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Father’s Day memories even though dad has lost his…
Father’s Day rolls around again and another year of writing about my dad who lives in the permanent fog of vascular dementia. I’ve written about my father before and his struggles with the disease, but...
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Part 3 of Asheville’s Lodges – The Omni Grove Park Inn
Photo courtesy of Omni Grove Park Inn How does one go from being a pharmacist, to building and owning a massive lodge in the mountains of Asheville, North Carolina? By inventing a tasteless quinine...
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Rick Roach for State Senate District 13 – Don’t forget to vote the August...
“If you want to take politics out of education, put an educator in politics.” – Rick Roach Is anybody out there aware there is a Primary election scheduled this year for August 30th? We’ve all been...
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What the rest of the world thinks of Americans
Vancouver, B.C. “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness…” – Mark Twain Traveling through Alaska on a press trip cruise, with journalists from all over the world on Holland...
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Sushi virgins no longer!
Charlie and I are not picky eaters, we’ll eat anything and everything, as long as it doesn’t move. But, there is one caveat to that statement…we have not been fans of Sushi. We’ve just not been open...
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Believe it or not, the Holidays are looming…Shop local!
I’m baaack! School’s back in session…that means Fall is around the corner. I know you don’t want to hear this, but the holidays are looming and it’s not too early to start thinking about Christmas...
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Abby, the Spoon Lady and the Fly by Night Rounders of Asheville
Our first summer, being seasonal expats from sunny Florida to the mountains of North Carolina, is almost over. Our heart remains in Orlando, but we have also fallen in love with the funkiness of...
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8 Global Journalists who take you to foreign lands without leaving your sofa
Tired of politics and bad news in general? Check out these eight global travel journalists’ websites, relax and imagine you are on holiday. Having recently cruised with them on Holland America’s Nieuw...
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Bird Banding on Big Bald Mountain
Maitland’s Audubon Center for Birds of Prey A couple of years ago I wrote about my nephew’s Eagle Scout project at the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey, in Maitland. He was tracking the migratory...
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Villa Tuscany – A new memory care facility needed in Winter Park
Villa Tuscany, East perspective I’ve written before about my dad’s struggles with vascular dementia which, at the age of 92, leaves him physically strong but mentally diminished in his capacity to...
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Don’t be left un-hinged. Let hardware retail therapy at “Hinge” set you...
Worth the drive to N.O.B.T. Need a door knob? Need a hinge? Need one of those doohickeys that go on a chandelier? (They’re called prisms.) Even if you need a kitchen sink, you’ll find it at Hinge on...
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Not ready to make nice
Photo courtesy of the Orlando Sentinel *Warning, you might not like some of the language you’re about to read…at the ripe old age of 68, I don’t really give a fuck. (Sorry, kids, mom’s gone off the...
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Pride Parade – Faces of freedom
Family members of Pulse victims No words really needed for this pictorial of Orlando’s Pride Parade, held last Saturday. This is what freedom looks like. With close to 150,000 strong, it was a love...
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Reflections (and advice) on buying a mountain house
This time last year my husband and I were ready to close on a mountain house, looking forward to the summer of 2016 with gorgeous mountain views and no need of an air conditioner. Having spent our...
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6 Tips for shopping local this holiday season
The shopping season is upon us and one might be tempted to just order everything online this year, thus avoiding the crowds and traffic. However, every time you buy from a big box store’s website,...
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Christmas in New York – Small, medium or large lodging…take your pick!
The iconic Rockefeller Center One of our favorite places to visit over the holidays is New York City…we love it all year round but Manhattan knows how to throw a Christmas party. This year’s trip was...
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Walking dead in Greenwood Cemetery?
I’m rerunning this post as a result of a lovely comment that just popped up from the real Miss Orlando 1959, Alice Pruitt… For the recreational walker, Orlando is full of wonderful routes. Recently I...
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Part 2 – Having a blast in Brooklyn
Next stop on our New York adventure, Greenpoint Brooklyn. We were hosted by a group of boutique hotels, just across the Hudson River from Manhattan, which exude a hip, artsy vibe. The Henry Norman...
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Part 3 – Restoration and revitalization in lower Manhattan
After a couple of nights in Brooklyn and another two in the chic Upper East Side, we traveled down to Lower Manhattan. An Uber driver picked us up in front of Ivy Terrace and quickly had us on FDR...
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Authentic Taco Tuesday at Hunger Street Tacos
Taco Tuesday will last all week long at the new Hunger Street Tacos, located at 2103 West Fairbanks, in Winter Park. Some of you might remember 4 Rivers Smokehouse or BB Junction in that location....
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