Sunday 28 October - Lunch at ChampionsGate

ChampionsGate is our nearest centre for shops and restaurants and describes itself modestly as "Orlando’s premier tourist and commercial destination".  It covers some 1,500 acres and lies south-west of The Walt Disney World Resort.  ChampionsGate® is just off the Orlando to Tampa I-4 freeway and has what it says are stately rows of towering palm trees behind the beautifully-designed double gates. With 36 holes of championship golf designed by International golf champion Greg Norman, ChampionsGate "is like no other golf resort in the world".

Champions Village is the development’s retail centre and is anchored by such as its Publix supermarket. McDonalds, Subways, Walgreens, 7/Eleven, Chili’s Grill and Bar, Miller’s Ale House, Red Robin, Regions Bank and Watson Realty.  Additional restaurants and retail stores are currently under construction to complement the existing shopping centre.

Also now open for business are: CG Salon, Envy Nails, Woof Gang Bakery and Grooming, Tijuana Flats, Menchie’s, Jersey Mike’s, Blue Coast and Osteria. Opening soon are Huey Magoos Chicken Tenders, Great Clips and Little Greek Restaurant.

Our lunch stop at ChampionsGate

Our lunch stop on Saturday

Sunday 28 October: Tourism begins!

Finally we started to become tourists today!  Although we've been coming to Florida for over 20 years, we've never visited one of Florida's many state parks, so we thought we'd put that right.

A few miles from the villa is Lake Louisa State Park.  Admission is $5 per vehicle and that's it!  It's open from 8am to sundown, 365 days a year.  Two things struck me about it - how beautiful the environment there was and how primitive it was.  There was very little tourist infrastructure and honesty boxes were in place for people to pay for such as kayak hire.  There was one set of toilets for the 4372 acres of park!

When I was young, this is what the word "Florida" conjured up for me

A serviceman lost on a training exercise her on his birthday

A reminder that this is a shared facility!

Oh well, I suppose someone has to police a lawless place like this!

This is Dixie Lake nearby

This is about as exciting as it gets here!

Saturday 27 October

Today was a house shopping day.  We were looking for some additional/replacement furniture for the pool deck area plus some new bedding ....

No, not this style but an effective reminder that their furniture is wipe clean!

We did manage to squeeze in some normal retail therapy and Graeme managed to grab a whole host of bargains at his favourite men's outfitters, Dillards, including a smart pair of shorts reduced to around £5.

In Dillards

We later went on to Target ....

.... and Bed, Bath and Beyond where we were looking for some bedding and some new pictures to hang around the house that shout "Holiday"!

Friday 26 October

Today was once again a combination of looking round shops with homeware goods, a bit of grocery shopping and eating out!

We enjoyed our first visit to Lowe's. We also wanted to have lunch at Gator's Dockside on Cagan's Crossing but it wasn't open at lunchtime.  The view seems to be that things are a little quiet at the moment in the Orlando area.

And ..... we finally got into the pool - perhaps a touch too warm with the pool set at 88^o (31^oC) and the spa at 102^o Fahrenheit (39^oC), so scrooge Graeme is likely to turn the thermostat down a little!

Our lunch stop was Miller's Alehouse at ChampionsGate - wall-to-wall TVs showing a multitude of sports including a live Premier League match

Even the Sandhill Cranes have to go shopping sometimes!

This is Lowe's, a sort of B&Q plus

Halloween is coming ....

Barbecuing is a serious business round these parts

A bit too big even for our pool deck!

First swim ....