Scenes of Central Florida

We had an uneventful flight to Orlando, drove away in our rented car and arrived in Maitland in time for lunch! We had a great lunch at a place called Sam Snead's. It was so good that we went back again on Monday before we left. We usually take photos of interesting electrical configurations on our vacations and this was no exception... it is Orlando after all!

It was a bit chilly for Florida, but still warm enough to run in shorts and a tee shirt. So I did. I ran 3 miles the day we arrived, slowing down a few times to recover. But then a couple of days later when I went out for 4 miles, I was able to complete the run without slowing down mid-run. So I think I am going to be able to do this! I suppose I should get up to 6 miles before I commit to triathlons this year, but don't want to wait too long and get shut out of registration.

I sent the registration for the Pedal Across Lower Michigan ride for myself, my cousin Kat, and 9-year old grandson. Still have not heard if we're in, and registration is closed. Gotta act fast on these things!

Back to Florida. We were invited to a small get together with the family on Friday night, and then the wedding on Saturday. The wedding took place in an outdoor chapel at the Maitland Art Center, built in the Mayan style. It is reminiscent of Chichen-Itza but without the sacrificial altars and pyramid. It was a wonderful small wedding, with the bride (Rachel) walking up the aisle with their 2 year old son Ethan. We took photos of just about everyone there, and then all went to a great Italian restaurant for dinner. The waiters kept the wine glasses full, and the food was excellent.

On Sunday Bill and I drove over to the Tampa area to visit my friend Dianne, and she took us to see the manatees, and then we went to the Sponge Docks. The Sponge Docks area is a greek enclave, established in the early 1900s when there was a blight on Mediterranean sponges and the sponge divers relocated to Tarpon Springs for their livelihood. We passed by several greek restaurants whose owners were out on the sidewalk trying to pull us into their establishments. We walked on to Mykenos to wait in line for a table. The food was excellent! Afterward we went to a greek bakery and had dessert and coffee.

Monday we had to be out of the room by 11 AM, so we checked out and spent several hours at the hotel pool since our flight did not leave until 7 PM. What a great weekend!