I arrived at Orlando airport. It’s an enormous airport with different terminals. After you get off the plane, a train takes you to the baggage claim area. Luckily my baggage showed up. I had pre-rented a car from Budget. After a hike past and then back, I found the Budget counter. Lordy, there was a line! Ick. But the line moved faster than I thought even though people being waited on appeared to stand forever with a customer service agent. I stood in line to get my rental car. It didn’t take forever till I got to see the agent. Eventually, I was cleared to get my car. I knew the make and what parking space number it was. The agent casually gusted to the parking garage. OK! Walk a hundred miles to get the car, dragging my suitcase. I didn’t understand on what level in the parking garage. I went back in airport and got better directions. The car was parked at the far end of the parking lot. I drug my suitcase 100 miles that day.
Found the hotel just fine. Parked and tried to get the key out of the car. It wouldn’t come out. It was stuck in the ignition slot. Some people were standing around the parking lot and I asked if they could help me. They thought I was crazy and locked myself out of the car. I finally convinced them to look at my car. One of them got inside the car and removed the key. She tried and failed the first time. Then she started the car, turned it off and got the key out. She couldn’t tell me the secret. “The key just came out after I turned it off.” When Nathan came, he figured out the secret.
Thursday, Went out for a wonderful dinner with the conductor and Tosca (the woman Star). Oh my, downtown Orlando is filled with a million shops and at least 500 restaurants. We waited an hour to get seats in an Italian place. Food was fabulous. We ordered lots of different things and shared the food. Plus a few drinks.
Friday, I took a driving tour of where the opera was and found the close by parking garage. Friday night I managed to get to the opera place. The building is a newer Kauffman Center and the hall had way better acoustics than the hall at the Kauffman Center. I chatted with the ushers and we talked about our volunteer roles. I had my normal two wines, before and during intermission. They had a double shot selection. Party for performers and I managed to find my car and drive to hotel just fine.
Saturday – dinner with Frank and Nathan who provided lodging for Nathan. He works for charity housing. No story
Sunday afternoon performance, I had my two wines at the performance and got drunk. I was forced to drink tea at the cast party. (We didn’t know I was drunk until the performance ended and I staggered.). Jamie had arrived late Saturday night, and was there for the Sunday afternoon show. She was alarmed at my staggering.
Nathan, Jamie and I walked into the restaurant just as the Chiefs game was ending and they lost. I started screaming and Nathan hushed me. Sigh
I didn’t feel well enough to drive to the Vaught’s stable on Monday, so I just slept in.
Monday, I decided to investigate the rental car return. I turned into a little road that went into