For One Week, The "Happiest Place on Earth" Wasn't

Well, it's Sunday and a full week back from my vacation.  Having a four day work week to get back into the swing of things would have been just the way I would have drawn it up if I actually planned it.  We had an absolutely gorgeous July 4th weekend, most of which was spent outside doing yard work. Yet another storm rolled in the early hours this morning, and left a small amount of rain, but the day is hot and muggy and perfect for staying indoors for things like laundry and blogging.

The first half of my vacation started on Thursday and was spent in Orlando to attend the AAU National Tournament for G-Bug's volleyball team. We would probably have enjoyed being in Orlando more if the tournament was held in February, like the one in Wisconsin Dells, but the Orange County Convention Center was a nice place to be to get out of the mid-90 degree heat.

I had given my family the heads-up on the tournament months in advance, envisioning the trip would be a good way for all of us to get together this year. My brother and his family stayed the whole week we were there, while my mom was in town from Thursday to Monday.  As an added bonus, my aunt and uncle, who live in the Palm Beach area, drove into town for the weekend.  The tournament ran from Saturday afternoon until Tuesday, so there were a couple of "free" days for G-Bug, although she was required to stay with her team.

Our crew had rented two two-bedroom condos at Lake Buena Vista Resort.  My mom stayed with my brother's family while G-Bug's mom stayed with the Wife and me. Let me repeat that for effect, I was staying in a two-bedroom condo with my wife and ex-wife. Fortunately, the master bedroom and bath were on one side of the condo and a second bedroom and bathroom were on the other side, so we were able to stay out of each other's way.

The first night we all went out for a group dinner, G-Bug's mom included.  We tried to go to Downtown Disney, but we followed the cones and traffic attendants in an elaborate loop that got us back to the main road we took to get into downtown.  We settled on Landry's Seafood House, which, as a second choice, was pretty nice.  Our waitress was a sour prune and put on the hard sell to buy member cards to other restaurants or theme parks, but we declined. The food was excellent, as I had a crab stuffed Mahi and the Wife had a Cedar Planked Salmon.

We were finished with dinner after 10p and we tried to make our way back to the resort. I had followed my brother in our rental car to get to the restaurant and with the detour around the crowded Downtown Disney, I had lost my bearings. I wanted to follow him back to the resort and be there before 11p as we all could visit G-Bug before curfew. Mom had said it was just a couple of lefts to get there, so we chanced it on our own.  The roads were still busy with traffic and the stop lights off the main road only allowed a couple cars to go through before changing. I was gunning through "pinks" (just turned reds) by the third light.

We saw a building with 'Lake Buena Vista' on the side, but the building was a different resort.  I pulled into the parking lot, but was confused by the traffic cones by the entrance, as our resort didn't have any construction near it. We made a U-turn and I waited for a break in the traffic to get back on the highway.  Once on the road, I quickly realized I didn't see any of the landmarks that were close to our resort.  The signs for the airport confirmed we were headed the wrong way.

My biggest pet peeve is stupidity. I have little patience when others exhibit it and get very angry with myself when I do. Plus, a clock was ticking in my head to get back in time to see G-Bug.  Needless to say, when I asked my three passengers for help with directions, I used some serious invective and my foot became leaden.  And let me confirm for effect, I had my mom, wife, and ex-wife in the car with me. The directions were a back-up, now that I knew what road we were traveling. I knew once we turned around I would be able to find my way again. When we dropped off mom at her condo, my brother's family had already gone to bed and we only had a few minutes to see G-Bug. We decided to pass on a visit with her.

Cape Cod Vacation: The Next Day(s)

I apologize for not keeping up with my stories from the Cape, as I was rudely interrupted by a business trip to Houston and Dallas.  I was able to get some pictures from my travels there, so be sure to keep your eyes open for those weeks of photos some time in November.  When we last left our heroes, one of them was wearing a dead horseshoe crab as a helmet.

The picture above is the cottage we stayed, taken from the backyard.  One item I forgot to mention was the presence of numerous signs which caused dread and trepidation to all who read them:

No, not the one above.  This one:

We already had a bad experience with aged, Cape Cod cottage plumbing during our last vacation, and much like Chief Brody in Jaws 2, we didn't intend to go through that hell again.

We started the day at nearby Skaket Beach, eagerly anticipating the arrival of my sister. She was in the middle of completing her work for her Master's degree and couldn't take a lot of time for vacation, but she wanted to see us and figured the weekend would be the best time.  She planned to stay overnight until Monday and then head back home to Hartford.

Skaket Beach is your basic bayside beach.  Although having regular tides, there isn't the kind of waves you would see on the Atlantic side.  In fact, they're more like ripples than waves.  The water is warmer and the sand is pretty smooth once you get past the crushed shells and rocks at the breakwater.  Our time was spent playing with a football and squirt guns during high tide and hunting hermit crabs and snails at low tide.  Once word got around that my sister arrived, we packed up our things and headed home.

Back at the cottage, we created a family ping pong competition, starting with pool play. The players were the Wifey, G-Bug, my sister & brother, and me.  Everyone had to play each other once to determine seeding for the tournament.  It quickly became obvious that the Wifey and my brother were the two odds-on favorites to win the tournament.  I held my own against both, going deep into games, past 21 points, eventually to lose by two. We never got to tournament play to determine the true winner.

That night was deemed by the Wifey as our night to prepare the family dinner. In truth, my contribution was minimal, although I did cut the garlic bread (not as easy as it sounds) and did the heavy lifting of getting the massive salmon off the grill and onto the table. There was a big communal salad and other sides as well. The Wifey got huge compliments for putting the dinner together, but was something I had gotten used to.  My wife is a master at putting together a delicious salad.  If you haven't had one, you're missing out!  I completed my duties by clearing the table and rinsing the dishes.

After dinner, my sister suggested we change the format of pong to include beer. We had participation from unlikely sources, including my mom and my oldest nephew.  His and G-Bug's cups were filled with soda, but caffeine is like alcohol to youngsters, so the result was the same.  In a surprising twist, my mom beat my sister at beer pong.  I found I didn't have patience for the game, as it took too long to score any points, and take a drink.  I preferred to watch the last game of the series between the Red Sox and Yankees, an 11-inning affair won by a Napoli walk-off home run.

The next morning was a throwback to our childhood.  I woke up in the late morning to find my brother and sister playing cribbage, a game our father taught us as kids.  Once they finished their game, I was dealt into the next two.  It was a barn burner for a while until I started to suck wind with a constant series of 4 point hands and cribs.  My brother and sister would bang out a dozen points or more in some hands, leaving me hoping for the skunk line.  My sister was more successful at playing cribbage than pong (ping or beer), squeaking out a victory in both games, by 1 point, then by 3 over my brother.  I was an "also ran," getting skunked in the second game.