Day #4 in Florida - January 17, 2019

We started today with Gary stating that he didn't want to have to get up and go someplace anymore on this trip!  Lol. It turned out to be a fun day!

Breakfast in the condo this morning.  Special K and a chocolate chip muffin for me.  Something similar for Gary.    The weather was supposed to be nice, but after being cold last night, I wasn't taking any chances so I wore my long-sleeved Purdue  shirt and jeans and took both my new jacket and the heavier jacket from home.

We drove to the Kennedy Space Center on the east coast.  We had purchased our tickets at the concierge desk yesterday so we had to go to Will Call for the actual tickets.  We had to pay an extra $10 to park which was better than the fee at Universal!  The guy we talked to last night recommended the bus tour at Kennedy so we did that first.

The building we visited was amazing.  The rockets were huge, bigger than we could have imagined.  All of the exhibits were interesting and kind of mind-blowing, at least for me!  I was really impressed.

We decided to eat lunch at the cafe in that building.  We both had chicken fingers baskets which included four pieces of chicken and hot fries.  I dipped mine in honey mustard...Gary had BBQ sauce for his.  We added a Diet Pepsi for each of us.

After lunch we continued through the exhibits.  As the bus driver said, there is no way to exit the buildings except through the gift shop!  We looked around in this one and I picked up three ornaments and a refrigerator magnet.  Then I stood in line...for..ev..er.  There was a group of middle school aged kids with their mothers ahead of me.  The kids kept jumping in and out of the line to the cash register, grabbing things like candy bars and bottles of water, then returning them, then placing them on the counter, then grabbing them again.  When I was one person away from check out, the mother asked about exchanging an item for something else and the clerk said it was possible to do that.  She proceeded to leave the line while her child was checking out, then returning as her child finished and wanted to exchange a necklace for a sweatshirt.  Then man behind me was livid. I wasn't too happy either.  When we finally left the gift shop, the same group of kids and the moms were lining up for the next bus back to the visitors center.  We were in the midst of them.  One of the mothers suggested  that we go ahead of all of them..THANK GOODNESS!  They all did board the same bus, but we didn't have to sit by any of them.  Afterwards I thought we must have appeared to be the cranky old couple that was not tolerant of kids, but these kids (and their mothers) seemed to be very loud, inconsiderate, and rude.  We were not the only people who were annoyed by them.

After we returned to the visitors center, we went into the building which housed the  Apollo program.  That place was amazing also.  I was so impressed with the video presentation, then the curtain opened and we were able to see and walk next to one of shuttles...Atlantis.  Wow!  The entire exhibit was incredible.

At the end of that building (before the gift shop!)  was a tribute to those who lost their lives in the Challenger and the Columbia.  Very sad.  Very thoughtful.

As we left the space center, another couple took our picture in front of the NASA globe and we returned the favor. They were traveling with an older couple who I assumed was a set of parents.

We headed south to Cape Canaveral, which I didn't even realize was an actual town, and it blended into Cocoa Beach.  We were looking for a place to eat.  We finally ended up at Pig And Whistle Irish Pub.  The clientele was older; in fact,  we were probably the youngest people in there.  The wait staff was excellent, and the food was hot and served quickly.  I ordered grilled shrimp, Caesar salad, a Diet Pepsi, and a glass of rose wine. Gary ordered fried cod and fries and a Diet Pepsi.  At the end we ordered the biggest pretzel I have even been served with hot caramel sauce in which to dip it.  The salt on the pretzel added a lot to the taste and the pretzel itself was hot also.  So yummy!  For me the entire dining experience was great, and if we were ever to return to Cocoa Beach, I would want to dine there again,

A little over an hours drive and we were back at the condo again.  The housekeeping staff had changed the sheets and switched out the towels.

What a day!  Oh yes...during dinner we had a FaceTime call.  It turns out that Hilary and Blaine went to our house today to put some things in the barn,  Owen was upset that papaw wasn't there and was screaming and crying and wanting to go into the house to see him..  Thus, the FaceTime with the kids this evening.  When I shared that with Gary...what a big smile.  He misses his buddy.

Watching tv now, then reading some.  Not sure what the plans are for tomorrow but there will be no alarm set.