Fun Factory, No chance
On Wednesday Torrin, Damon and the kids scheduled a fishing boat charter which was supposed to run until 1PM so I knew I had some time to get stuff done around the house. I used some of that time to apply additional tension to the sun shade I now have covering the bar park. The overall look is wonky for sure but it seems to achieve the goal of providing a shaded area where DJ and Cindy can hang out in the yard during the day.
I also decided to replace the main drive belt on the tractor, something I originally had slated for this weekend. The old belt was either stretched or glazed over, causing the tractor to hardly be able to move at times. Since I had replaced the belt before I more or less knew what to do but it still took a little while since the mower deck has to be removed to do the work. After swapping belts and putting everything back together the tractor once again moved more or less normally.
So I got a surprise message from Torrin after their fishing trip that they were all heading to an Urgent Care. Griffin has been getting over pneumonia, Torrin’s one ear had been closed since she landed in Florida and Damon said he felt like he was weasing a bit. The visit there delayed their arrival at the house by several hours after they were given mostly steroids to address the issues. They hung for a little while but I could tell they were all pretty beat from the day, especially Griffin who wasn’t feeling good. Our hope was after a decent night of rest everyone would feel better for their last full day in Florida on Thursday.
The gang showed up at the house late Thursday morning. The plan was to go to the Corkscrew Sanctuary which is close by. Before heading there we ate lunch and the kids got to feed the chickens. They both loved interacting with the chickens, especially Emily. She had a circle of hens around her that were eating the garden greens she was holding.
We had considered the two swamp hike options, Bird Rookery, where it is just raw trail and Corkscrew which is a state park which has full amenities and an elevated boardwalk. I thought for the kids the more structured experience of Corkscrew might be better, despite it having an admission price.
The walk was a lot of fun for the most part. The only negative was the heat which was rather oppressive for the time of year, climbing above 85 degrees. Luckily I had my mega-brim hat to keep me in the shade full time. We had some cool wildlife sightings including a bunch of birds and a female alligator with her babies gathered around her. Everyone also was impressed by some of the giant cypress trees, some of which are over 500 years old.
By the time we were done everyone was pretty overheated. When we got back to the house the sparsely utilized pool got some actual use. Both kids swam around in it while the adults hung by the edge, content with just soaking the legs. The pool water temp of 70 degrees was chilly for us old people.
So now it was time to get some of our PEVs out. The Minpro is always the first device we have people try since it is the easiest to learn. Damon tried it first followed by the kids. It didn’t take Damon long though to want to try the One Wheel. Years ago Damon used to do some surfing so the One Wheel seemed up his alley. After giving him a few basic tips he quickly got the hang of it. By the end of the session he was riding challenging laps around the backyard without falling off. I am pretty certain he will be joining the One Wheel army in the not too distant future as he absolutely loved it.
The kids tried the One Wheel but it was a bit too advanced for them. They did enjoy zipping around the yard on the Minipro quite a bit however. I also brought out one of my EUCs to demonstrate as well as the all terrain skateboard. The three of them had a great time rolling around the yard.
Cindy once again prepared a tasty dinner for us. Part of it utilized the fish that the gang caught during their fishing charter, which I ate. Cindy really went out of her way to make the meals special which I appreciated greatly. Katie came over with DJ to meet everyone which was cool. DJ was his normal cute and special self. I held him so much my left bicep was cramping by the end of the night.
After supper Griffin hooked up his Nintendo Switch again, he and Emily wanted to beat up on Damon and I one more time in Super Smash Brothers. They continued their unbeaten streak although we did manage to survive longer. The controllers for the Switch are so small when you play in that manner that I find myself constantly hitting buttons unintentionally. After beating us up one last time it was time for them to go. They had to pack up and get to bed at a decent hour for their flight back to Texas today. I think everyone enjoyed themselves which was my ultimate goal.
I haven’t said anything here about the Coronavirus panic but of course I have seen the escalation that has been occurring the last few weeks. I am not concerned about my own personal well being as I think I am healthy enough to fight off such an illness. However what I am concerned about is the hysteria that is already going on. People are quickly adopting a snowstorm/hurricane mentality where they are hoarding supplies and adopting a me first, fck everyone else attitude.
When we were at the sanctuary gift shop yesterday I witnessed a woman sneeze into her open hand and then take that hand to dig out coins in her purse which she handed to the clerk. Then the woman rested that same hand on counter. It was a scenario that assured me that if the hope is for human beings to be trusted to do the right things to minimize transmission, we have no shot. Personally I am trying be more mindful of my interactions with others and public spaces. The biggest challenge for me is avoiding touching my face which is something I do all the time, I am a generally itchy person. I am at least trying to scratch that itch using the back of my appendages or only after my hands have been washed or sanitized.
This weekend I have normal things to accomplish. I also have a subscriber from my YouTube channel that is in the area for vacation. He asked if we could meet up so he could test a couple of my wheels that he is considering buying for himself. I told him I would be ok with that so we should connect on Sunday some time. Today the sod for the now elevated chicken area is due to be delivered and installed. The portable sprinkler I have will be running back there quite a bit over the next week to bring the hibernating bahia grass back to life.