Lance Around Orlando

Impressive Crane Outside David & Heather’s Florida Vacation Home

[Editor’s Note: In today’s Part 2 guest blog, Heather Newham shares about the natural wildlife she discovers when her and her husband, David, enjoy their vacation rental home. It’s wonderful to read a post by someone from the United Kingdom; complete with references that may sound strange to American ears, such as a “villa” instead of a “home” or “rubbish bins” instead of “trash cans”–LanceAround]

We are so lucky to have a villa in Crescent Lakes that overlooks the conservation area. It’s an area of natural beauty, lit up at night by the glow worms, masquerading as holiday tree lights…I was shocked when I first saw them, but they are so beautiful.

We have a pool at our villa, so we spend a lot of time in the water enjoying the view. If you are very quiet you might be lucky enough to see a deer!..Two of our guests have told me that they have seen them, but I haven’t. We do see racoons quite often, and I love them, but people who live here see them as pests. I must admit they do have a great liking for exploring rubbish bins!! We often see egrets wandering around as well as the impressive cranes, which appear almost tame. Look out for the turkey buzzards that fly overhead. They can open and overturn your rubbish bins faster than racoons. The beautiful hummingbirds love the trumpet yellow flowers we planted in the hedge to keep our lanai lovely and private. You could actually bathe sans suit–except I’ve been told it’s against Florida law to do so…!!!

Eduado On Our Pool Deck

I love visiting garage/yard sales when we are here on a Saturday or Sunday. They are a fascinating insight into American life! My husband thinks I’m absolutely bonkers…but he comes with me, if only a bit reluctantly…I would like to introduce you to ‘Eduado’…He is our magnificent cactus that lives in the corner of our Lanai. I’m only telling you this because we bought him in a garage sale !! See…I told you garage sales are awesome!

We just had the screened cage over our pool repaired, so nothing can enter the lanai without permission….But the beautiful lizards try very hard to get in. Don’t do what my young son did once upon a time…Don’t try to catch them. Because when they feel threatened they discard their tails…Poor Josh had nightmares for some time when that happened to him. It took me ages to convince him that they re-grow them!!

Heather & David Love the Holiday Lights Around Disney’s Grand Floridian Hotel

[Editor’s Note: Today’s guest blog is from Heather Newham. She, along with her husband David, are from the United Kingdom. They own a vacation rental home right beside Disney World. Today she provides some insights on free activities at Disney World. –LanceAround]

From Heather…

We spent 3 weeks at our villa in Crescent Lakes during the winter Holiday Season. It’s our home in Florida, and we try to visit it at least twice a year, because we love it.

Holiday Lights on Jeter Bend Drive in Celebration, FL

The winter Holiday Season is a great time to visit, because it is such a magical place. We went to Celebration to visit the homes decorated with light displays. They are amazing!!…The displays on Jeter Bend Drive were particularly spectacular, and included synchronized sounds, water effects, snow and even Disney Films!!  It was great to watch the local children screaming with delight.

I love visiting the Disney Parks, but it’s only recently that I have discovered some of the things you can do in Disney that are free. I guess everyone knows about Downtown Disney and the Boardwalk, but did you know that you can visit Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, even if you’re not a guest there, and enjoy sitting by the lake at 9pm watching the fireworks for free? We did this for the first time last year on New Year’s Eve. The fireworks at midnight are really awesome. I will never forget seeing the countdown in the sky and then the explosion of fireworks from 18 different locations erupting everywhere I looked. Just writing this now reminds me of the excitement I felt…I can feel that excitement right down to my toes!!!  Disney offers so many unforgettable experiences.

I was talking to LanceAround and Mrs. LanceAround about my discoveries and they told me there are many more great things to do that are free. Such fun!!! You can visit all of the Disney hotels, and of course you can use many of the ferries, and the monorail to travel around. The LanceAround family took us to explore Disney’s Fort Wildnerness Resort campgound…Every night they have a sing-a-long with Chip and Dale and then show a Disney movie. When we arrived, we had just missed Chip and Dale, so we will have to go back again next time we visit, but we did make S’mores on the campfire while the movie played on the outdoor screen…I sound like I know what I’m talking about when I mention S’mores by a campfire, don’t I?…But I confess I only just discovered the delights of toasting a marshmallow and squeezing it with some chocolate between 2 graham crackers…Oh my…it tastes so good !!!!…I never encountered this in the United Kingdom…I’m taking this idea back home with me…Can’t wait to show my 4 grandchildren how to make S’mores!!!!  I have bought some graham crackers to take home with me, but I’m not taking any Hershey chocolate–cos Cadbury’s chocolate is so much nicer!! Promise!!

I remember the day it was time to go back home…felt a bit sad…but I’ll be back again soon.