Family Visitors - Day 1

The day started early today; the alarm went off at 5:30AM. By 7:00, we were on our way to Sanford to meet Susan's parents. They were on the Amtrak Auto Train and scheduled to arrive at 9:30. The train left the day before from Lorton, Virginia, at 3:47; thirteen minutes ahead of schedule.

We arrived at the station in Sanford at 9:10. We parked the car and wandered around the station until the train arrived. It stopped just outside the station around 9:20. A few minutes later, it eased into the station and stopped. The workers split the train apart, then backed the remaining passenger cars onto the parallel boarding track. As the passengers left the train, the first thing they did was stretch their arms and legs. The second thing they did was comment about the heat. And the third thing they did was say they wanted to get back on the train where it was cooler. The Haksch's reported that the A/C failed in their car, so it was uncomfortably warm for them. In addition to this, they were in the second coach from the front, so they heard the horn blare at every crossing for 800 miles.

Andrew and Susan waiting for the passengers to exit the train

Passengers were then herded into a large, air conditioned tent to wait for their cars to be unloaded. Then the Amtrak lottery system started. Each car was labeled with a magnetic number and a man announced the number over the PA system. "AV230, AV172", etc. "Auto 210, Auto 254", oh darn, off by one digit! After 50 minutes, our number finally came up... we won!

Then it was off to the resort. My in-laws are spending a week in a condo in Kissimmee, then a week in Vero Beach. On the way, we made a quick stop at the C&D B&B to drop off our extra stuff. The driveway was full of cars, people, and C&D's new (to them) Maxum ski boat. Surprisingly, the B&B was already booked solid. That's what we get for not calling ahead and making reservations. Luckily for us, Nikki offered us use of her spare bedroom. With sleeping arrangements set, we were on our way to the resort.

We arrived at the registration office at 2:00PM. Check-in was at 4:00, but the condo was available and they were able to give us the keys early. We drove to the condo and helped unpack and move in. The Pearce family arrived an hour later and moved in. A bunch of us were hungry, so we went to Cici's for their pizza buffet. At that point, I came to the realization that Gabe looked taller when he was thinner. It was a strange realization, so I just had to share it with everyone. Gabe responded by saying that Caleb must look like a midget.

Andrew finds a cave in the Cici waterfall

Back at the resort, Gabe, Caleb, Peter, Andrew, and I changed into bathing suits and drove to the pool. Andrew was excited because the pool was zero-entrance. We played with his sinker sticks for hours. Peter and Gabe had enough of the pool and walked back to the condo. After another 30 minutes, I had to negotiate the terms of our departure with Andrew. He wanted to walk around the outside edge of the pool one more time. I agreed, he did, and we drove back to the condo.

Andrew and I changed into dry clothes. Gabe pulled out his lacrosse gear and Andrew and I joined him outside behind the condo. After a dozen throws, Andrew was frustrated with his lack of catching ability, so I took over. I can see why people like that game. Before long, it was too dark to see the ball. We decided to call it a day, so we jumped back in the car and returned to Sanford for the night. Nikki had her spare room set up nicely for us. She showed us where to find the towels and cinnamon buns. With this information, we collapsed onto the futon.