What is it in golf when you call for a re-do of your last shot? Mulligan? I want to call a "mulligan" on the vacation. I would so love to be able to redo it.
I was looking forward to that holiday more than I can describe. It was to be my break from Medicine Hat, returning to start the RCMP job and start anew, so to speak.
I underestimated how hot it would be in Orlando at that time of year. When I was there a few years ago in early June, it was around plus 28 and high humidiy every day, but I actually got to like it.
This time, I think the peak was around plus 35, again with the humidity. Put that together with the crowds (again, less extreme in June) and it wasn't the holiday I had in mind. I was so excited to go back with my wife and my family, and re-experience and share the things I loved about it so much with them, as I was there by myself last time.
Then, topping it all off, was my dad's passing, and the memorial week that followed. Kind of makes it feel like we never went anywhere at all.
But, as my sunburn and mastercard bill will atest to, indeed we did, and I will try to give a bit of a trip diary, to the best of my ability.
July 11- left Medicine Hat. Eye appointment in Calgary, then to Edmonton. Dropped Allie off at emergency to get her cat bite looked at, (after dropping Napoleon off at my brother and sister-in-law's house) ended up requiring antibiotic IV that night, and booked to go back then next morning for more, with a warning that if it didn't start looking better, she may need to arrange for the same in Orlando. She also got a scrip for oral antibiotics.
July 12- Phone calls to our travel medical insurer, to make sure that IV antiobiotics would be covered, if necessary. Yeppers. So, she got her morning treatment, and managed to squeeze in one more at about 3pm. Leaving Doctor Tongue and the dogs at Allie's mom's house, she met me at my parents place that afternoon. That would be our last visit with my dad.
We left the condo, drove to Leduc, picked up my sister and her youngest son, and headed for Calgary. Stayed at a crappy hotel, overpriced because the Stampede was still on. Left them at the hotel at 10PM, while we headed off to the nearest Calgary emergency room, as the bite wasn't feeling so good. 4 hours later, she didn't need anymore IV treatments, but they prescribed another, stronger oral antibiotic to be taken along with the first one. Back to the hotel in order to get a couple hours of sleep befopre catching the airport shuttle in the morning. My poor sister, she thought we'd be cancelling the trip for sure, especially when we got back to the hotel, she only saw me and didn't notice Allie. Thought they kept her at the hospital.
July 13- Actually beginning the trip. Made it to the airport, checked in and after initially thinking we had bypassed all the food establishments on the other side of Customs, found fast food on OUR side of security, and had breakfast and got snacks to take on the plane. Met up with my nephew and his girlfriend, who had flown from Edmonton earlier and connected in Calgary, same flight as us. Uneventful flight, 5 and a half hours or so, we landed in Orlando. Had to wait on the plane for well over half an hour, as there was a thunderstorm, and the airport crew couldn't be outside to guide the plane in (lightning risk). Finally, we got towed in, met our shuttle driver (waiting for us in the airport with a sign that said "O'Keefe", just like in the movies. Made it to the hotel, changed, had a really good dinner at a local Friday's restaurant (more on that later), went for a swim, and crashed.
Next post- day 1 in Florida....
posted by Unknown @ 9:18 PM
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