First Meals

I just realised that I haven't started any post on what we ate while vacationing in Japan last year.  How remiss of me! About time to start posting food photos, in between travel stories. No?

First meal, upon arriving to Japan. A late supper bought at a konbini. The melon pan was for Raimie. Plus a cheap 105yen 1ltr pack grape (I think) drink.

First breakfast in Japan - we would eat this type of breakfast often as this is what is being offered/served at Toyoko Inn, the hotel chain that we like to stay at (or is it in?) Though I have to admit, I can only last a week eating onigiris before I start wanting only bread for my breakfast! Thankfully, they offer those too.

It's easy to spot a foreigner at the breakfast hall at this hotel. By foreigner I mean Asian tourists and not Westerners. Due to the limited space, Japanese guests don't usually linger at the breakfast table and eat just enough - 3 onigiris, some side dishes and a cup of tea and they usually don't make a second trip to the buffet table. Us foreigners sit around, hog the breakfast table and eat to last us until dinner! I kid you not! "It's free so might as well scarf everything and get value for money for it" mentality should totally be left behind back home, lah...

Zaini and I, who are foreign tourists ourselves would scoff at these people and mutter "sheesh, these foreign tourists. Why can't they learn to be like the Japanese". A case of  being a Japanese-wannabe? Visited Japan way too many times?

First lunch in Japan was at Shin-Yokohama Station. Nothing too adventurous; we went to Tenya and ate tempura, ate rice, ate some udon too. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know there's proper name for those but I'm lazy to put it down.

These, our first ekiben. Eaten on our journey from Shin-Yokohama to Hakata Station, taking the shinkansen. Guess which one is Raimie's?

Collectible Rubber Ducks - too Cute!

Uncle Sam / USA Patriotic / American Flag

Collectors of rubber ducks cross all ages.  When we sell at shows and fairs more times than not adults are adding to their collection.  And who can blame them.  Some of these ducks are the cutest and very clever.  

We have over 160 different ones for sale so here are just a few of the most popular.

Brown Horse

Happy Birthday

Graduate in cap, gown & diploma

Bride

Groom

Super Girl / Woman

Viking on horse

Construction Worker

Bowling Girl / lady

Most of thee ducks have 4 different ones in the set, like both men and women bowlers, super heroes etc.  

There are so very many more, please visit our store to see them all. 

WOW: Saying Goodbye to Florida!

Bill sharing the boardwalk with a friendly Florida alligator...

beauty in Spanish moss covered oaks...

We arrived in Florida Nov. 9, 2011. Through Thanksgiving, my birthday, Christmas, New Year, Valentines’ Day, Bill’s birthday, and St. Patrick’s Day, we enjoyed the warmth of the Florida sun. But now we must start our trek to the north towards Nova Scotia where in July Bill’s high school buddies are holding their nth reunion. Following that we go to Quebec and Ontario before driving through Bill’s boyhood home in Pittsburg, Kansas for their 50^thyear reunion. Then we spend winter in southwest USA or the Philippines for a change.

As we bid Florida goodbye, I thought about what sets this sunshine state unmistakably apart from the rest. I have come up with these Top 10 things we will miss:

beautiful palm trees adorn buildings, too

Spanish Moss and Palm Trees

Spanish moss is a flowering plant that grows upon larger trees, hanging from tree branches in full sun or partial shade, depriving the host tree of nutrients. In the long run, it overtakes the host. The process makes for plenty of unique tree/moss combinations that can ironically be things of beauty.  Aside from Spanish moss engulfed oak and cypress trees, Florida is the home of ubiquitous palm trees. Many varieties of palm trees abound, adorning streets, homes, buildings, and parks. Feels like home!

miles and miles of white powdery beaches...

Beaches

Florida’s beaches also remind me of home. Her coastline is all of 1350 miles, 580 along the Atlantic Ocean and 770 along the Gulf of Mexico. On the Atlantic Ocean the more famous are South Beach, Miami Beaches, Ft. Lauderdale Beach, and Daytona Beach. On the Gulf Side are the Tampa Bay Beaches, etc. Then, of course there are the Keys where you literally have white sand beaches on both sides of the highway that connects the islands.

The Sunshine State!

Sunshine and Snowbirds

Florida’s climate, like the Philippines, is tropical. Winters can have lows in the mid30s at night but daytime hovers around high 70s and low 80s. Almost every day is a day of sunshine, perfect for all outdoor activities. Thus snowbirds come in droves to escape the cold in their hometowns up north. A University of Florida study says about a million of them temporarily add to Florida’s population every winter.  Most come from the northeastern part of the country with about 5% coming from Canada.

snowbirds include Bill and me!

golf carts, instead of cars, park in front of stores!

Golf Carts and Flea Markets

They usually congregate around retirement communities and the hundreds of RV campgrounds in the state. One of the hallmarks of these communities are those cute little golf carts plying to and fro the vast resort acreages at tops 10mph on their own little roads! They fancy the thriving flea markets that spring up on weekends or other special days. The snowbirds love shopping there. I found 3 new summer dresses at the Webster’s flea market for only $30!

just a tiny section of Webster's Monday flea market!

ubiquitous Florida Citrus Centers... 

Oranges and Alligators
Then there are 17 varieties of oranges, all known for their sweet taste and juiciness. They make up 70% of all the citrus fruits sold in the US each year. We always have a lot of oranges when we are in Florida. I love the red navels the best! But as common as oranges are! Most of the campgrounds have small ponds or lakes that have a couple of alligators swimming around. You see a lot of signs that say, ‘Please do not feed the alligators’. I used to be afraid to go near those ponds. I will miss them, too.

Theme Parks

this balloon will always lead you
 to Downtown Disney

My grandkids visited us last holiday season and they specifically said they did not want to experience them. They had only one thing on their minds: the giant theme parks. There were about 80 million visitors in 2004, making Florida the top travel destination in the world, generating an economic impact of $57 billion on Florida’s economy. The biggest draws are Disney World and Universal Studios in Orlando. But there seems to be always new parks opening, the latest being LegoLand.

So if by chance you are visiting Florida, please do not forget to go to Key West, the Everglades, Miami and Tampa Bay Beaches, the Kennedy Space Center, and the Orlando theme parks. If you have more time, there are so many amazing places. We tried to describe as many as we can in our posts from our visits in the winters of 2011/2012 and 2009/2010. This is the state we have most thoroughly covered. In fact, we could choose to settle down here, if only our children are not all in the west. So with much regret, Bill and I bid a sad goodbye to this awesome sunshiny state!

Baths With A View

What better way to spend a cold night or a morning than a soak in a hot tub, that comes with a view, right?

Zaini found this rather nice and affordable cottage style accommodation in Yufuin that has two hot spring bath  in each of the cottages. One indoors and one outdoors.

The cottage we stayed in was chosen specifically for the nice looking outdoor bath it offers.

The view from our indoor bath

The outdoor bath

Walking from our cottage to the outdoor bath was equally nice too. The path is lighted at night, providing a really nice, romantic atmosphere. ^^

I know it's hot and clammy here in Malaysia but I wish I can go for a dip in a hot bath.

You know, after experiencing Japanese style small bath tubs, even Western bath tubs are no fun now. Can't sit and soak myself up to my neck in Western bath tubs!

German Beer Steins/ Story Behind the Listings

A man and a woman in traditional German costume.

At one point in my father's life he told us he had everything he wanted and if he didn't, he would go buy it for himself. 

He was born in Germany and was very proud that he came to this country without knowing how to speak English and that during his life became a very successful businessman on Long Island New York.  Many, many people know Dieters -Hagen Inc. 

Left with the dilemma of what gifts to give him we started a collection of these lidded German Beer (Bier) steins. I remember them sitting on the top shelf of the bookcase in the front hall for many years - pretty to look at but never used.  

Time moves on and it now time to share these collectibles with a new family who will enjoy them as much as we did.

Cobalt blue and gray salt glazed.

Tall pitcher to refill those steins!!

Luzern - full color

3 men drinking from Hofbrauhaus mugs.

I am selling these and other mugs. steins and collectibles on eBay. Please stop by and visit.

Christmas 1977

Cheezu!

Just a cheesy post... and being cheesy posing with cutouts all over Japan.

 

 

 

Say cheese!

Review - Breakfast on Broadway, Denver CO

One afternoon we were browsing some antique shops on S Broadway in Denver.  We were heading further south to wind ourselves back to I25 to return home to Colorado Springs.  


On one corner was this unimposing restaurant with many cars in the lot (always a good sign!). I really liked the spatula and whisk on the sign!


The day was warmer than normal so we chose to sit on the patio.  The menu is typical breakfast with some enhancements which separates them for the normal breakfast menu. 

Gene chose the Corned Beef Hash and eggs with sourdough toast.  The potatoes were more like potato cakes - smooth inside and crispy on the outside.  Very tasty.

I was very excited to try the Truffle Omelet with asparagus , also with the same potatoes. They used truffle salt and a few shavings of the black truffle.  The truffle flavor was very subtle but still tasty.

Would I recommend this restaurant for a lazy Sat. AM breakfast / brunch?  Yes we would.  Visit their website for more insight into this neighborhood gathering place.

OLA: Partying with Snowbirds

Bill's offered his 68th birthday cake to the snowbirders of the RVing world!

snowbirds learning many line dancing variations

SNOWBIRDS!   The term makes you think of old, retired people from as far north as Newfoundland in Canada who leave their cold homes in November to spend a warm winter in Florida then make their way back home in March. They may have a few years under their belt, but they are definitely young at heart, and they certainly know how to have fun! Last week we introduced you to our young traveling friends from Slovenia. This week we spotlight our more regular companions in the RVing world, those sexygenarians like us (or older!) and about ‘partying’ with them.

Fay and Butch toasting the celebrant

Lake Magic in Orlando, Florida

Lake Magic in Orlando, a member of the Encore group, is the overflow park of Orlando Thousand Trails, one of our favorite parks. It sits on Highway 192 West, part of the triangle that circumscribes the theme parks of Orlando. It is only 6 miles from Disney! The RV haven is very nice with well-maintained facilities and tons of activities. We were lucky that Orlando Thousand Trails did not have space for us and got booked in and introduced to Lake Magic instead! 

Warren and Berta leading the singing

But the Park’s outstanding feature is its energetic community of younger snowbirds. Some store their RVs in the Park to use it as their alternate home in Florida. Some rent or own park models and just drive to Florida in their cars, and some are just like us who haul their home full time on the road. We were lucky that we got drawn into a group that seemed to party every day, with pot luck food and loads of karaoke singing and line dancing, led by Warren and Berta who own the equipment. 

      

Bill singing 'Wake Up Little Susie'

A traditional ‘Virginia’ barbecue courtesy of Fay and Butch coincided with Bill’s 68^th birthday, so we brought a large German chocolate cake.  A host of sides were brought by the other 45 guests. A hearty Happy Birthday was sung as Bill offered his cake that read ‘Happy RVing and Snowbirding’ to start dessert time. Then the group burst into karaoke singing, street dancing, and more eating! And, like always when a party ends, Warren and Berta led the group in singing ‘We’re Best of Friends’!

St. Patrick's Day celebration with the 'band'

Three Flags in Wildwood, Florida

Over at Three Flags, another Encore campground, management had ushered in the snowbirding season with the Thanksgiving Party where they served roast turkey while we campers contributed sides and desserts (also became my own 63^rd birthday celebration). Then March 17 they bid goodbye to the season with its St. Patrick’s Day celebration, serving corned beef and cabbage, traditional Irish fare, plus all the sides and desserts from the campers. The holiday is a cultural and religious holiday for the most commonly recognized patron saint of Ireland and the arrival of Christianity to the Emerald Isle.

just the dessert tables

Joe and Dottie having dinner with us...

During the winter of 2009/201, we met Joe, 81, and Dottie, 82 also in Three Flags. He has become Bill’s fishing buddy while Dottie is my Scrabble and Upwords playmate.  Dottie and I also exchange a lot of fave recipes.  At about the same time we met them, we also met Bob and Laverne, who are just a little older than us. They run a popular entertainment blog so they introduced me to the world of blogging and Entrecard. Without them, I would not have known how to establish my online presence.  

Bob and Laverne having dessert with us...

Bev and Dan going out with us...

We were also surprised to see Dan and Bev Johnson (the same age as Bill and I) in Three Flags this year. They are from the Seattle, Washington area like us. We met at an eastern Washington campground when we were on our way back to Seattle. This time around, a special bond developed because they kept me company when Bill needed to stay in the hospital after a heart attack. They visited Bill at the Heart of Florida Medical Center the following day.

Carol singing 'Act Naturally'

The RV and travel community can be very isolating even if we meet a lot of people at all of the campground activities. Once in a while, however, we are able to form special bonds with fellow travelers who become lifelong friends. We make the effort to keep communication lines open even when we are apart and take pains to schedule next meetings. Once again, we are reminded of the theme of this blog…’It is not about age, it is about lifestyle’.  We share the cruising lifestyle.