Cocoa Beach and Seafood...

Again we headed East out of Orange County to Cocoa Beach for a day of sea and sun. We had the sun but the temperatures were still too low for Chris and I to go into the Atlantic sea, however it didn't stop Tegan and Fraser who had a great time. After changing into their swimmers they ran towards the sea, Fraser ran in and promptly ran out, after a few more attempts they both acclimatised and we couldn't keep them out. Then we began building sandcastles, shortly after which Tegan decided she would wrap herself up and do a spot of beach snoozing! To Fraser's delight we built the sandcastles and he destroyed them - sounds like a Royal Engineer in the making!

After a couple of hours on the beach we headed to the 'Ron Jon Surf Shack' - the biggest surfing shop in Cocoa Beach. This was clearly a surfing 'mecca' with everything in the store being very 'cool' - so we promptly left with a couple of purchases.

We finished off the day driving to the marina for dinner at Grills Seafood Deck and Tiki Bar. For those of you who have ever been to El Sids in Mojcar Grills was the Floridian version, but we have to say better. We had a fantastic seafood dinner where Tegan ate a 1lb of shrimps to herself. Finally we have arrived back to our hotel once again late in the evening.

Epcot...

Today we visited Epcot and what a great day we have had. The weather still could be a little warmer as we had to wear jeans and sweaters but we had a blue sky and sunshine.

For the first part of the day we stayed within the area around the famous Epcot golf ball - well it looks like one, not sure if that is its official title. Our first stop was the Seas with Nemo and Friends where we boarded a 'clamobile' and set off on a quest to find Nemo and pals, all very entertaining. Then we went into an auditorium to have a 'Turtle Talk with Crush'. For those of you who do not know who Crush is, he is a friend of Nemo's and is a very friendly turtle who has a lot to say for himself; he also says 'dude' a lot which Fraser now emulates with regular prompting from Chris.

Then it was off to the 'Land' attractions. This included a great ride called 'Soarin' which simulated free fly hang gliding adventure over the west coast of the States; luckily Tegan and Fraser were both tall enough to go on this ride which although a little tentative they did enjoy! After Soarin we went on a boat ride which looked at 'Living with the Land' which took us through a greenhouse with ultra modern farming techniques (well it is Epcot!) and a fish farm where Disney are developing different methods of growing vegetables, fruits and herbs - all very educational.

After visiting 'Reimagined - Spaceship Earth' which is located in the parks icon, we then went to meet some of the famous disney characters including, Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy and Pluto which brought a huge smile to Tegan and Fraser's faces.

Much later on in the day we eventually started to walk around the world showcase visiting all the countries. Chris first of all had to have a pint of Guinness in the Rose & Crown Pub in the English sector which apparently was very good. Then shortly after we entered Germany so decided to reminisce where Chris had a weitzenbeer and bratwurst whilst Tegan and Fraser had a preztel; we decided we need to go back to Germany as some point.

Our final destination was the Test Track ride. This is where you board a GM mock car on the longest, fastest attraction in Dinsey history; again Fraser was tall enough so off we all went. We boarded a racing car style ride which went through some of the tests that new cars go through, bumpy surfaces, up hill, quick stops, round corners, and finally outside on a test track at 60mph - Fraser loved it, Tegan not so sure.

We seem to be getting back to our hotel later and later each evening. To finish off our day today we sat on the sofa and watched the Epcot fireworks from the comfort of our hotel room. Tomorrow maybe a visit to the beach and a fairly relaxed day. Tegan has done a great job walking many miles with the aid of ice cream!

Kennedy Space Centre...

We took the road East out of Orlando to the Kennedy Space Centre for a day of memorable experiences. After purchasing our tickets we got onto one of the buses to take a tour around the facility. This included the Apollo/Saturn V Centre and the LC-39 Observation Gantry which is 60 foot tall, where we managed to see the latest Space Shuttle on its launch pad being prepared for an April departure. We also passed the launch control centre and the track that the crawler-transporter takes which carries the shuttle to the launch pad. It takes the crawler approx 7-8 hrs to move the shuttle the 3 1/2 miles from the Vehicle Assembly Building to the launch site.

We stopped off at the Apollo/SaturnV centre and stood underneath a Saturn V space rocket which has been broken down into 3 parts so that you could see the various stages and respective engines. Hanging from the ceiling alongside Saturn V are large copies of each of the mission badges. Roy, one of the engineers who worked for NASA for 30 years, was in the centre happily answering any questions, so we went to say hello. Fact - it wasn't until Apollo 11 that America finally landed on the moon and there were only 7 missions that actually made it to the moon. Fact No2 - Apollo 11, the first successful mission to the moon, very nearly never made it back. Buzz Aldrin used a Bic Pen lid to act as a circuit breaker which was essential for the lunar module to take off from the moons surface. Without that pen he and his illustrious counterparts would have been stranded on the moon.
On our bus tour around NASA we were amazed by the amount of wildlife that we saw including an abundance of armadillos, a bald eagle and I spotted an alligator swimming up a small inlet of river. Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge surrounds most of the space centre, with NASA owning 2/3 of the park. On our return to the Space Station Centre we wondered around all the exhibits including the rocket garden, several rockets that you could look inside, then Chris and I went on the new Shuttle Launch Simulator Facility ride.

Fewer than 550 men and women of the earth's almost 7 billion people have ever flown in space and we got to meet one of them - Jack Lousma. He flew on 2 missions, Skylab II where he was the pilot, and STS-3 where he was Columbia's commander. We chatted briefly and he even said thanks to Chris for 'serving' and doing his bit; I think he was quite touched!

The other amazing experience that we had today was to actually watch NASA launching its newest weather satellite. The unmanned rocket blasted off from Cape Canaveral carrying a $500 million GOES satellite. The launch was scheduled to take place at 6.15pm which we didn't think we would see as we expected to have left by then. However, having been told the launch would be delayed we left the centre and drove down the causeway where we saw lots of cars parked on the verge so decided to join them on the off chance it would take off soon. Luckily, after approximately 20 minutes the launch took place in twilight - quite amazing. It is not everyday you get to meet someone who has actually been into space and watch a rocket launch. A difficult day to beat.

Disney's Hollywood Studios...

Firstly it was very cold today, so much so we had to buy Tegan a warmer top upon our arrival at Disney's Hollywood Studios. Luckily later on in the day the sky cleared although it remained very cool (relatively speaking!) So off we set for another exciting day at Disney, with out hotel again proving perfectly positioned as the journey only took 10 mins. We managed to see most of the shows during the day, also a good incentive to get indoors as it was a little warmer! We started off with the High School Musical parade, Beauty and the Beast, Voyage of the Little Mermaid and the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular which was the same routine that Chris and I saw 13 years ago on honeymoon, but it was still very good.

Fraser's eyes lit up when we found the Star Wars set and watched the Jedi Training Academy where young children could go up onto the stage and fight with their light sabers against Darth Vader. We then took a turn into the Star Wars shop where Fraser lined up in the queue to have his own custom made light saber built, he even got to pick what parts he wanted.

During the day we also saw the characters street parade which was very entertaining especially as Tegan and Fraser have recently watched Monsters Inc and the Incredibles both of which were in the parade. We did stop for a bit of a treat in a 50's diner for ice cream sundaes and cheese cake for Clare. Another great, full day with more to see and do tommorow - an out of this world experience we think.

Sea World...

We arrived in Florida Sunday evening after a relatively painless journey. We found our hotel straight away, the Parc Soleil Hilton Grand Vocations Club, which is a new hotel and therefore everything is immaculate. We have a one bedroom suite which is bigger then an average one bedroom flat in the UK. The kitchen is fully kitted out including dishwasher, microwave, cooker, washer/drier and a large fridge. Tegan and Fraser are on the pull out sofa which is the size of a king size bed. Our balcony also looks out towards Epcot and Disney so we can watch the firework display each night. The other facilities include several heated pools with water slide, hot tubs, outside play area and indoor activities centre for Tegan and Fraser, gym along with a running trail around the lake (which we have both used already!) and a couple of eating places. We think its about the best hotel we've stayed in.

Monday we had glorious sunshine (Tuesday's forecast was not so great, thunder storms) and about 70F, so we headed off to Sea World for the day. The drive from the hotel to the park was 6 minutes - so we are very near to all the attractions. We all qualified for free entry into Sea World thanks to the generosity of the American armed forces welfare package. This recognises the British Army also and as such Chris was allocated "Hero" status on is his ticket and Tegan, Fraser and my ticket read "Hero Dependents"! Due to the time of year the park was relatively quiet and we could see all the attractions/animals that we wanted to get up close to. Obviously we watched the Shamu show however this had been downscaled due to the recent fatality involving one of the trainers. As such none of the trainers got into the water with the whales but it was still an amazing show. Later on in the day was saw the dolphin show which was spectacular, then whilst having a look at the dolphins in a smaller pool - Fraser commented as one of the dolphins cleared its breathing hole - "that dolphin has just farted!" We got to see the polar bears, walrus's, beluga whales, sharks, sea lions and many other aquatic animals. Tegan and Fraser also braved several childrens rides including the Shamu express (mini roller coaster) whilst I finished up the day going on the Manta - a new very fast ride where you are hanging by just your harness, what a buzz to finish the day.

Tuesday was as predicted very overcast with strong winds so we collected all our Disney tickets from Shades of Green, which is a hotel within Disney that is solely for America Armed Forces personal. Once again they provide a fantastic welfare package for their guys but also allow British serving members to purchase tickets for Disney attractions at a reduced rate. On our way to Shades of Green we spotted several Armadillos on the grass verges, which I have never seen before. We then headed off to an outlet mall for the rest of the day. I have thought of several friends throughout the day who would love to have been shopping there. Needless to say we came home with several bags of goodies and a much lighter bank balance. We then all jumped into the hot tub although the sky was black and strong winds - great fun.

Tomorrow - off to Universal Studios ...

Phoenix & Canmore ...

Guest editor. Having experienced the limited opportunities to play Golf last Summer, when someone mentioned a winter golf tour at work I was all ears. Golf in Alberta is a 6 month sport - the other six months of perma snow and frozen ground ensure courses close late October and don't open until at least April the following year. Sadly for me the 'open six months' coincide with the exercise season. 'So who's up for a week of golf in Phoenix?' was closely followed by 'I'm in..........once I speak with CinC Home Front!' Thankfully Clare being the great sport she is quickly agreed, a budget was set (she's always been that efficient) and before I knew it I and 7 other guys from work were on our way to Scottsdale, Arizona for a week of competitive golf. Ten rounds over six days at six different courses meant early starts and full days. Thankfully buggies were used throughout. Mikes Hard Lemonade was suddenly adopted as the tour sponsor with certain individuals partaking more than others in the sponsors beverage! The quality of golf varied, as did the difficulty of the courses and opposition, but somehow the result didn't really matter as sun and warmth combined with a few beers made up for it. A big thank you to Dave Short for organising a great week and congratulations to Mike 'Oh he's asleep again in a bar' Griffiths for being our overall winner.

Me again - last week was half term so we had a relaxing first part of the week as Chris was still at work. Then Wednesday evening we loaded up the car and set off to Canmore for 3 nights. We booked into The Banff Boundary Lodge which was perfect as it was similar to a small 2 bedroom house that also accepted dogs. Thursday morning after walking Jinx we set off to Sunshine Valley for a days skiing. Tegan and Fraser skied the whole day with us, although Fraser owned the mountain and watch out, he was coming through. The weather for both days was brilliant blue sky with temperatures around -8 degrees so not bad. Thursday night Sam & Andy (also staying in Canmore) invited us over to the condo they were staying in, along with other friends Paul and Jeanette and all the kids for tea - so after a few drinks and food we eventually got to bed happily worn out. Friday was the same again although Tegan and Fraser went into Tiny Tigers for a few hours so that Chris and I could ski a little more. We collected Tegan and Fraser and all skied off the mountain after another great day.

Oh yes before I forget Chris scored his first goal in ice hockey this week- that's one all in the Leonard house. Monday evening the Icemen played against the Chieftans with the score 4-3 to the Icemen - unfortunately the weather was not good that evening and the referees did not make it to the arena therefore the game was void - however Chris is still claiming his first goal - not bad considering he has only played 3 games.

So back to work and school this week. Friday evening we are having a few friends round to celebrate Chris' birthday. Although his birthday is actually on Saturday we will be packing that day before we are off on an early holiday before Chris starts the exercise season in April. Where??? .... I'll let you know next week.

Goal Scored ....

The White Devils had a game against the Orange Oilers (guys team) on Thursday night and I have finally scored my first goal, a great shot if I say so myself. Jill who plays centre took the drop and passed it to me and with a good whack in it went. It was a good match although the final score was 6 - 3 to the Orange Oilers but everyone played really well and we had a good group of girls supporting us - so lots of shouting! It was a brilliant feeling scoring so hopefully I will get lots more - I think I am finally understanding the game?

Friday morning I went into Tegan's school to do Fruity Friday - this is where a couple of mums go in and chop up lots of fruit to sell to the children for 50c each week. The school doesn't provide hot meals and their snack shop is basically muffins and candy - so Fruity Friday was started by two of the mums and has since grown in support. It turned out that it was also school assembly and Ken Merrit who was the Canadian soldier chosen to carry the Olympic torch for Ralston had come to talk to all the children. Ken gave a talk to the children during assembly and tried to answer all their questions, he was one of 12,000 Canadians lucky enough to carry the torch on its journey through Canada, finally ending at Vancouver. All the torch bearers were given the option to purchase the torch that they had carried for $400 each of course Ken took up the offer. After the assembly had finished Ken then visited all the grades and I luckily had my camera on me so all of Grade 1 (Tegan's class) got to have their photo taken holding the torch.

Chris has been in Phoenix, America all week playing golf with 6 other guys and by his telephone calls has had a great time, although a little tough as they have played 10 rounds of golf in 6 days!!!!! Hopefully photos will follow next week. He even got to stand on green grass wearing a t shirt - something that doesn't happen here at the moment as everything is just white, I think I remember what grass looks like!