Category Archives: Leisure Moments

Wizards and Margaritas…….

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We left Epcot Tuesday and moved on to Universal where we made our way into the Wizarding World Of Harry Potter. In the unlikely event that there is someone who doesn’t know about the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, it is a major section of the Universal theme park that was added in the Spring of 2011. A very dear friend of ours feels that a mere 20 acres devoted to Harry Potter isn’t nearly enough and even on a Tuesday that wasn’t during a holiday period, it was fairly crowded. My husband is the big Harry fan, and he agreed that they did a nice job of presentation of the books and movies, although it didn’t really include much from the final two books. However, since it took nearly three years to get everything built and operational, it couldn’t include too much about the final books. Interestingly, they present Hogsmead with snow on the rooftops and yes, as you pass through the entrance the locamotive to the train and a part of the station awaits you. Since my husband is the big Harry Potter fan, please excuse any terminology errors I make.

Anyway, the wide street (still crowded) is lined with shop fronts from the books/movies on both sides, wagon kiosks selling Butter Beer and pumpkin juice. We declined to try them so I can’t tell anyone what those taste like. Only three-four of the shops are open and two had long lines to get into. However, there were a few additional spots in which to buy wands and owls.

There was no way I was going on the Dragon Challenge and waited as my husband did the ride with a couple of upside down and corkkscrew twist moves. The Hippogriff ride isn’t supposed to be quite so intense. Now you come to Hogwarts and it is impressive. You can choose to take the castle tour with the ride, or just the tour, or I think just the ride (but I’m not totally sure about that). However, if you take the ride, you need to get a locker for purses or bags. The lockers are fingerprint activated and are provided free for about an hour. Okay, we were set and began our winding way (yes a long line), through what was an excellant rendition of Hogwarts with props and film clips until you reach the spot for the ride. Once you are strapped in, Harry greets you on his broomstick and you do indeed zoom off. It was most assuredly at the peak of my tolerance, but I made the twisting, turning, action-packed ride without too much concern.

After we emerged through the gift shop, we meandered back to the entrance of Hogsmead and decided not to stop in the Three Broomsticks for lunch, but instead headed to Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville Cafe. After all, enjoying Jimmy Buffet means we didn’t have to make an immediate transition back into adulthood.

Water and Wine….

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Not water into wine, mind you. The perfect weather we thought we were going to have for Day Two of the Food and Wine Festival didn’t exactly happen. On the other hand, we have been wetter for longer and for less worthy causes. The rain was mostly light yesterday and we hoisted the umbrellas and made our way from the Boardwalk to Epcot. We opted for the Living Seas with Nemo and friends, strolling among the displays of marine creatures that we dearly love. By the time we finished a leisurely lunch at the Coral Reef Restaurant, the sun had emerged as predicted. We also went over to the section Land wor the new attraction, Soaring. That was a terrific virtual hang gliding soar over parts of California.

California wine was not on our list for the Festival though as we backtracked just a bit to enjoy an Argentinian malbec and a torrentes (a nice white). Then it was South African chardonnay and sauvignon blanc before I did a German reiseling and my husband opted for an Octoberfest beer, but I could hardly fault him for that. Chianti and pinot grigio from Italy of course and French beaujelais and vouvray to round out the afternoon.

We latter enjoyed dinner at Cat Cora’s Greek restaurant, Kouzzina, and then went upstairs to a pleasant lounge that could have been the setting for a 1950s Sam Spade movie.

Did we have a good time? Yes, indeed. Does the Epcot Food and Wine Festival need to be on your Life List?  I am not certain I would say that, but what I do say is that if you are planning a trip to Orlando or Disney at some point seriously consider making it during the month-long Festival.

 

Black Peppered Shrimp and Belgian Beer…….

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Okay, we didn’t have those together, but as we made our first round of the Epcot Food and Wine Festival, we decided to focus on beer and wine will be today. We will also spend time actually going through Epcot since our previous trip was concentrated on the Living Seas when we did the dive with them.

As novices to the Festival we hadn’t understood the set-up, but it really is fairly simple. There are events such as presentations by chefs, food and wine experts, seminars, etc.,. and a daily outdoor concert. We arrived mid-afternoon and so wanted to just do the walk-around samplings. For those who may not have been to Epcot yet, there is a small lake where almost a dozen countries are represented. They have shops, restaurants/snackbars, and some attractions. For the Festival, they set up special kiosks with 2-3 menu selections and 3-4 beverage selections. You pay a cashier and then move to the food and beverage spot to collect your choices. The food items are tapas-size and they have the beer in 6, 12 and 22 ounces. Since we decided to sample many beers, we did go with the smaller size.

The lollipop lamb chop and shrimp skewer with a wonder dipping sauce from Australia were great. The black pepper shrimp on noodles was from the China kiosk. The beef skewer and empanada from Argentinia were equally tasty and by that time we thought that we might save food from the other countries for wine day. After all, we were planning to hit Great River Brewing and Grille for dinner. We had actually had a pint of their micro-brewed brown ale and red ale before we set out for Epcot and thought dinner there would be a good idea.

Okay, that’s the run down from yesterday. The drizzle seems to have stopped and more adventure awaits us. And yes, I know that not everyone is getting to spend their Monday this way.

On to Food and Wine Festival….

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After a two year delay, we are actually going to attend the Epcot Food and Wine Festival. Each year there is a major scuba diving industry show and it alternates between Orlando and other locations (DEMA is short for Dive Equipment Marketing Association). It is a competely awesome event, but more about this later in the week.

Two years ago, when DEMA was last in Orlando, I had carefully made arrangements for us to go to the Food and Wine Festival in tandem with DEMA. Unfortunately from a timing perspective, I also had an urgent project request that required me to travel to the DC area. This was one of those last-minute things and we couldn’t adjust our schedule so we had to cancel the Epcot part. Here’s keeping our fingers crossed that nothing goes awry today – a good friend is coming to house sit and the weather is predicted as perfect for strolling around at Epcot.

Although it is the Food and Wine Festival, there are allegedly wonderful beers as well. I suspect that may be where we start our sampling this afternoon and then we will segue into wine. I will most assuredly keep you posted as to food, drinks, music, and more. Who else out there has attended the Festival?

How a Bourbon Drinker Converted to Single Malt Scotch…….

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Yes, this is an odd juxtaposition to my last post, but that’s one of the things about blogging – there’s a fair amount of stream of consciousness that goes into it. With that said, the bourbon to scotch thought was triggered by the visit from some friends last weekend and my husband’s birthday this past weekend.

My husband and I are both from different parts of the deep South, and therefore almost by definition, both bourbon drinkers notwithstanding my very strict Southern Baptist upbringing. Bourbon and Coke or bourbon and Seven were what you drank as “the hard stuff” until such time as you moved to bourbon on the rocks or with water. Yes, there were Scotch drinkers, but they were a distinct minority. Of course I added rum, gin, etc., along the way, but when it came to whiskey, my only change was when I could afford a better quality bourbon.

The change for my husband occured during our trip to Scotland, a lovely excursion where we made our way up into the Highlands. We were stationed in Italy at the time and it was school spring break. Our route did include looking for Nessie and if you are ever going to try scotch this would seem to be the place. It took my husband about two sips of a peaty single malt to win him over. I tried, I did, but it wasn’t there for me. As we moved through the region, he would try a local favorite each night and determined that the really smoky (peaty) taste was what he enjoyed. Even though he still appreciated a good bourbon, you could tell that he had made the transition. Not blended scotch, mind you, and not a single malt with a sweet undertone. Single malt scotch was not yet trendy in the U.S., although it always carried a higher price than did the blended variety. My husband is not an extravagent guy about many things, so this became one of his few real indulgences. The upside to an increase in the popularity of single malt scotch has been greater availability, and thus when we go to a liquor store with a large selection of sinlge malt, I simply move away to let my husband spend as much time as he wants reading the labels, and he has added a few extras to his initial two favorites.

And yes, one of these days, we will return to Scotland for the prime purpose of going along the “Whiskey Trail”.

Good Friends, Hot Tub, and Rum….

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Some good friends will be arriving for a short visit tomorrow and if Mother Nature is kind to us, we plan to “tourist it up” for them on Sunday. With their hectic lives, they may opt for extra leisure time, in which case it will be a lingering brunch by the pool – plenty of fresh fruit, Meyer Lemon poppyseed muffins and other things, then a trip a bit later down to Seven-Mile Bridge near Marathon so they can see the view of the Keys that is in so many movies. We’ll head back this way, stop at the Wyland Wall (actually it’s a small building), and then proceed to Jimmie Johnson’s Big Chill for sunset and an early dinner. If the timer works on the hot tub (usually, but no guarantee), it will be up to temperature when we return. It will be sitting under the stars, drinks in hand, Tiki torches flickering, Jimmy Buffet in the background. While my girlfriend said she wanted plenty of rum and Coke, we intend to introduce her to my husband’s killer mojitos, too, and then she can decide.

If they are feeling up for a morning excursion, breakfast will be earlier and we’ll go out to the Everglades first, or even the Coral Castle, followed by a light lunch and then proceed down to the Keys. I mean, seriously, isn’t this why you have friends in South Florida to start with?

Country Roads and Country Music…….

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Actually, that’s probably the title of a country song somewhere. As I mentioned in my last post, I was home in Louisiana for a few days. Daddy is from Arkansas and Mama was from Louisiana and they met when they were at Louisiana Tech together. Like so many of the “Greatest Generation”, Daddy was able to go to college on the GI Bill and able to therefore go to a school he might not have otherwise afforded. The draw was Tech’s excellent Forestry program. Also not surprisingly for that time frame, Mama dropped out of school not long after they were married. They lived in Arkansas until I was three, then moved to Louisiana for a series of jobs in Forestry until they finally settled in Minden during my senior year of college.

Anyway, the point is that I usually drive down to Natchitoches and/or Many while I am home, a route that is mostly country roads. Pine woods and small towns, the Red River for part of the trip, rolling hills that flatten to more agriculture land, King Cotton lingering a bit, but mostly replaced by other crops. Pecan orchards in spots, cattle in others, and the Alligator Farm that I haven’t stopped at yet. There is also allegedly a crawfish aquaculture enterprise and I will look that up one of these days. While my radio preference is often the “Oldies” station, that particular drive calls out for country music. I tune the station in and crank the volume up, driving the two lane roads at a sedate pace, rarely more than five miles over the posted limit. I confess to the hokiness of the scenario, yet it is a ritual that I enjoy. Does it compare to diving in aquamarine waters as Jimmy Buffet plays on the dive boat? Not exactly, yet those country roads and songs are as much a part of me as are rustling palms and steel drums.

Do you have habits born of nostalgia when you visit certain places?

Befuddled by Bougainville…..

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I know, I should post a photo. Here is my situation and hopefully some of you can empathize. I’ve been known to endanger all plants, although occasionally I can manage to not kill cacti. Rock gardens tend to be the only safe type in my care. However, when we moved to South Florida, I did want to become at least somewhat proficient with plants. I mean, it’s not like they don’t grow well here. (Oh, as an aside, my husband is quite good with plants.)

Anyway, the point is that I haven’t given up on learning about plants, but I haven’t progressed too much in this area either and I am utterly befuddled by our two bougainville that are in containers. They do quite well and then suddenly, the wind strips them bare or like now, the leaves have grown back after the last battering and we have no blossoms. They get lots of full sun and the leaves seem to be quite healthy, so if there is anyone who has a clue as to what the problem is, do chime in.

Birds in Flight on a Sunday Afternoon…

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It was one of those moments that make you smile – a flock of ibis passing over the tops of palm trees, followed not long after by a pair of green parrots that came from the opposite direction. The ibis (hmm, is ibis singular and plural?) are more graceful in flight and certainly don’t squawk, but the parrots have been in the neighborhood longer. In fact, the ibis took up nearby residency only a few months ago, or at least that’s when we first noticed them in this part of the neighborhood. We see them almost daily now either poking their long, slender beaks in the grassy areas or flying from one spot to the next. I don’t know much about ibis, although learning about birds is on my to-do list and I have a couple of books that I keep handy. I am often not close to the book though and by the time I do take a peek, I tend to find myself asking if it looked like this bird, or was it more that one? Trying to snap a photo with my Iphone is definitely not a solution since I’m not exactly speedy when it comes to using my Iphone (or proficient for that matter, but that’s for another post).

At any rate, while being underwater diving is still a favorite Sunday pastime, relaxing around the pool with a chilled glass of wine, the hibiscus in bloom, lemons ripening on the tree, and tropical birds decorating the sky isn’t a shabby way to spend an afternoon. What are some of the things you enjoy when you have one of those weekend days at home?