Florida Chrinicles Part II

OK, to pick up where we left off.....Steve had arrived in Florida.

He pulled into the first hotel they found. It was a nice Marriott and it only had a suite available. Steve hopped on it. Needless to say he was tired. Who wouldn't be after driving since 5am!

The next morning he was ready to seize the day, Carpe' Burrito, as he would say. The only problem, he has spent the last 16 years having me plan his vacation days. I don't think this is a bad thing. He just hasn't ever developed the skill to plan the whole day on a whim. He, again, is very goal oriented. So he was kind of lost on what to get done.

He called me and I gave him some ideas. His dad was being a good sport and was just going with the flow. Don is a laid back guy and wasn't about to put his agenda on Steve. So Steve got to (had to) make all the decisions.

The went around the town of Clermont. It seemed to Steve to be a very tourist type town. Not a very homey place. He was really bothered by the guards at the entrance to the grocery stores. It was a big strike against the area.

He took Don around to the Disney sites. The took in Downtown Disney, the Poly, the Wilderness Lodge, the Grand Floridian, & the monorail. I think that Don got a good idea why we enjoy it so much. I think Steve also got a better idea of why we like it so much. The reason? Because it isn't the 'real' world. Just outside the Disney gates the 'real' world comes flooding back in.

Steve spent the day growing ever more anxious about the drive back home. I think the idea of spending another day just flitting about while the drive loomed over him was too much. He started to freak out and obsess over the drive. He was done! He was ready to come home! He was tired of not knowing where to drive, tired of reading maps, tired of thinking about what to do next. Again, he was DONE!

So he was tossing and turing trying to go to sleep with no luck. So what does any sane person do? Wake up their father and get on the road at 8:30pm! He knew if he told me I would have freaked out on him. He called me the next morning from Alexandria LA. I was glad he was coming home but worried sick about him.

He made it home safe and sound, if not really sleepy. He learned that we didn't need to buy a house in the Orlando area. If we want to spend several months there when we retire, we will just rent. It is not a place that he wants to make a home. So the trip seemed like a failure but in hind site it was a success. He learned what he needed to learn.