I’m Ba-ack!

It seems like I fell off the face of the earth, right?

Not exactly…. but it feels like I spent the last week roaming the surface of the sun.

Thomas: That’s impossible, Mommy.  The sun doesn’t even HAVE a surface because it’s made up of gases.  EVERYBODY knows that. <insert pre-pubescent eye roll>

Thus was my vacation in hot and sunny southern Florida.  The Boy will turn nine next weekend.  Judging by his behavior of late, he may not make it to ten.

All things considered, and by all things I mean airport security (way to go, Kash, heading home the day after the Boston bombings), sunburn and stupid car rental agencies, it was a good trip and we had a great time hanging out with family.  The beaches on the Gulf Coast are gorgeous; I think the simple sway of palm trees relaxes me.

These two boys spent the better part of 5 days swimming, playing video games and talking NON-STOP.  I can’t believe how much they have to say to each other, especially considering they are 5 years apart in age.  I love seeing Thomas pretending to be a ‘big kid’ with Ryan.

boys at barefoot 02

Other events of the trip include a visit to the Edison-Ford Winter Estates.  My boy loves cars and science and I love flowers and gardens, so this was a perfect choice.  I got to see Mr. Thomas Edison’s darkroom and his wife’s gardens and Thomas was able to play with and LEARN ABOUT, how Edison made his moving picture viewers.  I have to admit, it was fascinating.  There weren’t any signs or instructions on the hands-on table and yet Thomas explained physics concepts that he figured out simply by exploration.

One of the things I love about my boy is his curiosity.  In the kitchen garden area of the estate we saw the hydroponic set-up below.  A male guest, older than I but not yet senior-age, was explaining the entire process to his friend when Thomas and I walked up.  TC immediately opened the lid of the beige bucket to see what was hidden inside.  The man went on endlessly about how the operation worked and I could see Thomas getting annoyed.  He didn’t say it, but I swear I could see it in his eyes, “just shut up and let me figure it out!”

The man made a point of telling us, “that’s lettuce growing right there.”  I thought I was going to completely lose it when Thomas replied with what I heard as a very snarky “I KNOW!”  It wasn’t, really, and the man didn’t notice, but I congratulated my boy on being patient and polite.

hydroponic lettuce

Also, did you know that pineapples grow like this?  How cool is that?!?!  As much as I love growing things here in the northeast, tropical plants have such interesting shapes and colors.

baby red pineapple

Throughout the Edison museum, we saw hundreds of photos and exhibits.  This one in particular caught my eye.  Seriously, ladies?  You had a camera at your disposal but no mirrors?
Edison estate photo

Before I close I want to ask your opinion on my experience with Enterprise Rent-a-Car.  I rented a car for 6 days and was informed that the company generously gives you two keys ‘for your convenience’.  The agent specifically warned me to not lose them because they are very expensive to replace at $250 per key.

Now, I’m a Girl Scout from way back and I’m always prepared with a spare key to my own car just in case I lose my clunky key chain.  I realized shortly after leaving the airport that the two keys were on the same ring – a ring that was made up of a plastic coated metal cable that was crimped closed and could not be taken apart without wire cutters.

WHAT IS THE POINT, then, of having TWO KEYS?  It certainly wasn’t for the added peace of mind of having a spare should you lose one.  If anything I’d say it was to put another $250 into Enterprise’s pocket.

I actually asked the agent upon returning the car and he looked at me, puzzled, and said, “why do you ask? Did you lose a key?”

How the hell do you think I DROVE here if I lost the keys, dude?   

I really don’t know WHERE my kid gets his sarcastic attitude from.

3 thoughts on “I’m Ba-ack!

    1. I just figure I’m intolerant. I’m glad you feel the same about the keys 🙂

      Yes, it was great, although way too brief.

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