DAY 6 – Monday 5/10/21
Who: Sue (62), DVC Member
SB (63), husband
Pete & Judy (60’s), DVC friends
Chris (34), son
Amanda (32), daughter-in-law
Ari (4), grandson
Plan: Hilton Head Diner, Drive to Gainesville
Actual: I ended up falling asleep before the end of American Idol, but was able to read the recap this morning to see who had been sent home. I was up around 5:15 and SB was already awake & reading online. I made my cappuccino and we had a lazy
morning while waiting for it to be time to meet Pete & Judy for breakfast.
The Hollands were up around 7 (actually Chris was up earlier and left the villa – maybe topping off the charge for the car, returning the last movie to the front desk, etc). Ari came in and joined us in bed briefly, then had to go eat his breakfast.
We learned SB’s friend Scott was doing better and moved out of the ICU last night for a bed on a progressive care level for covid. Hopefully he’ll continue to recover on track or ahead of schedule.
I made a couple trips to the car with some of our stuff while SB took his shower. Then I sat out in the living room while Ari finished eating & they packed up. I texted Pete to let him know if they were ready earlier than planned we were ready. When I
didn’t hear back we hung out in the villa until 8:15 and then we drove over to Hilton Head Diner. As we got out of the car Pete & Judy pulled in. We were seated right away. Pete got the 2-egg breakfast and Judy just got a blueberry muffin. The
server offered to have it toasted on the grill, which was a nice touch.
I had my usual – the French toast, which is made with challah bread. It’s delicious, but I can never finish it. SB went for the “big breakfast” and ate the whole thing – it was crazy! It comes with 3 eggs, bacon, sausage, home fries and 3
big pancakes. Either it was really great or he was really hungry, because it disappeared. After settling the checks we said our goodbyes and SB & I hit the road for Gainesville. Thanks to a shortcut Holli showed me in December, we left the diner at 9:
12 and were home at 1. It used to take between 4 and 4.5 hours, so this was great!
I didn’t take a lot of pictures this trip but the photos are on snapfish at
https://www.snapfish.com/share?via=link&token=ucjdG1Px2x6Yk2qTFz5WcQ/SFO/27951973318060/SNAPFISH
This was a wonderful trip and everyone had a really great time. The weather couldn’t have been more perfect, and for us at least the resort was so quiet and peaceful. Pete & Judy had the awful cigarette stench issue the first night, and then after
moving downstairs they heard a LOT of noise from upstairs (sounding like kids jumping or running, jacuzzi tub noises, etc). Pete said next trip they’ll probably just stay at the Marriott the whole time so he can get a decent night’s sleep. SB & I
were fortunate not to hear any neighbors – not even outside on porches. I’m sure it’s different in the summer, when the resort is overrun with too many kids.
Once again dining was a big hit, except for not realizing Black Marlin would be all booked up for Mother’s Day. The side building for the Hurricane Bar there absolutely sucks – will not do that again! Chris & Amanda strongly recommend Holy Tequila,
so we’ll check out that menu for next trip. The favorite remains Poseidon, and it’s so close!
The covid nonsense needs to come to an end, and sooner rather than later. I want my throw pillows back! I don’t expect to have to check out a golf club or horseshoes prior to 4pm in case we want to play after dinner. I want to see the cookies in the
lobby even though they’re nothing special. I want to play pool. All those things were annoying because they’re so unnecessary and don’t do anything to prevent spreading covid. I was fine with wearing a mask into buildings, since that’s what we
do here in Gainesville. Walking around Shelter Cove Harbor very few people wore masks outside, including us (we carried them).
Sadly, this is probably the last trip to Hilton Head with Chris’ family. Ari starts kindergarten in August, and pulling him out of school for these trips isn’t an option. I’m glad we had all these trips together, and I knew it would come to an
end at some point (due to school), but we’ll miss them next May. Going during the peak summer months is not an option – too hot, too humid, too crowded, and too many points.
The next trip starts May 27th, and since the concierge lounge is not operating at Jambo House we (me, Holli, Chris, Amanda & Ari) will be sharing a 2-bedroom villa at Kidani Village through the holiday weekend. There are 3 full bathrooms, so that works
better than a Treehouse for all of us! SB isn’t coming along, but he’ll be flying up to Maryland for his own adventure a day or 2 after that trip ends.
Sue/WDW1972
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