Living In Interesting Times

  Well friends, when I last spoke to you I said I hoped the next sits were going to be more interesting than the last. Unfortunately, my wish was granted. Now, before you get alarmed, nothing bad happened to us. Shit just got very interesting. So grab a drink, a strong one if you prefer, and get comfortable. This one is gonna be long.

  During our last trip to Florida in 2023 we saw this license plate holder:

  With what's transpired during the past few days I think that might be the philosophy of the Trump administration.

  Being a Canadian in the US while all hell breaks loose has been a challenging experience. As I said to Penny this morning, this is the first time in my life I've been overwhelmed by the news to the point that I don't want to look anymore. That, in itself, is scary. If a news and American history junkie like me can't bear to watch, what does that say about the average American to whom this is all more personal?

  Interestingly, everyone (yes, everyone) we've spoken to while here, and during previous trips, is not a Trump supporter. They've all been disgusted by his antics and apologetic to us as we are now one of his targets. Who are the people who support him? I want to meet some and try to have an exchange of ideas to better understand their motivation. I'm sure it will be pointless but I'm very willing to try. I feel like poor education, ignorance and apathy are at the root of the problem but I'd like something concrete to base that on.

  I've been following Charlie Angus on Bluesky and, as a proud Canadian, I feel like he's fighting the good fight. We need more like him. It was especially gratifying to see both Trudeau and Sheinbaum pull the wool over Trump's eyes on Monday, so there's hope. Oh, and if anyone's interested in buying some prime Mediterranean waterfront property, I happen to know some that's just become available. Incredible.

  Anyway, enough of that. I just wanted you to know that we're not sitting here in paradise ignoring the world or the plight of Canadians. Our blood pressure is up just like yours. It's just warmer here.

  Yes, warmer. The day after my last post warmth returned. So we went to the beach. Without parkas. It was great. After three weeks of cool, rainy boredom we got to catch some rays and listen to the surf. It was as if we dipped ourselves in magic waters (checks James Earl Jones quote).

  That was it. The homeowners returned the next day and we were outta there. Taillights. Gone, baby, gone.

  With a couple of days to blow before starting our next sit we headed off to Cocoa Beach, near Cape Canaveral. There were supposed to be two (yes, TWO) SpaceX launches and Cocoa is a great place from which to see them. Unfortunately the homeowners back in Venice got home later than expected so we arrived too late to see the first one but no problem, we thought, we'll catch tomorrow night's launch. Except, when we arrived we found out SpaceX rescheduled it for the day after and we'd be gone. Two launches? No launches. Shit.

  With no launch to get excited about it was time to do some 'splorin'. We started by heading to the Port Canaveral cruise ship port, not because we wanted to see cruise ships but because it's where they bring SpaceX boosters after they're recovered. There weren't any but we did see both the SpaceX "Just Read The Instructions" barge:

and Blue Origin's "Jacklyn" used to unsuccessfully recover the booster from their first "New Glenn" launch:

  Across the channel, past the cruise ship terminals lies Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. "Space Force" just sounds ridiculous. Whenever I see it I think of Steve Carell. Also, "Space Force Station" also sounds ridiculous. Just say it fast and you'll see what I mean. I keep thinking of those kids' TV shows from the 60's where the characters were played by marionettes, like Thunderbirds.

  You can't get into the SpaceForceStation (see? you just said it fast and it does sound ridiculous) but there is a cool little museum at the main gate that you can see FOR FREE. We tried to enter but we found it closed for a private event and they told us to come back later.

  I checked Google Maps and found a road that runs past the back door of the Kennedy Space Center to the Canaveral National Seashore and it's normally closed because of it's proximity to the launch area. No launches? It was open. So we went. This is the Vehicle Assembly Building which is pretty f-ing big and we were pretty close to it.

  We also drove past the end of the runway they used to use to land space shuttles but the view is now blocked by trees. We didn't actually go to the seashore because they wanted $25 just to let us in. To the beach. No.

  We turned around and wandered a bit, finding a canal that's home to manatees like this guy:

I guess the water's warm enough there as they usually hang out near the outflow from power plants in the winter.

  After some more wandering we passed this respectable establishment

and went back to the SpaceForceStation to check out the museum. It turns out the people that work there are real space enthusiasts who know a ton of interesting shit. Turns out I know some interesting shit too. We exchanged shit. The museum had interesting shit too, like this:

  Fun fact. When you think of NASA launching manned spacecraft you see this vision of a big room full of technicians staring at consoles, like in Apollo 13. Well, that's in Houston at the Johnson Space Center. This thing above was what they used to launch Gemini from a blockhouse by the launchpad in Florida. A guy at a console full of buttons and lights with one button labelled "Launch". There were other consoles too, connected to all the lights, but this is it. I'm sure the guy who sat there had very specific instructions. Don't push the big button until the clock says "0:00". Cool job.

  The museum is all about the history of the various launch complexes on the base and, if you didn't know, that's all of them except pad 39, the only one on the Kennedy Space Center property. See? You learned something today.

  Our day was completed with a nice dinner topped off by some of Fat Donkey's ice cream. Really.

  At this point I think it's Trivia Time. While in Cocoa Beach we stayed at a reasonably priced La Quinta that was close to everything. It was moderately comfortable and had an almost edible free breakfast. Special added bonus. If you take a ground floor unit we'll add upstairs neighbours who come in shouting at 1 am, walk on the all-tiled floors with tap shoes at 3 am and have shouted conversations in foreign languages at 6 am. Yes. Both nights we were there. Russian the first night, Spanish the next. Sleep? Hardly. Oh, and the bed wasn't comfortable either. BUT. The hotel was originally the Cape Colony Resort, built in the 1960s by the original seven Mercury astronauts, so that's something. I'll bet the floors were carpeted back then.

  Here's an actual spacesuit in the lobby that I'm standing beside while I'm not being particularly happy because of the 3 am tap shoes and the barely edible breakfast I just ate but I need to get this obligatory picture taken.

  Tap shoes notwithstanding, our last morning at Cocoa Beach turned out to be eventful. We thought we'd spend a couple of hours at the beach then head south for the next sit but, when we got to the sand there, about ten miles out in the ocean, was the "A Shortfall Of Gravitas" barge with a SpaceX booster atop it coming into port. Well, you know what came next.

  We hung out at the beach while it approached the port then headed over to the previous day's vantage point so we could get a closer look.

  It's a pretty impressive sight. I mean, it's not every day you get to see a two hundred foot long rocket booster on top of a barge, amirite? Here's a closeup view of the actual rocket:

  Now then, I'll admit to being a fan of the technology and continue to be amazed by what SpaceX can do but I don't extend any of that to its owner, Elon Musk. The more I see and hear about this guy the more I think he's a real-life incarnation of Dr. Evil. I mean, if there's anyone you would equate with a Bond villain, he's it. All he's missing is a white cat and a dwarf. I guess Trump could play the dwarf, at least mentally. Anyway, I'll continue to marvel at what these guys can do until they the Starlink satellites open their secret hatches and unleash their space lasers on us. Bwah ha ha (rubs hands together).

  With Cocoa Beach behind us we headed to Boynton Beach. Our charge for the week is a little Havanese named Oliver.

  After a week here I'm wondering why we agreed to this sit. You see, Ollie is old. In people years he's about a thousand. His name should be Methuselah. When you walk him you don't walk. You take a step and wait while he slowly meanders onto a patch of grass and sniffs every molecule available. Fifteen seconds later you take another step. Like that. His walking speed can be measured in feet per hour. Eventually he pees. He might do the other, if you can wait long enough. If you can't wait it's ok as you'll get to clean it off the floor at home later. Not fun.

  We were warned... kind of. We were told he sleeps until "around 8 or 9 am" and we should keep him locked in our room with us so he doesn't get out and "do anything" elsewhere in the house before we can take him outside in the morning. Trouble is, he only sleeps until 6:30. Liars. Today I woke up to find him standing by the bedroom door. I rolled out of bed only to find my foot in a warm puddle. Good morning! One more day of this then we're outta here. Nice place but every time I see the dog wander around I think he's looking for a place to drop a load.

  The weather here has been perfect. We've had beach time

and golf time and yesterday we went deep-sea fishing.

  It turns out yesterday was exactly five years since the last time we'd done it, when we took all the family to Florida before COVID changed the world. That day, granddaughter Zoey caught most of the fish and we all had a nice dinner with the proceeds. Yesterday, nada. Here's Penny showing how many fish she caught:

There wasn't anything to toss these guys either.

But it was a great day on the water.

  We leave tomorrow on our way to Houston for a two week sit with a cat. We'll be stopping for a day in New Orleans and it's anybody's guess how that will go given the Super Bowl game will be played there Sunday. I'm sure we're in for more Interesting Times. Wish us luck. We'll be thinking of you, Canada.