"Florida So Far..."

“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” ~St. Augustine

It's been a journey, moving to Florida. 

Literally and metaphorically. 

Pickle and I loved watching the scenery change 

from dusty desert to green farmland 

to lush southern landscape. 

And even though we hit traffic, 

charged through angry thunderstorms, 

and spun in circles down wrong roads, 

we made it, after three days.

Our reward was The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, 

tasting, touching, and feeling the magic inside its gates.

   

Hogwarts! 

Still waiting for my letter...

Hogsmeade was a charming village,
bustling with Muggles and Magical Folk alike.
The scandal! 

What a site for fan eyes.

This lovely witch welcomed us
inside The Three Broomsticks for a magical meal.

The Hog's Head was attached to the restaurant,
offering even more magical refreshment for those who wished it.

The head would turn and grunt at us every so often.
Perfection.

Pickle and I both loved our Butterbeers, 

and I gobbled up the Cornish Pasties greedily. 

The turkey leg was... another story. 

Neither of us made much of a dent in ours. 

Turkey leg, ha. 

More like baby dragon leg. 

Butterbeer was so pleasurable,
but I enjoyed the Pumpkin Juice even more!

The streets of Hogsmeade were full of storybook shoppes,
and wares as small as snitches, to as big as broomsticks,
to as animated as this little wailing Mandrake.

Hogwarts has its own choir,
with singers from each House,
and baritone bullfrogs.

Hagrid's Hut, pumpkins and all!

Mister Conductor, sir,
please can I ride the train too?

Pickle and I patronized Honeydukes
for their lovely pastries.
Pumpkin Juice, Fizzing Whizzbees, Chocolate Frogs, Cauldron Cakes!

The packaging is so pretty!

Oh dear... I seem to have left his leash at home...

The remainder of Universal Studios was brilliant, of course,
but nothing like Hogsmeade, for Pickle and me. 

The day came for me to wave goodbye to my sweet Pickle, 

and move in with five new, spunky girls. 

To celebrate our first day off together,
we climbed into my car and drove to Cocoa Beach.

While we were trying to find parking,
Shayla looked out the window and said,
"That's an interesting cloud..."
Apparently, summertime is the chance for
tornados, supercell thunderstorms, and hurricanes to play, here in Florida.
Duly noted. 

After the storm rumbled further into the ocean, 

we came out of hiding and splashed in the waves, 

plucking up scattered shells in the silver sand. 

I miss my mountains, 

but the beach is a nice trade, I must say! 

So... this is my home, now. :)

And more specifically, Animal Kingdom. 

Where the giraffes, lions, and dinosaurs play. 

This big guy has an upcoming deal with Vogue, I feel it. 

One thing that's helped with this move 

is the immediate friendship made with other Disney lovers. 

We're one big, blended family here! 

August is coming to an end,
but my life here has just begun.
Time to play, Florida! 

"Hedwig's Theme" © John Williams

"Prologue F" © Yoko Kanno

"Put Your Arms Around Me" © Natasha Bedingfield