Kilted_Yank
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Nov 7, 2002
- Messages
- 415
The Beach, a Surprising Discovery, and Serendipity
0715: We rise and shine after another glorious eight hours of sleep! Friends, you might as well know that I normally get out of bed at 0415, so sleeping until 0715 (ad getting eight hours of sleep is a real treat for me!
Anyway, after showers etc we packed up ad loaded the van. We went back into the hotel to have breakfast and check out. We ate outside on the patio with a lovely light breeze. We spent the time talking about the lighthouse and the grave of Mr. Svenden, who was the keeper of the house at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century. The home of the lighthouse keeper is still extant at the site and it was with a sense of history that we remembered the graves of Svenden and his daughter, who died of the Island in the 1990s as a very old woman. Just yesterday, we had seen pictures of the same old woman as a very young girl, sitting on the steps of the house a few years prior to the First World War.
After checking out of the hotel, we decided to surprise Olivia with a short return to the beach for a morning walk before setting out for Orlando. When we got to the beach, at about 0930, there werent many people there, and the tide wasnt fully in, so we had wide, expansive flats to walk on that were the same places that we swam in water up to my chest just the day before!
As we walked along, we decided to go out to what, at high tide, is a sandbar, and while we were walking, Olivia found the only intact shell I saw the entire time we were there! It was a really cool Scallop shell, which went into a plastic bag with a large scoop of sand, to commemorate Olivias first trip to the beach (if you remember last years trippie, a hurricane prevented us from getting out on the beach).
It was time to get on the road, so we loaded ourselves into the van, vowing to return next year, but for three days instead of two (good thing I just got a promotion this stuff is expensive!).
After getting gas, we were back on the highway, heading south. While we were driving, there wasnt much to see, but I will tell you this: There was no shortage of cars with Canadian license plates on them. Some of them were from Ontario, but most were from Quebec.
We crossed into Florida by 1100 and shortly after that, Susan remembered that there had been something important in her stolen purse after all. The special rosary that I made for Susan was in her purse, as were all of my rosary-making supplies and tools! (it's my hobby, you see).
I wasnt thrilled about that, and neither was she, but what is done is done is done.
We had gotten far enough down I-95 in Florida to almost be ready to make our westward turn on the I-4 toward Orlando when I saw a billboard for a bead store in Ormond Beach!
We decided to stop as it would give me the chance to replace the beads that we had lost because of the ratbag that stole Susans purse (may you roast in he . Well, you know what I mean).
The store was called The Bead Bar and had quite a collection of beads. There was no shortage of glass, bone, wooden, plastic semi-precious stone, and sterling silver beads, and all sorts of other accoutrement. I showed some restraint and restricted myself to three strands of cool semi-precious stone beads and some silver Bali beads.
After I finished with the bead store, we went to the Publix market, next door, and got a sandwich for Olivia, as she was famished (as usual).
We were back on the road by 1330, and 5 minutes after that, we made the turn onto I-4! Less than an hour after that, we were in Orlando! We decided to stop for lunch at the Mall at Millennia, which gave us a chance to stretch our legs as well as get something to eat.
This visit to Millennia reconfirmed something I have known for a while, but never had to admit: I am too old to shop at Urban Outfitters. No, its true I tell you. I was old enough to have been the dad of every person shopping in there and working there as well.
We didnt stay long, as we had miles to go before we slept, so to speak. On our way out of the mall, I bought Susan a truffle from Godiva, as is our tradition. According to her, it was quite good.
By 1600, we were checked I and unpacking our things at the Hilton Grand Vacation Club on I-Drive. We had a one-bedroom apartment in one of the newest of the buildings (the oldest of which is only two years old), which also has a pool (apart from the main pool). Very cool.
We decided to start our touring by making a visit to Downtown Disney for some light shopping and dinner. We bought some pins at the pin station, and had a quick browse through The World of Disney, before we went to The Earl of Sandwich and ate there. Have any of you been there? Our sandwiches were sooo good.
We made an early night of it, and were back home by 2100. Susan and Olivia had their baths and went off to bed.
I listened to Bonnie Raitt and wrote in my notebook, and then did some reading before bed.
Next: A Ride In The Front Seat, and a Pirates Life For Me!
0715: We rise and shine after another glorious eight hours of sleep! Friends, you might as well know that I normally get out of bed at 0415, so sleeping until 0715 (ad getting eight hours of sleep is a real treat for me!
Anyway, after showers etc we packed up ad loaded the van. We went back into the hotel to have breakfast and check out. We ate outside on the patio with a lovely light breeze. We spent the time talking about the lighthouse and the grave of Mr. Svenden, who was the keeper of the house at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century. The home of the lighthouse keeper is still extant at the site and it was with a sense of history that we remembered the graves of Svenden and his daughter, who died of the Island in the 1990s as a very old woman. Just yesterday, we had seen pictures of the same old woman as a very young girl, sitting on the steps of the house a few years prior to the First World War.
After checking out of the hotel, we decided to surprise Olivia with a short return to the beach for a morning walk before setting out for Orlando. When we got to the beach, at about 0930, there werent many people there, and the tide wasnt fully in, so we had wide, expansive flats to walk on that were the same places that we swam in water up to my chest just the day before!
As we walked along, we decided to go out to what, at high tide, is a sandbar, and while we were walking, Olivia found the only intact shell I saw the entire time we were there! It was a really cool Scallop shell, which went into a plastic bag with a large scoop of sand, to commemorate Olivias first trip to the beach (if you remember last years trippie, a hurricane prevented us from getting out on the beach).
It was time to get on the road, so we loaded ourselves into the van, vowing to return next year, but for three days instead of two (good thing I just got a promotion this stuff is expensive!).
After getting gas, we were back on the highway, heading south. While we were driving, there wasnt much to see, but I will tell you this: There was no shortage of cars with Canadian license plates on them. Some of them were from Ontario, but most were from Quebec.
We crossed into Florida by 1100 and shortly after that, Susan remembered that there had been something important in her stolen purse after all. The special rosary that I made for Susan was in her purse, as were all of my rosary-making supplies and tools! (it's my hobby, you see).
I wasnt thrilled about that, and neither was she, but what is done is done is done.
We had gotten far enough down I-95 in Florida to almost be ready to make our westward turn on the I-4 toward Orlando when I saw a billboard for a bead store in Ormond Beach!
We decided to stop as it would give me the chance to replace the beads that we had lost because of the ratbag that stole Susans purse (may you roast in he . Well, you know what I mean).
The store was called The Bead Bar and had quite a collection of beads. There was no shortage of glass, bone, wooden, plastic semi-precious stone, and sterling silver beads, and all sorts of other accoutrement. I showed some restraint and restricted myself to three strands of cool semi-precious stone beads and some silver Bali beads.
After I finished with the bead store, we went to the Publix market, next door, and got a sandwich for Olivia, as she was famished (as usual).
We were back on the road by 1330, and 5 minutes after that, we made the turn onto I-4! Less than an hour after that, we were in Orlando! We decided to stop for lunch at the Mall at Millennia, which gave us a chance to stretch our legs as well as get something to eat.
This visit to Millennia reconfirmed something I have known for a while, but never had to admit: I am too old to shop at Urban Outfitters. No, its true I tell you. I was old enough to have been the dad of every person shopping in there and working there as well.
We didnt stay long, as we had miles to go before we slept, so to speak. On our way out of the mall, I bought Susan a truffle from Godiva, as is our tradition. According to her, it was quite good.
By 1600, we were checked I and unpacking our things at the Hilton Grand Vacation Club on I-Drive. We had a one-bedroom apartment in one of the newest of the buildings (the oldest of which is only two years old), which also has a pool (apart from the main pool). Very cool.
We decided to start our touring by making a visit to Downtown Disney for some light shopping and dinner. We bought some pins at the pin station, and had a quick browse through The World of Disney, before we went to The Earl of Sandwich and ate there. Have any of you been there? Our sandwiches were sooo good.
We made an early night of it, and were back home by 2100. Susan and Olivia had their baths and went off to bed.
I listened to Bonnie Raitt and wrote in my notebook, and then did some reading before bed.
Next: A Ride In The Front Seat, and a Pirates Life For Me!
