Let's get this party started....

We were pretty wiped out by time New Years Eve came along so we spent a pretty mild evening at the clubhouse. Sue and I had dates from the MFL Mafia....ha ha.

Not a very good picture but all I had. Like I said, we were too tired to be too organized!

Good dance music from the duo.....

The sun in my face, the wind against my back....

Salt and I bought Platinum passes to Silver Springs this season, which entitles us to tickets for all of the concerts. It also gave us 4 tickets to bring guests into the park. Betty and Emma wanted to check it out so we spent a day exploring.

The park giraffe deciding whether or not to come out for Emma's crackers.....

Jeep safari around the park....

Brahma bulls grazing....

We were on time for the bird show....very informative.

Lots of alligators....

One BIG turtle.....

Some of the upcoming concerts....more will be added through the season.

Oh Grandpa and Grandma know that I love you for all the little things you do.....

As there are so many activities within our park, Emma and Betty both were very happy to just hang out at the house and take advantage of the community. Emma was anxious to get out on the boat so we took a tour of the Dora Canal and then went to lunch at the Hurricane.

Emma loved finding all the different Florida birds.....

It wasn't hard to find this guy....

The turtles were out in full force....one of her favorites!

She loved when Pop let her take the wheel....

Pulling into the docks at the Hurricane where we stopped for lunch.....

She loved being able to ride the bike to the pool.....

What a face Emma....did you swallow a little water????

Checking out the decorations at the clubhouse.....

We had the most delicious prime rib for Christmas dinner....and here the 3 stooges model their crowns from their "crackers".....

We decided to enjoy the lights on the tree and the ambiance of the candles and fireplace so we opened presents Christmas eve. It also allowed the adults to sleep in Christmas morning!!

Here's Emma, very happy with her special gift from Grandma....a colored Nook.

Her DS Mario game...

This was the coolest hat I picked up in Martinique....it folded up for easy carrying, but also opened into a fan as well as the hat.....

Look into the ocean and you might see who you wanna be.....

Emma had her choice of going to any park she wanted to and chose Sea World, and a behind the scenes tour.

Pop, Betty and I wanted to stop and have a cup of Starbucks before we started the day. of course, I always forget you have to order at the bakery counter which makes me think I want one of everything. We settled for the coffee and left the goodies alone.

Behind the scenes with the penguins....

Salt, Emma and Betty...

Emma playing "hangman" with the elves....

One of the spectacular Christmas trees....this one all made out of ....poinsettias

Emma and Pop displaying their stuffed whales they won at the shooting gallery....

The whale show....awesome!

Emma's picture on the big screen.....

The stilt band marching through the park....

The Dolphin show....my personal favorite!

The acrobats dressed as magnificent birds....

Stingrays....

These live little seahorse like ferns fascinate me....

We love the Clyde and Seymour show but think the best part is the mime....

And the fabulous tree as we exited the park.

Aruba, Jamaica, ohh I wanna take ya...Bermuda, BAHAMA, come on pretty mama....

Our last stop was in the Bahamas. It was a very brief stop and since we have been there several times we decided to do something a little different....(other than the straw market). We took a ride on one of the glass bottom boats and passed some amazing mansions. They have belonged to the likes of Michael Jordan, Harry Belafonte and the Rockefellers.

Goodbye beautiful Caribbean....until next time. We are headed home to put up the Christmas tree and get ready for Betty and Emma's visit!

Grenada I'm falling under your spell and if you could speak, what a fascinating tale you would tell....

A fascinating tale indeed....this is the view from the ship as we approached the island of Grenada aka/Spice Island. It looks beautiful from this view...but this is the wealthy section where most of the homes are owned by non islanders (many Europeans).

And of course the greeting band....

Welcome station....

We hired a private guide, as we really prefer to be able to go where we want and ask questions. This is much more difficult on a bus with many people. This guy's name was "Lollipop"....something the kids started calling him when he passed candy out to them.

You saw how beautiful the hillside homes were but this is the reality of what the native homes are like.

This is the small town where we visited the "nutmeg factory".

The nutmeg bean....

Nothing is automated, everything is done by hand. This is one of the drying racks. Grenada has an average temperature of 95 degrees year round. Can you guess how hot it is in this building???

This is how the workers (who make approximately $6.00/day) sort the nutmeg. Those that don't float are used for spice. The ones that float are used for medicine and fertilizers.

More homes......

Leapers Hill.....

Breadfruit....used in one of the famous native dishes.

We visited the Rivers Rum Distillery, the only one on the island and over 300 years old.

I asked Lollipop if they had much crime on the island. He said not much crime but a lot of "domestic disputes" due to the fact that 175% proof rum is very cheap.

This is one of the many piles of husks from the sugar cane used to make the rum.
These husks will be used for fertilizer.

The still working water wheel which was installed in 1785.

This is the rum boiling down....it was certainly not a very clean place but I guess alcohol kills everything?????

The distillery....They process approximately 80,000 bottles a year.

This was the band on the dock when we returned to the ship.