Casa Conover - Sharing The Happiness

Since June, 2015, big changes have occurred in the Conover household, one being a new home and new surroundings. After living in Fort Lauderdale all my life, I was ready for some change of scenery. So, we moved further north in Florida to a place with a small town feel, less expensive to live (yet you get more), minus traffic congestion and with a more rural backdrop. Introducing the city of Titusville, with slow paces and plenty of Southern charm and where we now call home. 

Colors of South Florida

Snow, snow...go away and give us sunshine any day. Beating the winter blues with family and friends doesn't get any better than spending time in Fort Lauderdale. Rick and I were fortunate to have family Martha and Gene from Hector, New York visit us in February, 2015 for a few days. Showing them around beautiful Fort Lauderdale was a pleasure.

A Christmas Wish

It was time for a pilgrimage, of sorts. This one involved witnessing (possibly for the last time, as per Disney) a dazzling, enchanting, over-the-top Christmas light display that all began with a little girl named "Breezy" and a promise from her loving father. This little girl's holiday wish grew into a spectacle shared by hundreds of thousands of people over the years.

Walt Disney Hollywood Studios in Orlando, Florida would be our destination. After parking in Donald Music - Row 53, we trammed our way to the amusement park front entrance.

   

Being passport holders, we waved our Magic Bands at the ticket booth and entered the "land of Hollywood".

  

Parks Connect People

My commitment for 2015 includes learning more about my own neighborhood, my own state and even my own country. There is so much to see and appreciate in my own "backyard". 

So, when Rick and I were invited to attend the grand opening ceremony of a new park in our neighborhood, we accepted. The Lewis Landing Park in the community of Tarpon River is a short walk from our home. So we set out on foot on Saturday morning (January 24th) with uncertain weather predictions for rain and wind coming our way. When we got to the park, many people had already arrived for the 9 a.m. event. The park is beautiful and is situated right along the Tarpon River/New River. It has a large pavilion, a floating dock for boat launching and fishing, 175 feet of riverfront view with benches along the water and places to picnic. 

  

Land Of Air Boats, Gators and Panthers

Rick and I set out to explore more of our "backyard" and see what the vast wetlands that make up our Florida Everglades had to offer. I was born and raised in Florida and have taken for granted the unique environment I have always lived in. Florida is more than Disney World, sunshine and beaches and I wanted to see more of it.

Take A Walk With Me...

I am convinced that there are little bits of color, interesting oddities and pure beauty all around us.

Snow White On The Fourth of July

Keep an open heart, a keen eye and a good sense of adventure and you never know what you will find along life's paths. Case in point. I wanted to do something different on my July 4th. Lately I started this personal goal of sorts to get to know my neighborhood and Florida, in general, a whole lot better. Those of you who follow me on my travel blog have visited with me along the way.

Key-Z Days 2014

And we're off, again...this time to visit friends and explore more hidden gems in the Florida Keys.

Touring The Tamiami

Thinking back, my best memory of traveling along the Tamiami Trail was in the late 1980s. Rick and I were motorcycle enthusiasts and back then, we owned a large touring bike called the Yamaha Venture Royale. It had all the creature comforts like padded leather seats, matching helmets, hard side bags and trunk and a great intercom system between driver and passenger. Rick was driving as I sat behind him watching the world go by on our joy ride along the Tamiami. I remember being amazed at the high number of alligators I saw in the canal that ran along the right side of this two lane road. The scenery along the roadway was desolate except for miles and miles of grasslands that seemed to never end.

Chokoloskee, Florida

I was born and raised in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. As part of my "Bubble List" (most people call it a "Bucket List"), I am making an effort to actually explore this state I have lived in all my life. When I say "explore" I am not talking about visits to Disney World (although that is still high on my "favorites" list). My search is for the little, lesser known nuggets of gold that are hidden away and often ignored.

NASCAR

Hubbie surprised me with a thrill at Homestead Speedway. He bought me a ticket to ride shotgun in a NASCAR.
  

Four 4 Disney

What's more magical than showing someone Disneyworld for their very first time? To see the wonder in their eyes and watch their smile just does it for me. In December 2013, Rick and I were blessed to share such a visit with our good friends from Wales. It was great to witness their awe. One of the few places you can visit over and over again and still find beauty, pixie dust and happiness for all ages. Around the holidays, it becomes even more special where the lights, decorations and spirit abound. And the Disney hotels...destination themselves. Each with their own theme and ambiance.

'Camp David'

In the late 80s, Rick and I owned a 24 foot pull trailer. Rick called it a 'Marriott on wheels'. Seemed like it after upgrading from a little pop-up trailer prior to that. On one of our weekend camping trips with our new trailer in tow, we found a brand new campground called North Lake Estates near Lake Okeechobee and became one of their first visitors. We left our trailer parked at North Lake. On Friday nights after work, we would pack up our Ford Bronco and drive up to our trailer for the weekend.

Key-Z Days - July, 2013