To celebrate Adele's graduation from BYU in August, we went to dinner at Victoria & Albert's at the Grand Floridian in Disney World on Thursday night.
We each received a personalized menu as a keepsake. The dinner consisted of six courses. We had from two to six selections for each course. I went there with Mia and Gina four years ago this month. Now it was Adele's turn!
I picked Adele up around noon on Thursday and we drove over to Downtown Disney to hang around. We didn't want to spoil our dinner, so we ate some 'healthy' snacks. Although we did go into Ghirardelli a couple times to get some free samples!
There was this pumpkin patch along the way. It was nothing but sincerity as far as the eye can see!
This dragon is made of Legos!
Hanging out in the lobby before dinner. . .
Christian, the piano player, took our picture.
Looking up at the ceiling in the grand lobby.
With the chandelier . . .
Time to head into the restaurant!
There was a band playing in the area in the background.
After we were seated, one of the staff brought a 'tuffet' to set my camera on. He also brought a hook, kind of like the stocking hangers for the mantle at Christmas time, to hang Adele's purse on.
The dinner was elegant. To not spoil the mood, I didn't take any pictures of each course, although I wanted to so badly! We decided to hold the visual memories in our minds and hearts!
That is . . . all except for the dessert! We both selected the Tanzanie Chocolate Pyramid with a Champagne-Chambord Truffle. YUM!!!
After dinner. Adele was presented with a rose and a nut bread.
Standing on the second floor balcony, we spotted Mrs. Potts in the floor below!
It was such a beautiful night that we decided to walk around the grounds of the Grand Floridian.
Standing near the fountain. We didn't want to leave!
The moon looked full, or close to it!
One of the pool areas near the hotel.
From the beach near the hotel.
We took a boat ride from the Grand Floridian to the Polynesian Resort, and over to the Magic Kingdom and back again.
On Friday morning we headed over to Park Avenue in Winter Park and had brunch at the Briar Patch.
It was soooooo good!
Whole wheat pancakes with blueberries and pecans!
I'm off to Disney World! Adele and I will be spending a couple of days together just hanging out.
We will be going to dinner at
Victoria and Albert's at the Grand Floridian to celebrate Adele's graduation from BYU. Mia and Gina and I ate there four years ago this month, and now it's time for Adele to have our Daddy Daughter Dinner Date!
Watch for further posts!
The Fresh Market opened up yesterday in St Pete. It's very close to me. In fact, it's closer than Publix, my usual grocery market. I got out of work at 2 pm, so decided to stop on my way home. The place was naturally packed, and I still think the parking lot is way too small. Many cars were parked along the side streets. I know it will calm down, but the lot still is small!
I had a very hard time not wanting to buy one of everything. There were plenty of samples, so I did leave far from hungry. I'm afraid I see a lot more visits there . . .
Arnt invited us over to his condo on the southern tip of Treasure Island. He has a balcony with a beautiful view of Sunset Beach and the Gulf of Mexico. Dinner, the sunset, a beautiful breeze off the Gulf, and watching the Rays loss to Texas.
View of the walk to his unit.
This is the view looking south towards St Pete Beach and the Don Cesar.
This is the view looking north on Sunset Beach
Starting off with a little vino.
The living room seating area.
Dredging to replenish the beaches.
Sunset Rich
Birds flying by on lower center left.
This is my fourth October living in Florida. This past week there definitely was a change in the air. The summer humidity was suddenly gone. Our daytimes have reached the low 80s and our nights have been in the low 70s, with an occasional dip into the high 60s. Autumn decorations are appearing more and more on homes, and Panera has switched to the Golden Harvest Salad! It's inevitable!
But my thoughts also go to past Octobers in the Albany area where I was born and grew up and spent most of my life. I'm re-posting some pictures from my last October in Albany. These pictures were taken more towards the end of October when Mia and Gina visited me. Each year on the Columbus Day Weekend, our family would go apple picking. These pictures were taken on our last visit to Indian Ladder Farms. It was a very cold day as you can see by our clothes. But that made the visit to the store and cafe that much better!
Yesterday I attempted to buy some cider donuts at the local Publix bakery, but the girl looked at me like I had two heads and said, "That must be a North thing." I sighed and said, "I guess."
But . . . on the other side, it's nice to spend much of this weekend outdoors. Friday night I joined some friends to play three games of shuffleboard. And there were no people with blue hair there! Friday nights is a big time there with lots of young people, birthday celebrations and music. On Saturday morning I took a walk to the Saturday Morning Market in downtown St Pete. It runs from the first weekend in October thru the last weekend in May. And on Saturday night I went over to friends house for a cookout and to watch the ball games. And this afternoon will be spent on the beach. Although I miss the hot cocoa and the warm cider donuts, I'm not missing that colder weather!
Apples picked, ready for some hot chocolate and cider donuts!
My plate from the Saturday night backyard bar-b-que at Pete's and Joe's.
My son Joe is a free lance cinematographer. I'm very proud of him and all that he is and has done so far in his career. He recently has been involved in a project about beer, and that has led him to travel around the world. Good news just released: the show, Brew Masters, will premier on the Discovery Channel on November 21 at 10:00 pm. Tune in with beer in hand!
This photo is from his Shockwave Darkside project. It's a 3-D movie that takes place on the moon.
This photo is either from The Crimson Mask or Sweet Lorraine. Not sure. I get confused easily . . . comes with age! :-)
And this is from the Brothers on The Line documentary, about the Reuthers brothers who founded the UAW.
The weather has been absolutely beautiful this past weekend. Noticeable drop in humidity, cool breezes and cooler nights. It has been a very busy week with work and other activities. I participated in a yard sale this past Saturday morning at Crescent Lake Park, about 7 blocks west of my apartment. It was a fund raiser for the Youth Department in St Pete. There were activities for children, live music and a bar-b-que bake off. Around a hundred booths were arranged around the park. I had a great location underneath a couple shade trees. There was a nice breeze all morning. Although I didn't have a lot to sell, I did get rid of most of what I brought and dropped what remained in the Good Will bins that were there at the end, not far from my booth. I had a little fun with my signage . . .
When I got back to my apartment, I was exhausted and took a 2 hour nap! Lou called me around 6 pm to see if I had any dinner plans, which I hadn't, so we met at one of the Vietnamese restaurants on 34th Street. We ordered an appetizer and 3 entrees and split them. It was a feast, with leftovers for us both!
Sunset Rich
But my thoughts also go to past Octobers in the Albany area where I was born and grew up and spent most of my life. I'm re-posting some pictures from my last October in Albany. These pictures were taken more towards the end of October when Mia and Gina visited me. Each year on the Columbus Day Weekend, our family would go apple picking. These pictures were taken on our last visit to Indian Ladder Farms. It was a very cold day as you can see by our clothes. But that made the visit to the store and cafe that much better! 
When I got back to my apartment, I was exhausted and took a 2 hour nap! Lou called me around 6 pm to see if I had any dinner plans, which I hadn't, so we met at one of the Vietnamese restaurants on 34th Street. We ordered an appetizer and 3 entrees and split them. It was a feast, with leftovers for us both!
