ICE in Orlando, Florida

ICE! like you've never seen it - Two million pounds of it - is transformed into every imaginable Christmas icon as the star attraction at the Gaylord Palms, in Orlando Florida, during the Christmas season, beginning in November and and continuing throughout December.

The shaped, cut, illuminated and often colored ice takes over a large portion of the Gaylord Palms exhibition center as you walk through the chilly 9 degrees environment in the winter parkas provided by the Gaylord Palms.

(Although the parkas are provided, close toed shoes are a must and warm jackets, sweaters and gloves/mittens are highly recommended so you can enjoy the experience.) To give you an idea of the size and scope of the attraction, it boasts 1,500 fluorescent tubing lights frozen within the ice and uses three different types of ice: clear "glass-like" crystal ice; white "snow-pack-like" ice and colored ice.


The entire ICE attraction is carved by a team of 40 artisans from Harbin, China. If you are lucky, you will be able to see one of the artisans working on a sculpture during your tour. Harbin is best known for its annual Ice Park and International Ice Festival.

The tour of Ice begins with a very short five minute video that explains how the ICE show came to America and how it is assembled each year; what it takes to make these intricate creations and what it takes to preserve them in Florida's temperate climate.

Back to the actual tour, besides the opportunity to have their photo with a 10-foot tall ice sculpture Santa Claus, complete with red suit made of ice, the highlight for kids will be the slides made of ice. That's right, for youngsters, or the young at heart; ice has been crafted into a large ice slide. There is no sled required; you just glide down sitting on your parka. You can spend as much time as you want on the slides, but the 9 degree temperature will catch up to you very quickly.
Finally, the most dramatic and powerful ice sculpture is the crystal-clear life sized replica of the Nativity scene, which depicts the birth of Jesus Christ in a manger.



































Here I am with my Mom. This was one of her Christmas presents this year...

We had a great time...and it was COLD!!

























































Here's Mom and Sara in the igloo...with the fisherman.




































Sara going down the side!!


















The pictures of the Nativity don't do it justice - it was breathtaking!






















































































































































We all had a great time - be sure to wear gloves...they will provide a parka if you need one...but no gloves!

Key West Florida Fishing Trip

Just about 400 miles away from my home is the Southernmost city of Key West, Florida. Getting there is part of the fun - the first picture is the 7 mile bridge...not for those who don't like bridges...or forget to fill the tank with gas!

I enjoy fishing, especially deep sea fishing, and Key West doesn't disappoint. Plus, not only are the locals full of color, but the city is alive and full of things to do! So, making the 8 hour drive (or flying for free on standby - like I did when I was working for ComAir) is worth the trip.






If you've never been, or don't know too much about Key West, the city features real estate titles that date back to the Kings of Spain. It's palm-lined streets and gingerbread mansions, tin-roofed conch houses, and historic attractions like the John Audubon House and Ernest Hemingway's home keep the history and site-seeing lovers happy. After all, here you can walk in the footsteps of Thomas Edison, Lou Gehrig, Harry Truman, and Tennessee Williams.





As much as I enjoy fishing...I enjoy being on the water or near the water...I'm a Pisces, so it must be in my blood! I saw these really cool house boats -- of all shapes and sizes. Some were done up really nice and others looked like they'd go straight to the bottom with the first blow of the next hurricane.








































Arriving in Key West and heading straight to the docks - I discovered several options but settled on Captain John's...it was reasonably priced and the guys were nice...so, I signed up for a trip the next day. Probably in the busy season you'd want to call ahead and make reservations, but there were a couple spaces left when I went, even the day of sailing...




So, once on board, there was this fishing pool...Two bucks a head got you into the pool...

Until the last 5 minutes of fishing, it looked like two of the fish I landed were in the lead...and boy were the guys pissed. The only female on board wasn't going to beat them!

Somehow, at the last second a young kid on the other side of the boat reeled in a grouper...that was almost twice the size of every other fish we had caught! Now, I didn't physically see this fish come out of the water...so, I'm thinking these guys could have fixed this pool just so I wouldn't win! Seriously...it was lots of fun ribbing the guys and then losing "gracefully"... lol


On the plus side, I was able to have the guys filet up my fish, put it in a cooler on ice and bring some home to grill over the next few months...mmmmm, it was good too!







Check out the picture of the biggest fish we all caught - No Joke...I had about a dozen of them...While the captain and first mate cut up the fish, this lucky guy was able to reap the rewards of the castoff pieces!




Exploring downtown Key West -- there are some must sees, must dos...that includes a stop in Fat Tuesday's for a cool drink...and Sloppy Joes, just for the nostalgia.


















Here's some of that local color I "warned" you about...have I mentioned that I HATE snakes?


















































For the finale of a great day - head down to Mallory Square for the Sunset Party. The street performers and local artisans will keep you busy and laughing...

You'll enjoy a beautiful sunset...and might as well grab some Conch Fritters...save some for me...they're my favorite!!























Happy Travels....
Maureen

Port Canaveral Florida