that pirate smashed my penny!

What a day of sunshine we have had!
After walking along the beach,
we turned our steps toward Ocean Boulevard,
laughing at the signs beckoning us in!
This was one I sent to my ex,
knowing his fondness for these sandwiches.
What a hoot!

And this huge chair - oh, my!!!
I tried to get Sandy to sit in it,
but she politely declined, preferring
to watch me as I clumsily clambered up,
crawling up between the
right armrest and the seat.
I tell you, I felt just like Edith Ann!
(Surely you recall Lily Tomlin's
little girl character from Laugh-In,
always shown in a huge rocking chair?
She liked to end her tall tales with
"and that's the truth" - to see her, click here.)
Laughing, she snapped this photo for posterity!
About that time, a family with four kids
wandered near... and we watched,
joining in the merriment,
as the kids all took my place!

Then, as we walked along,
we were enchanted
by several dancing sea creatures,
almost seeming to be
an enormous living fountain,
rising along a flight of stairs
within one of the stores.
And that is how The Gay Dolphin
finally managed
to get us through its doors...
and would not release us for

well over two hours, insisting that
we admire the utterly ridiculous piles
of treasure it had amassed within its walls.
I escaped with two magnets featuring the
Sky Wheel, one topped by a blue heaven, the other
with sparkling fireworks across an ebony sky.
First, however, I had to allow Blackbeard
to smash a penny for me, for the princely fee
of only two pieces of silver coin.
Yo ho, and avast ye, matey!
And off we scampered!

Broadway At The Beach beckoned,
showing off its old-world rides at Pavilion Park,
rides like the Wave Swinger right here.
You just know I had to send that shot to the bfe
to remind him of our Lake Winnie adventure!
Did Sandy want to catch any of the rides?
Only two buckaroos was the cost for each -
such a bargain!!!

But we were feeling a bit peckish by this time.
After wandering around for about twnety minutes,
I spotted Dave & Buster's - hooray!
Knowing it would have a wide variety of foods,
as well as the hamburgers to satisfy her palate,
I steered us on over for the card and meal combos.
We opted to return another day to play the games.
Time for her to have a nap!

After an hour or so, she was good to go again.
we watched a bit of tv - "Friends" was on -
how appropriate!
We both knew we wanted to make the most
of this freeze-free time and I had found
a coupon to buy-one dinner, get one free
at a family Italian restaurant.
"Sure, let's go," she said!
That was all I needed to hear!
Toscana Italian Kitchen was
just a few blocks away and
greeted us warmly - literally!

And, oh! What a delectable meal!
The pasta fagiole was a nice variation
on my Olive Garden standby,
the grilled zucchini and red peppers
were plentiful and finely seasoned...
but the Chicken Piccata was, hands down,
the best I've ever had.
I tried to make each bite last as long as possible.
Fortunately, Sandy had pasta left over -
I look forward to revisiting the taste soon.
But not tonight.
We're so full we can't even eat our desserts!
(smile)