Orlando Afterthoughts

We just got back from Orlando - I had a professional conference there so Jacek came with me. We had a great time. We flew in on Sunday and drove to Clearwater Beach to walk in the sun. The Gulf water was crazy warm - not refreshing at all. Still, it's a nice beach. We spent an afternoon at Sea World in the rain. After the storms cleared up we rode the Kraken - a very fun roller coaster - 7 inversions, 144 ft. drop, up to 65 mph and it's floorless - all this without getting motion sick - look ma! No dramamine! I hate the high hills, but love the loops!

After a few days of conferencing we made our way to the Magical Midway, where Jacek braved the Sling Shot. And yes, we have video to prove it. I have to say it's the scariest amusement ride yet and the one in Orlando is the biggest - the towers are 115 meters tall and it shoots the rider up to way higher. I think the people who ride it are nuts. And yes, that includes Jacek.

Before flying home on Thursday we spent the day at Discovery Cove. It's a beautiful park and they really do it right. Clean, comfortable, relaxing and a lot of fun. Their aviary and reef are way cool. They have several large southern sting rays and spotted eagle rays among the tons of fish. The birds inlcude the colorful, friendly and downright wacky. They really cater to you while you are there and we agreed it was worth the cost.

So it was a really fun work week and we got home feeling relaxed and ready for the weekend. I used to cringe at the thought of taking our kids to Orlando but after this week I'm kinda looking forward to it.