March 21st already

Well Pointe Orlando sure shows the signs of the economic distress. What looks like a great place to shop and dine is perhaps half empty, at least. Shop after shop is closed but the evidence of their presence is still seen in the names on awnings and still visible above doors. Several great restaurants are there, however, including The Pub at Pointe Orlando, Maggianos and the Copper Canyon, all of which we have visited. We have eaten at Maggianos three times now and each time I am impressed by the whole operation. On a Wednesday night there were hardly any empty tables in this large large restaurant, including the private dining rooms.  We were joined for dinner by Rich and Claire Lello, Laura's parents. We haven't had much of an opportunity to get to know them as most often we are all together with the entire families. This was a good chance to get together as two sets of parents with the common denominator. I think it worked; we had a great time and sure hope they did too. The service is great at this lovely spot and the food is delicious. Mike, unfortunately, made a bad menu choice but the rest of us were very pleased with our entrees. The appetizers were beautifully presented and so yummy: stuffed mushrooms and the ubiquitous bruschetta and the drink specialties were a real treat. Claire and I had a Mulberry Street and Rich had a Lemon Drop. Mike had a dry martini with olives and he said it was great. I hope it was just as he wanted.....it was $11.  Desserts were as we expected as well...a lovely meal with interesting and delightful company.

Mike and I did a little exploring today as well. Tomorrow we are going over to scope out the Bayhill area and the parking situation for the following day. We will be attending the golf on Friday and it will be a first for all of us...being present for a PGA event at a faabulous location. Bayhill will be looking it's best this weekend. You might want to check it out...it will be all over your tv I expect. We read the info on the web site and it seems that there are severe restrictions as to what you can or cannot bring in to the event. No cameras for example.

We hope to meet up with Chris tomorrow after work and spend the evening with him. There is a wine and seafood festival this weekend that we are checking out. Lots to do in the last ten days in the SS so planning is critical.  Hope you come back again. It's fun to know someone is reading. Aaron and Brian....we will chat lots when we are home. Aaron and Rika...I am no longer on Skype. My tablet is not connected to the internet and Dad's laptop isn't set up for Skype. The biggest issue is that the computers aren't on all the time as ours is at home. We will have lots to catch up on when we are back in NS early in April. See you then!!