My friend, Erline, gathered me from my Kissimmee airbnb and we headed to EPCOT for the annual INTERNATIONAL FOOD & WINE FESTIVAL.

This awesome Festival hosts special kiosks which are set up around the World Showcase with food and drinks that reflect various countries. It is a culinary travel adventure.
Gladly, the characters are still very present.



As we traveled through 'the lands' we encountered music and magic. I was in Disney heaven.



Sugar Ray, a favorite of mine from the 90s, was a headliner for the Eat to the Beat concert. Oh man, what memories this incredible band evoked!


In China, the acrobats delighted us all.


And as the sun went down, the park became even more magical!


Erline insisted we stay for the IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth and I'm so glad she did. What a wonderful end to a wonderful day.

What an Epic day in epic Epcot.

Our days here have been simple and I have loved it all.

Jaydin has to be at school by 7 AM so our early wake up rewarded us with this amazing sunrise.
Breakfast was at my favorite non-California restaurant- Cracker Barrel.

I gleefully introduced my cousin to the fine art of thrift store shopping. Way fun.
Today would have been my mom's 93rd birthday. How special that Terri made me one of my favorite family recipes- Cheez It Chicken. Yum.
The day started spectacularly and ended the same way with the Full Harvest Moon. It has been a special visit and I'm loving the memories made.

While most of our day is spent just hanging out and being together, we are fitting in 'outings'. Today we spent the morning at an awesome flea market.

"Come spend the day with us at The Market of Marion. We have it all—a real farmer’s market, from the freshest fruits and vegetables by local farmers to dogs, cats, birds, antiques and collectibles, auto parts, mattresses, children’s clothes, toys, jewelry and so much more! We have special events—food, fun for the entire family!"
This was also a trip down Memory Lane for me. This was my mom's coffee pot. I've only seen this one once before, and I've written about it here.
Oh man, what about this lunch box?
I can't believe there is a Pet Rock's Cousin! Only in Florida.
Besides donut holes and various other delicacies, I snacked on biscuits & gravy. For those of a certain age, you will understand the S.O.S. cryptic note on the order form. Hysterical! It's the simple things in life that I love!

I'm spending four nights with my Aunt Dorothy (left), my mom's younger sister. The party group also includes my cousin, Terri and her 7¾ year old grandson, Jaydin. Let the fun begin.

 This photo was taken in Iowa in 1976.
Today was spent frolicking in the pool. It was a perfect FL day.



Dinner was exceptionally prepared by Terri's son, Rocky. It was truly a family affair.

Our friends are here from Idaho and today was our day to play in Tahoe together.

Barb wanted to take us on a trail we haven't explored before so off we headed to DL Bliss State Park and its Lighthouse Trail.

In 1916, the US Congress approved funds to create lamps along Lake Tahoe. Construction of the Rubicon Point Lighthouse took place in 1919. It was originally one of four lighthouses and was built for around $900. In 1921, a new lighthouse was constructed in Sugar Point State Park and this one was abandoned. Interestingly, the Rubicon Point Lighthouse was acetylene-powered. Two 300-gallon tanks of the fuel would be brought to Emerald Point every day and then taken up by mule or wagon. Maintaining the lighthouse was expensive, and this appears to be the reason why it was abandoned fairly quickly. Over the years it has deteriorated to the point that many people mistake it for an outhouse, sadly. It does have a very special distinction. Rubicon Point's Lighthouse has the highest elevation of any lighthouse on a navigable body of water in the world. It stands 6,300 feet above sea level, at a point where it could be seen from most places around the lake. I am so glad we finally hiked to see this unique piece of Lake Tahoe history.
The vistas were stunning.

Before heading home we had to get our feet into the lake. A must... always!
We ended our day having dinner at their site in Campground by the Lake. The idyllic setting for an evening with friends.

This year, for our volunteer dress up bowling party, we got to choose our own decade... we chose the Roaring 20s...and roaring it was!

We actually took the prize for the Best Costumed Couple.
This is from their website, "Valhalla Tahoe is a volunteer based nonprofit organization.  We have a very small paid staff and rely heavily on our small army of committed volunteers.  It’s a wonderful community of folks and we would love your help too!  There are many volunteer opportunities to choose from including festival and special event staff, restoration projects, landscaping, office support and much more!" Maybe next summer you can join in all the fun with us.
Our boss Evangeline rocked my favorite decade... the 80s.
No, this is not how Diana normally bowls. We were given special challenges in order to equalize the playing field. Believe it or not, some of us rose above those challenges and bowled even better than usual.
Check out Bob's between the legs form. So dang fun.
Is this an awesome group of caring, fun people or what? This was truly a wonderful evening with wonderful people. I can't wait until next year!