InvictaMoto's Family Travels

The flight left on time and we have successfully made it across to the US. With tailwind most of the way we arrived a little before we were scheduled to arrive but then sat off the edge of the taxi way for about thirty minutes as the stand we were due on was not free. Everyone began to get a bit restless. In the end the rumoured two hours to get through immigration was a bit off and it took an hour. It was just two hours after landing that we made our way down to car rentals and the National desk. We were the only people there. In the garage there were a few full-size cars and no Charger this year. So we have a Chevy Impala. Only after driving to the hotel did I notice it has Texas plates. And it's raining. Despite having avoid toll roads marked as "on" the TomTom took us on a toll road. We just went through the auto tolls as we will be billed by National. Maybe in daylight and less rain we will be better at avoiding the tolls. Checking I to the hotel was simple eno...

Up early for breakfast and then set off for the airport. Not much traffic and we arrived in good time. All smooth until the self check in wouldn't work and we had a twenty minute queue to check bags. With human intervention instead. Quickly through security and now in Starbucks. Gate information just popped up. Gate 34.

After the rushing about yesterday to get the currency as ordered and then re-arranging the second week apartment, today was relatively quiet. A walk for Reggie including a trip to the chemist for my drugs went off pretty easy. The rest of the time spent emptying the kitchen for the workman and packing. I took him up to the kennels for about 4pm. As we turned into the drive he started to get excited.  Once into the reception he ran to the kennel girls as though he had missed them. He was there in July the last time. We left just before 7 and arrived at the hotel about 8.30pm. Dinner and then bed. TV on.

First world problems . 1. Ordered currency last night. "Collect after 11am". Snag. Go to Post Office. Show my paperwork and ID. Not enough USD to fill my order in the till. A few phone calls and another branch has enough. Nice walk. Only a mile and get the cash.  2. SMS from Claire. RCI left message.  Pompano Beach still closed after Hurricane Maria.  Call them. Difficult as mobile and in post office. Waiting for call back from them. Hoping for a replacement exchange. Has to be where there is space I guess.  My bet is Weston FL. There's always space there. Update: 27th September 19:07 Okay not all of Pompano Beach just Wyndham Sea Gardens.  Good job RCI called at 10am this morning and left a message and that Claire listened to it and set 2. above in motion. Luckily the guy at RCI, Steven, put a hold on a nearby resort for us at  La Costa Beach Club Resort. As when I eventually got in just before 4pm there was lit...

The last few weeks have been filled with the worries about the hurricanes. The latest one is Maria. Don't know what happened to one starting L. One Katia was in the Gulf but fizzled away. Maybe with so many of these massive storms brewing up maybe time to think about the causes. Pretty much us. Humans. We haven't even thought about what we should take.  Usually we take too much and it has an 18 hour return flight and a drive in the car!! For space saving it looks like the small cameras again. The Samsung that we both have take decent pics and are pocket sized. Plus they have wifi to get photos off them and onto a app on our phones. Shame they have no GPS! It would help remember where we took photos. Clothes.  Weather seems okay and I buy underwear and shorts from Walmart.  They sell Wrangler stuff at about half the UK prices. Anyway.  Please Maria bugger off up the Atlantic.

Another one now that Jose had upped from tropical storm to full Cat 4 Hurricane.  Terrible for the people on those Islands. And for me. $1200 in flights will be lost if we can't go. Plus $400 in accommodation! Soon have to start thinking of an alternative. Hopefully BA will offer an alternative flight rather than cancel. At least Flotida and us have missed the other hurricane, katia, that formed up in the Gulf and was ahead of Irma and Jose.

Firstly we have Harvey blowing up and flooding Texas and causing devastation. Now we have Irma angling on a more northerly course from the Leeward Isles and destined to hit southern Florida by Sunday. On the map there's tropical storm Jose.  Great news. 24 days until we set off. http://www.weather.gov/srh/tropical?office=mfl