THE GETAWAY ORDEAL
For various reasons, I had been working very hard physically of late, and as my knees seem to be rapidly getting worse, it really takes a lot out of me. So, sometimes I get the urge to “getaway” from it all, usually down to the ocean.
Well, a certain Blonde One that will remain anonymous, is beginning to fight taking Miss Dazy on shorter trips as it means dozens of trips out to pack up, cooking, dozens of trips unpacking and then the obligatory “clean up.” She has gotten in the mode of “going to a motel” as the ultimate getaway. So, she balked! I announced that MISI and I would go by our selves then, and she said FINE!
Saturday – 11/29 – The last Thanksgiving guests had departed on Friday and with nothing planned until the next Tuesday afternoon, I thought this was a good time to rest my tired body. Blondie had to run into town to return the wallet Barney had dropped under the corner of the guest room bed, prompting a multi-hour search, so while she was gone, I moved the RV behind a neighbor’s house and moved the Honda 110 out of the garage and hid it. While she was gone I put away the last of the firewood working tools, (the boys & Grandotters helped me cut down some huge alder branches that were hanging over the house plus cut, split and stack a nice stash of madronna I had procured) so I went on top of my new roof and blew off the very last, ever, billions of alder leaves and blew out the gutters. What a lovely machine a leaf blower is. Then I sprinkled laundry soap with bleach on all my rooflines to (supposedly) eliminate roof moss, and cleaned up the last of the branches taken down earlier. I was resting my tired bod in my garage recliner by the toasty wood stove, when the garage door started to open and I bolted for the woodworking shop where I had stashed MISI.
I waited for the reality of leaving my wife home alone had sunk in, feeling a little guilty, actually, when out she came looking for me. Seems I had forgotten the dog’s food dish AND my wallet, so after being initially really ticked, she realized I had scammed her. But, it proved that she would rather put up with the RV than stay at home alone.
By then it was late Saturday afternoon and I said, “I have a plan!” We’ll quickly pack The Dazy with minimal stuff, head for Port Orchard to see a movie and then go to the nearby Wall Mart to stay overnight. Then Sunday morning head up to Ft. Flagler State Park which is across the bay from Port Townsend. This is one of our favorite camp areas and only a couple hours away, and you can dry camp right on the beach with a magnificent night view of Port Townsend.
I didn’t give her time to object and started packing the rig, and we left about dark. The show we wanted to see, Australia, came on at 8:00 PM. What happens from this point is typical KenBrownism luck.
I got lost trying to find the theater so it is obvious we need a GPS, right? We finally got to the theater and there was no place to park, the lot was jammed with holiday moviegoers. So, I pulled into a closed muffler shop parking area nearby and in turning around, whacked their sign pole. Whew, nothing broke. Took the long walk to the theater and the ticket taker said, “Oh, I’m sorry, Australia started at 6:20!” Snort! Either the paper listed it wrong, OR, The Blonde read it wrong, wonder which?? So, we headed over to WallyWorld, got parked, did some shopping and read for a couple hours.
Sunday – It was pretty quiet for a WW overnight so got a decent night’s sleep, took the dog for a long, unsuccessful poop walk around the whole store, and then headed for a close by Wendy’s for breakfast. It was 8:30 and they didn’t open until 9:00 AM! Poot.
Headed into Port Orchard and found a pancake house open and had a lovely breakfast before pointing the Dazy Mobile towards Bremerton and the Hood Canal Bridge. Ft. Flagler is one of three major forts that protected the inland waterways of Puget Sound which never fired a shot in anger but the deterrent apparently was significant.
As we approached the area where we should have been turning off, there were no Ft. Flagler signs so we stopped at the next little community, Port Ludlow, and inquired. We were told to head back the way we came for a couple miles, and coming from the NORTH, there were several signs to the State Park! Again, poot!
It is a long, but pretty drive into the campground, usually worth the drive, but not this time. When we got there, the whole campground was shut down for construction! Triple poot! Worst of all, the sun had broken through the fog and it was beautiful. I ran across a Park Employee on the way out and gave her a piece of my mind, pleasantly suggesting perhaps a simple sign back at the main road would warn RV’rs that there was no camping. She agreed and said she would talk to the Head Ranger Bob
Next closest park was clear beyond Port Townsend, Fort Warden, where Officer and a Gentleman was filmed. We like the park, but it is farther away and there are only a handful of campsites right next to the ocean. At the park, you have to pre-register, and we found that they had shut down for lunch between 12 & 1:00 PM, and it was then 12:15. More poots. So, we drove the mile or so to the large campground and saw a “FULL” sign, but figured that was for the holiday weekend. We drove to the loop right next to the beach and lo and behold, ONE site was open with an ocean view. Since this park is heavily pre-reserved, I doubted this spot would be available, so, I jotted down several other spaces in the general area.
After placing several items in the spot we wanted, we headed back to register, and found a sheet on the door saying only a few sites were available for more than a single night. Was our site open?? YYEEEESSSSS! Finally something was going our way. It is a park with full amenities, meaning power water AND sewer, but costs $27 which seems a tad high for us’ns who try to find FREE spaces, but considerably less than the cheapest motels. I pleasantly pointed this out to my reluctant traveling companion.
Oh, forgot to mention, coming TO Fort Warden, they have signs everywhere directing campers to the park, except at ONE intersection. I had a 50-50 chance of guessing which route to take, and guessed wrong. You see some pretty interesting scenery when lost we have found. Oh, for a GPS!
Got our camp set up, awning out, TV hooked up (pretty good reception from both Seattle and Victoria) and while MISI and I hiked up the beach, Blondie prepared dinner of leftover turkey and dressing. Because of our quick departure from home, Blondie had gotten “rattled” she says, and forgot her gin, all soft drinks and breakfast stuff – milk, cereal and some leftover sausages she had cooked that morning. Oh well, we survived just fine, and the idea WAS, to get away and RELAX, which we did.
Fort Warden has a lovely beach with a red and white lighthouse on the point, and the huge concrete remnants of one of the three big forts protecting the waterway. What is amazing is that on this lovely stretch of beach, MISI and I were the only living organisms, besides kelp and water birds. I sat on a log for some time watching a couple big ships cruise by, two bald eagles fishing and one sea lion. When my white companion gets tired of exploring, she always sits down next to me and leans on me. Love it!
After a nice dinner and watching the evening news, we read awhile and then watched the first disc of Oliver Stone’s “Alexander Re-Visited” and when it finally got a little after 10:00 PM, a little early for me, we hit the sack, and I was really suffering from a lack of general energy. But, did I get a good night’s sleep, NO! I tossed and turned and had a dickens of a time getting back to sleep after a couple hours in bed. The next morning, I discovered why. The RV clocks were still on Daylight Savings Time and we had actually gone to bed at 9:00 PM. That problem was quickly corrected.
Monday – Another long poop-walk on the beach, again not another soul around, then a lazy, relaxing day of reading. I polished off all my back issues of Newsweek & AARP, and a couple months worth of accumulated comics. And, I even got The Blonde one outside for a slow amble a ways down the beach. I even finished my Louis Lamour book “Sitka.” Mavis has me really getting into reading this past year, a couple Bill Bryson books and a book about dog sledding, “The Quest.” This is the “real” story of tough sledding and not the Iditarod which is quite commercialized. Mavis loves the Iditarod but after reading the Quest, sees it in a different light.
This night we watched the second half of “Alexander” and I got to bed about 11:00 PM, my normal time, and slept like a million bucks.
Tuesday – for the first time this trip, it rained hard during the night, but was partly cloudy by the time we headed home. Mavis had to be back for a Historical Society meeting, and we hit the road about 7:30, getting home three hours before her meeting. It takes barely two hours for the drive which is really pleasant.
So, our getaway which started poorly, ended up with us both being well-rested and ready to resume our hectic retirement. I unloaded most of the RV so maybe she won’t balk as much the next time I get the wanderlust?
*****************************END********************************
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Thursday, November 13, 2008
THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME AUNTIE EM
THURSDAY – 11/13 – Yep, Judy said it all with a famous line from the Wizard of Oz. From the warmth of Florida I woke up this morning at 6:50 AM, almost 10:OO AM Florida time, to NINE DEGREES ABOVE FREEZING. Clear skies but quite breezy, so the wind chill factor must be about 20 below! My fingers are so cold I can barely write this. All the trees except the damnable Alders have lost their leaves, so, I can barely see the lawn. Looks like I have a little raking ahead. I guess my “iron-man” health status is in jeopardy, after surviving illness from every one of the Florida family members, including my wife, now I’m home and feeling really congested. Oh well.
Yesterday’s trip “home” was quite eventful, AND long. Corinna delayed going to work, so M&C and Caleb went to the airport with us, and they bought us lunch on the way. It was a typical Florida day with partly cloudy skies, but around 70. However, on the way to the airport, we went through a significant thundershower, helping to acclimate us to the ongoing storms in the Pacific Northwest. As required by The Blonde, we arrived two hours early, and found our flight was “on time.” Sad goodbyes were in order, but while 14 days + was a tad long for a visit, we had lots of good times and quality time spent with the family we seldom see.
Our first defugalty was, going through the dreaded security check with half our toiletries in clear plastic bags and a young man came back holding a brand new large tube of Crest toothpaste. Sorry, he said, nothing more than 3 ounces can go on the plane. Poot! I asked if confiscated stuff like that would go to a charity or something, and he said no, it goes into a big bin and is tossed. Ruined my morning! Talk about overkill. Perhaps I fit the profile of a terrorist, but c’mon, use some reason folks.
Next incident was rather heartwarming. We were sitting by the gate during the LONG wait for boarding, and a nice looking young man came to the gate, and he kind of looked like he might be one of the attendants. However, once our plane arrived, he didn’t immediately board, but just stood there. Then the gate attendant got on the PA and announced that this young man needed some help. When we got to our stopover in Kansas City, he was going to propose to his girlfriend and needed help handing out 50 roses. Awwww
We were able to get one of the bulkhead seats for my arthritic knees, Praise the Lord, and this young man was on the aisle in the other bulkhead row, across from Mavis. During the course of the flight, the whole story came out. It seems that Phil Mathis’ mother planned this elaborate scenario to really surprise his intended fiancée. Phil went to Orlando, supposedly for “training” so his mother and girlfriend could be at the Kansas City airport to meet him when he returned. Phil had 50 red roses that he asked people departing at K.C. to walk off the plane with, each with a picture of his fiancée to be, and hand them to her, BEFORE Phil deplaned. Is this cool or what? Mavis was ticked because they wouldn’t let her get off the plane with a rose because they had to go beyond security where his intended was waiting and there wasn’t time.
Phil seemed pretty solemn the first part of the trip, but as the plan enfolded, he got his engagement ring out and was showing it to everybody, and he became more animated. I kidded him about whether he had considered the fact he might get turned down. He didn’t think that would happen. I mentioned that I wonder how his intended (wish I could remember her name) would react if someone told her Phil was flirting with the lady next to him. (ha ha) The lady then remarked that we must have been married a long time and I said, “Yeah, 48 years!” A departing passenger at K.C. congratulated us on our 48 years. Final chapter to this love story is our chief stewardess announced on the plane’s loudspeaker, “She accepted!” Fun stuff. Oh, Mavis just reminded me that just before they let the passengers deplane, the stewardess announced on the PA that on behalf of the flight crew, they were giving him this bottle of champagne. Everyone clapped.
Final comment, Mavis told Phil this would definitely be included in my trip blog and he asked to see it. He gave me his e-mail address, PMATHIS@……
and not knowing his first name at the time I asked if his first name was Phil. It was! Pretty intuitive for an old guy, eh?
Next incident, which occurred during this leg of the flight to K.C. the stewardess suddenly, announced on the PA, “Is there a doctor or nurse on board this flight?” Geeze, that was pretty scary. The young lady sitting next to Phil jumped up and went to the back of the plane with other attendants. Never did hear exactly what was wrong with the passenger but when we landed at K.C. they announced everyone should stay in their seats until the paramedics could attend to the victim. The person was on his/her way to Seattle, and they apparently stabilized his/her condition because he/she wasn’t removed. Probably a heart attack? Wowsers!
Speaking of medical problems, as the new passengers got on in K.C. for the final leg to Seattle, this HUGE kid and his fairly large lady companion came on board and sat in the bulkhead seats previously occupied by Phil. He HAD to have been a football player or something. I thought gee, it’s lucky he has the extra bulkhead room. Not! The attendants ran them off because they brought in a guy in a wheelchair that appeared to be paralyzed from his waist down. He had a heck of a time getting into the plane seat, and made me realize how insignificant my bum knees are. Always someone worse off than thou, right?
As we took off from Kansas City, it was a little before sunset, and there were huge thunderheads everywhere. The sun was shining from behind them to the west, and it was absolutely beautiful around the edges, which became snow white. I wish I had a camera handy to capture the moment. All the cloud formations were magnificent as we climbed way above them and later, as the sun set to the west, we got a huge orange/red sunset.
The captain had just turned off the seat-belt sign and our stewardess (I guess I should call them attendants) came by and we ordered two Tangurey? Martinis, and The Blonde’s eyes began to sparkle. Not to be, as suddenly we hit pretty severe turbulence and the captain made all the attendants return to their seats and buckle up. He announced that we would be experiencing turbulence for about half an hour and then would have a smooth ride the rest of the way.
Of course Mavis was ticked, and, the turbulence lasted over an hour and a half. You couldn’t read, or sleep or anything. Finally we flew out of it and around came our attendant and she whispered, “I gave you both doubles!” Whee! And, best of all, never charged us the $4 each for them.
As we neared Seattle, I couldn’t get my thoughts off my beloved white companion. The original plan was that Kevin would pick us up at the airport, take us out to Suzy’s where we would get MISI and the SUV. However, due to the lateness or our arrival, 9:35 PM, we were told some other plans were being considered because it is such a long drive to Yelm and then an hour and a half home from there. I immediately figured out that Suz & Barn would bring MISI and the SUV to Fife where Kev would drop us off. The more I thought about it, I thought I bet Kevin will bring the car AND MISI TO the airport, because Suzy knows how attached I am to my white companion.
I mentally fussed about how MISI would react to me after two week’s abs cense, because in the past, when I have been away from her for relatively short periods, she gets so excited she acts like she wants to lick me to death or eat me alive. What would I encounter??
Sure enough, as Kevin arrived he DID have the Suzuki and there was my dog, intently looking at me as I came to the window. However, she acted really strange, almost like I was a stranger. Sob! What had they done to my dog? On the way back to Kevin’s house (He and Suzy had rendezvoused the previous evening) MISI laid her head on my lap, not moving, but she was quite warm with a warm nose, not normal. We finally concluded that she was fine at Suzy’s where they had a large fenced yard and two dogs to play with, and, got lots of attention from the family. However, after Kevin picked her up Tuesday night, for one day she was at a relatively unfamiliar house, with three dogs, a cat, a bird, a lizard and two little boys, and being emotionally sensitive, probably was a little spooked, not understanding her changing world.
However, once we left Kevin’s for the short drive home, she began to perk up and by the time we got home, she seemed perfectly normal, and her nose got cold like it should. I’m sure all you readers are just ecstatic over this story.
We arrived in Taylor Bay a little after 11:00 PM, (2:00 AM Florida time, which our bodies were adjusted to.) House was cold and stuffy, but our VERY OWN BEDS were wonderful. You seldom sleep well in a strange bed.
When I finally thawed out this morning, with a roaring fire in the stove, we ran out to breakfast as there was no food in the house, picked up the mail and bought basic food items. Getting back home our fatigue started to set in and both of us have been napping off and on. I’m definitely going to get outside and rake some leaves and maybe shake the cobwebs out.
Great trip and most memorable. Does anyone else have children living far away? It’s tough, eh? But, that’s life, and as long as they are happy, that’s the important thing. Thanks for hanging in with this overly long blog folks.
********************FINIS***********************
PS – Seester Donna finds the word “BLOG” offensive and wants me to call it “George.” Anyone agree?
Yesterday’s trip “home” was quite eventful, AND long. Corinna delayed going to work, so M&C and Caleb went to the airport with us, and they bought us lunch on the way. It was a typical Florida day with partly cloudy skies, but around 70. However, on the way to the airport, we went through a significant thundershower, helping to acclimate us to the ongoing storms in the Pacific Northwest. As required by The Blonde, we arrived two hours early, and found our flight was “on time.” Sad goodbyes were in order, but while 14 days + was a tad long for a visit, we had lots of good times and quality time spent with the family we seldom see.
Our first defugalty was, going through the dreaded security check with half our toiletries in clear plastic bags and a young man came back holding a brand new large tube of Crest toothpaste. Sorry, he said, nothing more than 3 ounces can go on the plane. Poot! I asked if confiscated stuff like that would go to a charity or something, and he said no, it goes into a big bin and is tossed. Ruined my morning! Talk about overkill. Perhaps I fit the profile of a terrorist, but c’mon, use some reason folks.
Next incident was rather heartwarming. We were sitting by the gate during the LONG wait for boarding, and a nice looking young man came to the gate, and he kind of looked like he might be one of the attendants. However, once our plane arrived, he didn’t immediately board, but just stood there. Then the gate attendant got on the PA and announced that this young man needed some help. When we got to our stopover in Kansas City, he was going to propose to his girlfriend and needed help handing out 50 roses. Awwww
We were able to get one of the bulkhead seats for my arthritic knees, Praise the Lord, and this young man was on the aisle in the other bulkhead row, across from Mavis. During the course of the flight, the whole story came out. It seems that Phil Mathis’ mother planned this elaborate scenario to really surprise his intended fiancée. Phil went to Orlando, supposedly for “training” so his mother and girlfriend could be at the Kansas City airport to meet him when he returned. Phil had 50 red roses that he asked people departing at K.C. to walk off the plane with, each with a picture of his fiancée to be, and hand them to her, BEFORE Phil deplaned. Is this cool or what? Mavis was ticked because they wouldn’t let her get off the plane with a rose because they had to go beyond security where his intended was waiting and there wasn’t time.
Phil seemed pretty solemn the first part of the trip, but as the plan enfolded, he got his engagement ring out and was showing it to everybody, and he became more animated. I kidded him about whether he had considered the fact he might get turned down. He didn’t think that would happen. I mentioned that I wonder how his intended (wish I could remember her name) would react if someone told her Phil was flirting with the lady next to him. (ha ha) The lady then remarked that we must have been married a long time and I said, “Yeah, 48 years!” A departing passenger at K.C. congratulated us on our 48 years. Final chapter to this love story is our chief stewardess announced on the plane’s loudspeaker, “She accepted!” Fun stuff. Oh, Mavis just reminded me that just before they let the passengers deplane, the stewardess announced on the PA that on behalf of the flight crew, they were giving him this bottle of champagne. Everyone clapped.
Final comment, Mavis told Phil this would definitely be included in my trip blog and he asked to see it. He gave me his e-mail address, PMATHIS@……
and not knowing his first name at the time I asked if his first name was Phil. It was! Pretty intuitive for an old guy, eh?
Next incident, which occurred during this leg of the flight to K.C. the stewardess suddenly, announced on the PA, “Is there a doctor or nurse on board this flight?” Geeze, that was pretty scary. The young lady sitting next to Phil jumped up and went to the back of the plane with other attendants. Never did hear exactly what was wrong with the passenger but when we landed at K.C. they announced everyone should stay in their seats until the paramedics could attend to the victim. The person was on his/her way to Seattle, and they apparently stabilized his/her condition because he/she wasn’t removed. Probably a heart attack? Wowsers!
Speaking of medical problems, as the new passengers got on in K.C. for the final leg to Seattle, this HUGE kid and his fairly large lady companion came on board and sat in the bulkhead seats previously occupied by Phil. He HAD to have been a football player or something. I thought gee, it’s lucky he has the extra bulkhead room. Not! The attendants ran them off because they brought in a guy in a wheelchair that appeared to be paralyzed from his waist down. He had a heck of a time getting into the plane seat, and made me realize how insignificant my bum knees are. Always someone worse off than thou, right?
As we took off from Kansas City, it was a little before sunset, and there were huge thunderheads everywhere. The sun was shining from behind them to the west, and it was absolutely beautiful around the edges, which became snow white. I wish I had a camera handy to capture the moment. All the cloud formations were magnificent as we climbed way above them and later, as the sun set to the west, we got a huge orange/red sunset.
The captain had just turned off the seat-belt sign and our stewardess (I guess I should call them attendants) came by and we ordered two Tangurey? Martinis, and The Blonde’s eyes began to sparkle. Not to be, as suddenly we hit pretty severe turbulence and the captain made all the attendants return to their seats and buckle up. He announced that we would be experiencing turbulence for about half an hour and then would have a smooth ride the rest of the way.
Of course Mavis was ticked, and, the turbulence lasted over an hour and a half. You couldn’t read, or sleep or anything. Finally we flew out of it and around came our attendant and she whispered, “I gave you both doubles!” Whee! And, best of all, never charged us the $4 each for them.
As we neared Seattle, I couldn’t get my thoughts off my beloved white companion. The original plan was that Kevin would pick us up at the airport, take us out to Suzy’s where we would get MISI and the SUV. However, due to the lateness or our arrival, 9:35 PM, we were told some other plans were being considered because it is such a long drive to Yelm and then an hour and a half home from there. I immediately figured out that Suz & Barn would bring MISI and the SUV to Fife where Kev would drop us off. The more I thought about it, I thought I bet Kevin will bring the car AND MISI TO the airport, because Suzy knows how attached I am to my white companion.
I mentally fussed about how MISI would react to me after two week’s abs cense, because in the past, when I have been away from her for relatively short periods, she gets so excited she acts like she wants to lick me to death or eat me alive. What would I encounter??
Sure enough, as Kevin arrived he DID have the Suzuki and there was my dog, intently looking at me as I came to the window. However, she acted really strange, almost like I was a stranger. Sob! What had they done to my dog? On the way back to Kevin’s house (He and Suzy had rendezvoused the previous evening) MISI laid her head on my lap, not moving, but she was quite warm with a warm nose, not normal. We finally concluded that she was fine at Suzy’s where they had a large fenced yard and two dogs to play with, and, got lots of attention from the family. However, after Kevin picked her up Tuesday night, for one day she was at a relatively unfamiliar house, with three dogs, a cat, a bird, a lizard and two little boys, and being emotionally sensitive, probably was a little spooked, not understanding her changing world.
However, once we left Kevin’s for the short drive home, she began to perk up and by the time we got home, she seemed perfectly normal, and her nose got cold like it should. I’m sure all you readers are just ecstatic over this story.
We arrived in Taylor Bay a little after 11:00 PM, (2:00 AM Florida time, which our bodies were adjusted to.) House was cold and stuffy, but our VERY OWN BEDS were wonderful. You seldom sleep well in a strange bed.
When I finally thawed out this morning, with a roaring fire in the stove, we ran out to breakfast as there was no food in the house, picked up the mail and bought basic food items. Getting back home our fatigue started to set in and both of us have been napping off and on. I’m definitely going to get outside and rake some leaves and maybe shake the cobwebs out.
Great trip and most memorable. Does anyone else have children living far away? It’s tough, eh? But, that’s life, and as long as they are happy, that’s the important thing. Thanks for hanging in with this overly long blog folks.
********************FINIS***********************
PS – Seester Donna finds the word “BLOG” offensive and wants me to call it “George.” Anyone agree?
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
LEAVING FLORIDA NOTES
WEDNESDAY - 11/12 - Just got back from my second solo driving in Florida as I took Zachary to the bus stop and picked up some groceries. To help acclimate me to the Pac. NW I went through a rain shower, but, it's still over 70 out.
More observations, I really like the traffic situation here compared to Phoenix, where it seems everybody is in a big rush and they constantly tailgate you. Here they drive courteously, for the most part, however, on the turnpike where Mike drives 5 over, he is continually passed by drivers going at least 10 mph faster. I guess Mike is maturing because in Arizona, NOBODY passed him. And, you rarely see state patrol pulling people over. Gas was down to $2.12 at 7-11 this morning, not bad. Hope it is coming down back home.
Other than the first few days of our visit, the weather has been lovely, seldom too warm for comfort. While we notice the humidity, the locals say this is much better than during hotter times.
Kevin comes for a short visit this weekend, so the kids get little rest from entertaining. Weather is turning worse then, probably will barely be 70. Tough luck Kevie.
Maybe I'm having a Senior Moment, but I can't remember if I talked about the space shuttle launch coming up? As I recall, this is the last one for the foreseeable future. It was originally schedule for a few weeks ago, and thought we MIGHT get lucky and see it go off during our visit. While we were here, they announced it would go off the 13th, tomorrow, the day AFTER we depart. Seester Donna Jean couldn't believe we wouldn't arrange to lay over a day to see a once in a lifetime event. Well Seester, for a mere $200 extra, we could have stayed, for a 15 minute event that very well could have been rescheduled. Which it turns out is was, until Friday the 14th. Also, many of the Florida days this time of year are partly cloudy, and our kids went to one launch that almost immediately got lost in the clouds. So, we will watch it on TV at home.
Last night we magnanimously offered to take Mike & Corinna out for a "thank you" dinner, the only time the four of have had alone. They took us back to the Cocoa Beach area to a really nice restaurant on the Florida River, which is part of the Inter-Coastal waterway. Absolutely delightful, watching the sun set, the myriad of sea birds and swarms of catfish that boil the water below you, waiting for a handout. We had a great waiter, Jacob, or was it Jason, who went along with my normal Brown kidding, and gave it back to me. As soon as the sun set, they brought out propane heaters as the temperature drops quickly. Instead of the sour dough bread many restaurants bring to fill you up befoe you eat, they brought out baskets of Corn Fritters that were scruptious. And, they bring out "complimentary" cole slaw. Suprising how many differences there are between living areas. After dinner, on the way back through Cocoa beach, Mike stopped along the beach where we watched almost a full moon reflecting off the Atlantic. Beautiful! How many Washingonians, or Oregonians, get to see the moon reflecting on the Atlantic? But, how many east coasters get to watch a sunset over the Pacific. Life is good!
More observations, I really like the traffic situation here compared to Phoenix, where it seems everybody is in a big rush and they constantly tailgate you. Here they drive courteously, for the most part, however, on the turnpike where Mike drives 5 over, he is continually passed by drivers going at least 10 mph faster. I guess Mike is maturing because in Arizona, NOBODY passed him. And, you rarely see state patrol pulling people over. Gas was down to $2.12 at 7-11 this morning, not bad. Hope it is coming down back home.
Other than the first few days of our visit, the weather has been lovely, seldom too warm for comfort. While we notice the humidity, the locals say this is much better than during hotter times.
Kevin comes for a short visit this weekend, so the kids get little rest from entertaining. Weather is turning worse then, probably will barely be 70. Tough luck Kevie.
Maybe I'm having a Senior Moment, but I can't remember if I talked about the space shuttle launch coming up? As I recall, this is the last one for the foreseeable future. It was originally schedule for a few weeks ago, and thought we MIGHT get lucky and see it go off during our visit. While we were here, they announced it would go off the 13th, tomorrow, the day AFTER we depart. Seester Donna Jean couldn't believe we wouldn't arrange to lay over a day to see a once in a lifetime event. Well Seester, for a mere $200 extra, we could have stayed, for a 15 minute event that very well could have been rescheduled. Which it turns out is was, until Friday the 14th. Also, many of the Florida days this time of year are partly cloudy, and our kids went to one launch that almost immediately got lost in the clouds. So, we will watch it on TV at home.
Last night we magnanimously offered to take Mike & Corinna out for a "thank you" dinner, the only time the four of have had alone. They took us back to the Cocoa Beach area to a really nice restaurant on the Florida River, which is part of the Inter-Coastal waterway. Absolutely delightful, watching the sun set, the myriad of sea birds and swarms of catfish that boil the water below you, waiting for a handout. We had a great waiter, Jacob, or was it Jason, who went along with my normal Brown kidding, and gave it back to me. As soon as the sun set, they brought out propane heaters as the temperature drops quickly. Instead of the sour dough bread many restaurants bring to fill you up befoe you eat, they brought out baskets of Corn Fritters that were scruptious. And, they bring out "complimentary" cole slaw. Suprising how many differences there are between living areas. After dinner, on the way back through Cocoa beach, Mike stopped along the beach where we watched almost a full moon reflecting off the Atlantic. Beautiful! How many Washingonians, or Oregonians, get to see the moon reflecting on the Atlantic? But, how many east coasters get to watch a sunset over the Pacific. Life is good!
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
BACK TO MIAMI/JULIO VISIT
MONDAY - 11/10 - Back to the Miami area again as Mike has an equipment upgrade to install north of Miami. Its a long drive but we get to visit with buddy Julio again. He met us at Ft. Lauderdale since Mike's job was north of there, and then he took us back towards Miami to show us the little sailboat he recently purchased. Since he recently retired from a local bank, restoring this little boat is going to be his first retirement project.
Since he was a Vice President in charge of facilities, he took us to their new operations center that he helped coordinate and it is quite impressive. I may remember this wrong but they have two huge propane generators to operate the center, or perhaps are backup power, and a mammoth 800 gallon propane tank to power the generators in case of a major hurricane outage.
After that he took us to Hollywood, FL., to their boardwalk, to see how the other half lives. Right on the ocean, of course, with zillions of people sunbathing, biking, walking, jogging and old people in motorized scooters. We had a delightful lunch at an outdoor Greek restaurant overlooking the water. It was a little more windy than usual Julio said, but temperature was still in the mid-70's. A little better than reports we are hearing about Seattle's weather.
After a great visit, we headed north to rendezvous with Mike, and then the long drive home. We have put in a lot of miles with Mike this trip, but it has given us an opportunity to see quite a bit of southern Florida. Interesting to note the topographical differences between Miami and Orlando. Lots more waterways, lakes and ponds, plus palm trees near Miami. Not a lot of palms near Orlando and lots of trees and bushes.
TUESDAY - 11/11 - Lots more observations to share, hope you readers aren't getting tired of them:
I love their handicapped restrooms - not only the convenient grab bars but many have full facilities included, with sinks. Nice, and private.
Boy am I getting into the modern technological age. Christina showed me my first I-Pod and explained how it works. I said I bet you don't have Lawrence Welk downloaded, and she said "Just a minute" and up came Welk with a whole raft of his songs. But, they are only 30-second bits that you can then order. She wasn't interested in that.
Mike has a very unique job, spending the majority of his time at home. The nuclear medicine equipment for which he is responsible is vital to the medical community, and if he does his preventative maintenance properly, the goal is to have them never break down. So, his company is happy if he DOESN'T work, because their customers are happy and the company's repair expenses are minimized. Customers pay big bucks for maintenance contracts, so the fewer the calls, the more Mike's company makes. However, on the drive down to Miami yesterday, he had two service calls where he solved the customer's problem by talking them through it. Very impressive. We actually got to see our son in action, and he "seems" to know what he's doing..
In addition to the very small number of big trucks on the freeways and turnpikes, compared to Washington and Arizona, there are very few RV's on the road. Not quite sure why, perhaps more congregate on the Gulf Coast side. Very few RV's parked in people's yards, however, there are an inordinate number of boats for some reason.
Missing my MISI - While I was concerned that she would miss me to the point she would get depressed, not eat and perhaps croak, apparently that is not the case, per the Dotter. She plays constantly with the other two dogs and Suzy's family is getting quite attached to her. Her half-brother Kolo has an entirely different personality and is not as personable, or well-mannered. Actually, it is me that is having difficulty being away from her. I'm oke except when I see people walking THEIR dogs, or one of M&C's cats comes up and snuggles with me. Sob!
A couple other traffic notes, all school busses have strobe lights on top that make them really easy to see in traffic. Also, you know how you might come up to busy intersections at night, and sometimes it is hard to locate the traffic lights? Well, Oviedo has installed bright blue lights over them that make it easy to locate the signals. Gasoline prices are really dropping here, with many stations at $3.22, and last night the TV showed a couple stations at under two bucks. Wonder how ours are back home? We might start using the RV again, and will probably Snowbird in January, IF I don't get one or more knees replaced.
Since he was a Vice President in charge of facilities, he took us to their new operations center that he helped coordinate and it is quite impressive. I may remember this wrong but they have two huge propane generators to operate the center, or perhaps are backup power, and a mammoth 800 gallon propane tank to power the generators in case of a major hurricane outage.
After that he took us to Hollywood, FL., to their boardwalk, to see how the other half lives. Right on the ocean, of course, with zillions of people sunbathing, biking, walking, jogging and old people in motorized scooters. We had a delightful lunch at an outdoor Greek restaurant overlooking the water. It was a little more windy than usual Julio said, but temperature was still in the mid-70's. A little better than reports we are hearing about Seattle's weather.
After a great visit, we headed north to rendezvous with Mike, and then the long drive home. We have put in a lot of miles with Mike this trip, but it has given us an opportunity to see quite a bit of southern Florida. Interesting to note the topographical differences between Miami and Orlando. Lots more waterways, lakes and ponds, plus palm trees near Miami. Not a lot of palms near Orlando and lots of trees and bushes.
TUESDAY - 11/11 - Lots more observations to share, hope you readers aren't getting tired of them:
I love their handicapped restrooms - not only the convenient grab bars but many have full facilities included, with sinks. Nice, and private.
Boy am I getting into the modern technological age. Christina showed me my first I-Pod and explained how it works. I said I bet you don't have Lawrence Welk downloaded, and she said "Just a minute" and up came Welk with a whole raft of his songs. But, they are only 30-second bits that you can then order. She wasn't interested in that.
Mike has a very unique job, spending the majority of his time at home. The nuclear medicine equipment for which he is responsible is vital to the medical community, and if he does his preventative maintenance properly, the goal is to have them never break down. So, his company is happy if he DOESN'T work, because their customers are happy and the company's repair expenses are minimized. Customers pay big bucks for maintenance contracts, so the fewer the calls, the more Mike's company makes. However, on the drive down to Miami yesterday, he had two service calls where he solved the customer's problem by talking them through it. Very impressive. We actually got to see our son in action, and he "seems" to know what he's doing..
In addition to the very small number of big trucks on the freeways and turnpikes, compared to Washington and Arizona, there are very few RV's on the road. Not quite sure why, perhaps more congregate on the Gulf Coast side. Very few RV's parked in people's yards, however, there are an inordinate number of boats for some reason.
Missing my MISI - While I was concerned that she would miss me to the point she would get depressed, not eat and perhaps croak, apparently that is not the case, per the Dotter. She plays constantly with the other two dogs and Suzy's family is getting quite attached to her. Her half-brother Kolo has an entirely different personality and is not as personable, or well-mannered. Actually, it is me that is having difficulty being away from her. I'm oke except when I see people walking THEIR dogs, or one of M&C's cats comes up and snuggles with me. Sob!
A couple other traffic notes, all school busses have strobe lights on top that make them really easy to see in traffic. Also, you know how you might come up to busy intersections at night, and sometimes it is hard to locate the traffic lights? Well, Oviedo has installed bright blue lights over them that make it easy to locate the signals. Gasoline prices are really dropping here, with many stations at $3.22, and last night the TV showed a couple stations at under two bucks. Wonder how ours are back home? We might start using the RV again, and will probably Snowbird in January, IF I don't get one or more knees replaced.
AIR SHOW
SUNDAY - 11/9 - This was to have been our "big outing" to the Kennedy Space Center for a big air show. All of M&C's family, plus several of Christina's friends and another family the kids know. Late Saturday night, we just happened to catch a news show which said - thousands were turned away from Saturday's airshow due to overcrowding, and these people were guaranteed attendance at Sunday's show. And, Sunday's show was SOLD OUT! Poot. I asked Mike if they already had tickets, and he said "No." Thus endeth the airshow.
Since they had promised us a day at the beach, I suggested going there and everyone readily agreed. They are only 45 minutes away from a popular public beach, called Cocoa Beach, so after packing a picnic lunch, gathering up chairs, towels and play toys, we headed over to the beach. It was a perfect day, mid to high 70's and quite comfortable by the ocean.
Some of you will remember what I think is one of my GREAT lines from diaries past, when we visited Florida in Miss Dazy several years ago, Julio took us to a Miami area beach and for the first time ever, I got to stand in the ATLANTIC Ocean. I vividly remember saying, "Here I stand in the mighty Atlantic, with the waves, CRASHING against my ankles." Yes, ankles. Hmmmm. Floridians say that was not typical, and sure enough, at Cocoa Beach there were fair size waves, 4-5' high, and kids were surfboarding and boogie boarding. Zak & Cabe had a ball playing in the surf, as did Christina and her two friends. I even hobbled down to the water, which seemed slightly chilly at first but I quickly adjusted to it. I avoided getting wet while jumping waves by pulling up my walking shorts. However, I was fooling around with a kid, pretending to drop him into the water, and since my hands were full, a good size wave hit me, I got wet clear into my non-walking shorts. Geeze!
We played, girl-watched, ate and fed the seagulls until the sun went behind a condo, and then it started to cool down rapidly, so we headed on home. Nice to be so close to home. Our kids are really enjoying the Florida recreational water opportunities. In fact, they seem to be thoroughly enjoying ALL of Florida's advantages, and they are (admittedly) numerous.
Ah, just remembered another little defugalty, which didn't happen to me for a change. I continually compare Florida to Arizona, and one thing I really like about M&C's residential location, is that there aren't zillions of cars parked ON the street. In their Arizona neighborhood, sometimes you couldn't get two cars to pass because of parked cars. Well, an incident happened last Saturday night, or early morning, that explains why. One of Christina's friends was staying the night, and parked her Dad's car on the street in front of M&C's. Then next morning it was GONE. Panic set in until a neighbor pointed out that it had probably been towed, as no cars can be left on the street overnight. M&C were not aware of that, and probably haven't studied the neighborhood covenants very carefully. But, a really pissed Scottish father came over to pick up his daughter and coughed up $112 cash to retrieve the car. See, no all defugalties happen to me!
Since they had promised us a day at the beach, I suggested going there and everyone readily agreed. They are only 45 minutes away from a popular public beach, called Cocoa Beach, so after packing a picnic lunch, gathering up chairs, towels and play toys, we headed over to the beach. It was a perfect day, mid to high 70's and quite comfortable by the ocean.
Some of you will remember what I think is one of my GREAT lines from diaries past, when we visited Florida in Miss Dazy several years ago, Julio took us to a Miami area beach and for the first time ever, I got to stand in the ATLANTIC Ocean. I vividly remember saying, "Here I stand in the mighty Atlantic, with the waves, CRASHING against my ankles." Yes, ankles. Hmmmm. Floridians say that was not typical, and sure enough, at Cocoa Beach there were fair size waves, 4-5' high, and kids were surfboarding and boogie boarding. Zak & Cabe had a ball playing in the surf, as did Christina and her two friends. I even hobbled down to the water, which seemed slightly chilly at first but I quickly adjusted to it. I avoided getting wet while jumping waves by pulling up my walking shorts. However, I was fooling around with a kid, pretending to drop him into the water, and since my hands were full, a good size wave hit me, I got wet clear into my non-walking shorts. Geeze!
We played, girl-watched, ate and fed the seagulls until the sun went behind a condo, and then it started to cool down rapidly, so we headed on home. Nice to be so close to home. Our kids are really enjoying the Florida recreational water opportunities. In fact, they seem to be thoroughly enjoying ALL of Florida's advantages, and they are (admittedly) numerous.
Ah, just remembered another little defugalty, which didn't happen to me for a change. I continually compare Florida to Arizona, and one thing I really like about M&C's residential location, is that there aren't zillions of cars parked ON the street. In their Arizona neighborhood, sometimes you couldn't get two cars to pass because of parked cars. Well, an incident happened last Saturday night, or early morning, that explains why. One of Christina's friends was staying the night, and parked her Dad's car on the street in front of M&C's. Then next morning it was GONE. Panic set in until a neighbor pointed out that it had probably been towed, as no cars can be left on the street overnight. M&C were not aware of that, and probably haven't studied the neighborhood covenants very carefully. But, a really pissed Scottish father came over to pick up his daughter and coughed up $112 cash to retrieve the car. See, no all defugalties happen to me!
Monday, November 10, 2008
INSTRUCTIONS
I am realizing as I get used to "blogging" that the way I am presenting it, it becomes quite confusing. So, to make any sense of these various blogs, please scroll towards the bottom, starting with the next blog you haven't read, then go up. Follow me?
There may be a few new readers that don't understand some of the terms I utilize. I.E.:
DEFUGALTY - Any negative happening of significance, like mechanical breakdown
or mental breakdown.
M & C - Son Mike, wife Corinna, sons Zachary & Caleb, C's daughter Christina
OVIEDO - A suburb of Orlando, Florida, where M&C live
THE DOTTER - Our daughter Suzanne
I throw in all kinds of weird things so just ignore them. KenB Master Blatherer
There may be a few new readers that don't understand some of the terms I utilize. I.E.:
DEFUGALTY - Any negative happening of significance, like mechanical breakdown
or mental breakdown.
M & C - Son Mike, wife Corinna, sons Zachary & Caleb, C's daughter Christina
OVIEDO - A suburb of Orlando, Florida, where M&C live
THE DOTTER - Our daughter Suzanne
I throw in all kinds of weird things so just ignore them. KenB Master Blatherer
BACK TO ORLANDO (OVIEDO)
Saturday - 11/8 - Second day in a row that we have had really nice weather. This morning I am conscripted to help Mike and the boys pick up toys in the area for a Boy Scout toy drive.
After Mavis read my preceding draft diaries, she pointed out I had forgotten to write about a couple things. After leaving Crane Point on our way to Key West last Monday, we needed a place to eat lunch, so Mike looked for places on his handy GPS unit and found a Tiki Bar called Porky's listed. He followed the directions given which lead us deep into a residential area, with no sign of Porky's. A GPS failure!
Heading south on the main highway, a few miles down the road I spotted a sign saying "Porky's" and we did a "U" turn, finding a delightful little tavern/restaurant, with seating right on the water overlooking a boat basin. Very enjoyable and enhanced with a very cute waitress with an accent. There are more accents around here, many people coming from the Caribbean area.
We read somewhere that the original African Queen boat was displayed along this road but never saw a sign indicating such on the trip down to K.W. However, returning to Miami after leaving Key Largo Tuesday morning, I saw the sign. To our amazement, there was no viewing fee! The old craft was in a boat basin, suspended over the water with a protective weather cover, and was surprisingly large. Fun to visualize Bogart and Hepburn chugging through the African waterways in this very boat. Mavis was ecstatic as she loves these kind of historical things.
I finally have dredged up a couple Corinna stories, as I have already worked over Mike. A couple days ago she came home from picking up Caleb at his pre-school, just fuming. Apparently there is a hefty fine for running over a turtle in the roadway, and there are turtles everywhere. She had come across one trying to cross the road, and like a good Samaritan, stopped to move it to safety. Her reward, it peed all over her legs as she was setting it down. Into the shower she went.
The second incident happened last night while we were all attending a big pep-rally activity at Christina's high school. It had won an award for excellence and was awarded a "A-1" rating, so, they had a celebration at the football/soccer stadium, with all kinds of entertainment and booths set up. We had taken two cars and as we arrived at the packed parking lot, Mike parked some distance from the grandstand.
I just don't get it. EVERYONE was running around in shorts and T-shirts, and Mavis and I were QUITE chilly. Thank goodness I wore a heavy sweatshirt, jacket and Cabella's hat. Mike insisted it was well over 70 but I guess the humidity is what we are not used to. Anyway, the two boys DID get cold so I offered to walk back to the SUV to get their coats, giving me a chance to stretch my aching knees. As I was walking back, I saw several parking spaces close to the field and thought Mavis would appreciate not having to walk so far, so decided to move the SUV closer. When I got back to the grandstand with the coats, Corinna was missing? Talk about coincidences, while I was gone, Corinna got a phone call, and she couldn't hear with all the celebration noise, so decided to walk back to the SUV to call back. When she got there, and found the SUV gone, she freaked out, thinking it had been stolen. (In Arizona they DID get their SUV stolen and never got it back). She immediately called 911 to report it, but couldn't remember the license number, so that sort of dead-ended. So, I was in trouble again. Fortunately, every member of the family, except the boys, carry cell phones so the mystery was quickly solved. Poor Scorpi (her nickname).
Oke, back to Friday afternoon - one reader severely criticized me for jumping around a lot in my Blog, but, I write as things come to my mind. Sorry. Anyway, I feel sorry for the Florida kids, trying to find things to keep us busy, without spending a fortune. Well, I TOLD Mike, "three days....." so it's his own fault. Anyway, they came up with a winner this afternoon. After Caleb got home from school, M&C, Mave, Cabe & I headed to another Orlando suburb called Winter Park. We were going on a boat ride! Hey, anything to do with water and I'm good.
In what was originally Everglades Swamp land, they have developed six lakes, all connected with narrow waterways, and a company offers open boat cruises throughout the day. It is quite popular and there were so many Tuourons waiting for the 4:00 PM cruise, they had to put a second boat into service. Geese Louise, if you every want to see how the "other half" lives, take this narrated tour. The waterfront mansions are unbelievable and there are hundreds of them, framed by gigantic, moss draped trees. The captain/narrator explained who lived in many of them which was quite interesting, and, as we passed through the narrow connecting channels, pointed out the names of the widely varied trees, bushes and flowering plants.
*************************
The Cub Scout food drive turned out to be quite an undertaking. Four fathers and five sons, with me handling the dangerous part, driving Mike's SUV, completely walked a large residential area next to the one we are in. They all had to walk, I would guess, more than a couple miles, picking up sacks of groceries people had left on their doorsteps. It started out with pretty meager pickings, but by the time they finished, there was a huge pile of bags in the back, which we took to a shopping center were dozens of Scout groups were dropping off their donations. Very rewarding.
Well, the world's healthiest man is the only one in the whole family to have escaped illness. A couple days ago Mike came down with a bad cold. Mavis' throat congestion is pretty well gone and the rest of the family seems fine. I am really going through the hand sanitizer however. Either that is working or the Mono-Vie Acaci antioxidant drink the Thews put me on has built up my resistance to germs.
Last night M&C invited a Scottish couple over for dinner, parents of one of Christina's friends. VERY enjoyable people, with delightful accents, and we had great fun talking with them about our trip to the British Isle a few years ago. Corinna continues to prepare great, and unusual dinners for us.
After Mavis read my preceding draft diaries, she pointed out I had forgotten to write about a couple things. After leaving Crane Point on our way to Key West last Monday, we needed a place to eat lunch, so Mike looked for places on his handy GPS unit and found a Tiki Bar called Porky's listed. He followed the directions given which lead us deep into a residential area, with no sign of Porky's. A GPS failure!
Heading south on the main highway, a few miles down the road I spotted a sign saying "Porky's" and we did a "U" turn, finding a delightful little tavern/restaurant, with seating right on the water overlooking a boat basin. Very enjoyable and enhanced with a very cute waitress with an accent. There are more accents around here, many people coming from the Caribbean area.
We read somewhere that the original African Queen boat was displayed along this road but never saw a sign indicating such on the trip down to K.W. However, returning to Miami after leaving Key Largo Tuesday morning, I saw the sign. To our amazement, there was no viewing fee! The old craft was in a boat basin, suspended over the water with a protective weather cover, and was surprisingly large. Fun to visualize Bogart and Hepburn chugging through the African waterways in this very boat. Mavis was ecstatic as she loves these kind of historical things.
I finally have dredged up a couple Corinna stories, as I have already worked over Mike. A couple days ago she came home from picking up Caleb at his pre-school, just fuming. Apparently there is a hefty fine for running over a turtle in the roadway, and there are turtles everywhere. She had come across one trying to cross the road, and like a good Samaritan, stopped to move it to safety. Her reward, it peed all over her legs as she was setting it down. Into the shower she went.
The second incident happened last night while we were all attending a big pep-rally activity at Christina's high school. It had won an award for excellence and was awarded a "A-1" rating, so, they had a celebration at the football/soccer stadium, with all kinds of entertainment and booths set up. We had taken two cars and as we arrived at the packed parking lot, Mike parked some distance from the grandstand.
I just don't get it. EVERYONE was running around in shorts and T-shirts, and Mavis and I were QUITE chilly. Thank goodness I wore a heavy sweatshirt, jacket and Cabella's hat. Mike insisted it was well over 70 but I guess the humidity is what we are not used to. Anyway, the two boys DID get cold so I offered to walk back to the SUV to get their coats, giving me a chance to stretch my aching knees. As I was walking back, I saw several parking spaces close to the field and thought Mavis would appreciate not having to walk so far, so decided to move the SUV closer. When I got back to the grandstand with the coats, Corinna was missing? Talk about coincidences, while I was gone, Corinna got a phone call, and she couldn't hear with all the celebration noise, so decided to walk back to the SUV to call back. When she got there, and found the SUV gone, she freaked out, thinking it had been stolen. (In Arizona they DID get their SUV stolen and never got it back). She immediately called 911 to report it, but couldn't remember the license number, so that sort of dead-ended. So, I was in trouble again. Fortunately, every member of the family, except the boys, carry cell phones so the mystery was quickly solved. Poor Scorpi (her nickname).
Oke, back to Friday afternoon - one reader severely criticized me for jumping around a lot in my Blog, but, I write as things come to my mind. Sorry. Anyway, I feel sorry for the Florida kids, trying to find things to keep us busy, without spending a fortune. Well, I TOLD Mike, "three days....." so it's his own fault. Anyway, they came up with a winner this afternoon. After Caleb got home from school, M&C, Mave, Cabe & I headed to another Orlando suburb called Winter Park. We were going on a boat ride! Hey, anything to do with water and I'm good.
In what was originally Everglades Swamp land, they have developed six lakes, all connected with narrow waterways, and a company offers open boat cruises throughout the day. It is quite popular and there were so many Tuourons waiting for the 4:00 PM cruise, they had to put a second boat into service. Geese Louise, if you every want to see how the "other half" lives, take this narrated tour. The waterfront mansions are unbelievable and there are hundreds of them, framed by gigantic, moss draped trees. The captain/narrator explained who lived in many of them which was quite interesting, and, as we passed through the narrow connecting channels, pointed out the names of the widely varied trees, bushes and flowering plants.
*************************
The Cub Scout food drive turned out to be quite an undertaking. Four fathers and five sons, with me handling the dangerous part, driving Mike's SUV, completely walked a large residential area next to the one we are in. They all had to walk, I would guess, more than a couple miles, picking up sacks of groceries people had left on their doorsteps. It started out with pretty meager pickings, but by the time they finished, there was a huge pile of bags in the back, which we took to a shopping center were dozens of Scout groups were dropping off their donations. Very rewarding.
Well, the world's healthiest man is the only one in the whole family to have escaped illness. A couple days ago Mike came down with a bad cold. Mavis' throat congestion is pretty well gone and the rest of the family seems fine. I am really going through the hand sanitizer however. Either that is working or the Mono-Vie Acaci antioxidant drink the Thews put me on has built up my resistance to germs.
Last night M&C invited a Scottish couple over for dinner, parents of one of Christina's friends. VERY enjoyable people, with delightful accents, and we had great fun talking with them about our trip to the British Isle a few years ago. Corinna continues to prepare great, and unusual dinners for us.
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