Maitland Art Festival

It's a beautiful Saturday night and I'm home watching football (TN vs AUB).
I spent Friday and Saturday over in Orlando with my friend Linda. We went shopping at the Mall of MIllenia..( got to go to Anthropologie-one of my favorite places to shop) and spent most of the afternoon there. After dinner at the Cheesecake Factory we headed to the Sheraton Hotel in Maitland. Checked in, had a glass of champagne (of course!) and made our way to the Maitland Art Festival where my brother David is showing his work this weekend. One of the nice things about this particular show, is that it goes until 10:00pm each night. Most shows close down at dark...but this stays open late...with sparkly lights in the trees, lighted walkways around Lake Lily and nice music too. It was a lovely evening....a bit cooler a and perfect night for "art under the stars".
Linda and I are both what some might call..."directionally challenged". I don't think I ever go to Disney World..or Orlando without making at least one wrong turn, u-turn, etc.(ask Brenna and Megan about this...haha) Part of this is due to the fact that in Indialantic...it's pretty easy to get around town... there's little room for error...the ocean is east and the river is west...and when you are on a peninsula or barrier island...like we are...that pretty much leaves North & South as the only things you have to think about.So...getting around Orlando....is a little bit of an adventure! I will always let someone else do the driving when I can.....and Linda was good natured enough to agree to drive, even though she is about as bad as me when it comes to more than 4 lanes and exits, etc. haha...so we made quite a pair! The good thing (for both of us) is that each time we took a wrong turn (and there were several) we just laughed, did a u-turn and went the other way! The gal at the desk drew us a nice little map and carefully explained...turn left, turn right, etc...."it's really simple" she didn't know who she was dealing with and we set off........well...that "simple" little trip took us about twice as long as usual...because we immediately took a wrong turn. Eventually...we made it to the park and spent an hour and a half at the show. As most of you know...David always knows the best place in town to eat...no matter where he goes...and Maitland was no exception. The is a Deli/Restaraunt right across the street from the park; Antonio's Cafe. David ate lunch there at 12 noon, dinner at 5:00 and told Linda and I we should hang around and join him and our friend Mo (Maurice) when the show ended.Last year the place closed at 10:00pm...and my brother told them they ought to consider staying open until 11:00pm during the show weekend...because there would certainly be plenty of people looking for a place to have a drink or a bite to eat after the show. They took his advice and this year stayed open until 11:00. Of course they recognized him immediately and we got the deluxe service with plenty of smiles! Mo had some tasty Eggplant Parmesan and I had some Creamy Butternut Squash soup that was DELICIOUS! Davis, Linda and Mo also shared a nice pizza. It was a perfect way to end the night. Saturday, Linda and I slept in, ate breakfast and headed back to really look at the art. The weather was wonderful......clear, a little breeze and not too hot. David had a great spot on the side of the lake...right near the entrance of the park. We watched people looking at David's art(always fun to hear the comments), took a couple of walks around the lake to see all the artwork...and Linda bought herself a couple of things. We stopped for lunch at ....where else but Antonio's Cafe...and David was in there when we got there. Haha. We got a table and he decided to sit with us a minute (Mo was watching the booth) and then headed back. When we left, the manager thanked us and said..."See you at 11:00PM!" haha He will see David....we were heading home. We packed up and headed out.. When I got home John cooked up some of the fresh wahoo they caught Wed/TH....caught 3 40-50 pd wahoo, mutton snapper, red snapper, grouper, amberjack......LOTS of fish. He and Ron spent 4hours cleaning fish Friday afternoon! Great weekend and there's still one day to go!

Surf & Turf

John is out of town fishing and I HOPE catching! with Ron & Mitch.
They left early this morning for the Bahamas and are due back tomorrow evening. After all the great fishing in March and April...things have been a little quiet. Some snook down at the beach, a wahoo here or there...but a tuna would be nice! There have been a couple of attempts...but engine problems, or no fish...or something or another had put a damper on things.When Mitch suggested a trip on his big (fairly)new boat...John and Ron were both happy to go along. forget about that sore...thumb,neck,back..insert body partI really didn't have any problem with this plan...but John must've felt a little bad about leaving town on such short notice...because told me he was going to make me dinner ...last night(Tuesday). I work 9-5 Tuesday...so that sounded good to me... We have some fresh Florida lobster in the refrigerator...compliments of our friend Mike Roy. Mike is a really good fisherman and probably catches more lobster than anyone I know. (He has a secret spot down near Vero Beach)
John did a shower repair for them last week while they were out of town. Tile for lobsters.....always a good trade! (When the job proved to be a little more than expected...no problem...just add a lobster to the total, haha) So John cooked me up some of the freshly caught lobster from Mike, along with a nice filet...and some delicious asparagus salad. Yum , yum. I don't really eat lobster all that often...but I like Florida lobster...it's not as rich as Maine lobster; and when we cook it on the grill (well done) with some lemon butter...it's pretty tasty!
Dinner was ready to go on the grill when I got home from work...and John mentioned he had snapped a picture of the lobster tails, steaks and the wine....just in case I wanted to put it on the blog. hahaha...so this one's for John!

Ahhhhh Fall!

It's a beautiful day and here's Kiena enjoying the fresh fall air!
We finally got our first touch of fall! A cold front made it through and we had temperatures in the high 60's! Woo Hoo!
I'm slowly putting out my decorations....including this wreath I bought many years ago...and forgot I even had it. Well, let me clarify, I to tend to buy things, put them away and forget I even have them...I KNEW I had this wreath somewhere, but couldn't seem to locate it.Periodically I'd look around for it and finally I began to think it was a casualty of the hurricanes in 2004...when we had to clean everything out and store it while we rebuilt the house. I had an idea where I thought this wreath was...but could never seem to find it. So ....imagine my surprise this past summer when we were looking for something else out in the garage (no attic) and while I was shifting boxes around I spotted the wreath-sized box that did indeed hold my Halloween wreath. What fun! so .....it's out on the front screen door for what it's worth. may have to round up a cute purple or green polka dot bow Next...I'll start getting out my cute little pumpkins..................

Slow & Steady...finishes the race

Yesterday I participated in the 1st (annual?) LongDoggers Beach Challenge...5K Run/Walk.
They made an afternoon of it...had Bounce Houses for the kiddies, Tents with various beverages, a Big screen TV for Football viewing and a local band, The entire parking lot was full...as were all surrounding businesses and their lots. I heard over 200 people signed up to run/walk....but I don't know for sure. I personally...am a walker....I started at the back of the crowd...when they all took off...I started walking. It was in the evening, on the beach, so it was pleasant. It is not easy to walk on the beach...as one friend said, "tomorrow we'll all be walking with one hip out of joint". My plan was to go slow and steady (like the tortoise...haha) and stay near the water line where the sand is packed firm. I wore Teva sandals...they keep my heel comfy and they can get wet...so they were perfect.until the last 1/2 mile when the straps and sand were rubbing blisters into my feet...but I kept going! Occasionally I had to venture up into the soft sand...(.it feels like trudging through soft snow.)..I figure my job was to motivate those folks that were doing a combination of walking and running. I would steadily gain on them, pass them and then I could almost hear them thinking "D$#%, she's passing us...and she's walking!" Almost always...they would start jogging to pass me by again...only to see me coming by them again a few yards up the beach.
I was sort of like the the background scenery in a cartoon....all of the sudden I was back in their peripheral vision... uh oh!....time to start jogging!...I finally wore a few of them out....hahaha, and passed them once and for all. My feet were tired by the end of the walk....and it took longer than our usual walk takes....my unofficial time was 46.?? minutes. (Did I mention when the day started...I did not feel well...I had an upset stomach and headache until about 1:30PM) A smoothie and some chicken soup for my late lunch...seemed to finally get me back on track!) I knew who a lot of the participants were...but no one walked with me. John worked all morning and was tired...and my friend D who thought she might walk...decided not to...so I was on my own :( Ran into one of Brenna's friends at the end...he ran the 5K in 30 minutes...so I figured walking it in 46 wasn't too bad! I'm a little tired and sore today...but I got my bike ride in...now I think I'll go watch some football. Go Steelers!

Losing's not so bad

We went to a fundraiser the other night for (http://sceic.com/)The Space Coast Early Intervention Center. Our friend Mike, the one who got us the tickets for the Gator game...and his wife Mary usually buy a block of tickets and then he sells them to friends/family. In addition to some great food from local restaurants (Chart House, Tonic,Meg O'Malleys,Scott's On Fifth to name a few) there was an open bar and coffee/tea cart. Had some tasty tuna appetizers, crab bisque, delicious chocolates, and the surprise of the night , for me, Raspberry Ale. I decided to try it...never would have ordered it in a bar...but it was so good! It was really cold and delicious. It was in a little sample size cup...so no chance of overdoing it! haha I did have a second...wondering if a normal size serving would result in a headache? I may have to try it some time.it was worth the risk haha The big draw was the Reverse Raffle....the Grand Prize was $10,000. Now if you know anything about John and Mike and the rest of the crew at our table....you know there is no such thing as one simple chance at winning...haha. They had a side bet going...put in $10.00 and if your ticket was the first one eliminated...you got the pot. also...five couples pitched in an extra $25.00 each and would split the winnings if picked. When the official drawing started...we had $170.00 in the kitty. The hosts started calling out numbers and after the first 10...they called our number 160! I cheered...haha...because even though we lost...we won! Several other people at our table won various prizes...gift certificates, a night at the Marriott, etc. Troy and Diane were the last out...their number was among the last 15 numbers on the board...but alas...they were out. So the big winners at our table were John and I, the losers!

On a completely unrelated note...I woke up a little later than usual this morning, since I didn't have to work. As I went to let the dogs out...I saw the trail of a rocket that had just gone off. Missed it...but got out just in time to hear the rumble! Cool! It's great living on the Space Coast!

Observations

I am a people watcher....I really don't mind waiting in lines...because I just watch everyone. I have to catch myself sometimes...because I realize I am lost in thought and it looks like I am STARING at someone. I just start thinking about who goes with who (in a group)...are they brothers and sisters, Mom and daughter, etc.I start analyzing too much according to my sister Elizabeth....but I just can't help myself. Disney World is a GREAT place for people watching, as well as the obvious places like airports; but give me a bench in the park, or a spot in the line (just about anywhere) and I can entertain myself. So....as you can imagine...tailgating on the corner one block west of University Ave on Game Day....is perfect for observing the crowds and life in general. Here's a few things I "observed"
1. Every cute little blue,blue&white, orange & blue,orange,blue & white...(you get the picture)sundress on the market. I don't remember ever wearing a sundress to a game...when I was in college...but I was wearing one that afternoon...and I was nice and cool!
2.A few girls and/or women in stiletto heels....okay...that's ridiculous...there is no way you can comfortably walk to the game and up the bleachers in those things...I don't care how "cute" they are!
3.All the fans were lively...and there really weren't many rude, obnoxiously drunk
people around...I must admit I was pleasantly surprised. (There were a few...but in a record crowd...that's not TOO bad)
4.LOTS of trash. I kept hoping there were recycle bins somewhere! All those bottles and cans! The maintenance workers definitely have job security during football season...but it was all I could do not to start picking stuff up! Even I had to leave some of my own trash behind...because it was a long hike to the nearest trash receptacle and I didn't feel like toting a Pepsi soaked popcorn bag through the crowd.
5.Loved watching the whole team and coaching staff after the game...they all walked over to where the band was sitting and the band serenaded them, Nice!
6.Also watched Tim Tebow work his way all around the bottom of the stadium, high-fiving and shaking hands with the fans. What a great leader/role model he is. And you can see his energy and love for the game!
7.Coolers on wheels with motors and steering wheels....these can only cause trouble..haha
8. A fan dressed up in a goofy outfit posing for pictures...he was a fairly tall, skinny guy...definitely NOT a football player build...in a scraggly gray tank top with Maning (spelled wrong) on it, some athletic socks pulled up to his knees, and the perfect touch...some Dr. Bucks teeth! He was so goofy looking and had a blast posing for pictures with Gator fans. You had to laugh.
9.John and Charlie challenging some of Caitlin's (Charlie's daughter) friends to a Frisbee match...and overhearing the guys say "Those Old-Timers" were pretty good...they almost beat us! HA hahaha
10.Watching alumni feeling like they were kids again.....if only for the afternoon!
11. The nice people at the Catholic Church who opened their bathrooms to the public on Game Day...better than a Port-O-Let anytime!Really...the kids who lived right on the main street were pretty nice about that too...I was amazed.
12.On Game Day everyone is happy and everyone is more than willing to share a cold drink, a snack.....etc with you when you are tailgating! It was like a giant Pot Luck lunch! :) haha
13.Seeing how much everyone loves a winning team! When I was in school...we were not Champions....didn't have the crowds all singing and chanting and "Lovin" their team...like these guys do!
Also...saw this video playing on the big screen after the game....maybe I'm out of the loop...but it looked like someone smoked something and then put this to music.....I don't get it...can anyone explain it to me! haha (seriously!)

Game Day (Part 2)

It was a long day...we left Melbourne at 7:00am and got home at 12:00 midnight....but as I mentioned...I didn't have to drive...all I did was get up too early at 5:30 am to be ready by 6:30 am. We had a smooth trip up...with a few stops along the way. Picked up the tickets for John and I at Mike's friend's house in Ocala and then made our way to Gainesville. We had a great parking spot right near the Post Office and the Catholic Church.(Pictures 1,2,3) This was great for several reasons 1.Clean bathrooms (not Port-o-lets) next door at the church
2. 1 block off University
3. Ideal place to watch the growing crowd making it's way towards the stadium
4. short walk to the stadium....with time to take a trip down memory lane abbreviated by the fact that John was convinced I didn't know where I was going and also because he was eager to get into the stadium to see pre-game activities
Turns out I DID know where I was going and we not only bypassed most of the crowd...but I got to feel like I was 19-20 again and on my way to classes at the old Florida Gymnasium building. Of course...with John...this meant time to snap a quick photo ("one is enough") before we headed in. Once we were in...we walked around taking it all in. Had one of the staff take a photo(picture 6)...and he loved telling everyone and anyone that it was my first game in Gainesville in over 30 years. He was excited that I was there, which was nice.We walked around, made our way up to our seats...that were complete with a cushion (nice!) but minimal leg room. If you are tall or have long legs...you just have to deal I guess!We had a great view of the end zone(picture 9 shows our view of the field) and nice people around us...so that was great too. We did have a kid on the lap of the man behind us...which meant knees in the back for John during the first half...mine the second. :) It wasn't TOO bad...I just tried not to think about it too much... and just watch the game. Getting up to go to the bathroom was a challenge....so I managed to wait until half time and made it down and back before the start of the 3rd quarter. against all odds hahaha We were very fortunate to be in the SHADE the whole game.....probably the best thing about
the seats! It was hot...and our friend Caitlin told us after the game that she was miserable on the other side of the field...baking in the late summer afternoon sun!
The Gators were not in top form...but they looked good. Tennessee looked good as well....and gave them a game. I personally didn't believe (like many folks did) that it was going to be a blowout....and I would have to say we played better than the score suggests. We had one costly penalty for excessive celebration..... and if the Vols had been able to capitalize on that...we could have been in big trouble. There were a few questionable calls......definitely no "home cookin" going on! haha All in all it was fun. The people who had the tickets we used...told us they would be happy to let us have them any game they weren't using them...so we may be going back....but as our friend Mike said....."I.m glad they aren't playing at home for 3 weeks!".....of course that was last night...by Oct. 17th we'll all be ready to roll again.....Oh and one last thing...the Tennessee band was way on the other side of the field......so I really didn't have to listen to "Rocky Top" at all! hahaha As always...click on the pictures to get the BIG picture...and notice all the BLUE shirts....*Urban Meyer asked the Gator fans to wear blue...so we wouldn't look like the Volunteer fans. I think people got the message!