how to spend a rainy day with chocolate and magic

I'm ba-a-a-ack!
Didja miss me?
(smile)

As I had mentioned earlier,
my umbrella and I
spent some time
on this first day
roaming around Fun Spot
and Old Town.
Then I had a chili dog
so I could eat some sweets!

These sweets were royalty
in the world of candies!
I'm talking about the
Chocolate Kingdom, y'all!
Billed as a
"factory adventure tour",
it certainly lived up
to that description!

First, we were treated to
chocolate trivia to test our knowledge.
Tasty!
Then Prince George the Good -
or Good-Looking as he claimed -
had the help of his dragon pal,
Meechu, as he sought the hand
of the Princess of the
Chocolate Kingdom.

Fortunately, we had Alan
as our trusty guide
as we learned all about
the history of chocolate
and the technique of
making fine candy.
After all, we were helping
the Prince in his quest!

Of course, we had taste tests
along our journey!
Had to check the quality
of the goods, ya know.
(smile)
Powder-dusted nibs above,
stirred chocolate liqueur
on a stick here,

sweet, enchanting slippers
of white chocolate,
milk chocolate,
and my favorite -
dark chocolate...
I swear it tasted that much better
for knowing all of the effort
that went into its creation!

We even played a fun game
of shooting marshmallows
into Meechu's maw!
Dragons can work up quite an appetite walking
all over that kingdom, you know.
No sense in him going hungry...
and we ate marshmallows, too,
double-coated with dark chocolate!

But they had saved
the best for last!
At tour's end, we each had
the option of buying...
a candy block made
to our specifications!
Only six bucks, too,
so I went for it,
selecting dark chocolate for the base,

then three more ingredients
to be swirled in:
toffee (the special of the day),
mini pretzels,
and, of course, caramel.
Then I waited for it
to be created
and delivered...
what a unique sweet treat!

Back to the condo I walked, to put it safely away from the heat...
and me, too!
The day had become a sauna outside, so I watched "Good Will Hunting" as I awaited the night's cooling breeze.
Then back to Old Town, to wander and look at the shops... and to dance!

Will Yancy - The Showman - was crooning "Send Me The Pillow You Dream On" - an oldie but goodie! The Entertainment Stage had a lovely area of street cleared off for dancing... so you know I did!
And I kept right on dancing, too.
"Third Rate Romance" -
"Be My Baby Tonight" -
"Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind" -
very nice selection of those and more, mixing up the tempos and the eras.
Some other folks even joined me on the dance floor!
I would have stayed even longer, except... magic was in the air!

Remember, I had a ticket in my hot pocket for the 9 PM Grand Magic Tour!
Joining me for the ride was a family quartet from upstate New York and a duo from somewhere in Texas.
All aboard!!!
Jafo - nee Jerome Fields - was our charming and - I must say! - quite talented conductor for the experience. As the man earlier had told me, Jafo had performed for Penn and Teller in Las Vegas! How very exciting!
I so enjoyed the magic he performed, too!
Red balls that multiplied and and moved around and disappeared into the depths of an invisible purse!
Giant cards that always, always, always gave him a winning hand in "Jafo cheats at cards and always wins"!
Coins that appeared from a silk scarf, that obeyed every snap of his fingers, that invisibly moved through the air and into a waiting cocktail glass in his coat pocket!
Can you tell that I had fun?
(smile)

Now, time for bed.
Tomorrow, I venture off to the "Summer of Mars" at the Kennedy Space Center.
That'll be magical, I'm sure!
Sweet dreams!