2010 Fall Travel Blog: Orlando

We ended our time in Orlando on November 17, 2010; as a recap, we both enjoyed the experience very much. The condo we rented ended up being perfect for us in the respect that the location was very convenient to all the theme parks of the area and to family. We were only 2 miles from the main entrance of Disney World. Our goal is to be back home by Thanksgiving.

For me the community where the condo was located had nice amenities like the small pond right next to the back door. I could keep my new fly rod right next to the back door and when I felt like it I could go out and practice my new hobby of fly fishing. I’m SO glad I packed the rod! I caught about 10 small blue gills and felt much more comfortable with casting and experimenting with different flies and techniques. I am now a master at untangling my line from weeds and bushes! Since the community was gated and had several ponds I didn’t need a fishing license and could fish at different locations on the grounds. I loved watching the variety of birds along the edges competing with me for fish; what a lesson in patience and stealth that was!

I threw him back and asked him to send his daddy!

There was also a nice clubhouse on the grounds with a pool and coffee served everyday. I got to know most of the staff since we stayed for a month so they became my temporary social infrastructure.

The weather was fantastic while we were in Florida; but probably the most important thing was to spend time with 2 cousins, my sister and my mom.

During this visit to Orlando I was about one hour from my mom who lives in an assisted living facility in Tavares, FL. I made a point of going there at least once a week while I was here. On one visit mom’s TV had gone belly up and we went shopping for a new TV. Mom was fascinated with the fact I could get her TV Ears working without the static. I got a really sweet voicemail from mom thanking me for spending the time with her while I was there. Such simple things that last forever.

My mother's hand at age 88

I haven’t posted photos for a while so here are a few of my favorites from the time in Orlando with a little explanation:

Here are the three kittens who stole my heart; through Craigslist they all have new homes and will not live a feral lifestyle. The two sisters (lighter ones) are in the same household.

I live in East Orlando now!

I couldn't help myself when it came to getting out my camera when I saw some of the gorgeous flowers and plants in the area.

Notice the butterfly to the left

I enjoyed so much watching the birds in the area; especially the ones who were able to catch fish when I couldn't!

One day I saw FIVE sandhill cranes in back of the condo. I wish I could capture the noise they made in this photo; they can be loud and they do a 'dance' where they jump in the air.

This bird is called a 'snake' bird because it actually swims and fishes underwater. From time to time it sticks out only its head and neck and looks like a snake. He is drying himself right now after taking all my fish!

I need a whole section for my Disney World photos:

I love to try on the funky hats at theme parks!

My sister should be in this picture with my brother in law and I since she also went on the Tower of Terror! What a fabulous ride!

This is my new friend on FB; his status is 'Mis-understood'

I got to ride my first segway at Disney; I would love to own one of these! Are you listening hubby; Christmas is right around the corner!

Here's my sister Jill on the segway

In 2000 Corrie and I had our pictures added to the wall in Epcot. I relocated the picture and showed it to my sister while we were there. It was a great way to commenerate the millenium after being a Y2K manager at work.

There's our picture on the wall

Here are some photos of family:

Sister Jill, mom and of course the dogs!

New grandson of my cousin Annie; welcome to the family little Gavin!

Annie, Jill, new mommy Carrie and me

Bill and Jill Johnson @ Epcot 2010

Mary Ellen (cousin) and Sammy

Sister Jill

We made it to Destin, FL the first day of travel after leaving Orlando. We stopped in Panama City along the way because they have a dog beach. The sand is so white on the beach that it almost looks like snow. However, there were some darker areas in the sand that made us wonder if this was a remenent of the oil spill in the Gulf. The dogs pretty much were camouflaged in the sand!

Oil residue?

Travel buddies!

Panama City reminded us quite a bit of Hunington Beach, CA. They have a great shopping and dining area right on the beach and there is a pier that goes out in the water. There were some great waves and some

The sun was setting as we made the trip between Panama City and Destin; a wonderful setting as we finish our time in Florida.

Today our destination is Cajun country in Louisiana; hubby has done research to find us a great place to eat Cajun food and to hear Zydeco music. Should be fun!

Since arriving in Orlando, I feel like a lazy bum; the last two mornings I've taken hubby to Disney World and haven't picked him up until the park closes. In between I've been enjoying our new location and just taking it easy.

I have gone fishing twice in the small pond behind the townhouse. When I first asked about fishing in the pond, the lady at the desk in the clubhouse seemed appalled because she said 'There are alligators in there!'. Well, that could be a little bit of a deterrent; however, I decided to find out more.

I mentioned I was at Walmart in the sporting goods department talking to the employee who was at the counter. Now he was a great one to talk to because he has a lot of experience fishing in the area. If you ever look at a map of Florida you will see it has a tons of lakes.

So I asked the clerk about 'gators and he said you only have to worry about the gators in the spring when it's mating season. He said they get pretty testy at that time as they search and compete for a mate. The rest of the time the gators would rather not mess with a human. Well this made me feel a lot better about trying some fly casting in the small pond on the property.

I asked how I would know if the pond had fish or had been stocked with fish; at this the clerk chuckled and informed me that the whole state of Florida sits on reef type of material and that most if not all the lakes are connected underneath the ground. He gave me the example of the pond in his area being completely drained and when there was no water, there were no fish, gators, etc. According to him when the pond was refilled, all the aquatic life was back because they had an underground system to use to move.

He also said if I saw egret birds at the side of the pond that it's sure sign of fish. They wait for the smaller fish to come near shore and the smaller fish come near shore to get away from the bigger fish. Here's a picture of my little pond and there are a lot of egrets fishing on the edge.

I then talked to a gentlemen here at the clubhouse about fishing and gators and he said he's been here over 2 years and only seen one gator in the area where I will be fishing. The gator was only about 4 feet long. So the good news is I'm not afraid to go fishing, but the bad news is I don't want to take the dogs because I've seen gators in the water and when the dogs get close to the water the gators start swimming closer.

I haven't caught anything yet, but I'm still experimenting with which fly to use. I could see fish nibble at my bait today, so I think it's just a matter of time before we have a fish dinner! I'm sure getting a lot of good use out of the rod I was recently given as a gift by the folks at Casting for Recovery.

Today the dogs and I saw 3 sandhill cranes calmly walking in the parking lot where we live. They didn't seem too bothered by the dogs, but the dogs were on leash.