Escape to Florida

 Pronounced the BEST ride by one of the grandkids..... They were able to do it twice, so that probably helped!   If you have a Park to Park ticket you can ride the Hogwarts Express.... they loved it.... Of COURSE a butterbeer was required drinking..... View as we arrived by boat from our hotel... a nice feature if you are staying on the property....  The other granddaughter's favorite was the Gringott's ride but she loved EVERYTHING that was Harry Potter associated..... it was well done, other than the ride in Hogsmeade had a glitch the day we were there so we were stuck for 10 minutes.... luckily we were not in a weird position nor were we staring at something scary..... Big Splashdown at Jurassic Park Ride Performers in Hogsmeade We were prepared for wet rides with alternate shoes, shorts and undies.... also plastic bags to store the wet clothes.... Pronounced LAME by our two.... we cannot comment... we did not go! ...

 Barbara and I were determined to visit this estate and garden of James Deering's.... We had tried a few years ago and picked the only day of the week it was closed... Tuesday.... We had a gorgeous day for our visit.... There is an audio tour available for $5 and it is well worth it to learn about the fabulous grounds and the estate itself.... Formerly known as Villa Vizcaya, it is the estate of the head of the Deering Mc Cormick International Harvester fortune....  The estate covers 43 acres in all and I imagine it is beautiful in almost any season......  The gardens combine French and Italian layouts with Cuban limestone stonework.... some coral is evident as well.....  If you look closely at this photo you can see a young lady in a turquoise gown getting ready to be photographed for her Quincenera celebration..... The Italian Renaissance gardens are amazing....  This room has been used for meetings among...