Local Adventures

Having an adventure doesn't necessarily mean that you need to pack up and head to a far off place. Sometimes it just means discovering something new. This week, for example, we discovered a few local family owned businesses that gave us a taste of other cultures. We also made new friends and discovered interesting art forms- all within 20 minutes of our house! See? Adventure can be anywhere and anything!

I've told you how diverse Florida is and that there's a large British population here. Because of that, we decided to do some research to see if we could find authentic British fare. We didn't have to look far because just down highway 27 is a small shop named The Proper Pie Company. They make all kinds of things you don't normally see on our American menus. They're masters at the art of Cornish pasties (pronounced (past-eez), which are savory hand-held pies. They also offer fresh fish and chips (fries) served piping hot from the fryer, which I like dipped in malt vinegar. The shelves tempt you with various candies and the fridge is stocked with drinks like "Ben Shaw's Dandelion and Burdock", which has a flavor that reminded me of root beer, but it had another taste I couldn't identify. My kids loved it!

Their homemade shortbread was dense, buttery, and crumbly and everything was fresh and perfectly seasoned. We'll definitely be visiting again before we leave. If you go to their website they advertise a traditional English Tea (not the Americanized version) that I can't wait to try!

We wanted to make chicken enchiladas with green sauce this week but couldn't find tomatillos anywhere. After another search we ended up at El Zocalo Supermarket in Haines City, which is probably the best Hispanic market I've ever been to. Because we grew up in California, my husband and I have been to many, so we have a pretty high standard of what authentic Mexican looks and tastes like. This family owned market is exactly what we were looking for! It's clean and the staff are friendly and knowledgeable. They offer a great selection of everything and their pastries are soft and fresh. I even saw a restaurant area with a tortilla factory... fresh tortillas!!!! I've found myself looking for reasons to go back all week, although I may not bring my youngest. He's bound to see the piñata's and want to bring one home. I'm not sure it's a good idea to trail a piñata out the back of the trailer when we drive up to Maine in a few weeks..... although we'd probably be the most festive on the road! I wonder what the dogs would think?

You see that red filling? That's guava! So, so good!

I'd be lying if I told you my kids are as outgoing as I am. The youngest, maybe. But all three are more comfortable at home with the people they've grown up with, in the routines they've grown up with. Meeting new people on this trip has really been a stretch and I'm so proud of them for moving outside of their comfort zones. It's taught them that they're so much more capable than they ever thought and that there are so many more things in this wide world than what they see on a daily basis.

One way we've been meeting new people is by visiting local scout troops wherever we go. They can interact with kids their own age and see how they do things. For example, my oldest visited the Boy Scouts in Alaska and my youngest and I and camped with the Cub Scouts. In Idaho, my daughter carved pumpkins for Halloween with the Girl Scouts. At Christmastime in Arizona, we all helped the Boy Scouts set up luminarias at Tlaquepaque for the Festival of Lights.

This week my daughter and I visited a local Girl Scout troop at the park. They have a mixed troop, which means they have girls of all levels in one troop. The little girls just loved my daughter and they all had a great time running around the park together until long past sunset. It was fun to watch.

We also attended a leader meeting for the Girl Scouts of West Central Florida with them and were just in time to participate in a World Thinking Day event. The local girls made some really beautiful displays and their creative treats gave us some fun ideas to bring home with us when we return in August. The scouts everywhere have been so hospitable and we've enjoyed our time with them.

I had my own little adventure this week too. A quilt group has started meeting at the library, so of course I had to check it out. The group includes everyone from students to international snow birds. One woman came and showed some beautiful pieces of mixed media art that she had made. My favorite thing she showed was her ice-dyed fabric! It was amazing and now I'm on a mission to learn how to do it myself with the kids. You can visit her Etsy shop here to see some of the other pieces she's made.

She decided to test what would happen if she used bleach granules on her fabric. It ended up looking like constellations, but faded the fabric overall. I love her curiosity! She's definitely a kindred spirit!

The quilt group is figuring out which direction they want to go, but for now they've decided to have a weekly show and tell and work on individual projects. The woman who started the group is teaching some people how to make quilts from start to finish. Many have also agreed to make quilts for local charities. Quilters are generous like that. Here are a few works in progress:

We leave for Maine soon and will be traveling up the Eastern Seaboard. We'd love any tips or ideas you may have! Have a great week!

- Jen

Inaguration Day

With a title like that you might think this is a political post. Nope. It's just a marker of what today is here in the United States. This blog is about our adventure after all. I will say this, though; whether you're happy or upset about our new President, I hope all the Americans reading this exercised their right to vote last Fall!

Now that we're in the southeast, we've been adjusting to a new schedule and climate. We've all been a little thrown off with my husband working Pacific hours while we're in the Atlantic time zone. Normally the kids and I start school at 9:30am while my husband is in the throws of conference calls and other work-related activities. That way we can focus and be ready to relax by the time he's finished in the evening. With the new schedule he works in the afternoon/evening so we've been spending time together and running errands in the morning instead, and starting school in the afternoon. It's a little harder to get focused (and get this blog posted on time) after so many other activities, but we're making it work. We knew this adjustment was inevitable, but living it is slightly different than anticipated. Not bad, just different. I suppose you'd say it's teaching us all to stay flexible and focus on what's important.

The temperatures here in central Florida have been consistantly between 70 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit, which is pretty perfect if you ask me! The kids have been swimming every day and we've even been able to visit Disney World.

Our house is pretty close to all the local attractions, which is fun, but it's also not far from orange groves and great farmers markets. Snowbirds, as well as Brits and Canadians, flock to this area every winter. As a result, you can find a pub on just about every corner and tons of British products on the shelves at the local grocery store. So far everyone has been very friendly and interesting.

Because central Florida relies so heavily on tourism, strip malls and souvenir shops line the main roads for miles. If you want to get into the "Real Florida," you have to be deliberate about driving into the smaller towns and surrounding areas. Another result of having so many tourists, is that you can't receive mail at the short-term rental houses. So just like in Sedona, we had to visit the post office to set up a P.O. Box for the duration of our stay. Fortunately, it's not Christmas, so I don't need to visit the Post Office to catch packages on a daily basis.

NASA has a site at Cape Canaveral, which isn't far from us either. We've been keeping an eye on the launch schedule and were excited to see the Atlas 5 rocket was scheduled for this week. So, last night we headed to a spot near Port Canaveral to watch. We showed up early for a good vantage point and were all ready to go. Unfortunately, after waiting through the launch window, it was rescheduled for tonight due to a sensor problem and a plane that got too close to the airspace. So, we're back here to try again. This is how it looks from where we are at the moment. See that tiny white dot? That's the rocket!

This time I'm wearing my boots. Why? Because last night I wore sandals and our primo vantage point ended up being on top of a fire ant colony. Word to the wise: Don't mess with fire ants! OUCH!

- Jen

P.S. UPDATE! We just got back from the Launch and it was a success! It was so cool to be parked at the side of the road by the water with hundreds of other people. We all counted down and watched the rocket launch and fly through the sky. It felt like a minute passed before we heard it and felt the vibrations against the car. We saw it separate and all stood to watch it fade from sight. A-MAZING!