Breakfast with the Brass

The SafeHouse of Seminole invited the Chrome Divas of Orlando to their Breakfast with the Brass event October 12, 2011 to honor the heroes of SafeHouse. 

Debi, Chris and Penny accepting the SafeHouse Hero Award, with SafeHouse of Seminole CEO Jeanne Gold and Seminole County Commision Chairman Brenda Carey

Chrome Divas
SafeHouse Hero Award
October 12, 2011

The Chrome Divas in the Orlando Sentinel

Click HERE to see the Chrome Divas of Orlando featured in the Orlando Sentinel.

Summer Pool Party

News Flash:  Central Florida is really hot in August. 

Instead of a ride this month the Divas enjoyed a pool party at Joni's house.  We had a great time cooling off in her pool, eating potluck lunch, playing games and just enjoying a lazy summer afternoon together.

Thank you Joni! 

No Noodlesaurus were harmed during the duration of this party.

Divas-Only Ride to Cape Canaveral

Akili planned and led our ride today out to Florida's east coast.  The tour included the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge with fabulous views of the NASA launch pad at Kennedy Space Center, a walk along a unspoiled beach within the refuge and a delicious seafood dinner at Dixie Crossroads.


New Diva Leslie joined us on her first ride with us today.

 

The melding of two worlds - authentic coastal Florida with NASA's technology.  (That's the launch pad in the background.)

 

Akili and Victoria at the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.

 

A stop along the way at the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.

 


The boardwalk to the beach.

 


At the iconic Dixie Crossroads, famous for shrimp (particularly their Rock Shrimp)



The Duck Ride



On Sunday, May 22, 2011 we took a beautiful, early morning, back-roads ride before mixing it up with the tourists at the Peabody Hotel on International Drive to watch the 11:00 Peabody Duck March.  The staff at the hotel welcomed The Chrome Divas and even arranged for a private tour for us with the DuckMaster™.

Here is some information about this very entertaining daily ritual:  (Taken from The Peabody website)

 

The Peabody Duck March

Since opening its doors on November 1, 1986, The Peabody Orlando has continued, in unbroken sequence, the traditional March of The Peabody Ducks which began at its sister property, The Peabody Memphis, many, many years ago.

Each morning, promptly at 11 a.m., the hotel's atrium lobby is the scene of a remarkable ritual. In a special elevator, the five North American mallard ducks, four hens and one drake, comprising The Peabody Ducks, descend from their $100,000 penthouse Royal Duck Palace.

When the elevator doors open, The Peabody Ducks, accompanied by their crimson-and-gold- braid-jacketed Duck Master™, take up their positions on a plush red carpet and begin The March of The Peabody Orlando Ducks to the strident tones of John Philip Sousa's King Cotton March.

They waddle their way in formation through the hotel's marble halls, and when they reach the magnificent, orchid-crowned fountain, which takes center stage in the Atrium Lobby, the ducks mount three red-carpeted steps and splash into the fountain's waters. Tumultuous applause reverberates through the lofty, foliage-draped lobby, and standing ovations are the order of the day by the hundreds of onlookers who daily crowd into the hotel to see one of the greatest shows on earth.

At 5 p.m., the procession is reversed, The Peabody Orlando Ducks marching back to their special elevator, then to their Royal Duck Palace for dinner and a quiet evening together.   

The Legend of the Ducks

How did the tradition of the North American Mallard ducks in the lobby fountain of The Peabody Memphis begin? Back in the 1930s, Frank Schutt, general manager of The Peabody Memphis, and his life-long friend, Chip Barwick, returned from a weekend hunting trip to Arkansas. The men had had a little too much Tennessee sippin’ whiskey, and thought it would be funny to place some of their live duck decoys (it was legal then for hunters to use live decoys), into the black travertine fountain of the Peabody hotel. Three small English call ducks were selected, and the reaction was nothing short of enthusiastic. Thus began a Peabody tradition that was to become internationally famous. The original ducks have long since gone, but after 75 years, their progeny live on in the graceful, marble fountain in “The South’s Grand Hotel,” The Peabody Memphis, and also at The Peabody Little Rock and The Peabody Orlando. The Peabody Duck March takes place twice daily at 11am and 5pm.



Shortly after we arrived, the crowd started gathering in the lobby along the red carpet that had been rolled out for The Peabody Ducks.



One of the elevators had been reserved exclusively for The Peabody Ducks.

And here they come!  The Peabody should reconsider changing the name from The Duck March to The Duck Run. 



The Peabody Five



Paddling in luxury.

Donald the Duck Master™
(Really!  Zoom in on the name tag; his name is really Donald.  I couldn't make this up.)

Donald the Duck Master™ gave us a little history of the 75-year-old Peabody Duck tradition, answered all our questions and later took us up to the roof to see the $100,000 suite that was built for the ducks.

Donald the Duck Master™ and the Divas

The fountain in the Duck Palace

After the Duck March we headed over to the B-Line Diner in the hotel and had a delicious brunch.  We made sure to save room for their famous desserts that tempt you on the way into the diner.

Best. Cake. Ever.
The Bavarian Fruit Cake



All the Divas went home with a souvenir rubber ducky flashlight keychain.  And they quack too!  We were like kids playing with our new toys. 


 Thank you to Lisa Religioso, Scott Whalen, Donald the Duck Master™ and all the staff at The Peabody Hotel for all of your hospitality.  You all made us feel so welcome and did so much to help make our May ride event fun and memorable!

Leesburg Bikefest 2011

On April 10th the Divas met up and rode out to join in on the festivities at the Leesburg Bikefest. 

Main Street was already packed by the time we rolled in.

 

But the Divas weren't worried; we had VIP parking at Teresa's house, which is just a short stroll from all the action in Downtown Leesburg.

The group shot.

The goof off shot.

The eating shot.

The modeling of newly purchased head gear shot.

Ditto.

  

And, finally, the cooling off under Teresa's porch shot.  (It was a hot one out there!)

Thanks for everything Teresa!

Divas-Only Ride to Astor, Florida

Today was one of those perfect sunny-and-70s days that every motorcyclist in the world must dream of.  Thirteen Divas headed out today to enjoy the great outdoors on two wheels.  In fact, we were so excited to get out and ride that we rolled out of the meetup parking lot one minute before our kickstands up time.  Whoa! 

Victoria and Trish then led us on a great ride away from the subdivisions of Central Florida and right into the heart of the Ocala National Forest, where we stopped in at the Blackwater Inn overlooking the St. John's River for a delicious seafood lunch. 

. 

Mmmm... popcorn shrimp and hushpuppies.  Let's go back!

The view wasn't too shabby either.

We're all just big kids really, aren't we?

Some more than others though! 

(Looks like Melanie broke out some dance moves for us.)

What a great day, ladies!  Looking forward to our next playdate.

Ride to Winter Garden

Brrrrrr!! 

We had planned to ride to San Antonio, Florida today, but when the temperatures dipped down into the 30s this morning we decided on a much shorter ride for later in the afternoon once the sun started to warm things up a bit.  We agreed to meet up at Broadway Pizza at noon, and although the temperatures were still only in the high 40s, fourteen of us, including five new Divas, showed up dressed in warm gear to RIDE. 

Chris was apparently really cold!  (Or really warm)

Victoria led us through some nice backroads to Winter Garden where we stopped in at the Sweet Traditions Bakery & Cafe for a delicious lunch.

The temperature warmed up to a balmy 58 degrees by the time we finished lunch.  Here we are looking not quite so bundled up at the fountain in downtown Winter Garden.

And then we geared up again to continue on with the ride.

Funny, the last time we did this ride we had to start early and leave early because it was so hot! 

It turned out to be an absolutely fabulous day of riding, though.  What started out as a bummer ended up being a blessing because we had so many brand new Divas that actually appreciated the shorter ride since it was the first group ride for some of them. 

Now they're ready for the ride to San Antonio next weekend!

(Fingers are crossed for good weather.)

Bike Run For The Coalition For The Homeless Of Central Florida

On Sunday, January 9, 2011 the Chrome Divas, along with many other bikers in the Central Florida community, loaded up their saddle bags with requested food donations and joined in on the ride to benefit the Coalition For The Homeless Of Central Florida.  The ride began at Porkie's Original BBQ in Apopka, where breakfast was served for all who participated. 

After breakfast and the riders' meeting, everyone rode to the Coalition in downtown Orlando.  The residents of the shelter were waiting outside with "Welcome" and "Thank You" banners.  The children could hardly contain themselves as they watched over a hundred bikes roaring into the parking lot.  Some of them were brave enough to ask to sit on the bikes and the Divas obliged.  The ear-to-ear smiles and joy on these children's faces really touched our hearts.  It was a very rewarding day for many in the biker community. 

Well, for most of us it was...

Cindy calling a friend to come tow Carlos, Akili's bike of 15 years.
It's back to the mechanic he goes.
We're hoping for a speedy recovery!