The alarm clock went off at o’dark hundred this morning. Hushed and switching on the bedside table lamp twas stunned with a blue green flash as the light bulb burned out and then a fraction later the phone rings with the wakeup call backup. Okay! I’m awake! I’m awake! I suppose a bucket of water in the face is worse.

The FO has his first baby due July 5th. Don’t think that he’s not checking his voice mail everytime we hit the deck 😉 I like the choice of dates. If the doctor had proclaimed the baby due on the 3rd — and it didn’t happen — why then he’d be on the hook for the holiday 4th. There’s no pressure or external influence in this calculation is there?

The FA (35 and single) has been working on her private pilot’s license for about a year now and is scheduled for the big checkride next month. She takes offense and shows various degrees of friendly irritation when asked “has she got it done yet”. She trys to be one of the guys but it’s a female frustration to be harangued about marital status, and when she’s finally married “any children yet”.

I was itching to ride the new GM Test Track at Epcot but it had been closed most of the morning due to tech difficulties (a common occurrence I understand) When they finally got it back up we waited out the 100 minute line and finally got our turn. It was worth it and we got the full effect except for the last 10 yards toward the unloading platform when the whole thing ground to a screeching halt. Broken down, again. We sat there strapped in like crash dummies unable to extricate ourselves. The lap/shoulder belts lock up for good until somebody in some control room pushes the red button. I mean, there is no emergency way out! After 10 minutes I was wishing for my Leatherman knife tool (back in the hotel) for with to start sawing my way out. So we waited it out and finally they powered down and they sprung us and we walked out. You should have seen the look of dejection on the faces of those who were waiting to board. They had been waiting near 2 hours for their chance and then — Sorry this ride is closed! I mean, some of them had actually made it into a waiting car and were ready to Go! Euuuuu — they were a little bit testy…

Remind me to clue in the apartment complex I’m visiting. They have a gorgeous marine aquarium in a public space. It looks to be professionally kept but devoid of life. If you peer closely the fishes are all cowering behind the rockscape. If they’d only put the tank lights on a timer, they’d get some relief and enjoy a natural Arcadian rhythm. In other words KILL THE LIGHTS SO THEY CAN GET SOME QUALITY SLEEP TIME, WOULD YA PLEASE? The other issue is the poor PC in the library/reading room. It’s a low end Compaq but it offers the tenants broadband internet and a few installed apps. I suspect that it is mostly used to play solitaire but not for much longer if it isn’t rescued. The cpu tower is hidden away in a desk cabinet with zilch for cooling air flow. I open the door and the hot air billows from the slow burning machine.

Should be off season. Early AM and summer peak yet the pilgrimage is full on. Rush hour. I ponder the day when the park service starts to limit the trail count. The locals are annoyed. Still it’s more fun then a trip to the (no less crowded) mall. People watching is so much more meaningful. You judge people less by their clothes, jeweley, hair, and makeup rather muscles, tans, respiration rates, sweat, and postures. It’s fun to catch snippets of conversation as they pass. Glimpses of other worlds and life styles.

The passenger with the NASCAR hat decides to recline the seat from the git go. My newspaper is tight on my chest now. It’s not enough that my space is violated but he keeps pushing back against his seat. Leaning hard like he thinks that it should travel further or perhaps he just feels the need to squirm. You can’t help but focus on this because NASCAR is a big bruiser and that his creaking groaning seat frame is sure to collapse into your lap. I’m forced to ease my seat back as well. Now the person behind me is probably having thoughts… I contemplate the domino chain reaaction row after row.

No pumas in the crevas but many pitfalls. We saw Laura Croft on her descent. She was favoring her leg and as she passed us I spied two bloody wounds. She shrugged them off. ‘Badges of honor.’

The cantine ran dry on our trek. Sense of smell became keen and one could detect the fragrance of chlorinated pools and irrigated golf greenery from far below. The thought of hydration and morning chow back at the inn kept us moving.

The purpose built working dogs, built low to the ground and lightning quick, do well with this frisbee toss business but here’s the real crowd pleaser…

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(on holiday 😮 this is a repeat blog from a year ago)

Had some challenges with the boat out of winter storage. I had taken the the engine driven Sherwood pump off for inspection but when I put it back on I got it 180 degrees out of sync. That is, it was blowing instead of sucking. I found this out when I launched and it was only a matter of minutes before the rubber impeller destructed, turning to blue smoke and stink vaporized out the tailpipe. Ooops! Day 1 lost.

Second fiasco: having rebuilt and sorted out the raw water pump, day 2 was looking hopeful when the battery went flat. Uugghh! Luckily a fisherman on the ramp obliged to help. He had a set of jump cables in his Blazer and since he was single-handling (and also launching his boat for the 1st time this season) I tended his craft for him while he put his trailer in the parklot. When I finally got up and running the water was a “tad” chilly yet. Spencer and I both did the wakeboard thing once before we lost daylight.