hi all,
I hope everyone was doing ok while we were absent.  I thought of you while
we were gone.

Had a great trip. Very relaxing and easy-going. Except the first day when
Mike wasn't going to ANYTHING until he had his dose of DisneyQuest ( 4
stories of interactive video games .) I played some and then walked around
the shopping area, had a cocktail at the Cuban place, and checked out some
music at the record store. Went to watch the Ilinois game at Planet
Hollywood and left with 3 minutes to go figuring Illinois was going to lose
and I had to meet my son. Wow, can't believe they won that game. Felt pretty
good with all the walking, but noticed some tiredness in my hip joints which
is something new for me.

Went bass fishing the next day. Caught a few small fish and a fairly good
sunburn. We didn't do much else that day as we were too tired. It is amazing
how a day out like that can really take it out of you.

Stayed at a Radisson the first 3 days which was pretty nice place. Mike
opened the cabinet holding the minifridge and saw a Palmetto bug. He said
"Dad! There's a cockroach in here!" Son, that's a palmetto bug and they are
everywhere down here. He stared at it a bit more intently. " I don't care
what you call it, it's a cockroach!! No wonder this is only a 3 star hotel,
they got bugs!"

Next night we were scheduled into the Hard Rock Hotel at Universal Studios.
Wow, what a place. At $300 bucks a night it better have been! With all that
luxury and personal attentiveness came the most crucial of benefits, front
of the line passes on all the rides. For as crowded as this week was that
was a key benefit. I believe I have finally decided to put a rest to my
passion for roller coasters. The smooth ones are still rideable, but I spend
my time worrying about getting through it and not concentrating on enjoying
the ride. My body still tolerates them, but the changing pressures I have to
endure make me worry about my insides. Continued to have problems with
fatigue in my hip joints with walking.

Can't afford to stay at the Hard Rock (only did it for a once-in-a-lifetime
experience) so we moved on to our last hotel which was a Sheraton. Only room
left with two beds was a smoking room. I complained that we had reserved
well in advance and were assured of our accomodations. So they waived some
of the fees they would normally charge. Wound up on the 19th floor and
needed our room keys to get the elevator to go there. Went to Daytona Beach
to visit some friends staying there at a beach front motel. Mike played in
the sand and water most of the day. Water was 64 degrees and I had a hard
time getting wet to my knees! Even heavily doused with strong sun screen we
got a pretty good burn. Nothing intolerable except the tops of my feet. They
wound up not burning sensation so much as they itched to the point of
constant distraction. This lasted for the next 3 days. Used Solarcain on
them as much as I could, but it didn't help much.

Finally made it to Disney on Thurs. Went to Epcot for a good portion of the
day and then to Magic Kingdom so Mike could get his ration of jellybeans.
Went back to Epcot for some food and the evening fireworks show which is a
not-to-be-missed show. By thime we got back there we were so tired we
decided to skip the whole mess and go back to the hotel. Hips were really
flaring by the end of the  day and I was having a hard time walking to the
car. Disney was really, really crowded as it was spring break for much of
the country.

Friday was travel day but we had the morning to kill. Went to MGM and ate.
All the rides were too crowded to do anything with so we went and saw our
favorite show at the muppet 3d theatre. Was great as usual. Was a bit
smarter today as I took my cane with me. Didn't help much. We left a bit
early and went to the airport, dropped off the rental, and checked in. Turns
out they overbooked our flight by 20 people. Now Southwest is all standby,
if you have a boarding pass you are on, if you don't you aren't flying that
day. So they offered $100 and a a refund of the one-way ticket back and a
later flight. No thanks. So as we waited the offer went to $200, a refund,
and a flight that got us home 2 hrs later than we would have normally gotten
there. We bit. Had to fly to Providence, change planes and go to Chicago.
They managed to lose Mikes suitcase and had to deliver it the next day to
our house.

So I guess we have to take another vacation as we have over $600 in flight
credit coming!! Goint to look for someplace cooler to go, and a bit cheaper.
Haven't looked to closely at the finances yet. That will be todays chore.
Glad to be home and glad to able to post here again. Legs and hips feel good
today with the rest they got yesterday. Am hoping this is not a sign of
upcoming hip trouble, along with my knee, and spine, and elbows!

Speaking of elbow, the surgery moving the ulnar helped alot. Doc, even
though he promised in Dec. I'd be golfing again, is very hesitant to let me.
Haven't swung a club yet, but am expecting some residual pain for awhile. He
doesn't want me hitting into the ground with the clubs as he's afraid I
might tear the little loop he made to hold the nerve in place. I'm to take
it easy this year. Hmmmm. I guess I finally get to cheat some with a clear
conscience!!

Sorry this turned out to be so long. I hope you all can have a pain-free day
and be as well as possible.
GaryZ