Day 16, Farewell To Florida

I'm still in the habit of waking up early because of the dogs. So I'm up and now I'm just waiting for Ash to get up so we can pack the rest of our things in the car. Once we do we'll be on our way back home to Mississippi. I don't imagine the trip will be any more exciting than the one down here, but you never know.

Day 15, Last Day

Awaking early sunday morning with two great danes still hasn't become normal to me. Fortunately and unfortunately it will be the last time - this trip at least - that I will experience that. Ash and I spent the day cleaning up the house and packing our bags. The homeowners were to return around 5 at night. We returned to the Red Barn to buy shirts and things for the people back home. It was crowded. Some of the shirts change color in the sun! Ash got more olives as I sampled more pickles. We returned to the house to check on the doggies, and Once we were satisfied with our belongings we drove to the Tampa airport to pick them up. Which meant we had to yet again cross the Sunshine Skyway. The airport was jammed full of cars waiting for their passengers, but we squeezed in and scooped up ours. We had Tony, Reba, and Kim - a friend of Ash's and related to T&R. On our way back there were two automobile collisions on the Skyway, which backed up traffic for days (not literally, but still) It took much longer to get back to the house than we'd planned. The dogs were of course overjoyed to see T&R back.
After a while Kim wanted to get out of the house, so Ash and I decided to go to the beach to get sand and water as s souveneir. While there we saw the sunset. It was so beautiful. I wish we could've stayed longer, but tomorrow we must return to Mississippi.

Day 14, Crowd At The Beach

We decided to go to the beach again, but this time being Saturday, it was crowded. Children running around, people everywhere. Ash didn't really enjoy herself, but I tried to have fun. I finally got the boogie board to work and I played the heck out of it. It was tough navigating around the small children, at some point a VERY OBNOXIOUS hispanic family parked their chairs and tents directly behind ours. They did all but tell us to leave. They were loud, didn't care if they kicked sand onto us, talked with their mouths full of food. After a short while we left. We returned to the house and I almost immediately fell asleep on the couch. Ash went to pick us up some lunch from Jose's Real Cuban Food, but I was too tired to eat. All the sleep I lost watching the dogs over the last two weeks had finally caught up with me. So we just relaxed the day and watched The Last Airbender on Nicktoons. It's a really good show. I can't wait to see the movie.

Day 13, Superman no here

Well it was friday again, and that meant the hispanic cleaning ladies would be back. So Ash and I took the dogs downstairs and waited. Ash slept (or tried to) on the bed while I watched the Kickassia videos by the Nostalgia Critic (http://thatguywiththeglasses.com/) They're hilarious. I also checked out videos by Linkara (http://atopfourthwall.blogspot.com/) and Spoony (http://www.spoonyexperiment.com/) Check them out, these guys are awesomely hilarious! Anyway, the cleaners didn't arrive till near 11, but they did a much better job of cleaning, and still I couldn't help but think of Consuela from Family Guy, "Mr. Superman no here." Ash Decided to take me to Red Barn - which is a large indoor flea market. They close aroudn 4 so we didn't really have much time to peruse, but we did find a place with homemade pickles. They were so yummy. I tied a few different kinds, and Ash got some olives stuffed with Habanero cheese. Afterwards, we decided to go to an earlyish dinner at at japanese hibachi we had been trying to go to for a week. It is called Samurai and it is amazing. We had Volcano Roll sushi, beef nagimaki, and of course hibachi rice, veggies, and steak and chicken, Food was great, service was great. Tummy was very pleased. Ash then decided to go see Prince of Persia. It was pretty cool. I never played the game so I don't know how close to the source material the movie was, but I was thoroughly entertained. I recommend it. While we were gone, we set up a doggie-cam to see what the dogs destroy, because they like to eat things.
It was hilarious, The couch was eaten up. And we could see the whole thing. We couldn't stop laughing.

Day 12, Live Gators

I awoke to let the dogs do their doodie. Again I plopped down on the sofa. That was when the dumb dog of the two brought over a chew bone and placed it on my chest. She then proceded to chew it and bit into my chest. I screamed in pain so loud that it scared both dogs who went running down the hall and woke Ash.
It was a while before the dogs would come near me again.
That afternoon, Ash wanted to check out the local mall. That afternoon we went to the mall. It wasn't much different than you'd expect a mall to look like. In the food court we had lunch. We ate at a cajun fusion restaurant/kiosk. Ash had burbon chicken and some spaghetti from the next door sbarro, while I had burbon chicken tacos. They were amazingly delicious. Afterwards we looked through a few stores, but didn't buy anything.
We returned home to find that once again, the dogs hadn't destroyed anything. We felt safe that we would be able to go play minigolf later. A few miles away from where we were staying, there was a place called Smuggler's Cove. It was a small, pirate-themed minigolf course. Complete with a shipwreck and treasure chests. But that's not all. The many waterfalls and makeshift rivers all converge at a pool housing more than a dozen live alligators. Talk about a water hazard. We played a round, each getting at least one hole-in-one. It was a fun hour and as the sun set, the game ended. I won by five strokes. (I play real golf usually, but I love minigolf) I would've liked to have seen more unique obstacles than just rocks and dips, but it was a fun course.
Afterwards we returned home to discover that the dogs ate the couch.

Day 11, Iron Man

The dogs woke me up early to take them out. Early morning Duty. Afterwards, I laid down on the sofa because I was tired. I spent eh morning watching TV. It was around noon when Ash got up. We hadn't had much of a plan for what to do that day. Eventually we thought we'd go play mini golf. We then thought we'd eat lunch at a Japanese restaurant nearby. However, we wound up doing neither. The restaurant was closed by the time we got there, so we back tracked and found one of the few restaurants open. For some reason almost every restaurant is closed between 2:30 and 4:30. It's ridiculous. We found a little hole in the wall Chinese place called Lucky Star which had great food. We were the only customers at the time. And the service was very prompt. We had appetizers of fried wontons with sweet chili sauce. With our orders we also received egg drop soup and egg rolls. Ash had sweet n sour chicken and also ordered Mongolian Chicken for both of us. I had Mongolian beef. Best mongolian beef ever. Afterwards we returned to the house to find. Nothing. The dogs hadn't destroyed anything. We decided to wait until later to go to a movie. Ash and I were going to see Iron Man 2.
It was awesome! I recommend it to everyone. Lots of action and awesomeness. That night after the movie, I again slept with the dogs.

Day 10, Mote

While attempting to wake up early. I found it difficult to keep Ash awake in the morning. Eventually we went to Sarasota for the third time. This time, however, we went to the Mote Aquarium and Marine Research Laboratory. On the way, we got a little lost and passed the aquarium going both ways. One way we wound up turning around in St. Armand's Circle, and the other way we went through down town Sarasota. Eventually we realized where we needed to go and we found the aquarium.
The aquarium wasn't very large but still quite big. They had all kinds of fish as well as jellyfish, octopi, squid, sharks, and stingrays. We spent a long time going through and looking at all the different creatures. Then we had lunch at a diner located near the sharks. The burgers were awesome! And they had pepsi! I like pepsi and Ash likes coke; our relationship is complicated (not really ;P)
After eating at the diner, we went through he gift shop where it seemed that Ash broke their computers. Seriously, when she went to check out, the system went down. Eventually we got everything settled and then we walked to the manatee exhibit. They also had sea turtles and dolphins there. The manatee's were camera shy and wouldn't come close, but the turtles were more than happy to pose.
THe aquarium was about to cose, so we decided to go back to the house. This time we were fully expecting to find stuff destroyed. We were right. The dog ate a plant. It was a fake tree, but the dog ate the basket and the foam base. It was everywhere.
That night, the dogs wanted me to sleep in the bed with them. They are bigger than me and I don't want them to eat me, so I complied. I was afraid, but eventually fell asleep under the two 200 lb dogs.

Day 9, Fajitas

We decided to go to the beach, but in order to see what the dogs do on their own we set up a doggie cam. We then spent some time at the beach, relaxing and swimming. Ash played with a new boogie board she bought and I swam around scaring her. After a couple hours of beach time we returned to find probably the funniest thing ever. One of the dogs had a basket around her head. Once we stopped laughing we helped her out of the basket and again cleaned up the mess, we began to prepare to make fajitas. It took a while but it was well worth it.
I made tequilla marinated steak with chicken. We also had refried beans, lettuce, tomato and cheese. I made salsa with tomatoes, bell pepper, onion, cilantro, and jalapeno; pico de gallo; and guacamole (it was my first time making it, but it turned out great!) Everything was so yummy! and we had enough for leftovers.

Day 8, The Pier

Whoever said Sunday mornings were easy was dead wrong. Getting up at the butt crack of dawn to feed dogs and clean their poo. I couldn't get back to sleep. Eventually, that afternoon, Ash and I went to St. Petersburg. Which meant crossing the Sunshine Skyway again. Once we did, we began looking for the Pier, which is a complex containing stores, restaurants, and an aquarium. Upon arrival we were greeted by a bike messenger carrying flyers. He told us of a band playing live behind the building. We then perused the shops inside, but some of them were closed for lunch, so we too had lunch. We ate at a Chinese place in the Pier. Ash had sweet n sour chicken and I had teriyaki chicken. Both were delicious. After wards we went into a store that sold hot sauce. I love hot sauce, so this store was my equivalent to a candy store - me being the kid. Later we went up to the aquarium and saw lots of colorful fish. It was a very small aquarium though. After that we returned to the shopping floor. We went into a hat store and I got a hemp fedora. We wandered around from there looking into other shops along the way. Eventually we bought candles from a shop that makes awesomely designed candles.
We left the Pier, and got lost on our way back to Cortez. It took much longer than we were expecting, but nothing could have prepared us for the welcome awaiting us back at the house. We found it disheveled and pieces of colorful cardboard everywhere. Ash investigated and cried out in horror as she discovered the source. The dogs had eaten her Heroes season 3 dvd collection! She didn't want to have anything to do with them after that. We cleaned up and began to prep for tomorrow night's dinner. I plan on making fajitas.

Day 7, Sarasota Again

Saturday morning was spent watching cartoons, eating leftover pizza and chilling with the Prima Dogas. For the afternoon, We decided to return to Saint Armand's Circle in Sarasota. After making sure the dogs had gone potty before we left, we set out. We arrived at the circle and proceded to walk around. This time we went inside stores. One was a gallery and displayed paintings and glass sculptures. We also went into a store filled with characature paintins and shirts. Ash needed a new swimsuit, so we spent a lot of time in a beachwear store. I got a straw fedora. The afternoon just whittled away. We walked, sat, ate Gelato, we didn't eat lunch.
Upon returning to the house we found paper towels strewn ove the whole house. But it wasn't so bad. That night Ashley and I had Turkey with potatoes, green beans and brown rice. Yum. As we ate we watched The Producers, and Ash told me that tomorrow we were going to the Pier. I couldn't wait.

Day 6, We Need More Lemon Pledge

I had been so exhausted from the day before that the dogs couldn't even wake me up. Instead, Ash fed them. I did have to get up eventually because the Latino cleaning service comes on fridays. If you're not thinking it, I was. "We need more lemon Pledge" was in my head the entire time. Ash and I spent the entire morning in a downstairs room with the dogs and out of the cleaners' way. They spent hours cleaning, now I wouldn't normally complain about this, but these had to be THE WORST cleaners I had ever seen. Really, I could've done a better job. Literally the week before, I cleaned up my entire dorm room in about an hour with some help from my dad and a friend. I am not a professional cleaner - neither is my dad or my friend, Ian. We left that room near spotless. The "Professional" cleaners didn't seem to get to every room, they broke a chair and neglected to tell us about it, they neglected to clean out their cleaner from the inside of the oven, and they even left their vacuum. Man they sucked.
Anyway, while the cleaners were "cleaning" I was asleep. I don't know where the exhaustion came from, but man I was out. The dog's jumped up on the bed with me, as well.
Eventually the "cleaners" left. We spent the day wondering what to do that day. Eventually we decided to go to the movies. It was getting late. And we didn't want to leave the dogs alone very long. We decided to go see Shrek Forever After. I must say, it was a thoroughly enjoyable movie. Full of action, comedy, suspense, Chimichangas! I won't spoil anything. Go see it! We did see a trailer for the new Karate Kid movie which seems to have a lack of Karate. Why not just call it Kung-Fu Kid. It makes sense, it sounds cool. Movie makers are losing their minds and furthering the stereotype that Japan and China are the same country. Don't get me wrong, I'm probably going to go see it, I just wish that They thought about it more.
After the movie, Ash and I got Pizza from Little Caeser's. It was yummy. We returned and of course, stuff was destroyed in the house. We cleaned up, Ash yelled at the dogs, who ran to me for protection.

Day 5, A Day At The Beach

We were rudely awakened early in the morning by barking dogs. Now that their owners were gone, Ash and I were responsible for feeding a taking the dogs to do their business. And fortunately (or unfortunately) Tony and Reba had gotten the dogs used to a schedule. They are fed and go potty around 7 in the morning, and again around 6 at night. They also need to be taken out every so often to piddle. So Ash and I did our duty, we had leftovers for lunch and we decided to go to the beach that afternoon.
The beach wasn't far away. But I didn't have any sun lotion, and I wasn't going to use Ash's. See, I am trying to get a tan, Ash is not. Once we were ready, we drove out to the beach.
The sun was out, the waves were gently crashing against the white sand beach. There weren't many people the on the beach at 2. We set up beach chairs and headed straight for the water.
"It's COLD!" Ashley exclaimed as she dipped her toes in the incoming surf. She wouldn't go in, but I dove head first into the waves and swam out about 45-50 yards and back. It was a very gradual slope. Even that far out I could stand with my shoulders above the water. At the time, I didn't notice, but the tide was receding. Eventually I convinced Ash to go out into the water. At first she wouldn't let go of my arm. After a few minutes splashing around she began to swim like a fish and didn't need my arm any longer. We swam around for a while as the tide gradually lowered. We took a break out on the beach and Ash proceded to bury my legs in sand with a maniacal laugh. That laugh continued as she realized the sand was sticking to my leg hair. After some sunbathing, We got back into the water and swam around for a bit longer. It was fun; even with the salt water crashing into ou eyes and mouths.
We eventually had our fill of the beach and returned to the house. I suppose we were a bit naive, but truthfully we hadn't even thought about it. Mainly because we had no reason to think about it. We had left the dogs alone for around 2 hours - which Tony had said was fine, In fact he said they could be left alone for 4-5 hours without problems, which means he had to have done that before. My guess is NO HE HEAS NOT. Nothing could have prepared us for what we were about to see.
Upon returning to the house we saw both dogs sitting at the front door. Upon further investigation we discovered that they had destroyed a bag of dog treats, a bunch of bananas, and papers strewn all over the place. Towels were everywhere as well. After cleaning the mess, we decided to get groceries so that I could cook dinner. Again we were gone over an hour - more stuff was destroyed while we were gone. Again we had to clean up,
I made chicken with the seasonings we got from the Spice shop served on top of fetuccini in my homemade Alfredo sauce, and Ash made a delicious salad.
We were sure that the younger more rambunxious dog was responsible for the mess, until the older one barfed up banana. Aha, the evidence. Now we know they both made the mess. We weathered our first day alone with the dogs, but we still weren't prepared for what they had in store for us.

Day 4, The Long Bridge To The Goodbye, Slow Roasted

Again, Ash and I slept a little late, but it was ok. Tony had already done what he needed to do that morning, and Reba was at her meeting. She's a Certified Public Accountant. That afternoon, Tony drove the car and we picked up Reba from her office. From there we made the LONG trip to Tampa International Airport. And I do mean long. On the way I noticed that there is NO space between the towns and cities apart from bodies of water. If you're not careful, you'll go right into a different city without realizing it. Even the signs are confusing - many named after the county rather than the town. I've never seen so many Manatee based businesses. We're in Manatee county, of course. But Seriously.
Eventually we came to the Sunshine Skyway Toll Bridge south of Saint Petersburg. It's cool looking and costs a dollar to cross - each time you cross. The trip, while long, was rather uneventful. But we were unrealistically rushed, by Tony and Reba, who's flight wasn't going to leave for another four or so hours. They did have to retrieve another passenger, their great niece Kimberly. And they each only had one bag. Once you figure out what their rush was, please tell me. We arrived at the airport around 2-2:30; again, their flight was leaving in a little over four hours. It took a grand total of 15 seconds to unload the vehicle. But I did get to drive back from the airport. It was cool, one of those cars that has a push button ignition rather than a key.
Well, since Ash and I had slept late, we hadn't eaten at all, and we were starving. Ash decided that we should eat at this little Cuban restaurant that she ate at the last time she was in Cortez. It took about an hour to get back into the Cortez area, it wasn't difficult, but we did have to cross the Sunshine Skyway again.
In Cortez/Bradenton there is an amazing little dive. It is a small place just on the side of the road, and It is not hard to pass by it. But if you happen to look to the side of Cortez Road you may see it - Jose's Real Cuban Food. Walking into the small yet cozy establishment, we were immediately warmly greeted by the own-operator himself, Jose. The first thing we noticed was the decor. The walls were adorned with photos of Jose and happy customers, as well as different places he's been, and clippings of reviews he's received - most of which are 5-stars. And no wonder. Apart from the prompt, and warm service, Jose moved about the place talking with us and the other customers. He was very open and warm. The more we talked the more we learned about Jose. He's Cuban-born, but immigrated to the US when he was a child and was raised in Miami. He learned to cook his Real Cuban Food from his mother, who actually makes the Flan he serves at his restaurant, and he loves America. You won't find a more patriotic man around. He even showed us a roll of toilet paper he had on a mantle with other nick-knacks - each piece adorned with the face of Fidel Castro.
Upon sitting at the table, Jose presented us with a free sample of the day's special - Slow Roasted Pulled Pork. The instant the meat hit my tongue, my mouth was full of the most savoury pork I had ever tasted. After a few minutes perusing the menu, Ashley and I made our choices. Ashley had Lechon Asado - which is that slow-roasted pork with black beans and rice topped with grilled plantains. I had Bistek de Palomilla - Thin steak covered in onions served with black beans and rice and topped with yucca. All very delicioso! After eating, we sat and talked with Jose for almost thirty minutes where he told us about his time here. Surprisingly, Jose's has only been open for three years, and has become very successful and highly rated. Before we left, Jose also gave us a slice of his mother's homemade Flan. The food was some of the best I had ever eaten. Real Cuban Food had real cuban flavor. It was savoury and full of flavor. But the Flan was definitely the icing on the cake. It was the best flan ever. All things considered, if I were to rate Jose's Real Cuban Food, I would rate them six out of five. Not only is the food amazing and traditional, but the atmosphere of the establishment and the warm hospitality and friendly nature of the owner. With our bellies full and with a hearty handshake and a smile we left Jose's.
Whenever in the Bradenton area, seek out Jose's for delicious food, friendly service, and tales abounding. Trust me, your stomach will thank you.

Day 3, Sarasota

Again we slept in late. The dogs were already up and about. Slowly, Ash and I got up and made our way into the living room. Tony, who had finished his errands that morning was in the kitchen making spaghetti sauce. He then had a meeting with a man about hurricane-proofing his house. Sometime afterwards, Ash decided that she wanted to show me a shopping center in Sarasota. But first we drove around the area, and I saw the beach-side, but not after seeing a draw bridge lift for a boat that really could have made it under without help. After a while, we arrived at Saint Armand's Circle. There we spent the afternoon wandering around the circle, peering into a few shops and deciding where to eat.
It was in the afternoon and we hadn't eaten anything that day. While making a few laps around the circle, Ash decided that she wanted to eat at Columbia - a Spanish Restaurant. The food was great, and the ambiance was amazing, it opened up to the sidewalk and was very colorful inside. Very Spanish. I'm not sure whether it qualifies as a Spanish Restaurant though, because it had foods from all of the Spanish Colonies in the Caribbean and South America; including Brasil (which is not a Spanish Colony, but a Portugese one) It even had a fusion dish that was a mixture between Latin American food and Chinese food - which was tasty. After we ate I had a Caipirinha, and Ash had a sip. She didn't like it, but I love it. Caipirinha (Kai-pee-reen-ya) is the national drink of Brasil. It is made of Cacaca which is a type of rum made from sugar cane, rather than molasses; and crushed lime and sugar in ice. It is delicious!
With yummy food in our bellies, we decided to return to Cortez. On our way back to the car we stopped in a store selling tea and spices. There we got some Tuscan seasoning, Bloody Mary mix, and Pirate seasoning. We got lost on the way back and wound up going through down town Sarasota. We passed by that big statue based on the photograph "The Kiss" You know, the one with the sailor and the nurse after the end of WWII. It is huge. The rest of the trip was uneventful. That night, we had "spaghetti" I put it in quotes because, it has not spaghetti, but fetteccini noodles. Which were made with Mushrooms. The sauce, also had mushrooms. I HATE mushrooms. But I tried to be nice and eat it. I did not succeed. I waited until everyone else had eaten, then I dumped it in the trash. I'm sorry, I just can't stand mushrooms. Eventually, It was bed time. Tomorrow would be a big day.

Day 2, Getting to Know

Awaking the next morning we were more acquainted with Tony and the Great Danes, Katie and Kya (Kai-ya). Throughout the day we were given a tour of the house, shown how to feed the dogs, how to use the appliances. Tony also took us grocery shopping, and showed us around the area as well.
That night, Tony cooked grilled chicken with diced potatoes. We also had salad with lettuce, tomato, mushroom, grapes, and golden raisins. Just before dinner, Tony's wife Reba arrived. Together we all ate and talked about random things that generally are talked over around the dinner table.
Having a slight "jet lag" it was tough getting to sleep, but eventually Ash and I were whisked away into our dreams.

Day 1, The Trip

Sorry I'm behind on these posts. But here's my account of My and Ashley's tip to Florida.

I was awakened Sunday Morning around 8 o'clock by Ashley who had gotten much more sleep that night than I had. Apart from normally having problems getting to sleep, I had to pack up. I had just graduated college and moved out of the dorms that day. So It wasn't that I had to pack so much as unpack then repack. I was up late as she slept. Once we woke it took a few minutes to load the car. Once we did we drove by McDonald's and grabbed breakfast at the drive-thru. She got a McGriddle and I had a McMuffin w egg, but without cheese -- for 2 reasons. 1. I'm partially Lactose intolerant (meaning is still can digest dairy, just not much) 2. The cheese that McDonald's (and almost every fast food chain in America) uses what I consider the lowest form of cheese. It is nasty and covers the flavor of what you're eating. Trust me, just once, get that cheese burger without cheese. It tastes much much better. You should use better cheeses on sandwiches, But I digress.
We were quickly on the road. Soon we were caught in a rainstorm that blanketed the entire southeast US. We started on the Mississippi river and made for Florida. We had a 13-14 hour drive ahead of us. Once we gasses up the car, we were on our way out of Vicksburg, MS, before 9 o'clock central standard time. After a few minutes, the rain had begun to pour. It rained on and off as we traversed Mississippi. Otherwise, the trip was uneventful. So the randomness began. Among conversations about the previous few days, Ash sang along to a few songs playing from her iPhone, I did crosswords and played my PSP and I gave her some sour candy. Her reaction was priceless.
After a little over 2 hours we had our first pit stop at a convenience store just off the border of Mississippi and Alabama. While there, Ash got a few sodas and some sunflower seeds. From there I began to drive. I drove all the way through Alabama - including my first time to drive through the tunnel in Mobile. It rained the entire way through the state. But otherwise the trip was uneventful.
It was sometime in the afternoon when we arrived at the Alabama/ Florida border. We took a pit stop to taker pictures under the Blue Angel jet at the welcome center. After a short break I was back in the driver seat for the next leg of the journey. Again, there was nothing unusual that happened on the trip from then on. After a while my back began to hurt so I decided that I needed a break from driving. It was also time to gas up so I pulled into a Chevron somewhere and Ash pumped the gas, which might as well have been 3 dollars per gallon. From there, Ash drove. We eventually stopped at a British Petroleum that was very uptight about who uses their toilets. Paying customers only! So we got twinkies.
It was mid afternoon and we hadn't eaten since breakfast. We decided to get food in Tallahassee, but it was still a ways away. Again, the trip was uneventful. Upon reaching tallahassee, we found a Five Guys Burgers and Fries. If you haven't eaten at one, you should. They have the best burgers and fries around, beating out the big chains in taste and value. Each burger has 2 patties and your choice of topping. Ash had a cheeseburger with lettuce, pickles, and mustard, while I had a regular burger with lettuce, tomato, pickles, grilled onions and Frank's Hot Sauce. Delicious. Go and find one near you and have a burger!
Once we left, we had to find our way out of Tallahassee. It was still daylight, but the hours were getting late. We still had around four hours to go. We did see something unusual after we got back on the interstate. On the opposite side, a truck complete with a rig was pulling an airplane! Yes, and airplane. That thing was "flying" down the highway.
After an hour or so, we stopped at a rest area. Here we once again switched off driving and I took the wheel. I drove the rest of the way. A few hours later we got more gas at a shell station and then it was none stop to Cortez.
My back was not getting any better, so I stuck my neck pillow on my lower back and it seemed to help.
At around midnight we got into the Cortez area and after a few minutes we located the house. Tony, the homeowner, greeted us and so did the two dogs we were to watch. Both great danes. After taking a few minutes to get settled, It was time to go to bed. Tomorrow we will get to know the house, owners, and dogs.

A Fortnight In Cortez

My name is Eric. Myself and my fiancee, Ashley will be spending a few weeks in Cortez, Florida. While there we will be house sitting for Ashley's co-worker's relatives and dog sitting as well. We will also try to relax in the beautiful Florida weather, have adventures and spend some romantic time together watching the sunsets and exploring the landscape. This blog is so that I may chronicle this journey and recount it to all those who are interested. I will also be talking more about myself, Ashley, our families, our lives, and any other random thought that occurs during this trip. I hope all who read this blog enjoy it as much as I will enjoy presenting it.