Some of you have read the Space Coast Food Guide update, which means we had another little visit to the wonderland that is the greater Cape Canaveral area. Two weeks there, to be exact, and, well, that's enough time to be able to say "I'm ready to go home."
The first week, we hosted the Carlsons, with whom we visited the Aquatica waterpark in Orlando and the Kennedy Space Center. And of course we drank our fill of various excellent rum concoctions thanks to the mixological wizardry of Uncle Mark. Beach time, pool time, fresh fish at a B&G time. A rocket launch of two. Uncle Mike even came down with his darlin' new pup, Ellie. Juliet naturally freaked and manhandled the poor thing within an inch of its life.
James and I also got some fishing in--two trips on family favorite the Orlando Princess, one at night to catch sharks and then the standard half-day fishing trip. Sadly, we had no luck with the sharks, save a few brief fights that ended with the sharks biting through our lines. We did manage some pretty swell red snappers on the day-cruise though, but they don't let you keep them as they're overfished.
Several days after the Carlsons bolted, the Brown-Thomas clan (Erica's cousin's family) arrived. The B-T's are such wonderfully sweet kids and they make our kids better when they're with them. Those days were mostly the same: beach, pool, sun. Can't complain!
Well, maybe a little bit. One of the things Erica and I noticed more often this trip, as I alluded to in the food reviews, is the number of confederate flags and other Trumpy/angry/obnoxious signage and bumper stickers everywhere. Some of that is just us looking for it more, some of that is the fact that, well, there's more of it. Increasingly, it seems, the success of the resentment-stoking machine that just is MAGA is materializing in seditious, angry, intimidating, rude, and overtly-sexualized imagery, messaging, and overall cultural ethos. Classless, yes, but also miserable and miserable to be around. When did tailgating someone in a much bigger truck than you need, with blindingly bright headlights, and aggressive, threatening bumper stickers constitute southern hospitality? I know this stuff isn't exactly new, but its pervasiveness is. And after two weeks, it's just time to come home. Say what you will about some of the more risible eccentricities of Evanston, these aren't fertile grounds for the anti-social, pro-violence, "Gun Control Is A Steady Trigger Finger"-type mindset.
On the way home, we stopped over in downtown Nashville for their Let Freedom Sing celebration. The city was packed for what turned out to be a nationally-broadcast, star-studded fireworks and music spectacular sponsored by Disney. We spent a few hours on a very hot (95 degrees!) and crowded Broadway Street taking in the sounds of such luminaries as Boys 2 Men, Nick Jonas, and Sublime. Actually, being there was not quite as cool as it sounds, since we were basically a live audience backdrop for a television broadcast, rather than a crowd at a concert. Most of it was actually dead air, between-the-commercials time, but the kids seemed overwhelmed by the scene in a good way.
The best bit by far was the drone show/fireworks display at the end. Nashville does it up big, with what is one of America's largest fireworks shows. None of us had seen a drone show before, but it was amazing, and the fireworks were a overwhelming pedal-to-the-metal blitzkrieg of light and booms for half an hour, culminating in an absurd "fire all of your guns at once" fusillade that left the crowd speechless. I'd post a video, but blogger doesn't handle those to well, so you're gonna have to trust me.
Lastly, we lived up to a promise we made to the kids and went to a Waffle House on the way home. It's just as you remembered it!
Only 17 day to our Italy trip and I promise to post more often on location!
No comments:
Post a Comment