Just Saturday

Marci and I decided to head out on the kayaks today to do a little exploring. After spending the better portion of the Christmas break lying on the couch together nursing illness, and then returning to work, it was a welcome outdoor experience. I am really amped about fishing the Shad and Crappie Derby this year so really, I was scouting prime locations for when the shad migration makes its way to central Florida. The derby is a yearly photograph and release fishing competition in Florida and while I am not really a competitive fisherman, it gives me some direction in the winter months. We decided to launch from Mullet Lake Park and ended up paddling about 4 miles round trip to Lemon Bluff.

I really had not made any distinct plans, but, it just happened that we paddled up to the spot that C. Boyd Pfeiffer said is the “heaviest spawning” area on the St. Johns River in his book “Shad Fishing” that Marci gave me for Christmas. I was a little bummed to see that alot of the flat shoreline with minimal trees were marked “No Trespassing.” I could see that this would have been a great spot to fish the shad run back in 1975 when Pfeiffer published his book. However, we found a nice spot nearby to stop and have a picnic… the usual treat lately, chicken salad, wheat crackers, and a beer.

Marci and I did find a few spots that might be good for wading, but all in all, it was just a nice quiet day on the water. While I did wet a line, we both agreed that as far as St. Johns fishing destinations go, it’s going to be hard to beat the Jolly Gator further south.

Marci gave me a GoPro video camera for Christmas and it is the perfect addition to our kayak trips. Check out some video from our relaxing day on the St. Johns river today.

Blessings – a year in retrospect

This weekend, Chad and I celebrate our first year of marriage. We have accomplished so much together in this short year. A few highlights to remember:

Our first “married” Christmas gift exchange – and a beautiful tree covered in Karen’s hearts

Christmas morning in Lakeland with Marcia (my mom) and  family

Weekends in Satellite Beach – kayaking, visiting, spending time on Sue and Joe’s dock

Countless DELICIOUS weeknight dinners from my amazing chef/husband – best was sushi night!

Camping at Princess Place

BBQ on the weekends with our family and friends

Visiting Joe Tanner and family in California

Temecula – wine tasting…. for 3 days straight!

AmGen Cycling – Tour of California – we were right on the sideline with Joe, it was AWESOME!

Charci Day – spent in Cali, relaxing beach time

Planting our garden in the backyard – herbs and veggies galore

Lazy Saturdays when it rained – watching movies and cooking fun food

Painted EVERY room in the house this year – one room at a time!

Monthly family budget check in meetings – starting our finances right!

Kayaking and fishing – Lake Maitland and the Winter Park chain

Watching Tour de France and our annual Tour de France party

Innisbrook for our birthdays – relaxed, fished, swam, had a blast

Kayak crossing to Anchlote Key – a day on a deserted island!

Installed flooring/tile through the WHOLE house – making a house a home!

Florida football – not so pretty this year, but still worth getting together!

Scott and Stacy’s pool parties

Finished our first 5K together

And that is just a taste of the fun things that were part of our first year together – we keep the road hot and have fun all the time!

On a more serious note, I just want to say that I am truly blessed. Chad is such a perfect partner and a perfect husband. We make a perfect fit. If this year is any indication of the life I get to lead with Chad, then I cannot begin to express my excitement. Words cannot measure how grateful I feel. I AM BLESSED!

Happy Anniversary, Chad! One down, a million to go! What a journey!

Our First 5K!

We did it! Chad and I ran our first 5K together! I am a member of Junior League here in Orlando, and each year, my organization sponsors a 5K to support Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida. We decided a few months ago, it was time for us to train and take on a 5K! Chad did a great job, finishing in 32 minutes. I brought up the back, finishing in 36 minutes. I was so proud of Chad, he used to say he would NEVER run, and look, there he goes!

Since Chad introduced me to cycling, I feel that I showed him an appreciation for running. Mind you, cycling is much more technical and requires a lot more precision, but running is about pushing your body in a different way. The mental fortitude it takes to run really puts a new spin on our workout routine.

I am so proud of Chad!

New Flooring Project

Marci and I saved for around 6 months in preparation for, what atleast I consider to be, the last major update to our home. New roof… check, new AC… check, new appliances… check, new flooring… under construction!

Floors Direct has a crew on site today laying new laminate flooring in our living room, hallway, and bedrooms as well as new tile in our kitchen, foyer, bathrooms and back porch and I have to tell you, these guys are busting it out.

To get ready for the install, this weekend I ripped out the old sinks and cabinets in our master bath and found out that the entire dam wall to our walk in shower was completely rotten. Thank goodness for my dad who was kind enough to come over and instruct me on how to build a new one so as to not impeed progress on the flooring installation. Needless to say, instead of just replacing the sinks and toilet and then coming back to the shower remodel, we now have a full master bath to remodel, so, maybe I spoke too soon about that “last major update.” Maybe I should just say that the flooring is the most dramatic update. However, we plan on renovating the bathroom ourselves rather than hiring in a crew. I am sure with my dad’s instruction and assistance, we will soon have a kick butt master bath to match!

Anyway, here are some pics showing the progress HERE.

Fred Howard Park to Anclote Key

Marci and I paddled from Fred Howard Park to Anclote Key as part of our birthday extravaganza this year. The morning started out very overcast and we were afraid we would get rain. The paddle consisted of a 3 mile open water crossing, which was calm this monday morning. We arrived after about 45 minutes of paddling with a short break to do some fishing from the kayaks and found that we had the island all to ourselves! We took a brief walk to the lighthouse and found that the mosquitos were very hungry. Since we had not applied bugspray, the time spent at the lighthouse consisted of a quick picture and a much faster walk back to the beach.

After setting up a makeshift sun shelter, Marci found a happy spot to read her Kindle and I found a fishy looking spot by the dock to do some fly fishing… it’s what we do. The overcast conditions meant great fishing in the morning and I caught several grunts and a nice sized trout.It seemed that the white on white clouser minnow tied on a size 2 hook with 5/32 dumbell eyes was the fly of choice today.

I also saw tarpon attacking bait and even a manatee right off shore. Marci spent her time reading “The Yearling” and was quite content reading and taking pictures of the sandpiper who had a home in the roots of a downed tree nearby.

The wind picked up and knocked down the tarp shelter while I continued casting in to the bait pods. Marci took it upon herself to rig up a much better shelter which was soon needed as the sun burned off the low lying clouds. With the high sun and tidal shift, the bite soon died down and I found myself ready for a beer and a dip in the cool water. We brought snorkeling gear, but found the area off the beach in front of the lighthouse to be pretty merky. We enjoyed a nice swim while watching sea gulls dive in to the bait pods.

We retreated from the sun under the shelter and had a wonderful lunch that consisted of chicken salad, cheese, crackers, jerky, and of course another beer. We figured it was around noon as we listened to the coast guard radio looking for a vessel that had made a Pan Pan call, a call that we did not originally hear. We decided to check the time and found it was actually around 3:00! Time flies when you are relaxing.

The breeze had died down as we started our crossing back to Fred Howard. It was blazing hot and Marci and I both kept dipping our hats in the water to try to keep cool. The paddle back seemed to take a while longer, but, we made it and decided to take a dip at the park before packing it all up and heading back to Innisbrook.

Check out more pics HERE

Blue Spring to Hontoon Island

Marci and I decided to head to Blue Spring State Park for a paddle this morning. The weather was nice, mid 70′s and low humidity in the morning. You can paddle all the way up in to the spring until 11:00am so, we took advantage and did so before the crowds got to the park.

The spring run was not quite as clear as last time we vistited. Evidently there has been a lime collapse of some sort (according to another visitor.) There are still TONS of alligator gar, and it is clear enough to see them in great detail. One surfaced right at my bow and spooked as it knocked in to the kayak.

When we got to the springhead, there were only two other guys there. They quickly head down river and we had the spring to ourselves for the better part of a half an hour. We did some snorkling in the cool water and then made haste as a group of divers arrived. We decided to paddle down river to Hontoon Island and have some lunch, then turn around.

About a mile in to our paddle, we came across three guys in a jonboat. One had a heavy fishing rod, like the size of a deep sea rod, that was bent in half. All of the sudden, there was a mightly splash and whatever was on the end of that pole, started pulling the boat. Marci quickly decided it had to be a gator, I was not so sure. I have never seen anyone catch one on a pole before. We sat and watched for probably 15-20 minutes as these guys fought this monster. We quickly realized Marci was indeed correct! After a serious fight, the guys managed to subdue the alligator, and with a mighty BANG, the gator met his match at the end of a bang stick. Who would have ever thought you would run in to that in the middle of a Saturday morning!?

It was quite a show, but, I do admit to feeling a little bad for the creature… Especially on this opening day of Florida Gator Football. None the less, they peaked our curiosity and we had to ask them… “So how big is he?” The response, “At least 11 feet, maybe more! But big enough for sure!” It easily looked about the size of our Hobies… but WIDER! Times like this will definitely remind you that you are indeed part of the food chain when you enter the water in Florida.

We continued our journey to Hontoon and ate our lunch. The trip back was quite a bit warmer than the trip down. The last hour we baked! We totaled around 8 miles round trip, with the spring run included. A great way to spend a Saturday.

More PICS here.

Our Temecula Hot Air Balloon Ride

Today was our big day, the hot air balloon ride in Temecula! The guys from California Dreaming picked us up at about 5:00am at our villa and drove us over to the staging area. After the pilot launched a test helium balloon to find wind direction, we soon were driven back to South Coast Winery along with about 15-20 people as that would be the best launch site with current conditions.

Three hot air balloons were quickly prepared and inflated and we soon found ourselves buzzing the tree tops, just as the sun peaked over the mountains. Our Pilot Dave (the owner of both the balloon company and the winery in which we initially staged) was amazing. He brought us within feet of vineyards, floating right above the vines on the rolling hills, and then brought us to altitude for a serene view of the world below.

The experience was a lot different than Marci and I might have thought. The feeling of floating in a balloon is quite sedate and tranquil. I guess we have grown accustomed to the high speeds of jet setting and the turbulance that comes with trying to get from point ‘A’ to point ‘B’ as fast and efficiently as possible. Surprisingly, there is  never really a feeling of falling, or even rising while flying in a balloon. It felt alot like you were standing on stable ground, just perched at one moment maybe 15 feet in the air, then before you even notice, you were at 3000 feet, looking out over vineyards, mountains, lakes, and valley, with no real feeling of transition. I would imagine even those with serious fears of heights would find this a life changing experience. While Marci and I have had a great time this week, I told her today that the balloon ride really took the cake.

I think the video really speaks for itself. What do you think?

After the balloon ride we were treated to a continental breakfast and were soon brought back to our villa. After packing up, we enjoyed a wine tasting at Falkner Winery followed by lunch at the Pinnacle restaurant. Marci had the Ahi burger and I had the Poblano Steak and Cheese. After lunch, we decided on one final wine tasting at the Cougar Winery before heading back to Manhattan Beach where I sit now writing this post. I believe it is time to mix up a Manhattan to enjoy on our final night here in beautiful California. Cheers!

Charci Day 2011

Each year, Chad and I plan a special day for May 26. This is the day we met, and while our wedding anniversary will be important (we celebrate our first one this November!), we want to keep the tradition of Charci Day as a momentous occasion!

We headed to Temecula, a wine town located south of Manhattan Beach. Near San Diego, this sleepy town has a million family-owned wineries and  a laid back atmosphere. I found a small resort online last month called South Coast, after much research on rates and deals, we settled on a visit for two days. The pinnacle of the event would be a hot air ballon ride. We checked in Wednesday afternoon and proceeded to start happy hour the moment we arrived (yes, I am a Hall (now Helenthal) girl!) Our villa was tucked in the rows of vines and we had a perfect view of the mountains in the distance and flowering grape vines on our villa porch.

After a few Manhattans and Cosmos, we decided to make our way to the tasting room at South Coast. We then sauntered (slowly….) to dinner at the restaurant. A tart French man was our waiter, and we immediately assumed, “Oh great, he will be immensely annoyed with us.” But, after we talked Tour de France and discussed our trip, he was immediately warm and helpful. We started with a 2005 Merlot from South Coast, their “Rolling Hills’ blend – it was rich and loaded with flavor. We had ceviche as an app, then headed into main courses of filet mignon and ribeye. Both were fantastic. We teetered home and crashed for the evening, super tired but really excited about Charci Day.

Failed to mention, the hot air balloon company called during our dinner and let us know one of the balloons was out of service. We could either reschedule to Friday or cancel. Since a hot air balloon ride is basically one of my top bucket list items, and it is super romantic, I wanted to still go. Even though it wouldn’t be ON Charci Day, we decided to go. Charci Day might not have a balloon ride in it, but we were making it a wine fest instead!!

Instead of getting up at 5 a.m. for the balloon ride, we got to sleep in! WINNING! We lounged for a few hours in our villa. We finally got a move on and headed to breakfast at the lodge. Chad had Eggs Benedict and me, Huevos Rancheros – mimosas included, of course! Since downtown Temecula was only a few minutes away, we decided to explore. The downtown is about 8 blocks of shops filled with antiques and interesting knick knacks. We did an olive oil tasting at the Temecula Olive Oil Company and bought quite e few bottles of vinegars, lotions, and soaps. The rest of the morning was spend tooling around the shops and sightseeing for interesting finds. I love old books and hoped to stumble on good condition classic hardbacks. Chad wanted antique fly fishing reels or fly boxes for his growing fishing collection. Mid-afternoon, we settled in at a cheese shop in a little corner on a back alley on Temecula. There, we ordered a cheese and meat platter, complete with olives, fresh fruit, organic almonds, brie, pecorino, goat cheese, and prosciutto. Flights of wine complimented the platter – we could not believe how fresh the almonds tasted – they were not processed, leaving them completely flavorful and pure tasting. The sun was out, the wind was breezy, the white wines were cold… we were in heaven!

After some more shopping, we headed to winery row back toward our resort. At the olive oil shop, a local recommended Hart Winery. Luckily, it was on the way home! We stopped in to an unassuming warehouse nestled on the side of a vine-covered mountain. We walked in to a winery in progress, the wine vats and packaging took the majority of the warehouse space, and tucked in the corner was a small tasting area for visitors. You could immediately tell this was a small vineyard with no frills. We pulled up to the tasting bar and started with their delicious wines. We each tried six wines. Before heading to Temecula, I had it in my mind we would be tasting primarily reds. But, this region produces nearly every type of wine you could imagine – over the course of this week – I swear I think we tried a dozen new types of wines that we have never experienced. Chad loved their port – it was chock full of berries and was sweet and served with a chocolate. I loved their (white) Roussane – it was peach and mango flavored, hinting a citrus note. The woman at Hart was lovely, she respected the winery and spoke highly of those who worked vineyards in the area. Another woman, who was visiting, was also interesting and knew a lot about the area. We came to find out she owned Cougar Winery, a few miles away – we promised to visit her on Friday.

Temecula is an eclectic group of wine people – they respect each other, are completely accommodating to visitors, but are equally unassuming and laid back about what they do. It is not a hard sell to love their wine – instead, they invite you to enjoy and decide for yourself.

Next, we headed to Lionesse Winery, we heard they had the best view from their tasting room in Temecula. A short drive brought us to this gorgeous spread atop the mountain. Indeed, the view was breathtaking – the mountains coupled with the rolling hillsides of vines created a Tuscan feel. We (again) pulled up the tasting bar at Leonesse for 6 more! At Lionesse, we preferred their Roussane as well. The Meritage (red) was also delicious. To end the tasting, the beautiful  server offered us chocolate truffles with our port. WOW! The sweet flavors of chocolate and berry was outstanding – I don’t know if I have ever tasted something that decadent! Knowing we had tasted 18 wines at this point, we found it necessary to get back to South Coast before we tried any more! But hey, once we got there, we thought, better do some tastings at South Coast! Chad’s best line of the day, “We are getting drunk… one ounce at a time!”

After a quick break at the villa, we headed to South Coast’s tasting room. Since this was open until 6, a lot of those making their rounds get to South Coast last, as it is open an extra hour (most close at 5). The ambiance at South Coast was much more frenzied, there were a ton of people and the tasting bar was packed. We tried 6 more (yes, that brings our tasting total to 24!) – and marginally enjoyed the Meritage. They also had a blend called Group Therapy (great name) that Chad enjoyed.

Since we felt strongly that staying away from a car was wise, we ventured to the lodge restaurant another night. Phillippe was our waiter again, making it special. We decided to surf, not turf tonight. Chad had the Frutti de Mare, a pink pasta dish with mussels, clams, scallops, shrimp and while fish. I had the Lobster ravioli. Both were cooked perfectly and hearty!

Being that we had to be ready for our balloon ride at 5AM, we headed in for an early night after dinner.

All said, Charci Day was one for the ages. Finding someone to live your life with is special, but finding someone you share common interests with is over the moon! Chad and I love cycling, traveling, wine – we are always up for an adventure. We will try anything and love to experience new things together. This was the first big trip for us since we got married – I feel infinitely blessed to have someone that cares for me and loves a good adventure with me. Chad is my heart and I cannot begin to count our blessings together – we always make our time together special and we make a point to celebrate our life together every day. But today, Charci Day, celebrates the day two good people decided to make a go of it – and I could not feel more loved and blessed on this day.

Tour of California 2011

Marci and I came out to California to check out the final stage of the Tour of California with my uncle Joe. We headed out to Thousand Oaks around 10:00am, parked by the team buses, and spent some time checking out the vendor tents. We scored some serious schwag including the leader’s jersey for Marci, the break away from cancer jersey for me, a couple of t-shirts, cowbells, banners, etc and then had a delicious lunch at Sabor, a fantastic Mexican/ Tapas style restaurant. The food was fresh and organic, we had ahi tacos and organic chicken tacos, served in warm corn tortillas with jicama. Marci had a margarita, the juices super fresh and the tequila strong!

After gearing up, we rode our bikes up to the final turn on the circuit where we found less crowd and an excellent view of the race. The cyclists would be making 5 laps bringing them within just inches of our perch. Both Marci and I really enjoy watching a good bike race on t.v. but, there is definitely a buzz in the air when you are on the sidelines that just cannot be matched on the couch. As the cyclists took the turn, we were within inches of them. The vibe of the peloton as it passed is a force – they were moving so fast and the power was amazing to experience. Joe brought his iPad, so we were able to watch the race and get instant coverage. At the end, we headed back to the podium and watched the boys spray champagne at the crowd, a tradition at any cycling event. The weather was perfect, the event was a must see, definitely a bucket list item checked off today.

We had an absolute blast with my uncle Joe at the race!

Check out a little video…

Check out the pics HERE.

Lunch before breakfast!

Marci and I are out at our favorite campsite (Princess place) this weekend. The weather was beautiful last night and we slept well with a cool breeze blowing off the river through our mesh screened tent. I woke with the sun and grabbed the fly rod. Caught lunch before I even had breakfast.

More pics HERE.

Chad