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Big Fat Blog
2004-10-31 - 3:01 p.m.�
Florida Travel Journal Part 1
Picture heavy entry! Sorry for the load time.
I now present the first in a three part series of Florida pictures and excepts from my travel journal for your reading and viewing enjoyment. Part 2 will be posted in another day of two.
PART 1 of Heather and Julie's Fabulous Florida Trip!
Friday Sept 24
We arrived in at the resort shortly after midnight on Friday, after a completely non-eventful flight. It was easy, and it was even on time! After we got to Julie�s parents suite, we went for a midnight swim in a huge, gorgeous pool. What a wonderful way to start off a vacation!
Saturday Sept 25
After breakfast and a short visit to see the catfish and turtles in one of the resorts many ponds, we went to Walmart to stock up on some groceries. Walmart on a Saturday in a city on a hurricane watch? Madness! Despite the approaching hurricane, the skies were still blue and sunny all morning, and even into the afternoon. The clouds did roll in fast mid-afternoon, and with the sudden, drastic change in pressure, I got a delightful holiday migraine. Hoorah!
(Hurricane Jeanne approaches!)
As the day wore on, Julie and I kept wondering if we should be concerned about the hurricane. Her parents decided to leave that afternoon, a couple days early, so they could beat the storm, but even they didn�t seem all that concerned. The resort and the city of Orlando itself were taking things very seriously�everything was closing early, and there was a mandatory curfew starting at 11:00 pm and going to Sunday at 5:00. Still, the resort seemed to be well sheltered and sturdy, and Julie and I were well stocked with food and water. Honestly, my biggest concern was that the power would go off and we�d be bored without television.
Sunday September 26
Curfew day! We were spared from the hurricane�s direct path, but it was extremely windy and rainy. I slept until 10:00 am, waking up a few times due to the sounds of the storm, but missed what Julie described as �The loudest phone ever� when her mom called to say that they had safely driven past the storm.
The day of forced relaxation was delightful. We didn�t lose power, so it was a day of air conditioning, tv, eating American candy and napping. What could be wrong with that?
Things I learned on curfew day:
* American TV on a Sunday afternoon can suck just as much as Canadian TV, except that at least in Canada (my part of it anyway) there�s a chance of finding a Simpsons marathon on Global TV.
* If you�re watching something on Lifetime you know it�s going to suck.
* Lays Wavy Ranch flavoured chips are practically identical to Sour Cream and Onion chips.
*Cherry Brandy mixed with Coke does not make anything resembling Cherry Coke.
After the curfew ended Julie and I went for a walk around the resort. It was the first chance we got to really look around the place, plus we wanted to see if there was any damage. There were lots of branches and leaves around, and one area had a lot of damage to rain gutters but otherwise things looked okay.
(Me, trying to illustrate that it was still really windy)
Monday Sept 27
Woke up to a bright, sunny day. Hard to believe that there was a hurricane yesterday. We caught the 10:45 shuttle to an Outlet mall, and stayed there until 2:30. I did a little shopping: bought a few little things at toy and souvenir stores, and a sweater from Old Navy.
When we got back to the resort we went swimming in the resort�s �Super Pool.� It was very relaxing. Just as we were getting out of the pool, we were hit by a very short but powerful rainstorm, so we decided to go back to our room for dinner. We made delicious shrimp with butter, lime juice and Italian salad dressing. Easy and tasty!
We went out swimming again after dinner, and the pool was nearly empty. It was fabulous! What was less fabulous was sharing the pool with some of the biggest frickin� bugs I�ve ever seen!
I swear that this thing was as big as the palm of my hand. And the worst part? It wasn�t just floating there�it swam! Disgusting!
The resort was filled with wildlife, most of was far less gross than that thing. As I mentioned, the ponds and streams throughout the resort were filled with fish and turtles. There were lots of ducks and other birds. Also, the ground in the resort was covered with all sorts of little lizards:
I was a little wigged out by them at first, because they were everywhere, and they had no qualms with just running across your feet, but they were pretty neat. They were about 2 inches long, and they were fast little buggers. It was hard to avoid stepping on them. Still, they weren't bad. I'm glad I managed to snap a picture of one!
The big 3 0 - 2006-06-03
Hello again - 2006-05-03
Random stuff in place of an actual update - 2006-03-15
Pictures. Just Because. - 2006-02-23
Christmas 05 - 2005-12-26
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