Well, the leaves are turning, snow is falling, and the heat is starting to come on in the middle of the day. That must mean it’s time to start our annual perambulations around the world before the snow gets too deep to get out of the house.
First off this year is Florida, but since it’s business, it’s only going to be 87% enjoyable. Maybe 88%, but that will depend on how many stone crab claws I can get my hands on. Ostensibly, we’re going to Florida to check out the newly refitted Disney Magic. For five days Mary will assiduously investigate the staterooms, restaurants, entertainment, public areas, shopping, embarkation, debarkation, port stops, and overall service. Meanwhile I’ll be conducting an in-depth inspection of the new Irish pub on board. I think the division of labor is a little unfair, but it’s not in my nature to whine about it, much, so I’ve resolved to bravely soldier on, helped immeasurably by the consumption of a large number of pints of Guinness.
We are both concerned that we’ve lost our acclimatization to sea level conditions after four months up here in our own personal mountain fastness, which is sort of like a super-villain lair, but without the laser defenses or disposable henchmen. Not that I would be adverse to laser defenses, but Mary says the electric bill would go through the roof, and that the squirrels would keep triggering them. As far as I’m concerned that’s firmly in the plus column, but I’ll just have to wait another year.
Anyway, soon we’ll be breathing in that thick soupy concoction you flatlanders call “air”. There are also, according to news reports, large flying insects that can land upon the unwary and suck out their very lifeblood. Shudder. So we’ve already ordered a fifty gallon drum of DEET, which we’ll be using to soak our clothes, as well as bathing in for the next couple of weeks. By then we should be all set.