Day 13 - January 7, 2018 - Yea, Elon!

David texted that they arrived home at 4 a.m. this morning, non-stop.  And he played hockey today.  He's even more insane than his old man!

Following up on yesterday's conversation, this is what a mini-kitchen should look like.

Combination convection/microwave oven, stove top, dishwasher, fridge, toaster, coffee maker and cupboards.   In a studio unit.  Orange Lake does it right!

This is our view into the atrium.

Now for some good news.  We golfed today.  One birdie, a couple of pars, a pair of tens 😠, which led to a 105 total.  Not too bad considering 👴.  

The bad news?  You already know it.

101.  Straight down the middle.  Need I say more?  If she ever learns to extend those arms and get more distance I'm really toast!

The highlight of our day was a trip back to Titusville to view the launch of the SpaceX Falcon 9.  We picked Jo-Ann up and headed for Spaceview Park in Titusville, and found a prime viewing place on the pedestrian walk on the bridge.

What you see as bright white in the following pictures was really a bright orange.  Awesome!

The first stage separated from the rest.

And then, they brought the damn thing down!!!

Landed probably a mile or so away from the launch pad, on legs, as planned.  Way to go Elon!  What a fabulous show!

Tomorrow, more golf.   Then games of Hand and Foot with Jo-Ann.

Day Twelve - January 6, 2018 - A Pause

Got up at 5:30 a.m. to watch the kids have breakfast.

And then they were off.

David wanted to get away early to avoid the traffic gridlock he faced last year, and they did.  We touched base five hours later and they had made it into South Carolina.  The golf clubs never made it out of the bags and the bikes never got off the bike rack.  But the kids did have a good time.

Today is the first day in a week that we haven't had to wear coats or jackets.  The warm weather ended the day after they arrived and returned the day they left.  Not very fair!

Once they had gone, Mardi and I got busy with the packing, checked out and headed over to Orange Lake.  Not surprisingly, our room wasn't ready so we dropped off our luggage, etc. at the Valet station and headed to the airport to pick up daughter Jo-Ann (I have to make the "daughter" distinction because next Saturday we pick up another Jo-Anne at the airport).

We waited in the Cell Phone parking lot for over half an hour after her flight landed, then I got impatient.  While I was driving up to the Arrivals area Mardi got a text message from Jo-Ann that she was waiting at post 27.  At that moment we were just passing post 29, and a minute later I was apologizing for keeping her waiting so long 😀.

We drove Jo-Ann to her timeshare and got her settled in.  Her one bedroom apartment is roomy, beautiful and fully equipped.  The one we had this past week was beautiful but not equipped - it had a mini fridge, a microwave and a coffee maker, but no cups, glasses, dishes, cutlery or storage space for food.  We were able to share with David and family, but anyone coming into that one bedroom "apartment" on their own would have some difficulty.  The front desk said that "they" don't put those things in the apartment, but if we had called "they" would have brought some stuff over.  I suggested to them that "they" might want to revisit that policy!

Anyway, the three of us went out for lunch at Joe's Crab Shack before taking Jo-Ann to Publix for her shopping.

It was then time to get ourselves settled.  At 3:45 the room we had been assigned still wasn't ready so we had to stamp our feet and get moved to another room.  No view (we look into the atrium of the clubhouse from our studio unit) but it is well equipped and roomy.

A week here and then we move into a two bedroom villa for three weeks.

We had planned to get together for a game of cards this evening, but I fell asleep sitting up watching CNN, so we called the game off.



Tomorrow, we finally get to golf!  If you hear that Mardi won, consider it "fake news".

Day 11 - January 5, 2018 - Kennedy Space Center

Spent a full day at the Space Center  - my Christmas gift to the Craigs, to replace the cancelled golf day.

On the way, we saw this interesting punch bug - must belong to a whale enthusiast, based on the tail painting at the rear.

During the bus tour of the facility we passed the SpaceX complex.  We were told that they have a twice delayed launch now rescheduled for Sunday.  We may have to return.

The original control room for the Apollo flights is interesting to see.  And they reenact the first moon landing in dramatic fashion.

All of the sections of the Saturn V rocket can't be captured in one photo.  It is really enormous.

And the relatively small Apollo spacecraft is incredible to think about.  They were definitely crazy people!

On every tour, the bus driver points out what they claim is the biggest Bald Eagle nest on the property (the lump in the tree slightly left of middle).  They estimate that it weighs about 700 pounds.  The kids told me an Eagle was on the nest but I was too busy looking through the lense to notice.  We earlier passed an eagle on the ground just a few feet from the bus but the cameraman wasn't quick enough.

After we returned to the Visitor Centre we headed for the Atlantis display.  These are the fuel tank and rockets that propelled the Space Shuttles.

And this is the Atlantis, the first of the five Space Shuttles to be built.

It's always nice to see Canada in big letters on the two Canadarms!

We took one last picture of the "rocket garden" before we left.

The one and a half hour return trip to Orlando got us to Miller's Ale House just in time for the 8 p.m., Canada versus Sweden, World Junior Hockey gold medal game.

It was tied at 1-1 for a good part of the game, but, despite being mostly outplayed, Canada got a late goal and an empty-netter to seal the victory.  A good way to end the day and, unfortunately, the David Craig family vacation.

Tomorrow they head home, we break camp, and pick daughter Jo-Ann up at the airport before relocating to our home resort of Orange Lake.

Day Ten - January 4, 2018 - To Hell With The Weather!

Started the day at Posner Chrysler in Davenport having the van serviced (192,000 kilometres) and afterwards checked out the house the guys have rented for our March golf trip, which was just down the street.  No pictures but you can see the house on Google Maps - 104 Kimberley Point Drive, Davenport.

Despite the fact that I earlier said that Universal was not going to happen due to the weather, the kids decided to go anyway.  They had a great day despite spending five hours in the cold lining up for the two best rides.  They mailed me these pictures.

At 8 p.m. the other four of us headed to Miller's to watch Canada beat the Czech Republic 7-2.  No screen shot pictures....if you weren't watching the game shame on you!

But there are a few pics of the food and drink.



After they were picked up from Universal, the kids joined us.

Apparently, a very successful day.  Tomorrow we head for Cape Canaveral and the Space Centre.

Day Nine - January 3, 2018 - More of the same

Pouring rain this morning, turned to sunny but cold this afternoon.

Mardi and I attended our sales presentation this afternoon.  Much as we figured it would be, except they were asking for more money than we expected.  We did our two mandatory hours and were asked to wait for someone to authorize our "gift" of a $100 Visa card.  After sitting unattended for another 20 minutes, I went ballistic.  We finally got our card and left.  Made more than the minimum hourly rate, but it was still work.

Another game of volleyball broke out and the kids talked David into participating.  The photographer wore his parka once again.

But, I wasn't the only one dressed to keep warm.

The sand was really cold on the bare feet, so a periodic warm up in the hot tub was called for.

And, the usual wet ball had to be dealt with.

The kids stayed behind to have a swim after the game, but the photographer headed home to find his rye and coke.

No Junior hockey tonight, so there's nothing else to report.  Normally, I would inflict more of my philosophical musings on the audience at this point, but I am mesmerized by watching CNN report on the new book "Fire and Fury" about Trump.  So, we'll see you all tomorrow.

Day Eight - January 2, 2018 - Change of plans

The high for today was projected to be 12C (and this will be the best temperature for the balance of the kids' week) and it is blustery once again, so golf and Universal Studios are both being scratched.

Today we decided to take in Disney Springs (formerly called Downtown Disney) instead.  Note the coats and vests!



All three of David's boys are taller than me now - Malcolm topping out at six foot three.  And Sarah-Jean isn't all that far behind them.


We covered it all, including Girardelli's chocolates where we each received a free chocolate.  But we skipped the boat ride due to the nasty conditions and only saw one musician playing.

After returning to the condo, the kids decided that the pool would be warm enough (mid 80's) to make up for the cold air.  But the photographer kept his down-filled parka on anyway.

Next stop was a Miller's Ale House, our favourite watering hole, this one at Lake Buena Vista just a half mile away.  Mardi and I walked.  We had dinner and watched Canada beat the Swiss in the Junior Hockey Tournament.

Then, after arriving home, Malcolm and I let Sarah-Jean and her dad beat us at Euchre.😢

We have enough news today that you don't have to deal with my philosophical musings tonight.  But tomorrow calls for rain, so be forewarned!

Day Seven - Monday, January 1, 2018 - Health Care

Everybody stayed awake long enough last night to watch the ball drop in Times Square and then hit the pillows.

We awoke to a rainy, cold and blustery day so it was mainly a day of playing cards.  We finished the game of Phase 10 from yesterday.  Grandpa was totally outclassed by the opposition in that one so he went away and pouted (with some Canadian Club) while games of Hand and Foot took over.  In the game pictured below, Mardi and Ewen crushed Sarah-Jean and Malcolm.

For New Years we had turkey dinner and toasted the year with some sparkling stuff.

As you can see, David is upright today and on the road to recovery.

Since this is another slow news day, let's keep our attention on health and health care.

On our North Rim of the Grand Canyon adventure, at the beginning of Barack Obama's first term, Malcolm and I stayed in Sedona for a week.  Around the pool, the discussion turned to health care and, as a Canadian, I was asked what I thought about our universal health care.  I fumbled through a few thoughts, but was later upset with myself for not having a more clear, lucid defense of our system.

Yes, there are long wait times for elective surgery.  If your hips or knees have been deteriorating for a few years, or your cataracts are slowly ripening, you may have to wait a few more weeks, or even months, to see a specialist.  But, these ailments have been going on for a while in your life and are not life threatening.  If you have a condition that needs attention, you will get it.

I spent six weeks in the hospital after breaking my back, received good attention, and it didn't cost a cent.  The nerve damage I have been dealing with in more recent years, that was probably caused by the crushed vertebrae, was treated promptly as well.  No need to argue with an insurance company about whether it was a pre-existing condition either.

There are lots of arguments that both sides can make, but when you get to the bottom line there is one factor that should win the day.

• an American child, born today, has an average life expectancy of 79 years.
• a Canadian child can expect to live an average of 82 years.

That is a huge difference, and as I am now in this three year window, this seems to me to be an increasingly important issue.

Yes, the Americans do kill each other with guns more than we do (over 30,000 people per year - more than in traffic accidents).  And over 40,000 of them died of drug overdoses last year.  But, in a nation of over 300 million people, those two causes don't fully explain the life expectancy difference.

It is my belief that the main factor is the difference between our universal health care, versus their "watch your neighbour die health care".  Despite the fact that the Americans spend considerably more per capita on health care than we do, a significant section of the population cannot access what they need.  A hateful situation that we may explore further on other rainy days.

However, tomorrow we hope to get in a game of golf and, hopefully, we'll have lots to report.