The Village Triathlon, Newlywed Thanksgiving, and Dangerous Grandmas

11.20.2009-11.28.2009: The last week has been both very busy and also very relaxing. We decided to stay longer with Grandma and Pop-pop, as Grandma has been in and out of the hospital twice in the last few days. Our days have been busy with visiting Grandma in the hospital and helping around the house, as well as with playing games and soaking up the Florida sun next to the pool.

One night we took the golf cart to pick up Chinese food for dinner, at The China Buffet. They were so nice as to put our large order of food in a big box.



On one trip to or from the hospital, we discovered a funky little restaurant - The Ramshackle Cafe. We enjoyed some tasty wings and beer, and a couple sandwiches. The walls were also covered with good advice, such as, "Don't squat with your spurs on" as well as old license plates from around the US and world.

Wednesday, 11.25.2009 goes down in history as "The Village Triathlon." We had been playing pickleball pretty much every day, and we decided to explore a few of the other games. We decided our Triathlon would consist of 3 events - pickleball, shuffleboard, and horseshoes. And the games began.

The winner of 2 out of 3 pickleball games - Katrina.

The winner of 2 games of shuffleboard - David.

With the Triathlon all tied up, horseshoes would determine the Triathlon Champion...

Katrina triumphed to win horseshoes and take the Championship title. David only cried a little, and is proud to have a wife who can kick his butt playing games.

On another trip to the hospital, we spotted a hot dog stand along the side of the road. After passing it for three days, we gave it a go and tried 4 hot dogs.

Pictured below are our deputy dogs - Katrina's standard dog and David's Fiery Chicago dog. If eating a Deputy Dog proved one thing, it is that the Wiener's Circle in Chicago is still our favorite hot dog place.

Thanksgiving Day - our first Thanksgiving together as husband and wife. As we weren't sure if Grandma would still be in the hospital, transferred to another unit, or be home, we really didn't do too much planning ahead. Our meal was planned while walking up and down the grocery aisles on Wednesday night.

Our menu: a 3 pound turkey breast, sweet potatoes, gravy, green beans, stuffed poblano peppers, applesauce, carrots, caramelized grapefruit, cranberries, and pumpkin pie. We also picked up a nice bottle of Gnarly Head Old Vine Zin wine.

Since we were not in our own kitchens (we don't have one yet!), a lot of creativity was involved in our Thanksgiving cooking - especially related to spices, baking dishes, and utensils.

We are especially proud of the pie we made in a deep dish pizza pan (we couldn't find a pie plate).

And, no dinner would be complete without Pop-pop's favorite beer - Natural Ice Light. Maybe a new tradition is born?

Although Grandma was still in the hospital, we had a really fun time cooking together and enjoyed a lovely Thanksgiving meal with Pop-pop. We have so much to be thankful for.

Grandma did come home from the hospital yesterday, so David and Katrina headed out on the town to give her space to rest. We had a really fun date night, and went to Giovanni's - an Italian restaurant recommended by Grandma and Pop-pop (who are Italian) as the best in the area. And it was good! We especially enjoyed the exceptional service and fun banter with Nikki, our server.

Our next stop is a Village hot spot, and is the first place Grandma and Pop-pop took us when we first arrived in Florida at the beginning of the month. Lighthouse Point sits right on one of the many lakes here, and has live music on the weekends. This is also where we were intrigued by the very interesting shot list (which maybe we have a copy of...).

We had much fun, ordering drinks such as "Citron My Face", a "Broken Down Golf Cart" (or B.D.G.C., as the locals call it), a "Sex on the Lake", and our favorite, a "Dangerous Grandma." The best part of the Dangerous Grandma was that it was delivered to David by a dangerous grandma - who is also part of the Village Dancers. She didn't seem all that dangerous to us, but then again she had already had a couple margaritas already...

Our last day in Florida was pretty low key. We had our usual round of daily pickleball (David won this round two games to one), and packed and prepared for tomorrow's departure. Grandma and Pop-pop took us out to El Ranchito, a Mexican restaurant, which was very tasty. Even with some of the ups and downs, we have really enjoyed the chance we've had to spend time with Grandma and Pop-pop.

The has set on our time in Florida, and this young couple must head West. Next stop - New Orleans, LA.

Man Oh Man(atees)!

11.19.2009: During our road trip, many people have asked us what our favorite experience has been so far. We've done quite a few neat things, and eaten some really interesting food, and it has been difficult to pick just one thing as our favorite.

Now, that has changed. We can definitely say that today, swimming with manatees, was our favorite thing so far. In fact, it's pretty high up on the list of the coolest things that we've ever experienced.

We left Grandma and Pop-pop's at the lovely hour of 6:20 AM for our drive to Crystal River, FL, on the Gulf side of Florida. So far, on this trip, there haven't been too many early mornings, and we definitely have not gotten up before 6 AM, so it was a bit rough.

Since nothing was open, we stopped at McDonalds (yes, you read correctly, McDonalds!) for coffee. Even with their massive advertising campaign for McCafe, their coffee wasn't very good.

We arrived at the Crystal River Dive Shop (we did get a bit lost on our way - it was quite a small dive shop and we drove right by it) just before 8 AM. Had we known we would be squeezing into wet suits on our road trip, maybe we would have eaten less food... But, we do have to say that after squeezing (emphasis on squeezing), we didn't look all that bad. In fact, we did feel a bit like super heroes. That is, until we put on our flippers, then we just felt silly.

There were about 8 other people on our boat - a wide, flat boat that probably didn't go more than 5 miles an hour. In the manatee zones, boats must idle and leave no wake. Having said that, it was a long trip out to the bay where we swam.

Although it did take a bit of time, it was a beautiful boat ride. While on our way, the driver of our boat (we guess you could also call him a guide) told us of all the federal laws protecting the manatees, the rules of swimming with them, and more about the manatee species. Once in the water, you can approach a manatee if you see one, but if it tries to swim away, you cannot swim (or chase) after it. The refuge area has places that humans can swim, and places that humans cannot - these are designated by ropes and buoys, and people cannot even touch or hang onto the ropes or buoys. Our boat driver told us that manatees have virtually no memory, and are very gentle and curious - which is why they approach humans and boats (even though some have been hit by boats before). Many manatees are seriously injured, and even killed, by boats each year. Manatees are most closely related to the elephant (they are mammals and breathe air) and can reach 15 feet and 2,300 pounds.

We were very excited when we reached the refuge area.



Our boat stopped and we jumped in.





Our driver had mentioned that everyone is really excited to see their first manatee - until they actually see it and realize how big it is. Katrina was not nervous because she thought that she would see a manatee (they are big!) before feeling it. This was not the case. Shortly after getting out of the boat, Katrina felt something rubbing on her leg. Now, with a bit murky water, it was a bit disconcerting at first, until she realized that a manatee had approached her and was saying hello. It was just a little guy, maybe 400 pounds or so, and Katrina hung out with it for quite some time until other people realized that it was there.



During the couple hours that we were in the water, we saw quite a few manatees. Below is David petting one of the manatees.

And here is Katrina petting one too.

Closer to our boat, we encountered a manatee that was a pretty big guy - our boat driver estimated him at over 1,000 pounds. We also encountered a manatee that really liked to have its belly scratched, and each time it was touched it would roll over on its back to show its belly. We also got to see two manatees engaged in a "mating roll" - as cool as it was to see, it was also kind of sad. As honeymooners we wonder who would want a group of people gathered around watching while a "mating roll" was taking place?

Touching the skin of a manatee was very interesting - some actually felt like there was algae growing on their backs. Their bellies were very soft, and leather-like. Their faces seemed very small for their big bodies, and were very cute (especially when you got to look at one up close!) Their tails were like big paddles, similar to beavers, and they had little flippers on their sides.

The experience being there with them was actually pretty indescribable. We have had many instances on our trip when pictures don't even come close to doing justice - this definitely was one of those experiences.

After a couple hours in the water (and our boat driver getting a good nap), we headed back to the dive shop. We returned our gear, and picked up a small, stuffed manatee souvenir. We named him "Mo' Manatee." (If only to keep Ernie company...)

Lunch was next on the agenda, and we stopped a nearby restaurant - Charlie's Fish House.

We had some tasty seafood gumbo and crab bisque to start. Below is David's broiled catfish, along with hush puppies, corn and grits. Tasty!

After eating, we were on the road again headed back to Grandma and Pop-pop's.

Our afternoon was also indescribable - but in quite a different way. We did a bit of car maintenance - got an oil change, two new front tires, and even got our "Check Engine" light checked. We picked up some more snacks for us while traveling in the car and some shampoo.

Very exciting.

All in all, one really great day.

Return to The Villages

11.18.2009: We spent most of the day relaxing around the house, and also headed to the recreation center. Looking for something other than the pool (although don't get us wrong, we do enjoy the pool very much!), we found pickleball. Pickleball is a weird combination of tennis, badminton, and ping-pong - and is played with a wiffle ball. Of course, the first time we played we didn't know the rules, and kind of made them up as we went along (below, Katrina is pictured serving overhand, which is illegal). Our competitive sides came out to play and we had a lot of fun!

Our evening activity was, of course, eating dinner. The first time we visited, Pop-pop mentioned a BBQ restaurant that he really liked and that they hadn't been to in a while. He suggested it as the place to go for dinner, and we were excited to compare it to our other BBQ experiences. Off we went to OakWood, where we enjoyed a lovely dinner of baby back ribs (a full rack for David), grilled chicken, and side dishes of corn salad, sweet potato, collard greens and macaroni and cheese. Delish! Our server claimed that the restaurant served the most fresh and best hamburgers in the area. We even picked up a bottle of their homemade BBQ sauce on our way out.

The Noises Alligators Make

11.17.2009: In the morning, we went with Abuela to visit her niece Suela, Suela's daughter in law, and her daughter in law's new baby Eva. It was nice to meet them, although they all did speak Spanish muy rapido, so we didn't catch too much of the conversation! We enjoyed Cuban coffee, malta with milk (which they thought was odd), looked at our wedding pictures, and looked at family photos.

After returning to Abuela's, we loaded up the car and said our hasta luegos. Abuela is so energetic and lots of fun, so it was hard to say good-bye.

Our time in South Florida wasn't quite complete, as we still wanted to ride an airboat in the Everglades and see a few more alligators. We went to Buffalo Tiger's airboat tours, which is run by the Miccosukee Native Americans. Our timing couldn't have been more perfect - as we were arriving, a boat was preparing to depart. We quickly paid, jumped in the boat, and away we went! Because of how loud the airboats are, we were given cotton balls to use as earplugs while the boat was in motion.

During our ride, we saw many birds - big and small. Below is a photo of one of the most common birds we saw - the females are brown and the males are black.



Being so familiar with the Everglades, or grass rivers, our guide knew where quite a few alligators had their territory. Since our guide was familiar with the alligators, they were also familiar with him and would come right up to the side of the boat! Of course, the fact that he feeds them a bit doesn't hurt either. Below are pictures of two of the alligators that we saw.





While the bird below may look small in the picture, it is actually quite a large heron, with a huge wingspan. As we were riding in the boat, it rose out of the grass and started flying away - David was able to snap a quick photo, although it doesn't come close to how beautiful it was to see it in person.



Hopefully, the video below will give you just a quick glimpse what it was like to have an alligator right next to our boat! Before you hit "play", ask yourself what noise you think an alligator makes while it eats something - you're about to find out!



During our airboat ride, we stopped at a small island, and our guide told us a bit about traditional Native American life in the Everglades. We were able to see small huts that had been used for cooking and sleeping. At night, the people would sleep on tables raised above the ground, and would grease the legs of the tables and the poles of the hut with animal fat - this would keep the snakes from being able to climb up, as they were attracted to the body warmth of the people!

We also saw many different swamp flowers and lily pads, and even caught a quick glimpse of a good sized turtle.

Once our ride was over and we returned to our car, we headed North back to The Villages, FL and to stay with Grandma and Pop-pop for a few more days.

Cuando en Miami

11.16.2009: After another tasty Abuela breakfast, we visited the cemetery where David's Abuelo (grandfather on his Dad's side) is buried. On the way we stopped to pick up flowers. This was the first time David had visited the cemetery and seen his Abuelo's grave, and it meant a lot to David to be able to visit the grave with Abuela and Katrina.



Jackie Gleason, the original Honeymooner, is also buried at the same cemetery and Abuela took us to see his large marble monument.



Cuando en Miami, or when in Miami, you must eat Cuban food. Hence, the Cuban Sandwich challenge! Our first contender - Sarussi Cafe. We had noticed this cafe several times on Calle Ocho while running errands with Abuela, and noticed the prominent banner claiming that it served the best Cuban sandwiches in Florida according to the Travel Channel. And if you have learned anything from this blog, it is this: when the Travel Channel speaks, David and Katrina listen, and usually eat something delicious! This Cuban sandwich had perfectly flaky Cuban bread - crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. The meat - ham and pork - was very thinly sliced, the mozzarella was gooey, the "secret sauce" reminded us both of a hummus spread and the crunch of the pickle was much welcomed. Unlike most Cuban sandwiches, this sandwich was placed in an oven and baked, not prepared in a panini press. The Cuban Sandwich challenge was off to an amazing start!

Before our second Cuban sandwich, we headed to Kendall, FL (a shout out to our favorite niece Kendall) to see the hospital where David was born.

David remembers going to the hospital as a child and seeing a giant pineapple fountain in front of the hospital. From a grown-up perspective, the fountain wasn't that giant, but was still quite lovely.

The second stop for Cuban sandwiches was Raffie's Cuban & Latin Restaurant. David's Dad had recommended a restaurant called the Latin American Cafeteria. We couldn't find it, as it had moved, so we called Dad and he texted us the directions. When we arrived, we found Raffie's.

The Cuban sandwich at Raffie's was definitely more traditional than the one at Sarussi Cafe. The bread was pressed in a panini maker until the insides were melted. The meat was thicker, traditional Swiss cheese and mustard was used, and the pickles were more plentiful. We ate while sitting at a cute table on the sidewalk outside the restaurant.

We both enjoyed both sandwiches, but at the end of the day, Sarussi Cafe was our favorite.

The rest of the afternoon and evening was spent at Abuela's, preparing and enjoying a dinner of steak, rice, plantains, black beans, and salad. As soon as we saw the size of the steaks and the huge pot of rice, we knew the second Cuban sandwich was a bad idea! But, never being ones to disappoint a grandmother, we ate well. Abuela had also received a perfectly ripe, giant avocado from a neighbor's tree. It was quite possibly the best avocado we have eaten and a perfect end to the meal!

Our days in Miami were also filled with many traditional Cuban treats, which we would like to share with everyone.

Each afternoon, Abuela would make Cuban coffee for her friend and neighbor Vicki, across the back fence. We hoped that she made extra because we were there, or else we don't think Vicki sleeps! Cuban coffee is pure espresso, slowly brewed, packed with sugar, and served in a tiny cup. Abuela taught us how to make it after we took interest, and of course, we ended up with our own Cuban coffee pot, coffee cups, blender (for the foam), and many bricks of Cafe La Llave to take home with us. Someday, when we have our own place, we would like to keep this afternoon coffee tradition alive, and you are all invited over for a cup of Cuban coffee!

Some of our other favorite things included pineapple soda, mango nectar, malta, all things guava (Cubanita guava paste pictured below), homemade empanadas, and the color of Abuela's house.