October 30, 2024 Time with friends
Today saw us drive along the Florida Keys to our next destination, Dave and Louise King’s home in Homestead. Dave King was Dave’s boss when he was a seasonal ranger at Shenandoah back in the 1980’s. What fun we had! We chatted, watched the birds (we saw our first Painted buntig!), and toured their garden that has an abundance of various types of orchids. It was fun for Kathy to listen to the old “war” stories of Dave and Dave’s time together in the Park Service. Almost as much fun as Dave had wandering down memory lane. After a full day at their house we headed off for dinner at a local Mexican restaurant and then reluctantly parted ways. I would say we got far, but soon Dave was pulled over by the local police. He was given a warning ticket for stopping at the wrong spot at a light and no lights on in the vehicle. We are sure the sheriff left shaking his head thinking: stupid tourists. He did tell us to roll up our windows, lock the doors, and don’t open windows or doors to anyone. Apparently we were in a high crime area. Oh well, we are now safely ensconced in our hotel room overlooking a busy highway. While Key West had some amazing views, here? not as much in the heart of the city. We will hope to find some areas tomorrow to enjoy the beautiful sunshine and the sandy beaches! We are also looking forward to meeting up with another old friend of Dave’s from his Park Service days and then joining our daughter Jill and her husband Shea as they, too, are here enjoying the sun and sand of Florida at this time!
Halloween dawned early. Fortunately, there were no spooks or ghouls as we headed to our next destination. Most importantly: no flashing blue/red lights behind us! We were soon in Royal Palm Beach where we had an opportunity to visit with Blair and his dog, Sazzy, another old friend from the Blue Ridge Parkway. We enjoyed our time talking and chatting over a Cuban luncheon at a local restaurant. No vacation can be complete without Dave providing EMS as this seems to be his time to shine. A local patron took a tumble and Dave assessed her, provided basic help, and then helped her up with the assistance of her spouse. Last minute assessment and it was determined that she should be okay, as she assured us that she had just a little tumble off her seat. Heading off, we dropped Blair off at his home to release Sazzy from her kennel and we were off to then join our daughter Jill and son-in-law Shea in Orlando.
In Orlando, we stayed at the Drury Inn, which was very nice, the staff was warm, friendly, and helpful, and we immediately felt at home. After the long drive we determined it was time for a quick walk before having a light dinner. Wandering around, we figured we were just a short distance to where Jill and Shea were staying, pretty good luck on our part. Dinner was hors d’oeuvres that the hotel offered complimentary, which in this case was pulled pork sandwiches, mac and cheese, and a variety of salads. Oh, and free drinks which Kathy took advantage of and managed to have three glasses of wine in short order. Soon she was ready for bed, and the wine quickly lulled her to sleep. Halloween started up with not a single spook to be seen and the night ended just as tamely.
The next day dawned bright and early, and after an equally good breakfast we headed over to visit Jill and Shea, who were staying at Universal Park. It was nice to take the early morning walk to their hotel and just enjoy the day without having to get in a car and drive for hours. Before heading out for the day, we determined we would stay another night here and booked the room for another night – good choice! Soon we met up with the two of them. How coincidental to meet up with our kids while they were on vacation at the same time, same place as us! After a quick chat we headed off to visit City Walk. (Kathy was sad to leave her gift of ET in Jill’s room, but it will be waiting when she gets back) First stop was an Escape Room where we managed to solve 12 of the challenges. This gave us the Rating of Senior Geneticists, which was pretty darn good – actually not perfect, but not too bad. The Escape Room was modeled after Jurassic Park and we enjoyed each room as we tried to solve the puzzles. Next stop was lunch where we ate at the Chocolate Factory. We had good food and good times there. Still thoroughly enjoying our time with the kids, we were glad to extend it a little bit more and opted to do some miniature golfing. Kathy and Jill both got a hole in one! While overall, both Shea and Dave had better scores, only Kathy and Jill pulled off holes in one! Deciding it was getting late and we were all tired, we headed back to Jill and Shea’s hotel. Kathy rescued her ET and we headed back to the Drury Inn to grab a small dinner and just relax for the night. Kathy opted to stream one of her Netflix shows while Dave did some work on the computer.
Truly this is what vacations should be about. Taking your own pace, own time, and spending it with friends and family. We are truly feeling blessed. Tomorrow we head off in another direction and plan on spending time with Dave’s brother, Mike, and watch the Bills play the rival Miami Dolphins. He is excited, as it will be his first time in over forty years since he has watched a Bills game with his brother.
