Labor Day Holiday

Here we are - home again. We two old farts traveled a total of 1,434 miles over the Labor Day holiday. We drove to Orlando, FL, to attend the MACNA 2010 Conference. MACNA is the acronym for Marine Aquarium Societies of North America. It was held at the Marriott World resort and Convention Center. Below is a snapshot of one view from our room.

There were 135 vendors exhibiting their wares; 40 speakers holding informative small seminars over the three day period; and a huge raffle. No, the old farts didn't win. Below is a snap of the entrance to the vendor/exhibitor area. Friday night there was a buffet (yes, the food was tasty) and open bar which was well attended. Saturday night everyone enjoyed the dinner and awards presentations. The room was packed. Approximately 1,100 attended. I wish that I could have gotten a good video of the entertainment. I tried but the room was too dark. Both nights were funded by various vendors/associates. This is a pic taken from my seat at the banquet.

Harry and I took advantage of "free time" to do a bit of touristing on our own. We took a private airboat tour (along with Captain Kirk our pilot). We saw alligators, a wild bald eagle, and lots of birds. We enjoyed having an individual tell us about the area and answer our questions. I loved the speed!!

It has been years since we went to a dinner theatre. There were several to choose from. We decided on an Al Capone comedy. The food wasn't great but adequate. There was open bar all evening and the waiters were on the spot to serve. Both Harry and I enjoyed the evening.

In Winter Park, a little town adjoining Orlando there are canals joining several lakes. the canals are used by the locals to move from place to place. As you can guess, there is a tour (run by really senior citizens) through the canals. The tour guide was a native and chock full of information which he was glad to share.

Also in Winter Park we mosied around the central park. We had to chuckle at the sign below. Honestly those two little rocks were the only ones anywhere in the area. It's good to know that the city fathers have a sense of humour.

I worked over two hours trying to get this post organized then I quit. Tonight I worked another hour trying to get this posted. I moaned really loud and pushed back from the computer really fast. Harry heard me and asked if he could look at it. It took him less than three minutes to align and make the "vanishing paragraph" show up. He's my hero!!!

This is probably boring to everyone but to me the trip was a welcome time out of the cabin. My best to everyone.