ABCs of a Nursing School Grad Trip + FL Keys Mini Report;D is for: Dang! Last Chapter of this TR...

[docsoliday1]

Wow, you ARE squarely in the snob category. You sound like me and my coffee.

I'm the same way with cheesecake...I make a killer cheesecake, so very leery of "great cheesecake" at restaurants. When you've had the real thing and/or the best, it's really hard to settle. Tell ya what, fair trade. I'll eat your good key lime pie or cheesecake and you can have my "good" (mumbles something about oxymoron conversation) coffee.

 

[DonnaBeeGood]

.

 

[Steppesister]

One of these things is not like the others...

correct.

Maybe no clouds, but the silhouettes are cool.

They made them worth salvaging.

That's not a mermaid. It's Nessie.

I looked at that, and to this day CAN NOT figure out what the HECK that is! so weird!

Poor Mike. Given direction, he follows it to a tee, and still gets thrown under the bus. I know that feeling...

If he'd just order something yummy....

Yeah....I'll just go with the birds.

Party pooper.

I don't know why this cracks me up; it just does.

Love this shot.

Thanks, Mark. I like the Tiki torches in it too.

Huh. "Delicious" isn't the first word I would think of upon hearing that expression.

LOL! Nor I. It was always funny when they used it though.

That's very sad. And a bit eerie, reading this now after another hurricane has swept through.

I know. I think nearly 100 years of technology developments prevented a similar tragedy.

Is he going to help with rebuilding efforts, or something else entirely?

No, you see... last year, his dad wanted to take Mike and his sisters to the Keys, but we'd already planned on going their ourselves before he made the offer. So this is a do-over for his dad to treat Mike to a vacation.

I hope both legs are equally fulfilling! And that D.C. works out!

Me too!!! And I owe you a return PM....

 

[Steppesister]

Trying to catch up as usual around here. I absolutely love your jellyfish pics...so cool the way they turned out. Loved reading about the keys portion of your trip as much as the Disney portion...and do look forward to hearing about your upcoming adventures too when you can!

Aww, thanks, Kathy. It was a really fun place to photograph and see some things that were new to me. I'm glad you enjoyed them!

New TR coming up soon....

I don't remember where you mentioned Raglan Road, but I had mentioned seeing Celtic Woman at the Fox theatre. Here's one of the songs that definitely has the Irish feel and reminds me a bit of Raglan road.

Oh NICE!! Thanks for posting that! I thoroughly enjoyed watching every last second.

And yes, it does remind me of Raglan for sure.

 

[Steppesister]

I'm the same way with cheesecake...I make a killer cheesecake, so very leery of "great cheesecake" at restaurants. When you've had the real thing and/or the best, it's really hard to settle. Tell ya what, fair trade. I'll eat your good key lime pie or cheesecake and you can have my "good" (mumbles something about oxymoron conversation) coffee.

Mine's pretty decent too, and I don't care for "rich" cheesecake. I make mine with cottage cheese in it along with the cream cheese to make it a bit "lighter" and to give it a big of texture. Then, I make a topping of fresh Oregon strawberries lightly sweetened- scrumptous!

Mmm, cheesecake and coffee. Now I'm hungry during my night shift.

Mmmmm, you had me at lobster ravioli! Trying to get a little more "curvy" rather than "lumpy" for DD24's wedding in June, so I will imagine how wonderful this must have been. Hopefully adopting dog #2 this Saturday will get both me and DH out walking more, sometimes even together!
Getting nice and close to your trips, how exciting!

Yeah, I paid for that indulgence on that trip. I think I came back (literally) 10 pounds heavier, which for me is a fair bit. Took MONTHS to get it off.

But, how exciting! A wedding! That's awesome that's coming up.

And hooray for a new doggie too. Post a photo of your new fur baby if you can! I'd love to see him or her.

 

[pkondz]

D is for: Dang! Last Chapter of this TR.

"Dang" is right. Ending too soon!
I console myself with the knowledge that another will soon take its place.

In the spirit of flipping Photobucket the bird (pun intended)

and, after one last upload (which took me 3 days!),

I hear you.
I was having the same issues... and yet, the other day I tried and uploaded a bunch quickly and with nary a problem. Go figure.

so that I can find a new image hosting site

Let us know what you find!

and old men in Speedos. Some memories are easier to erase than others….

Sadly, the ‘best’ gave me Sunset Strikeout #2. Orange, yes. Water, yes. But… no clouds really to make it wow.

And yet... that orange is pretty spectacular.

I also now have photographic proof positive that mermaids do in fact exist.

Of course they do. I chat with one almost every trip to Florida.

I kindly directed her to the Pelican Cove resort where I was sure she’d find, waiting in some “fashionable” swimwear, an older gentleman ready to show her the wonders of a life of retirement

Now that's just mean!

Kidding aside.... just what the heck is that???

Meantime, I ate a few bites of the entirely BORING grilled chicken sandwich and potato salad Mike ordered. Gross.

Uh, oh. Remind me to never share a meal with you.
That sounds very much like something I might order.
I like a good (key word good) grilled chicken sandwich and love potato salad.

there was a massive line building for tables, so we did the right thing and stayed another half an hour.

ooooh.... a mean streak too!

Beep, beep, beep… I hate that sound on vacation, but then again, for me, it wouldn’t BE a vacation if we didn’t do anything during it.

Yes. To all of that.

Love that!

If it's "nautilimo", then what is it?

Captain Sue was full of knowledge and stories having lived in the Keys for decades. And she was super patient with my enthusiasm for trying to get decent shots.

Nice! Not always easy or possible to get that combination.

I really appreciated the time she spent with us, and felt the money we paid her was well worth every penny.

Good!

Rust necked egret.

Dover Pelican

Atlantic Eagle.

Blue Heron.

Let's throw in an iguana for fun:

One of these things is not like the other.
One of these things does not belong.

wondering if it was safe to peer about

And stuff was dropping from the trees onto me. NO, not that. Just husks and junk. Sheesh people, you always assume the worst.

Oh? I thought it was money.

I looked up and there camouflaged among the leaves was a sizable flock of wild parakeets

Cool!

I tried to ignore the fact that they were probably just finding and eating lice off of each other.

Thanks for killing that idyllic vision!

There was a pair of doves as well; while tasty to eat, they’re boring to watch.

But fun to listen to.
Ruby used to work for a vet. They had a dove and it was always cooing. One day she got a phone call from a client. After a few minutes, the woman said "Will you please stop making that noise!"
She thought Ruby was doing that on purpose!

lunch, if I recall it was Subway or something similarly disgusting,

No Subway either?
You are hard to please!

Love that shot. Just very far from my wheelhouse.
When something is hanging off a tree up here... it's usually an icicle.

Nice capture!

Yellow throated warbler.

Oh... and I made that last one up.
Okay... I made them all up.

I'm far to lazy to do my own research, let alone yours!

Cool! I've never seen one IRL.

He was a bit short-sighted, so we helped him out.

Sunset was approaching and this would be my last chance at finding some shots worth much. You be the judge:

Better.

A Calypso band was playing at the restaurant we were taking photos nearby:

I've always wanted to see/hear one IRL.

Food is as ubiquitous as Retired Cubans in Speedos.

Annnnnnd... just lost my appetite.

It was out of this world. The mozz was handmade and the tomatoes sun-ripened. Yum! The main dishes were even better. I ordered the Lobster Ravioli and Mike got the Alfredo with Chicken. He doesn’t get the food picture thing, but I surreptitiously snapped one of mine quickly. The Dutch have a saying for when something is very delicious that we learned from our teammates in Crapistan- “An angel peed on my tongue.” This was one of those appropriate occasions to use this expression.

High praise indeed!

The fire pits were blazing, live music was sending out a rhythmic pulse for the late-night party-ers, and we found a couple of empty chairs to put our feet up a while longer before heading to bed and calling it a night.

Awwww.... you guys must've been practically purring.

I’m sure it was interesting, but I wanted to strike out on my own and visit this:

I'd have to agree with your choice. While I might find Mike's excursion interesting, yours is more appealing to me.

I had no idea of this history and was struck by the magnitude of this disaster, saddened that most loss of life was suffered by the WWI Vets trying to reintegrate and get back on their feet.

Wow. That's.... horrible.

I love the monochromatic hues there.

Coincidentally, Mike is leaving for Key West on Monday. We did not go that far south, and it will be interesting to hear about what lingering damage is there due to Hurricane Irma.

Interesting to see what he has to say.
Are you joining him down there (or is he coming up to Disney to join you) before you leave for Africa?

Meantime, I leave next weekend for my lengthy trip to perhaps the starkest contrasts of destinations possible. The first, admittedly expensive and extravagant, and more notably, familiar and comforting; the other, to one of the poorest countries in the world where I will pour myself out and give as God has blessed and enabled me in a place wholly unfamiliar and way out of my comfort zone.

You have some incredible times in front of you, I think.
Enjoy your vacation in Disney and your adventure in Africa! We'll see you upon your return!

 

[pkondz]

Is this the same as "excuses, excuses"??

Nah. Just the next line in the song.

I hope you do. If you like shellfish, you'd probably enjoy this too.

Then I probably would!

So, kinda like the Teacups.

So like trolling for snacks at Disney.

Yes, I suppose so.
Are you tastier than a Dole Whip float?
Maybe to a shark you are!

Thanks, PK. I think I'm over the hump and frankly glad to be done with this TR so I can put it to rest of focus on what lies ahead.

Glad it worked out the way you wanted.

Oh I didn't mean it an a negative way at all. Thank you for the encouragement to finish it up. I hope you enjoyed the last bit.

I did! I had fun with it.

I hope you did.

That's not a mermaid. It's Nessie.

Ohhhhhh.... Got it now.

 

[docsoliday1]

Mine's pretty decent too, and I don't care for "rich" cheesecake. I make mine with cottage cheese in it along with the cream cheese to make it a bit "lighter" and to give it a big of texture. Then, I make a topping of fresh Oregon strawberries lightly sweetened- scrumptous!

I don't care for cottage cheese, so I would tell you an alternative if you wanted more texture and less sweet. Use about 1/2 the amount of sugar and add an additional egg or two. More eggs give it more of a cake like texture and less eggs give it a smooth creamy (my preference) texture and using less sugar would accomplish the same thing without cottage cheese. This is more for any other readers out there who might want less sweet and more texture and like me, don't like cottage cheese. Another texture option would be add some tapioca to it.

 

[cinderkelly]

Your photos are spectacular!! I really enjoyed reading about the Keys, I’d like to get down there someday.. DH says if I ever get tired of going to Disney we might get to see some other stuff the world has to offer

 

[englishrose47]

Hi Just back after a VERY loooong absence !! Returned from Myrtle Beach last month, my first trip there and I loved it , I saw more alligators than I have evr seen before , even an Albino one !! Saw Carolina Opry , highly recommend that , also Legends which was also very good , an a Pirates dinner show again a hit >> Went to Brook green gardens which is 4 former rice plantations , was fascinating , one of our guys got a very BIG kick out of the anatomically correc tBronze statues Iheld a snake , touched a turtle and and an alligator !! Toured the Yorktown in Charleston and got to sit in the Apollo 8 capsule Can you tell I think I am special for doing that !! I get the childs just thinking I was in the actual pod that was the first to see the backside of the moon !!!
I am of to Disney on November 30th,our last trip of 2017, My magic bands are in the 4 boxes sitting on my dresser I will try to be a better disser !!

 

[pkondz]

got to sit in the Apollo 8 capsule

I'm sorry. I must have heard you wrong.
It almost sounded like you got to sit in an Apollo capsule.

 

[Steppesister]

"Dang" is right. Ending too soon!
I console myself with the knowledge that another will soon take its place.

Well... you happen to be in luck....

I hear you.
I was having the same issues... and yet, the other day I tried and uploaded a bunch quickly and with nary a problem. Go figure.

They are very hit and miss now.


And have seen the last of me.

Let us know what you find!

Okay... the DEETS!!


I switched to SmugMug and really like it. It took me NO time at all to upload the photos for the next TR and to learn how to snag the BB code/URL. So, buh-bye PhotoYouSuckBucket; hello SmugMug. I'm paying the minimum level fee at $24/yr, which is adequate for me. I have no intentions of selling my work there, but if you paid more you would have more features to do that.

Of course they do. I chat with one almost every trip to Florida.

Maybe one day she'll lose that Eric guy and you can swoop her off her feet. She has them now you know.

Now that's just mean!

Kidding aside.... just what the heck is that???

I HAVE NO IDEA!! So freakish! I didn't see it until I got home and started to LR the photos. Shark? manatee? No clue!

Uh, oh. Remind me to never share a meal with you.
That sounds very much like something I might order.
I like a good (key word good) grilled chicken sandwich and love potato salad.

It wasn't.

If it's "nautilimo", then what is it?

I took it as "Naughy Limo".

Oh? I thought it was money.

I"m working on developing that.

It came in the form of a diploma.

Thanks for killing that idyllic vision!

You're welcome.

But fun to listen to.
Ruby used to work for a vet. They had a dove and it was always cooing. One day she got a phone call from a client. After a few minutes, the woman said "Will you please stop making that noise!"
She thought Ruby was doing that on purpose!

That's just too funny!

When something is hanging off a tree up here... it's usually an icicle.

So you're Christmas lights look especially cool!! (And are super fun to put up.)

Oh... and I made that last one up.
Okay... I made them all up.

I'm far to lazy to do my own research, let alone yours!

I know you did. And I think no one cares. "Huh, Birds"

I've always wanted to see/hear one IRL.

I think there is one still at AK. Look for them on your trip!

Awwww.... you guys must've been practically purring.

It was a nice evening.

I'd have to agree with your choice. While I might find Mike's excursion interesting, yours is more appealing to me.

I do enjoy history a lot and was pleased to learn something new.

I love the monochromatic hues there.

Me too. I kinda lucked on seeing him, but when I did, I ended up with about 30 frames.

Interesting to see what he has to say.
Are you joining him down there (or is he coming up to Disney to join you) before you leave for Africa?

Nope. He's coming home from there because no time off. Plus kids need a taxi service still. (Really need to work on those licenses!!)

You have some incredible times in front of you, I think.
Enjoy your vacation in Disney and your adventure in Africa! We'll see you upon your return!

THank you, PK! You've been a very big encouragement. And, we're still on for a Dapper Day Meet.

Nah. Just the next line in the song.

As long as there's a shimmering light.

Yes, I suppose so.
Are you tastier than a Dole Whip float?
Maybe to a shark you are!

Nothing is tastier than a Dole Whip. But maybe a turkey leg.

 

[Steppesister]

I don't care for cottage cheese, so I would tell you an alternative if you wanted more texture and less sweet. Use about 1/2 the amount of sugar and add an additional egg or two. More eggs give it more of a cake like texture and less eggs give it a smooth creamy (my preference) texture and using less sugar would accomplish the same thing without cottage cheese. This is more for any other readers out there who might want less sweet and more texture and like me, don't like cottage cheese. Another texture option would be add some tapioca to it.

Now, I do like the tapioca option. Hmmm... But, I'll stick with cottage cheese since I do like it. Now I'm craving cheesecake.

Your photos are spectacular!! I really enjoyed reading about the Keys, I’d like to get down there someday.. DH says if I ever get tired of going to Disney we might get to see some other stuff the world has to offer

LOL! There is a lot to see and do out there. But Disney still is a favorite. After Thailand. I'd go back there any day!

Hi Just back after a VERY loooong absence !! Returned from Myrtle Beach last month, my first trip there and I loved it , I saw more alligators than I have evr seen before , even an Albino one !! Saw Carolina Opry , highly recommend that , also Legends which was also very good , an a Pirates dinner show again a hit >> Went to Brook green gardens which is 4 former rice plantations , was fascinating , one of our guys got a very BIG kick out of the anatomically correc tBronze statues Iheld a snake , touched a turtle and and an alligator !! Toured the Yorktown in Charleston and got to sit in the Apollo 8 capsule Can you tell I think I am special for doing that !! I get the childs just thinking I was in the actual pod that was the first to see the backside of the moon !!!
I am of to Disney on November 30th,our last trip of 2017, My magic bands are in the 4 boxes sitting on my dresser I will try to be a better disser !!

Nice to see you, Rosie!! Been a VERY long time since I've seen you around here!

You sure got to see and do some fun things! I can tell yo really had a very nice time.

Have a wonderful trip! If you were there just a little sooner, I could have see you again.

 

[Steppesister]

Okay, Ladies and Gentlemen,

In the interest of testing out SmugMug before I got back, ditching Photobucket once and for all, and getting the new TR launched, here is the link for:

Another Steppe Into Adventure!!


​

 

[pkondz]

They are very hit and miss now.


And have seen the last of me.

They put out an email saying they'd had too high volumes on the... weekend?
Anyway, they worked on it and should be better. It is.

Still not gonna pay $3,450, though.

I switched to SmugMug and really like it. It took me NO time at all to upload the photos for the next TR and to learn how to snag the BB code/URL. So, buh-bye PhotoYouSuckBucket; hello SmugMug. I'm paying the minimum level fee at $24/yr, which is adequate for me. I have no intentions of selling my work there, but if you paid more you would have more features to do that.

"PhotoYouSuckBucket"

Maybe one day she'll lose that Eric guy and you can swoop her off her feet. She has them now you know.

I HAVE NO IDEA!! So freakish! I didn't see it until I got home and started to LR the photos. Shark? manatee? No clue!

Huh.


Maybe it is a mermaid, then.

It wasn't.

Oh. Okay, justified in saying "Gross" then.

I took it as "Naughy Limo".

Probably. I like your interpretation better.

So you're Christmas lights look especially cool!! (And are super fun to put up.)

Yeah.... when my back is good enough, I'm going to have to put them up... in the snow... in the cold.
100% Not fun. At all.

I think there is one still at AK. Look for them on your trip!

Really!

Never knew!

Me too. I kinda lucked on seeing him, but when I did, I ended up with about 30 frames.

Not surprised. I really like that one.

Nope. He's coming home from there because no time off. Plus kids need a taxi service still. (Really need to work on those licenses!!)

Ah.

And, we're still on for a Dapper Day Meet.

 

[Steppesister]

They put out an email saying they'd had too high volumes on the... weekend?
Anyway, they worked on it and should be better. It is.

Still not gonna pay $3,450, though.

Perhaps, but my $$ are safely stowed with SM now, cuz, like most sane people I won't pay $3,450 either.

Huh.


Maybe it is a mermaid, then.

So, I showed the fam. I think we've concluded that it might very well be a flying bird- pelican or something?

Yeah.... when my back is good enough, I'm going to have to put them up... in the snow... in the cold.
100% Not fun. At all.

Sometimes, somethings just aren't worth it.

 

[pkondz]

So, I showed the fam. I think we've concluded that it might very well be a flying bird- pelican or something?

Could be.


Nah ... Mermaid.

Sometimes, somethings just aren't worth it.

Must have Christmas lights.

 

[krnelson65]

Sorry I have been MIA. Work has so been so busy. Thank you for finishing up the keys portion of your trip. No pressure, but are you going to tell us more about the PNWMM? Whenever is fine, I would just love to hear about it.

 

[Steppesister]

Sorry I have been MIA. Work has so been so busy. Thank you for finishing up the keys portion of your trip. No pressure, but are you going to tell us more about the PNWMM? Whenever is fine, I would just love to hear about it.

Great to have you back! I know all too well about busy spells!

I ended up writing the PNWMM chapters on my other thread

HERE


You can find all of our crazy antics and silliness starting on pg 24.

 

[Steppesister]

Could be.


Nah ... Mermaid.

Sure. Why not. Everyone loves a mermaid story.

Must have Christmas lights.

Homeowners code? If not, this would be a good year not to.

Mobility > Christmas lights