there is only the two of us, we sit at the bar.  Eric never met a person he couldn’t strike up a conversation.

Main street had an ‘old-fashioned soda fountain’.  After walking the block, we stopped and we shared a chocolate malt to ‘fill in the cracks’ our dinner didn’t.

Saturday was a good beginning to our weekend trip.  It gave us a chance to see another side of Apalachicola.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Southern Tradition for a New Years Day meal dictates a few things not commonly (ok – not at all) seen while growing up in the Midwest.  These are supposed to bring you good luck for the year to come:  black-eyed peas, greens, cornbread and pork.

Let’s start with the black-eyed peas.

They are supposed to be ‘mystical’ and bring good luck.  They became much more common after the Civil War when it was one of the few things readily available to eat.

Greens, our own home-grown collards are mixed with mustard greens.

These are to symbolize wealth.  They are green  like money and will ensure you a financially prosperous new year.

Pork and cornbread are also generally part of this tradition.

A lot of cultures associate a pig with good luck because they use their snout to ‘root forward’ as they eat, embracing challenges.  The cornbread represents gold and who doesn’t want more gold (or wealth).

So let’s talk about the pork.  There are sooooo many ways to eat pork, but is any way better than smoked?  Not in this house hold.  Eric spent a good part of the morning, smoking the pork roast.

But he bumped it up a notch…by covering the meat with bacon while it smoked.

Really? Really!  You just knew it was going to be mighty tasty……….and it was.

I couldn’t find any tradition that mentioned a specific dessert, so I made one of my favorite.

It starts out with a yellow cake mix and through the addition of various types of chocolate and other secret ingredients,  it comes out like this.  One of the finest cakes around!

While the weather on New Years Day was okay, within a few days, we had some of the chilliest weather to hit Florida in years.

OMG – cold, wet, rainy, windy, yikes!  I pulled out my flannel-lined jeans (a life saver – just saying) and spent time outside preparing our plants.  In years past, this was really involved, bringing every pot into the garage and covering in-ground plants with frost-cloth, pegging down the corners and building-up edges to keep everything protected.  Not so much anymore.

I look at the cold weather as nature’s opportunity for pruning.  The plants may suffer some cold damage, but don’t totally croak.  Most of the plants we grow now are generally cold-tolerant. They may not love the coldest temps but I finally outgrew the fascination with tropical plants that grow only in south Florida where it never/rarely freezes or has a frost.

Sometimes we are lucky enough to be growing something that only gets better with the chilly temps, such as cabbage and the collards seen below.  There is a little tiny head of cabbage forming in the left photo.  Last year we harvested almost 10 full heads of cabbage and enjoyed the fruits of our labor for months.

The other potted plants are clustered near the side of the house in front of the garage doors.  The escaping heat is usually enough to keep them alive.  That and being sure they are well watered.

My tomatoes are a different story.  They look beautiful!  The developing fruit is about the size of my fist.

The vines have grown so well, the tomato plants are surround by an additional 5 wire cages to keep the vines off the ground and the stems from breaking under the weight of the fruit.  Again, absolutely beautiful plants and fruits – just saying.  🙂

This is where Eric got to play.  He built a framework around the tomato plants.  You just never know when you will find a use for duct tape.

Added some lights……….

Yes, those are Christmas lights in the second photo.  The next step was to wrap the plants in frost-cloth.  Once the temps plummet, the micro-climate inside should be enough to keep the plants alive and relatively untouched.

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Thursday night and Friday should be the worst and then a gradual warming.

So, no we don’t have it nearly as bad as most of the nation, but once you live in Florida, your blood thins out.  Temps that most people tolerate by wearing a long-sleeve shirt, we wear coats.   That’s life in Florida.

 

We’re luckier than most and have good friends (really family) that have allowed us to be part of their Christmas celebration essentially since their boys were born.  Eleven years ago they moved to north Florida, but we continue being together for the holiday.  Our Christmas starts with a drive to the ‘frigid’ north (more on that later).

Ponte Vedra Christmas 2017

The details are hard to see in this photo, but Karen has a great tree, keeping  to a nautical theme.  She’s been collecting for a number of years and continues to add ones that catch her eye.

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We’ve also become friends with their neighbors and started our holiday weekend with dinner together.

While the steaks were really good, I LOVED the desserts, especially the cake.  Thanks Karen for making John’s favorite cake!  Good thing he took some home since it continued to ‘shrink’ throughout the weekend.

The boys graciously (kind of) allowed a few photos in front of the tree Christmas morning.  They were a lot more fun when they were younger – just saying.

Through the years, there have been a few traditions that are consistent each Christmas holiday.  One that Rich grew up with was Christmas morning sausage balls.  While it doesn’t involve a long list of ingredients (sausage, Bisquick & cheese), it’s kind of messy.  A twist  this year was the guys were ‘hands-on’ with making and cooking this breakfast delicacy.

Usually sharp cheddar cheese is used but this year another type of cheese was added – goat cheese.  Its great, as long as you like the flavor of goat cheese – it’s an acquired taste.  Bake at 350 for 15 minutes and breakfast is ready.  🙂

Another tradition is a visit to their nearby beach.  Some years have been warmer than others, this one wasn’t too bad.  We invite everyone but the group changes each year.  We had a nice addition today.

We enjoyed a few appetizers in the afternoon, some of which appealed to a select few and others had a wider appeal.   The oysters were grilled and topped with herbed butter and Eric’s new smoked salt.  The second batch included grated cheddar cheese.

The guys fried the turkey outside – it was the best yet.

The whole day was very laid-back.  Late afternoon the guys started on the turkey and we got the side dishes going inside.

We concluded our evening watching a recent Marvel movie release – Guardians of The Galaxy 2.  It was pretty good. Not sure my aunt really understood it……but she was a good sport and stayed through to the end.

After Karen left for work the next morning, we casually packed up our stuff (I’m sure we left something…) and went out for an early lunch with the boys.  We decided on Aunt Kate’s on the River for some seafood before leaving the area.

Between all of us we have a variety of appetizers and entres, sticking with the seafood theme.

After one last group photo, we headed south to Clermont.

Clermont Christmas 2017

While hard to see, we also have a theme going on our tree……Mickey!  Oh yes, and also the Grinch – my favorite Christmas movie of all time.  🙂

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Another (much) smaller tree focuses on home-made ornaments and a paper chain the boys made for me before leaving this area.  I’ve kept it all these (11+) years and continue to find a place each year for it to be used.

We snacked on oysters, prior to unwrapping presents, adding some (home-grown) jalapeno for an extra kick.

Some gifts were known, but we each had a few surprises under the tree.

At the top, I mentioned the ‘frigid north’.  We wore pants and jackets during part of our time in North Florida but once we got home – shorts were needed!  We laugh that the temps are so different, in just a few short travel hours within Florida.

Though not extensive, we did have a few additional holiday touches at home.  

While not usually shown in photos, we have two cats, one of which in past years caused much consternation with our Christmas tree.  She liked to climb the branches and we would return home to find (1) branches on the floor or (2) branches bent at an unnatural angle (she’s a big cat).  We actually strap the tree stand to the table and have used guide wires in the past to secure the tree to the bookcase behind it for extra security.  It appears that this year she finally outgrew that habit.  She’s keeping an eye on things, but from below and not above.

It was a good Christmas!  🙂  The season started with my sister & husband’s visit early December and is almost over with New Year’s Eve rapidly approaching.  I’m leaving with a few photos courtesy of my sister (see, I gave you credit!).

AND

 

 

 

 

 

While this isn’t a typical blog post from one of our trips, it has been a journey nevertheless – 35 years in the making.  In the summer of 1982, after college graduation, I landed a position in this new park being built in Florida called Epcot Center.  Of course I had been to the Magic Kingdom during our Florida vacations, but had never heard of this new park under construction,  however, my mom did.

Turns out, a Purdue professor had left the academic world to become part of this project.  So I had a name to start with.  Quite frankly, I don’t remember the details now but I managed to set up an interview during my family’s Florida vacation in May 1982.  Myself and a friend drove over from New Smyrna Beach the morning of my interview and got hopelessly lost.  The secretary’s directions for my first of several interviews that day were fairly vague.  When I showed up at the Casting Center- behind Disney University, in the middle of nowhere – I was probably 2 hours late.  All interviews were being conducted through the Maintenance Department hiring system and Bob (my interviewer) was not warm and fluffy.  His words were “What are you doing here, you’re not on my calendar.”  I still remember to this day, his coffee mug on his desk.  It had a decal from one of the service branches.  Yep, this was a tough guy.

Okay, so I spent 15-ish minutes with him, first explaining why I was there and who set this up before driving over to the construction site for the next two interviews in the Horticulture office.  Eventually, I was brought to the actual greenhouses and walked through the sandy construction site, in a dress and heels with the (former) Purdue professor.    The last stop for the day was back to meet with Bob in the afternoon for his interview.  Done.  He was a bit more cordial.

Got a phone call June 7 from Bob.  Why do I remember the date……….it was my birthday.  I was kind of ‘excited, giddy, over-whelmed, chatty, nervous’ and distinctly remember accepting the position and also telling Bob it was my birthday.  I was getting my first dose of pixie dust.  I met him again late June to sign my paperwork and never saw him again.  Everyone and I do mean everyone that was hired in Maintenance and Horticulture for years and years and years knew Bob W. because that was the pathway to get hired.  I still wonder to this day if the phone call was planned for that specific day or just a coincidence.  It just doesn’t sound like something a Maintenance hiring manager would do, the magic was starting.

Fast forward to 2017.  By this time I have worked at the Land for 8 years, moved to Resorts for 8 years (see a pattern?) and settled into the Merchandise division.  I’ve worked at Epcot, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Magic Kingdom, Disney Springs and Sports & Recreation (water parks).  Can’t forget one of my top highlights………opening up Disney’s Shanghai Resort!

But this post is about the day we celebrated my 35th Anniversary.  My leader’s admin needed a contact from my team to (secretly ?!?) set everything up, ensure I was gone while everyone gathered and ‘surprise’ me as I walked in the door.  The name I gave her was perfect for this task.  She worked with Eric to get me out the door for lunch while invitees came to our office.  Eric started getting texts to ‘stall, we’re ready, oops-stall again, ready now, come’.  He finally let me read the texts as he was driving and I texted back (as Eric) we were minutes away.

Walking into the office, I was still surprised at the people gathered.

There were cast and friends from various parts of my journey.  My current leader, Kartika had prepared some highlights to share with the group.

While my husband is in the background of the above photo, there is another individual that is part of select service celebrations, one of the Disney Ambassadors.  He speaks on the behalf of the company and presents a special pin, only available from this select group.

My husband had another surprise up his sleeve……………….a vase of my favorite flowers, peonies.  They don’t grow in Florida but can be ordered through select floral wholesalers.

There was a cake, chocolate with a berry filling between the layers.

A photo with my Vice President of Epcot, whom I truly respect and admire.

My team created a unique memory token signing a clay flower pot, knowing that growing things are a pastime of mine.

Reaching this milestone comes with a few select items including my 35th Anniversary Statue and my pin, which was the first photo seen at the top of this posting.  A little bit of trivia…………this statue is the only one that has any color, a red apple.

This was undoubtedly my best service anniversary celebration of the seven that I have personally experienced.  Stay tuned for a near-future posting of the property-wide celebration held recently at the Magic Kingdom.