Love the new TR title!!! It made me laugh this morning...I Ho-Ho-Hope it happens too!!!
Yes we can still be friends
We like to just take off when we want and don`t want anything to complicate our travel plans.....and a dog would certainly do that for us!
.....well....they can be cute.....but they`ll never be dog cute......
Carole- Loving the pictures of Scotland and the food (Florida). Keep your pre-trip reports coming. Have a wonderful time on your vacation - can’t wait to hear all about your adventures.
Brenda
Thanks CaroleThanks Brenda.......we are so looking forward to going up there, we leave next Monday......I thought it was Sunday.....lol....got my dates mixed up! Hoping they don`t apply restrictions in the next week and we can still travel.
Yep, plan to keep it going......I love looking back over all our trips.....goodness I have soooooooooo many pictures!!!! And I love the chatter here from everyone....it`s nice.......
Good to see you Brenda, hope you`re doing well and having a lovely weekend...
Aww shucks, Carole! You are so sweet! I love that you’ve decided to incorporate a few of my suggestionsWell.......here we are again.
It`s been quite a week in the Schumi household.......nothing major, but just some nice little things including one of my best friends getting her new Springer Spaniel puppy from the breeder now she`s old enough.
Poppy is the cutest thing around!!!! But, despite seeing a little glint in Tom`s eye I firmly said no to any new additions in our home.......
I spent some time this past week catching up with some friends from Florida..... And always nice to have a good chat too.......and good to know they`re all doing ok. And always funny to find out what a small world it is......
Scotland on the 23rd looks to be going ahead, no restrictions added so far for us to travel up there. It`s around a 7-8 hour drive, maybe less depending on traffic and how often we stop.....very much looking forward to it unless they change the rules of travel by then!! Hope not......hotel is booked, restaurants are booked for dinner including Tom`s birthday dinner.....
Not much else going on really. Being able to see friends again last weeks has been wonderful.....we miss each other a lot and it was just a little too long to go without seeing any of them....but, we`re all in the same boat.
I honestly don`t pay much attention to numbers of cases around....I`m never sure how much we can trust the figures, but where we are isn`t too bad right now.
I do hope wherever you all are in the world it`s not as bad as it was.....so many borders still closed and travel restrictions still in place......it`s been one tough year for everyone.
So, looking forward and some of the places we plan to visit......we have so many places in Universal Orlando we love a lot, we truly are spoiled for choice at times with the offerings available to us. But, we do like to get out and about and enjoy many places around Orlando and beyond.
We don`t have most of the chains you have in the UK, and normally I`d agree in the UK we avoid chains as a rule, much preferring to go to local and independent places. Where we live we have lots of independent pubs and restaurants that all serve locally produced dishes in general, those are the best types of places...although we do have Starbucks too......lol......not in our village as we are much too sleepy a place to have one, but they are in the nearby towns.
So, one place we discovered several years back is Yellow Dogs Eat.......I`m not even sure who told us about it, it`s usually friends from the hotels who mention out of the way places they know we`ll love.
It`s in Gotha, up in Windermere and doesn`t take long to get there at all........it sits in a beautful little town that doesn`t see a lot of tourists at all. One of the first times we went, a local we met in the car park and got chatting to asked us not to tell anyone about this place as they like it as it is.......sure.....lol......
It`s not a tourist spot at all, very local and seems to have a lot of hospital workers use it during the day. The front door is usually for folks who are getting take out, the main car park is round behind the building, with extra parking in an area across the street.
We`ve never needed to use that one, but I`m guessing at night it does get busy, we`ve only ever gone at lunchtimes, but it is open till 9pm I believe and they do have live music on then too.
There is plenty of space in this parking area during the day.......
There are fans everywhere out here, but any time we have visited, it`s been boiling hot....and varying degrees of customers......but usually there always a fair amount of people enjoying the lovely food on offer.
I can absolutely see this place bouncing at night with folks having fun......
It is very much an outdoor place to eat, that`s where most of the seating is.......but, we find it far too hot to eat outside during the day especially......so we eat inside.
But, there are only a few tables inside so it`s just your luck if there is a table available.....fortunately for us most Floridians enjoy eating alfresco.......
Rustic is the perfect description of this place......it is unique and such a nice place to visit......the owner who we`ve now met a few times is an original and such a cool guy....his concept is just to have fun with food and make folks welcome....and it works.
You look at the many menu`s on the table (pre Covid-19) and then order at the counter.....of course I imagine it`s different now.
You hear the owner announce your order with a funny anecdote about your name or your order.....he is very clever and it`s funny to listen to him come up with something different every time....
They do have about 6 seats at the bar too, and we did once eat there too....staff are very casual, but make you feel welcome, and being a stranger makes them even friendlier......
One of the guys who worked there on one visit came from the UK and he used to work in a tourist area called the Lake District and worked in a pub we had once been in many years before and knew several places he had lived and also recognised a "local" worthy that everyone knew in one of the towns......such a small world.
Strangely enough it happened this week too.......we spoke to someone who knew someone we met once and weirdly each of us had the same opinion of that person.....lol......but it`s amazing what a small world it really is!!!! Interesting though.
Yep, the tables that you see are all the tables there are inside, I think it could be described as cosy!!!
There is an upstairs area with tables, but we`ve never been up there.....
The food is off the wall different here......sandwiches mainly but not as you know them!!!
Have to admit the one below is the one I usually have.....except the first time where I have no clue what it was as I cannot find the picture......but this is the Rufus which is pulled pork topped with thick brie, cherry peppers, with raspberry melba and topped with their own BBQ sauce.....I got extra jalapeno`s and no potato stick topping......it is gorgeous!!!!
Tom always varies his sandwich and this one is the classic yellow dog club, mesquite roasted turkey , smoked gouda cheese, pecan-smoked bacon, cucumber, crisp leaf lettuce and orange Cointreau mayo which he omits for regular mayo and again, amazing sandwich.
The one below they don`t do any more, but it`s a black forest ham based sandwich and so tasty.
He did have the ribs once, and they were good once you past the appearance, we thought they were overdone, but they really weren`t.
All their food is served with a side of coleslaw and a bag of potato chips....you really don`t need them as food is so filling......but there are loads of options for side dishes and some specials on the board daily too.......their potato salad is a little different, but nice.
Between the bar area and their chilled fridge, I have never in my entire life seen such a collection of beers......hadn`t heard of the vast majority of them, and they all looked so nice to try......and I`m not a beer drinker.
Dessert is another thing they excel in.....and this coconut cake is one of the nicest I have ever tasted......they are all light, but dense at the same time.....I couldn`t have finished one slice after a sandwich, so we share....
They have a lovely selection and I`ve never managed to try a piece of the orange Dreamsicle cake which sounds and looks divine......and I think Kyle would love their Motherfudgin chocolate cake.......❤
One we have tried and loved is their butter bar......oh my goodness!!!! This was amazingly good.......buttery, sweet and almost caramel like.....one of the nicest cakes I`ve ever tasted.
The theme of the place is dogs....and people post pictures of their dogs and send postcards from wherever they are from....and write on the walls too which is encouraged and a little odd to my clean and tidy mind that screams internally at vandalism......lol.....but it`s all good.
And they even let folks post cat pictures if they want......why I`m not sure, but....not a cat person at all......
Drinks can be ordered at the bar and they have a machine if you just want refillable sodas, again, pre covid, I have no idea what they will be doing now.
They have a good range of their own products including mugs and tees which are all quite good quality.
And the second highlight after the food here is you can buy their own amazingly wonderful and incredibly tasty sauces. I think we have had them all over the few years we`ve been visiting here....they are so heavy to get back home though!!
So, that`s Yellow Dog Eats. They also have one at New Smyrna Beach, but we`ve never gone to that one. It has as good a reputation as this one does......
I`m sure this is another place we`ll visit regardless of when that will be......
It`s funny as folks are feeling so bad about trips not happening and all that`s going on in the world, we are actually feeling incredibly positive right now about things in general......if we don`t fly in December, it`s not the end of the world.....next year will be a whole new ball game.....even if masks are still part of that we`ll manage.
Being a positive person certainly has it`s advantages......there are so many people around who want to bring you down or stamp on your parade, but I am so lucky my family and friends are all healthy right now that I have a lot to be thankful for.
The Dis is generally a lovely place to post and I am fortunate to have made many friends over the years.....so that`s one of the reasons I keep this going.......
And I love the pm`s!!!!!
Will be back soon with another update.......and thanks to another suggestion from the lovely worfiedoodles.......come September I think we need to do a "Best of pictures" from HHN over the years.........
I think I need to credit Maria as co-writer or something as she has come up with some lovely ideas......
Till next time folks......thank you for still reading along and I hope all is well in your own little corner of the world.......
Your PTR is such a source of positivity and joy, I’m for any way we can help you keep it going!
Thanks Carole
Safe travels
Aww shucks, Carole! You are so sweet! I love that you’ve decided to incorporate a few of my suggestions
These are indeed strange times. We should all do our part to bring the Happy!
Yellow Dog looks like a very nice, casual place to relax and enjoy lunch. I’ve no doubt it is hopping with locals in the evenings.
I’m sure your friend’s new puppy is beyond adorable! How fun to be able to visit and play without committing to 24/7 care. Best of both worlds for you
I’m very much looking forward to the Best of HHN!
Seattle sounds lovely- will post pics when we go next month, I’ve never been either. Although our trip is to help move Alysa out to grad school I’ve told them I need a day to explore a bit. We loved Portland Oregon a few years ago. The Pacific Northwest is gorgeous.
So pretty! Makes me want to be on the water!
Poppy sounds like a sweetie pie! We think our lab has some springer in him too- he’s a rescue puppy so who really knows! So nice to have a happy little soul around - even if she is your friends! I’m sure you could “babysit” if Tom really needs a puppy fix
Seattle sounds lovely- will post pics when we go next month, I’ve never been either. Although our trip is to help move Alysa out to grad school I’ve told them I need a day to explore a bit. We loved Portland Oregon a few years ago. The Pacific Northwest is gorgeous.
So pretty! Makes me want to be on the water!
Poppy sounds like a sweetie pie! We think our lab has some springer in him too- he’s a rescue puppy so who really knows! So nice to have a happy little soul around - even if she is your friends! I’m sure you could “babysit” if Tom really needs a puppy fix
Hoping the Scotland trip remains a go for you,
About 100 yards away. Luckily (knock on wood) it never has flooded, probably because it's used for irrigation and siphoned off into the irrigation ditches where La Llorona resides,we have one of those on each side of our farm, but with temperatures nearing or over 100 degrees it's just not the same as a lovely Lake or the ocean.
