SOLO AT UNIVERSAL STUDIOS

My first character meeting of the day, Woody Woodpecker!


I was solo on Saturday, as Pat and Greg went back to their hotel late on Friday night because they were flying out Saturday and my brother and his family weren't flying in until Saturday evening.

I decided to check out Universal Studios Theme Park. The Harry Potter Park was on the Universal Island Adventures Park, and I had such a great time there the past two days, I decided to check out something new.


Revolving globe outside the park entrance.

Entrance to Universal Studios Theme Park.

At first I felt a little funny being by myself, but that didn't last long, and everyone was very friendly and willing to take a picture of me if I needed them too. Like, when I had a chance to pose with the Madagascar Penguins!

They wanted to dance!

As I walked around the park I really had no destination in mind, but wasn't surprised when I ended up in the "Kid Zone".

I caught a couple shows, "Animal Actors" and "Scooby's Monster Mash".

This is dog from the Men in Black movies.

Monster Mash show in the "Kid Zone".

These two were my favorites as a kid.

Me with Scooby and Shaggy!

On my way out of the park I took the long way around and ended up at another character greeting, Shrek. It was hilarious, Donkey was a moving puppet, but the guy doing his voice sounded just like Eddy Murphy, and he talked to you for a long time. When it was my turn to get a picture and he found out I was alone he said, "Alone?!...You won't be alone for long. You just come on over and stand next to me Princess!" It was pretty funny.

Meeting Shrek, Princess Fiona and the lovable Donkey.

I left the park after spending about four hours there, not bad for not doing any rides. I went back to the hotel and spent a couple hours by the pool before heading out for dinner. They were nice enough to let me use a locker and store my suitcase, as they knew I wasn't meeting my brother til later. That's called good customer service.

I decided to go to Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville for dinner as it wasn't far from the hotel and I had wanted to go there again.

The perfect place to end the day.

I had to have a margarita, I was in Margaritaville!

My yummy margarita!


I had chicken and seafood gumbo at the waitress's suggestion, it was a great choice!

A slice of yummy keylime pie was the perfect ending to the meal.

After dinner I got a taxi over to the resort where I was meeting my brother and his family and part two of this adventure begins......

THE WIZARDING WORLD OF HARRY POTTER

When I found out the "Wizarding World of Harry Potter" was opening just four months before my year long planned trip to Orlando, Florida with my brother and his family, I knew I had to go. As a Harry fanatic I decided to go down a couple days early to check out the world of Harry Potter at Universal Studios. Lucky for me, one phone call to a girlfriend meant I didn't have to see it alone.

As you pass under the gates into Hogsmeade you feel as you stepped right into the books/movies of Harry Potter. The first thing you see is the Hogwarts Express, the train that takes the young witches and wizards to Hogwarts, the school of witchcraft and wizardry. Walking along the streets of Hogsmeade you see lots of shops you will recognize from the stories. You can buy a chocolate frog or some Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans from Honeydukes. I had a grass and pepper flavoured one! Zonkos has Extendable Ears and lots of fun joke type toys. You can also buy a wand from Ollivanders Wand Shop.

The entrance into the world of Harry Potter.

The Hogwarts Express.


Hogsmeade village.





Bernie Botts Every Flavour Beans inside Honeydukes candy shop.



Our first day there I just kinda took it all in, it was kind of overwhelming. I think Greg and Pat expected me to burst into tears at any moment, and that moment did come, just not on the first day.

We walked around and looked at everything. Everywhere you turn you see something from the story! The book of monsters is kept in a cage in one of the shops, it does growl and move! Hermione's dress from the Christmas Ball hangs in one of the shop windows. There isn't just stuff to see, there is lots to listen to too! Moaning Myrtle haunts both the girls and boys bathrooms, and a baby Mandrake plant screams from a shop window as well.

The Book of Monsters.

We did one ride our first visit, The Flight of the Hippogriff. You pass by Hagrid's hut as you enter and then follow his instructions on how too properly greet a Hippogriff. Just before you board the family friendly, small roller coaster, that still scared me, you bow to Buckbeak.

Hagrid's Hut.

Buckbeak bows before you get on the ride.

After the ride we decided to finally have something we had talked about for weeks leading up to the trip, Butterbeer! You can have it two ways, frozen or cold. As it was an extremely hot day we all had frozen. It was really good. I wish I could say it tasted like this or tasted like that, but it doesn't, it has it's own unique taste.

The much anticipated Butterbeer!

Pat and I enjoying a frozen Butterbeer.

The first thing on our agenda for the second trip there was "Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey Ride", and we arrived bright and early to do this, as we had heard the line up could be quite long. The wait goes very fast though, as you actually tour the Hogwarts castle as you wait for the ride, and trust me, there is so much to see in this castle, time flies!

You can tour through the castle without going on the ride and we had done that the day before. You see Dumbledore's office, and he comes out and talks to you. The portraits hanging on the castle walls move and talk, just like in the story. You see the four house containers holding their winning gems, Gryffindor was in the lead! You also walk through the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom where Harry, Ron and Hermione come out from under the invisibility cloak and talk to you. Ron made it snow on us! You also see Gryffindor's common room.

Hogwarts Castle.

As we were nearing the beginning of the ride I was starting to get very nervous, as I don't do rides. I get motion sickness, and we passed a lot of signs on the way to the ride, saying that if you do suffer from motion sickness, not to do it. I was torn, I wanted to do it so bad, but I was scared. I was scared if I did it, I would get sick, and I was scared if I didn't do it, I'd regret it for the rest of my life.

As we got really near the beginning, Pat bailed, she get's motion sickness too. This just made my nerves worse. You see a couple things as you near the beginning of the ride that you don't see on the castle tour, the sorting hat, and yes, it talks. Also, the fat ladies portrait guarding the entrance to the Gryffindor common room talks to you as you pass, and the entrance to Dumbledore's office is seen as well.

The next thing I know, I'm sitting on the ride, and I'm scared. Greg asks me if I'm ok, I say "no, I wish I could get off". It's too late for that. And then it happened. I heard Hermione talking in my ear, telling us to count to three and say "observatory", and then "WHOOSH"....we're flying! And then Harry and Ron are there, in front of us, leading the way! We fly over the castle, and Hagrid is telling us to keep a look out for an escaped dragon, who attacks soon after. We fly into the forbidden forest and see Aragog, he spits venom at us! We see the Basilisk snake down in the Chamber of Secrets, and all along the way Harry and Ron are leading us on and talking to us. We enter the Quidditch field and then Drako is there asking Harry if he's showing off for his "Muggle Admirers" while we're trying to get away from the Dementors. Then we're flying over the lake and into the castle, and the whole Gryffindor classroom is there clapping for us, for making it, and then Dumbledore, Hagrid and the rest of the teachers and doing the same. The ride was over, and then, my meltdown moment.....I burst into tears, not because I was scared, though I did close my eyes a couple times, I totally got into this ride, screaming with delight most of the way. It hit me then, where I was, what I was doing, and I lost it. I'm 41 years old, I know I wasn't really flying on a broom with Harry and Ron, but for 4 and a half minutes I felt like it.

Greg wasn't sure why I was crying at first, but it didn't take him long to figure out it was from pure joy. One of the staff members asked me if I needed to sit down, and I told him no, that I was ok, just overwhelmed. When we found Pat I still had tears in my eyes, and when she found out why I was crying I think she regretted not going on.

After the ride we went into The Hog's Head Pub, so we could have a drink and I could get my heart rate to return to normal. A round of cold Butterbeer for all of us!

Enjoying a much needed cold Butterbeer at the Hog's Head Pub.


Pat and Greg enjoying the atmosphere of the Hog's Head, they said it was like being in a real British pub.

We decided to have lunch at the Three Broomsticks after some more shopping in Hogsmeade. No pizza slices or burgers here, it's all authentic British fare and beer. I had Sheppard's Pie and we all tried Pumpkin Juice, which was delicious!

Waiting to enter the "Three Broomsticks" for lunch.

Pumpkin Juice.

While we were eating, one of the park managers came over and talked to us. He told us that they tried 188 different recipes for the pumpkin juice before deciding on the one that we had. He also brought us over a sample of something that isn't even on the menu yet, Harry's favourite ice-cream, strawberry peanut butter. It was ok, they are still working on it. We also found out that they are going to expand the park, it's a bigger attraction then they expected, they start breaking ground in January, so it looks like we'll all be going back!

Before we left the park for the day, Pat asked me if I'd do the Forbidden Journey ride again, and I said yes. Greg was almost bouncing he wanted to go on it again so bad. I told Pat it was up to her, and she nodded, so the three of got to go on the ride together. I didn't close my eyes this time, and I was glad I didn't because I missed a couple things the first time; when you enter the ride to sit down there are floating candles above the seats, like in the Great Hall. Hermione isn't just talking in your ear, she's right in front of you a few times, and when you fly over the lake towards the castle, your flying not only with Harry and Ron, but with a whole flock of owls. Though I didn't burst into tears this time, I enjoyed the ride more, because I got more out of it, and the three of us did it together, it was the perfect way to end the day at the park.

There were a couple things I didn't do this time, the Dueling Dragons Roller Coaster, which I may never do, and Ollivander's Wand Shop experience. I had to save something for my next visit!

THE YEAR OF THE OWL

It felt great to be able to sponsor Silo.

It really has been the "year of the owl" for us. We saw our first wild owls while birding earlier this year. First a Snowy Owl in February at Sam Smith park, and then a couple months later a Great Horned Owl at Thickson Woods. Seeing these majestic creatures for the first time in the wild was thrilling for us.

We recently did the new "Raptor Encounter" at Mountsberg Conservation Area, where we got to get up close with a couple Eastern Screech Owls and a Barred Owl, and also get a behind the scenes look at the Raptor Centre. We thoroughly enjoyed this and plan on doing it again. There is no explaining the feeling of holding an owl on your hand.

For Rob's birthday on September 15th we decided to take a trip up to Gravenhurst and visit the "Muskoka Wildlife Centre". After reading all about the centre online, we also decided to "sponsor" one of the animals there, and of course we chose an owl.

It's really important to us to help in any way we can these wonderful organizations who do so much for the animals. We have memberships to our favourite parks, spread the word about these places, and of course sponsoring Silo was our biggest contribution to date, but it felt great to be able to do it. We're also thinking of volunteering at the Toronto Wildlife Centre in the new year.

If you haven't visited the Muskoka Wildlife Centre I highly recommend you do, they have so many animals who will live out their life there due to injuries or human imprinting. It's a great way to get up close with and learn about our wildlife and what you can do to help.


Silo, a female Barn Owl, who's had 14 chicks who are used as teaching owls at other centres all over Canada, including Jazz who lives at Mountsberg Conservation Area!

Becky brought out lots of animals to show us, including Clover the groundhog who has been part of their out-reach program for many years and as you can see is very comfortable with humans.

Luna, a full grown Saw-Whet Owl. Isn't she precious?

I couldn't take my eyes of off Luna!

RAPTOR ENCOUNTER

Holding "Teddy", a female Barred Owl was a magical experience. She's leaning into me because at that moment I'm her "tree!"

Rob and I have been going to Mountsberg Conservation Area a few times a year for over six years now. We spent our first New Years Day there back in 2005, and I still remember him telling me it was the best New Years Day he's ever had. This is one of our favourite parks to visit and is special to us.

We enjoy the many walking trails where we can see various song birds at different times of the year. Mountsberg is a year round place to visit and there is always something new to see or do depending on the season.

One of the things that makes Mountsberg special is their Raptor Centre, which is home to native birds of prey that due to injuries or human imprinting cannot be released back into the wild. We always walk the "Wildlife Walkway" on our trips there, where you can see many of these birds, including Bald Eagles and various types of Owls, Hawks, etc.

On weekends and holidays there is also a birds of prey show twice daily and today we decided to watch the show for the first time. We saw and learned about three different birds staying at the facility, all of which had their own interesting story and fascinating characteristics.


Pawgwa is a juvenile female Bald Eagle.

Jazz is a female Barn Owl.

Jazz was waiting for lunch.

She sure enjoyed her meal!

Ellie is a Turkey Vulture who was enjoying the warmth of the sun.


It's been interesting to us to watch the many improvements they've done to the facilities over the years and there always seems to be something new going on when we visit. On this visit we found out about a new program they started over the summer called the "Raptor Encounter" where you get a chance to go "behind the scenes" at the facility.

For a fee you can learn more about the birds there and get a chance to get up close to some of them. You can do this privately or as part of a group.

Rob and I did this privately and it was an amazing experience for both of us. I never in my wildest dreams thought I would get to hold an owl, and today I got to hold two!

Amy, the handler who gave us our tour, told us lots of interesting facts and stories about many of the birds there, but I have to admit, as soon as I was holding Echo, an Eastern Screech Owl, I kind of went off into "La La Land" because I couldn't believe I was holding such a majestic creature. Then when I got to hold Teddy, a beautiful Barred Owl, it was almost over whelming. I'm still surprised I didn't burst into tears, it meant that much to me.

Otis and Echo are Eastern Screech Owls.

A better look at Echo.

Echo and I getting to know one another.

Me with Echo & Rob with Otis, what a special moment for us!

Rob's turn to hold Teddy, a Barred Owl.

We had an amazing and memorable afternoon and are already planning our next visit, which will definitely include another "Raptor Encounter".

To learn more about the birds at the centre click here.

THE CNE

Fresh made cotton candy!

Last Sunday, Rob and I went to the Canadian National Exhibition. Neither one of us had been in years, and never together. We went for the whole day and had a great time. There are so many shows and exhibits included in your price of admission that it really is a great deal, and you certainly can't see everything in a day. Below are some of the pictures taken on our fun filled day at the Ex!

Baby lambs at the farm exhibit.



Harley, the Great Horned Owl was part of the "Birds of Prey" show put on daily by the Canadian Raptor Conservancy organization.



The "must try" at the ex this year, deep fried butter!



"Rock on Ice", figure skating and acrobatics to rock music performed by a live band.



Musical influenced sand sculpture.



Finally got my "Bloomin Onion" I'd been craving all summer.



The highlight of the day, the "Snow Birds!"

TORONTO FAN EXPO 2010

Score! Six more "Sabrina" comics for my collection.

I remember when Rob and I were first getting to know one another and he mentioned that he enjoyed comics. I didn't think much of it at the time, I didn't know many grown men who still read comics, but thought there could be many worse hobbies to be into.

Rob doesn't just enjoy comics, he's a bit of a collector, having just under ten thousand of them. He's been collecting them for years, and also has statues and wall tapestries of some of his favorite characters, including; Vampirella, Lady Death, Ghost Rider and Groo.

When we first started going to comic book shows together I wanted to "hunt" for something too, so I started collecting the Archie Comics original "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" series that I remembered enjoying as a kid.

The thrill of the hunt is quite addicting and now I must admit that I enjoy going to the shows as much as Rob does and have even started reading some more modern comics periodically.

One of the bigger shows that come to Toronto every year is the Fan Expo which is a combination of Comic, Horror, Sci-Fi, Anime and Gaming Expo.

Lots of fans dress up for the event and below are some pictures of our fun evening out.

A fan dressed up as "Micheal" from the Halloween horror movie series.


Rob with Dean's 1967 Chevy Impala from one of our favorite TV shows "Supernatural".

A fan dressed up as the "Joker" from Batman.


A couple of Storm Troopers from Star Wars.



Rob with "Little Red Riding Hood" from Grimm Fairy Tales.


Fans dressed up as Spider-man and the Black Cat.


Rob and Michele Dube from CTV after she interviewed me about the show. A bit of it ran on the 11:30pm news that night.

HARRY POTTER WAS GOOD MEDICINE

I returned to work this week after being off sick since June 15th with a horrid respiratory infection. Not much to do when your home sick with no energy to move, but watch TV and read, but during this time I discovered and fell in love with a whole new world. The world of "Hogwarts", a school for witches and wizards.

I've seen all the Harry Potter movies and enjoyed them very much. The 7th and final book is being split into two movies, one being released this November, and the last, July 2011.

I have all the released movies and watched them all once while I was sick, and then watched them all again. Then I remembered that a friend had lent me the first four books of the series, so I decided to start reading them.

I assumed the books were going to be a little different then the movies, but I was really surprised at how much. So much more information is in the books that I found that I after I read all the books I enjoyed the movies even more! Once I started reading this series I didn't stop, I read the entire seven book series in just under two weeks. Thankfully my teenage neighbor had books five and six, which I thought I had, and Rob's brother had lent me book seven, the final in the series. I plan on buying myself the hardcover set in the future, I know I will want to read them again.

J.K. Rowling created a whole new world of witches, wizards and magic that really appealed to the child side of me. I don't remember ever being so consumed by a book. The characters in the stories are engaging, and I'm sure everyone has their favorite good and bad guy, for me it was Ron Weasley, one of Harry's best friends, and the evil person I loved to hate the most was Ms.Umbridge, who worked for the Ministry of Magic and taught one year at Hogwarts.

I loved how characters kept turning up in the different books, and you felt like you really got to know them as the series spans seven years. I also enjoyed how much the children's pets were involved in the stores that didn't come across in the movies. I cried like a baby when Hedwig, Harry's pet snowy owl,(who was a birthday present to him from Hagrid when he turned 11 in the first book) died in the last book.

There was also one character, Severus Snape, who kept me guessing til the end if he was good or evil. But these stories are about so much more then good versus evil, there about friendship, loyalty, and acceptance. And hey, if that comes with loads of magic, flying brooms, and owls that deliver mail, even better! After all, who wouldn't want a magic wand to wave around to get all the house work done or walk into a fireplace with some "Floo Powder" to zap yourself somewhere else you want to be.

I know this story is suppose to be for kids, but I know of a few other adults who enjoyed them as much as I did and if you haven't read them, I suggest you give them a chance.

I'm going to Orlando, FL, this coming October and "The Wizarding World of Harry Potter" theme park opened at Universal Studies this June. I'm going to get a chance to visit the village of "Hogsmeade" and try "Butterbeer" at the "Three Witches" tavern, buy a wand at "Ollivanders" (it chooses you!) and mail a postcard at the "Owl Post" post office. I'll also pick up some "chocolate frogs" and "every flavor beans" at "Honeydukes" and loads more, right out of the story.

I've been wanting to do a Orlando trip for years and go to Disney World, and it just happened to end up being this October that my brother and his family in Calgary decided to plan a trip there and I will be joining them. Coincidence that it's also the same year the Harry Potter park opened in Orlando? Maybe....but I like to think it was fate.

Harry and Hedwig.