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Published: March 13th 2015
Cory & Cory
Happy Birthday, Dear Cory FritzA day to remember: 47 years ago our dear son, Cory Fritz, was born at Kenmore Mercy Hospital in Buffalo, NY. He was such a good and sweet baby and now is such a good and sweet man. We love him with all our hearts. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CORY!
Solomon's Castle:
Our excursion of the day took us many miles south (2 hours away) to Ona, Florida. You definitely need to have a GPS to find our planned destination: Solomon's Castle. Friends from Tropical Palms had visited this unique homestead on their motorcycles. Truly perfect roads for bikers. Small, winding, smooth roads with no traffic at all! No one can find these trails unless you are really searching for them. These are even further out and more desolate than those ol' country roads. But we arrived.....to an artist's, Howard Solomon, dream of paradise. We loved visiting it but no way would I want to live there...a million miles from everything. Various TV programs and publications have recognized this one-of-a-kind creation. The home, galleries, workshop and "Boat in a Moat" restaurant are open to the public (us and you). My photos really don't do it justice but does give you a peek
around the grounds to get an idea. Aren't you glad you hitched a ride with us? I knew you would be! You can even stay overnight in the Blue Moon Room (sleeps 2).....cozy but you can't bring the whole family. Solomon built it all....unbelievable. His castle tour (by his wife) took us through many rooms of his unique and clever creations. Talk about steampunk....he is the steampunk king! What an imagination to envision and then create all these intriguing THINGS. The tour continued into their own living quarters where this wonderment theme was prominent. You really have to see it to believe it! We ended up at the "Boat in the Moat" Restaurant. During in-climate weather, there are two dining halls to use or have a wedding reception, etc. We sat at their outdoor courtyard. Great atmosphere......if you like busy! Folks next to us loved Lulu and enjoyed becoming her new friends. Howard Solomon passed by but I was lax in catching his eye....Lulu wasn't pleased! She's a bit more pushy than me. We had heard the pot pie was the best here. Three of us ordered it......oh,no.....only one pie left. What to do....draw straws, what? The two wonderful gentlemen
in our foursome....well, fivesome with Lulu, were gracious and generous and allowed me to be the pie recipient. Thank you, kind Sirs! And it was good!! Lulu even tried it.....pig. After absorbing our intriguing surroundings like sponges, we gathered our stuff and bid adieu to the castle: adieu castle! Lulu tried to hitch a ride with a biker when we left.....she has to cool it. Sam was thrilled to find a stash of Lorne Doone cookies in the glove compartment.....his favorite! Dessert is served. Heading home, we traveled on the back roads through old Florida towns. Many had a strong and good memory for Sam & Sandy. Sam's father lived in Fort Meade and they would visit him. Sam knew the roads and places just like Daniel Boone. We drove through the park his Dad had lived in and located old friends of Sam's Aunt. They were happy to see each other after so many years. Sam navigated us to the Peace River Park. Here was a photo shot of Old Florida.....the winding river through the old Florida trees. Good job, Sam.....it was great! I hope you enjoyed this adventure as much as we did. We love going to places
Lulu Posed
The Tortoise and the Hair (hair at bottom) that you would think no one else has been. However, many, many people go to Solomon's Castle. Now you can say you were one of them. Keep your bags packed....more places to go, more things to see.
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