Café crazed 1st Gen Cuban-American raised in Miami. 62 and starting anew!! Spanglish speaking Mother of 3, Abuela of 6; a human shot of espresso and earnest in my extremism. An adventurer, dancer of life; loving its’ locuras and celebrating the "humanness" of all people. The binding ties of family, being female, getting older and day to day life while hopefully enlightening and entertaining- this is the reason for Babushka and her dance.
♪A BAILAR SE HA DICHO!!♪
Thanksgiving, it was a feast between strangers to celebrate and give thanks for all their blessings and for having survived the year. BB will now put on her feather and her giant shoe buckles- multi cultural creature that I am, and share her bounty and thanks with you My Beautifuls. Y'all have allowed me to speak my peace and piece of mind, and because of that my life has been richer.
Rinquincaya turned 4 But above all, I've been able to be Babushka without qualms, without restraints. And that is because of you My Beautifuls. Thanking all of you for being a blessing in my life. May your Thanksgiving Day, feast and love be plentiful. Babushka Besos a todos. Cuidensen
So, hopefully you've all read theAmerican Latino Heritage Fund Roadtrip Recap, which told of parks and history and things like that, bueno, now let BB tell you about the beauty and hospitality I experienced during that trip. Y'all know Florida has the reputation of being a sunny, beautiful state with beaches a lots of hospitality, and nowhere is that more evident than in Bradenton. Ahora, we have lots of beaches, but not all of them have the kind of hospitality I experienced here, and arriving at 3 am that's a very nice thing to experience.
Handwritten welcome note.
Nice Florida beach homey decor
And believe it or not, though La Tatawho is very afraid of them wouldn't believe me, I found it very comforting to have my own Guardian Gecko. At 3 am after a long drive it's nice to feel acompañada and looked after. Queee? JU SO FONII!!! Ok si, it was late and I was tired, pero still, if Mulan can have her dragon I can have my Gecko.
In the morning George was gone.
But of course I named him, he gave me peace through the night
and brought me a beautiful morning.
For BB My Beautifuls, it's all in the details. The wonderful people of Tropic Isle did a marvelous job of surprising me with lots of details. From the handwritten note, to the fancy folds,
to the complimentary gourmet breakfast they gave me.
Mind you My Beautifuls, my room had a refrigerator, microwave, stove, toaster oven and all the utensils/dishware you could possibly want or need, yet they gifted this Vieja Viajera with a marvelous meal. Love that attention to detail.
And I loved Ms. Anitra.
Babushka was bombarding her with questions and verifying answers. Ok si, it was more like repeating myself because I couldn't remember her answers, pero what do you expect after just 4 hours of sleep? She was una muñeca, never losing her patience, always professional yet friendly at all times. Just darned nice.
Actually, the only negative thing I can say about my time in the Tropic Isles Beach Resort in Bradenton?
It was too short a stay.
; )
Babushka Besos a todos. Cuidensen.
P.S. Thanks to the lovely Ms. Tara of the BACVB for finding these accommodations. Not only is the Tropic Isles family friendly, but it's pet friendly too. I was originally going to stop at Bradenton from Miami (dog rescue/intervention- a story for another post) but had my interview rescheduled so I went straight home to Tally. No hay mal que por bien no venga- There's always a silver lining, and mine was staying here. Sincerely hope to bring the family.
P.P.S. Naturally there are more pictures on my Feibu and my YouTube Channel has a video I made on Tropic Isles. Heje I'm liking this, I really am.
P.P.P.S. All pictures, opinions and craziness are my own. The compensated articles did not dictate them.
Babushka was asked to write a recap on her part of theAmerican Latino Heritage Fund Roadtrip. Estan ready? Day by day countdown (with links to the posts) and a fav moment/memory/fact of the place will be listed. Get your dancing shoes on My Beautifuls- a bailar rapido!!
This being my first interview/video, I didn't know who was more ill at ease- Dr. Daniel Seinfeld or BB. Still, along with embarrassed laughs we managed to get some facts in.
The second part of the day was spent at the Museum of Florida History examining
The beauty, history, and activities atMission San Luisson digno of a full day visit- at the minimum! Where Spaniards and the Apalachees learned to live together as two separate people, to then join together as a new breed. Multi- cultural-ESO!!!
And of course it's always great to be amongst friends.
has many things to be proud of. The Rangers, the grounds, but what struck me the most of this place was its dedication to community- especially the youth. If you'd like your children to learn/live history and the beauty of nature, this is definitely the place to go to. They do not take their Jr. Ranger program lightly and one of BB's highpoints of this trip was being given an honorary Jr. Ranger Badge. Thank you Ranger Jorge Acevedo for the badge and all the information that was bestowed along with it.
Started in 1672 the fort of St. Augustine, the Castillo de San Marcos is still going strong and open to the public everyday except Christmas. Plan at least 3 hours to visit, you don't want to be rushed during your travel back to time. With the self-guided tours, the rangers talks and the re enactments it's very easy to find yourself in another era in this well maintained and proper example of Spanish colonization and construction.
My Beautifuls, gone are the days of the boring Park Rangers. Today's Rangers are animated, make jokes, ask questions- they do the schtick to make it stick!! A wonderful philosophy that I embrace wholeheartedly and I commend the National Park Service for training and encouraging this sort of storytelling to the people.
Ybor City, what can I say about it except- I wanna go back!!!
It's a town of contradiction, a town of extremes- perfecto for BB. The power of determination and the styles of a simpler time, both are still evident in Ybor City. The history of a time when cigars were king in Ybor and the community its' faithful and dedicated servants. A time when honor was everything and management and labor respected their places and each other; together to be the best.
to the wonderful people BB interviewed who took time out of their lives to share their vast knowledge and experience,
to the Park Rangers who were terrific and oh so entertaining,
and to you My Beautifuls for following my adventures and for bailando con migo.
To all of you I say Mil Gracias and I can't wait to do it again for VivaFlorida 500!
; )
Nos vemos prontos.
Babushka Besos a todos. Cuidensen.
P.S. Por supuesto there are more people and organizations (Visit Florida,Florida's Historic Coast,Visit Bradenton) I need to thank and highlight in future posts, and I will- I promise. Just let me get a chance to buy some new dancing shoes; I kinda wore these out.
P.P.S. There will be a recap Tweety Fiesta next week- I'll keep you posted.
Day 3 of the American Latino Heritage Fund Roadtrip in Florida and BB's in Bradenton visiting the De Soto National Memorial. Queee?? Ok si, Babushka passed Bradenton enroute to Tallahassee, and it would have made more sense logistically to stop there first pero the interview I had wasn't until Friday and I'm sure you'll agree once you see the videos, it was worth the wait. Also, by Friday Babushka is more familiar with the video camera and with interviewing sooo... If a picture can say a thousand words, imaginate how many words are in a video!
Babushka will leave this post in the very capable hands of Park Ranger Jorge Acevedo, Chief of Interpretation of the De Soto National Memorial in Bradenton Florida.
Esta bien, ok si, BB did have a brief cameo.
You didn't really think I wouldn't say anything did you?
JU SO FONII!!!
As you could probably tell by the video, this was just a taste of the tales Ranger Acevedo was to share. The full length first intro is onmy youtube page and has lovely paisajes as well as interesting facts.
And now the second video showcasing the De Soto Memorial Museum/Theater, because it's interesting, expertly decorated, and last but definitely not least- air conditioned! Oh yeah.
Nice right? At this point BB had rehydrated and we were ready to continue visiting the rest of the site. Thankfully the rains were keeping away and Ranger Acevedo had commandeered a golf cart to visit the vast territory. On Babushka's Feibu pageyou'll see the fotos of this visit- worth the peek.
And now the De Soto National Memorial- for the young and young at heart:
The BBP (Babushka Bullet Points) on the De Soto Memorial:
* Commemorates the years of Conquistador Hernando De Soto's expedition for riches in La Florida. 1539 - 1543
* Through records of the expedition we are able to learn about the natives of this land.
* Houses a tasteful and very well structured museum and theater.
* Is very active in the Jr. Ranger program and in serving the youths of the area.
Maravilloso Memorial verdad? What's also the verdad is that although BB was more familiar with the operation of the camera, the editing options are still out of my grasp. Lucky for us though, knowledgeable guides have been on hand and their talks have been interesting enough to compensate for my film making follies. Besides, the bloopers are so BB!
P.P.S. I'd like to express Mil Gracias to Park Superintendent Scott Pardue for graciously letting me monopolize Ranger Acevedo during my visit, and to the other rangers who were always ready to help. Por supuesto this couldn't have been done without Ranger Acevedo whose dedication to the De Soto Memorial is evident and very appreciated by this Vieja Viajera. Nos vemos in Tally for VivaFlorida 500!
