Unda da Sea Part I

A Quick Intro

It is easy to develop preconceived notions regarding basically anything. It's human nature to judge things with or without the facts. Sometimes, however, those quick appraisals can be proven completely wrong. I'm not waxing philosophical here, I'm talking about basic things like...the time I thought I was ordering chocolate chip ice cream at that strip mall in Honduras because that's what it looked like but then it turned out to be Rum Raisin which sounded disgusting but was actually gloriously delicious; or the time that I thought I would hate a space-age show with a Western feel to it--but then gave it a shot and ended up being terribly outraged that Firefly was cancelled because it was completely excellent! You know, things like that (and yes, sometimes it is necessary to use run-on sentences for enthusiasm's sake). In this case, it so happened that part of our family vacation plan sounded less than exciting to me: two days at a certain theme park. And so began the deconstruction of my previous ideas...

Guess where we went...

A Nautical Narrative: Discovering Sea World

The Who:

The Author (me), Elise (big sister), Zoe (niece), Noel (dad)

Same crew, with Kay  (mom) in front. 

The What: Vacation fun times.
The When: Late September.
The Where: Sea World in Orlando, Florida.
The Why: We had never been there (or some of us hadn't) and they had very reasonable prices!

Here's the deal--I love roller coasters. I want excitement. I want to run around. I do not want to sit back and watch a dozen shows. The thought of it is terrible...except it turns out that in reality, the shows can be awesome. However, I didn't find out about this fact until something else in the park completely changed my mind. I'll be honest: it all started with the flamingos.

Just look at 'em! They might as well have been saying: "Welcome to Sea World, HayBoo. You're gonna love it."

Something fantastic that Sea World does is give you a free second day's ticket after you've bought your first. So, knowing that we would come back later in the week, we decided to devote the first day to shows. I rolled my eyes as we searched for Shamu's stadium. On the way, lo and behold, we found the Dolphin Nursery. I know this part makes me sound like such a girl, but is there anything more adorable than a dolphin playfully trying to get your attention? I think not. They're big showboaters, those dolphins. At first they were just swimming around barely popping their heads out of the water, but as more people gathered, they began to do little tricks and came right up next to the short wall we leaned against. If I had really tried, I probably could've reached out and touched them. For example, this little guy:

I call him Splashy.

My dad and Zoe watching the dolphins.

Once we got my mom's face out of the map for two seconds, we had a great time watching them play around.

Tell me this wouldn't change your mind about everything.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Awww....okay, moving on. The first show we actually saw was only about 15-20 minutes long. It was called "Pets Ahoy" and featured all sorts of creatures that had been saved and adopted from animal shelters: dogs, cats, ducks, doves, mice, ferrets, geese, a pig--and I'm not even sure if that was all of them. They were trained to do all kinds of cool tricks and the whole routine was synced up with music. Their timing was so impressive and the scenery was cool, too: a cartoonish beachfront town. Not only was the show fun to watch, but it made me happy to know that talented and adorable animals like those are being saved every day with programs like that one. Unfortunately we didn't really get any pictures/film, but I was able to find a video with examples of what they did in the show! Check it!

Next came the Shamu show. While this is the main attraction, I must say I didn't think it was the most impressive one. I think because of troubles in the past with trainers getting injured, they're not allowed to do much with the killer whales anymore. It was cool to see them leaping around and wagging their tales, though. Another thing to like about this show is the One Ocean theme. While the whales do their manoeuvres, images of marine life and waters of the world are projected on huge screens. There's also a somewhat cheesy but still entertaining "One Ocean" song to go with it.

Watching them leap in packs was a highlight, definitely!

It's amazing how high they can flip out of the water.

My mom and Zoe in front of (you guessed it!) Shamu Stadium.

Well, after that show we had a bit of time to kill. And what better way to kill time than riding the carousel? If I'm being honest, though, this carousel was an odd mix of cute and terrifying. My niece liked it just fine, but just call me old fashioned--I prefer to sit on a pretty pony than a jagged-toothed monster fish. (I sat on a Walrus, actually. I named him Warren)

See? Cute...then scary...then cute again.

As you can see, Zoe chose the scary one. It was like the scary-glowy fish Marlin and Dory encounter in Finding Nemo.

 

 

All right, back to the shows. Next up? "Blue Horizons"--so great we saw it both days we were in the park. There's a basic plot to it which makes it sort of like an oceanic musical. There's a princess, and a sky spirit, and a king of the dolphins or something. Basically, it involves a lot of awesome tricks involving the trainers and animals, some intense acrobatics, and birds of paradise flying right over your head!

This was cute.

Sweet, right?

My words do nothing to describe the performers flying through the air. And I even tried to YouTube it, but it's really exciting live, so that doesn't do it justice either. I just generally hate seeing shows at amusement parks, but I'd see this one again and again.

The last show we saw was "Clive and Seamore Take Pirate Island" at the Sea Lion and Otter Stadium. I'll give you a hint--Clive and Seamore are sea lions.

The set.

A humorous part of the show.

I have to admit, though the animals were truly nifty, my favorite part was this pirate mime who basically just made fun of the entire audience as they filtered in before the show started. The rest was great, too.

Apparently there's one more show (which is a musical in an indoor auditorium), but we didn't see it. Everything+the heat wore us out! I realized that there was so much to offer, that it'll take two blogs to describe it all. Much more awesome information to come (including some mysterious creatures of the deep I had never before heard of)...so stay tuned!

A Spot of Tea

A Quick Intro


Do you ever wish that you could spend an afternoon feeling like the Queen of England? Or maybe you're a fan of unbirthdays and the Mad Hatter. Either way, perhaps it's just a spot of tea you're missing. The place I'm about to describe to you is fairly magical for little princesses, old souls, and anglophiles alike. It's in the middle price range. Not dirt cheap, but not expensive. What can I say? You must pay for a little class. Oh...and it's in a little town called Woodstock, Georgia, a place full of elegant Southern charm right on the outskirts of Atlanta.

 

It looks like a cottage in a fairytale, right?

One Lump or Twenty-One?: My Birthday Brunch

The Who:

The Lovebirds: Leesie and Roberto (aka Elise and Rob)

Zany Zo-Bug (aka Zoe)

The Classy Columnist (aka me)

The What: A bit of sophisticated fun to kick off the festivities for my 21st birthday

The When: Friday September 16th, 2011

The Where: Tea Leaves and Thyme (Woodstock, Georgia)

The Why: My way of rebelling against the "Get wasted!" connotation of that 21st year and to remind myself that although I can legally drink, rent a hotel room, and, um, do other grownup stuff--I will maintain that childlike sense of wonder and fun. :)

The How: This is a fairly fancy place. I believe they generally prefer that you make reservations, as they can get booked otherwise.

This fantastic little tearoom is a place I've been going to since I was a kid. One of our dearest family friends lives in Woodstock and she just loves the custom of tea time. We knew if we were spending my birthday weekend in town, we'd have to make a visit to TL&T. Our reservation was for the brunchy hour of 11am. Rob, Elise, Zoe, and I got a bit dressed up and set off. The tearoom has always been in historic downtown Woodstock, but its current location is even cooler than the original: the Sam and Georgia Carpenter Dawson House, built in 1909. We were seated in a room named after Georgia. Next to her picture hung a caption stating that Sam and Georgia's children were born and raised in that very house. Maybe it's just me that's a history nerd, but I love knowing that I'm sitting in a place that is a big part of a town's legacy! (So much so that it is noted in a timeline here.) Another cool feature is that the proprietors of this establishment keep hats, furs, gloves, and shawls on hand for guests to play dress up (because, realistically, whether they're 5 or 50, girls just wanna have fun). We took advantage of that...

I've got my pinky out, and well, Zoe looks like the Queen of England.

Cheers, darling.

Nothing fancier than what appears to be a stuffed animal on your back...Um...Suuure.

Now, not only is it fancy-fun, Tea Leaves and Thyme has phenomenal food. You can take a little look at their menu here. We had the Full Afternoon Tea, which involved either a chicken salad croissant or a sundried tomato tartlet (I've had both--and I can't say which is better!), three different kind of real scones (not the same as the soggy sugary ones you get at corporate coffee shops) ((with lemon curd and a nice almondy-tasting whipped cream)), three kinds of delectable finger sandwiches, and a little plate of gloriously decadent desserts. Since it was my birthday, they gave me an extra little dessert bar with a candle in it (of course). (Too many parentheses?) Then of course, they have so many types of tea it's ridiculous: caffeinated, decaffeinated, fruity, spicy, hot, iced...We had some sort of peach tea. Mmm. And their seasonal Apple Spice which they automatically gave us before the order. It was the perfect Fall treat.

TL&T is the perfect place for special occasions. While I was there, there were three other birthday girls in the building at the same time. They really personalize it by giving you a name card and doing everything they can to make your time there unforgettable. Also, they have an adorable gift shop with things like awesomely eclectic handmade jewelry, tea things (of course), and books.

Do I sound overly zealous about this place? I probably do. I just get really excited about silly, girly, childlike things...shouldn't we all every once in awhile?

This picture means yes--yes, we ALL should.

So...one lump or two? :)

Diminuitive Disney Delights

A Quick Intro
This past winter, I worked at the Disney Store in West Town Mall as a seasonal employee. Besides being an extremely fun job, I walked away with a few things. Among the discounted merchandise and a free Toy Story 3 DVD Cast Member Edition (which I won in a round of Disney trivia because I am just a big kid), I learned that there are often events held in store that can be a blast for the kiddies. Their mission statement of sorts is to make a visit to the Disney Store "the best 30 minutes of a child's day." They make that possible with a lot of classic magic--even I have a blast playing around there. Well...I suppose that isn't a stretch. However, I bet you're wondering how you can enjoy more of that magic without having to travel to the theme park or otherwise spend a lot of money. I shall tell you just how!

Above: The kind of window setup that practically drags me into a store. haha

Childlike Charm: A Family-Friendly Afternoon

The Who:

My Leesie-Lou (Big Sister Extraordinaire) 

The Unstoppable Zoe Brady

<The little childrens, their parents, and some kindly Disney Cast Members (as they're called)>

Lightning McQueen and Mater, as well as other characters in Cars 2.

The What: A Disney in-store event promoting Cars 2.

The When: Two Saturdays ago (They're doing these events every Saturday in June at 10:30am and 12:30pm)

The Where: Disney Store, West Town Mall

The Why: Because Zoe is a Disney freak (whose grandmother works at the Disney store) and because Elise and I woke up ungodly early for a failed attempt to visit the farmer's market downtown.

The How: You pretty much just waltz right in there. In busier stores, they frown upon lining up more than 30 minutes prior to the event, but ours really isn't busy enough to worry about such things.

This adventure was not the original one intended. As I've said, Elise and I woke up ungodly early with another purpose. Farmer's Markets usually open in the wee hours of daylight (at least, so we thought). So we got up at 5:45am, got ready, got some cash, and were in Market Square around 7am. Here's the thing--no one else was. Turns out the downtowners are probably too busy treating their hangovers to be up at the crack of dawn, so they don't open til 9am, and neither do any of the restaurants or coffee shops. Is that not ridiculous? Lazy bones. Anywho, we roll with the punches. So, we headed to Panera for our pastries and the neighboring Starbucks for our coffee and Elise brought up the idea of taking Zoe to the Cars 2 event. I thought: hey--maybe today can be salvageable (travel blog wise)! Fast forward...

We arrived at the store with a surprisingly large group of families. For every Cars 2 event this month, the kids get a sticker in their Cars passport, pictured here with Zoe's sippy cup:

The latest in non-jetsetting jetsetters' accessories. Wait...what?

What happened the week I was there was a showing of one of the short films from a dvd called Mater's Tall Tales. It was unmistakably cute and actually pretty funny. Parents and kids alike seemed to enjoy it (as well as "cool aunts" such as myself). And who doesn't love hearing little younguns shriek with delight? Then, all the kids got a little kit to put together a cardboard truck, awesome stickers included.

Who knew decorating cardboard could be fun outside of box-fort building?

They weren't even posing. They're just that cute.

The only problem that we found with the activity is how difficult it was, objectively. Elise didn't have any trouble, but a lot of parents had to enlist the aid of the Disney Cast Members in the (forty four step) process. Still, fun was had. And each kid had their own unique sticker design...whether or not it made any aesthetic sense. haha.

After the event, we meandered around. Did you know that Disney has acquired Marvel Comics? It might be bad news in the eyes of some diehard comic fans, but it's good news for adults or kids who like to try on Spiderman masks or pretend to wield mighty Thor's hammer...not like I did that or anything...

Find out about upcoming events near you here. Oh...and did I mention they're free?

It's Like WonderPets...Only They're People!

Arguably some of the creepiest kids-show characters out there.

A Quick Intro
For those of you who aren't inundated in modern children's television, the Wonder Pets are the three animals pictured above. By day, they're an odd set of classroom creatures. But when the kids empty out for the day (or for recess) and the hotline goes off, they begin to sing: "The phone...the phone is ringing. There's an animal in trouble!..." blah blah blah, annoying tune. Once I watched an episode where they were saving some sort of animal that was stuck in something, and they sang "Pushy pushy pushy on your tushy tushy tushy" and Elise and I thoroughly disapproved of the gratuitous bum-talk. That's beside the point. Turns out...there's a real life equivalent of an emergency animal hotline right here in K-Town. I'm sad to say that I found out about this place because of a poor turtle in pain. Maybe he was running from loansharks. Maybe he saved an entire village of ladybugs. We didn't know, but we were ready to help our sluggish friend in any way possible.

Creature-Feature: A Surprise Rescue

The Who:

"Wildcard" Whitteny Stinnett, protector of creatures big and small.

The Aiding and Abetting Author (AKA me)

 

The Illustrious Mr. Shell Turtlestein, on the run from his attacker.

The fine folks here, who I neglected to photograph amidst all the excitement/dying camera battery-ness.

 The What: A daring midnight rescue! Well...almost.
The Where: This journey went from the side of a road, to Starbucks, to Wal Mart, to my apartment, and finally ended at the Small Animal Teaching Hospital on the UT campus.
The When: Last night and the prior, just normal summer evenings.
The Why: When there's an animal in peril, it is time to jump into action!
The How: Well, we just did it. You see...

It all started on a rainy night at Starbucks. We were dead, I was way too caffeined-up, and Whitteny was on her way to come see me. I got a text from said beloved best friend which said "I'm so excited!" I asked why, of course, and she replied: "You'll see!" Now, when Whitteny is being cryptically enthusiastic about something, I begin to worry. There's always that fear in the back of my mind that she's kidnapped a small child ("He was so cute, and his parents looked like bad people!") or maybe adopted a puppy ("He jumped a fence and landed in my lap! That means we're supposed to keep him!"). When she arrived, I could see that she was clutching something wrapped in a shirt. It could've been anything. Maybe a gun...you never know. She's a wild card, that Whitteny. On this occasion, it happened to be a turtle with a gimp leg.

Shell Turtlestein, as we began to affectionately call him, had been limping by the road. Some sort of animal had gotten a hold of him and his leg was severely injured (and, disgustingly enough, being devoured by maggots). She scooped him up, created a makeshift habitat in the back of her Ford Escape, Freddy, and brought him into Starbucks...where we then proceeded to say "Oh my gosh, you cannot have a turtle in here!" After catching quite a bit of flack from my very cynical coworker about how we were probably going to do Shell more harm than good, we took him home. We had very little idea what to do with him, as we are not veterinarians. After a little research, Whitteny discovered that maggots can actually do injuries good, as they feed on necrotic tissue. So for the night, we bought him a big tupperware tub, gave him some water/spinach, and went to sleep. The next night, we were discussing the turtle situation with our college group leader Synda Lopez. Whitteny was afraid that Shell would die before we could afford to take him to the vet. Whitteny tried to clean out the wound, but it was difficult. That's where the human WonderPets come in!

Synda informed us that the University of Tennessee Veterinary Hospital has a 24-hour emergency vet clinic (along with a plain ol' animal hospital for paying customers). If you find an injured wild animal, you can call 865-947-8387 and inform them of the situation. You can then take the animal to 9407 River Drive, in the Agricultural Center of the UT campus, and drop it off. Not only will they care for the injuries, they will get the animal back to a proper habitat and even call you to tell you how the creature is doing if you so please. I had no idea that such a thing existed, but thanks to them, we got the satisfaction of knowing for sure that we saved Mr. Turtlestein's life and limb!

Signs tell you where to go. I know, they're thinkers!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One perk of living in a college town is that there are so many services you can find for free if you really look, because every teacher wants to show their student hands-on demonstrations of their future career. In this case, the meek and kindly animal heroes at the UT College of Veterinary Medicine provides a service for critter-loving good Samaritans like my best friend. Check it out if you come across an animal in need--or if you want to, you know, become a veterinarian.

Ballsy Beginnings: Wuthering Hikes

A Quick Intro
Travel blogs, from what I can tell, tend to come from people who are either financed by some organization for feedback or people who have the money to jet-set all around the world on their own dime. But what of the rest of us? Instead of lamenting my lack of fortune or metropolitan attractions, I have decided to start a travel blog that mainly focuses on the various amusements Tennessee offers. The plan is to roam where I can to find interesting little hole-in-the-wall places, businesses and sights that are unique to where I am. What makes this travel blog different than others is that I'm not selling anything. I have no motivation to be anything but honest about the places that I go, and I'm not getting paid to endorse any venues. I'm broke, just like I figure most of my readers are, and so I can be of assistance to all you frugal Tennesseans about things you might want to check out in your area.

I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that there are a myriad of undiscovered wonders around here that are worth giving a try. Along with documenting impressions and histories of places, I intend to talk about the people who play a part in maintaining these magical, hidden treasures of Tennessee. Every once in awhile, I do get to leave the state, and rest assured I will make entries about such trips as well. Basically it would be a dream job to be paid to travel around reviewing and learning locations, but right now I'm just a wannabe. This might be my first baby step toward a globe-trotting future and it might not, but either way it will be a blast.

Wuthering Hikes: A Novice's Impression of the Chimney Tops

Above: Something you should definitely not attempt on the Chimney Tops I'm talking about.

The Who:

The jaunty Jesse Turner

The adventurous author (AKA me)

One Mr. Stewart Snailerson (briefly of the party)

The What: An ambitious day hike
The When: A humid, half-cloudy day in May
The Where: "Chimney Tops" in the Great Smoky Mountains
The Why: The question is never "why?" but rather "why the hell not?!" We also would've accepted "to gain a moment's peace in the midst of a beautiful, uncorrupted natural setting."
The How: A bit of gasoline, a lot of caffeine, and some good old-fashioned determination

Let me first say that though I have wanted to do so for years, I have never gone on a true hike before today. Time will tell if it was perhaps a bit too ambitious to choose this particular trail--and by that I mean if I am unable to walk tomorrow, I will know for sure that it was a dumb idea. The Chimney Tops Trail is only about two miles in length, but the terrain is rough and it's an uphill battle all the way, leading to a rock face that must be climbed! The path rises 1,300 feet. One article I read about it said the hike requires "strength and caution." I have to agree whole-heartedly.

Of course, I recommend comfortable clothes and shoes. Have to say, though, be smart. I saw some idiots letting their young daughter hike up in flip-flops. Not only are those kind of shoes bad for a person's legs when doing a lot of walking (not enough support), but they would definitely be dangerous on the steeper parts of the trail where it is already a challenge to keep your footing. I did something very stupid and wore my Reebok Easy-Tone shoes. They magnify the exercise, forcing your muscles to do more work. I wouldn't advise other inexperienced hikers to wear such shoes. I am definitely going to be feeling that tomorrow. And...ouch. I already do. Another thing: eat enough before going. Your body will need it. Of course, bring water, yada yada yada--you're not stupid (or are you?). Now to the actual experience...

THE SIGHTS: The views, needless to say, are amazing. Tennessee is such an awesome place for seeing pure, unadulterated loveliness. Gotta love the Smokies. The trees were very unique. Many of them had extensive, off-the-ground root systems. You can climb up in and around them. It sort of reminded me of the "Fire Swamp" from The Princess Bride. There were scores of rhododendron and azaleas everywhere, several waterfalls, all manner of cutesy little animals like chipmunks and butterflies, and sets of "natural stairs" made up of interestingly-shaped rocks. From the trail, there are several points where you can also see Mount Le Conte and Sugarland Mountain. Of course, as you've seen, there are also interesting characters such as the kindly Mr. Stewart Snailerson to meet and greet if you keep your eyes sometimes on your feet (that was somewhat Dr. Seussical).

THE SOUNDS: All those waterfalls and streams do not leave the ear wanting. I don't know about you guys, but I think running water is really soothing. Then of course, you've got birdsong and the calm rustling of the trees. At one point, someone made a weird noise further up the trail. It sounded like yodeling. So naturally, I yodeled back, trying to get a repartee going...and nada. But then as we pressed on, some guy mentioned that he heard my call. haha. So, maybe give it a try, if you like.

THE PEEPS: All sorts of people hike, naturally, but the most numerous group I noted was senior citizens. I have to be honest with you, they out badassed me to the max. They had walking sticks and floppy hats, sure, but according to the few we spoke to, they also had a lot of hiking experience under their belts. A lot of people make it an annual effort to see the Chimneys. They're that beautiful. Quite a few groups we passed were friendly sorts. I got many an encouraging word as I huffed and puffed up the mountain (not like the Big Bad Wolf- I didn't blow and houses down; more like an allergy-stricken dork who's not quite in perfect shape). Everyone wants to see you make it to the tippy-top.

Pictured here: a rendering of the tippy-top (toto.lib.unca.edu)

I'd like to brag about conquering the mountain, but I didn't quite. Since I wasn't really prepared for the difficult trek, I was somewhat tired and shaky once we started climbing the rock. I got about 100 yards shy of the top and resolved to be braver next time (and have grippier footwear). To be honest, it's a terrifying (albeit majestic) view. My aunt told me that the first time she took my mom there, my mom cried at the sight of it, saying "Don't make me do this!" I didn't cry. And I was a champ for a couple of minutes, but then the whole "I'm too young to die!" syndrome kicked in--and I half slid, half crawled down the rock face while cracking jokes at my own expense.

So close, yet so far.

If you'd like to have your own haphazard adventure, you basically just have to drive straight through Gatlinburg to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. There are literally signs everywhere. Here are a couple of other shots along our journey:

Tune in next time for...well, Lord only knows what kind of shenanigans I'll get into by then. Guess you'll just have to wait and see!