Rick's Roadshow: Orlando in August

Welcome to another installment of Rick's Roadshow: Orlando in August. I'll be honest. I'm not a huge fan of the Orlando area. I come here on business a few times each year. Maybe I'm just getting old and cranky. Maybe I just don't want to hear a zillion kids running around screaming. Maybe I just can't handle the swampy air humidity. Maybe....ah I'll stop. No sense being all negative. Now for the positive stuff: I am staying at the Gaylord Palms Resort, which is a very nice property with a pleasant environment and nice rooms. It makes being in Orlando tolerable! Rather than share photos of the things I deplore about Orlando, I thought I'd share some unexpected photos from right here at my hotel. I walked around and took a few photos of things, like this koi pond at the top left. I have always enjoyed watching koi swim, their group behavior, the way they are attracted to people- especially when there are koi pellets involved! I think the Chinese like koi because they represent long life or something. 

above: I thought this was interesting. It's supposed to look like a garden patio sitting area. The table and chairs are covered in moss, which is quite lovely.

These next two photos of the "sail boat" are not al illusion- the boat is inside the hotel. It's not a real sailboat of course, but it is surrounded by water. It is a restaurant, cleverly designed as part of their "Key West" motiff within the hotel. Perhaps that's one of the things I like about the Gaylord Palms, is that they design the property with lots of interesting things to see and experience, so it's not just another hotel bar or dining area.

 I should have put this photo first- but I'm adapting to the new changes in Blogger with images and have yet to figure it out. So this is where this image will stay. Anyway, this is the area leading into the "Key West" section where that sail boat

is above. There are a bunch of little gift shops and things scattered through here too, a great way to cajole guests to spend money onsite. The shops have a range of things that you would expect to find in Key West, so you feel like you've been somewhere other than just Orlando!

I like this photo here, with the hammock. It is at the edge of the Key West waters, a little beach with a cozy hammock and picnic basket positioned perfectly. For some reason the fake pink flamingos don't seem to bother me much! It all looks so inviting, doesn't it? I love hammocks- we used to have one in the back yard when I was a kid. When we first bought the house in Palm Springs, we planted a lot of palm trees. In particular, two in the back yard near the pool area. I remember thinking that we positioned them just close enough that someday we could hang a hammock between them. I just noticed the other day that they are getting tall enough, so maybe next summer I can once again have a hammock in the back yard.

Oh darn it, this other photo of the koi fish won't move where I wanted it, at the top. So I'll have to  leave it here and close today's post with a soothing image of koi. Yes, that's it- I meant to do that. To leave you, gentle reader with a calm soothing visual. Thanks for following along Rick's Roadshow: Orlando in August. Be sure to stop by again tomorrow- wait til you see what I have to show you!

-Rick Rockhill