BACK FROM FLORIDA…….to BRRRRR!!!
April 29, 2012 | Filed under: Uncategorized
We were in Fort Myers, Florida for the past several weeks. April is not a usual month for us, but since it was so cool here, and hot there, we were glad to have been away. When we left Dundas, the temp here was 14 and it felt really balmy. I have to say I wondered why we were going. It turned out to be perfect weather in Florida….sunny and temps in the 80’s. When we returned to Dundas the temp was again 14 but it felt so cold. Acclimatization is an interesting condition.
One of our daughters and her family holidayed with us, as well as my mother who is 86. There was quite an age span with a grandaughter at 6 months and a great grandmother at 86 years. We ate in most of the time which was a different experience. Not as much fun as finding interesting restaurants for dinners but it worked reasonably well. Food can be very cheap in the U.S. but if it is, the quality is usually not good. It is possible to get large amounts, for example, Publix (a large grocery chain) offered a whole roasted chicken, with a salad side (cole slaw or macaroni with lots of mayo) and a gallon of iced tea for under 10 dollars. Pretty bad! The chicken with a green salad would have been healthier but with the offered accompaniments…….not a good choice.
On our way back we stayed at a Best Western in Georgia. Probably one of the least appealing places that we have been in for a while. But it was later than we normally stop, so it had to do. Usually we find Best Westerns pretty good but this motel needed upgrades in bed linens particularly. It seemed clean, so that was a relief. It offered no breakfast of any sort but that was because there was a restaurant attached called City Diner. And this had an interesting vibe. It was quite busy with locals which can be a good sign. We only had salad and soup because it was late but the menu offerings and the food that went by looked very good. What was particulary interesting was its desserts. There were at least 30 cakes on offer that were huge. From cheesecakes to chocolate to carrot and so on. Beautifully decorated….one was a canoli cake with chocolate icing and the top decorated with canolis. A slice was 6 dollars but it was huge and enough for 3 of us. Someone had a good idea that worked. The layers tasted and look like cake mix, so not a cake from scratch but the decorations were quite something. People were coming in and buying 2 or 3 slices to take away. But now i think that I have had it with fast food and restaurants. Good old beans and toast will do.
Studio tour is coming up May 26th and 27th. Have to get to work. Found some ruby zoisite. A good thing.