100613-Summer Vacation

Summer Vacation, June 13, 2010

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Orlando. Early June.

Now, just because vacation is when you can pig out, doesn't mean you actually have to be out of your home city to let your depravity begin.  We're still in San Diego when Dash is bequeathed with this lollipop. "Eh.  Son.  Back in my day, we didn't have no fancy polychromatic school-of-fish lollipops. In my day, the were of one color.  Either round, round-with-an-equatorial-belt, or a slice of round (like a cut of an onion or a beet).  If we were lucky, it had a tootsie bar or gum core. "And we were glad to have it."

Day 1.  Sunday.  The Martin's pool.  Dash in water five hours.  Contrast that with the five minutes in wetsuits the week before before we were blue and chattering... Uncle Dan, Zachary and Zoe.

Aunt Corrine.
Dash playing acrobat. Dash doing a really good job swimming.  It was the first time I'd seen him in the middle of the pool taking multiple breaths before heading over to a support.  He can survive a fall, I'm relieved.  But not for long, his technique doesn't leave much endurance.

Dash admires his cousins.  Here, he's making cookies with Zoe.  Zoe reading to him.  Zoe's two years older, a gifted and precocious two years.  Close enough where he can still thing of Zoe as an almost peer.

Here's The Cousins, a Rock Band rock band.

Next day, Monday, was New Smyrna.  No pictures of the requisite sand castle, deferring to other, later castles. We're here at Norwood's Fine Seafood for the first time since we were here with Dad as our very common post-Smyrna meal.  I always used to get the Flounder and Danny used to get the Smoked Mullet.  They had a major renovation, decades ago it was low and dark.
		Dash is not an adventurous eater, but he does like his King Crab.  He ate a 1-lb leg almost by himself.  Leigh and I are enjoying Rogue's Dead Guy Ales.

We then hit "Wet and Wild" on Tuesday and Thursday.  Tuesday was while Orange County schools were still in session.  Minimal lines.  Dash spent a bit of time in the kid area before heading for the big rides with mommy and daddy. Fairly intense stuff.  "Disco H2O" was a whole lot of fun: the three of us on a four-position inflatable doing a big belly lifting drop in the dark before spiraling around in a 70s beat throbbing disco ball ceilinged black funnel.  Frankly the in-the-dark drop scared me every time (my greater weight always had me going back-first.  Dash did a bunch of grown up rides and was overly adventurous in the wave pool (as he is everywhere else).  A very cool day.  Actually a very warm day.

We went again on Thursday. School was over.  Dash was more inclined to stay in the kiddie area.  The one time we ventured onto a big ride the line was so long, we bailed.  Tuesday was: hell, let's move here.  Thursday was: how much is the Express Pass?

On to Friday.

Whereas Zoe is an amazing almost-peer to Dash, the age difference between him and Zachary makes Zachary appear almost God-like to Dash.  Here there doing the sort of bonding that makes you want to sell the house and move back to Florida.
		I do have to point out Dash's swim technique:  he does do an above-water freestyle stroke now, but notice the elbow is locked and the arm pretty much follows a Great Circle.  Ahh, but he survives.

Here in the pool, Zoe has had ENOUGH of ZACHARY, him being the Worst Brother in the World!!!!!!!   Her future husband will trigger this behavior with an innocent face-splash on their honeymoon.  We all have our baggage.		Not having a young lady in the house, I was caught somewhat off guard by this apparently mandatory ritual: tie-up and makeover some unsuspecting uncle at each visit.

Wednesday: Daytona

FishPatrick: the Special Love between a boy and a dead fish

Dash amazed us with a heretofore unforeseen nurturing side.  He and FishPatrick were inseparable for hours, even though FishPatrick had expired before washing into our slushpot
This is the Castle/lagoon that enabled FishPatrick to present himself to Dash.

It took a while to pry FishPatrick from Dash's cold dead fingers.  Whoops: pry cold dead FishPatrick from Dash's fingers.  A gas station in Daytona.  A dignified eulogy and burial in the plastic can with the built-in windshield squeegee wash reservoir.

If you look at the montage with Grandma (above) you'll see FishPatrick in Dash's hand.

Dash has even been very gentile with our cat, Kili, since his experience with FishPatrick.

Saturday we met the Murphy's at the Cocoa Beach pier.   Warm water.  Almost worth moving to. Boy is not afraid of waves too deep to touch bottom in.  Maybe 60 degree ocean is a safety thing...
	Leigh, Cousin Sean, Aunt Anna, Uncle Pat and Grandma under the pop-up.	Where is Dash: in his own private Idapool.

Dash and Sean playing Snakes and Ladders.
Rented a Pontoon on the Intercoastal with Grandma and the Murphy's.
A highlight of the trip (along with a stripmall dive bar with an awesome beer list).

Miscellaneous Quotes:

So we're watching Star Wars and Dash says to me "I like Yoda's voice.  Do you like Yoda's voice more than WALL-E's Otto?"  I say "Huh?"  He says "Otto from WALL-E."  I remember that I mentioned I like the Auto-Pilot's (Otto) voice in WALL-E.  I'm speechless that he remembers this since it's been a while since I said that.  I guess I had a dumbfounded look on my face, so Dash tries to help me out by doing a pretty good Otto impersonation:  "Captain: give me the plant."  I bust up.  He is a funny boy and knows how to work it.  He still sneaks in the occasional post-drink "Aaahhhh. That's a good cup of Joe!" if you let your guard down.

Before I forget: Kids, they can't really distinguish between core characteristics and ancillary details. Which makes things fun. Dash - the constant drawer - asks what I want him to draw. I say the Space Shuttle, or better yet, an alien ship. He says "Okay, but you'll have to help me draw The Light That Sucks Things Up."

Feeding the Bat Rays at Sea World:  "Where's his mouth?"  "On the bottom."  "He just slurps things up?"

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Underwater Dash