The final countdown
Yesterday morning Gladys and I once again tried doing the snorkel journey around the point, the same path we abandoned yesterday due to bad conditions. This time we had much better visibility for 2/3 of the swim and saw some beautiful fish along the way. Once again I exited the water feeling like my nose was encased in sea water which has had some consequences I’ll talk about later.
Since it was the second to last day here I wanted to make sure I gave Gladys a hand with the things I said I would. One of those things was hooking up an old TV with a built in DVD player to external speakers. The internal speakers appeared to be bad so we hoped this was a way around it, using the audio out RCA jack on the TV to feed the speakers. Well the plan failed, even with the speakers attached there was no external sound output. I was bummed out. It seems like the sound driver board in the TV is toast so unfortunately a new TV will likely be the solution, especially with as inexpensive as they are.
I also hung three curtain rods for Gladys. She has a decent collection of tools so it wasn’t much of a challenge. I tried to be a hero and help Gladys drill a hole in a 4 gang outlet cover so she could feed some coax through it. She was going very slow (intentionally) but I asked her to let me try. So I crank the speed to max, pop through the other side and plate instantly cracks in half, it was a pretty hard/brittle type of plastic. I felt like an idiot. I’ll get her a replacement cover that doesn’t require drilling back in the states.
The final thing was to navigate Gladys’s tiny DJI drone to do a fly away shot that she will use as part of other content. It was my first time flying that model. Despite it’s small size it delivers high quality and stable video. I think the shots turned out well.
I joined Gladys for her to run more errands connected to her property management position. Seeing her daily routine makes me feel assured I would not be a great property manager. The job requires countless phone calls/messages while running around as required to take care of the needs of the properties and the clients who rent them.
On the way back we stopped at the same coffee shop as the prior day, the one with the outdoor dock seating area. We enjoyed our coffee inside this time but did it front of the back glass wall that had a big section slid open. I really like the vibe of that place.
So I was feeling increasingly shitty as the day progressed. At first I wrote it off to a side effect of Taco Tuesday. I also have been doing a poor job of hydrating down here. With how much you sweat in the intense heat and humidity you have to keep drinking. However by the afternoon I was feeling something else that was unwelcomed but familiar, discomfort in my head. My assumption is it is related to all of sea water that has gone into my head the past week, awesome.
Last night we went out to dinner again with Kat and Dustin, doing yet another thing I have not done in years, eat sushi. The food was good although the service was a little on the slow side. It was an interesting night for me where I found out a little more background about Gladys, Dustin and Kat. I am extremely appreciative of the kindness and inclusion they have shown me during my week here. I understand more clearly why Gladys speaks so positively of both of them.
When we got back Gladys did some significant packing while laid there on the bed hanging out, it was nice, for some reason. I still have to finish packing but I am pretty sure I can do the entire process in 15 minutes.
Unfortunately I had a pretty rough night of sleep. My head was filling up. When I got out of bed this morning I dumped peroxide in both ears to hopefully give me enough relief to at least get through the day.
It has certainly been a magical week here on the island and of course I owe that to Gladys. Her willingness to share her home with me and show me why this place is so special to her is something I will carry with me from this point forward. That being said, being back in my own stomping grounds this evening will be good as well. One thing I have always liked about living in Florida is instead of feeling all depressed about vacations completing, I get to look forward to coming back to a place many people dream of.
Thank you Gladys…..