Throughout this blog there are occasional glimpses of my aunt that lives with us.  While there is a nice ending to this post, the path was fraught with many unknowns.  At the moment, Cranes View Lodge is the ending

This journey began when my aunt fell during the night several weeks ago and didn’t alert us.  I woke up early to get my coffee and found her on the floor in her bedroom.  Although we could get her to sit up, she couldn’t stand, therefore  the next call was for paramedics which came out of the Clermont Fire Station.

After getting her vitals they could tell something was wrong with her right hip and next stop was the South Lake Hospital.

Through the years myself or other family members have been admitted to various local hospitals, but being at this place had the added bonus of being close to home.  The last time we were here was for grandma and they have greatly expanded their building and facilities in the last fifteen years.

 

After x-rays it was determined she broke her hip and would need surgery.  Now the question was one of timing.  This occurred on a Sunday and because of its location in Lake county, surgeries are not regularly scheduled on the weekends.  It became a matter of finding all the necessary staff.  6 p.m. a surgical nurse came in, said to grab my stuff they were getting her prepped for surgery.  When the doctor arrived at 630 p.m., everything needed to be ready to operate.  Man!  Things happened fast after that.

The doctor walked in, talked with both of us and showed me her x-ray – definitely broken.  😦    Seventy minutes later he walked out, said the partial hip replacement surgery went fine and now the healing begins.

Twelve hours later, the nursing staff had her up on her feet and taking a few steps in her room.  Two days later, she was moved to a nearby Rehab Center, Sky Top View Rehab.

It literally is on top of the hill behind the hospital – definitely looks like one of the higher parts of town. It’s a fairly new, small facility (40 beds) and again, bonus of being close to home.

Okay, so now a (short) rant………..Medicare pays for 20 days in a rehab, average stay is 14 days, however they wanted to release her the morning of her 10th day.  What?!?  Eventually learned that Lake County is in an ‘accelerated Medicare release’ program which seems to boil down to saving Lake county some dollars and the families not so much.  Okay, I’m done.

We quickly had to find interim accommodations without knowing how to navigate this path.  Thank goodness for Google!!!!  Eric found this agency and their director quickly got in touch with us, efficiently arranged several Assisted Living tours located around us – within 24 hours.  Sara Woodward was my contact and she was a godsend.  Would definitely recommend going this route!

Not only that, she accompanied me.  She knew the ins & outs of the system, talked the ‘medical’ talk and knew what questions needed to be asked.  Once the tours were done that morning, called Eric and my sister……………decision made –  Crane’s View Lodge Senior Living facility.  It is a gorgeous facility and fairly new.  The architecture is reminiscent of the Northwest.

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Upon completion of 23 pages of paperwork sent home with me………another 12 pages emailed to me the following day to read and sign……………..we had a 1-bedroom apartment.  Now, I’m not sure I mentioned this……..Eric is out-of-town for his job.  Yep, got to do most of this myself.

Next step, moving day.  Oh yeah, nothing comes furnished so you have to bring (or buy) furniture.  The next several days were sorting & cleaning furniture, organizing supplies, purchasing a few groceries and gathering more of her clothing.  I made one trip myself and then waited for a friend to help with the second trip.  She also stuck around when Eric returned to help with all of the heavier stuff.  Her previous moving experiences definitely made this easier for me.

One day later, my aunt arrived.

During my initial tour, I saw many resident doors decorated and didn’t want my aunt to be left out.  Apparently, it’s a ‘thing’.  Darn good thing that Hobby Lobby is only a block away – just saying.

And while more things can be added to her apartment at a later date, it was ready for her to arrive.

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So there you have it.  It’s been a journey, with a learning curve and a few bumps along the way.  We left her settled in her favorite chair, watching game shows.

Until the next time.………..

 

Ginny

 

 

 

 

 

Like many others across the world, I was glued to media sources as the tragedy unfolded on Monday April 15, 2019.

Eric has mentioned that Notre Dame may be my favorite building in Paris, more so than the Eifel Tower.  We always have to visit the church when in Paris and go inside. Several years ago, we attended a mass during the week.  It was held behind the choir due to the small group attending.  So much history surrounded us as the mass was conducted in French.

 

The photo below was a defining moment when news outlets continually played the video as the spire toppled.

 

We know now that parts of the building was salvaged and millions across the world have pledged funds to help with rebuilding.

 

Earlier today I went back and found my 2017 posts from our France trip.  I am so glad that we did the Gargoyle tour and walked those hundreds of stairs to the rooftop.

 

I found three posts that are archived on my blog:

*Paris Tour Guides

*Oh, those gargoyles

*The last 24 French Hours

You can find them several ways.  Type ‘gargoyles’ in the search field and it will bring you to my second France post.  Scroll down to the bottom and you can see the ‘related posts’ mentioned above.

Another way to find these posts is to scroll to the very bottom left corner of the blog, under Archives, click on the box titled ‘Select Month’ and click on October 2017.

Ginny

The G stands for garden and what better way to get others excited about this Festival, than to add food from the garden!  Seems like a natural fit-right?  It wasn’t always  so, the food I mean.

Through the years, there had been talk, brainstorms, talk, more brainstorms and more talk.  But in late 2012, the Epcot Leadership took a chance and pushed the concept of outside ‘kitchen gardens’ through. When the 2013 F&G Festival opened, there were eleven outdoor kitchens preparing food for guests to purchase, similar to the fall Food & Wine event.  That has now reached eighteen outdoor kitchens and a dedicated year-around Culinary Team dreaming up magical culinary dishes for us to try.

Enough history, let’s get to the food!

How many people have a ‘cool’ location to work, like I do?  Lunch is a walk in the park……………….figuratively and literally.   We can take our time enjoying the Festival, leisurely stopping at a few outdoor kitchens and walk again the next day (or next week) to try a few more tasty tidbits.   Here are a few of my favorite highlights from this year’s F&G Festival.

One of our first treats from the Pineapple Promenade was the violet lemonade and spicy hot dog with ‘goop’.  Okay, using the word ‘goop’ would probably give the culinary team a heart attack, but this was a messy dish to eat.  Be prepared.  LOVE the edible pansy flower blooms in the lemonade and really, who can resist sipping on a lavender colored drink.

Across the promenade is The Citrus Blossom kitchen.  While we have tasted all three of the savory dishes, I only captured photos of the of the tuna and chicken.  And to tell the whole truth……..we’ve been back to have the tuna and chicken.  🙂  With this photo, I noticed the citrus shortcake on the menu – hmmmm, may have to make a return trip and try that.

Trowel & Trellis, come on, what a cute name.  While many guests purchase the corn on the cob which is cooked behind the outdoor kitchen, right on-stage, we chose the other two offerings.  Notice that little ‘V’ at the end of the Farmhouse Meatball description, this item is all vegetarian – no thank you.  It was served like a taco to keep all of the ingredients together.  The sweet item is very imaginative.  Not really one of my favorite items to taste and after a few spoonfuls, gave it to my eating partners.

An inside location called Arbor at the Gardeners Terrace, provides a chance to get away from the heat – uncommonly warm on the day we were eating.  We ordered all of three of the food options.  I really enjoyed the fried green tomatoes, but didn’t feel they were anything extra special.  A friend got the salmon and loved it.  I tried a bit of it and while it was tasty, it’s not something I would order again, personally.

The dessert however, keeps growing on me.  Yes, this is another place that has already warranted a second visit.  I really, really like the sorbet that topped the crumb cake.

I’m finishing with a tried and true culinary  stop – The Smokehouse.  I have photos of the top item and the bottom item listed below.  On-stage is a smoker that only enhances the smoky flavor of the meat as the smoke permeates the on-stage eating area.

This is one of my absolute favorite desserts from this festival:  warm chocolate cake, warm caramel sauce, topped with pecans – yum, just yum.

And how can you top that – you can’t.

 

Ginny

 

 

Not an exciting name, but descriptive, read on……….

No surprise, flower pots abound at the Flower & Garden Festival.  As I’ve been walking around these last several weeks, a few floral spots caught my eye.  Here you go with a mini tour of World Showcase.

I LOVE all of the pots at the Italy pavilion.  And this photo is not even half of the pots in this one display along the water!

Now turn around 180 degrees and you see this flower tower surrounded with more pots.

If you haven’t visited Epcot, the structures in the background won’t mean much, but they remind me of our trip to Venice last year.  It was a fun time with good friends.  🙂    Okay, back to World Showcase…………

 

Around a corner in the Italy pavilion, this little flower nook can be found.  There’s a bench nearby-sorry, when taking the photo, I deliberately cropped it out (Argh – photo-shop remorse).   This would be a great place for grandma & grandpa to relax while family is rushing around here & there, trying to fit everything in their visit.  It’s tree-covered & shady, away from the throngs guest traffic yet close enough to enjoy the ambiance of the park and take the take to smell the flowers!

It was about this time of wandering when the wide variety of flower pots really stoked my (scientific) interest, thus I did a little research and now I’m sharing.

• Terracotta is refined clay, formed to a desired shape, dried then placed in a kiln to be ‘fired’.
• If a potter’s wheel is used, this clay item is now called ‘earthenware’ pottery instead of terracotta.
• Ancient Greeks (3000-1500 BC), India, Pre-colonial West Africa and the Chinese were using terracotta as sculptures and building material way before anyone else.

Okay, back to the tour. I loved these square pots and they are found in several different pavilions.   The second photo is near the Morocco pavilion.

I can’t even imagine the skill and work that went into these round pots with sculptured faces (or the angst of delivering them – yikes).  Or the required handling once potted and placed in this garden near the Germany pavilion.

• In the 18th century unglazed terracotta became fashionable for pots and sculptures, before that time a glaze was utilized. 
• The iron content of the clay, reacting with oxygen, gives the pot its reddish color.
• Terracotta pots can also be yellow, orange, buff, red,  pink, grey, brown and white-colored.

It would be so boring if all pots were terracotta……………and this Festival isn’t boring.  The Japan pavilion showcased a different type of growing called Kokedama without any pot per se.

Now here’s another way to use trash cans and metal buckets…………

The gardens in the United Kingdom pavilion showcase elements of a cup of tea and what better way to highlight those plants than in a (gigantic) teacup.  These measure approx 2 feet tall by roughly 18″ wide – very cute.  Each of the pots has a tea tag, listing the plants involved in the tea profiles.

Of course, growing can happen vertically, as seen in these wooden towers.  Herbs mix it up with flowers to create a pretty and functional planting (if you cook).  😉

There are other extra touches as you wander the park.  The iron railing (preventing guests from sitting on top of the ledge) also allowed for more flower pots.  Loved capturing the Eifel tower in the background (that was planned, ha!).

Okay, so while there are numerous elements going on during the Festival, I wanted to feature one of the stars……………….the flowers!

A nice way to end this post is with this red, white & blue flower pot from the American Adventure pavilion.

Ginny

 

 

 

 

 

Road trip!  Seems like once a year, we make the drive to the gulf coast with Tarpon Springs ultimately being our destination. It’s no short drive. Yikes!

There’s also no direct easy way to get there.   We need to plan a 2+ hour drive.  😦

So, why go?  It has kitsch, water, Greek food and sponges!

Let’s start with the kitsch.  One way to look at the historic street is ‘tourist trap’.  Another way is kitsch = defined as art, object or design considered to be in poor taste because of excessive garishness or sentimentality, but sometimes appreciated in an ironic or knowing way.  

Another to look at the historic street is ‘old Florida before Disney & the internet’.

Since the historic street is along the Anclote river, there are numerous opportunities for fishing expeditions, boat rides and dolphin tours.  And yes, there are tons of souvenir shops, some tackier than others.    As long as you go on with those expectations, you won’t be surprised or disappointed.

No matter where you walk, you’re never far from the river and boat traffic.

Let’s talk next about the Greek element.  With the last census, Tarpon Springs had the highest percentage of Greek Americans of any city in the US.

• First settled in 1876 and named when visitors saw Tarpon (large fish) jumping out of the water…..hence Tarpon Springs.
• The sponge business started in 1880 and Greek immigrants arrived in 1890s.
• In the first half of the 1900s, the sponge business became one of the leading maritime industries in Florida, generating millions each year.

I referenced food in the beginning.  There are numerous Greek restaurants along the street and this trip we stopped at a previously untried place – Hellas.

We started with the flaming cheese…………….yelling  ‘Oom-pah’ when it was lit.

It’s very tasty, if a little dramatic, but everyone in the restaurant was ordering it.  At first I thought it was too salty, but when paired with the hummas we ordered, it was perfect.

With all of the extras we ordered (and the free bread) coming before our meal, I settled for a (Greek – of course) salad.  While you can’t see it I ordered the ‘traditional’ Greek serving and underneath all of the lettuce lies potato salad – very tasty, and filling.

Eric ordered the stuffed grape leaves, which was accompanied by various starch sides (sorry – no photo of the starches, can’t even remember what they were).

My plan was to save room for baklava for dessert and next door to the restaurant is their bakery – it had WAY too many choices.  My last photo has the baklava on the bottom shelf.

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I was able to catch a quick shot of my aunt and mother-in-law in front of the restaurant.  Hellas had inside and outside eating and their dining rooms seem to go on forever – holy cow, they can seat a lot of people!

And finally we get to the sponges – the reason we made the journey.  They can be found naturally in the Gulf of Mexico.  I found this sign, so why re-type!

Sponges are stored in bins and a pricing & sizing guide gives you a general idea what you’re paying.  The natural sponges don’t come cheap – just saying.

We did learn that in 1947 a Red Tide Algae bloom wiped out the sponge fields in the Gulf and not until the 1980s did it become an active business again.  We saw an old film that explained the process of gathering the sponges and the processes involved before they have a viable product.  This place was not short on kitsch.

Driving over I found what seemed like a pretty cool heritage museum focused on the Sponge Industry.  Alas, it wasn’t open on Sunday.  Maybe we can visit on our next trip.  🙂

My last bit of research for Tarpon Springs indicates that on January 6, this is one of the more elaborate religious Epiphany celebrations, hosted by the Greek Orthodox Church.  This also includes a blessing of the water and boats.  One of the last events  of the Greek celebration entails youths (boys, 16-18 years old) dive into the water when the priest drops a wooden golden cross.  Whoever recovers the cross is blessed for the coming year.  Hmmm, do girls get to join?  Just curious.

 

Ginny

Remember my last post was ‘wait for it, wait for  it’………..and this was the main entrance bed.

With a little Disney magic, the flower bed became this.

Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly.

There are some intricate details in the framework, including the antennas and the curled proboscis (basically a tongue).

The butterflies were resting in a bed full of color.

A stroke of genius was their signs – a giant plant marker, reaching over 4 feet tall.

The festival opened with chilly temps, especially for those of us that have lived in Florida 20+ years and our blood has thinned out.   🙂

At park open, the temperature was in the high 40s.  I never made it to the butterfly house today, but some butterflies were released prior to the park opening.  I’m sure they were trying to find whatever patch of sunlight they could to keep warm.  By this weekend, they will be loving their home when once again our temps soar into the 70s and 80s.  More festivals highlights will be coming soon!

One item to note which you may find interesting (or not) this is only the second time since the Festival started that a Disney character has not been featured in the main entrance flower bed.  

 

Ginny 

 

 

While not really a secret since anybody can see these, but only if you’re walking in Epcot.  The 2019 Flower & Garden Festival officially opens on March 6, 2019 but even though its Disney……………….the magic doesn’t happen overnight.  We’re good, just not that good.  🙂

It’s a compressed schedule and I would hazard a guess that most (ok, maybe only some) guests walking the park don’t realize the prep-work for the festival is happening days and/or weeks before it opens.  Epcot just looks prettier………..

Since the Festival Of The Arts closed on 2/25/19 gardeners have been extremely busy creating floral magic inside the park.  As the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words so this post is mostly about the photos.   Enjoy!

Topiaries –defined as a horticultural practice of training plant material to develop and maintain clearly defined shapes.

They are the star of the show and below are a few of my favorites.  Of course you have to start with the Mouse of the House. 🙂

Along with some of the remaining Fab 5 (Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Pluto & Goofy).

Figment has always been associated with Epcot, since 1982.  While his popularity  comes and goes he’s enjoying a resurgence in his image, being featured in many, many other items besides this topiary.

This is a new location for Lady & the Tramp and I like it. 🙂  Almost feels like I’m back in Venice – kind of.

My favorite all-time Disney movie  – The Lion King – is not forgotten.  Got so say – green topiaries don’t photograph well against a green background, but that’s what I’ve got to work with – can you fix that hon for next year?

Did I mention that July 19, 2019 a new computer-imaged version of the Lion King movie is being released?  Don’t try to reach me that day. I’m watching the movie the day it’s released – just like I did in 1994.

Another popular movie and thus topiaries from Beauty & The Beast were created.

I didn’t grow up with Pooh & family, so while not a big fan of the character, I was drawn to this topiary of Eeyore and piglet.  Great use of plant material!

With Disney’s past collaborations (and subsequent purchase) we are bringing Kermit back into the park.  It was a striking topiary with eye-catching props.

There are non-Disney characters also represented such as this troll in Norway.

I LOVE the flower fields that encircle water.  They only get prettier as the time passes…………then they get changed out before the end.  Different flowers are needed before the end of the Festival.  Yes, Florida is warm (ok, hot!) and has a long growing season, but believe it or not, it can be really difficult to grow things year-around.

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These are very striking trees found in the park and around central Florida.  The pink tabebuia blooms first and quite frankly will be done blooming be the start of the festival.  I had to walk all around the park to find the (last) tree in full bloom.

The yellow tabebuia trees truly stand out.  Thanks to the Central Florida Flowering Tree Society (now defunct, but an interesting story) these trees can be found all over central Florida AND inside the park..

So ‘tabebuia’ is fairly hard for the non-horticulturist to remember (and pronounce).  They are also called yellow (or pink) trumpet trees.  🙂

A lot of times the star of the Festival is the Main Entrance topiary story.  My All-Time favorite entrance was when they featured The Lion King in 1998 – go figure.  🙂  The husband doesn’t agree, but this is my blog, not his – sorry hon.

So………wait for it….……..wait for it………..wait for it……..

 

Yep, you’ve got to wait for the Festival to actually open.  The weekend prior to the festival, the main entrance is full of flowering plants, but not as striking as when the festival opens.

 

I’m ending with a mural painted towards the end of The Festival Of The Arts.  Definitely part of the Disney ‘story-telling’ magic as we blend one festival into the next.  As I write this, I’m regretting I missed an opportunity for a unique photo.  As I was walking around gathering these shots this week, I saw a family in front of the mural.  This little guy (a 4 year-old) showed me which square he painted last week (the pink on Figment’s tongue).  I would have loved to include a shot (parents permitting) of one of our guest artists.  🙂

Hopefully, I didn’t spoil any surprises for those that are coming to the Festival.  For everyone else, maybe, just maybe this is the year you need to visit – just saying.

 

Ginny

Starting any fun-filled weekend with tacos, just screams its going to be a fun time.  We found this place several weeks ago and went back for our second visit.  This time we had an expert – Adrienne.  Since leaving CA she’s been looking for some authentic tacos and while not the same, she deemed the meal mighty tasty (my words, not hers).  Oh yeah, this place is located in Orlando, not Sanford………………..it made a good stop along the drive.

Naturally we started with some chips, salsa and guacamole.  We ordered a variety of items:  pork quesadilla, campechano taco, huerrvos with beef and marrow & mushroom Sopes,

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We’ve talked for a while about doing an ‘overnight’ in Sanford and the plans became a reality for several reasons. First,  it will give us stamps on our second Ale Trail map.  Second, we get to eat at ‘griddle in the middle’ (more on that soon) .  Third, it’s a friends 40th birthday and we’re invited to the extravaganza.  Fourth, I get to eat (more) German food at a landmark restaurant in Sanford.

Many years ago, I had a friend who was the horticulturist for Sanford so I’m not a total stranger to downtown Sanford, but WOW!  We’ve visited recently for our first Ale Trail map and saw some major differences and improvements.  The weekend we picked to stay in Sanford………..was totally hopping!  After checking into our hotel near the interstate (non blog-worthy) we ubered to downtown Sanford. First stop was Deviant Wolfe Brewing.  Got to love their earth-friendly coasters – just saying.  (In case you can’t tell, it’s a cardboard circle cutout with a stamped logo – simple and effective).

Oh well, we’re here for the beer, not the coasters (kind of).

Apparently their first anniversary is coming up on March 16 (see photo above).

After getting our stamps, we walked to the waterfront and found this little guy at the bottom of a flagpole – “Sanford Rocks!”.  Sanford has developed their waterfront area, adding gardens, statues and porch swings for all to sit back, relax and breathe.

Next brewery…………Inner Compass.   Got to love a beer that is called ‘Meh?”  AND it tastes good too.

I mentioned that Sanford was ‘hopping’  and this was just one of several events – street party.  AND another stamp on our map – Sanford Brewing Company, their logo is on the right of the photo.

About this time we started thinking about dinner and walked back to the main street for ‘Hollerbach’s Willow Tree Cafe’, the german restaurant I mentioned earlier.  They have lots of seating, both inside and out, but apparently LOTS of others had the same idea.  At 6pm for a party of 3………….the wait was 2 hours.  Nope, didn’t happen.  Ultimately we settled on Buster’s Bistro, a Belgium brewpub.  It was also very full, but had an outside garden with tables so that’s where we ultimately ended up.  We prepared for a long wait, and unfortunately was not disappointed.  They were overwhelmed and under-staffed.  An hour after ordering, our food arrived – good, but this wasn’t their best night.  Naturally we had to order frites (French fries) and a meat/cheese platter to share.

Then it was on to the main event……….Sashmeister 4.0 for Sasha’s 40th birthday.

While I was in Shanghai, Eric became friends with Sasha and his wife when they had a downtown Clermont location.  When the building was sold, they relocated to Sanford.  A number of the Clermont gang stopped in for his birthday at their new place Luisa’s Cellar.

There was a lot going on and the night (ours at least) ended after the special Burlesque show in the upstairs bar.  Wow – who knew you would see a Burlesque show in Sanford.

Early on I mentioned ‘griddle in the middle’.  It is part of the De Leon Springs State Park in Deland, FL and our destination of choice for breakfast.  It’s at least a 30 minute drive from Sanford – but worth it in my opinion.  🙂

No, the restaurant is not called that, but a friend coined the phrase years ago, and it has stuck.  It is the…………..

They specialize in pancakes, but other items are available on the menu.

Two batters are available: American pancake and stoneground flour (5) pancake.

We ordered pecans and blueberries for pancake add-ins.  Eggs, sausage and ham rounded out our meal.  The meat is brought to you cooked, but you’re on your own to cook the eggs.

Through the years we have brought numerous family and friends to this restaurant.  My dad never understood why he had to pay for pancakes AND make them himself.  He went willingly (I think), but we always heard the comment.

We arrived knowing there would be an hour+ wait, but willing to use that wait-time (2 hours)to explore the park’s museum and also go on a nature boat tour.  The actual spring is surrounded by a concrete & tile edge with the water bubbling up in the center.  This is a natural spring with one of the largest water outputs in Florida.  One of the museum’s exhibits talked about the fragile eco-system of Florida’s Springs.

Another exhibit highlights their history before it was turned into a State Park in 1982.  This was a family owned & operated recreation spot before the purchase.  This photo caught my eye.  ‘Google’ it to get the entire history of the unique Florida attraction.

We got on the 10am 50-minute boat tour, pretty much perfect timing for our breakfast wait.  Ten minutes upon our return, we were sitting at our ‘griddle in the middle’ table.  In the background of the photo below, you can see the Spanish Sugarmill Pacake House.

Okay, okay, while not the best photos, Adrienne finally got the chance to see alligators in their natural habitat.  We keep telling her the gator she saw in a retention pond at the airport was audio-animatronic and not real.  I believe we spotted 5 gators on our nature boat trip.

Since we’re near Deland, we sampled beers at Persimmon Hollow Brewing Co to add that stamp to our map.  It has a cool vibe, just wish it was closer to Clermont.

I was supposed to get a half-pour, but the bartender was generous.

Last brewery for our weekend was Central 28 Beer Company.

It’s located at the end of the road in an industrial area.  You got to really want to come here to find it, you don’t stumble upon its location.  I reminded the others that our first visit was before Halloween and they had buckets of candy – Reese cups goes really well with dark beer – just saying.  🙂

Normally, this would be end of the post.  Not this time!  Eric was inspired to create some exciting and interesting tapas at home.  Char-grilled oysters, shrimp etouffee and grilled fish with our (home-grown) greens rounded out our meal.

Now that’s the way to end a fun weekend.

 

Ginny

 

 

 

 

 

We hopped over to Tampa to meet good friends. It was a quick trip, but always a fun time can be had along the Gulf coast.  The only way to make it better is to take our boat and fish, but alas, that will have to wait for another day and time.

This visit we stayed at Floridan Palace Hotel, located In the north end of the downtown Tampa core.  It was designed by a prominent Tampa architect and built in 1926.  In 1996 it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

It has old world charm and I couldn’t resist a few facts:

• At the time it was built, it was the tallest building in Florida, remaining the tallest building in Tampa until 1966.
• The hotel’s bar, the Sapphire Room, was a  popular nightspot during WWII for serviceman who were training nearby.  It’s still open, being recently refurnished but only on the weekends.
• During the 1960s the hotel and clientel  declined and eventually closed its door in 1989.  Current owner purchased it in 2005 and after 7 years, had a grand re-opening.

The Floridan’s original sign was found in a rooftop storage room during cleaning and after being restored was placed back on the hotel’s rooftop one more,

Now on to the primary destination for our time in Tampa…………Bern’s Steakhouse.

We had visited once before with two other couples (affectionately called the Clermont Supper Club) and after some deliberation…….Eric and I decided that first visit was 12+ years ago.

With any fine steak, wine is a good accompaniment.  While not exactly my thing, the adults at the table shared a bottle.  I ordered sangria – yes, that is my thing. 🙂

   

Waiting for our friends, I did a little research about Berns:

• Opened in 1956 by Bern Laxer and his son still owns and operates the restaurant (which during our tour of the kitchens we saw him, apparently an uncommon occurrence).
• 1996 Wine Spectator listed it as a tie for best steakhouse in US.
• 2010  the restaurant was deemed a ‘Top 50 All American Icon’.
• An interesting fact found on the internet…..there is only 1 window in the entire establishment, not accessible by patrons.

Appetizers can be ordered but why!  Every meal comes with French onion soup, salad, meat of choice, accompanied by fried onion strings, a green vegetable and another plated veggie of the day.  Almost forgot the baked potato – topped with your choice of butter, sour cream, bacon and chives – or all of the above!

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I ordered a Pinot noir reduction sauce to accompany my filet mignon while Eric shared a ribeye with Warner.  I had a fabulous dressing on my amazingly, interesting salad: champagne citrus vinaigrette – yummy.  Can you tell I really, really liked my salad.  🙂

An option when making your reservation is a tour of the kitchen and wine cellar.  Our waiter, Victor (bottom right), led us to the kitchen while a wait-staff in training, explained the various stations.

We were able to see the meats as they were cut and weighed before being grilled.

They have a bakery, coffee bean roasting room, salad prep and a service bar and probably much more I am forgetting.  We saw this interesting tray and our guide said they grow their own sprouts daily to top the salad.

Then it was on to the ‘wine cellar’.  With Florida’s high water table, a cellar is a bit of a tease.  You walk down a ramp and then you are greeted with this.

And this.

And more of this.

This is the largest wine collection in the world, having acquired over 600,000 bottles.  The cellar holds 100,000 while a nearby building houses 500,000+ bottles.  They have a catalog system that works for them and yet our guide shared they occasionally come across bottles that were never inventoried.  It is a LOT of wine!

 

Their madeira, some from the 17th century, were on this shelf, ready to be poured.

Interesting wall covering.  The walls are lined with newspapers, then sprayed to keep the wine cellar insulated.  Let me tell you, it was pretty chilly down there.  We were ready to get back upstairs to the warmth.

To finish our meal, we booked time in the dessert room.

Tables are sized for various party sizes, with each table feeling some privacy in their private wine-barrel shaped room.  The desserts are fabled and fabulous.  Here’s a sampling from their menu.  This is only one page of three listing their desserts.

Between the seven of us, there was quite a selection to behold.  First shown was a baked Alaska, you can slightly see the blue flames at the bottom of the dessert.  I ordered the King Midas carrot nut cake while Eric made his way through the Macadamia Nut Sundae.  Dennis was the smart one and ordered brie cheese, accompanied by strawberries.

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We were universally stuffed!  Warner timed our meal which beat our previous long meal with them, occurring in Normandy, France.  This meal start to finish was 3 hours and 42 minutes.

 

Tuesday dawned bright and clear.  Eric and I stopped at a nearby bakery for a morning pick me up.

Dennis plans fun activities and this day was no exception.  While this was not their first visit, it was ours.  Full confession……………..I was not a participant, just an active watcher.

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Eric was a little rusty in the first round but redeemed himself on the second round.  BTW – he admitted later in the week, he was a bit sore from using muscles not commonly being worked.

Notice in the far distance another (square) building?  That’s what I want to do on a future visit………sky diving in a controlled environment.

How could I forget the injectable donuts?  The donuts may have been the draw for some in our crowd, more so than the golf – just saying.  An order (24 holes) came with your choice of your selection of two injectable flavors:  vanilla, raspberry or chocolate.  OR, you could order all 3 flavors for an extra dollar – you can see our choice.  🙂

Before heading home, our last stop was lunch at La Teresita Restaurant.  It is a collection of buildings and first decision to be made was which way to enjoy the restaurant.  We chose option 1.

First to arrive is Cuban bread, slathered with butter.  We quickly demolished this basket.

I ordered the daily lunch special of roast pork and it did not disappoint.  My sides of choice were black beans and French fries.  Needless to say, we brought home leftovers for our work lunches this week.

All too soon it was time to say our goodbyes.  We love their visits to Florida and when plans allow, we get together to catch up.  We need to get up to NYC to see their new place.  Who knows, maybe this Fall!?!

If you made it this far through the post, you know I’ve been absent from the blog for a considerable amount of time – for me.  After the New Year, our weekends and exploits hadn’t seemed blog-worthy and didn’t want to waste the time to write them or your time to read them.  I’m back  🙂  with a few trips coming down the road.  Stay tuned.

Ginny

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I heard about something new and different at Disney Springs this year for the holidays and one day after lunch, we checked it out.

It’s pretty cool, (undoubtedly) better at night, but also (undoubtedly) waaaaay more congested.   We chose to visit during the day.  Oh well, there had to be a compromise somewhere and this was it.

In an underutilized corner of an area formerly known as ‘Disney Village Marketplace’, a new Christmas themed area popped up.  A number of trees were creatively decorated using one of Disney’s character families.   As soon to be seen, they are excellent  photo spots for guests – selfies or otherwise.  Every tree had a themed backdrop along with themed ornaments.  Again – pretty  darn cool.  Here you go – lots of pretty pictures.

 

First tree seen along the trail was a ‘Parks’ tree – all four parks were represented.

• Magic Kingdom opened in 1971.
• Epcot (under a somewhat different name) opened in 1982.
• Disney’s Hollywood Studios (under a different name) opened in 1989.
• Disney’s Animal Kingdom opened in 1998.

Do you know their original names?  Answers are at the bottom.  🙂

Oops,  I concentrated on the Epcot ball and monorail and missed most of the other Park icons.  At least you can see the Magic Kingdom castle at the very top – sorry about that. 😦

I grouped the photos chronologically and indicated the year the movie, character or event debuted.  Two trees were dedicated to characters.

Minnie Mouse – first seen in 1928.

Pluto – first seen in 1930.

Snow White – released 1937.

I didn’t know exactly where to place this one but research indicated that the Evil Queen in Snow White is generally acknowledged as the first Villain, so here it goes.

Pinocchio – released 1940.

Fantasia – released 1940.

Dumbo – released 1941.

Cinderella – 1950.

Alice in Wonderland – released 1951.

Peter Pan – released 1953.

Sleeping Beauty – released 1959.

101 Dalmatians – released 1961.

Mary Poppins – released 1964.

The Jungle Book – released 1967.

Robin Hood – released 1973.

Beauty and The Beast – released 1991.

Toy Story – released 1995.

Mulan – released 1998.

The Haunted Mansion – While the parks have had this attraction for years, a movie was made based on that and released in 2003.

The Muppets – while created in 1976, Disney purchased Jim Henson’s company in 2004.

Tangled – 2010.

Star Wars – yes this movie was made much earlier (1977), however Disney purchased Lucasfilm in 2012.

Frozen – released 2013, like anyone could forget – just saying.  Who knew it would soar to its high popularity?  BTW – next Frozen film is being released November 2019.

So yes, I thought these were pretty cool.  I’m sure they were really impressive at night when they were lit up, but we didn’t want to face the crowds and my photos wouldn’t have been so clear.  I only had one thought……we should be selling these larger than normal ornaments!  I guess it’s the retailer in me.  🙂

They have lots and lots and lots of opportunities to create new trees in coming years without any duplication.  Can we say ‘The Lion King’ (my favorite Disney movie)?  And all of the characters in the Marvel universe – just saying.

 

And the answers:

• >Epcot opened as ‘Epcot Center’, changing in 1996 to only one word – Epcot.
• >Disney’s Hollywood Studios opened as Disney- MGM Studios and took the present name in 2008.

 

Until the next post.

 

Ginny