"Try to remember the time in September ...errr....November ...."

It's time for the once a month (at the rate I've been going) update. Here's a wrap up of some of the fun things that happened in late November and December.
Thanksgiving weekend I had Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday off...and nothing to do......that was tough. I just felt like I should be making the most of those days off. On the other hand, I had absolutely no idea what I wanted to do. I didn't want to/need to spend a lot of money. We had  plans for a weekend in Orland the first weekend in December so I didn't feel like I should spend too much unnecessarily.
I guess Brenna was feeling restless too...because she came up with a plan for the two of us to get out of town together. She made a reservation at a Bed and Breakfast in Gainesville. Most everyone would be out of town...so it was a good time for us to go. The Gators were in  a playoff game , out of town, that Saturday night. She found an Alumni group hosting a get-together for locals in town  to watch the game. It would be an outdoor viewing party at a local outdoor shopping area. There would be restaurants and a bar nearby, as well as light concessions available. Anything else.... you could bring your own. So we packed up a few folding chairs, a cooler with makings for mimosas, a few unbreakable cups and some snacks and luckily...Brenna packed a few blankets!
Brenna suggested this could be "an early birthday gift" for my upcoming birthday. We packed up and headed out of town late Saturday morning and headed north towards Gainesville. We took the "scenic" route, trying to wind our way north avoiding traffic delays on various legs of our route. We got off the turnpike and drove through Apopka through farmland outside of Orlando. It was kind of nice, not too crowded. Everyone was probably out shopping somewhere. Haha I  vaguely remembered taking that route at one time or another (about 40 years ago) when I was in school.
It took a little longer but we didn't care. We stopped briefly in Micanopy

 to check it out. Again...I had been there probably only once, for a class project when I was in school. We ( a class I was in)had planned games and activities for a Founder's Day program. In that case I had gotten a ride into town and went straight to  "work" ....don't remember ever looking around at all. It's a pretty little arty town. Lots of big oak trees, some shops and restaurants and not much else that we could see. I know they have a big antique fair there some time during the year, we found some antique shops...but thankfully no big fair!
After a brief walk around and a light snack...(dining options were not too enticing) to eat

we got back on the road and in no time at all we were in Gainesville. It was pretty much deserted which was just fine! We found our Bed &Breakfast

 place down near the Alachua County Library. Really close to where I lived my last year in Gainesville. I could imagine myself walking along that same sidewalk 39 years before. I used to walk back and forth to class two or three times a day....so it really felt like I was "home" again. Funny how that happens when you find yourself in a place you've been to before. We tried to find our the old house (pretty decrepit back then...haha) and it was no surprise that it was gone and a new condo/apt building was on the block in it's place. It's a pretty convenient spot. Not too far from campus, close to downtown restaurants and bars and, as I mentioned, the library. We got situated in our room. Nice set-up at the B&B. We got our choice of rooms.

our room was right near the sitting area on the first floor...coffee bar right outside our door. :)

courtyard

 

 There were two houses connected by a parking area and courtyard. The house across the way was the setting for a wedding. It looked like a pretty venue for a fairly small group. Nice gardens, trees, fountains and lights on the grounds. The whole area in that part of town has been turned into a Bed and Breakfast district. Lots of nice old historic homes, perfect for converting into a B&B. (That was another thing I remembered about that neighborhood...the old historic homes...and some huge old oaks.) Later we did drive around trying to figure out exactly where the old house...according to this photo it was at 14 NE 4th Street

NOT one of the beautiful old houses...just OLD! When Uncle Dave came to visit and saw it...he jokingly  told us "I  feel like can only enter this house under cover of darkness" hahahahahah

  had been and tried...in vain...to find an old lake? Pond? Somewhere back in the other side of the neighborhood (across University). Never found the pond...but past some great houses and spotted an old Elementary School that I am almost positive I volunteered at, as a requirement for one of my classes. When we passed it I got that same feeling of having been there before...and it basically looked as though no updates had been made to its appearance in the last 30+ years! It was close enough that I would've been able to ride my bike there/ as I had done. That was kind of fun.
We had a delicious meal a few blocks from our B&B. It was perfect! As they served brunch/breakfast all day! Haha forgot I was in a college town and 2pm on a Saturday is about the time the hangovesr would finally be wearing off....so Breakfast at 2-3pm would be "par for the course"Haha I didn't have a hangover to get over...but I do like breakfast all hours of the day. I had fried chicken and sweet potato pancakes with honey bourbon butter.

restaurant entrance...we liked all the jars

 I remember debating between two options...and the waiter recommended the one I got...GOOD choice! Those crispy sweet potato pancakes were really tasty! After lunch we walked around downtown for a bit and stopped in a local bar for a drink. It was basically just us and the staff....hahah so we enjoyed chatting with the bartender. After that it was time to head back to our place and get ready to head to the party. We put on some warm clothes since it was  supposed to be kind of chilly that night. It took us a while to get where we were going, but we found the event.

 Christmaslights at entrance to shopping center

 We picked a spot and set up our chairs and got ready for the game. The Gators started of with a bang....and then it was all downhill from there. But, we enjoyed watching the game (on the big inflatable  projection TV screen)watching the crowd...that was dwindling away as the prospects of winning  also dwindled away. It was fun...even though it was no the most thrilling game. hahaha
Sunday morning Brenna was all excited about the "brunch" they would be serving at our Inn. One small problem...we got up...and no one seemed to be there getting anything ready. We checked the brochure to make sure we had the time right...we did...so we packed up our things while we waited  for someone to come. I was a little nervous about driving home on that Sunday...because the traffic is notoriously bad the Sunday after Thanksgiving. I was afraid if we waited too long...we'd get stuck in major traffic. As a matter of fact when Brenna first said she was surprising me by taking me somewhere...I did my best not to be nervous...hahaha I like to know where I'm going and what I'm doing...hahahah but I went along with her plan...because it was nice of her to do that for me. Once we were on the road and I figured out that we were heading to Gainesville...I told her I'd be fine as long as we got on the road fairly early on Sunday. She agreed. To make a long story shorter...we waited,  and after a 1/2 hour or so with no sign of anyone....Brenna called the owner...who was out of town. She apologized and said she'd try to get in touch with the staff member who was supposed to be on duty. we waited a bit longer and I told Brenna we needed to hit the road. If she had been there with Josh (or anyone else...hahaha) she would probably have waited...,but she agreed. On our way out of town we drove past my old dorm and parked the car so we could walk around. I showed her where my old room was.....and we took a few photos by the back door.

 As usual...everything that had seemed so BIG back in 1974,  didn't seem quite so intimidating 40 years later.

1974 photo- my room was on the second floor right over the awning

2016 -my old room  one floor above the (back) entrance

 We took a few pictures.....hahah I took a few, Brenna took a few with me in them and then we headed out of town. The first hour we hardly saw any cars on the road...but by mid-way into our trip...the cars heading north were lined up for miles. We had a good 2-3 hour  head start on the fans who would be making their way back from Tallahasee so traffic wasn't as bad going south. Once we were in the thick of it...I think Brenna realized we had made the right choice not to hang around in hopes of getting breakfast.
We stopped and got something on our way into Melbourne. It wasn't as good as what we had thought we would be having...but it worked. My pre-birthday weekend surprise turned out to be a lot of fun...and it was  something I never would have thought to do...and I doubt John would have  ever planned anything quite like that. we're not that that kind of fan I guess Later when Brenna called and complained to the owner and asked to get a partial refund...since the brunch was kind of a main attraction.....she got a FULL refund and a free voucher for a future stay. Not bad......
Thanks Brenna!