Key West

After a two hour drive across the Keys we reached our resort late this morning.  The drive was beautiful albeit a little bit scary going over the bridges from Key to Key.  While driving, we saw many places that we planned to stop at on our way back on Monday.  Our resort was fantastic with a large beach, outdoor activity area, and a full restaurant.  The room was extra large with plenty of space for all of us and a wonderful view of the ocean.  

After checking out the hotel we walked to the famed Hemingway bar, Sloppy Joe’s.  It was even better than we thought it would be and we were glad to find a table as soon as we walked in the door.  There were many Hemingway drinks on the menu and a lot of his history in Key West on the walls.  We all loved it and enjoyed the live entertainment as well.  I bought a sweatshirt before we left.

Our next stop was The Little Whitehouse.  It was the home that Truman stayed in when he visited Key West during his presidency.  None of us knew what to expect and we all enjoyed the tour a lot more than we thought that we would. Many questions arose about why Brett did not like him as president, but knowing that his actions to end World War II likely save my Grandpa’s life, I held Truman in high regard.

The four of us spent the afternoon at the resort resting while watching the US Open, enjoying the beach and trying out the hotel restaurant.   I had scheduled a night kayak tour for this evening.  It had said that it was for beginners, so I decided to try it as well.  I was a little nervous as once we arrived, there was no  training and I had to learn on the go.  Fortunately, I wasn’t the only one and soon our group was kayaking across the channel toward the Mangrove trees.  The tour was very impressive although a little scary as the guide pointed out many animals that could do harm if we got too close including, iguanas, octopus, sharks, sand crabs and anything colored red.  Thankfully, none of us were harmed although we saw many of those animals on our tour. 

 

Cameron, Doug and I were all hungry when we returned to the resort.  The restaurants on our end of the island were all closed, so we walked to one that was still open near Sloppy Joes.  The food was delicious, but I was completely wiped out by the time we left.  There was an issue with the Lyft, but thankfully we did make it home by midnight.  All in all it was an awesome first day in Key West.  

Off to the Keys

After my Mom’s stroke, I wasn’t sure that we would still be able to go on our trip to the Keys.  We had been planning it for months and it was non-refundable, but if my parents needed us to go to Indiana, Doug, Cameron, Cal and I were prepared to cancel.  My dad told me not to even think about postponing our trip.  My mom would be in the hospital for a couple of days and he would be able to take care of everything at home.  With that being said, the trip went ahead as scheduled.

Cameron and I left at 9 a.m. this morning for Orlando.  We met Doug at Meg’s apartment so that we could leave his car there while we traveled.  Cal had gotten an earlier flight to Fort Lauderdale than originally planned, but said that he didn’t mind waiting on us while we traveled south.  I appreciated that as Doug had a meeting this morning that he couldn’t miss.  While we were driving, Cal visited the Fort Lauderdale history museum proving that our family is as nerdy as Meg tells everyone one that we are.  

Our trip down was relatively stress free.  We listened to music and talked about our favorite artists. It was very easy to find Cal and after a quick stop at Burger King, we were on our way to Key Largo.  On the hour and a half drive to our hotel, Cal told us about the museum that he toured and we filled him on the  Everglades knowledge that we gained on our trip last June. 

We arrived at our hotel in Key Largo well before 6 p.m.  Cameron and I were extremely glad to be out of the car as we had been riding in it for almost nine hours.  Our hotel was nice with a patio and a tiki bar beside the beach.  Cal had scouted out a restaurant for us to eat at for dinner. 

They had wonderful seafood and Cal paid for all of us. We told him that he didn’t have to do so, but were very appreciative of it.  He said that it was his contribution to the trip.  While we were there we each also tried a specialty drink from the area that were very delicious.  

We made it back to our hotel by sunset and enjoyed drinks on the beach while watching the sun go down.  We would have stayed out longer, but as soon as dusk arrived the mosquitos came out in droves.  The boys didn’t mind returning to the room as they wanted to watch the Pacers and OKC game tonight.  It was a wonderful first day on our trip and we all looked forward to Key West tomorrow.

Some Scary News

Cameron and I spent the morning at the Ocala disc golf course.  Cameron loved the sport, but I had never seen him play.  It was a lot more fun than I would have thought.  The course was set up inside a forest of Georgia pines.  The tall trees made for some challenging basket placements, but they also provided a lot of shade while we were walking from hole to hole. There were benches to rest, and the course was maintained very well.  Cameron said that it was one of the best that he had played even though it was difficult.  While he was playing, I even had a chance to catch a Snorlax on Pokemon Go.  The only downside was when I got lost while waiting for him on hole sixteen.  Luckily, I had the car locator on in Apple maps, so I was able to find my way out from that along with Cameron's guidance.  

While Cameron and I were at disc golf, I received some very scary news.  My mom had to be taken to Goshen hospital as the paramedics believed that she had had a stroke.  My dad said that she had been sleeping on the couch because she didn't feel well.  When he came downstairs, she told him that she had the worst headache that she had ever had and had fallen when she got up to get medication for it.  The hospital confirmed that it was a ministroke and made arrangements for her to be admitted.  

I checked in with my dad later in the day.  He said that my mom could not use her right arm and was very hard to understand.  The doctors told him that was normal with a stroke.  It took quite a while to get her a room, but she did finally move to one this evening.  My dad was very optimistic about her recovery.  I thought that was a good sign and decided that I would be extremely positive as well.  I did ask for prayers from my friends, and the Heinisch children started sending good thoughts her way as soon as they heard the news.  I wish there was more that we could do, but for now, we will just continue to think positively and pray.

Cameron Arrives

Cameron flew in late last night.  Even though it was only a twenty-minute drive, I appreciated Nick riding with me as it was well after midnight when the plane arrived.  Plus, it gave the three of us time to talk about a more interesting topic - "ex-woman tennis players now participating in pickle ball leagues."  Meg and Doug were both asleep when we arrived, so we headed to bed shortly after getting back to the apartment.

Today was a lot of fun in Orlando.  After sleeping in, Meg took Cameron on a tour of Baldwin Park.  He really liked the area, especially the lake.  After lunch at Chicken Guy, we went to a local driving range, so that Cameron could help Nick with his golf swing.  I was impressed with how well Meg hit the ball and how helpful Cameron's lessons were for Nick.  Both of them hit the ball well by the time they finished a bucket of balls.  Our last stop of the day before Cameron and I headed to Ocala was Swig for their popular soda drinks.  I had one flavored with Fresca and raspberry that was delicious.  

Tonight, we hung out at home and ordered Piesano's for dinner.  I was smart enough this time not to order the 20-inch pizza, so the pieces were a lot more manageable for everyone. We gave Doug his Father's Day gifts this evening.  Doug loved the shirt from a Greek beer fest from Cameron and couldn't wait to read the book about UCLA in the 1960s from Cal. Doug also picked the first lime from our tree which we used to make mixed drinks.  Afterward Cameron showed us a slide show of his pictures from Greece which both Doug and I really enjoyed.  It was fun to hear in person what was going on in each photo.  Overall, it was a great first day for Cameron and we appreciated having him here very much.  

Car Troubles

I was talking to Doug on his way back to work after picking up a bean burrito from Taco Bell today when all of a sudden, his car died.  It had been sending out a low battery for the keyless fob warning in the drive thru, but soon after all of the warning lights on the car lit up.  Doug wasn't sure what to do but knew that he needed to get the car off the road as there was already a line of vehicles behind him.  Thankfully, it was a side road so there was plenty of space for him to move it and someone from work happened to drive by and gave him a life back to the office.  

I heard from Doug later that he first tried fixing the key fob, but when that didn't work, one of the guys tried to jump the battery.  When that didn't help either, he called our insurance to get a tow to the nearest Honda dealer.  It took a couple of hours, but they did get it there this afternoon.  I was bummed to hear that it would be more expensive than I was hoping, but at least Doug was in a safe place when it happened.  It would have been awful if this had occurred when he was on the interstate.  He was already planned on staying at Meg's tonight, so that was a blessing as well as he could Uber there after work tonight which our insurance took care of for him.  Overall, glad that this should all be a memory soon.

McAlister's

When we first moved down here, McAlister's was our go to place for dinner or lunch.  We ate there at least once a week or sometimes twice.  I loved their chicken n' dumpling soup while Doug enjoyed the variety of their food choices.  We both appreciated the extra pickles that they would give with every meal.  Once they started adding more and more turkey sandwiches to their menu, it was as if we found our perfect place for a quick meal.

Unfortunately, things have changed quite a bit with our favorite restaurants over the past few years.  The food is still very good, when they have everything available.  The wait time to order has increased dramatically, but that has been nothing compared to how long it takes to get a meal to our table.  There have been many times recently when it has taken over an hour to receive our food once we have ordered.  Because of this, we have drastically reduced our visits.  

Both Doug and I do still keep trying McAlister's with the hope that it will return to the way it was.  The food and their rewards program are still some of the bests in town.  We now know only to try it when we have a lot of time on our hands and aren't overly hungry.  I have filled out a few surveys online when they have been sent to us after visiting, but so far it hasn't changed much.  At least they haven't run out of pickles on our past few trips.  Thankfully, McAlister's isn't the only place to eat in town, so we have other options for now.