Florida 2022: places to go

We had eight days plus an evening, and almost four hundred miles to cover while picking interesting places to visit, ranging from Key West to Orlando. We tried to select a mix of interests, which seems to have resulted in mostly nature and science stops.

Key West: a rooster at sunrise, a butterfly at the Key West Butterfly & Nature Conservatory, a polydactyl cat at the Hemingway House, all set against the background of a rainbow crosswalk
Key West: a rooster at sunrise, a butterfly at the Key West Butterfly & Nature Conservatory, a polydactyl cat at the Hemingway House, all set against the background of a rainbow crosswalk

Our Key West stops were a combination of new places and perennial favorites: a sunset cruise, a quick peek into a Wyland Gallery, a snack at Margaritaville, sunrise at the Southernmost Point, visits to The Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory and the Hemingway Home & Museum. That was all under 24 hours!

Lego rabbits at Mounts Botanical Garden in West Palm Beach; a colorful lizard of some sort at Vizcaya Museum & Gardens; an orange flower at Mounts Botanical Garden; part of the garden at Vizcaya; artwork outside the Richter Library at the University of Miami; the fountain and new dorms at the University of Miami; sand and ocean at Miami Beach; part of the Rocket Garden at Kennedy Space Center; an alligator by the path at the Everglades National Park
Lego rabbits at Mounts Botanical Garden in West Palm Beach; a colorful lizard of some sort at Vizcaya Museum & Gardens; an orange flower at Mounts Botanical Garden; part of the garden at Vizcaya; artwork outside the Richter Library at the University of Miami; the fountain and new dorms at the University of Miami; sand and ocean at Miami Beach; part of the Rocket Garden at Kennedy Space Center; an alligator by the path at the Everglades National Park

The next few days weren’t quite as hectic. We started most mornings whenever we were ready, including the day we went to the Everglades National Park… that involved getting a tire replaced on our rental car, having picked up a roofing nail the evening before. (In case you hadn’t heard, there’s a bit of a shortage on rental cars; they didn’t have a replacement car available nearby.) We started at the visitor’s center just outside the gate (be sure to ask about the junior ranger activities if you have younger kids), paid our admission at the gate (good for 7 days), then drove all the way in to the Flamingo Lodge. We lucked out and saw a single manatee while exploring around the lodge, then drove back out to the Snake Bight trail for a nice, long walk in the heat. (Largely shaded, but still, hot.) Our final stop in the park was at the Anhinga Trail, which the ranger at the entrance visitor’s center had said was the best chance of seeing wildlife. The alligator by the trail clearly hasn’t read the rules that say people should stay at least 15 feet away from animals.

Our next day involved moving from Florida City to Miami Beach, with a stop at Vizcaya Museum & Gardens on the way. I had visited the gardens once, when they still hosted a renaissance festival in the spring, but had never been inside the house. What struck me about the style of the house, which was built in the early 1900s but designed to look older, was how similar in style it is to Spanish colonial buildings in Guatemala, with an open courtyard and some garden in the center of the house. Of course, it also has extensive gardens beyond the mansion, which most houses in Guatemala don’t have.

We met a friend at the University of Miami, revisiting my old stomping grounds – mainly the library, though we glanced at some of the new buildings as well. (We went off campus for a lovely lunch, which I’ll cover in my next post.) The visit to my high school was similar, rehashing memories with familiar buildings and amazement at some of the new areas of campus. (The motivation for the trip was my high school reunion.)

Then we headed north! On our way to meet up with friends in Palm Bay and Melbourne, we sidetracked to Mounts Botanical Garden in West Palm Beach (compensating for missing the Miami Beach Botanical Garden because Vizcaya and lunch ran later than we expected). By chance, they were having both a plant sale that day (no, we didn’t buy anything, it was all tropical) and a Lego exhibit. From Melbourne, we continued on to Kennedy Space Center, missing a shuttle launch by a couple days and several hours (even I wasn’t up before 4am on vacation), which was delightful and educational. Or delightfully educational? Something like that.

Orlando - Gatorland: warning sign that reads "Plese Be Safe. Do not carry children on your shoulders or stand, sit, or climb on fence railings anywhere in the park. If you fall in THE GATORS WILL EAT YOU! And that might make them sick. Thank you."; some baby alligators including an albino; a collection of young alligators on a boardwalk; a bird perched on the back of an alligator
Orlando – Gatorland: warning sign that reads “Plese Be Safe. Do not carry children on your shoulders or stand, sit, or climb on fence railings anywhere in the park. If you fall in THE GATORS WILL EAT YOU! And that might make them sick. Thank you.”; some baby alligators including an albino; a collection of young alligators on a boardwalk; a bird perched on the back of an alligator

Our final day in Florida was spent in the Orlando area. Instead of visiting the better-known tourist traps, some of which we visited a few years before (pre-blog, sorry), we opted to visit Gatorland. With “over 2,000 American alligators” onsite, the location name is stunningly accurate. Really the only disappointing part was not trying the zipline (yes, over gators) and arriving after they had already picked a “volunteer” to hold a tarantula at the Up-Close Encounters show.

We headed home the next day and were delighted to find out that the cats are all still talking to us. Mostly to say we should feed them, but hey, we’ll take it.

Florida 2022: places to stay

We recently returned from a trip to Florida, which as can be expected in April, was significantly warmer than Chicagoland. It was a busy trip, we stayed in six different cities in nine nights. Every place we stayed was nice enough for us to feel comfortable there, and in a good enough area for us to wander in the neighborhood. In each case, my minimum requirement was space for two people and free parking; where available, I also searched for breakfast included. (Links are through Hotels.com because that’s where I booked through.)

A small hotel room in Key West, Florida

Key West: Wicker Guesthouse – we described this room as “comically small”; as you can almost see from the photo, there was just enough room at each side of the bed for someone to walk. While short on space, this was perfectly located for exploring downtown Key West – on Duval Street, a couple blocks from the Hemingway House. They have two pools, a continental breakfast, and were happy to let us park past checkout time. The hotel emailed a couple days before our trip to see when we expected to arrive, and included information on some of the Key West attractions. Of course, the size of this room became the running joke as we compared other hotel rooms throughout the trip.

Florida City: Quality Inn – this Quality Inn room, including an upgrade from two full to two queen beds, felt huge after the room in Key West. But that’s not why I picked it! Florida City is at the edge of the Everglades National Park, a must-see area of South Florida. We drove up from Key West, unpacked, and bought dinner from the nearby Gator Grill. (Food and attractions will be separate posts.) Every hotel we stayed at had a pool; we didn’t make it into this one. Their breakfast was a “hot” continental, which means a couple warm dishes (eggs, sausage, etc.) and a waffle maker were provided.

Miami Beach: Castle Beach Suites – this section of Miami Beach is strange in that restaurants are buried in buildings (apartments, hotels… or a combination of both). This was a “rental apartment,” with check-in at the building’s security desk, and parking through a consistently backlogged valet service. The apartment itself was nice, but with no information about the surrounding area. We never tried their food – we found a lovely restaurant hidden in the building next door, and went looking for breakfast well before they opened in the morning. We skipped their sizable pool in favor of walking out the back gate to the beach. The first time we retrieved our car from the valet took 15 minutes; the second time had a humongous line and took us almost an hour.

Cocoa Beach: Beachside Hotel & Suites – hands down, this was our favorite hotel of the trip. Our room included a sitting room, kitchenette, and bedroom, with separate doors to the parking lot and patio. Their shallow pool has a lazy river – with tubes provided; the pool bar includes reasonable dinner options; their hot continental breakfast includes a good variety; and the beach is only a block away. After our day’s outing, we unpacked, spent some time in the pool, ate dinner, then spent some more time in the pool.

Orlando: Park Royal Orlando – technically, this hotel is in Kissimmee, but that’s close enough to count as Orlando. We were pretty wiped out by the time we checked in, having spent all day at Gatorland, and just wanted to find food in walking distance before we crashed. The room itself was quite nice, the pool looked lovely, and they even have a tennis court. The lobby staff directed us to a lovely Mexican restaurant for dinner, and we wandered the same direction the next morning to get breakfast at IHop before flying home.

Six cities… five hotels… oh, you noticed that? Yeah, we stayed with a friend one night. No worries, that city will make it onto the food post.

Thoughts on Leave Only Footprints

Behold, a non-fiction book on my reading list! Yes, it’s a rarity. This particular book has been on my wish list since it was released, both because it’s about the US national parks and because the author, Conor Knighton, was on our Galápagos cruise along with Efrain Robles, the video journalist mentioned repeatedly in the book. When we met them, they were working, exploring nature and documenting the (50th? I don’t actually recall) anniversary cruise along with the owner of the cruise line.

In his book, Conor, reeling from a break-up, set as a goal to visit every national park (but not monument, trail, or site) over the course of one year. This book has fascinating details about each park he visited, but should not be mistaken for a travel guide; it’s clearly a deeply personal memoir of a geek searching for direction in his life. By all accounts, he found it: he convinced CBS to pay for his travels, and was rewarded with a deeply reflective experience and additional travel assignments. As I said, we met him the following year in the Galápagos, where he was working… I had to use more than half of my vacation time for that trip.

Despite being deeply personal, Leave Only Footprints is a light read with plenty of funny moments. From the way it’s written, I suspect Efrain rolled his eyes when he asked if the photos Conor requested with the Denali puppies were for Tinder. You’ll have to read it yourself to find out what the “nerdiest” thing Conor said when comparing national parks to dating. And I recommend not making a drinking game out of finding the geeky references that are thrown in, you’d probably stumble to bed before finishing the book.

Now the question… which national park should I visit next, and which ones should I add to my bucket list?

What made you happy today?

That seems like a simple question, doesn’t it? But when you’re busy, especially when you’re stressed, will you remember the good things as well as the bad? Or, as you look back on your life, do the embarrassing moments stand out to the point where you forget that you had good times as well? Memory is a fickle thing.

I don’t recall who saw me start awake when I was in the children’s choir, seated only a couple people away from the priest and realizing immediately that everybody else was standing again. I know somebody in the pews noticed, though not, perhaps, my parents. That’s not something that I would have written down in a Happiness Journal. (Though as a parent, I totally would… different perspective, obviously.)

I would write down that Zuko sat himself down on the treadmill last week, just as I was preparing to walk on it. I turned it on, at the lowest settings, carefully stepped over him, then watched his bewildered face as he slid further back, finally moving off it just before he reached the end.

I might not write down that I made pizza again, though I do quite like the recipe we use. But finding out that my homemade pizza always makes someone else’s Happiness Journal is worth remembering.

You can buy a Happiness Journal if you want something structured, but you can just make your own by grabbing the nearest blank notebook or journal, or go digital and start a Google Docs file for it. As a bonus, you can add photos to it when relevant in either format. (I use a Sprocket printer to add photo stickers to various paper journals.)

Even if you don’t write it down, try stopping at the end of the day and asking yourself what made you happy. And if nothing jumps out, well, you’re still awake and have the opportunity to hug a cat, eat a piece of chocolate, or another option that works for you. I’m going to step outside and see if any more daffodils have flowered.

Two amazing stories, two entirely different media

The Paramount Theatre in Aurora recently launched their Bold series at the renovated Copley Theatre, located across the street from the Paramount. They kicked off the series with Sweat, a Pulitzer Prize-winning play about a small town in the United States where most people’s goal is to work in the local plant and get their union card. The story moves through the characters’ dreams and struggles, working up to the event that landed two young men in prison and interactions with their parole officer upon their release. This is live theatre at its finest, in a small enough venue that every member of the audience feels a connection to the performers on stage. It packs a punch though, leading to conversations about unions, privilege, and the poor decisions people make out of desperation.

A week later, in an entirely different presentation style, I watched a 15-minute story called The Key on my Oculus. Virtual reality is definitely one step up the immersive ladder from a small theatre, and the story is designed with some interactive points. There’s not a lot I can say without spoilers, but the presentation and story were both riveting. The narrator leads you through their dreams and their struggle to remember the meaning of key objects in them. The story is available for free on the Oculus, or you can watch the story in a less immersive format on YouTube.

Both stories hit hard, each in their own distinctive way, and both are absolutely worth the time.

Thoughts on The Eight Mile Suspended Carnival

It feels like I just read The Eight Mile Suspended Carnival by Rebecca Kuder, but according to my notes, but according to my notes, I read it last summer. Isn’t it amazing how time flies by? Regardless, this was a delightful read. This review was originally published in the September 15, 2021 issue of Booklist.

At the opening of Rebecca Kuder’s The Eight Mile Suspended Carnival, an injured and amnesiac young woman is found after a tornado sweeps through the area. Mim is immediately adopted and named by the carnival’s curious inhabitants. She discovers a paranormal element to the carnival, between odd creatures and a fortune teller who can actually see people’s futures, and finds that she experiences people’s memories as they’re remembering them. Mim’s adventure in mental, emotional, and sexual self-discovery, along with her special ability, sets her squarely between the carnival boss and a man working at the “death pill factory” – the carnies’ term for the weapons factory across the river. There is a hidden depth to each character, experienced as Mim delves into their memories, providing more than is usually available from a single character’s perspective. The surprising plot twists are accented by vividly descriptive, whimsical writing, where everything from the people to the carnival’s strange animals and even the inanimate objects have memories and feelings, all seen through Mim’s exploratory and introspective gaze. This is a fabulously creative story with just a touch of the paranormal that keeps readers guessing as to where it’s going.

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) can affect your health

I recently had lunch with one of my favorite people and she told me about a TED talk titled “How childhood trauma affects health across a lifetime,” available on YouTube. I’m not sure I’ve ever watched a TED talk before; I generally prefer to read information. But after our lunch, I asked her to send me the link so I could watch it. The doctor presenting delves into how exposure to adversity affects the developing brains of children, and her colleague’s discovery of a study on Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs).

In the study conducted, they found “that 67% of population had at least 1 ACE, and 12.6% (1 in 8) had 4 or more”. They also noticed a correlation between ACEs and several common medical conditions, regardless of whether people engaged in behavior that’s commonly believed to cause some of those diseases. There’s science that I won’t even try to explain – that’s why the TED talk is presented by a doctor, not an IT person.

A couple weeks later, I stumbled onto a similar discussion on Twitter, including a link to this ACE quiz. By both accounts, this is something doctors should be taking into account as they diagnose and treat patients.

My primary thought beyond the effect these experiences have on people in my age group is that, knowing this, it’s now the responsibility of the older generations to do everything possible to reduce the ACE scores of the next generations. We have an obligation to make the world a better place for our descendants.

Discovering the right exercise game

People have been making exercise games for centuries, frequently referred to as “sports”. As we moved away from hunter/gatherer societies, the skills that were once essential eventually became entertainment, frequently with a competitive edge. For those of us not making a living from sports, our more sedentary lifestyles necessitates seeking out fitness opportunities, whether at a gym, a dojang, online workouts, or virtual walking challenges (which can be stacked with Pokemon Go or similar games)… we are fortunate to have so many options.

A couple months ago, a friend mentioned the Oculus Quest 2, a virtual reality headset, and I had absolutely no interest in it… until a couple weeks later, when a co-worker regaled us with tales of his weekly virtual reality boxing matches. As it happens, that weekend I was shopping at Costco and realized they sell the system, and it was something I could use my annual credit card rebate (which is tied to my Costco membership) towards.

It’s essentially a gaming console, and priced accordingly, so it wasn’t something I wanted to buy without trying it. I reached out to the friend who initially mentioned the system and invited myself over to try it. His system is set up to cast to his television, so I was able to watch what he was doing, and then work through the First Steps app that trains users on the Oculus. He didn’t have a boxing app that worked (the one that was installed wanted a subscription), but he introduced me to Beat Saber.

Waving my arms around wildly with a virtual reality headset

I can’t begin to tell you how dangerously addictive Beat Saber is. The basic solo game has you holding two lightsabers – different colors – and slicing “notes” that come towards you as the song plays. Most notes have arrows indicating which direction you need to slice them, and all of them match the color of one of your sabers; it counts as a miss if you slice with the wrong color or in the wrong direction. There are also blocks that you need to avoid by stepping to a side or ducking, so you’re constantly moving and hoping the cats don’t pick that moment to walk between your feet. And bombs… just don’t touch those at all.

In addition to the albums included with the app purchases, Beat Saber has additional songs and albums that can be purchased, including partnering with some big names like Lady Gaga and Imagine Dragons. Songs can be purchased individually or at a discount album price. I haven’t reached that point yet, as I’m still playing with the various difficulty settings and optional features like the smaller notes and 360 degree play.

I also installed the boxing game my coworker recommended, along with a perennial favorite, Fruit Ninja, and while they’re fun, Beat Saber holds my attention more while giving me a good workout.

Beginning a new adventure in the Avatar Legends RPG

Last summer, Avatar Legends: the Roleplaying Game appeared on Kickstarter and was well received – to the tune of 81,567 backers. Not surprisingly, I was one of them, and that was before my gamemaster announced her intention of running a game in that world. It raised over $9 million (which sounded amazing until Brandon Sanderson started his Kickstarter).

Using the Quickstart guide, we each picked a playbook and designed our characters, knowing that some adjustments might be needed once the full book was released. We discussed when to set our adventure, deciding to avoid the well explored time periods surrounding Avatar: the Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra, settling instead for the era when Aang has disappeared and the Fire Nation has just unleashed war on the other nations.

My character, Yeshe, is a traveling bard and storyteller, so I decided to write her background into a letter to her mentor. 

Hitomi Nakai
Mistress of Word and Song
Iron Brew Tea House
Ba Sing Se

Day of the Comet
To the noble and esteemed Hitomi,

I hope you continue in good health in Ba Sing Se, and I appreciate your understanding of my reluctance to return to that city which generates the mixed emotions of meeting you and my abandonment, albeit accidental, by the monks of the Air Temple on that oddly fated field trip.  As you instructed, I have set out to gather stories across the Kingdoms, and have landed myself in the middle of what may be a momentous historical event. 

Per your recommendation, upon arriving in Piper Tower I immediately sought out a prominent Tea House.  I had been chatting with the locals at the Mud Pearl, mainly about the occasional difficulties in dealing with stubborn Fire Nation merchants that frequent these docks, when an exceedingly pregnant Air Nomad waddled in.  She had barely settled in on a sturdy bench when the skies began to darken as the hundred year comet approached.  I was gathering my belongings, anticipating watching the comet’s crossing from the docks, remembering how special an event you said this would be for all of you firebenders, when a young firebender burst into the Mud Pearl, shouting that the Fire Nation was attacking.  This was followed immediately by a plop of water hitting the dirt floor; the Air Nomad’s birthing process had begun at a most difficult time, and she yelled repeated about waiting for her young boyfriend, Tora. 

I followed several people, including the young firebender who had brought the news, outside, and heard others bar the door behind us to protect the woman’s childbirth.  In the ensuing chaos, the others fought off Fire Nation soldiers who were actively destroying buildings and harassing people.  I ran up to the less involved, the idle soldiers, asking for the missing Tora.  I began to despair for the young woman’s loved one when a soldier responded “You mean General Tora?”  Now, instead, I despair for the young woman. 

With her infant son in her arms, the young woman fled with several followers from the Mud Pearl, myself included, to her air bison, waiting just outside of town.  En route, we encountered none other than the General himself, who offered to keep the woman, named Bindi, safe from the fate of her fellow Airbenders if she goes with him.  Another fight might have ensued had it not been for a hapless melon merchant, rushing through the street with his cart, who crashed into the General, allowing us to escape.

As we were traveling on her air bison, Rini, Bindi shared the news that she seeks her nephew, who may be the next Avatar.  Good Hitomi, I hope you are able to discover what General Tora meant regarding the fate of the Airbenders, as his statement was most ominous.  I shall travel with these people as far as I am able to see how this story progress, writing always with the turtleduck quills you so generously provided.  

Your loyal student,
Yeshe

Are you playing Avatar Legends? I don’t say this often, but… tell me about your character.

Living through yet another historic event

The last couple years have certainly been memorable around the world, and not in a good way. We’ve lost friends and family to a global pandemic that has killed almost six million people (and counting). In the United States, we’ve seen an armed insurrection against a co-equal branch of government inspired by a failed president who refused to acknowledge he’d lost the election by both millions of votes (again) and the Electoral College count, and subsequent voter suppression laws across the country. Now we’re watching Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, desperately hoping that the Russian government will come their senses and withdraw rather than risk starting World War III.

In the midst of these historic events, it can be hard to sort through all the various media, whether audio, video, or written, and recognize which are accurate, and which are presenting facts versus opinions. (Just for clarity, this blog features my opinion; get your news from professionals.) In many cases, it’s a fine line because facts are presented from someone’s perspective, such as referring to the current conflict as an “invasion”; presumably in Russia, it’s being worded differently, I’d guess with some hogwash like “liberating” specific areas while targeting the entire country. (For example, using “hogwash” is an example of deliberate phrasing to push my opinion along with the information.)

Assuming all news is biased one way or another – because we’re all people with opinions – I’d recommend finding news sources that present a mix of opinions, or multiple reliable sources. The All Sides website features a Media Bias Chart categorizing various news sources based on their leanings on US politics, and let you follow current news by presenting it from multiple sources. If you read another language, find at least one source in that language, preferably from a different country.

Personally, other than glancing at CNN and BBC as needed (at least for English), I’m a fan of Heather Cox Richardson’s daily letters, which summarize significant news items and explain historical context of some, providing an analysis of current events. I can’t begin to fathom how many different sources she sorts through on a daily basis – she includes links to sources relevant to the day’s letter – though I appreciate her hard work.