Tess and I would like to thank you
for visiting with us these past 3 years. We've made a lot of changes in both our life and this blog, but we're looking forward to what the future holds and if you want to
come along with us, then you're more than welcome. 😉☺️
IF JAPAN WAS IN ORLANDO, FLORIDA ! Sorry, but I couldn't resist.😁 Last month, when Tess and I told our families that we were moving to Florida, they were thrilled. Like Tess' mother, my parents live in a retirement community there (not the same one that she lives in) and they love it and hoped that we would move there someday.
When we told them we were finally going to Japan, they were happy for us, but when the news of the trouble in China reached them, my phone started ringing off the hook !(Disclaimer: Smartphones do not have hooks). First, Mrs.D., then my parents, then my sister and finally Miss Belle. All of them wanted us to cancel.
I never thought I would ever say this, but G_d Bless Mrs.D 😁!!! For once, we were on the same side.
I wonder if it's for sale😉.
MRS.D'S ARGUMENTS 1) It was too far for two unaccompanied ladies to travel alone (She had traveled with a group of 20 from her senior community and they had a tour guide). 2) Tess could become ill in the middle of the ocean. Was there a ship's doctor on board ? (NO😱!!!) 3) There could be pirates😲!!!
I showed her this guy and she said "Saints preserve us !" 😄 4) Had we been watching the news ? (Tess never does. It makes her do this😭). Her mother proceeded to inform her of what was happening including the part about a Seattle man being the first reported case (I hadn't known this and the ship was sailing from Seattle).
Care for a swim ?
5) Why were we going in the winter ? There wouldn't be any cherry blossoms, the gardens would be buried under mounds of snow, the koi would be indoors, Tess would get her kimonos wet, she would catch cold, the list went on and on 🙂👍).
Koi.
I agreed with all of it (well, Johnny Depp stealing My Tess from me is pretty unlikely. She likes some of his movies : Finding Neverland, Edward Scissorhands, Sweeny Todd ( this one surprised me because she's pretty squeamish, but she loves the Victorian Era and she liked his singing voice) BUT, she absolutely despises tattoos 🤢, so he's out of luck.
A lone duck.
After I heard everyone out, I called Tess.We talked for a long time and then she asked what I wanted to do. I said I didn't want us to be separated for ten days, I didn't want to take the chance of her getting sick and I wanted to postpone the trip until spring. She didn't argue, she didn't cry (much) she only nodded. I was relieved.
We've made some big decisions in the last few months to simplify our life and improve it and we're gambling a bit, but you don't gamble with your health. I'm more than willing to relocate (we've both had enough of New York winters),I can find new (more cooperative) clients,but I can't find a new Tess. It took me too long to find her and I know from experience that she's one of a kind💕.
A Samurai and his steed.
She asked if I would still be arriving on Monday and I promised. I'd been finishing up my work on the East coast, packing, and getting ready to leave. I rented a truck to bring all of the boxes and except for my
there wasn't any furniture so the move would be pretty easy. We'll be moving into our new place in a month or so and until then we'll be staying with Tess' mother. 🤨??? I know, but I owe her one. Tess told me on the phone that her mother had said that when we talked that I had reminded her of Tess' father. Tess said that was the highest compliment I would ever receive from her and then she smiled and patted my cheek and said that it was one of the reasons she had fallen in love with me. 🙂Since I'm not old enough to be her father, I'll take that as a compliment.
When I arrived, I received a warm welcome from all 3 ladies 🙂! Of course, My Tess' was the warmest and sweetest 🤗😘. I unloaded the truck into her mother's
garage, dropped the truck off and Tess had arranged for a neighbor to meet me there and bring me back to the house🤗. By that time, Tess had unpacked for me, made dinner and was drawing me a bath. Then, she put my clothes in the washer and while she was scrubbing my back, I asked if she was o.k. about us cancelling the trip.
The bamboo ceiling in the Katsura Grill.
She said she was. I told her what my mom had suggested. "How would you like to go to Japan ?"
The ladies found a perfect spot
for lunch.
She looked at me like I'd been out in the sun too long. Me: Epcot! And my parents want to meet us there. They suggested that you ask your mother and Lily too. Tess:But it's so expensive ! Me: Not as expensive as going for real. Besides, they have an Annual Pass. They go to all of the food and wine events.
Imminent showers.
Tess: The travel agent called and she says that I will receive a fifty percent refund on the ship fare. Me: That's good. Tess: Yes,I was surprised. Me: So, do you want to go ? Tess: Yes🙂. Me: Good ! We'll rent a car and.... Tess: Nonsense, we'll borrow my mother's. She will not need it until her hairdressers appointment on Friday.
Me:😍.
Tori.
Two days later, we all drove to Orlando to meet my parents. They met Tess 3 years ago and fell in love with her too. They hadn't approved of my first wife and it caused a rift between us, but Tess is nothing like her.
Pagoda.
They had only met Mrs.D once before, but everyone got along really well. LUNCHTIME😋!!!
The ladies all chose the Teriyaki
Chicken with rice and salad.
Dad had the Chicken Cutlet Curry and California rolls.
I had the Teriyaki Shrimp and Chicken
with Nigiri and California roll.
After lunch, it started to rain, so we ducked into the Mitsukoshi Department Store for a couple of hours. The original in Japan has been there since 1673 😯 !!!
It's stocked with everything Japanese you could think of (although nothing from Milk and Mocha, much to Tess' dismay) , from cartoon characters to Anime, clothes, snacks, toys, tabi socks, books, beauty products, incense, etc. There is a Ayoka Pearl area where you can pick an oyster. They open it for you and you can buy a setting for it in the adjacent store. I asked Tess if she wanted one.
Tess: I have pearls, Honey.
Me: Kimono 👘?
Tess: I have two, Honey.
Me: Fan ?
Tess: I have......
Me: I know.....three ?
Tess: Seven.
Me: Kit Kat's ?
Tess: No, Honey. We can buy those at Walmart.......Good Lord, is that the price or the bar code number !
Me :(and several people standing nearby) 😆!!!
We wound up each agreeing to buy a pair of chopsticks to commemorate the day, but even that took a while because they had quite a selection.
After shopping, we stopped at the Kabuki Cafe and everyone chose a kakigori (shaved ice with fruit syrup).
Tangerine or melon,
Cherry, strawberry, or blue raspberry.
Tess couldn't decide, so she chose rainbow.
Although the atmosphere is beautiful and the food is good, there wasn't much to do besides eat and shop. A Taiko Drum show happens several times a day, but we all agreed that entertainment is sorely lacking. The senior ladies would have liked a show with Geisha-esque women dancing , singing and playing instruments, Dad thinks a Judo or Sumo Wrestling demonstration might work and Tess thought a small deer Park would be nice. She thought we would be able to feed the Koi, but no. She was disappointed.
Her mother has a small pond in her garden, but no fish. Hmmm🤔.
We had a great day (despite some rain, but we'll have to get used to that). Even though it wasn't really Japan🏯, it made My Tess happy and that's all that matters to
me. We'll get there someday, but even if we don't, we'll always have Epcot and my parent's Annual Pass😉👍.
As of JANUARY 18, 2020,
this blog will be going on hiatus for a couple of weeks while we're in Japan ⛩️🏯🗻( depending on whether I can get Tess back on the boat when it's🚢time to come home😭). She's been wanting to visit there since she was 9👘.(I'm not allowed to say how many years she's been waiting🤐).
She and her friend Lily are leaving tomorrow and I'll catch up with them by plane✈️ as soon as I'm able. WARNING TO THE SHIP'S CREW: The Ginger is spoken for
💪 😁 💍!!!
We have truly appreciated your support over these past three years, but we will be making some changes due to our New Year's resolutions🎉.
The filmography pages and any Brendan-related posts 🤠 can heretofore be found at this address:. https://brendanfraserfactum.blogspot.com/
We have been contemplating this change for the better (or worst😒) part of a year due to an increasingly busy work schedule😵, Tess' ongoing medical issues😢 and confusion on the part of some of our readers🤔 and it became obvious that we needed to separate the two halves💔 of the blog for the good of everyone involved. We'll also be downsizing our two YouTube channels. We hope that we have now clarified the situation for those who were confused🧐.
ADDED FEBRUARY 24, 2020
We returned from a very relaxing 2 weeks on the boat (you can't get a tan in February in NY😁 !) to find several unrepeatable (this is a family friendly blog 😮 !!!) comments from "Club Brendan". Apparently, in our absence, he's also been making a nuisance of himself on YouTube again, but our watchers have reported that his account no longer exists. Good ! As I said before, he needs to find a new hobby.
I guess I need to reiterate that Tess and I no longer work for Brendan Fraser, so any problems that anyone has with him are no longer our concern. Brendan is a big boy and it's time he started defending himself. Any complaints should be directly addressed to him. Try your local Comic-Con🤖.
We've enjoyed publishing the posts and would like to continue to do so, mostly on holidays🎂🎄🎃 and vacations🏝️🏊. We have a couple of long-awaited projects in the works🤫🤭 and we look forward to sharing them with you here 💌 .
Take care and we'll see you soon,
TheChamCham😉🍜 and Tess☺️🍰.
Friday, January 10, 2020
A man may lose his youth, his glory and his wealth and still be whole.
But a man who has lost his soul, his honor and his self respect has lost everything. And will never be whole again.
Hey Kids !!!
We're😸 baaaack. We were supposed to be gone until the 7th, but Tess caught a cold (I bet it was that innocent-looking baby👶🏻 she was talking to at the hotel). She fell asleep on the plane, which she never does because she watched too many AIRPORT movies😨 in her impressionable childhood. When she woke up, she said her head felt big 😕. So she's tucked up in bed and when I finish here I'll be taking her more ginger lemon tea and crackers. I offered to make (nuke)chicken broth, but she isn't hungry.
My Tess suffers from Autoimmunity. At last count she has four autoimmune disorders.
She didn't have them before we met so sometimes I wonder if the life she's had with me has been a contributing factor. There are times when she can travel with me for business and pleasure, and other times when she can't. A lot of plans get cancelled. It makes me sad 😔when she can't go places with me because she makes everything better. She feels guilty, even though it isn't her fault, and twice she's arranged for someone else to go with me, but it just wasn't the same. We'd planned to go to Austria last year, but something happened and we wound up separated for the holidays.😔 Last summer she joined me halfway through a lonnnnnng and miserable business trip, but she was miserable too (which is why neither of us posted about it) and I felt guilty for making her come all the way there.
NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION : BE MORE SELECTIVE FROM NOW ON. NO AMOUNT OF 💵💶💷 IS WORTH BEING STUCK IN A VERITABLE PERGATORY FOR MONTHS. I travel for work, but my home is my sanctuary and that's because of My Tess. Oh, I've given her plenty of misery in ten years too. That's why the good times are so precious.
SALZBURG
I forgot the tree pictures too.
Tess brought her tiniest tree (it folds up😄), one string of lights and a few unbreakable ornaments and of course, her deer family. That gift bag with the doggie was mine😁!!!
The Christmas Market was first on the to do list.
The Sound of Music Tour (self-guided).
Schloss Leopoldskron.
The horse fountain (I Have Confidence)
Mirabelle Palace Garden (Do Re Mi)
Mondsee Church (The wedding)
Tess had done a lot of research beforehand and acted as our tour guide. There was a private tour with breakfast on the terrace overlooking the lake for $1,100 for 6hrs for up to 8 people, but Tess had already found a hotel with a full breakfast (Miss frugal). Besides, Tess said we'd have to be on the bus by 8am and it isn't a vacation if someone is telling you what time to get up😄. She also thinks 11am checkout is ridiculous, but we won't go into that now.
Mirabelle Palace Garden(Do Re Mi)
Nonnberg Abbey
The Mozart Concert at HohenSalzburg Fort
The ladies loved it and I didn't fall asleep. We had dinner afterwards.
On our last day in Salzburg, we went to the Marionette Theater to see.........
The pictures here are from the website.
The theater was packed and I snapped one picture after the show started and several people......well, let's just say, if looks could kill. Nobody wants to be the "Ugly American" so I put the phone away. Tess put her hand on mine and whispered "Live in the moment, Honey". As usual, she was right. I did take a couple of pictures of the theater, but I'll put them in the video.
It wasn't as good as a Thunderbirds episode or the 1964 film, but the recorded music, voice actors and singers were very good. On the other hand, dinner was excellent 😋!!!
Schnitzel with noodles !!!
and apple strudel. Delicious coffee too.
ST.GILGEN
We moved to this quaint village whose claim to fame is being the birthplace of Mozart's mother. It's off the beaten path, but very beautiful and quiet with just inns, shops and restaurants and even though tour groups come here, they don't stay for more than a few hours. After a week of sightseeing, Tess wanted us all to "rest and enjoy the beauty of nature" (sometimes I know I make her sound like an idiot, but she really isn't.)
We took a couple of walks, slept well, ate a lot of wonderful food and if she hadn't gotten sick, it would
've been our best trip in years, and our best Christmas since England.
I think it's a law in Austria that you have to eat your weight in strudel. O.K. , when in Salzburg...........😋
2020
We rang in the New Year quietly. I tried to find pizza in the village, but our host's son/nephew ??? said that the only place had mediocre pizza. So, we ordered fondue and some desserts and drinks and had a little party. At midnight, it was just the two of us, so we danced to Auld Lang Syne (Tess had downloaded it into the phone, along with some other music and videos in case the power went out🤨) because "New Year's Eve wouldn't be the same without Mr. (Guy) Lombardo". Tess' parents were always away on New Year's Eve, so she and Miss Belle would bake a cake and drink Shirley Temples and Tess would dance with her cat😸. Such a wild girl😯😄.
Well, that's it, I guess. I'll try to put up the video tomorrow right here👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇
Nite😉. Tess wants popcorn,which is odd, because she never eats it. I checked the pantry and the kitchen and the garage (well she keeps some extra supplies out there) and we don't have any☹️. TO WALMART !!!👉🍿
