Happy Chanukah, Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy 2015
We finally made it from SUNNY, WARM Florida to COLD NYC. So what is wrong with this picture? This is from someone who swore never to be cold again.
We are here to see all of our NY family and friends. Also to say hello to all of our Doctors.
And, most important…to see Evelyn!!!!!!!!
We will be back in Florida next year around January, 8th.
See you soon.
Life is great, no matter where we are, on the Roan Road…
We will be taking a break from Disney for a month. Tomorrow we put the house in storage and rent a car to drive up NYC. Look out NYC, here we come! We will return to Kissimmee on Jan. 8th, 2015 for a month.
Friday we went to Disney, getting there around 5PM. We went with our friend Dale and met the rest of the gang at the German Pavilion in Epcot. The other day when we went to Epcot I took a video of the Flag Dancers at the Italian Pavilion.
The Gang of 9
Bob, Dottie, Me, Ann, Bob, Dale, Barb, Max, Judy
We ate at the Biergarden Restaurant in the German Pavilion. Along with the buffet they provided a show.
After the Biergarden we lined for the Christmas show, the Candlelight Processional. The narrator that was at our performance was Whoopi Goldberg.
On the was out Disney said Good Night.
Life is great on the Roan Road…
Last night we made use of our season pass to Disney World. We went to the Disney Osborne Lights at the Hollywood Studio with our friends Dale and Donna.
Later we met up with Judy and Bob Emerson.
The Osborne Family is from Arkansas. They had a display that grew and grew. Finally in 1995 Walt Disney brought it to Disney World. It was crowded but from what we are told it was a slow night. From a technical and aesthetic standpoint, it is wonderful. The choreography was not to be believed.
THE OSBORNE LIGHTS from Roy Brody on Vimeo.
The same night after the seeing the Osborne lights we walked over to a show called Fantasmic!! It is a combination of a Laser Light show a pyrotechnics show, a water show and even real people! It is truly a show not to be missed.
Here is a short clip and pictures, that really does not do the production justice.
Fantasmic from Roy Brody on Vimeo.
Wherever you go in the various parks, you see Disney characters…especially Mickey!
Ann is now in her packing mode getting ready for our trip up north. She is tired and cranky. I thing we both need a vacation.
Life is great on the Roan Road…
We are now in Kissimmee, Florida soaking in the warm Florida sunshine, I hope. Today we spent our first day at Disney World. We started at Epcot Center. The last time we were here, somewhere around 1981, where they were building Epcot so we never got to see it. Today we spent the first day touring this part of the park. My first impressions, there are a lot of kids here. Where do they all come from?
As Florida residents we get a discount on an annual pass. We chose the Weekday Annual Pass. Which is perfect for us, as we have time to use it weekdays. Today was our first day. Boy was it an experience. First thing we learned. get there early when the park opens, before the crowds. Next, bring food for lunch. Eating at the park is not cheap.
Ann is definitely in the Grandma mode. We had to stop in every Disney Shop that we could find. Ok, maybe not every. I did put my foot down after 10. OUCH!! that hurt.
This is what I am talking about
We did have a great time though.
Life is great on the Roan Road…
We want to wish all of our family and friends a very Happy and Healthy Thanksgiving 2014.
We will be going out to dinner with some friends to celebrate Thanksgiving. Now,don’t eat too much tomorrow.
We will see all of you guys in NYC in a couple of weeks. We will be driving up, leaving Kissimmee on December 8th.
Here is my new toy. It is a Quadra Copter. or call it a Drone. It has a gyro stabilized camera that can take photos or video. I am going to use it to take videos as we travel.
These are the pictures Ann took while I played with my new toy.
Here is what it looks like from the air.
This is a video of my first flight of the Drone. Sorry for the video, but it will get better with practice.
FIRST FLIGHT from Roy Brody on Vimeo.
Again, Happy Thanksgiving to all!
Life is Pretty darn good on the Roan Road…
I keep getting these “Freeze Warnings” on my smartphone. This is Florida, it ain’t supposed to happen here! Although it does warm up to the 60’s during the day.
We revisited Savannah, GA. Last time we were here we took one of the Trolley Tours. We really did not care for the tour. This time we met our friends and fellow New Horizon owners, Madeline and Jerry, at the visitor’s center by chance. The four of us decided to take a waking tour together. Savannah is known for it’s many parks. The four of us took the free trolley that goes around the city and did a walking tour of the parks. Afterward we had a great lunch at Anna’s at the City Market.
Next we visited Hilton Head, SC. We have mixed feelings about Hilton Head. First stop was the Coastal Discovery Museum. We completely enjoyed the experience.
The part we did not like, was when we decided to take ride to the Hilton Head Lighthouse. It is in a part of the town called Harbor Town. I plugged in the address into the GPS and off we went through some very nice neighborhoods. Then we turned a corner and came to a gate house with a guard. I politely said that I just wanted to visit the lighthouse. “OK”, he said, “because you have a dual wheel truck, that will be $25.” Ok, so that is $25 for the privilege of driving through their precious street and then the admission fee to the lighthouse. I DON’T THINK SO. I said “ thank you very much” and made a U turn and left. We drove to the end of the street in Hilton Head and turned around. So you can see I was not impressed.
Here is a photo I downloaded from the internet of the lighthouse. The one I never got to see.
Nice picture, too bad I did not take it.
On the bright side, Ann picked out a great restaurant outside of the town called Hudson’s Seafood House where we had a great lunch. Good choice, Ann.
Once more. Life is really great on the Roan Road…
We are following the migrating birds south for the winter and warmer weather. Last week we spent the week at James Island County Park in Charleston, SC. This is a county park like no other we have seen. Beautiful campsites, walking and riding trails, lakes, fountains. When we were there the workers were preparing for the 25th anniversary of the Festival of lights. There were light displays all over. Unfortunately we had to leave just before it started and we could not extend our stay. The campground is booked up all year round. They even have a carousel that was closed and not opening until the light festival started. Boy, was Ann disappointed!
The first day in Charleston we went to Fort Sumter. Fort Sumter is on an island in the middle of the bay. To visit Fort Sumter you need to go to the National Park Visitor Center and take a short ferry ride out to the park. Once on the Island a park ranger gives some history of the park. Then you can walk around by yourself.
Fort Sumter
A shell embedded in the wall from the original attack.
Drayton Hall is a typical plantation of the times, pre Civil War. The main crop was rice. The conservancy of Drayton Hall’s philosophy is to leave everything as it was. They did no restoration to the building other than structural. There is no furniture and the walls have the original paint.
The second Sunday of every month in Charleston they close off King Street and turn it into a street festival. Local merchants and food venders open their doors. Musicians are on every corner.
We also visited the Charleston Museum. This museum is America’s first museum (founded in 1773). It told the history of South Carolina. It is beautifully done. We really enjoyed our visit there.
Charleston is known as the “Holly City” it has many churches of many denominations.
We did a walking tour of downtown Charleston.
While staying at Hardeeville we also revisited Savanna, but that is next.
We are having so much fun on The Roan Road…
