Monday, July 10, 2017

Anabelle and Daddy Ad-veeeeen-tures! Yeah! *Jazz Hands* Bonus Day with Mami 4 –August 31

The Familyship is the Thing


It took a bit, but we finally figured out how to do what we wanted to on this trip.

As much as it pained me to deny my pocket based existence, we left everything but the hotel key in the room safe when we went to the beach after a quick breakfast.

This allowed us to remain together the whole time, whether sunning, reading and fake cooking in the sand; or swimming, playing, getting battered (me) and laughing at me getting battered (them) in the surf.

Then a giant wave maliciously stole Rosa’s sunglasses off of Anabelle’s head, and we had to split up for a bit to go get the goggles out of the room before rejoining the swimming.

Well, they were swimming, I mostly practiced the “stand and bob” while scanning the water for random flesh eating ocean beasts.  Although all I usually saw was party snack eating seagulls.

My scanning wasn’t all that useful since the storm slowly working its way up the coast hadn’t removed the pleasantness of the weather, but churned the ocean significantly.  Even in ankle deep water, I was unable to see my own feet, which the sun had reddened to the shade of bell peppers. (This explained the foot pain the night before.)

We played a bit more in the shifting water; until Hermine’s southern shenanigans started increasing the size of those shifts beyond Anabelle’s comfort zone. (This meant they had about doubled their way past mine several hours earlier.)

We spent the longest time at the beach of the whole week, yet it was the first day we didn’t have to drag the towels back to avoid the encroaching tide. Consider that lunar supplied proof that our family pulled off an early start for a change.

We wiped off the sand and salt, changed, and wandered down the Boardwalk to the Rainforest Café.   In another rare planning success for us, Rosa remembered to join the Landry’s Select Club before going, gaining a gift card, discounts and other benefits.

Since the Trump Plaza had long since closed, the Rainforest Café still inhabiting the building went exceptionally far out of its way to remind people it was still open with signs, flyers and music loud enough to vibrate the sea itself.

The atmosphere was fun, and the waiter went over and above the “helpful and friendly” thing, but fortunately stopped just short of excessively creepy. 

The manager also came over to insure everything was to our satisfaction, and ask if there was anything he could do for us members of the Landry’s Select Club.  (See? Other benefits!)

Upon exiting, I used my large fur bearing mammalness to disperse a crowd of Pokémon hunters around the Miss America statue to allow us to take photos without waiting for the statue to come to life and shove them out of her face.

Rosa went on ahead to do a little shopping, and pack up things they no longer needed on their Anabelle and Mami ad-veeeeen-ture!  *Jazz Hands*    Anabelle took the opportunity to waste me at mini golf again, but outside this time.  Since the store that sold all the large metal statues that grace the course had long since closed, I’m guessing the links became self-sufficient.

After my concession speech, we went back to the room where we loaded up and planned out some things.  From the time they announced their plan to stay, the plan in my head rapidly transitioned from:

1) Couple going in early with the normal ability to leave early before the holiday weekend, and get there to meet them when they left the beach.

To:

2) Couple going in early with taking a half day, and meet them on the beach for a little while.

Then finally realizing the horrifying nature of Holiday shore traffic and shooting off e-mails to work before leaving to:

3) Couple taking Friday off, going in early Thursday and excessive amounts of caffeine to head back to my family less than twenty four hours after leaving them to meet them in the room the night before they go to the beach.

It was like the day trips I took down to A.C. in my younger days, only in reverse.


I rediscovered the joys of driving to spoken comedy. Thanx to playlists and much of my stand-up being on cassette, I had forgotten how much better it keeps me awake and alert than music when alone.

Eddie Izzard and a pile of Mountain Dew got me back home safely, with only a brief pit stop at a rest area, accompanied by shoving a power bar in my face.

With Rosa’s shopping list in hand, I ran up to the Acme Supermarket in town…and saw it was closed. 

Then I got in my car…and saw people inside the store.

Then while I was trying to decipher the hours sign I saw someone enter the exit door and figured it out.

I’m sure the sixteen texts Rosa received from me during this long drive fueled confusion gave her some quality entertainment.

With external needs fulfilled, I ran around my home like a crazy man, unloading items shipped back, and hunting for items that needed to return with me.

Sleep eventually hit like a ton of narcoleptic bricks, which was fortunate, as something was slightly amiss with the timer the bedroom light was plugged into, illuminating my unable to move form from one to two in the morning.


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