We had time for some wine and cheese at the Antler Hill Village wine bar before our Christmas tour of the Biltmore House last night. The Fireside Ember & Oak Flight featured a Cabernet, red blend, and a Zinfandel. The cheese plate we ordered to go along with it was huge!
Before (a fourteen inch oval plate)
The generous slices of Swiss, Gouda, and Brie were joined by some balls of fresh mozzarella, dried cranberries, Marcona almonds, little bitty toasts, long crackers, peach preserves, and some coarse spicy mustard. And olives. Lots and lots of olives. When I ordered, the server asked if I’d like to add olives. “Sure.” There must have been about a hundred olives in the bowl.
After
We gave it our best shot. We made a respectable dent in the cheeses, nuts, crackers, and olives, but couldn’t finish it off.
Another option on the wine bar menu was a meat and cheese plate. We could have had all the above and three cured meats, too! And olives. Lots and lots of olives!
On our way to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, I looked down from the upper level of the ferry taking us from the parking area to the Magic Kingdom at Disney World in Orlando. I was surprised – but not really surprised – to see a pier littered with coins, beads, and elastic hair ties. No matter where people gather, they like to throw coins into small bodies of water.
Why is that?
From what I’ve read, it all stems from the idea of a wishing well. You make a wish as you toss in a coin, hoping to spur some entity to grant you a blessing of some sort. It’s similar to a philosophical vending machine, I guess.;
So coins end up everywhere. I’ve seen them in koi ponds, zoo habitats, shallow streams, museum exhibits, swimming pools, and waterfalls.
Just down that way from this pier was another that had some paper money, business cards, a pen, and an empty pill bottle. Part of the sport is getting your item to stay there without bouncing into the water. It’s like an arcade game, except there’s no prize to win.
Some “through the bible” thoughts from Luke 9 and 22.
Jesus said to them, “Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not have two tunics” (Luke 9:3).
Jesus said to them, “When I sent you out with no moneybag or knapsack or sandals, did you lack anything?” They said, “Nothing.” He said to them, “But now let the one who has a moneybag take it, and likewise a knapsack. And let the one who has no sword sell his cloak and buy one” (Luke 22:35,36).
So should you pack light, or take everything you need?
Those who aspire to international mission work in our world must raise enough support to last three years. The sending organization wants to make sure they have enough funding for housing, food, transportation, and health insurance. Support comes from family, friends, churches, and church groups. It can take as long as a year raise enough support to embark on the mission.
Does anyone go with nothing but the clothes on their back, a bible, and a zeal to reach the unsaved? I suppose. But to travel to and stay in another country usually requires a visa, passport, cash for those who enforce entry points and transport your from one place to another.
Jesus was sending out the twelve to other towns in Israel, to Jewish communities where hospitality was the rule rather than the exception. They spoke the language, shared a heritage, and would know someone who knew someone who would have a place for them to stay.
Later, the apostles would face the same opposition Jesus did. So they needed to be prepared to fend for themselves in a hostile world. They would be hated and rejected just like Jesus. Equip yourselves with a sack for money, extra clothes, and a weapon. It’s going to be rough.
When my wife first went to Haiti just weeks after the 2010 earthquake, she followed instructions to pack as lightly as she could. Upon arrival, she watched people unpack ginormous luggage packed with clothing, food, fans, and other first-world comforts. The definition of “minimal packing” varies greatly from person to person.
We learn a lot about what we need with every trip we take. Basically, lay out everything you think you’ll need. Put half of it back in the closet, and pack the other half in the suitcase. You’ll still have packed way more than you need.
Spirit Airlines charges extra for carry on bags as well as checked luggage. You can bring on personal item, no more than 18x14x8 inches in size. I bought a backpack exactly that size, and am amazed at how much I can pack in there. I love the challenge of traveling that lightly!
I took a quick picture after I stuck our bakery business card in the middle of this bulletin board in a coffee shop in Bar Harbor, Maine. I ran across it today and marveled at the diverse people and businesses. See if you can spot them all.
A “horror artist”
Professional cellist
Old-time fiddle lessons
“The Broth Alchemist”
A “death midwife”
Flight instruction
Body piercer
Level 3 Reiki master practitioner
Chiropractor
A wellness lounge
Tattoo artist
DJ
Chainsaw art
Watercolor artist
Life coach
Masonry contractor
Golf professional
Various writers
Peer support specialist
Custom cookie bakery (lol)
Graphic arts
I really want to contact some of these people and request, “Tell me about your business and your trip to Maine.”
We just got home from a trip to Bangor, Maine where our Airbnb was half of a double house built in 1874 by Captain George Poole but designed by George W. Orff.
I tried to research the history of the house, but there’s little online. It’s a blend of Gothic revival and Italianate architecture from the late 19th century. It no longer has a slate roof, but the granite foundation remains. I believe many of the wood floors are original.
The right-hand side of the house is divided into two long-term rentals. The left side, where we stayed, is an Airbnb.
When we arrived, we discovered that the house keeps going and going. From a front sitting-room, you walk through to a living area, then into a dining room, back into a galley kitchen, and even further to a laundry/bathroom. It reminded me of a Baltimore row home where we lived for a year (a long, long time ago).
A long staircase just inside the front door takes you up to two large bedrooms, a bathroom, and a drawing room. (The empty back bedroom had a drawing pad on an easel!) I suspect that a locked door led to a full attic or perhaps a third floor.
The fireplaces that ran up the center of the house between the front rooms and the bedrooms had been sealed off.
I did explore the spooky basement, which was only about 6 foot high. The furnace was new, as was the shiny copper maze of plumbing that supplied hot water to all the modern looking radiators in each room. I can’t even imagine what all that new plumbing cost.
I was impressed by how quiet the house was. Three-quarters of a mile up the hill from downtown Bangor, there was little traffic. As I sat looking out the front window early in the morning, I enjoyed the silence.
I only heard from the adjoining neighbors one morning when they chased off a homeless person off the property with some vivid language. Other than than, I never heard a peep from them.
This is a great prompt. My wife and I are tying to figure out the answer to this question.
We want to visit the British isles. We are going to Ireland next year. We’ll do Britain and Scotland after that. Our family trees both trace back into England, so that is on our bucket list.
We would love to visit Greece (especially Santorini), and some other Mediterranean spots, including Italy and Spain.
I know it is a long, long trip, but I would love to go to Australia and New Zealand. I would love to see places where Lord of the Rings was filmed on New Zealand and snorkel at the great barrier reef off the n northern coast of Australia.
Germany and Austria are on our list of places to visit. We want to see (and spend the night in) castles. Lots and lots of castles.
I’ve only been in Canada for a moment. After an Alaskan cruise, we flew out of Vancouver. I would love to visit the maritime provinces. I would also love to see the Canadian rockies, too.
There are many places we’d like to return to. We’d like to spend more time in Israel, exploring Jerusalem. We have connections in Haiti, and we would love to see them again. We would love to return to Africa, to stay at the Giraffe Lodge and revisit the elephant orphanage in Kenya.
I prided myself at picking decent Airbnbs for our trips. After booking a dozen locations over the past five years, I thought I had it all figured out. This current trip to Texas had me agreeing, “We need to figure out how to choose better places.”
Here’s a description of the two homes we stayed at this current trip to visit my son and his family.
It was cold!
We arrived on the coldest February day of the season, with lows dipping into the teens. When I walked into the first home, the heat wasn’t on and the thermostat reported an indoor temperature of 38 degrees! I turned it on, but it took an entire day to get the home up to the mid-sixties. The checkout instructions read, “Turn off the thermostat before you leave.” I texted my host, “Are you sure?” and set it down to 60.
Because we drove out a few days earlier than planned, we only stayed in that home a couple of nights. When we arrived at the second home, where we would spend the next week, guess what? The heat was off. It was 47 in this home. I turned on the heat and we went to a coffee shop. My host replied to my text about this, “Some of our guests get claustrophobic when we leave the heat on.” What’s that supposed to mean?
A minimalist’s dream
Both places looked just as pictured and were very clean. But both were very spartan. Not a dish towel to be found in the kitchen. No hand towels or washcloths in the bathrooms, just bath towels. No side table lamps in any of the rooms, only bright overhead lighting. No ironing board or iron. No instructions for the television and no binder with information about local places to eat or shop.
To the hosts’ credit, each place was exactly as pictured in the listing. They were clean and the beds were comfortable. However, each was located in neighborhoods with older homes, some in disrepair. Since I don’t get the location until I book, I had no way of evaluating that community. Both looked a little sketchy when we pulled in, but turned out to be safe.
A flawed review system
What about the reviews from others who stayed there? They were almost all five (out of five) stars. Everyone found them clean, comfortable, and convenient. Who wouldn’t want to stay there?
By the same token, I usually give a place five stars, four at the very least. If I have suggestions for improvement, I send them privately to the host rather than griping in the public review. Why? I don’t to jeopardize getting a good review from them. I guess that makes the reviews pretty much useless.
I’ve resolved to be a little more honest in my reviews. I am going to express the realties of a place in the best way I can, helping others who might be considering staying here in the future.
I’m going to expand my price range, too. Lately I’ve been searching for places to stay that cost less than $100 per night. I get what I pay for. It’s a good deal, but I’m not going to get as many amenities as a $150 or $200 dollar-a-night home.
So here’s a few tips and tricks for picking or passing on your next Airbnb.
While the insides of the homes have been nicely remodeled, the outsides will usually be a little worn. Don’t be overly concerned when you pull up for the first time. Go inside and give it a chance.
Most of the pictures will make the insides look much bigger than they are in real life. It’s all about the camera angles.
I don’t spend a lot of time in the Airbnb. We use it mostly for relaxing in the evening, sleeping at night, and breakfast the next morning. I can overlook a lot of shortcomings when I’m not there much of the day.
Scour the pictures of the kitchen to learn what kind of coffee maker is in the kitchen, and then bring the appropriate coffee with you, along with filters. A host might give you a few pods or a few pots worth of ground coffee, but I always need more. And it’s usually one of the cheapest ones you can buy, so don’t expect too much.
If you plan on doing any cooking, bring cooking spray and seasonings. Sometimes you’ll find salt and pepper in the cupboard, but not always.
Generally, the ice makers in an Airbnb do not work. But they always have ice trays to make your own.
Bring a sponge pouf along with your own soap, shampoo, and conditioner. Those pretty wall pumps generally don’t work well.
As soon as you book a place and get a street address, check out the street view on Google Maps. If it looks a little too sketchy, you should be within the cancellation window.
Check the cleaning fee before booking. A cheap daily rate is often accompanied by a hefty fee for cleaning. That, plus Airbnb fees and taxes can double the price of your great deal.
If you follow the check-out instructions, you’ll get a good review. Take out the trash, don’t leave anything behind, and don’t break anything, you’ll be in good shape.
On this most recent trip, I’ve wanted to ask each host, “Have you actually ever spent a night here?” I suspect not. I truly believe someone else manages the property for them, which means they don’t necessarily know what’s lacking. So I’ll be more honest in my reviews to help them improve.
As part of their Christmas present, we took two grandsons to Legoland Florida in Winter Haven last Saturday. It was a fun day, a long day, and a Lego-filled day.
The park was a little further away than I expected. We live about two hours northeast of Disney World, and Winter Haven is another half-hour south of those attractions. Traffic was heavy for a Saturday morning. I can’t imagine navigating these roads on a week day. We passed through all the slow-down stretches I hear on radio “stress-saver” traffic reports.
I had prepaid for my parking. I saved $3 off the $35 standard parking fee. That’s more than Disney. I could have upgraded to a closer, covered spot for another $20, but I passed on that.
I saved $5 per ticket by purchasing my tickets online in advance. There were some days I could have gotten tickets for as little as $74, but not for the day we could go. Ours cost $114 each, after the $5 discount.
I also paid $15 each for the two grandsons to get a package of three minifigures. It cost the same in the store. They could trade those mini-figures for others that any park employee was wearing on their name badge, or at a 200 figure trading board in the coffee shop. The boys made a few trades during the day. That was cool.
As expected, the park is filled with giant Lego structures. Some are made from standard bricks, while others were built with huge Lego pieces. The park offers many places where you can just sit and build with Legos of all kinds.
A phone app shows you a map of the property as well as wait times for all the rides. There are three what they call “pink-knuckle” roller coaster rides, two shooting type rides, and one virtual reality movie ride. We only did The Dragon roller coaster. The one hour wait time for the others was too long for this family.
Masters of Flight was a cool movie with moving seats which made it feel like a flying trip through all sorts of worlds. There was so much to see I could have ridden it two or three more times. The Grand Carousel is a double-decker carousel ride on Lego horses. The Wave Racers, Royal Joust, Beetle Bounce, and a small train ride were fun but geared towards younger children.
The Lost Kingdom Adventure is a light shooting ride. The Ninjago ride as similar, except you fire with arm motions rather than a handgun. Both were lots of fun.
We brought our lunch, drinks, and snacks with us. The food prices were steep. We passed on the $7 green swirl soft ice cream cone and $15 snow ice cream sundae. We did splurge on a $11 bucket of popcorn and $9 soft pretzel late in the day.
The park is cashless. My wife was behind someone in line at the popcorn stand who didn’t understand that. Rather than extending the wait, my wife simply paid for the woman’s popcorn, gaining the admiration of a gentleman behind her.
I enjoyed Miniland USA the best. Miniland is a collection of U.S. cities built entirely with Legos. Cities included Orlando, Tallahassee, New York City, Las Vegas, Tampa, Daytona Beach, and the Kennedy Space Center. Lots of Christmas decorations and figures had been added to all the locations. So creative!
The stores are filled with every Lego set imaginable, along with the usual shirts, hats, mugs, and other Lego-themed merchandise. The most expensive set I saw was the Titanic, over 9,000 pieces for about $650.
Overall it was a fun day, although my wife and I agreed that if you’re going to spend this kind of money, you might as well spend a little more and do a Disney attraction. Other attractions are just wannabes in comparison. The atmosphere of Legoland seemed more relaxed than Disney. Since there are fewer things to do, you’re not trying to pack too much into a single day at the park. That being said, you probably need two days to do everything in Legoland.
We had a great day, but I’m not sure we’d go again. In addition to the theme park, there is a water park open in the warmer weather and a Peppa Pig park for the under six crowd. Legoland is adding an aquarium attraction, too, which should be fun.
We also looked up lodging on property at the resort. Over $600 per night. A little pricey for Winter Haven, but they wouldn’t charge that if someone wasn’t willing to pay.
So there you have my impression of Legoland Florida. Check it out if you want something a little less busy than Disney and lots of chances to see, play with, and buy as much Lego as you want.
Our July 12-24 Hawaii trip began with a 4 am drive to the Orlando airport. We left super early because Delta was still recovering from computer problems and we anticipated long wait times for check-in and security. Of course, when you give yourself lots of extra time, there will be no wait. We checked our backs at the curb, got through security in about fifteen minutes, so we had two-and-a-half hours before the first leg of our trip.
One of our traveling companions, the one who owned the house in Hawaii where we would be staying, got us into the Delta Sky Club with her diamond travel status. We got to enjoy the buffet breakfast and some great coffee while we waited.
Our first flight took us to Seattle, where we stretched our legs and split a roast beef sandwich and Caesar salad for lunch. For the next flight to the big island of Hawaii, I switched us to two aisle seats across from each other in the comfort plus section. A little more room was nice, and I read and snoozed while my wife watched a couple of movies.
The Kona airport wasn’t at all what we expected. It’s small (only eleven gates), and the baggage claim and waiting areas were outdoors. We were not met by hula dancers putting leis around our necks to ukulele music, either. And once we got our bags and rental car, we drove down the coast through desolate lava fields to the house. We picked up some food and found our way to the house.
Our view at sunset
The five bedroom, five bathroom pool home was on the side of a mountain with a breathtaking view of the ocean. The owners rented it out most of the year. But these next two weeks, we were there with another couple and the owner. During the busy season and for the annual Ironman, they would get $1,500 a night. Off-season was about half that. So it was a blessing we could stay there for free!
Electricity is expensive on the big island, so there was no central air conditioning. Each bedroom had it’s own cooling unit. Solar panels helped with electricity usage and heated the hot water.
On Saturday morning, Lisa and I walked about a mile-and-a-half down the hill to Kona Heaven Coffee, where we sat and enjoyed some 100% Kona with a nice view of the ocean. When we got back to the house, the other couple was ready to go to the Mountain Thunder Coffee Farm with us. (Read about that excursion here.) After that we found Benny & Finn’s in downtown Kona that had Hawaiian Purple Yam Dole whip, which was amazing!
On Sunday morning, we took the two-hour Blue Hawaiian helicopter ride past the volcanoes, up the Hilo coast, and then past the gorges and waterfalls on the northern part of the island. Each Eco-star helicopter held a knowledgable pilot/guide and six passengers. The lava floes made a lot more sense from the sky. Unfortunately, there were no active lava floes for us to see. We saw the recently vacated Mars dome in the middle of a place that might as well have been a different planet. After refueling at the Hilo airport (which is even smaller than Kona), we flew into some beautiful gorges to see waterfalls not accessible by land. Just before we returned to the Waikoloa heliport, we saw a circular rainbow, visible when the sun is above you but the clouds are below. After our flight, we had a quick lunch at the Lava Lava Beach Club and headed home.
Lava flows from the sky
Part of the circular rainbow beneath our helicopter.
On Monday, we went to the Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park, where we hiked to the ocean on rocky lava trails to see remains of ancient fish traps, ponds, settlements, and petroglyphs. One sea turtle was lounging on the beach, posing for pictures.
From there, we stopped by a seahorse farm, but decided that the $77 (!) entrance fee was too steep and instead had lunch at Big Kahuna in downtown Kona.
In the evening, I swapped out our Nissan Altima rental at the airport for a Jeep Wrangler, something more fun for exploring the island.
On Tuesday, Lisa and I hiked the Captain Cook trail, a steep, 3.5 mile round-trip trail to the ocean to see the Cook monument. With a 1,300 ft. elevation gain, the all uphill return hike was tough. As recommended, we had decent hiking boots. But we met quite a few other hikers in flip flops. They were either tougher or more foolish than us.
Captain Cook monument
In the afternoon, we drove to the Painted Church. The inside of this church is covered with hand-painted scenes of bible stories. Just about everyone who lives on this little road has a little fruit stand, coffee shop, or botanical garden, taking advantage of the traffic to and from the church.
On Wednesday, we took a quick flight to the Honolulu airport and took an Uber to the Pearl Harbor National Memorial. We spent time at the submarine museum and walked through the U.S.S Bowfin, toured the U.S.S. Missouri, and went to the U.S.S. Arizona memorial. There is more to do and experience at Pearl Harbor than we could do in one day, so we didn’t get to the Aviation museum. It was a moving experience, and I learned more about World War II.
U.S.S. BowfinU.S.S. Missouri
On Thursday, we took an ocean kayak and snorkeling tour. The ocean was fairly calm and the kayaks very stable. It was a beautiful day and I must have seen fifty different kinds of colorful fish in fifty-feet of absolutely clear water.
After we got home, Lisa and I took another walk down the hill to Kona. Once there, I started feeling light-headed while perusing the Lava Java restaurant menu. After I sat on the front steps, someone brought me some ice water, and I actually passed out. I woke up to EMTs who took me to the Kona Community Hospital to get checked out. My EKG and blood work were fine. With a little fluid in me, I felt better and we took an Uber back to the house. Even though I thought I was drinking plenty of water, apparently I got dehydrated. When I got back to the house, the rest of the group was waiting for me to get home so I could grill steaks for supper.
Friday was a busy day. We headed out about 7 am to get to Punalu’u Bake shop, the southernmost bakery in the United States, and also the place to get the best malasadas (Portuguese sugar-coated doughnuts). The Portuguese came here in the late 1800’s when sugar cane farming was a huge part of the island economy. Malasadas go down very easy. I ate four that day.
With cartons of malasada in hand, we drove to the green sand beach at South Point, the southernmost place in the United States. Rather than a five-mile round trip hike, we hired a driver to take us on a bouncy standing ride in the back of a four wheel drive pickup to the beach. It’s not a big beach, but it’s one of only four places in the world where the sand is green.
Green Sand BeachBlack Sand Beach
Next stop was the black sand beach, a little farther up the coast. It was unique, but not especially exciting.
From there we drove to Volcanoes National Park. This park is huge. When this volcano last erupted in 1959, lava shot up 1,900 feet into the air. That’s taller than the Empire State Building! We saw the crater from several vantage points. We could have spent a whole day here.
But we wanted to go to Mauna Kea to see the sunset. Unfortunately, the mountain was clouded in, so we couldn’t see anything.
We tried to do too much on Friday. We could have spent a day doing any one of those things. Plus, there were so many little coffee shops and bakeries along the road we could have stopped at!
On Saturday, we went back to downtown Kona. We had lunch at Java Lava, another Dole whip at Bubba & Finns, and bought ornaments for all the grandkids.
Hawaiian Purple Yam Dole whip!
On Sunday, we worshiped at Waikoloa Lutheran Church. After lunch at Lava Lava Beach Club, we drove to Waimae to visit a coffee shop and general store.
Who cares about lunch……when this is dessert?
On Sunday night we went to the luau at the King Kamehameha Courtyard resort. The food and entertainment were okay, but not as great as we expected. When you go to Hawaii, you have to go to a luau, right?
We celebrated by 67th birthday on Monday with a trip to Hilo on the other side of the island. We started with breakfast at Ken’s Pancakes, where I also got a souvenir coffee mug. The pancakes were good, but their famous macadamia nut pancakes were just pancakes with macadamia nuts sprinkled on top. The wait staff sang “Happy Birthday” to me and brought me another stack of pancakes with strawberries and whipped cream.
Akaka Falls – check out the rainbow at the base
Then went to Akaka Falls State Park. It’s only a short hike to the falls, which at four hundred feet are actually taller than Niagara Falls. After we toured the Mauna Loa Macademia Nut factory we took a tour of the Lavaloha Chocolate farm. I loved learning about the production of chocolate, from the cacao pods to a big selection of 70% cacao chocolates.
Our chocolate farm tour guideCacao pod right off the tree
We walked around down Hilo and visited a ukulele shop. The impressive selection of ukes was priced from $90 to over $1,500. The owner taught us a lot about the instruments, but we decided not to buy one on this trip.
We spent most of Tuesday packing up and cleaning up the house. Our flight home left about 8:30 pm Hawaii time, and we were back in Florida by late Wednesday afternoon.
It was a great trip, but Hawaii was much different than I expected. It wasn’t like Hawaii 5-0 or Magnum P.I. The coastline was mostly rock, not sandy beaches. Of course, we were on the big island of Hawaii, not Oahu which is more touristy. When we go back, we’ll hop and see what the other islands have to offer.
Waite for it... 