We’re now safely in Captiva, at 15098 Urchin Court, the place we stayed last time. Very comfortable and relaxing – at least I would be comfortable and relaxed if the cold I’ve been fighting off since the plane flight hadn’t eventually broken through. I was coughing a lot in the night, and I’ve persuaded the others to go off to breakfast at the Lighthouse Cafe and leave me here. The temperature is warm, but not as warm as last time.
The journeying has gone well. We left six days ago at 10am in much different weather conditions: around freezing, but not unpleasant. Took the train to Liverpool Street and then decided on a cab to Paddington, which was the right decision, though it cost $20 (that’s pounds, but I’ll sort it out eventually). The Heathrow express was brilliant, landing us very quickly at Terminal 5, with which we were extremely impressed. Dropped bags and got through Security with no trouble. The flight was uneventful, though a bit chilly, and the food was surprisingly good. Curry for main meal, egg and spring onion sandwiches just before Toronto.
Met by strange waving couple who turned out to be Barb and Roger. They drove us back to Palmer Circle. Not much snow on the roads, but a nice aesthetic covering there. To bed after small supper at 10pm (3am UK). Not a good night – in fact sleeping proved to be quite a problem for several days – but went into Bolton with Roger in the morning. Sunglasses had got broken on the way, so replaced them with $9 pair from Walmart, much to Barb’s disgust. She and Dot were elsewhere. Not quite sure exactly where that was. In the evening we watched Mr & Mrs Smith, which was clever, funny and pseudo-violent. Just managed to stay awake for denouement.
Next day was just above freezing, and there some early swirls of snow. Drove into Toronto for lunch at Serra (goat’s cheese followed by pasta special) and then to the King Tut exhibition. Pretty impressive, especially the huge statue of Akhanatem, his father. Wrote poem about it. Three most ridiculous items in King Tut shop: 1 Tutchoo tissue box cover; 2 inflatable mummy; 3 baseball. Two most ridiculous rules: Roger had to go back and queue up to get the tickets redated, which then proved to be unnecessary; we weren’t allowed to sit on the steps. No, really. Back home through rush-hour traffic, then packed ready for 9am start the next day (Thurs 18th).
Left almost on the dot. Weather dull, but it brightened up as we neared Detroit. Stopped at Windsor for quick refreshment, then were held up for 40 minutes or so at border, but everyone was very pleasant. Then headed south through Michigan and Ohio to Cincinnati, where we stopped for a delicious lunch at the Cheesecake Factory. On to Williamsburg, Kentucky where we arrived after 10pm at the Columbia Inn. Splendid setting, but the room was a bit noisy (facing highway), and they seemed a bit understaffed. In America, everyone assumes you drink coffee.
Getting a bit warmer as we headed south again on the I75 through mountainous country (the Columbian Plateau), with spectacular icicles on the rocks, but not much snow. Lunch at the Buckhead Diner in Atlanta, Georgia: again superb food (veal meatloaf and mashed potatoes) and service. Very long last leg south after this. Barbara drove out of Atlanta in heavy traffic, and I did a three-hour stint taking us from south of Macon into Florida – the last part of it in the dark. Roger then took over, and we arrived in Sarasota after 11pm. Superb hotel – room was a suite, and it was quiet. And I could get a cup of tea.
Better night, and after a leisurely breakfast we left just after 10am. Temperature really warm now, and we watched it creep up to a maximum of 24C as we neared Captiva. Dropped away from that slightly, but very pleasant as we arrived at the house around 1am, but found it wasn’t quite ready for us. So went up to Starbucks and did a very little shopping. House excellent as expected: unpacked and Barb and Dot disappeared down the beach. Roger and I went to American Realty to get an extra key, then walked along the beach and over to the dock. In the evening we went to Traders, and I had the filet mignon special, which was special. Bought a baseball cap and called at video shop on way home. Watched State of Play, interrupted by frequent coughing from me. Had very disturbed night.