One Last Year of Living in Retirement : Florida 2019

TEN DAYS IN FLORIDA - The highlights.

1. Another lomo al troppo in the fire at R&G's house on Day 1. This time, maybe 2 minutes overcooked--still pink and tasty but not as bloody as I prefer! But the husband LOVED IT. The photo was a bit gross, but lomo is always delicious.

2. Day 2 - An adventure at Drive Shack, near the Orlando airport. on the third tier up, with jets roaring overhead as we competed with computer measured results.

3. Then, a well-appointed condo in Kissimmee. Pizza Hut pizza from Uber Eats compliments of R. and a round of Wits and Wagers on the first night, with the 6 of us.

4. Also, a night of tennis competition for the 6 of us, where I played for about 10 minutes and actually got a few balls and serves over the net. The husband took a tumble and skinned his knee!

One night we briefly visited with church friends R & G at another condo complex, finalizing plans for a week at Hilton Head this fall using their time share.

5. A trip to Kennedy Space Center. The IMAX movie was great, but we had to leave early to make an extensive bus tour of the vast NASA complex, the big VAB, and the launch pad from which we saw the SpaceX Falcon Heavy with Musk's Roadster ascend into space one year ago. And an up close and personal look at a Saturn V rocket. We didn't see everything there, especially all the films, but it was very informative.

6. A trip to The Villages with a lunch with M's friends, a tour of two clubhouses, a happy hour with $1.60 pints of Yuengling lager (their darkest beer), (observing) the dancing on the town square with a live band and a chicken sandwich and fries at a PDQ restaurant. The Villages are huge (14 miles the long way!), and there are thousands of unique golf carts, everywhere!

7. An afternoon at Disney Springs with J. & M. including a fine meal on a white tablecloth, enjoyed on the porch of the Boathouse in an afternoon of perfect 72 degree weather! J. and I sampled their big shrimp. The Wedge salad (a long story) which I insisted on ordering was large enough to be split among the four of us. And then the gargantuan Macadamia Turtle Pie, which the waiter sliced up for us. I had two modest filet mignon sliders which were awesome, saving enough room for that dessert which I had drooled over earlier, online!

8. A second townhouse (for 2 days) with 3 bedrooms (but a terrible squeaky bed) where I had my own room and my own sink.

9. One afternoon we saw the movie Green Book which we all enjoyed. Next to the theater was a Ben & Jerry's ice cream shop. I had butter pecan in a tasty waffle cone and it was delicious. I have never before eaten Ben & Jerry's that was not in a pint carton. It was not the new "Pecan Resist" which specifically supports anti-Trump efforts. I try to avoid liberal company products when possible, but this ice cream was too good for me to resist!

10. And finally, I had a pleasant direct flight home on Frontier Airlines, landing safely in a foggy airport. I was ready, after 10 days away, to be home again--but not fully prepared for the crazy weather which awaited me!

A few photos: