Travel Tidbits

Greetings friends! As I write this, I am feeling refreshed and replenished...and truthfully, a little frazzled and overwhelmed. We just returned from a wonderful Florida vacation, but now it's back to the grind and I am feeling a bit behind after taking a week off. Travis and I made a trip down to Davenport, Florida (Orlando area) to visit my momma and Dan and get in a little rest and relaxation. I don't really know how much rest we actually achieved, as we were "on the go" the entire time...but we embarked on some fabulous adventures and took in as much as possible in our short time there. Here is a little overview of each day with some of my favorite photos (click on any photo to enlarge)...

Day One - Travel Day

Day Two:

Harry P. Leu Gardens - my mom and I love these gardens!

Bosphorous Turkish Cuisine - we had a lovely table outside for lunch and the food was delicious.

Kilwins Winter Park - best ice cream EVER!

Winter Park Scenic Boat Tour - pontoon boat ride on the Winter Park chain of lakes.

We stopped back at the house, dropped off mom and Dan and continued to:

Disney's Winter Summerland Miniature Golf - the winter course is the best mini golf course we have ever played - it was really fun!

Disney Springs - we explored the shops and entertainment...and the LEGO store...

Day Three:

Canaveral National Seashore - we actually arrived quite early for a rocket launch from Kennedy Space Center (SpaceX Falcon 9 Starlink 5th Mission) - Travis and I walked the beach to the barricades, but it was way too foggy to see...but we sure heard it and felt it!

Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge - a favorite place to visit and hike.

Dixie Crossroads Seafood Restaurant - a MUST visit when we are in Florida.

Black Point Wildlife Drive (Merritt Island) - a scenic drive, where there was quite a bit of wildlife to see...

Disney's Winter Summerland Miniature Golf - this time we played the summer course (not as impressive) - when we returned our clubs, I mentioned we were disappointed and they let us play the winter course again at no charge.

Day Four:

SeaWorld Orlando - we were there from open to close. We went to all the shows and rode all of the rides and coasters. Manta is my favorite roller coaster of all time (it is a flying roller coaster and you feel like a bird flying through the sky) and my husband loves Mako, which is Florida's tallest, longest and fastest roller coaster - we rode both of them multiple times (we had all day fast passes). Of course Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin, is a favorite - after the ride you get to visit the cold weather penguins. This was a fun-filled day!

Day Five:

Clearwater Beach - beautiful white sand beach and boardwalk.

Pier 60 - we always pay to walk out to the end of the fishing pier, where you can see the shore birds up close and personal as they wait for the fisherman to "share the wealth"...

Crabby's Beachwalk Bar & Grill - Mahi Mahi Tacos are yumm-o.

Kilwins Clearwater Beach - again, best ice cream EVER!

Sunset on the Beach

Day Six:

Circle Bar B Reserve (Lakeland, FL) - I can't say enough positive things about this nature reserve - it has wonderful trails featuring wildlife, water and wilderness. We hiked the majority of the trails and came across alligators, eagles, great blue herons, great egrets, tree frogs and lizards, all sorts of wading birds and ducks, a couple raccoons, and even the cutest squirrel ever...just to name a few. Truly worth a visit if you are in the area!!

Miller's Ale House - a nice leisurely lunch.

Pool time at the house.

Medievil Times Dinner and Tournament - this was our fist visit and we had a lot of fun - our knight did not win the tournament, but we still cheered him on. I was a little concerned about the "no silverware" and eating with my hands, but the dinner was good and my margarita was even better (I'm pretty sure there weren't margaritas in the 11th century...but who's fact checking)...it was an entertaining night and a fun way to end our visit.

Day Seven - Travel Day

All in all, it was a great time and it was so comforting to spend time with my momma and Dan. We crammed a lot into this vacation and made so many great memories...it makes me wish life was a little easier and we could do things like this more often.

In true Belinda fashion, I was home for about 24-hours, when the stomach flu hit me - insert eye roll here...yep, no matter how many precautions I take while traveling, I always manage to catch something. Good thing is, I am already feeling better...and life is getting back to normal.

I am swamped in the studio and have photos of many finishes to share soon...plus I recently celebrated a birthday and my faraway friends truly made it a special day, so a few photos of happy mail will be posted, as well.

For now, it is back to my sewing and finishing room - I have a pile of needlework finishing calling my name...plus I made a trip to the quilt shop today to pick up lining fabric for piles of project bags and quilting orders. If you need me, I will be in my happy place...

Fresh Air and Quiet Time

Once in awhile, we all need a chance to unplug and recharge...so when my husband had an unexpected week home from business travel several weeks ago, we decided to get our bass boat out of winter storage and make an impromptu trip to Lake Fork, Texas (about a 10.5 hour drive from our home). We had about a week to get our plans in order, gather supplies, and make arrangements...which went rather smoothly, as my husband has traveled to Lake Fork for bass fishing in March for the last 15 years. I was excited to make my first trip to this fishing paradise and go radio silent for an entire week at the Minnow Bucket Marina - Big Bass Lodge...however, I was concerned a week on the boat from morning til night might be a bit much for me. Much to my surprise, I found it quite relaxing...and although fishing was slow that week, I still managed to catch quite a few (at least for me!)...most of them were small largemouth bass, but I did catch a very pretty silver carp just shy of 6-pounds (to my recollection, the largest fish I have ever caught)...and before you ask - yes, we catch and release - we didn't keep any of the fish we caught. It felt great to go radio silent and just enjoy the water and nature and I learned quite a few things...like how great my bladder is, how often sunscreen needs to be applied, when to take motion sickness pills with a storm quickly approaching, and that I NEVER want lip injections (I had a severe allergic reaction that caused me to have VERY swollen lips). Although there were a few challenges, it was a much welcomed week of quiet with beautiful sunrises and sunsets and quality time with my husband...and I really did feel refreshed when I returned home. Here are some of my favorite photos from the trip...a couple of which are inspiring some of my upcoming quilting/stitching projects...click on any photo for a larger view...

Average size of the largemouth bass I caught...

Average size of the largemouth bass my husband caught...

American Coots 

I hope you have a chance to get outside and enjoy the beauty that surrounds you, even if just for an hour or two...the fresh air and quiet time is good GREAT for the mind, body, and soul...