My Florida trip - final recap (really)

[Rockindeano]

Sherrie, trust me, that last post was severely edited to omit certain things and people from being talked about.

[Clasicrockldy]

Great Florida diary, AR ! I can't wait to hear more!

[AR]

Arrival in Orlando

We finally arrive in the Orlando area still not knowing what we are going to do. The first order of business is lunch. We are in 100% agreement after seeing a sign for "Hooters" that this is where we will be stopping for awhile. This is the first time in several days that the 3 of us have been separated from the entire group for any length of time. Still no idea what we are going to do. After the first pitcher of beer we lean toward at least staying the night and leaving on Monday morning at a minimum. The hotel prices were much cheaper than we expected in the area and it seems like the best way to go. 4 pitchers later and we call the wives to see how upset they would be if we went to the House of Blues and just came home on Tuesday. To our surprise they were all very supportive. Ok, decision made, we are going to finish what we started!

Next order of business is to regroup with the rest of the crew. Granny and Norm were staying in a timeshare in Orlando. Little did we know they were less than a mile from the restaurant. We got a hold of Norm who was drinking at a local establishment and set out to find him. Of course we got lost.

In the process of finding Norm I get a call from a friend of mine. "Hey meet us at Universal Studios to watch the Lakers game." Ok, sounds good to me. I also know that Deano is there, not sure who else. They tell us to bring Norm (Granny's hubby). Ok, again, sounds great. We find Norm and kidnap him. I will take full blame for this - we didn't get Granny. Just wasn't sure if it was a guy's thing or whatever. Anyway, we get to the NBA Cafe and EVERYONE is there. Just GREAT! I'm totally screwed and will now have to face the wrath of Granny. Fortunately, she was able to find a shuttlebus or something and joined us in short order. After begging on my knees for forgiveness for several minutes, all is well. At least nothing was slipped into my beer because I'm still alive. (Carol and Norm are the best! We will sink your boat!)

The offday at Universal Studios was a blast. We shot some hoops and had an excellent meal at a Latin(Fyre) restaurant. It was pretty cold though and I got some razzing for buying a sweatshirt at the Jimmy Buffett Margaritaville store to stay warm. The shirt has since been given to Mrs. AR as a supposed "present". She saw right through that one.

The evening ended as we took in a local band at some bar and had several more drinks. As we headed over to stay with Granny and Norm at their time share, I was really glad we made the decision to stay. The offday was just as much fun as the concert days. The best part is we now had one more show left!

Next up: Pre-show at Bahama Breeze and the final show at the House of Blues

Shameless bump to get this installment on page 4.

[Moon Beam]

Come on with it fella,ya bumped as did I
now where's the editorial on the last show?

[ohsherrie]

Sherrie, trust me, that last post was severely edited to omit certain things and people from being talked about.

pm me and 'splain.

[AR]

Think it will be best to write the final 2 installments tomorrow with a clear head. Just my opinion. If anyone wants to comment on what has been written so far, I would be happy to respond. Also any comments from Dean, Joe, Dave, or anyone else might be fun. Let's hold off the HOB and trip home stuff till tomorrow though.

[ohsherrie]

Aw geez, this is like a soap opera cliff hanger.

[Clasicrockldy]

Oh my, a cliffhanger !

[JrnyScarab]

Oh my, a cliffhanger !

Yeah, just TORTURE us non-participants. Thanks!

[ohsosoto]

Think it will be best to write the final 2 installments tomorrow with a clear head. Just my opinion. If anyone wants to comment on what has been written so far, I would be happy to respond. Also any comments from Dean, Joe, Dave, or anyone else might be fun. Let's hold off the HOB and trip home stuff till tomorrow though.

ok, it's a stupid question, if you didn't know if you were going to attend all the shows, how do you get tix at
the last minute? don't shoot me down with a smart ass answer, just lay it out there.

[Clasicrockldy]

Oh my, a cliffhanger !

Yeah, just TORTURE us non-participants. Thanks!

I wasn't in Florida. I am a non-participant, just like you. I wished I could of gone, but money is so tight here, it squeaks. I will have to wait for a West Coast get together.

[AR]

Think it will be best to write the final 2 installments tomorrow with a clear head. Just my opinion. If anyone wants to comment on what has been written so far, I would be happy to respond. Also any comments from Dean, Joe, Dave, or anyone else might be fun. Let's hold off the HOB and trip home stuff till tomorrow though.

ok, it's a stupid question, if you didn't know if you were going to attend all the shows, how do you get tix at
the last minute? don't shoot me down with a smart ass answer, just lay it out there.

No problem. We had tickets reserved for all 3 in advance. If we didn't do all 3, there were plenty who would have used the tix for HOB.

[ohsosoto]

Think it will be best to write the final 2 installments tomorrow with a clear head. Just my opinion. If anyone wants to comment on what has been written so far, I would be happy to respond. Also any comments from Dean, Joe, Dave, or anyone else might be fun. Let's hold off the HOB and trip home stuff till tomorrow though.

ok, it's a stupid question, if you didn't know if you were going to attend all the shows, how do you get tix at
the last minute? don't shoot me down with a smart ass answer, just lay it out there.

No problem. We had tickets reserved for all 3 in advance. If we didn't do all 3, there were plenty who would have used the tix for HOB.

good to know.
thanks for not pointing out the OBVIOUS.

[AR]

Think it will be best to write the final 2 installments tomorrow with a clear head. Just my opinion. If anyone wants to comment on what has been written so far, I would be happy to respond. Also any comments from Dean, Joe, Dave, or anyone else might be fun. Let's hold off the HOB and trip home stuff till tomorrow though.

ok, it's a stupid question, if you didn't know if you were going to attend all the shows, how do you get tix at
the last minute? don't shoot me down with a smart ass answer, just lay it out there.

No problem. We had tickets reserved for all 3 in advance. If we didn't do all 3, there were plenty who would have used the tix for HOB.

good to know.
thanks for not pointing out the OBVIOUS.

OBVIOUS?

I didn't mean to be condescending or anything. If I was I apologize. We had tix for all 3, but went in thinking we might only do 2 shows, but hoped to do 3.

Better to be set for the whole thing than not.

[ohsosoto]

Think it will be best to write the final 2 installments tomorrow with a clear head. Just my opinion. If anyone wants to comment on what has been written so far, I would be happy to respond. Also any comments from Dean, Joe, Dave, or anyone else might be fun. Let's hold off the HOB and trip home stuff till tomorrow though.

ok, it's a stupid question, if you didn't know if you were going to attend all the shows, how do you get tix at
the last minute? don't shoot me down with a smart ass answer, just lay it out there.

No problem. We had tickets reserved for all 3 in advance. If we didn't do all 3, there were plenty who would have used the tix for HOB.

good to know.
thanks for not pointing out the OBVIOUS.

OBVIOUS?

I didn't mean to be condescending or anything. If I was I apologize. We had tix for all 3, but went in thinking we might only do 2 shows, but hoped to do 3.

Better to be set for the whole thing than not.

no, you weren't!!!! i just make it clear to everyone how i don't know all the in's and outs!!!
you answer was very polite and informing.

[AR]

no, you weren't!!!! i just make it clear to everyone how i don't know all the in's and outs!!!
you answer was very polite and informing.

OK, cool. Trying to do this thing right.

Final installments tomorrow with the House of Blues gig and the return trip home. Thanks for reading!

[Granny]

Having the three boys in the living room was a blast....that night was 4AM til we got to sleep....

[AR]

Having the three boys in the living room was a blast....that night was 4AM til we got to sleep....

How ya doing girl? You and the Hall of Famer recovered yet?

Miss you guyz.

[Granny]

Having the three boys in the living room was a blast....that night was 4AM til we got to sleep....

How ya doing girl? You and the Hall of Famer recovered yet?

Miss you guyz.

We're doing OK...its amazing that I don't miss the concerts,(well I do) but miss everybody much more....

[(Crazy)Dulce Lady]

The 3 hour ride to Orlando begins. At this point the votes are dcvader & AR = we go home. duke22 = non committal. As duke said to me, "Hey you guys have responsibilities. Worse comes to worse, you guys take my car, and I will fly back and pick it up if I decide to stay". Keep in mind this is a brand new 2007 Acura something or another. Shows you what kind of guy he is.

Eventually decision is rendered to not make a decision. Let's get to Orlando and have some lunch, then hash it out. It was pretty obvious we were going to go home. On the way up on some interstate (help me here Dave and Joe) we see a bunch of smoke in the distance. This is nothing new, as apparently the entire state seems to be on fire all the time. We saw so many fires it was ridiculous. However, as we got closer it was apparent we were nearing Armageddon. The smoke began to envelope the entire road. I mentioned to Vader that I didn't think it was a good idea to continue. He said "Where are we going to go?" I mean, it was a total blackout and people were stopping. I was concerned about smoke inhilation. As we got up to it, it was a major brush fire, with flames right next to the highway!!!! Wish we would have had a camera handy because this was one of the craziest things I've ever seen. Imagine driving through the densist fog you have ever seen and magnify it three-fold. The flames were high too. Just some scary stuff, but we got through it. Someone mentioned the road was shut down soon afterwards.

Ok enough about that. More in a bit.

do ya mean this fire? I think we were a couple of hours ahead of you.







Gayle and I got caught in ANOTHER fire on hwy 415 after we dropped Linda at the airport in Orlando at about 5pm that evening.. ridiculous!!!

[AR]

The 3 hour ride to Orlando begins. At this point the votes are dcvader & AR = we go home. duke22 = non committal. As duke said to me, "Hey you guys have responsibilities. Worse comes to worse, you guys take my car, and I will fly back and pick it up if I decide to stay". Keep in mind this is a brand new 2007 Acura something or another. Shows you what kind of guy he is.

Eventually decision is rendered to not make a decision. Let's get to Orlando and have some lunch, then hash it out. It was pretty obvious we were going to go home. On the way up on some interstate (help me here Dave and Joe) we see a bunch of smoke in the distance. This is nothing new, as apparently the entire state seems to be on fire all the time. We saw so many fires it was ridiculous. However, as we got closer it was apparent we were nearing Armageddon. The smoke began to envelope the entire road. I mentioned to Vader that I didn't think it was a good idea to continue. He said "Where are we going to go?" I mean, it was a total blackout and people were stopping. I was concerned about smoke inhilation. As we got up to it, it was a major brush fire, with flames right next to the highway!!!! Wish we would have had a camera handy because this was one of the craziest things I've ever seen. Imagine driving through the densist fog you have ever seen and magnify it three-fold. The flames were high too. Just some scary stuff, but we got through it. Someone mentioned the road was shut down soon afterwards.

Ok enough about that. More in a bit.

do ya mean this fire? I think we were a couple of hours ahead of you.







Gayle and I got caught in ANOTHER fire on hwy 415 after we dropped Linda at the airport in Orlando at about 5pm that evening.. ridiculous!!!

Holy crap!

Looks like it, but way less severe than what we went though. Obviously you all were ahead of us before it got even worse. Wow! Thanks for posting that!

Perfect addition to this thread!

[Ratgirl]

wow.. We didnt see the fire that close coming into Orlando. They closed the road by the time we got to it.

[AR]

When we went through it, the flames were way closer to the road and at least 10 feet in the air. The smoke was so thick you couldn't see ANYTHING.

Again, great pics!!!!! Right click and save.

[SunshineTwilight]

Arrival in Orlando
The offday was just as much fun as the concert days.

AND I MISSED IT ALL!!


Still kicking myself in the ass for this one!

[Lady Luck]

do ya mean this fire? I think we were a couple of hours ahead of you.







Gayle and I got caught in ANOTHER fire on hwy 415 after we dropped Linda at the airport in Orlando at about 5pm that evening.. ridiculous!!!

OMG, I didn't realize it was that close to the road! Like Ratgirl said, the Turnpike had been closed and all we saw in the distance was a shit load of smoke.

[cdjssfan]

AR, when you post your recap of the HOB gig and your journey home could you please post the set-list from HOB if you have it as no one has posted it as yet.

Someone posted it was similar to Pompano but I kinda want to know exactly what was played and if anything different to the other 2 gigs was played.

[txfirefighter]

The 3 hour ride to Orlando begins. At this point the votes are dcvader & AR = we go home. duke22 = non committal. As duke said to me, "Hey you guys have responsibilities. Worse comes to worse, you guys take my car, and I will fly back and pick it up if I decide to stay". Keep in mind this is a brand new 2007 Acura something or another. Shows you what kind of guy he is.

Eventually decision is rendered to not make a decision. Let's get to Orlando and have some lunch, then hash it out. It was pretty obvious we were going to go home. On the way up on some interstate (help me here Dave and Joe) we see a bunch of smoke in the distance. This is nothing new, as apparently the entire state seems to be on fire all the time. We saw so many fires it was ridiculous. However, as we got closer it was apparent we were nearing Armageddon. The smoke began to envelope the entire road. I mentioned to Vader that I didn't think it was a good idea to continue. He said "Where are we going to go?" I mean, it was a total blackout and people were stopping. I was concerned about smoke inhilation. As we got up to it, it was a major brush fire, with flames right next to the highway!!!! Wish we would have had a camera handy because this was one of the craziest things I've ever seen. Imagine driving through the densist fog you have ever seen and magnify it three-fold. The flames were high too. Just some scary stuff, but we got through it. Someone mentioned the road was shut down soon afterwards.

Ok enough about that. More in a bit.

do ya mean this fire? I think we were a couple of hours ahead of you.







Gayle and I got caught in ANOTHER fire on hwy 415 after we dropped Linda at the airport in Orlando at about 5pm that evening.. ridiculous!!!

Holy crap!

Looks like it, but way less severe than what we went though. Obviously you all were ahead of us before it got even worse. Wow! Thanks for posting that!

Perfect addition to this thread!

I forgot we had those pictures! I was taking pics with the cell phone too and sending them to my hubbie, he being a fireman and all! He thought it was pretty cool. I was just freaked out.

[GlitterGlamGirl]

I'm totally loving your recap of the 2 FL shows I didn't go to. I can't wait to read up on the HOB show. You know I'll comment or something. \

HA, HA.

[belar]

Nice recap, AR. Can't wait to read the rest. Sooo jealous!

[(Crazy)Dulce Lady]

Arrival in Orlando
The offday was just as much fun as the concert days.

AND I MISSED IT ALL!!


Still kicking myself in the ass for this one!

sorry, Pam. sheesh. what a dud