Wednesday, 3/20

Woke up a bit out of synch ... when the power went down, of course the clock on the microwave went to zero.  We asked the evening turndown crew how to re-set it (Linda had worked for some good while on that problem) and they didn't know either ... everyone got to the place where the time had been entered and was showing, but couldn't finalize the data.  After far too much experimentation, it turned out that hitting "start" did the trick.  BUT ... by then the time was an hour off, which we didn't notice until this morning.  Now that the day was properly anchored, we could get on with breakfast!

All the walking in loose sand yesterday left us with tired toes, so it was off to the pool after our toast.  It was utterly deserted; a few souls in the restaurant, but no one getting wet.  It was enjoyable to have the lagoon to ourselves, and we did some extra lap work as a result.  Pleasant temperatures and a light breeze; when we settled into beach chairs to dry off it was just a perfect morning.

We had seen a group in hotel uniforms touring the grounds a few days back, and suspected it was a new training class.  That seemed even more likely as the morning cleaning person arrived in duplicate ... not our usual friendly fellow all alone.  And clean, these ladies DID ... we were beginning to wonder if they'd ever leave!  Seriously, friends, when you find that the TOASTER has been cleaned you know you have been the beneficiary of an excess of enthusiasm.

Once we were alone again, we made up a good tossed salad and shredded the country ribs, thinking ahead to glazing them for dinner this evening.  Linda whipped up a few bean/cheese/chorizo quesadillas and we had a nice mid-day feast.  We've had to toss a few items, but overall will come very close to using exactly what we bought.  No small feat!

I had a bit of a scare with my needlework piece ... I had completed the frame for the next detail (an old-fashioned nautical spyglass) ... counted everything four ways and KNEW it was done correctly.  Move on to the blown-up chart for the stitches ... and it has TWICE the number of  squares.  WHAT?!!  Well, after a little cool-down, it turns out that this detail is stitched over just ONE thread of the backing fabric (meaning I have four TIMES as many stitches to take as I had imagined).  Oh well, at least the original work is solid.  Progress is being made on the spyglass, now that breathing has returned to normal levels.

Meanwhile, we eventually tucked into BBQ country ribs and "sweet potatoes" ... the potatoes looked pretty likely when we bought them (dark red skin, pointy ends), but once they were peeled they were quite white except they oxidized almost instantly when exposed to air.  Nonetheless, they took the second BBQ-inflected sauce quite nicely and we were happy with the results overall.  Just four meals to go, and the 'frig is looking pretty empty.  It's a good thing!!

We confirmed arrangements with the driver who took us on the two tours, so we have (for better or for worse!) a ride to the airport Friday late morning.  Then an early afternoon flight to Houston, and a late arrival into frigid O'Hare.  We won't dwell on that just now ... just enjoy another couple days of sunshine and surf, our way!