Travelog for: Vicky Mouseham

Today we visit Craig Park. 



Behind us is a bayou.  During winter time there are manatees but we look and look and can't find any.



This is a cute little palm tree.



And a big palm tree.



Around the bayou there are a lot of old houses like this one.



The trees all have mustache.  My host tells us that they are Spanish moss.  Hanging from the trees, they make the scenery very romantic... but I think it is very spooky.







Our host wants to gather some moss so we help her.



Oh help me I am all tangled up!



In the park is the Heritage Museum.



Looks like there are people living here from a long, long time ago.



The ancient people used this conch shell to make an axe.  Hmm... looks quite lethal.



This picture show the sponge dock at its heydays.



Wow I didn't know that sponges are animals.  However, nowadays most sponges are synthetic. 



This is a sponge press used to pack sponges into bags like the one on the right.

Tonight we go to the Sponge Docks.  We saw a picture of it in the old days at the museum.  But now there is hardly any commercial harvest due to cost and water pollution, and the place is more a tourist attraction.



The street is lined with souvenir shops and Greek restaurants, with names like Hellas, Zorba, Mykonos and Santorini. 



Naturally there are a lot of sponges for sale.



And pretty shells too.



We stop by another Greek bakery.  This one has lots of sweet pastries. 



We buy this Greek pastry called diple.  It is a big rolled up sheet of fried dough with honey drizzled over it.  Very delicious we finish it in no time, even though it looks big.

Today we go to the U Pick farm to get some fruit and vegetables.

There are a lot of green tomatoes but we find some nice red ones too.



And these two red peppers look delicious!



Wow look at all these strawberries hiding!

My host knows that I love shopping so today she takes me to a really nice shopping mall called the Village of Merrick Park, in Coral Gables.  It looks like a very nice place indeed.



There are some nice statues in the garden area.



Wow my eyes pop out when I see all the name brands!  Jimmy Choo!  I want a pair of Jimmy Choo!



This pink dress looks really pretty too.



Hmmm... maybe a sports shirt for when I play tennis?



A Burberry coat for colder days sounds good too.



Here's a friendly doggie.



Hmm, it's getting late.  It's easy to lose track of time when you shop, isn't it?



Okay now let's go upstairs and see what they have.



Ah, I sure could use a crystal bracelet!



Or should I get a silver one from Tiffany?



Maybe there is a sale at Neiman Marcus?



Or should I try Nordstrom instead? 



Wow it's really shop till you drop at this place here.  I think I better go rest up a bit in the cafe.  It's so much fun shopping although I have yet to find a dress my size.  But I will keep looking!

Today we go to out to the backyard.

Look, there are some papayas on the tree.



Here's a green one that has fallen.  Maybe we can make green papaya salad with it.



We also find that some of the Surinam cherries are ripe already.



A lot are still green but we pick the red, plump ones.  They are delicious but as they bruise very easily it's not available in the stores.



Hmm... not very bountiful but at least it's something.

Today we visit the Crandon Park on the island of Key Biscayne.  It's a nice breezy day and we see some people flying kites.



What is that flying up in the sky?



Let's get closer to take a look!



Oh it's called Kiteboarding.



There's a lot of kites on the beach.



This guy is pumping air to fill the frame of the kite.



Looks like this one is ready to go!



The kiteboarder goes into the water while a friend holds the kite ready.



Now he lets go and the wind will carry the kiteboarder into the ocean.



This is the board.  Hmm, I don't think our feet fit in.

Today we help our host cook an Indian dish, stir fried green beans with coconut.

First, we put the coconut shreds on a pan to toast in the toaster oven.



Now we wash the beans.



I chop off the ends and cut the bean into 1" long sticks.



Now we prepare the spices.  We put in chili pepper, tumeric power, garlic, coriander seeds, and more.



We ground the spices with a mortar and pestle.



Now we stir fry the beans with the spices.



We add in the coconut shreds and the dish is ready!  It's spicy but very delicious.

We go to a dragon boat race today at the Miami Rowing Club.

This is how the boat looks like.  It is about 45 feet long and seats 20 paddlers in 10 rows. 

 



Well, good luck, Puff team! 



The team gets into the boat and is now leaving the dock to head to the start line.



It's nice weather today at the beach and people are coming out to watch the races.



I can't tell who is winning!  They are so close.



We wander around and watch the taiko drummers as they perform on stage.  I really like the powerful drum beats.



We spot the lion and drum for the lion dance.



Look there are a lot of tents over there.  Let's see what they have.



Starbucks is out here giving samples.  I want one!



And at this tent they are cooking paella, Spanish fried rice, on a big paella pan.



Hmmm this hammock hand made in Nicaragua looks very pretty an I am sure is comfy too.



Oh dresses pretty dresses!!  I want one!  But they don't have my size. What luck. sigh!



We also see some skateboarders.



The dragon dance is here!



Kyaa!  These are scary!



Some monkeys made from coconut.



We are happy that the Puff team did very good.  Look at all the awards!

Today is Free Comic Day so we go to the comic store to pick up our free comics.

We line up here so we can pick from the comics that are hanging on the wall.



They have a lot of posters and DVDs too.



Beware, Batman is here!



They have a lot of cute toys.  We invite them to join us to travel.



Wow a lot of mushrooms!



Oh looks like we wander into Star Wars zone!  I don't think they welcome us.



There are a lot of beautiful artbooks too.



Erm, the dogs here don't look too friendly either.



These Japanese snacks sure looks yummy!  Lavender chocolate?  I want to try that!



We thought they are just cute plush toys, but turn out they are giant microbes!  We meet chicken pox, mad cow disease, algae, flu and more.  Yuck, they may look cute but I sure am staying away.



The store is also having an exhibition of self portraits by artists.  They are all very beautiful.

We visit Tampa today, on the west coast of Florida.

We can see a cruise ship near downtown.  It's dawn so the rising sun gives the sky a beautiful glow.



Here we can see the buildings in downtown Tampa.



They are trying to set up the outrigger canoe.



Oh we see this guy stand-up paddling.  Looks so cool as he drifts by!

We are heading to the beach again!  Okay, so I have been to quite a few beaches in Florida, which is what the state is famous for, but this one we are visiting, the Siesta Key in Sarasota, is not just any ordinary beach.  It was named the “Best Sand Beach in America 2008” by the Travel Channel.

Looks like it's a popular day to be out on the beach!



They have a sand sculpture contest today.



This one is my favorite.



What a beautiful beach!  I can see the Gulf of Mexico.



The sand is so fine, the water so clear, this is a fine beach indeed.  Harvard University's geology department found the sand of Siesta Beach was 99% pure quartz. Unlike most beaches that are composed of crushed shells, rocks or lava, this sand is pure white and finer in texture than most refined sugar.



Well, I may say that such a grand destination is a nice conclusion to my visit to Florida.  My host told me that I will be boarding a plane soon to travel to a new country.  I wonder where that would be?  I am so excited but also a bit sad to leave. 

Hi Mom, I have arrived at Abby's house in Canada!

Today I am helping Abby make a flourless chocolate cake for her dad's birthday.



First, I melted chocolate and butter in a pot.



I helped Erin mix sugar, cocoa power and eggs





The chocolate is ready...



Now mix it all together...



And, into the oven!



Mmm, that looks good already.  Since we were in a hurry we put the cake in the fridge to cool.



Next, I worked on the ganache.





Mmmmm, doesn`t that look amazing?



Yum!

Today I am visiting heritage houses on the Vancouver Heritage House Tour.  Here's a map of all of the houses on the tour this year:



Each house on the tour has a write-up in the booklet everyone is given.



Abby was not allowed to take photos inside of the houses, as they are all private residences, but I will show you the outside of the house and tell you a little about it.

This is the first house we went to, Number 4 on the map.



It was built in 1910 and has a twin house directly across the street that was built at the same time.  The area at the front on the second floor used to be a porch, but it was closed in sometime during the 1920s or 30s.  There is an infill house in the backyard that is nearly as pretty as the house itself.  The current owners have built a rather nice wine cellar in the basement.

The next house we went to was Number 1 on the map.



This house was built in 1905.  The front part of the house used to be a candy store called the Georgia Confectionary, hence the boxy shape with the large windows.  The current owner is Bill Richardson, who is a broadcaster on CBC Radio Two.  He encouraged everybody to write on his walls in the front room.

The next house we went to was Number 2 on the map.



This house is a designated heritage building.



It was built in 1903 and was a rental house to many people over the years.  One group was the family of a ship captain, James John Bartlett; when the current homeowners were renovating they found a postcard from him dated November 1914 and they now have it framed in their dining room.

Abby completely forgot to take photos me me at the next house, Number 3 on the map, so here is the photo from the program:



It is a yellow house built in 1908.  When the area (called Grandview) was first opened up for development, this would have been a rather working-class lot.  The current owners kept a lot of the original elements of the house, but opened the area up a lot more.

The next house was Number 8 on the map.



It was built in 1930 and the first owners were a dentist and his family; his practice was at the back of the house.  It was a rather grand house at the time it was built; only those of a high class would have been able to afford to live there.  The current owners kept the same basic layout of the house.

The last house we went to was Number 7 on the map.



It was built in 1912.  Most of the original documents regarding this house were destroyed, so not much is known about its early years.  The current owners were not around, but I noticed based on the pictures around the house that one of the owners is a former Olympian.

Abby's parents got to see the rest of the houses on the tour, but Abby and Erin had something else planned...

I went with Abby and Erin to their audition to be in the 2010 Olympic Opening and Closing Ceremonies.  Abby was rather busy during the audition (they looked like they were working very hard), so she really couldn't get any pictures.

This is Abby's audition number.



While we were waiting for everyone to arrive (there were aobut 45 people at this particular tap dancing audition), we watched the opening ceremonies for the Sydney 2000 Olympics.



Afterwards Abby and Erin were very tired, so we cooled down at Starbucks.