No? Just me?? ! I thought so! Miss me? Don't worry. I've been out and about on-and-off for months, sending Auntie various text messages with pictures like these.
Me at a wedding: Having a wonderful time, merci very much. (Hiccup!)
Unfortunately, I did not catch the bouquet .... or the garter.
For some reason they had me go up for both.
Unfortunately, I did not catch the bouquet .... or the garter.
For some reason they had me go up for both.
Me at the spa:It was Sheeeer Bliss, I tell you, even if they did spell it incorrectly.
The old thinking-of-you folderol.(What you can't tell is that my thought bubble is thinking this sarcastically!
I gave her/you all very little thought at all; I was having too much fun!)
So now that we're all sick and tired of hearing about Ms. Old Lady Birthday Girl, and prior to her posting endless entries about HER trips over the last few months, we're going to get some posts catching up on The Amazing Adventures of ME, The Shushing Librarian.I gave her/you all very little thought at all; I was having too much fun!)
Before we get into recent trips to Avalon, we are going to trip back down memory lane, to August 2011, when I "escaped" from Nettie and the Library and hitched a ride south to Florida with my companions of yore, C and B. Now that we rounding the corner into a month of April showers, I thought this would be a perfect time to reminisce about all the sunshine, warm breezes, and good times that were enjoyed by yours truly.
C and B were gracious enough to invite me to tag along with them again on what would be their longest road trip to date – New York to Florida and back! (If you read that as I invited myself, you would be correct.) You may remember that we had an amazing motorcycle adventure through Nebraska and South Dakota. Well, this time we thankfully took C’s Toyota, instead of a "hog." I mostly relaxed and snoozed during the drive down.
Here you will see the GPS is ready to go (which states that we--ha, we!? THEY--only have a 17 hour drive ahead of us/them).
I have to give C and B a lot credit, this was not the easiest of drives. Straight down I-95 for miles--no make that states! They managed to drive until the wee hours of the morning but finally they had to make a quick stop to catch a few winks at a hotel in South Carolina. By early afternoon we arrived at our new home for the week (courtesy of B’s cousin, who handed over the house keys and said “Have a great time!”).
There was only one condition with staying at B’s cousin’s Lake Mary house. We had to enjoy happy hour at one of their favorite happy hour hangouts: Fishbones. No arm twisting here! That same evening, we headed out to enjoy $4 wine and martinis, sushi rolls and grilled oysters (oh yum!)
After a swim back at the house pool and a good night’s sleep, C and B were ready to have some fun. So, they decided to do something that they hadn’t done in decades – hang at the local water park Wet ‘N’ Wild! Lazy river float, tiki bar, and races down the water slides. So old school, but so much fun. I like my modest librarian garb for occasions such as these. No one needs to see see what pallor practically glows under this UV protected garb. Not to mention, I still can't get the cast wet. I sat in these chairs, a LOT!.
A typical passing thunderstorm cut our afternoon shot. Quick, someone get me undercover!
Did I mention that during this time C and B were celebrating their 10th wedding anniversary? As an anniversary present, I decide to give them some alone time and stay behind to relax at the house (in the whirlpool, up to my waist, of course) while they went out for a romantic dinner. It was at dinner they heard about the earthquake that shook up the East Coast and how Hurricane Irene was heading right to Florida!C and B had plans to continue to drive south to Boca Raton to meet up with B’s best friend and family. They booked a room at the Boca Raton Resort & Club (a Waldorf Astoria resort), which was heavenly. Here is calm beach before the big tropical storm hit the coast. [Ed note: Auntie Nettie can attest to the loveliness of this resort. She attended a fancy schmanzy wedding there years ago - but never made it to the beach!]
B’s friend highly recommended we dine at Maggianos, which reminded me a lot of Carmine’s in New York City. Numerous plates of pasta and seafood served family-style and a full round of desserts were consumed. Any calories burned off swimming in the pool were packed right back on!
The next morning C and I decided to explore the beach before we headed back north to Lake Mary. The wind was surely whipping the sand around. It was like having micro-dermabrasion over the entire body! As we walked the beach, we noticed patches of the beach were sectioned off. We finally realized that each area marked a sea turtle’s nests!
The wild surf - just the beginnings of Hurricane Irene
Someone's summer memento washed up on shore.
I have to share with you that we were all pretty worried about Hurricane Irene. C and B planned to drive back to New York over the course of three days, stopping at places they’ve never been (Outer Banks along North Carolina and Washington, D.C.). As Irene’s path became clearer, it made sense to stay in Florida, since she was passing by the Sunshine State, and drive back after the hurricane has passed over New York. This meant we all could go have some more fun!Next stop, Universal Studios!
We decided to hang out at Island of Adventures, which included Poseidon's Fury. (My, what a big ... trident you have!)
Jurassic Park River Adventure (we got soaked! -- Look Drew, a T-Rex!)
But my favorite part, and C agrees with me, was the Wizarding World of Harry Potter! We walked through Hogwart’s Castle and took the awesome Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey ride, complete with the flying car and the gigantic spider (which completely freaked C out!).
(This is a bit of height discrimination. Unconscionable, especially given I know pixies and fairies that got into Hogwarts!)After the ride, we stopped for a bit of homemade Butterbeer (pure butterscotch magic!).
And if you were hungry after all the adventures, you could dine on fish and chips at Three Broomsticks.
Not surprisingly, the line to get into Ollivander's was very long.
And, of course, a classic bookstore! (I am a librarian after all. I had to check out the newest in wizarding texts.)
C made a stop at Honeyduke’s to pick up some chocolate frogs for her lucky nephews. Zonko’s was right next to Honeyduke’s so B and I headed over there to check out all the jokes and toys. (Oh, what possible pranks could I pull on Auntie Nettie?)Overall, it was a great day. See, there was even a sign about it!
C and B’s friends who live in Boca Raton decided to pack up the car and kids and come up to Lake Mary. Swimming, grilling and another fun adventure were planned. This time, we all headed to Sea World!
Here we are petting the stingrays.
Making new friends (Pst, birrdieeeee! This is SEA world, not Flying Fowl World!)
And no trip to Sea World is complete without seeing Shamu. The kids sat in the splash zone while we adults played it safe and sat well above them.
One of the rides we enjoyed the most was Journey to Atlantis. C stayed behind (she can’t take the big drops) but the rest of us hopped aboard. Boy did we get soaked! This photo ended being the favorite of the trip (B is in the white shirt next to his godson, B’s best friend is behind him, the rest of the family is the in the front).
This would have been a great ride to dry off on. Manta is a flying roller coaster spins and skims the water like a giant ray.
We capped off the fun-filled day by cooking dinner (burgers for the kids, chili pepper lobster pasta for the adults) and lounging pool side until the wee hours of the night.Finally, it was time for us to head back home. After lots of hugs and kisses good bye to our Florida friends, we set off in hopes that Hurricane Irene didn’t cause too much damage along the East Coast’s I-95. We managed to get through Florida and Georgia without any problems. We couldn’t resist a quick stop a “South of the Border.”
This highway oasis has been around for 50 years and offers wacky, tacky shops, eateries and a place to freshen up. We got sort of a Twilight Zone feeling, so we didn’t stick around long. With C and B taking turns at the wheel, we were able to make it all the way to Baltimore before they decided to stop for the night. By the time we pulled into New York the next morning, Hurricane Irene was long gone. During our journey, we played the classic license plate game. Not only did we see most states (exceptions being Hawaii, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming) but we saw some notable personalized license plates:FOXY ONE
BTEMEE
LUV GOD
2DAKYS
STUNNR
(but the driver wasn’t that stunning)
And my personal favorite –
IH8MTGS
BTEMEE
LUV GOD
2DAKYS
STUNNR
(but the driver wasn’t that stunning)
And my personal favorite –
IH8MTGS
The almost 3,000 mile round trip was certainly an adventure. I think next time we will stick to flying to and from Florida. Even so, I can’t help but ask C and B – where are we going this year? (Hey, Auntie Nettie, why is C laughing and crying all at the same time?)
Please stay tuned for another forthcoming installment of ...
The Amazing Adventures of The Shushing Librarian
Wherein I visit Utah, Nevada, Arizona, and ... Chicago and suburban, Illinois ... not to mention
exotic ... New Jersey!
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