Sarasota Florida 2000

THE GRAND FLORIDIAN ADVENTURE!

10 March 2000 - In the beginning, there was an idea. A marvelous, wonderful idea. (Having Ken along on this trip is really affecting my creativity!) I had the idea that instead of spending another boring spring break loafing around at home, we should spend it with the Dalys in Sarasota. Ken agreed, I bought the tickets online, and we waited for this day to come. Finally, it is here! What a day for adventures. We were going to take a bus from Madison to Mitchell Field in Milwaukee and we were lucky enough to get two of the lasts seats available. The ride was long, but I read The Hobbit and listened to some music. When we got to the airport, we found our flight to Detroit had been delayed a half-hour. We put away our stuff and had a look around  the shops. We spent a lot of time in a bookstore. Our flight was delayed again, so we got some dinner. We checked in at the desk, then sat down and played some cards. Finally, our flight arrived, and we were allowed to board. We didn't take off until 5:45 (supposed to go at 4:15). Most of the flight, I sad worrying that we wouldn't make our 7:45 connection. Finally we landed, got off the plane and RAN! We had to go to a whole different concourse. They held our flight until we got there, so, out of breath, we got our seats. The flight to Tampa, we read, tried to sleep, listened to music. We finally made it to Florida, and met Mike and Sue Daly at the game. Oh, 'tis wonderful to have finally made it! We got to their car, then drove to Sarasota. When we got there, we watched a bit of the Badger bball game (we won!) then went to bed. Nice long day!

11 March - You'd think we'd sleep in good and long, but we ended up waking up early. Ken and I walked south along the beach to the Point of Rocks, then cut up along the wall into this very ritzy neighborhood. We took the road up along, stopping in little shops on the way. Finally, we made it back and ate lunch. Sue took us grocery shopping. When we got back, Ken and I went swimming in the ocean, then laid out in the nice warm sun. The water was a little chilly, but it was almost 80° and sunny. After sitting out, we came up and got some sourdough and grapes. Then Ken and I decided to run to these little shops by the drawbridge. We looked into parasailing ($50 - ouch). I bought a $139 {yeah, right...} watch for $13.90! Sweet! Ken got an ear cuff. We came back and watched the Badgers lose in the Big Ten tournament. Mike and Sue had guests come. In fact, they used to the owners of our house in Rapids (Tabers). It was nice to talk to them - they knew so much and shared a lot of stuff that went on in the neighborhood before we came. They only stayed for a drink. Mike keeps pressing fish on me (you know what I mean)... yuck. All four of us went out to have a real Floridian seafood dinner at Phillipe Creek. I took Mike's recommendation, but the bullet and ordered a blackened grouper sandwich. I'm not a real big fish fan, but hey, it's an adventure! It turned out to be pretty good! Despite our protests, Mike paid for us. Man, we owe them BIG! We came back, then Ken and I fished dessert - angel food cake with fresh strawberries and ice cream. Brilliant! We watched a little TV before heading off to bed. Did a little reading. I think Ken put it best when she said that we have done more today than we ever would have done at home - we would be happy with all that we did today. I quite agree... I'm just waiting to see what tomorrow brings us for adventures! :)

12 March - The day started off a good deal chilly and windier than yesterday. Ken and I decided to take a walk up along the beach and look into the shops in the village. They were very kitschy, but some were nice. We both bought ourselves toe rings. :) We walked around until noon, when most of the shops opened up. We found a little grocery store and bought croissants, cheese, and water for lunch. We ate by the road. We did a little more looking around, then headed back along the road. There aren't too many college kids here for spring break, but there are some. We got back and slept or read or worked on this puzzle Sue had. We ate dinner down by the pool, where we grilled hamburgers (a meatless one for me) and had salad. It was all very wholesome and happy. We finished off the angel food cake for dessert. I read and then finished The Hobbit, then started in on Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone {when I began reading the series for the first time!}.

13 March - Ken and I slept in a bit, then we went out and played in the sand. Actually, we made a giant sleeping dragon. It was awesome! It took us about three hours. We got a lot of compliments. We spam in the pool, then came up and ate lunch. Then Sue, Ken and I went to the Mote Aquarium and saw all the fish. Ken and I went to the mall to look for sandals for her. Couldn't find any, but we stopped at Old Navy and Walgreens. We came back, got dressed up and took the Dalys out to eat at Gastronomia's, our treat. The food was excellent and it was just a wonderful time. We even got dessert. :) Then we came back. We're both pretty tired from all our adventures today, so we went to bed extra early.

Ken, Smaug, Cara

Sue, Mike, Cara & Kendra

14 March - We're running out of things to do down here! This morning after Sue made us nummy waffles for breakfast, Ken and I drove about looking for sandals for her. we also picked up some dessert at the grocery store, as we're making dinner. The Goodwill, we found, had a very poor selection. We came back and read for a bit, then decided to go down on the beach.The dragon's still there, but looking rather weatherbeaten. We were going to try snorkeling, but it was too cold for Ken, and besides, the sea was too murky. So we swam in the pool for a bit. Came up and dried off, then went down to try our hands at tennis. We were pretty pathetic and gave up after a few minutes. We came back up, worked on the puzzle and started dinner - pizza, salad and strawberry-topped cheesecake. It all turned out to be quite good. After dinner, I watched That 70's Show and read more Harry Potter. I'm nearly done!

15 March - Our last day in paradise. :) We got up bright and early to go parasailing, but alas, it was too windy and they ended up cancelling all trips for the day. Instead, Ken and I drove to Myakka State Park to see gators. We took a short nature walk, then went by the lake. It was exceptionally busy and the only open boat tours were two hours away. We decided not to wait, so we jumped back in the car, snapped a couple pictures of random gators, then took a drive. We stopped at a bookstore to see if I could buy more Harry Potter books, then took a trip down Tamiami Drive. We stopped at Barnes and Noble and got frappucinos. We drove back and ate lunch and worked on the puzzle. It's hard! Mike, Sue, Ken and I went to downtown Sarasota to eat dinner at Two Senoritas. It was good - my tacos were incredibly spicy! It rained for the first time while we were down here. We stopped in the village for ice cream at Big Olaf's. Man, I'm stuffed! When we got back, I called home and puzzled some more. Then we decided to go to sleep. Have to be up at 5:00 am. Ugh!

16 March - Got up nice and early. Unfortunately, I was pretty awake. The drive to Tampa was quiet, and I listened to some music. Our flight out was on time (Hallelujah), so we bid adieu to the Dalys, thanking them yet again. Ken and I both listed to music, read and dozed on the way back. I got a special "vegetarian" breakfast that was no different from everyone else's, but I got more stuff. :) We didn't have too much time in Detroit, then a short flight and we were back in Milwaukee. Dad met us at the airport and drove us home. What a nice guy! {I wish we would have taken him out to lunch like he wanted instead of begging him to take us straight home. This is one of those inconsiderate things I did as an immature young adult that I mentally kick myself for these days.}

{The day we made the sand dragon, Smaug, we applied sunscreen, but the frequent movement caused patches of skin around our bikinis to be exposed, causing us both to get strips of very bad sunburn. It was still stinging when we were on our way home!}

18 March - Side note. Mom, Cassie and I drove to Minneapolis to go to the Mall (got tons of clothes) and see The Scarlet Pimpernel. The musical was hilarious and we even got to go back stage to see the lead, Douglas Sills, in a robe in his dressing room. Oh, sweet! It was such a great day!

{transcribed 2/6/2020}

Outer Banks 1999

18 August 1999 - I stayed at Grandma K's house Tuesday night. This morning she drove to the airport in Appleton. I was going to fly down to Kill Devil Hills, NC, to see my sis play in the first-ever girl world series for softball. I flew from Appleton to make my connection in Chicago. I slept most of the way to Norfolk. It was in the 70s back home, and wonderful 80s-90s in Norfolk where Mom and Dad picked me up. It took about 2 hours to drive to Kill Devil Hills on the Outer Banks. We were staying in a Ramada right on the beach. I got settled, then Mom, Dad and I went swimming in the ocean. It was nice and cool, but not cold. I tried body boarding. Cassie's game was at 4:30, so we went over to the park. It was pretty warm by the field (in the low 100s). They played well, but they just couldn't get their bats working. Cassie went back with her host family, while we went back to the hotel. Then we went out to dinner at Kelly's. That was a pretty classy place. Dad bought Mom a cow at the gift shop. I tried a little of the seafood Mom and Dad ordered. When we got back to the hotel, I played cards with Jill J, Jessie W, Gilbie and some other young'uns. Because I got up at 4 today, I left early to go to bed. There was supposedly a big storm, but I was dead to the world.

19 Aug - I got up earlyish to try to see the dolphins swim by in the ocean. Alas, I was too late. I stood outside on the deck stairs with mom, Dad and some of the other softball parents. Dad took a swim in the ocean while Mom and I got ready to pick up Cassie. Before we went up to Currituck, we visited the Wright Bros Memorial. We looked around the museum then climbed up the hill to see the monument. There was a good view, but it was quite hazy. We drove up the coast to the Currituck lighthouse. The Wirtzs drove in almost behind us. We went to climb up the lighthouse for $5. Mary and Jessie didn't want to, and Dad wanted to go up with Jeff, so Cassie, Mom and I began the 214-step climb. I don't exactly "love" heights, or climbing stairs you can see through. Cassie and Mom stopped on the third flight, but I kept going. Slow and steady, but my heart was pounding by the time I got to the top. I forced myself to look over the edge and took a couple of pictures. Cassie and Mom finally made it up, then we turned around, went back down, and visited the gift shop. We drove back towards KDH, but we stopped in Duck so I could buy a kite.. I got a parafoil for $30. I also got a magnet with a picture of the Duck coast that just says "Duck." I just through that was the funniest name for a town. We had to get Cassie back for the game so we dropped her off, then went back for the game at 6:30. It was a hard-fought game and if it weren't for some mistakes, they would have won it. Instead, they lost 1-5 to Benton, MO. Cassie had a couple of nice catches in the outfield. Since it was a double elimination tournament, the WRYSA girls were out. They were pretty sad afterwards. Cassie wanted to go back to her host family's, because they were having a party. Mom, Dad and I went back to the hotel, watched Sunset Boulevard and made baked potatoes. I joined all the adults on the patio for a bit before I went in.

20 Aug - Again, I got up early to see the dolphis, but they never showed. Grrr! Gilbie was now with us, because she would be driving home with us. I went with Dad and Gilbie to see Cassie's host house. She was right - it was huge and really nice. We went back to get Mom. We went swimming and body boarding for a nice, long time. Then we got in the van and drove down the coast to see the Hatteras lighthouse that they had moved. We then drove back up to the Bodie Island lighthouse. Then we went to Manteo on Roanoke Island to see one of the ships that brought the first colonists to the New World. There was also a museum. We toured the ship where some men acted as settlers. Then we checked out the settlement. The best part of going there was the museum. They had a bunch of hands-on activities and dress-up clothes. Cass, Gilbie and I were settlers, native Americans, pirates and civil war soldiers. It was a lot of fun! We went back to the hotel, and Cassie, Gilbie and I headed for the ocean. For some reason, the water smelled really bad. We got out and ate the pizza Mom got for dinner. Then Cassie, Gilbie, Jessie and Beth R played cards for a little bit. Early to bed...

21 Aug - It was storming when we got up at 4. We got on the road just before 6. We drove all the way through the mountains to Indianapolis, where we stopped for the night. We pulled in at about 8. Then Mom, Cass, Gilbie and I went to the mall to go jeans shopping. We got a pair each. Picked up some food at the food court, then made our way back. On our way back on the highway, we saw a big accident. There was a car flipped on its hood. We drove the rest of the way to the hotel and ate dinner. We had another early night.

22 Aug - We wanted to be on the road around 6, so we got up, ate breakfast, then we were on our way. It was a pretty short day and we were home by 2. Then we unloaded the car and I drove Gilbie back to her home in Vesper. Short though it was and somewhat disappointing, this was one of the best family vacations we've ever taken.

{transcribed 2/6/2020}

Orlando 1999

11 February 1999 - I woke up at 4:10 to get my cab to take me to the airport in Madison. My flights were pretty good (I went from Madison to Detroit to Orlando). I met Mom and Cassie at the airport. It was in the 80s and felt great! Heck of a lot better than down in Madison. We drove from the airport to Orlando. We went to this place called WonderWorks. It had a bunch of really cool interactive things, like simulated earthquakes, hurricanes; they had bubbles and games and rock climbing and rollercoaster ride. It was cool. Then we picked up Dad at the convention center. We went to the hotel. We went out to dinner at Bennigan's and it was really quiet. We took a nice long swim in the pool (all of us!). Oh, and we ate lunch at Race Rock and I got a new key chain.

12 Feb - We went to EPCOT today. {I remember getting honked at as I rode in the backseat of the car by a semi driver that looked like Jerry Garcia...} We wandered around, and I bought some trinkets for friends. We didn't go on a lot of the rides, because we had been on them before. We headed over to the Magic Kingdom to go on Splash Mountain. but we got caught by the parade. We went on the ride, then rose the monorail back, because I had an awards ceremony to go to at the Peabody. I got to dress up and get a plaque for winning a scholarship from the GCSAA. After that, we went to another reception. Cassie and I wandered around. It was stormy in the evening, but it didn't rain.

Cara & Cass at Epcot

In "Norway" at Epcot

Mom in "Italy"

13 Feb - It was only in the 60s today. Grrr! It's supposed to be warm in Florida! We went to Animal Kingdom, and saw everything there was to see because we had never been there before. Then we went to MGM Studios and took a few rides and went to the parade. We met Dad at the hotel. We were going to go back to Magic Kingdom, but the traffic was too heavy. We ordered out for pizza and Cassie and I took a swim.

14 Feb - Mom, Dad, Cassie and I went to this outdoor mall to watch the start of the Daytona 500 at the Dan Marino Tavern. I bought a nice Fossil watch. Then they took me to the airport. I didn't want to go back. I wasn't ready! The flight back was pretty good. When I got to Detroit, I had to run to catch my flight to Madison. The UW wrestling team was on it, as well as this professor guy that Dad introduced me to at the Wis. golf course reception. He offered me a ride back to Liz so I wouldn't have to take a cab. I got back to Liz, put away my stuff, and crashed big time. It wasn't a long trip, but it sure felt good!!! I could have used a few more months of it, that's for sure!

{transcribed 2/6/2020}

1999 Rose Bowl

26 December 1998 - We left home at around 2 pm after a morning of pandemonium and running around. We drove as far as Des Moines, IA. Spent the night in a king-sized suite. Cool! It's so cold outside. I hope it's nice on New Years when we got to the Rose Bowl.

27 Dec - Got not very much sleep last night, because there were people making noise in the pool until around 11:30. I had to ask the front desk to make them leave. We got up early to be on the road. We drove through all of Nebraska, stopping at a Wendy's for dinner. We drove as far as Denver, Colorado. We got a room at a Hampton. We ate dinner at a sports bar and grill.

28 Dec - Another long day in the car. we left Denver around 8 local time. As we started driving through the Rockies, it started snowing. It got pretty bad when we were in the valley, so the going was pretty slow. I wasn't feeling all that well. We stopped once, and I felt like I was almost going to black out. That feeling went away after a while. Driving through Colorado and Utah was really pretty. We drove as far as Las Vegas. It was late and everyone was tired, so we didn't bother to go out to eat for dinner. Tomorrow we hope to do a little sight seeing around here and all that.

29 Dec - We spent half the day cruising the strip. We parked the van down by Treasure Island. We walked all the way down to New York, New York. We stopped at the Forum Shops at Caesar's Palace to look at the stores there. My feet were hurting by the time we got as far as NY. I really wanted to drop a quarter in a slot machine to say I gambled in Vegas, but you must be 21. Jeez. I can gamble in Wisconsin, but not in Vegas. I don't get it. We stopped for a drink at the Harley-Davidson Cafe on the way back to the car. After getting back, we drove over by the Sahara and had lunch at Holy Cow!, a little brewery/cafe place. The service was really slow. We walked over to the Sahara after lunch, because they had some kind of racing thing there. It didn't look very exciting, so we left. We drove the rest of the way to Loos Angeles. I slept. We got to our hotel, a little Holiday Inn Express, and watched a bowl game.

30 Dec - Stuck around the hotel this morning for a while. It was a beautiful morning, so while the rest of the family watched a movie, I sat out on the porch in the sun, ate my breakfast and read. We went to a nearby mall to try to get Cassie a replacement pair of contacts. After that, we took a drive to the Rose Bowl Stadium to try and get our bearings. There was a family festival going on, so we parked and walked over. We got some souvenirs. I got a t-shirt and a hat. We walked through a tent to see how the Rose Parade floats are made. Then we went back to the car and drove and drove to find the right way back from the stadium. We got back to the hotel, then went back to the mall to get dinner. We came back and watched Nebraska and Arizona in the Holiday Bowl.

31 Dec - We slept in this morning. Cassie and I tried to use the whirlpool, but it was a little too chilly. We did a few loads of laundry. Then we went over to the mall to pick up Cass's new contacts. I bought a Tom Servo gumball machine head. After that, we all drove to Long Beach. We were going to go the new aquarium, but not if it cost $15 a person. Instead, we walked along the harbor and ate lunch at Tequila Jack's. From there, we walked back to see the Badger Band have a little pep rally by the aquarium. We drove over to Universal Studios where they were having a special Wisconsin New Year's Eve bash at 6:00 pm. We wandered about, taking in all the rides and shows we could. We got especially wet on the Jurassic Park ride. We stayed there until 10 (midnight back home), then left to drive back to the hotel. We went to bed fairly early, because we have to get up at 4:15 am tomorrow morning. Ugh. Happy New Year!

Dad & Car along the Long Beach race route

Cass & Mom polkaing at the pep rally in Long Beach

Cass & Cara at Universal Studios

1 Jan 1999 - We got up at 4:15 as advertised. We drove over to the stadium and got a pretty good parking spot. It was only around 6 am, so I tried to catch a few more winks. The rest of the family had the idea of going up and watching the Rose Parade if we could. We walked up there and found a nice place to stand. Two local girls were friendly and let us occupy the space. We watched about half the parade. It was really interesting to see the floats up close up. You could really see the roses and all the other flowers and seeds they used to decorate them. After that, we went back to the van. I took another nap. After I woke up , I read and then mom and I played some sheepshead. At 1 pm, we went into the stadium. We found ourselves in the midst of many Badger fans. Awesome! The game was a real battle. Both teams played very well. It was a real you-score-one, I-score-one fight. The Badgers managed to hold off the UCLA Bruins just enough to get the upset. There were some really big plays by us and them. Ron Dayne had a career day. In the end, thousands of ecstatic Badger fans celebrated a 38-31 win. We had 5th Quarter and really had fun. My throat hurts from all the screaming I did. Wow. It was just too cool to be there and experience it all. We stuck around the stadium waiting for traffic to clear out, then drove back to the hotel. We ordered pizzas and got sundaes from the McDonald's across the street to feed hungry stomachs and soothe sore throats. Ate our dinner and watched TV before going to bed. A great way to ring in the New Year!

Rose Parade Float

Happy Badgers!

Winners!

2 Jan - We were up and on the road by 8:15 am. We took the southern route this time. We drove all the way to Albuquerque, New Mexico. It was pretty late (9:15 local) when we pulled into a Hampton Inn. Mom and Cassie went to get dinner while Dad and I watched the Orange Bowl.

3 Jan - Another long day on the road. I think everybody's getting a little sick of each other. We drove to Kansas City to overnight. On the way there, we listened to the Packers-49ers wild card playoff game on the radio. The Pack lost the game in the last 3 seconds. Argh! Hopefully, we'll miss the winter storm that went through Wisconsin and Illinois in the last few days.

4 Jan - Drove the last leg home. Since we made good time, we were able to pick Sadie up from the kennel before going home to dig out our driveway. It was a great trip. Who'd have believed that the Badgers would go to the Rose Bowl and win? It sure made my freshman year in college at UW-Madison that much more special. :)

{transcribed 2/6/2020}

Houma LA 1998

11 August 1998 - Mom and I left this morning at 7:30 to go get Grandma K and begin driving down to Louisiana. Cassie's 13- to 15-year-old softball team made it to the National Finals in Houma (57 miles south of New Orleans). we drove all day, stopping to eat at a Cracker Barrel restaurant in Illinois. We're spending the night in Benton, KY. Grandma's sister and her husband, June and Mickey. Mickey led us on a little sight-seeing trip after dinner. we got to see ships in the Kentucky Dam lock and also the Barkley Dam. We gassed up and headed back for bed.

12 Aug - We left June and Mickey's at 7:30 today. We drove down through Kentucky, Tennessee, a little through Missouri and Arkansas, all the way through Mississippi and finally into Louisiana. It is so hot and humid here. We rant into a few popcorn showers on the way down, but they stopped once we got into Houma. It's about mid-90s here. Whew! The girls were having a pizza party tonight, and I didn't feel like going. Instead, I went swimming in the pool with Jill J, a friend of mine from school, especially band. We watched a little TV before everyone came back. I went to my own room and waited for Mom, Dad and Grandma to get back. They did and we went to bed.

13 Aug - We got up bright and early to see the opening ceremonies this morning. It had to be in the 90s and very humid (I think I heard that the heat index was 100+). Just as everything was winding up, a nasty storm blew in. Once lightning strike was pretty close to where we were. It was over pretty quick and we went back to the hotel. We decided that we should take a trip down to see the coast. We drove towards Grand Isle. It took about 2.5 hours to get there, even though it was maybe 80 miles. We only had a little bit to wade in the Gulf. The water was really warm, and I found two hermit crabs in shells I picked up. We drove back quicker, because we had to be back for Cassie's game. The diamonds that they are playing on are about 10-15 minutes from the Hampton Inn that were' staying at. We found out that we didn't have to hurry, because the games had been delayed after the storms. I got some food, watched the 16-18-year-olds win and played Phase 10 with some friends from Rapids. Cass's game finally started. They played against a team from Nashua, New Hampshire. We were down 0-1 and 1-3, but we had a big 6th inning and held on to win 5-4. It was a really exciting game, and we didn't get back until after 10. Mom and I went to go get food at a Walmart/supermarket/McDonald's. I had a calzone. I have yet to eat real Cajun food down here!

Cara wading in the Gulf

14 Aug - It stormed a bit again this morning, which pushed the games back again. Mom, Grandma and I did a little shopping at the local mall. I got a few postcards to send to friends. We went over to the games and sat around until about 2 when Cassie's game began. It was a really close game, but it was stopped in the second inning, when the other team's coach protested a call. The umpire threw him out for arguing twice. After about 45 minutes, they started playing again. Our girls scored runs and held the other team. Final score: WRYBA (Rapids) 8, Terrebonne 5. After the game, we were going to go somewhere, but Mom decided she should take Cassie to a doctor, because it looked like she had pink eye. Naturally, she did. While Dad and I waited, we played cards with a few other guys and Grandma talked with some women. We did get a chance to go back to the mall with Jill between going back to the hotel and waiting for Cassie to get back from the clinic. We decided we wanted to get a taste of good ol' down home cookin', so we went to Abear's Restaurant, a little place that served homemade Cajun cooking. They had a live bank playing Cajun and country music. There were a lot of people from Rapids there. I got some gumbo and blackberry cobbler, while everyone else got shrimp, chicken or catfish. It had a really quaint atmosphere. I got a little magnet of Abears and Grandma bought alligator earrings, too. We came back to the hotel and got to see the game on the highlight reel of the local sports. I'm going to get to Kiln, Miss. or New Orleans tomorrow if Cassie's team wins!

Cassie at bat

Grandma, Cassie, Cara, Dad at Abear's

15 Aug - It stormed this morning (again!). That pushed the game time back to 2 pm. We had a lot of time to kill, Mom, Dad, Grandma, Jill and I went plantationing. We drove up the Vacherie to go to the Oak Alley Plantation. It was so neat to see all the circa 1840s stuff. We got rained on as we left. I got two postcards at the gift shop.  We came back for Cassie's game. They played Benton, Missouri, and lost 0-8. Because they lost, they had to play again tonight. They played Terrebonne again, and lost 0-11. They finished with 3rd place overall among 8 teams in the 13-15 division. Cass had to get her stuff from her host family, and I tagged along. We came back to the hotel and swam for a bit. I went back up to the room to watch a little TV. Our room keys have been all screwed up, so I had to get that straightened out.

Cara & Dad in the wind at Oak Alley

Dad, Mom, Cara somewhere in LA

16 Aug - We finally got up to New Orleans today. We followed the bus up. I met Dad & Cassie, and we met Mom & Grandma at the Hard Rock Cafe. We just looked around in there, because Dad and Cassie only had an hour. WE walked around the French Quarter and down Bourbon Street. We stopped in a little shop. I got some beads and a necklace. We kept walking until Dad & Cass said they had to go back. Mom, Grandma and I walked through a little park toward the river. We ate lunch at Planet Hollywood, and I got a t-shirt. I wanted to get a Mardi Gras mask, so we stopped in a shop that sold them. I wanted to go to the aquarium, but the line to buy tickets was long and the tickets were expensive. Instead, we went back toward the parking garage they had left the van in. It was attached to a ritzy little shopping complex. We looked at the shops that were there and then decided we should go. We drove across the causeway over Lake Ponchartrain and got as far as Memphis by 10 pm.

Cara, Cassie, Dad, Grandma in New Orleans

17 Aug - We were up and on the road by 6:15 am this morning. It was going to be a long day and we wanted to get home as soon as possible. We ate lunch at 10 am and got back on the road. We drove and drove and drove. I finished another book, the second on the trip. We finally got Grandma home around 7 pm and ourselves around 8. It was a long trip, but definitely worth every (almost) minute.

{transcribed 2/5/2020}

Anaheim 1998

4 February 1998 - We (Mom, Cassie and I) flew out of Minneapolis at 9:00 am. It was a pretty big plane, and I was smack-dab in the middle of 5 seats. I did some of my calculus and German. It took us 3 hours to get to the Los Angeles airport. We got our rental cal and drove to Long Beach. We toured the Queen Mary and saw artifacts from the Titanic. Then we drove to Anaheim to check into our hotel - The Jolly Roger. Mom went out and got pizza for us. Man, I'm really tired. The Queen Mary was really (and big!) to see up close.

5 Feb - We got to sleep in late today. We went to Target to get a few things (I got a pair of sunglasses). We drove up to Los Angeles to go to the Warner Bros. Studio. There, we went on a tour. It was really neat, because we got to see a lot of the backstage things, like sets, props and the street they sometime use in filming. We also got to see some of the pieces of film history in the Warner Bros. Museum. They had some neat displays of Rebel Without a Cause, My Fair Lady, and a bunch of other old WB movies. We drove back down to Anaheim, getting caught in traffic a few times on the freeway. We got some food for dinner, then got dressed up and went to meet Dad at the GCSAA Reception. We stayed there for a little while, then came back to our hotel.

6 Feb - Today was a very interesting day. It was rainy this morning, so we drove down to Newport Beach. El Niño is really doing crazy things down here. We were trying to get to the Hard Rock Cafe, but we ended up getting lost on the Balboa Peninsula. It was windy and raining hard, so we got out to see how high the surf was. We weren't able to walk upright, because the wind was so strong. The waves were huge and the beach had been eroded a good 5 feet. We ran back to the van, soaking wet. We circled back until we reached the Pacific Coast Highway and finally found the Hard Rock. I got a classic t-shirt. After we were done eating, we went outside to find that it was a total downpour. We drove over to the Fashion Island mall to wait out the storm. The rain thundered on the ceiling. We walked around for a bit before we decided to leave. We started to drive out on MacArthur, but there was some flooding, so we turned around to find another way out. We drove down one street, only to find that the bottom of the hill was washed out completely. Mom drove over the curb to get back to the mall. The rain was lightening up, so we shopped a bit before trying to get out of there again. The sun started to shine and we got back before it began to rain again. We met Dad at the hotel and he and Mom went to the President's Reception over at the Hilton. Cassie and I stayed in the room and watched the special edition Star Wars on television. It's raining again now. This is crazy weather they've got out here. Many flood warnings, mudslides, and all-around wet weather. I hope it clears up soon.

7 Feb - Today was pretty nice, so we (Mom, Cass and I) went to Disneyland. The morning was nice, so I just wore shorts and a light jacket. We walked over and got in when the park opened. We went on the Matterhorn first. Then Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Pirates of the Caribbean, the Haunted Mansion, then Splash Mountain. We spent a few hours looking into the stores and took in the Hercules Victory Parade. We also went to Star Tours in Tomorrowland, where they were remodeling and shooting a commercial. We took the Monorail over to the Disneyland Hotel to see about some lunch. We ate at the Monorail Cafe. I was getting cold, so we walked back to the hotel to put on some warmer clothes. We stuck around there for a bit. Dad came and we decided to make one more trip to Disney. It had started to rain, so it was a little sloppy out. The first thing we did was go and stand in line for the Indiana Jones Adventure, a new ride. It was about 45 min. later before we actually got on the ride, which had a lot of neat effects. We went back on Pirates, then Big Thunder Mountain. It was down-pouring by new and we were soaked. Cassie and I went on it three times. We were so wet when we finally decided to leave. There was standing water everywhere, more than 2" in some places. I forgot to mention that we saw a show at the Golden Horseshoe in the morning. Not the can-can dancers, but 4 guys playing guitars and fiddles and being funny. After we got back to the hotel for a second time, we all went out to dinner at Baker's Square. The service wasn't good, but at least we got some food. Came back, watched some stuff from the Olympics in Nagano, Japan, then went to bed.

8 Feb - Dad didn't have anything going on in the afternoon, so we drove down with him to Newport Beach. The day was a lot better and there were more people around. We ate lunch at the Newport Beach Brewing Company. Then we drove down the coast to Laguna Beach and got out and looked at the high surf. We tried to go down further, but the highway was flooded, so we turned around and came back. It was pretty late by then, so Mom and I went out to get some food. Ate it, and went to bed.

9 Feb - We had to get up at 3:50 to get to the airport with some time to spare. The flight back was okay. They underbooked the flight, so I went to the back of the plane and had a whole row to myself. I did some reading and got some schoolwork done. The plane was delayed a half-hour before takeoff with a technical glitch. We got to Minneapolis at 2:900 pm CT. It was too late to pick up Sadie, so we went to the Mall of America. Walked around for a bit, mainly window shopping. I talked Mom into trying to find where they shoot my favorite TV show, Mystery Science Theater 3000 on the Sci-Fi Channel. We got a bit lost looking, but we stopped at a gas station to get directions. Finally, I found myself standing in front of Best Brains, Inc. Cassie and I walked up to the door and I got enough courage to press the buzzer. We waited for a bit and were about to give up home when a man came to the door. It was Michael J. Nelson, host of MST3K. I was so amazed, I swear I did a double take. He let us into the building and even let me have my picture taken with him. I blabbed about how much I enjoy the show and stuff like that. He told me they were in the middle of writing episode 905, Space Children. (If you don't know anything about the show, Mike is in space with his two robot pals, Crow and Tom Servo and they're forced to watch really bad movies. You have to see it to understand.) I thanked him and let him get back to work. The Studio was really neat and really small. There were huge pictures of the cast up on the walls, plus props they used in the show. It was so neat for me! We drove back home and got back around 9 pm. I emailed all my friends about the trip and meeting Mike. Good Day.

{transcribed 2/5/2020}

1998 Outback Bowl

27 December 1997 - We left Rapids today to drive down to Florida to watch the Badgers play in the Outback Bowl on New Years Day. First, we dropped our dog, Sadie, off at the kennel. We left at 8:30 and drove all day until we got to Murfreesboro, Tenn. We stayed in a Hampton Inn there. Early night.

28 Dec - I got up at 5:00 this morning to get ready. We wanted to be on the road by 6, so we could get down to Sarasota by 7 pm ET. On the way out of Tennessee, we saw the mountains there at sunrise. It was very pretty. My wrist hurts while writing this! I tried to teach Cassie how to play sheephead. We saw an awesome sunset just past Tampa. We got to Sarasota around 6:30. We ran upstairs {of the Daly's condo building} to see the ending of the Lions-Bucs playoff game. The Bucs won, and the people were really nuts. We went to Applebee's for dinner and waited a long time for everything. Came back, watched the X-Files and went to bed.

29 Dec - Cassie and I got up early to go look for shells on the beach. The wind was really blowing and it was stormy out. We didn't find many shells. Mom and I went shopping and got some food for the week. We're going up to Tampa to pick up game tickets that Dad reserved. It's really blustery out. We went all around the city. We stopped in Ybor City to putz around. We almost got hit 3 times. I think everybody had at least one heart attack. We ate lunch at this restaurant called Cha-Cha Coconuts. Pretty neat. We went in this hat store and Dad got this Australian-esque hat for work. Cass and I went into a store that sold old fashioned clothing. Kind of like Goodwill only better. We came back to the condo early and didn't do much after that.

Cha-Cha Coconuts

30 Dec - I got up early again to look for shells. Another windy, cool morning. The temps are only about 50s-60s. Anyway, I think I was out too long, because when I got back and took a shower, my feet swelled up. Mom, Cass & I went shopping. I didn't get anything. We sat around for a little bit before Mom and I went for a walk on the beach to the point. We found a bunch of sand dollars and a baby squid and 2 baby octopi that had been washed up. Cass and Dad came out on the beach. She and I made a sand Camp Randall Stadium. Mom took pictures of us with the sunset behind us. Then we went swimming in the ocean with giant waves. I was really cold when we got out. We made pizzas for ourselves for dinner. Watched the Alamo Bowl, then went to bed.

31 Dec - I didn't feel all that great when I got up this morning. Sore and tired. Mom and Dad decided we were going to go look at manatees. But first, we drove to see where Mike Daly (our neighbor) plays golf down here. Pretty nice. We drove out to the Mote Aquarium. We saw all sorts of fish and sharks. We went into this building that had sea turtles and manatees. They had just brought in a baby pygmy sperm whale that they were trying to save. I got a manatee key chain. Then we went into the Pelican Man's Bird Refuge. All kinds of birds, like egrets, pelicans, and hawks. We were going to go to an Antebellum plantation, the Gamble Plantation, but it was closed. We drove on to Ybor City. We ate dinner at Cha-Cha Coconuts again before walking up the street. The parade was going to start at 4:30, so we had to find a place to stand. We ended up by a dunking tank that had a guy inside making fun of the kids trying to dunk him. Cassie went up to give it a try. She didn't get him, but she did get called "Bed-wetting Betty." The parade started. High school bands played and floats threw beads and candy at us. I got a string of red beads. Both college bands played and Cassie and I polkaed to On, Wisconsin in the street. We followed the bands to the area they were having the pep rally in. Georgia fans really aren't that loud, at least compared to us. Each band played a couple songs and they introduced the cheer squads. Right at the end, I got a chance to say hi to Mike T, a friend of mine (kind of) who plays in the Badger band. We walked back to the van and watched the fireworks show. That's always really neat, especially the finale, when they shoot off 20+ in just a few seconds. We drove home after that. I got a glass of fake champagne and drank that before going to bed. 11:02 ET. Well, it's new years in Nova Scotia! Happy New Years!

At the Pelican Man's Bird Refuge

Enjoying the parade

1 Jan 1998 -  We had to get up nice and early this morning to go to the bowl game. We were on the road by 6:30. We got a nice parking space when we got to Houlihan Stadium {The Big Sombrero} in Tampa. We wandered around for a bit, saw the Budweiser Clydesdales and heard the Badger Band play. When we went in and found our seats, we were right in the middle of many Georgia fans. And the Georgia Band. Bad stuff. Before the game, we moved over to the Badger side of the field. The game itself was a total blowout. The Bulldogs won 33-6. We didn't score a touchdown until the 4th quarter. I think that was the saving grace of the game or we really would have been ashamed. We stuck around for the band's 5th Quarter. Had a nice little competition between the two bands. It was kind of a nice day. Sunny, but very chilly with the wind right in our faces. I wore my winter coat and gloves because I was so cold. We came back through St. Petersburg and over the causeway. My head was pounding by then. We made spaghetti for dinner and watched the Michigan Wolverines beat the Washington State Cougars 21-16 in the Rose Bowl for the National Championship. I was getting tired, so I wrote this and went to bed.

{transcribed 2/4/2020}