Don't Blame The Chicken

Plumaria trees add a sweet aroma around 
the pool area at the Oberoi.

 So the spicey chicken at the Boshaun restaurant meal the night before I suddenly realized was not to blame for Bob's malaise when I joined him in his misery. Despite our flu shots before we came, I'm guessing the two of us found a 24 hour bug, the kind that hits you like a truck and zaps your energy. We lost a whole day to it and still feel exhausted. Thank goodness we came a few days early.

Before I got sick, I made another trip to the Patisserie, by myself since Bob was not up to eating. I hade a really nice bagel with egg, fries and a cup of tea. This time I remembered to take some pictures. We both really like the little place and will surely revisit it again.

You might say we lost a day just sleeping but gradually we managed to let food back into our lives being careful to stay away from anything spicey lest it react badly. I guess we will pass on the new restaurant the hotel offers called the Dhilli. It is an Indian specialty restaurant and we'll stick with the 360 where we have more mild choices for our diet right now.

The plan to have a four hour tour with a hotel car is also something we will pass on. Our tour with Uniworld will begin tomorrow morning early. It will be a long day with a tour in the morning and another in the afternoon so we are saving our strength for it. Two seventy-somethings need to take things a little slower. 

We are excited to get to meet the others who will join our group of river cruisers. Some of them are already here according to the Uniworld FaceBook page and others I'm sure are arriving by day's end. 

Since I have some down time, I used it to look up a few things I was curious about. When we get up each morning it is always foggy or smoggy and as we look out our fifth floor window, you can see it settle into the trees. It goes away a bit but in the several days we've been here, I've never glimpsed blue sky. I searched online for the air quality for New Delhi. It wasn't encouraging. Here's what I found:

Delhi, India's air quality is currently unhealthy for sensitive groups. Some say the city's toxic skies are similar to another Asian capital that was once known for smog so thick it could hide skyscrapers. Factors that contribute to Delhi's poor air quality include crop stubble burning and Diwali celebrations. Air pollution in India is estimated to kill about 2 million people annually making it the fifth leading cause of death in the country.

I'm guessing the Asian capital they refer to is Beijing which is the only other place we experienced this and it was definitely much worse. We sat in a plane on the airport tarmac for two hours waiting for a slight break in the smog in order to take off. There was such a small window that they would not let us disembark lest we miss the opportunity to take off.  I am interested to see if it is like this in the other places we will visit in India.

The other research I did was on Diwali which takes place during part of our visit to India. It is the Hindu festival of lights and symbolizes the spiritual victory of light over darkness, good over evil and knowledge over ignorance. Fires are lit, fireworks shot off and many celebrants lighting candles and lanterns. I'm sure when it arrives, our river cruise guides will explain more to us. 

So, I sit for now with my computer on my lap looking out the window at a still hazy sky with birds sailing about, some which are large enough to be eagles, and await our first meeting to receive our welcome packet and schedule for tomorrow. I'm ready to get this adventure started.

Enjoying The Oberoi Hotel, New Delhi

 Leave it to Bob to explore and find places we didn't know were there. Just inside the entrance to the hotel was a corridor off to the left where there were a couple of very upscale shops. How he found the next place is beyond me because he had to get in an elevator that took you one floor down. I don't think there was any other way to get there (except some steps I saw later). One floor down were more shops some meeting rooms and the Patisserie. 

It is a delight. Lots of tempting sweet pastries and a small menu of sandwiches, salads and beverages including shakes. He had already decided on a BLT hoagie but I wasn't sure if it would be large enough to share so I ordered a salad that looked interesting. The salad came first. Not much lettuce, lots of chick peas, roasted broccoli, cherry tomatoes, quinoa, and grilled pineapple. One bite of the pineapple and I realized why they called it the Detox salad. I have never had spicy pineapple but that was enough to have my lips tingling and my mouth burning. The mustard dressing that came with it cut the heat some but I didn't trust eating too much. Bob's BLT was good with a nice bread that was dotted with olives and cherry tomatoes. 

 After a short nap (I never nap at home so I must have been tired), we decided to go out and sit by the pool a bit. Bob put on his bathing suit but never got past his knees in the water. The pool area is much like the pool area on a cruise ship. An attendant took us to two loungers, laid towels across the chairs and then someone came with a tray of water, a dish of cold grapes, two cold washcloths and two small bottles of sunscreen. (My dermatologist will be so happy to hear that.) 

The attendant also explained the large balls that are hanging from the posts around the pool. They keep the birds away, he said, all but the big ones, the eagles. Sure enough a little while later a large brown eagle landed at one end took a few sips of water and flew off again. I don't think I've ever been that close to an eagle outside of a zoo.

We wiled away the afternoon in the shade next to the pool and then got ready for dinner. On the rooftop is a bar/lounge and a Chinese restaurant, the Baoshuan. Our reservations were made for seven, the time the restaurant opens. We will have to get used to eating later than usual since most places (and I believe our riverboat cruise as well) will not serve until then.

The Baoshuan is a beautiful restaurant. Long pants required for the men. Most people were dressed in resort casual. The menu is quite extensive including dim sum both steamed and fried, many Asian dishes, soups, salads and of course desserts. We ordered a dim sum sample appetizer that came with two steamed and one fried dumpling. Very good! The entrees we ordered were crispy noodles and chicken for me and chicken Szechuan for Bob. At home, rice would accompany the meal so when she asked if we wanted fried rice or steamed, Bob opted for fried rice and I said I would pass. I figured the noodles were enough. We didn't realize until later that the fried rice was another entree.

When Bob tried his Szechuan, he realized it was spicey. The menu hadn't said so but it was enough to burn the mouth and tingle the lips. He should have stopped and just helped me eat mine but he continued on. My noodles and chicken were very good and not spicey at all. There was really more to eat than we could finish and still have dessert. I had my eye on the lychee with honey lime sauce. Bob got some ice cream and I hoped it would help the spicey after effects of his entree.

After dinner we stopped at the concierge desk and arranged for a four hour tour of several places that we knew we would not see with Uniworld. Once that was done, we went on up to retire for the night. But one of us would not have a very good night. The Szchuan spicey chicken did Bob in. On my way to breakfast I stopped and cancelled our tour for the day. 

We've heard it said that a lot of tourists get the "Delhi belly". I think this was more the Chinese food than anything. Note to selves: be sure to ask if there is spice in the dish when you order. 

The question was, what would the rest of the day hold? 

New Delhi--The Lodi Garden

 As I write this, it is still Friday at home but Saturday here. It will take a while to get used to the time difference. We slept well our first night in a wonderfully comfortable bed but still feel a bit jet lagged. I woke at 2:30 am and tried desperately to go back to sleep but couldn't. Naps will be in order.

The restaurant, 360, for breakfast is amazing. It is part special order and part buffet. There was quite a menu of egg dishes, waffles, pancakes, and of course Indian dishes. We passed on the local breakfast choices as we're not quite ready to attempt the spices yet. Bob had delicious eggs Benedict and I opted for a fluffy omelet. Our buffet trip (trips for Bob) included lots of fresh fruit, a few amazing pastries and a piece of toast. Coffee was a bit on the espresso side but we discovered that we can order French press in the future. Still, it was good coffee and I hoped it would help wake me up a bit. 

We didn't feel up to all that I had planned for the day but were ready to do some walking so we choose one of the two activities on my list, the Lodi Garden. A stop at the concierge desk for advice on how to get there gave us several options. He didn't advocate walking to the Garden which was not terribly far away but he said that walking paths from here to there were not good. I wouldn't have ventured that anyway seeing how the traffic was the night before. His suggestion was either a taxi or a hotel car. We opted for the hotel car which was $6 USD each way. We knew how nice that was.

Our driver took us to the Garden entrance which was only about five minutes away and we found much less traffic on the roads from the night before. It was a pleasant short ride and he said to call the concierge for our return trip about fifteen minutes before we wanted to leave. 

Knowing we had to make a phone call and not having a map of the garden, I turned on my data roaming (We always keep it off unless we need to use the AT&T International plan for calls. They charge by the day when activated.). I dropped a pin at the place where the garden entrance was and we were on our way.

It was a pleasant morning but you could feel the warmth beginning. Lots of shady paths and not a whole lot of people. Many dogs lying about but no cows. The garden did not have a lot of flowers in bloom but the greenery was amazing. For a place that gets little rain I was surprised by the abundance of trees and bushes. 

There are several preserved historical structures in the garden. Some were tombs built to honor men of the past and there was one that was said to be part of a monastery. I took many pictures and managed to catch a parakeet and a long tailed chipmunk but alas when I went to download them from my camera, I found that my computer would not recognize my camera for some reason. I should have made sure it was working before we left home. With apologies to my son, I will blame Microsoft for some update that probably changed something that I can't find yet. I will have to rely on my phone for pictures for the rest of the trip. I snagged the couple that Bob took.

We walked the trails and explored the buildings and marveled at the couples with their photographers who were setting up very nice shots of them against the old ruins. Some were in fancy garb and a couple were obviously weddings that were being photographed. 

The temperature was climbing and we were getting very warm by the time we closed in on the place where we would meet our driver. They responded a few minutes later with a text that gave us the driver's name and license plate number and ten minutes later he was there with a nice cool car and cool washcloths and water for us on the ride back. He also told us that he could show us places that our Uniworld tour would not go if we booked a hotel car. He said they charged by the hour and, if we calculated right, it worked out to about $12 USD/hour. It sounded good. We said we'd consider it.

Lunch was in order upon our return and Bob had managed to wander around enough to find the perfect spot. Ah, yes, The Patisserie. 

India--The Adventure Begins

 The Uber arrived at nine in the morning to take us to the airport and begin our long day of travel. Check in went well at the American Airlines counter. We could not check in online I assume because of their need to check that we had our passports and our e-visas all in order. TSA was quite busy even at the pre-check line but the line moved quickly and soon we were wandering the concourses of CLE Hopkins. AA does not have a lounge there so we walked a little over a mile to get some exercise.

Bob had splurged on Business Class seats for our trip since the flight from JFK to New Delhi would be fifteen hours. A short flight to JFK and we were ready to wile away seven hours before the next flight. This time there was a lounge, a flagship lounge, that we qualified for with our tickets. It was huge and had several small buffets of foods. The important thing was that there was a television room (actually several places) where we could watch the all important ALCS game. We were amongst a few NYY fans though and unfortunately we couldn't stay for the really exciting part of the game where we pulled ahead and won. My grandson texted me later the blow by blow description of the last innings of play.

Our cubicles in business class were next to each other in the middle of the plane. The meals were absolutely wonderful compared to the usual airplane food and served on real china with silverware. They fed us several times throughout the flight. The buttons took a little figuring out but I finally got the seat to stretch and recline and I curled up inside a comfy comforter and laid my head on a nice pillow and eventually fell asleep. Sleep was intermittent however as we had several periods of turbulence. All in all though, I'm spoiled now. 

We arrived a bit early in New Delhi. Maybe the turbulence helped. It was around eight in the evening local time. The airline had passed out our immigration form on the plane so that was all filled in but we found a sign that said first time visitors to India needed to to some sort of bio-check in. There were machines set up for us to scan our passports and then have our hands scanned and picture taken. Some of the machines weren't working quite right but we found one that did and just about the time we were cleared, a gentleman from the airport came up and asked our age. "You don't need this," he said, "you can proceed." Sometimes old age pays off but by then Bob was determined to finish what we started so we did and then moved on.

Immigration lines were sorted by citizens, foreign passports and then foreigners with e-visas. Thankfully the CLE check in had told us to get our e-visas printed out in NY since we only had them on our phones. The line for the e-visas was much shorter than all the rest and it didn't take too long before we were cleared for entry. The printout, I think, made it a smoother process.

The luggage arrived about the same time we did in baggage claim and we breathed a sigh of relief. It's always good to see the luggage arrive at your destination along with you. We went through the custom line which was busy scanning lots of boxes many people were bringing into the country. Mostly citizens who had made purchases in other countries I believe.

Just as we walked through the sliding doors into the main part of the airport, a man in a white uniform held a sign with our name on it and smiled when we approached. He nodded to another man in a darker uniform who introduced himself as a greeter from Hotel Oberoi and he led us out and around to the driver who would take us to the hotel. A brief stop at an ATM and we followed him out of the airport to the pick up zone. Our first taste of India's traffic. Thankfully, he guided us through what would have been very confusing and a little scary as drivers did not always give much way to pedestrians. 

The driver seated us in the nice black Mercedes and loaded our luggage in the trunk. He came around with a tray of cold bottled water and two packages that held cold wash cloths. So refreshing after the impact of 85 degree weather and a bit of a walk to get to the car.

The traffic reminded me of Beijing. Lots of cars mixed with motorcycles. Not a lot of bicycles though and a few sightings of cows along the side of the road. There was some kind of method of flashing your headlights and honking your horn as you weave through three lanes of traffic where cars are inches apart. Our driver gave me confidence though as he seemed to seamlessly move through the traffic. 

At the hotel, we passed through gate security that checked the trunk and then our bags were screened at the entrance and we passed through metal detectors and were guided by an assistant named Sheldon (and yes, he knew the reference to the TV Sheldon). He had our key cards in hand and asked if we minded a traditional greeting. A lady stood with a plate covered in rose petals with a candle in the middle. She waved the plate in a circle in front of us wishing us good health and then gave us each a lei of marigolds which are associated with the sun, passion, wealth and happiness. 

Our room is beautiful. Huge. One of the nicest we have ever had. And of course, to Bob's delight, everything in the room is accessed by an IPad. Blinds raise and lower, lights turn off and on and even the TV works through it.  After brushing our teeth using the bottled water to rinse, we managed to sleep a bit more even though the time difference is nine and a half hours ahead of home. I have no explanation for the extra half hour.

We have two days to get over jet lag and travel fatigue before our Uniworld Cruise Adventure begins and maybe even explore a bit on our own. Starting with some breakfast in the 360 restaurant that caters to worldwide tastes. 

Before Tripadvisor There Was Duncan Hines

There's not much to watch on TV on a Sunday night once afternoon baseball is done. And now that football season has started, unless there's a team I'm interested in, there is even less choice. Thank goodness for the History Channel. A couple weeks ago I watched a series on Rockwell's UFO incident and last night there was Foods That Built America. After learning a bit about the cola wars (I still prefer Coke) I got into the story of how cake mixes came to be.

While it turns out that Betty Crocker was an invented character, there really was a Duncan Hines. Now when it comes to biscuits and chocolate chip cookies, my go-to is the Pillsbury Doughboy but when it's time to make a cake, Duncan Hines is my choice. It was with great surprise that I learned Duncan Hines had nothing to do with baking cakes. Let me explain.

Duncan Hines was a traveling salesman who by 1935, had racked up quite a few miles on the road. He loved good food and began making notes on the restaurants he found along the way. This was way before we had an abundance of chain restaurants and there were lots of mom and pop places to enjoy. When friends began insisting on his recommendations as they traveled, he decided to put his notes together into a book titled, Adventures in Good Eating. 

In his 1939 edition, he reviewed the Sanders Court and Cafe in Corbin, Kentucky:

41 — Jct. with 25, 25 E. ½ Mi. N. of Corbin. Open all year except Xmas.
A very good place to stop en route to Cumberland Falls and the Great Smokies. Continuous 24-hour service. Sizzling steaks, fried chicken, country ham, hot biscuits. L. 50¢ to $1; D., 60¢ to $1

That restaurant was operated by Colonel Harland Sanders, the founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken.

The book sold so well that soon restaurants were posting signs "Recommended by Duncan Hines". He eventually expanded his writing to include hotels as well. Today it is quite common to see the familiar owl logo for Tripadvisor on the advertising and doors of many restaurants and hotels. Like us, many people go to the app for advice on where to eat when they are on the road or looking to discover a new place to eat or find a nice place to stay the night.

Oh, how did Duncan Hines become synonymous with cake mix? Because of his popularity with food recommendations, he was offered an endorsement deal and sold the right to use his name and book title to one company that eventually sold the license to the Nebraska Consolidated Mills in Omaha who developed and sold the first Duncan Hines cake mixes.

Adventure Awaits In India

 India will be one of the most exotic places we have ever visited. The anticipation is both exciting and a little frightening. We have explored online as much as we can to have an idea of what to expect but I know that will in no way measure up to actually being there. The food, the people, the atmosphere, all can only be experienced in person,

Let me be perfectly clear. While we are quite experienced travelers, there are many places in the world we would not attempt to visit on our own. India is one of them. That is why, when we were introduced to Uniworld River Cruises and learned of their cruise on the Ganges, we booked.

Uniworld was the cruise line we used for our Tulip Adventure in spring of 2023. While seeing the Keukenhof Gardens was only one day of our amazing cruise, the rest of the stops along the way were beautiful and fun to visit. The food onboard was fantastic as was the service. We felt well cared for, even to one of the staff standing out in the street to be sure we crossed safely at one stop when the tour bus let us off. That staff member was also one who had served on the Ganges Voyager II and told us a lot about the riverboat itself.

We will arrive a little ahead of schedule but will stay at the same hotel where the cruise line will have us.  I'm guessing we will probably spend a good part of our first day in New Delhi sleeping and resting from our 25 hours of travel to get there. Then there will be one day on our own but I'm counting on the concierge (we've heard good recommendations from others) to suggest a good rickshaw driver to take us to one of the places to explore that is not on the tour the cruise line will have us join the next day.

After those couple of days on our own, we will rely on the very capable staff of Uniworld to take good care of us as we visit Agra (for the Taj Mahal) and Jaipur (the pink city). From there, we board the riverboat for an adventure on the Ganges. I have linked below to the YouTube video for the cruise. Take a peek. I hope you'll be excited for us and maybe want to take your own journey to India. I will be posting as much as I can when we get there  this October but, as always, you never know what the WiFi connections may be like.

Tributary Or Distributary? Are We Cruising The Ganges?

 This fall we will be doing a river cruise in India. Our main goal is to get to see the Taj Mahal but the river cruise will give us a deeper look into the culture and traditions and, don't forget, the food of India. The cruise is advertised as "India's Golden Triangle And The Sacred Ganges".  The Golden Triangle includes the cities of New Delhi, Agra and Jaipur. Our visit to those places are all pre-boarding the river boat.

As always, I try to do as much research ahead of a cruise to see where we are going and what we might want to do or see along the way. New Delhi promises an excursion with a rickshaw ride to a historic area and a market. Agra is where the Taj Mahal is located and the hotel that is booked by the cruise company is said to have amazing views of the iconic structure. Jaipur is a place that I was unfamiliar with but it is called the Pink City because the Maharaja at the time of Queen Victoria's visit to the city ordered the buildings to be pink, a sign of hospitality. It should be interesting.

Then we fly to Kolkata to board our riverboat. I was curious about our itinerary and the path it would take on the Ganges. As I began to search for the cities and towns where we were to stop, I found that we were actually navigating what was labeled on the Google Map as the Hooghly River. What?

A little more internet surfing and I had the answer. The Hooghly River is actually fed by the Ganges River. It is known as a distributary as opposed to a tributary which would flow the other way to feed the Ganges. Confused? I was. I had never heard the term distributary but it applies to a river that flows away from the main stream and does not return to it.

So, are we cruising the Ganges? In a sense we are. Does it matter to us? Not really. As I said, our main goal is to see the Taj Mahal. All the rest is just extra time to explore and absorb all that we can. We've never been to India before so it will all be new to us. I am packing the antiacid however. I've tasted curry and every delectable dish that I see recommended for us to try while we are there mentions lots of spices. 

New Release! Hidden In Harper Valley

 

Announcing my new novel, Hidden In Harper Valley. Here's the back cover teaser:

Suzanne Brown and her daughter, Dominique have begun a new life in the pretty little town of Harper Valley. Suzanne and Dominique struggle a bit with their new identities and the backstory they have created to fit their new circumstances. Although Suzanne does not need to work, she finds a job as a bookkeeper at the fabric mill in town so people will not suspect she secretly has a net worth of millions.

While Dominique who is about to turn thirteen tries to adjust to attending a public school and a church teen group, she desperately misses her BFF back in California but she has been warned not to communicate with her. How can she survive with no friend to share things with, especially her love of photography.

Scott Frazier, youth pastor at Valley Christian Church, grows closer to Suzanne and Dominique as he seeks to help Dominique fit into the church youth group. At the same time, he finds that Suzanne is a woman he would like to get to know better. Little does he know what danger that may put him in.

Although Suzanne’s brother Michael, a US Marshall who has arranged for them to be hidden in Harper Valley, assures her that her past will not find her, she soon realizes all the precautions they have taken have failed. She is being stalked. Their hiding place has been discovered. Will her ex-husband follow through on his promise?

Hidden In Harper Valley is available in paperback and Kindle formats at Amazon. If you get a copy and read it, a review on Amazon would be greatly appreciated even if it is just to fill in a few stars. The reviews really help.

Now, on to the next in my Casey Stengel series...

What's Up With The Snowbirds?

 My blog has been a bit neglected but I have a good excuse. I am finally nearing the finish of my next novel, Hidden In Harper Valley. I'll give you a hint with a question: What would you do if you suddenly had millions of dollars but your life was in danger?

My other excuses have to do with continuing to explore with our Florida grandkids. Life has been busy. 

Have you ever been on a chocolate walk? Thanks to our daughter-in-law who messaged me the information, we were able to have a great evening in historical downtown Venice. We went early and had dinner at the Crow's Nest which had a beautiful view of an inlet from the gulf. Afterward we walked down to the jetty and joined the crowd watching a beautiful sunset. Then it was on to the chocolate walk.

The chocolate walk took place between five and eight and by the time we got there around 6:30, many of the shops were out of chocolate. Still we managed to score some delicious chunks including a couple of Godiva chocolates as well as a taste of rich hot chocolate from an ice cream shop where we also got our dessert, creamy ice cream. 

There have been some lovely sunset evenings at Maxine Barritt Park about twenty minutes or so from where we are staying. It is amazing how many people flock to the Sharkey's Restaurant pier to see the sunset but the park right next to it is mostly empty with a whole beach in front of it to watch the sunset. We find a little spot where there is a bench and a break in the sea grape trees and brush and relax as we watch the colors in the sky turn from bight yellows to pinks to purples and sometimes come ablaze with oranges as well.

After a lunch with friends from home who actually have become residents of Florida, we met our son and his family for a walk through the MOTE Marine Laboratory & Aquarium in Sarasota. It's one of their favorite places to visit and they were eager to show us around. We got quite a tour.

The aquarium was a pleasant drive from where we had lunch and took us over a huge bridge that spanned the narrow part of Sarasota Bay. It was a nice sunny day and while some are complaining about the cool weather here, I'm happy with sun and days that start in the upper 50s and climb to the 70s.

While we waited for our kids to arrive, we took a little time to explore the bird sanctuary that is right next to the aquarium. It is free--donations encouraged--and a very pleasant walk around to see the birds they are caring for, some who will return to the wild and others whose injuries will make them permanent residents. We found spoonbills which are always a delight to see.

Once the rest of the family arrived, we entered the aquarium and began our visit. There was quite a variety of marine life both large and small. Lots of research going on here. Some is visible, like the jelly fish reproductive area. Much goes on behind the scenes. 

The aquarium is expanding and building another facility near I-75. With all the spreading development in Florida there is a concerned effort to protect the natural beauty and environment of the state. Hopefully they will succeed because the rich abundant wildlife and marine life are absolutely worth preserving.

Part of the aquarium is located across the street in a separate building where there is a manatee and a huge shark tank. The only alligator we saw was the sculpture we passed in a hallway on the way out. Of course there always has to be one clown in the group. Neither she nor the sculpture were harmed. 

And between all this activity, pickleball, card games, writing and discovering new restaurants to sample, we managed to finish the jigsaw puzzle we purchased at Biltmore and start another.

Marine Lab and County Fair

 The weather is not the only thing that draws us to Florida each winter. It is an opportunity to be close to grandkids and to be a small part of their lives. Our oldest who are in high school have the unique experience of taking marine biology courses and becoming part of a marine biology group at school.

The school is amazing in all of that they do. There is also a performing arts group and lovely theater where we've been able to see a production already. The granddaughter who will be in high school next year is already part of that group and loves costume designing.

Getting back to the marine lab. We were able to attend an open house at the school lab. It is a huge lab (and classroom) with several large tanks and many individual smaller ones which are assigned one to each student to maintain. The school is licensed to collect from the bay area near them and they have a nice variety of fishes and other marine life on hand to study.

The large tanks include a "touch tank" with animals such as a starfish that you can actually touch--much like a touch tank in aquariums or at marine parks. Another large tank is home to several sting rays. 

The lab and its instructor who is a marine biologist (naturally) is a great opportunity for learning to appreciate the marine environment that is a big part of Florida. Whether it produces more marine scientists or not, it will certainly produce adults who care about their surrounding ecology. So grateful that our kids can be a part of it.

Our other venture into Florida culture was to visit the county fair. We haven't been to a fair in quite a while and with the cool temperatures, it was a perfect day for it--or evening as the case was. The fair was only open during the day on weekends and then from five to ten on the weekdays. 

It was not as big as some of ours are in Ohio but it had all the components that make up a fair--animals, agricultural and craft displays, rides and of course, fair food. 

We walked past cages of chickens and roosters, some fancier than others. I was surprised to find a couple of pheasants. I've never seen a pheasant at a fair before. There was a row of bunnies. There were plenty of ooos and ahhhs as people walked that row. Bunnies will do that to you.

In a large barn were rows of pigs. No ooos and ahhs but plenty of comments of how much they weighed. Most were just under 300 pounds. Lots of bacon!

The steers were outside in a covered coral probably to be sure they didn't get overheated in the Florida sun although heat hasn't been much of a problem since we've been here.

Well, after seeing the bacon and steaks, we were getting hungry so we perused the fair food offerings. There were a lot of repeats of the same food but we settled on a place that had some tables set up where we could sit and eat. Bob ordered a well done cheeseburger and I got a Polish sausage with onions and peppers. The fries only came in one size and one order was more than the two of us could eat. Add a bottle of water and our total cost for dinner at the fair was $40! Dessert was two caramel apples that we carried home to eat.

The rides area was the busiest of the whole fairgrounds. We watched a few and reminisced about the days when we could ride and enjoy. Now, we'd be afraid we wouldn't be able to stand up after them. The ferris wheel was tempting though but we passed.

Pickleball, the hand and foot card game, Bible study, church, a jigsaw puzzle, long walks and the occasional race after dinner to the beach which is about 25 minutes away to catch the sunset fill our days. We've only had a couple of days that were pool worthy but for me, I've enjoyed the temps in the upper 60s and middle 70s along with low humidity. Kind of like spring in the north.

Exploring Venice (Florida not Italy)

 Entering our villa in the Gran Paridiso community was relatively easy. We arrived a little early but when we contacted our leasing agent, she quickly gave us the entrance information we needed to move in. Gran Paridiso is a gated community in what we thought was Venice, FL but it turned out to actually be in North Port. The zip code assigned is for Venice but they pay their taxes to North Port who provides the city services. 

It took a little organization in learning what was and what wasn't in the villa as far as supplies went. In Key Largo's condo, there were always some condiments and lots of cleaning supplies. There was only a small smattering of cleaning supplies (no rags to use) and absolutely nothing in the super clean refrigerator/freezer. Oh wait! There were ice cubes. 

Lake Jervy

Wellen Park is a developing community only about a mile and a half away and has a Publix, as well as several restaurants, a Great Clips and a nail salon. And for Bob, the all important Ace Hardware. He can always find something to tinker with. We hit the Publix and did a major shopping trip for the absolute necessities. Over the next week, we'd find more things we needed and hopefully will get all used up before we leave in March. If not, our kids who are not far away can expect a windfall of leftovers. 

The all important pickleball courts were our next adventure. Gran Paridiso has six permanent courts and two that are flexible. It's not much different than back home where rules are a bit loose for rotation time on the court but for the most part, it works well and we were welcomed in. Pickleball people are usually very friendly no matter where you play.

Always smiling

The pool is huge but it does have to serve a community of 2,000 homes. We could only look at it for the first week since the temperatures were not conducive to swimming. Getting in would not be bad. It's heated.  Getting out would be a chilly run for cover. 

There is a nice gym with saunas as well. In the same center, there is a craft room and card room with two billiard tables. We found a group that plays hand and foot cards (Wisconsin style) every Tuesday and learned a few new rules and strategies. In the building that houses the offices and a huge lounge area, there is also a library full of books. 

Sharky's pier

The beaches of Venice are about twenty-five minutes from us. We found a place called Sharkey's that has a pier reaching out into the water where many people stroll and/or fish. The beach is known for finding shark's teeth and one warmer day we saw lots of kids with screen scoops searching the sand for good finds. 

Next to Sharkey's however, was a beautiful park and we enjoyed exploring and finding places where we could watch sunsets in the future. Our first couple of weeks were a bit cloudy, rainy and some days, downright cold. But it didn't snow!

Before leaving home, we had done a little research online to find a church to attend. We happened upon a group called The Church at Wellen Park which is five minutes from our villa and is a start-up church that meets at a small college campus. When we were first married, we were members of a start-up church. This has brought back fond memories. It's a nice congregation who are very friendly and welcoming. 

The campus of the college has a natural habitat in the middle of the acreage. It is a large lake named after a professor, Lake Jervy. There are some herons and other cranes that can be observed as well as a few alligators of course. The trail around the lake is pleasant to walk and we've visited several times already.

Gran Paridiso is not without nice places to walk and I have often walked from the community center back to the villa (about a mile) past several ponds. The interesting walk however is when Bob and I go the other direction to the two ponds by the back entrance near our villa. There are a couple of resident alligators there who come out when the sun shines. Oh and some very brave birds that dot the shoreline.

Big Hank

While the villa does not have the beautiful view that the Key Largo condo did, it is close to lots of interesting places, not to mention about twenty minutes away from our kids. We've already had a football watch party, a swim excursion, an evening with the conservatory they are part of that educated us on sawfish. One evening we were able to join them for a play at their high school and look forward to going to an open house for the marine lab they are involved with at their school. 

We are finding great places to eat including two that are on the Myakka River not far from us. One of them features BBQ and the best brisket I've had in a long time. Not sure about the alligator meat although they do have two very large stuffed alligators that decorate the indoors. Then there's the restaurant that we ate at just by chance with a spaghetti sauce that outdoes Olive Garden by far. Of course we had to find a Saturday breakfast spot. We found two. One which is similar to our favorite back home and another that is a pleasant alternative.

Sandhill crane

On Sundays, there is a farmer's market at what's called Wellen Park Downtown. It is a cluster of restaurants and big central area where live music is scheduled on weekends. My guess is this will be the center of all the development planned for the area. So far at the farmer's market we've found some nice veggies, strawberries and Bob's favorite bread and butter pickles and my favorite, soft pretzels.

A big find for Bob is a local ham radio club and they have invited him to join in on their winter field day. 

One of the things unique to this area are the sandhill cranes. They are about four feet tall when they stand up straight. The ones in Gran Paridiso don't seem to be afraid at all of people. The one I managed a picture of walked part of the way next to me on my morning stroll back  to the the villa from pickleball. 

We have only made a dent in the places to explore around here. We have plenty of time left for more great finds.

The Rest of Our Migration

Originally our migration south was to follow our usual route of home to Dobson, NC, to Fernandina Beach, FL, to our new destination in Venice, FL. Unfortunately when Bob tried to book our usual Hampton just off of I77 in Dobson, there were no vacancies. Unusual because we were booking months in advance. He booked our second choice, the Hampton in Mount Airy. He continued to book our stays and restaurant choices (we have some favorites) and paid ahead making them impossible to cancel.

Of course then he decided we needed to do something more with the Christmas season and we found the information for Christmas at Biltmore. That meant that after our Biltmore visit, we would have to backtrack a bit to Mount Airy for our stay there.

Mount Airy is Andy Griffith's hometown. It is Mayberry for all intents and purposes. Stores full of Mayberry themed products dot the downtown streets. We did a great tour on our own a few years ago and I posted about it. You can find it here: Mayberry USA.

It was still very cold and a bit windy so a lot of exploring in Mayberry was not going to happen. We were hungry when we arrived and sought out a place to eat. Where we parked was close to Barney's Cafe so we ducked in there. Lots of good choices on the menu that struck a chord with us. I ordered a PBJ with fruit cup and Bob got a grilled cheese sandwich, his favorite. It's a tiny cafe but very nostalgic.

We visited a couple of stores and then retreated to our hotel room for the rest of the afternoon. Dinner was at our favorite boutique restaurant at the Shelton Vineyards, Harvest Grill. We sat by a crackling fireplace and enjoyed a delicious meal.

On to Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island. Our favorite little French restaurant has been changed to a more contemporary restaurant and we had to sit outside on the patio with the aid of area heaters to keep us warm. It was New Year's Eve and they were busy.  The plan was to walk down to the marina and watch the shrimp drop (a giant lighted shrimp they drop from a big crane). Unfortunately we didn't realize the drop wasn't at midnight. It was at seven o'clock followed by fireworks. We did get to see the fireworks. The early hour for the drop and fireworks explained why there were so many kids around to celebrate.

We arrived at Gran Paradiso in Venice the afternoon of New Year's Day and after a phone call to the management rental company, we received our information to get into our villa. The villa is lovely but we have given up our wonderful view of the Florida Bay for grass and shrubs but we are closer to where our kids now live. The things you do for grandkids.....

Exploring Biltmore--The Conservatory

 There have been many indoor garden displays that we have explored but I think this is my favorite. The conservatory sits inside the walled garden. At first we thought it wasn't open until ten and we had arrived at nine when the Biltmore app said it was open. There didn't seem to be any activity, few cars in the parking lot and from the back of it, it didn't look open.

We shivered as we walked around to the front thinking if it was closed, we'd explore the garden area inside the wall and hope the wind wasn't as sharp there. 

The garden is probably quite beautiful at other times of the year but winter was not kind. Roses had lost their blooms and it was difficult to tell what the other plants were since they were in their dormant stage. 

We walked through the arbor that runs down the center of the walled garden but just as we were about to give up and sit in the car for a bit, we noticed other people arriving. A try of the front door rewarded us with entry.

Given the Christmas season, there were plenty of poinsettias, some I've never seen before. Back home, during the season, many poinsettias are artificially colored and its obvious. Here, there were several that were variegated. Some were a yellow green and I saw one that was a purplish color. None looked artificially colored. 

Larger shrubs and trees, including a lemon tree and several orange trees, must have been there for a long time. Some of them had extremely large roots and I wondered how the horticulturalists kept them contained in the walled sections where they grew.

Lots of gorgeous orchids were dotted through out the several exhibit rooms. Again, some colors and shapes that I've never seen before.

Blooming plants and foliage were fascinating, unusual and, when the sun emerged, were caught in the spotlight of sun beams through the glass windows. 

Before I forget, I do need to mention that the conservatory dates back to 1895, the year that the Vanderbilts moved in. It was a collaboration of George Vanderbilt, Frederick Law Olmsted (the estate's landscape architect) and Richard Morris Hunt (the mansion's architect).

There are more gardens to explore to one side of the front of the mansion but with the cold weather, we were done once we left the warmth of the conservatory.

I need to mention as well that there are all sorts of hiking trails that wind around the estate where you can take in the beautiful rolling fields, shaded forested areas and ponds and lakes. 

Lots to see but we had miles to go yet before reaching Florida. Hopefully it would be warmer.

Meanwhile, enjoy the pictures. I couldn't stop taking them.