The Delights of Daytona Beach

Hi folks,
slowly getting back to normal and having trouble with my eye looking at the computer screen for to long. So with that little dialogue and pictures instead. Enjoy.

Thanks for looking, loved that beach a wonderful place to start your holiday.
Mike and Sue

Florida Highlights

Hi folks,
sorry for the delay, Some of you may know that I went down with a sinus attack just after we returned from Florida and I have been on antibiotics to clear it up. The attack left my left eye closed and I could not do any computer work until now. Only looking at my phone and the occasional look on the tablet was all I could manage.

Still all over now and getting back to as normal as I could be.

I see that the weather has improved since we returned so stuck indoors I thought I would start again and show you some of the holiday that the laptop did not allow due to the time element whilst away. I hope you all don't get bored I need to process some images to keep so I thought I would show them as I go.

Sue didn't look forward to the flight so was a bit apprehensive this is the last picture of her in the UK in 2015.

On our plane it was lovely and half empty which was nice, loads of room to stretch out. The sun was shining as well.

We are off as we taxied down the runway at Gatwick.

Below the fields of Kent and home as we headed for the coast and across the Atlantic.

Now high in the air and on our 4,000 mile trip

Above the clouds in the sunshine, walking around looking out of the other windows at 40,000 feet.

Thanks for looking, Mike and Sue

Slough Fort, Unearthed History

Hi folks,
and now for something completely different. Came home Tuesday and now on another tour, this time a fort built in the 1860's to defend Allhallows from invasion before and during the world wars. Tucked away in a holiday camp this jewel is now being uncovered and slowly reinstated to show it's history.

The gates into the secure site.

Brief history of the gun emplacement to protest us from invasion.

Our guide explaining in great detail all the aspects of the fort.

Main entrance showing the rear fortifications which housed soldiers in the event of an attack from the rear. The wall is Kentish Ragstone.

Inside the seven casemates which are now blocked off, originally accommodated guns that were positioned pointing out to sea. It is generally thought that the guns were pushes out of the openings and could be buried below and will be excavated at a later date.

From above you can clearly sea Southend across the estuary. thus giving the fort a strategic point on the river.

Looking down into the casemates, to the right was the cook house and stores and giving rear protection as mentioned earlier.

Stairs on both side leading to the batteries above.

On to the other more modern rampart to the right was this massive gun with a range of nine miles.

Remains of the gun emplacement showing its gun holding studs.

Area just uncovered and drained to the right of the fort.

This was an opening originally covered with thick glass to house oil lamps for lighting with a door to the side as there was a risk of explosion,

The four pictures above are of the newly excavated magazine and ammunition store. Last picture you can just read the word magazine painted on the wall.

Back in the reception is a history of the fort and some artifacts recovered.

Thanks for looking, Mike and Sue.

Eye, Eye, This One Nearly Got Away

Hi folks,
it was the day before we left so on to Orlando to do some shopping then back to Daytona to sleep the back again to Orlando to fly home. As you can imagine the day was a bit tiring so I left out this one  until I got home.

Would you believe it the eye was closed for maintenance so all we could do was to take pictures of it stationary, just my luck.

It's 40ft shorter that our London Eye because of the planes to the airport otherwise I am sue they would have loved it to be BIGGER than the London Eye. Still it looked good although you could not get that far away and I had to use a wide angle lens. The sky was a bit cloudy too but as you can see the sun was breaking through. 

Inside the foyer was a desk selling tickets to Legoland.

The till caught my eye, get it?  Can you see the mistake in the spelling?

Back outside the Gondola reminded me of the O2 cable car that we went in with Margaret singing Happy Birthday.

Magic part of the evening, Pat won Vickie a Donald Duck in the amusement arcade. And guess what, Vickie loves the Duck, it is her favorite Disney character

Back to the Eye and this shot was taken with my fish eye lens and corrected on the computer.

Night was falling and it was time to hit the road for Daytona for the last time.

.

I will leave you with this one of the waterfall by the side of the Eye.

Thanks for looking, Mike and Sue now home in the UK.

Last Day and a Chocolate Factory

Hi folks,
last blog of the holiday although a lot has been missed out due to lack of time in our busy schedule. Also back on a PC which helps a lot as I am more used to it.

On the last day we all visited a chocolate factory for some free samples and a tour which again was set up and organized by our fantastic hosts Vickie and Pat.

The factory was situated on Beach Road Daytona just along from the Marina.

As we entered the smell was divine and chocolates everywhere with lots of free samples too.

The firm was started by these two women in the kitchen in 1925 and has now grown into this magnificent shop and factory. (note the train Charles)

Chocolate eggs!

Sue and Vickie in their element, ah chocolate!

Bacon and Egg on a plate with Orange. Now the bacon is real smokey bacon covered in dark chocolate and lasts about eight weeks, if you don't eat it.

Now on to the factory, the device on the right envelops the cherry with a thin coating of you guessed it....chocolate.

This chap had a boring job of imprinting the symbol of the type of chocolate it was. ( note how the Americans spell moulds) 

This happy chappy pressed the chocolate into the mould, see his right hand was blurred with the speed of the operation.

Finished product just out of the mould.

Lastly the shop where all the goodies are sold, you can just see our tour guide on the right.

Right, that was it, back to the house and off to the airport. thanks for looking, Mike and Sue.