It’s All About Passover, April 2015

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Passover fell right at the beginning of April this year, and much of our activities during the month of March were devoted to hunting, gathering, and preparing all the diverse items that are needed to pull off two relatively large kosher seders and a week’s worth of three-plus-meals-a-day for the nine-plus people staying with us for the week. In the “wilds” of Orlando, that was no easy feat, but it all worked out beautifully. Because Izzy had been rehearsing for a musical at school which took place the evening before the first seder, the kids were not able to help out at all with the prep this year. They got in their packed car immediately after the show, stopped in DC to drop off Alex’s mom, Elaine, at his sister Naomi’s house, and drove here straight through the night, arriving at about 1:00 p.m. a few hours before the seder. Also, Ari and Beth did not arrive until the Thursday evening before the first seder. We picked up Ari at Orlando International Airport just in time for him to have his fill of Southern barbecue at Fat Boys in Kissimmee. Did I mention that the seders were on Shabbat this year, making it necessary to have all the cooking preparations for both seders done ahead of time?

Helping through all this, was our friend, Larry, who came the week before and spent three weeks with us. Ken and Randi were a big help also this year, a luxury we did not have last year before they moved down here. I was hindered by a nasty cold and cough, which I caught right as the preparations began, but I am proud to say that I was so fanatic about not spreading it that no one else, including Saul, caught it even though it hung on for about 10 days. Our efforts were aided this year by not having to order online from a very expensive kosher supplier. During Purim services and the following Shabbat, our Rabbi, Hillel Skolnik, mentioned that the Winn-Dixie near our synagogue was stocking a large variety of glatt kosher meats, dairy products, wines, and grocery items to accommodate the Jewish community of Orlando (thankfully too, kosher for Passover pareve margarine for my baking needs). While we were delighted to be able to stock up on the needed provisions because of their interest, we had a situation with our turkey that soured our experience. They ordered a particularly large turkey at our request. When we came to pick it up, we were told the price was $4.89 per lb. making the turkey over $85. When Saul noticed and pointed out to the manager that the other smaller kosher turkeys in the case were $2.79 per pound, he immediately called someone over to remove them all from the case to mark them up to $4.89 also. We put back the large turkey and took two smaller ones before they removed them to mark them up. Later, we had the reverse situation at the Publix near Orange Lake. They had a 21-lb. frozen turkey in the case that was marked $4.29 per pound next to their sign advertising kosher turkeys at $2.79 per pound. When Saul pointed out the discrepancy to the manager, he immediately took the 21-lb. turkey and marked it down for us, saving us almost $40. We appreciated the interest of the Winn-Dixie, but guess where I will be shopping for everything other than kosher esoterica?

Saul and I had some fun together before the whole prep thing started. We, again, attended the huge, state-fair-like Strawberry Festival in Plant City, FL, where we walked for hours on a very hot day and sampled some of the street food available from the dozens of vendors there. We really lucked out by finding a legal parking spot just a few blocks from the entrance in front of the elementary school. On my birthday, one of Saul’s former colleagues, Lauren B. was in Orlando for a conference. We picked her up at her hotel, spent a few hours schmoozing at our home, and then dined together at the wonderful Grand Floridian Café. After dinner, we grabbed the Disney monorail at the hotel and made a circuit around the parks. We wound up viewing the Magic Kingdom fireworks from just outside the gate, a good area to view them, while Lauren struck up a conversation with an Orlando police officer assigned as a Disney security person about the prison systems in the Orlando environs, her area of expertise. Afterward, we hopped the Resort Launch back to the hotel, and we were able to view the entire Electric Water Pageant on the way. Saul and I had never before seen the whole flotilla. We also had a few days to enjoy the opening of Disney’s annual Flower and Garden Festival at Epcot with its accompanying weekend concerts and international kiosks offering small bites and libations from around the world. Saul had deferred his jury duty until March 9, and we were nervous about whether he would be placed on a long-term case. He really lucked out in that the circumstances were such that he only spent two days at the courthouse in Bartow. He was selected for a jury on the one day, and the case was settled by 3:00 p.m. on the second day. One of his fellow jurors recommended a solar electric company, and we interviewed two different companies about installing both solar water heating for the pool, and also photovoltaic systems for the whole house. Both were extremely expensive and we fear the technology will soon be changing dramatically, so we nixed both ideas. We did, however, decide to switch our chlorine-based pool to a salt-water pool. If we had known how easily, reasonably, and quickly this was accomplished, we would have done it as soon as we moved in. Swimming in a salt water pool is so much better on so many levels—hair, skin, and eyes are happier, the pool water seems much more sparkling and clean, it is more buoyant, and the awful chlorine smell is gone.

Ken and Randi, their new friends Meta and Mario, and Saul and I had the brilliant idea of going to Devenney’s, a nearby Irish pub for dinner on St. Patrick’s Day, but (surprise!) found it so crowded and serving only drinks and bar food, that we looked for another alternative, which turned out to be Ay Jalisco. So on St. Patrick’s day, we had very good Mexican food in an uncrowded setting. Perhaps we should consider revisiting Devenney’s on Cinco de Mayo! :o) Also with Ken and Randi, after an evening walk around Epcot, we revisited the lounge at Blue Zoo for late night snacks. That Friday night, for Shabbat dinner, I baked my last set of challahs before Passover, and made kasha and bowties in advance of our friend Larry coming to stay for a few weeks. On Saturday, after services and a quick lunch at home, we hied over to the Magic Kingdom to watch my cousin Alan’s daughter, Emily, march down Main Street, as the cymbalist with her high school band in advance of the Festival of Fantasy Parade. Each time we are in the Magic Kingdom, Saul and I collect a free set of sorceror’s cards for the girls so that they can activate higher levels of the game each time they play. We had parked at the Grand Floridian that day and when we returned to pick up our car, we viewed the exquisite collection of giant edible Easter eggs on display there.

On March 24, we picked up our friend, Larry, at Tampa airport. We think he finally had enough Southern barbecue because he suggested that we have dinner at Sweet Tomatoes, a desire we were happy to indulge. We spent a day or two in the parks with Larry before Saul and Larry spent a day being soaked by a driving Florida rain at the Phillies vs. Yankees Spring Training game in Clearwater. The Phillies lost, badly. I was very happy to stay at home! We began the arduous task of kashering the kitchen for Passover on Saturday night after Shabbat HaGadol. By Sunday evening, the kitchen was ready for the serious cooking to begin. We were having 13 guests the first night, and 11 the second. This year, our guests were Larry and Adele, Beth, Ari, Ken and Randi, Jess, Alex, Sami, Izzy, and Yona. Adele and Larry did not join us the second night, as usual. Since we had a full house sleeping in, Beth roomed with Ken and Randi this year. I had developed a daily schedule for completing all the dishes I wanted to make for the seders and beyond, and happily, despite my miserable cold, everything was delicious and went almost according to schedule. We ate out a lot during that week while we prepared for Passover. The asparagus in Florida was skinny and tough-looking this year, so we steamed the beautiful Brussels sprouts we get in Florida to replace them. This made certain of our guests very happy. (You know who you are!) We actually used two of the frozen turkeys I had bought during the holiday. Jess and Alex came loaded with Passover provisions for the week that we could not find here, in addition to various types of produce leftover from their C.S.A.

Considering the logistics involved and the last-minute nature of everyone’s arrival from all over the globe, it all came together beautifully. The seders themselves were stress-free, beautiful, delicious, and enjoyable beyond all expectation. We will never forget Izzy eyeing the salami hanging to dry and exclaiming, “You love me!” In the week that followed, the weather was gorgeous every day. We visited the parks during Chol HaMoed, and swam in our new salt water pool almost daily. The girl’s set up their new pin collection board, and continued their game with their sorceror’s cards at the Magic Kingdom.  While Ari and I shopped at the nearby outlet malls, the rest of the family went to see Cinderella’s golden coach featured in the new live-action movie at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. At Ari’s request, we all prepared and tried a new breakfast dish for us—shakshuka. It was a triumph! One evening, with prep from Alex, Ari took over the grill and prepared amazing tuna steaks. In an effort to get rid of some leftovers, mini hot dogs and matzoh ball dough, we invented a new hors d’oeuvre which we dubbed “Matzohball Park Franks”—a Pesach version of “pigs in the blanket.”  Towards the end, Ari and Jessica took Sami and Izzy for a day at Universal Studios and wound up getting annual passes for the four of them. They especially enjoyed the Harry Potter areas of Universal. Beth, unfortunately, could only stay for a few days, and went home on Tuesday. Towards the end of the week, Haley arrived to stay with Ken and Randi, and Randi’s sister, Lori, came with her two girls so they could all visit for a few days. The only down side was that Saul developed an ear infection the last few days that required a hospital visit to the emergency room at Celebration Hospital, and Haley caught a bad cold and sinus infection. Both were fine within a few days and after much chicken soup. On Saturday afternoon, as the holiday ended, everyone pitched in to put the kitchen back in order and pack away the Pesach things until next year. After sunset, we dropped Ari at the airport for his flight back to London, and had dinner with Jess, Alex and the girls at Sweet Tomatoes before they got on the road for the long drive home. They arrived there on Sunday afternoon around noon.

Larry was here for an additional week and we finally got to try Keke’s Breakfast Café (so good that we ate there three times, twice before, and once after the holidays) and Sundays, a nearby British pub, where the double chocolate stout and fish and chips were incredible. On the day that we returned Larry to Tampa airport, we arranged to have lunch at the 110-year-old restaurant, Columbia, in Ybor City. The menu and service were like the branch we love in Celebration, but the building, and how it has evolved, were really something to see. After dropping him at the airport, Saul and I continued on to Clearwater for a leisurely stroll down the beach. There is so much construction going on along the beach that it has completely swallowed up two of the public parking lots, so we were very happy to find our secret beach on Sand Key as accessible as ever. Just as we had received an invitation to view the previews of Cinderella, we received an invitation to view a preview of the new Disney movie coming soon—Tomorrowland. We went with Ken and Randi to see it at Epcot, in the venue where Captain Eo used to play, and we were very pleased to all receive special Tomorrowland pins for attending. Looks like it will be fun to watch!

For Ken’s birthday, we finally managed to bag reservations at California Grill at the top of the Contemporary Resort in the Magic Kingdom, by stopping in at the hotel while we were riding the monorail, and begging for them from a receptionist from the restaurant. She managed to squeeze us in at the proper time and date so that we could watch the Magic Kingdom fireworks from the special viewing deck outside on the roof. While the food on the menu seemed fairly ordinary, the actual dishes were exceptional both in flavor and presentation. The restaurant itself is truly gorgeous and sophisticated in design, with magnificent panoramic views from the floor-to-ceiling windows. In true Disney spirit, we had a “magical” evening there celebrating his birthday. The next night, we had another wonderful meal, watching sundown over our lakeside, outdoor table on the deck at Johnny’s Hideaway. All our fun has been augmented by the concert series at Epcot on the weekends. So far, we have seen, Gin Blossoms, Pablo Cruise, En Vogue, Starship, The Orchestra starring former members of ELO, The Village People (who taught us the proper way to form the letter “M” in YMCA) and The Guess Who. We have also taken advantage of $6 movies on Tuesdays at the Epic Theater in Clermont to see Cinderella (good), Divergent (awful), Woman in Gold (fantastic), and Home (terrible). We received promotional materials to see a sneak preview of The Age of Adaline for free at an AMC in Kissimmee. Saul liked it, but I was so-so.

Even though we had a great time leading up to Passover, and a great time afterward, it is difficult to see March and April as anything but the prelude and epilogue of an epic and amazing family gathering and feast.

Bragging Season in Florida

As we watch our friends and family struggling with frigid temperatures and frequent blizzards up north, we are constantly reminding ourselves how lucky we are to be able to dress in shorts, t-shirts and sandals and occasionally don bathing suits to take a dip in the pool during the months of January and February, or go to the beach whenever the mood strikes. Although the summers here are hot and humid, winter in Florida is bragging season. We have been blessed, though, with a diverting stream of visitors for the last two months, and have gone south to visit old friends as well.

A few days after Jess and the girls returned to Cherry Hill, Haley and Erik arrived along with their friends, Joe and Binky to stay with Ken and Randi for several days. Ken and Randi appear to be thriving in their new home. Saul and I met up with the four of them in the Magic Kingdom one afternoon. The following day, we met in Hollywood Studios for a delightful day at the park. We came in at the tail end of one of Disney’s marathons and watched as the exhausted runners neared the end of the race. Based on nostalgic memories, we had a passable retro dinner at the Fifties Prime Time Café, where we sat among bric-a-brac that evoked memories of childhood in our kitchens of the past. The day after that, we joined them at Epcot during an unusually long-lasting (for Florida) interval of driving rain. We had a late lunch at Le Cellier in Canada in the World Showcase, a restaurant that we had been eager to try for several years. The food was quite good and the setting was representative of the quintessential Canadian steakhouse. We sampled two different flights of Canadian wines that were very interesting. Our waitstaff was lively and efficient. As we waited, the rain subsided somewhat after lunch, and we quickly cut through the rose garden to the nearby Captain Eo attraction. While we watched the 3-D movie, the skies opened up and the crowd coming out of the building began to congregate in the sheltered exit area because the rain and strong wind was just so intimidating. When it did not let up, Saul and I decided to part ways with the others and waded in the gale through puddles up to our ankles to return to our car. The others donned ponchos and soldiered on for the rest of the day so that Joe and Binky could experience some of the attractions without the usual long lines and witness the IllumiNations fireworks, which they had never before seen. To make the damp afternoon and evening more palatable, they also decided to “drink around the world,” an Epcot experience which involves stopping into every one of the World Showcase countries for a representative alcoholic beverage. The kids were flying back north the next evening. Saul and I had eye doctor appointments for checkups that morning. After we got our good reports, we drove to Costco to order Saul’s new prescription and then joined them at the Magic Kingdom, where they had returned early that morning to make the most of their park tickets. Saul and I bid them goodbye at the park as Ken and Randi were taking them directly to the airport from there to catch their flights. We had a whirlwind of a good time!

On January 16, Ken and Randi, Saul and I spent a few hours at Hollywood Studios once again, to take advantage of our special invitations to view a sneak preview of the upcoming, new, live-action Cinderella movie that Disney has been hyping. It looks like it will be good—a little humorous and light in spite of the lavish accoutrements and settings—because it would be horrible if this fairy tale took itself very seriously. The next day, we were invited to Peter and Carly’s home (Ken and Randi’s former Aussie tenants who moved across the street) for coffee. We spent a delightful few hours getting to know them better and, in the course of our conversation, we had been talking about the delights available at The International Food Club. Taking advantage of Peter’s availability for babysitting, we took Carly there directly and we all managed to pick up exciting and unusual foreign delicacies. Unfortunately, the Food Club only had fresh clotted cream, and was out of the fresh double cream that Carly had been seeking in order to prepare real Australian pavlova, the item that had sparked our trip in the first place. During that week, Adele came to stay for a few days and we went over to the International Gate at Epcot to order her an annual pass to the parks. On January 24, following services and lunch, Saul and I drove to Tampa International Airport to pick up our friend, Larry. On the way back, we stopped at Sonny’s in Haines City so that Larry could get his fix of real Southern barbecue. Larry renewed his annual pass at the International Gate also and we went to see the featured movie in “France.” Ken and Randi invited us all for dinner one evening and we had a wonderful repast there. We took Larry to visit the outlet malls in Orlando where he was able to purchase a prescribed pair of New Balance sneakers to make walking a little easier for him. After a few easygoing days here, Larry, Saul and I made the 3-hour drive to Sanibel Island to join his sister, Susan, and her husband, Ted, and their friend, Mary, for a few days vacation at the seashore. Ted planned a delightful flurry of activities for us which included a docent-led tour of the extensive wildlife preserve there, a late afternoon cruise around the bay to watch birds and learn about their habitat, a beach walk to learn about the huge diversity of seashells and the creatures that live inside them, and a tour of a beautiful seashell museum that was largely funded by the actor, Raymond Burr, who was best known for playing the detective Perry Mason on television. Our car battery died after we finished our first stop in the preserve (the road goes in one direction only), but a good samaritan turned his car around to give us a hot shot to help us out of our dilemma. During our time on the island, Mary, Susan and Ted prepared some wonderful meals for us. Saul and I assisted by barbecuing at the condo’s grills, where we met an interesting mix of families from all over the U.S. We spent one of our evenings playing Scrabble face-to-face, the real board game, not Words with Friends. We had convivial meals at The Lazy Flamingo, and at the Keylime Bistro on Captiva Island. Our walks on the beach revealed thousands upon thousands of intricate shells for which Sanibel is known worldwide, but almost every one was inhabited by a live creature. We didn’t bring home many because of the humane and ecological prohibition there against taking live shells. Our knowledge of sea life and birds was increased tremendously in the four days we spent there. The diversity of creatures and uniqueness of their habits was astounding.

After our time on Sanibel, we headed for home with Larry, Susan and Ted in the Pilot, which was behaving well after our initial problem. Randi’s sister, Sherrie, had come to visit them while we were in Sanibel, and they all spent a few days in Boca Raton visiting their other sister, Lori. When we returned from Sanibel, we all spent a wonderful day together touring Animal Kingdom. Saul and I are still discovering areas of the parks that are new to us even after almost two years here. On this particular jaunt, we discovered the Maharajah Jungle Trek, an amazing habitat where we saw fruit bats as big as footballs hanging just beyond arm’s reach, a large kamodo dragon that had just laid an egg, a full-size Bengal tiger, and the most exotically plumed birds that flew just overhead or scurried by your feet as you walked. The weather was perfect. During the week that they stayed with us, we took the ferry boats from the Boardwalk around the lagoon and toured some of the surrounding hotels. Susan bought some great bargains at the outlet malls. We also parked at Animal Kingdom Lodge where we learned accidentally that there are two buildings, and viewed a much more interesting group of animals from the smaller lodge that is part of the Disney vacation villas. Susan and Ted conversed for a while with the African docents who were so pleased to meet people who had actually visited their country. We then went back to the main lodge to view the impressive architecture of the place. We made it a point to visit Wilderness Lodge, which is my favorite of all the Disney hotels, and is breathtakingly constructed, decorated and furnished in Craftsman style. During our week we also spent several hours at Downtown Disney which is undergoing massive reconstruction right now. We barely recognized it. Ted made an elaborate breakfast for us one morning. On another, we went to Lam’s Garden for dim sum. We also had breakfast at Nikko’s Egg City where they loved not only the breakfast, but the kitschy 1950’s decor. For Shabbat dinner, the Friday that they were here, I prepared a Tu B’Shevat seder, which Ken and Randi also attended. By then, Sherrie had returned home. We had dinner with Ken and Randi, also, at Columbia Restaurant in Celebration, and visited Crazy Buffet for dinner without them while they spent an evening with new friends from Bella Trae. Crazy Buffet was really wonderful for a weekend dinner, as we discovered, because we had never before been there for dinner. We returned Larry to Tampa Airport on Saturday, February 7. On one of our last days with Susan and Ted before we returned them to Tampa Airport on February 9, we parked at the Grand Floridian, took the small launch to the Magic Kingdom, and then took an extended ride on the monorail system from park to park.

For Saul’s birthday on February 10, we parked at Disney’s Boardwalk intending to have a light, impromptu dinner at Big River Grill, but by the time we decided, there was a 45-minute wait and we were hungry. We wandered further around the Boardwalk and decided to have a light dinner in the lounge at Blue Zoo in The Dolphin Hotel. The ability to take a table immediately without a reservation there, the ambience, selection of food, helpfulness of our waitress, and prices made us very happy that evening. We chose wisely except for the delicious Bloody Marys, which, taken with extra hot sauce so late in the evening, caused us (particularly me) some discomfort the next day. Saul had a dermatologist appointment the next day and we were relieved to learn that the blue mole above his right eyebrow was nothing to worry about and easily removed right then and there. The doctor also looked over some other moles on his torso and pronounced them all fine, much to our relief.

On February 12, Saul and I packed and left the house before dawn at 6:00 a.m. to drive down to Marco Island, about 3-1/2 hours away, to visit our friends from Cherry Hill, Ruth and Giora. We decided to take a less traveled route through the center of the state, but encountered a complete road block due to an accident and were routed by the police off the highway in basically the middle of nowhere. Our G.P.S. failed us as we found ourselves on a winding country road that was very picturesque, but which brought us, after about 5 miles, to a dead end. We had to backtrack almost to where the road was closed, and by following other traffic through a gated military supply base, we were able to return to the original road a little bit past the accident. Although we lost about an hour, we still arrived in time to have lunch with our friends in their beautiful seafront condo overlooking a spectacular view. Together, we went for a long walk along the lovely beach, and reminisced about old times. Then, we went for a drive to see the tony areas of Marco Island where gorgeous mansions, incredibly landscaped, back up to rows of manmade canals for docking boats. We parked the car and walked to one of the most beautiful Marriott Hotels in the world, where we hung out for a bit in the lobby to soak up the ambience. That evening, after we napped for a while, Ruth’s sister and her husband, who live a few floors below, joined us for dinner, which Ruth had prepared, augmented by hors d’oeuvres and dessert which I had brought. After much convivial conversation, we went downstairs to her sister’s condo to watch the movie, Hava Nagilah, which they had downloaded. The next morning, after breakfast and some schmoozing, we left for the long drive back. We had arranged for Larry to bring Adele over for a visit for a few days and we needed to be back by around 4:00 p.m. Again, although we took the fast route, we were hung up in bumper-to-bumper traffic due to an accident and had to backtrack for miles to find an alternate route home.

Adele came to stay with us for a few days on Friday, February 13. We met Larry and Adele and went for an early dinner at Sweet Tomatoes and Larry returned home to take care of their dogs. During the weekend, I invited Ken and Randi over for breakfast because Adele was not feeling up to going out as we had planned. After breakfast, however, she was feeling fine and we decided to catch The Festival of the Lion King show and see how the day progressed. We actually spent almost the whole day at Animal Kingdom and Adele was fine and had a great time. The next day, however, she was feeling bad again, and breakfast did not help to restore her. She insisted that the way she was feeling, she wanted to be in her own bed. Ken and Randi came with us and we met Larry half way so that he could pick her up to take her home. As it turned out, the doctor said she had a virus that would have to work itself out, which it did after several days.

That evening, Saul’s cousin’s daughter, Adi, came to visit with six of her friends from school. Adi is from Israel and is in the United States in Boca Raton working as a teacher’s assistant as a form of alternative service to the military in Israel. These delightful girls drove here in two borrowed cars, stopping to see some of the sights along the way. They work in different schools, but all know each other and meet as a part of their program. When they arrived, we asked if they would be up for seeing fireworks. As they were eager, we left in the Pilot with four of them about a half hour after they arrived at our house and got to Disney’s Boardwalk with only five minutes to spare to watch the IllumiNations fireworks at 9:00 p.m. over Epcot. They were absolutely wowed by the fireworks, even from a distance. Two other girls were supposed to join us, but they left the house after showering, too late, so we told them by phone to meet us at The Grand Floridian to view the Magic Kingdom fireworks at 10:00 p.m. One girl chose to stay behind. We arrived at The Grand Floridian with the four girls, including Adi, and took some photos with the antique white limo and the live orchestra in the lobby. We arrived on the viewing terrace overlooking the lagoon about 15 minutes before the fireworks, which were even more spectacular. The others lagged behind again, but were able to catch a glimpse of them from the parking lot as they arrived. We brought three girls home, and three went souvenir shopping until after midnight. The next morning, after breakfast and much negotiating about which park to visit, they decided to stick together and tour Universal Studios. Since Saul and I do not have annual passes there, we bid them goodbye and invited them to return on their next holiday.

Beginning on February 17, Saul and I began searching for and gathering materials for a special custom-made bulletin board that we had envisioned to display the girls’ collection of Disney pins. I had purchased an incredible bargain of a picture frame while we were shopping with Larry for $8. Later, we discovered that the odd size was a problem. We needed a thick layer of cork and standard sheets were an inch too short and narrow. Eventually, we found what we needed and were very pleased with the results, but it took a few days of shopping, returning, re-buying, redesigning, and construction.

During February, Ken and Randi left for an almost month-long vacation on their beloved Kauai, where they were planning to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary with their children and grandchildren. The children, however, were making even bigger plans. Haley had ordered special, tropical-style, coordinated clothing for all of them to wear for a family anniversary photo shoot on the beach. That’s what Ken and Randi thought. In reality, Haley and Jamie had made arrangements for a surprise, Hawaiian-style renewal of wedding vows for their parents, followed by an amazing banquet specially prepared for all of them by a master chef in a beautiful private setting. The photographer prepared a montage of the occasion that looks almost dreamlike in its perfection. We are so happy that they are well and enjoying themselves immensely.

Saul and I returned to the Magic Kingdom after the brief hiatus that followed our over-saturation with park visitations and had a beautiful evening riding the train, walking around, seeing Mickey’s PhilharMagic, and viewing The Electric Parade from a bench on the terrace of the city hall on Main Street. We zipped out of the park ahead of the crowds and were able to view the Electrical Water Pageant as we hopped the launch back to the Grand Floridian where we had parked. We watched the fireworks over Cinderella’s Castle from a terrace table at the edge of the lagoon while sharing a grilled sandwich and cups of steaming hot coffee with a shot of hot chocolate from the Gasparilla Island Grill—a perfect way to experience Disney!

Having lived here for over a year now, I have decided to keep the original configuration of my kitchen. Any major wall moving would entail scraping up and replacing the tile floor and would mushroom into a huge expense from there. The kitchen works well for multiple cooks and has ample work space. I hated the pantry closet from the beginning. Any search would require constant precarious rearranging of items on the shelves to locate what was in the back. Finally deciding to keep things as they are allowed us to search for solutions to the pantry problem, and thanks to a suggestion from Jessica, we have come up with a very satisfactory, efficient, aesthetic, and relatively reasonable system of storage thanks to the Elfa system from The Container Store. We made the decision just in time as the 30% off sale is due to end tomorrow. We spent the last few days running the 24 miles back and forth from the store to make sure we had all the parts that we needed and wanted to outfit not only the pantry closet, but some of our cabinets as well. We now have drawers filling the vacant space that was wasted in our boxy kitchen and bathroom cabinets. Life is good! Now on to deciding about countertops, sinks, and a refrigerator.

We had meetings this past week with a landscape designer whom I located on the website, Houzz. I admired some of his work on display there and found that he was local enough in Orlando to work with us. After his initial visit to us to check out our property and our critiquing the preliminary drawings, we visited his home where we were able to view much of the plant material, in a live setting, that will be used in our design. His home is lovely and filled with interesting and artistic objects. He and his wife, fellow ethnic foodies, treated us to lunch after our meeting at a new, nearby restaurant, Mamak, which specializes in Asian street food. After sharing a bunch of delectable dishes, we drove to a nearby Asian market where his wife, Kristin, advised me what items to buy to make her recipe for Ma Po Tofu. We made it for dinner on Friday night and it was delicious. We also met with a solar installation company representative this week about solar heating our pool and hot water.

The weather up north continues to be truly awful and as I write this, family and friends are preparing for ice storms that are expected to cause widespread power outages. Temperatures have been in the single digits for the better part of a month. Down here, we are in shorts, tee-shirts, and sandals and are in the process of heating up our pool as the temperatures will be in the 80s for several days. We feel a little guilty about enjoying our beautiful weather and even think twice before mentioning it because we worry about those suffering with storms and ice, but the fact is, we are rejoicing in our choice to move here and wish all those that we miss up north could be here bragging with us.

Our Four Weeks of Relative Quiet and Beyond

Since I am writing this post in January of 2015, and since I have fallen very far behind in trying to keep up to date with our wonderful and busy lives, I will attempt here to just give a brief summary of all that has happened in the last four months so that I can finally bring this up to the present. Then, perhaps, I will be better at writing more often this year so as to include more details of our everyday lives.

September:
For our anniversary, which was on September 2, Saul and I purchased a Groupon for Café de France in Winter Park, an upscale restaurant that had good Yelp reviews, and we had a cozy and romantic dinner there. Most of our time that month was spent enjoying the exceptional weather lounging around our pool and going for long walks in the Disney Parks. A few days that we hung around the house, we were waiting for deliveries on behalf of Ken and Randi, notably, a big Murphy bed and wall unit that needed to be installed in their new condo. They were due to move in towards the beginning of October when their tenants’ moved out. By the time everything was in readiness, our extra garage was quite packed. We saw the two foodie movies, Chef, and The 100-Foot Journey, both of which we loved. In the middle of the month, we were visited by friends Barbara and Jack, who first stayed a few days with Adele and Larry in The Villages, then at the Disney property resort for military personnel, Shades of Green, and then with us for a day. We took them to enjoy our favorite places in the Disney Parks. The Food and Wine Festival began at the Epcot Park World Showcase during September, and we had a grand time sampling the offerings and attending the almost-nightly concerts. Among the ones we saw were: Joe Dee Messina, The Commodores, Christopher Cross, Hanson, Air Supply, Sister Hazel, Billy Ocean, Night Ranger, Smash Mouth (our favorite), Los Lonely Boys, Wilson Phillips, Dennis DeYoung, Boyz II Men, and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. The concerts ran from September 19, to November 10, and during that time, we were joined for some of them by Jess and the girls, Ken and Randi, Ari, and Randi’s sister Lori and her husband, Jules. Towards the end of September, I began preparing for the holidays by making round challot, round tri-color challot, date and strawberry breads, chicken soup, carob cake, etc. We enjoyed Selichot services in our Orlando synagogue, SOJC, also known as Ohalei Rifka, and Ari flew in to join us for services right before Rosh Hashanah on September 24, staying with us through Yom Kippur until the beginning of Sukkot. 

Ken and Randi made settlement on their home in Warrington on the morning of September 30, and by shortly after dinner time, we were driving back with them from the Orlando airport to our home while they waited for work to be completed on their condo here. An amazing coincidence took place that day. We bumped directly into Ken and Randi’s neighbor, Art, from across the street in Warrington, as we were coming out of one of the dozens of restrooms in the Magic Kingdom. On the spur of the moment, we had decided to spend a few hours at the Magic Kingdom with Ari while waiting for the plane to arrive. Art was waiting for his daughter, Marcia, to come out of the same restroom. Arranging to meet someone in a specific spot at a specific time when you are trying to do so is difficult enough, in fact, practically impossible. Having it happen by accident is nothing short of miraculous. What is more coincidental is the fact that we all had FastPass tickets to the same ride at the same time nearby. Ken and Randi had just told me by phone, when we checked on the progress of the settlement, that the last neighbor to bid them goodbye was Art’s wife, Eileen. They never mentioned that Art and Marcia happened to be at Disney World. As it happened, Pirates of the Caribbean had been shut down at that moment, and we all opted to go on the Jungle Cruise together, instead. As we exited the ride, the skies opened up in a violent Florida thunderstorm, and we all crammed together with dozens of others under the small shelter of the ride’s entrance roof to converse for a short time before the storm began to abate.

October:
October was an absolutely delightful month with one notable exception. The weather, except for the occasional rainstorm, was temperate and beautiful. On October 2, Ken and Randi, Ari, Saul and I attended an after-hours celebration, Late Nights LIVE, (until 1:00 a.m.) at the Food and Wine Festival, which included more food and cocktails than we could consume and special Disney entertainment in the form of dance troupes, parades, and live bands playing an assortment of different types of music. The fast on Yom Kippur was the easiest any of us remembered because of the great weather. We took the opportunity, with Ken and Randi, while Ari was here, to sample goodies from the tasting menu at one of our favorite restaurants, The Edgewater Hotel. It was even better than the more expensive Chef’s Table there. We also used our time together to have a dim sum breakfast at our new favorite place, Lam’s Garden. Ari flew from Orlando to Chicago on October 11, for a business conference, which saved his company some money, as he did not have to fly from London, and it made the wear-and-tear on him much lighter, besides allowing him a longer visit here. During the first two weeks of October, Ken and Randi’s condo had almost reached completion and they could not wait to move in. On Monday, October 13, first thing in the morning, they packed their bags, ready to move, when Randi received a phone call from her brother in Pennsylvania that their father was extremely ill, in the hospital, and might not make it through the day. They spent the rest of the morning here, making flight arrangements, and we took them to the airport that evening. As it turned out, Morrie hung on for almost a week in hospice, until all his children could assemble to bid him goodbye. After the funeral, the family sat shiva at the home that Randi’s sister, Sherrie, shared with her father. We looked after some of the final touches to their condo here, and picked them up at the airport in Orlando when the whole ordeal ended, delivering them directly to their new home for their first night in their own bed.

Again, this year, Saul and I drove to Clearwater Beach for the Chalk Walk on October 25. The art was as superb and imaginative as last year, and we believe there were even more participants. This event was well worth the drive!

An unexpected and delightful surprise was a week-long visit from Jess and the girls around Halloween. Jess had realized that, because of teachers’ meetings in New Jersey at the end of October, she would be able, with very little loss of school, to free up a week to visit us. At the same time, she discovered a shockingly cheap flight that would allow them all to fly here at very little expense, and she immediately booked it. All four of them flew from Dulles Airport to St. Augustine Airport, round trip, for $126.00, total! At the same time, for just a little more, she booked another flight on the same route at Christmas time so that they could be here for the winter break. While this required at 2-1/2 hour drive on both our parts, the price and convenience was still unbeatable. Not until we were leaving to pick them up, did we realize that St. Augustine airport was a tiny little facility, not connected to the international airport in Jacksonville at all. Our jaws dropped when we actually arrived at the airport and saw their plane land and taxi into position about 50 feet from where we stood at the chain link fence to meet them. They arrived on October 30, and left on November 10. Our idyllic week-plus flew by in a flash with visits to all the parks, afternoons lounging in the pool, evening treks to favorite restaurants (including a unique Ethiopian dinner in Orlando at Nile Restaurant), and cooking and baking activities. On Halloween itself, we had a very early dinner at the restaurant Columbia, in the town of Celebration, before visiting the unfathomably amazing, haunted pirate ship that we had photographed there last year. It had been assembled, in its entirety, at another location in the town. Visiting on Halloween night itself was a real trip as many of the townspeople were there in appropriate costume to further heighten the experience. As we left, before dark, to return home to our own neighborhood trick-or-treaters, we observed an unbelievable traffic jam forming of thousands of people arriving, in costume, to partake of the town’s unique hospitality at this time of the year.

November:
November means Thanksgiving Dinner. This year, Haley and Erik, consummate foodies, booked a trip here asking for the opportunity to prepare Thanksgiving dinner for the family at our house as well as to stay with Ken and Randi in their new digs. Somewhere along the line, the idea arose to roast a goose as well as a turkey. We were to be joined by Randi’s sister Lori’s family, as well as by Adele and Larry—12 of us in all. Having purchased a Kamodo-style grill several months ago, Saul and I were keen to apply its charms to the fowl. Ken located two fresh geese, after much searching, through Whole Foods. Saul and I spent a few days, which being the foodies that we are were very enjoyable, doing some advance preparation. We roasted our geese and turkey ahead of time, and prepared gravy from the giblets and drippings. We sliced the birds, placing them in the gravy, and then froze the trays in preparation for the big day. Online, I found a recipe from Emeril Legasse, for goose with a dried blueberry and Armagnac glaze. We feared that the Armagnac would have an adverse effect on Erik, who is sensitive to white sugar. Also, our local liquor store sells it for no less that $70 a bottle. No one carries half-cup size quantities. We substituted premium organic apple juice with delectable results. In the end, we were thrilled with the results of our labor, and perhaps the recipe will appear at some future time on my recipe blog. I had never tasted goose until that time. During the week before Thanksgiving, Saul and I also made cranberry-apple chutney, carrot cake, carob sheet cake, gruyere-apple spread, and marinated baby carrots for melted Olaf cocktails. We used the carcasses of the birds to make a big pot of split pea soup, which we froze in small containers. Randi made fresh cranberry orange relish. On Thanksgiving day, our house prepared and table set, Saul and I spent a few glorious hours walking at Epcot in absolutely perfect weather. We returned home about 2:00 p.m. as Haley and Erik, and Ken and Randi arrived. In a flurry of activity, they prepared mashed potatoes with a variety of toppings, deviled eggs with truffle creme, gluten-free apple corn bread stuffing, roasted Brussels sprouts, and maple-baked acorn squash. In addition to this bounty, our next-door neighbor, Kim, brought over a delicious tray of mac and cheese with a crumb topping. Lori made a yummy rice pilaf. We also downed five of the nine bottles of wine that Lori brought along, as well as some beer and the Olaf cocktails. By the end of the evening, some of us were in a food and wine coma, but Haley and Erik and her cousins managed to get over to the Magic Kingdom for rides and fireworks.

Despite all the food of Thanksgiving, we continued to celebrate with a sumptuous meal at Blue Zoo, Todd English’s gorgeous coastal cuisine restaurant in the Dolphin Hotel at the far end of Disney’s Boardwalk. The meal was excellent and our waitstaff was even able to please the most eccentric of our large group with their flexibility by using the resources of the restaurant in unique and imaginative ways. Afterwards, we joined Jules and Lori and their girls waiting for the ferry to Hollywood Studios where we viewed the Osbourne Family Dancing Lights, rode the Toy Story ride, and because of the long lines for the ferry back, walked the mile-plus along the canal back to our car parked at the Dolphin. From this particular pathway, we were able to view the Epcot IllumiNations fireworks, along with the extra-special holiday fireworks at the end, as we walked.

December:
At the beginning of December, Ken and Randi, Saul and I attended a Yelp party billed as a “Night at the Museum” at the Science Museum in Orlando. For just a donation to the Museum, we were able to partake of dozens of unique food and beverage offerings from some of Orlando’s most interesting establishments while touring the museum. The terrace of the museum, complete with a live band, which overlooks a spectacular view of the city, was an amazing place to just hang out and people-watch. We had a great time wandering among the dinosaurs!

In London, Ari hosted a Thanksgiving dinner, but not on Thanksgiving. Many of his U.K. friends and colleagues had spent time in the U.S. and had experienced our Thanksgiving holiday. At some point in November, a number of them began dropping pointed hints that they would love for him to recreate those traditional foods for them, since he is American. In his very procrastinating, but methodical and organized way, and with a lot of prodding from his parents, he went about locating and ordering the necessary ingredients and elements needed to entertain 20 guests in his flat. Since Thanksgiving is not a day off in the U.K., he chose a weekend date when everyone would be free. This was no easy undertaking for Ari, as we were not even sure if the large turkey he ordered from the Waitrose at his apartment complex would fit in his refrigerator or oven. With all his materials gathered the week before the party, he set about preparing all the food himself each night after work. Every night, we Skyped so as to provide moral support and expertise in how to deal with everything. The side dishes and the turkey were beyond everyone’s expectations, and according to some of his friends, with whom we traded selfies, the party was a huge success. He is already being pressured to make it an annual tradition.

Much time at the beginning of December was spent gathering together provisions that we would need to entertain all our holiday guests and prepare for a New Year’s Eve hors d’oeuvres, desserts and cocktail party that we had decided to host for all of our new friends and neighbors in Florida. We had so many potatoes left over from Thanksgiving that Randi came over with Ken and spent a few hours with us making potato latkes for Chanukah. Saul and I filled the freezer with mini quiche, spanakopitakia, zucchini squares, felafel, mushroom cheese puffs, and carrot cake. The first guests to arrive in December were Jamie, Andy, Presley and Evan who stayed with Ken and Randi in their new home. We hosted all of them for dinner when they arrived. Then we spent the next several days touring the parks with them. Presley was chosen at the Lion King show in Animal Kingdom to participate in the parade and was so excited to do so. While they were here, Randi’s cousin, Scott, came down from Jacksonville, Florida, to spend a day with all of us in the Magic Kingdom.

The day before Jamie and Andy left, we picked up Brenna in the morning at Orlando International Airport. We took her to Beaches and Cream at the Boardwalk for a sundae as her Chanukah present. Larry was supposed to pick up Beth that evening, but because of flight delays, we went back to the airport, with Brenna struggling to stay awake at midnight, to retrieve her. The following morning, we prepared a large breakfast and Larry and Adele joined us. Afterwards, we all went to Epcot to spend the day there. The next evening, leaving Beth and Brenna to bond, we packed a picnic and drove to St. Augustine Airport to pick up Jess and the girls. Alex was leaving a few days later to take the Confirmation Class to Israel for the week. The next day, we all spent the day together at Hollywood Studios where we had arranged for FastPasses. On December 20, the following day, we picked up Ari at Orlando International Airport. For a few days, we had a very full house—Saul and me, Beth, Jess and Ari, Sami, Brenna, Izzy and Yona. Ari, most of his summer wardrobe residing here, came with a suitcase full of British goodies for us. The girls augmented this by helping prepare jumbo oatmeal peanut butter raisin cookies, maids of honor, peanut butter mini cupcakes, cashew, pecan and apple mini pies, carob cake, a gingerbread house, and gingerbread teddy bears for the kids to decorate at the New Year’s party. The weekend that we were all together, we made it a point to see all the spectacular life-size gingerbread constructions housed in some of the Disney hotels. Beth brought supplies to teach the girls to make intricate beaded bracelets, and gifted each of us with beautiful ones that she had made back home in Tucson. We spent a day at the Magic Kingdom. After a few glorious days together, we took Beth and Brenna to the airport. I got a special pass to escort Brenna to her gate in case her flight was delayed beyond the time when Beth had to leave, but, for a change, everyone left on time. Saul photographed the unique birds at the airport cell lot while waiting for me. That evening, we went to Epcot, shared desserts in Norway, and watched IllumiNations from the covered patio there. We took advantage of good weather to recuperate from the parks by lazing in the pool. We discovered a fun new Mexican restaurant, Ay Jalisco, near the Epic Movie Theater in Clermont, where we saw first The Book of Life, and then Big Hero Six. We loved them both. Jess and Alex’s friends from Cherry Hill—Jill, Geoff, Jay (Geoff’s father) and their three girls—were staying at a hotel near us for a few days, and, in addition to having a blast with them at the parks, we had the pleasure of their company here at Shabbat dinner. After an exceptional, but very expensive sushi dinner at Akina in nearby Clermont, Ari flew back to London on December 29, so that he could join his friends for New Year’s Eve.

We felt that our New Year’s party went very well. Unfortunately, it was too chilly to swim, but we were able to open all our sliding doors to the outside which allowed the nine children that were present to run around and play freely. Among the guests at the party were another set of Jess and Alex’s Cherry Hill friends who were vacationing here for a few days—Adam and Allison and their two children. Ken and Randi celebrated New Year’s with their friends, Paula and Neil (who stayed with them for a few days), and sister, Lori and Jules (who stayed at the Dolphin) with a dinner at the Grand Floridian Hotel, but before their reservations, they stopped in to see us with Paula and Neil. Adele and Larry attended a party at The Villages. Other guests at our party included neighbors, Eugene and Gloria, Paul and Kimberly, and Terry (whose husband Gary was working at the parks), Yellena and her daughter Olivia (husband John was working at Red Lobster), Carly and Peter (Ken and Randi’s former tenants who had moved across the street) with their four children, Ella, Henderson, Harrison, and Emma.

Needless to say, we spent the next few days relaxing, recuperating, and putting things away after the party. Jess and the girls were here until January 6, and we squeezed in a few more good times at the end, including a wonderful dinner with a view of the Magic Kingdom fireworks from the Grand Floridian Café, and lunch and sundaes at The Fountain in the Dolphin Hotel. The girls discovered online that their free Magic Kingdom Sorcerer’s cards would allow them to play the game on different levels. Up until now, unbeknownst to them, they had been playing only on the first level. We spent some time with them organizing both their pin collection and their card collection, and on our last day at the Magic Kingdom, they were able to complete level two of the Sorcerer’s challenge. We reluctantly headed back to St. Augustine Airport early on the day that they were leaving so that we could revisit the vegetarian Manatee Café, tour the Castillo de San Marcos, walk around the quaint old city, and check out the legendary pastries at the bakery, The Chocolate Turtle, which richly deserves its status. It was a wonderful day! We sadly watched the girl’s as they boarded the last flight on this particular route, which Frontier Airlines has now discontinued, happy that, at least, the unbelievably low fares had enabled us to forge several weeks of unforgettable memories with our daughter and granddaughters.

Camp Bubbie and Saba in Florida 2014

We hit the ground running, literally, as we returned from our two-month vacation in Europe. Jess and Alex had driven down to our home in Orlando a few days earlier with Izzy and Yona, and had picked up Sami at the airport in Orlando. The following day, Jess retrieved us. We used the next few days before Jess and Alex started back home to take advantage of Jess’s annual pass at the Disney Parks and we all enjoyed the great weather by taking advantage of the pool. Jess and Alex also were able to meet up with their friends who were here vacationing with their children. They all had a buffet dinner together at Boma in the Animal Kingdom Lodge.

After their parents left, the girls easily fell into our summer routine. We would decide each night, based on the weather, if we wanted to go to one of the Disney parks. Sami would figure out which Fast Passes we would prefer and then she and Saul would book them in advance so we knew how early we needed to get going in the morning, or if we could spend the early hours in the pool, nap, and then arrive at the parks in the afternoon. Izzy and Yona were early risers, but frequently, Izzy would very competently cook breakfast for her sister, and sometimes, for the rest of us. After about a week of crankiness, tantrums, and falling asleep at dinnertime, Yona finally learned that she needed to take a nap in the afternoon if she wanted to have fun in the evening.

Erica and Danny drove down with Brenna and Ava at the end of July and stayed with us for about a week. This worked out well as Brenna and Izzy enjoyed the wilder rides. Erica and Danny would take her on these, while Saul, Sami,Yona and I headed for home early. Ava and Yona were great playmates and kept each other amused for hours each day. Because of Danny, and his gift to them of a few pins with lanyards, the girls got into pin trading in a big way.

Our weather was so beautiful this summer that we practically did not have any really rainy spells. On the few times we did, we cooked and baked together, made homemade ice cream, went to the movies, watched movies at home, worked on the doll house, and Izzy and Yona built amazing chair/pillow/sheets and blankets forts to play inside. Sami spent much time reading and making origami constructions. Jess was able to return after a few weeks. She obtained an inexpensive flight and spent a week with us at the beginning of August, while Alex was preparing for the next school year back home.

Although I had greatly wanted to visit Clearwater Beach or St. Augustine Beach with the girls, I was pooh-poohed for almost the entire summer. Everyone was so happy to have time at Disney and our pool that no one wanted to pack up a picnic and take the one to two-hour trip to the shore. When Jess visited, we did have one glorious day near Clearwater Beach. Purely by accident, while exploring a little further south, we discovered the fantastic, almost private, Belleaire Beach in a residential area of Sand Key. There was inexpensive parking for about 25 cars, a covered picnic table area, drinking fountains, outdoor showers, and clean public restrooms. Only a few dozen people were on the beach on that beautiful day. The one drawback was that there is no lifeguard, but the water was very shallow there for a long distance out, and was very calm that day. We just kept our eyes on the girls the entire time. Izzy was in her glory with her new boogie board.

Sami and I, and eventually, Izzy and Jessica, spent many hours doing the circuit at Hollywood Studios where they teach people how to draw the Disney characters. Saul would take Yona to play in actual snow, while we were drawing, at the Frozen experience, where they also had an ice-skating rink. They rented out skates for an extra fee and we took pictures of the Zamboni clearing the ice during July in Florida. Saul actually slipped and fell on the snow one day, but luckily, as he said, only his dignity was injured. We made it a point, this summer, to try to get the girls to all of the out-of-the-way attractions at the parks that they had never done before. There is little left that they have not done.

During the many times we have dined at Sweet Tomatoes, we have befriended one of our waitresses, nicknamed Jelly. We invited Jelly and her husband John, along with their four-year-old, Olivia, to join us for an afternoon in the pool. Although, in usual Florida fashion, the weather went from hot and sunny to teeming rain with thunder and lightning, we did manage to get in an hour or two in the pool. Yona and Olivia got along really well, while Izzy joined in and also played her part as protective big sister. We got to know Jelly and John much better outside of the restaurant. A few weeks later, we took the girls to Olivia’s birthday party at Monkey Joe’s and then to Jelly’s parents’ home in Winter Park for a light buffet, cake, and ice cream.

For Sami’s fourteenth birthday, while Jess was visiting, we had an incredible dinner at Artist’s Point in Disney’s Wilderness Lodge. During Jess’s stay, we discovered Beaches and Cream, an ice cream parlor at Disney’s Beach Club Resort on the Boardwalk. There, we indulged in a family-sized sundae, served in what looks like Minnie Mouse’s red plastic sink. We also had dinner at the Polynesian Resort when the girls became sushi-starved after a few weeks. The Polynesian Resort was undergoing a massive renovation at the time, but Saul and I had not been there since we had taken a family vacation with my mom and dad, our small children, and my sister and brother-in-law and their children many, many moons ago. It was a great trip down memory lane for us. The girls really enjoyed their dinners, and Yona flabbergasted our waiter with her appetite for sushi.

A few weeks later, we dined, along with Ken and Randi, at Whispering Canyon Café in Wilderness Lodge, a more informal restaurant experience, and had a caricature of Yona done by a Disney artist there so that she and Izzy could have matching ones hanging over their beds. Adele stayed with us for a few days, too, during the time that Ken and Randi stayed with us for a couple of weeks, beginning August 11, in preparation for moving into their new condo. I spent a day with them, while Saul entertained the girls, at Hudson’s Furniture with the decorator who helped us furnish our house, Heather. With our four heads put together, Randi, Ken and I, but especially Randi, chose almost a whole house full of new furniture to be delivered at the beginning of October when their tenants were due to move out. Although there have been many glitches with the furniture, Hudson has managed to make almost everything right, eventually. Ken and Randi also got along well with the contractor we used to get our home ready for move in. The condo looks great and we are so happy that they had a good experience as well. For a period of several days in August, Ken and Randi spent some time in southern Florida vacationing with Randi’s sister, Lori and her husband, Jules, as well as joining us for some of our adventures with the girls.

Ken and Randi flew back to Pennsylvania with the girls at the end of Camp Bubbie and Saba in order to put their affairs in order for the final sale of their home in advance of returning permanently to Florida and their new condo about five miles away. Jess met them at the airport, returned Ken and Randi home, and spent a few days getting the girls ready for the new school year.

Vacationing in England and Italy with Ari and Sami

Saul and I left Yona’s fifth birthday party on the afternoon of Mother’s Day, May 11, and began our headlong rush back down to Florida, so as to be able to wash clothes, pick up medication, get our house ready for a two-month absence, and repack our suitcases. Our plane was due to leave from Orlando International on Wednesday, May 14. Our first stop on our way to London—Philadelphia International! How ridiculous are airline prices?! We saved about $600 by submitting ourselves to this outrageous paradox. At least the situation gave us a chance to sleep in our own bed for a night.

The flight itself was actually quite pleasant. We left on time, had good weather, and our layovers in Philly and Amsterdam gave us just enough time to get to the proper gates, use the facilities, and rest for a short time before boarding. We were secretly hoping to be bumped in either of those places. Philly would have given us time with friends, and Amsterdam would have been interesting, but we were satisfied with relatively hassle-free connections.

Ari met us on the morning of May 15, at Gatwick Airport. We had a nice lunch there in a typical British pub, caught the train for central London, arriving at London Bridge train station, where we hopped on a bus in front of “The Shard,” and proceeded on the short drive to Ari’s beautiful, new, two-bedroom-two bathroom flat across the street from the Shoreditch Police Station. His flat was so centrally located, that Saul and I were able to travel on foot, or by a short double-decker bus ride to almost every place we wanted to tour in London. We spent the next several weeks seeing most of the city, some places (like the British Museum and Borough Market) multiple times. Ari joined us in our excursions on the weekends, and frequently met us after work to eat out together. We covered so much territory together that his colleagues chided him for trying to kill us “old folks” with such a grueling schedule. In the first two weeks there, we alternated ambitious travel days with vegging out in front of British television programs. Totaled up, we probably spent a few of our days watching everything we could find on a chef we discovered there, Heston Blumenthal, who should be considered a British national treasure. Why he is practically unknown in the United States we cannot fathom! When we returned, we tried to share some of his programs with the girls, but were only able to stream two or three from the U.K.

I probably should have kept a log of what we did each day that we were there, but we were just too tired, the computer was not that happy about intercontinental travel, and we were constantly thinking up new things to try. I guess it will have to suffice if I just simply list all the places we saw with observations about the highlights of our trip and unique aspects of British culture we observed, especially since my kids always accuse me of being too long-winded in these posts. The photos, for the most part, will have to speak for themselves. Suffice it to say that we had the journey of a lifetime! It was better than anything we could have imagined.

What we saw and did in London and its environs:
Full English breakfast at The Shepherdess Café; walking tour of Piccadilly Circus followed by some traditional English dishes like Scotch eggs and banoffee tart at Mews Art Gallery; shopping with Ari at John Lewis; Hampton Court; Borough Market under London Bridge for incredible artisanal food; Museum of London; Museum of London, Docklands; Cutty Sark; Greenwich Market; dim sum in London’s Chinatown; food shopping at a London Co-op Market; Bunhill Fields Cemetery; Tower of London; Banqueting House; buskers at Covent Garden and browsing the antiques and artisans’ tables; National Portrait Gallery; Buckingham Palace; Hyde Park; The London Eye; Number 10 Downing Street; Big Ben; Horse Guards at Whitehall, Westminster; Westminster Abbey; Tate Museum of Modern Art; Millennium Bridge; Shakespeare’s Globe Theater; Harrod’s Department Store; Victoria and Albert Museum; Brighton Royal Pavilion; Canary Wharf; Regent’s Park; Kensington Palace; Spitalfield’s; Kew Gardens; Platform 9-3/4 at Kings Cross Station, Brick Lane, Olympic Park, St. Bride’s Church; home of Samuel Johnson and statue of his cat, Hodge; Temple Church; original Twining Tea shop; Fleet Street, St. Paul’s Cathedral; Paternoster Square; Temple Bar; Trafalgar Square; statue of Boudica; Turkish haircuts ending with flaming sealing of the hair.

Highlights of our trip—London:
When we arrived by train for a day in Brighton, we were met, as we hiked to the seaside, by a long parade of nude bicyclists. They were protesting something, but what it was I don’t remember. At Borough Market, the fishmongers set up the gullible passersby (like us) for a scare from a very ugly monkfish (see video above). Discovering how Guinness truly should taste at The Eagle pub. Wow! Sprawled out on huge beanbag chairs on the floor of the Banqueting House to spend an hour contemplating the ceiling painted by Raphael while listening to a Rick Steves tour about it on our iPhones. Watching the horses being led to pasture at Hampton Court. Seeing the great vine, planted in 1769, which occupies an entire greenhouse at Hampton Court. Seeing the actual Rosetta Stone! The Elgin Marbles in the British Museum. Watching an elaborate parade rehearsal at Buckingham Palace preparing for the Queen’s opening of Parliament. Real, ancient, totally intact, Grecian urns. Watching the opening of Parliament on British television. Watching the Royal Ascot on British televison and seeing people returning from it on the train in all their finery, including those funky British hats called fascinators. Cruising the Thames with Ari on a KPMG ferry. Strolling and grazing alongside the Thames with Ari and Sami. Getting lost coming back from a day at Kew Gardens and happening upon an American-themed block party where everyone was dressed in Western gear and American flags were flying, but nobody there was actually American. Eating real British fish and chips. Indian food in London.

For Sami’s bat mitzvah, which took place last November, Uncle Ari had promised to take her on a vacation anywhere in the world that she wanted to visit. After much debate and negotiation, she chose Rome. Little did we all know, at that time, that Ari would be residing in London for a few years. So, in addition to us having the vacation of a lifetime in London, Sami got to spend several days in London with us as well, and we were able to join her and Ari on the Italian leg of the trip, which he extended to include Florence and Venice. Ari, the master of planning trips for us without benefit of travel agencies (Beijing, China, for example), outdid himself this time. The boutique hotels and inns where we stayed in all three cities were awesome!

What we saw and did in Italy and its environs:

Rome:
Strolling the area around Piazza Navona, just down the street from our adorable, three-story house; The Pantheon, also just down the street; Vatican City; Sistine Chapel ceiling; Michaelangelo’s Pieta; St. Peter’s Square; Apostolic Palace; Swiss Guards; the Arch of Titus; Imperial Forum; Basilica Aemilia; Castel Sant’Angelo; the entire ancient city, including quarters of the Vestal Virgins, Colosseum, and Forum; Trevi Fountain (under construction); the original Jewish Ghetto and its synagogue; Piazza Campidoglio; Capitoline Hill; National Monument of Victory; outdoor copy of Michaelangelo’s David

Highlights of Rome:
Our special trattoria (Il Fico) an arm’s length across the cobblestone alley from our house, where our lovely, wonderful waitress, Gianna, plied us with seemingly endless, complimentary, glasses of Limoncello, as we waited for our outdoor table, and where, for about $10 we had the best pasta dish ever, loaded with white truffles, mushrooms and butter. We ordered the same dish, in the same place, every night for three days, and savored it as we listened to the violins of the street musicians under moonlight. I don’t think anything will ever be that perfect again! Eating breakfast across the piazza from the Pantheon, under an awning, while waiting for a teeming rain to let up so we could see the inside; Sami posing for photos under The Arch of Titus (now that Israel is an independent State) after sidestepping the ropes put up to keep tourists out (at the prodding of her Saba). Before 1948, Jews traditionally did not walk under the Arch. She got yelled out by a tour guide, but we got the photo anyway! Shopping for groceries for breakfast in nearby shops with Ari. Hunting down the best places for gelato with Sami. Watching the street artists paint with spray cans and flames in the Piazza Navona and Ari buying Sami the one with the wolf in it. Touring the synagogue, viewing its treasures, and strolling the Jewish Ghetto.

From Rome, we took a taxi to the train station. The train ride, which took about two hours, was comfortable and pleasant, although we were not all able to sit together because of seat-specific ticketing. Saul had a pleasant journey a few aisles down with seat mates that were English-speaking from California. One of Ari’s favorite memories was of me commenting that the countryside through which we passed looked exactly like what I pictured Tuscany to look like. He laughingly explained to me that Florence is in Tuscany, a fact of which I was not aware. We were truly looking at Tuscan countryside on our journey.

Florence:
C Hotel The Style Florence (directly across the street from the train station, thanks to Ari’s great thoughtfulness and good travel karma); The Duomo, also known as Santa Maria Del Fiore Cathedral; Michaelangelo’s David and his unfinished Slaves in the Hall of the Prisoners, Giambologna’s Rape of the Sabines, and Botticelli’s Madonna and Child in the Galleria dell’Accademia Museum among many other magnificent works of art; lunch at Trattoria La Madia; Uffizi Gallery; Palazzo Medici Riccardi; Piazza Della Signoria; Ponte Vecchio; Mercato Centrale; dinner at Trattoria 13 Gobbi.

Highlights of Florence:
The David! It literally took my breath away when I first saw it in person. It is the most beautiful and flawless marble I have ever seen. The view from the balcony of our hotel suite. As we hurried back from dinner, we narrowly missed getting caught in the teeming rain of a very violent thunderstorm. We watched the lightning show from our balcony as it illuminated the distinctive skyline of the partially blacked-out city due to power failures. Doing the Rick Steves walking tour of the city together with ear buds and iPhones. Choosing gorgeous, jewel-like, preserved fruits and Italian honeys for my collection at the Mercato Centrale.

While we waited to board our train from Florence to Venice, Ari and I left Saul and Sami with the suitcases and went to buy delicious sandwiches and snacks at a small restaurant/deli down the street from the station so we would not be hungry on our journey. Again, our traveling time was about two hours. Again, the ride was very pleasant, and this time Saul was able to trade seats so that we could all sit together. Nothing in my life had prepared me for the incredible beauty of Venice as I experienced my first glimpse through the huge glass doors of the train station. That first view of the canals on a beautiful, cloudless day was absolutely breathtaking, and nothing like the murky, moldy, deteriorating city I had expected to encounter.

Venice:
Grand Canal; La Fenice; Saint Mark Basin; Palazzo Ducale; St. Mark’s Square (Doge’s Palace, Campanile, The Clock Tower, Bridge of Sighs); Ponte de Ghetto Vecchio, Campo Madonna, Rialto Market

Highlights of Venice:
The beautiful architecture. The lack of automobiles. Watching the gondolas. Riding the Vaporetto. Wandering the narrow streets on foot and getting lost in the maze of courtyards and small bridges. Having to retrace our path because there were no bridges in some places. Having dinner near our house alongside a small, quiet canal at sunset. Again, doing the Rick Steves walking tour of the city together with ear buds and iPhones. Shopping for groceries in the small bakeries and markets near our house. Touring the ancient Jewish quarter. Shopping for Murano glass souvenir necklaces in St. Mark’s Square with Sami.

We were all very sad to leave Italy. We all loved the culture, food, and people that we met far above anything we expected. The house where we stayed in Venice was so charming and comfortable that we vowed we would be back to enjoy a laid-back, extended vacation there. On the last day, we hopped a water taxi that took us across the lagoon to the airport for our flight back to London.

Our last few days in London were concerned with preparing Ari to move to a new flat in Greenwich. While his flat was beautiful, it was in a small building with very inefficient management and only one elevator, which was constantly breaking down and taking several days to repair. For the amount he was paying for the apartment, we felt he should not have to walk four flights of stairs, nor put up with dirty entranceways, and common areas. There was also no concierge, a problem for Ari anytime he needed to have a delivery, especially with the long hours he keeps at work.

We were only able to spend one night in the Greenwich apartment before it was time to fly back to Orlando for the beginning of “Camp Bubbie and Saba.” Saul and I traveled with Sami to Gatwick Airport by cab and placed her on her flight back as an unaccompanied minor. She had a good flight and was met without any problems by her mom, dad and two siblings who had driven down to our home the day before. Since Saul and I were leaving less than a day later, we arranged to stay at the Bloc Hotel, which is a box-type hotel within the airport itself. It was a very unusual set-up, but I would recommend it to anyone with a long layover in an airport. The clean, tiny room, with its comfy bed and bedding, was laid out very efficiently. The bathroom, with its shower was a wet room with the toilet paper in a protective cover so it would not get wet. Because we had decided to upgrade, there was a window in our room, but this type of accommodation is not for the claustrophobic. One caveat is that we were not able to check our luggage under this type of set up and had to drag our suitcases all over the airport until our room was ready, not a small inconvenience.

On our flight back, our information was misplaced when we landed in Edinborough. This had something to do with our switch from British Airways to American Airlines as part of the Oneworld alliance. They fixed the problem without too much stress and we were rewarded when we arrived in Philadelphia with a switch to first class seating for the flight from there to Orlando. The only other unpleasantness was the weather as we reached Orlando. A classic Florida thunderstorm was just getting underway and we watched bolts of lightning striking around us as we landed.

We had enjoyed the vacation of a lifetime, but we were very glad to be home, safe and sound, among our children and grandchildren. We had been missing our comfy bed and Florida weather and we were very much looking forward to the beginning of our next vacation, immediately, as Camp Bubbie and Saba was about to begin in the land of Disney World.