A couple of weeks ago I created a blog post showcasing old Microsoft Money entries. I noticed that the first entry for my cash spending account was July 4th 2001 and by pure coincidence, when I made that post, we were just a week away from the 22nd anniversary of that purchase. Well yesterday, albeit a week later than the actual 4th of July anniversary, since, of course, I wanted to avoid holiday crowds, I revisited this old haunt and had a couple drinks dedicated to the memory of those Halcyon Days.
Crowds successfully avoided:
Now, of course, it's not like I first went to this place 22 years ago and hadn't returned until yesterday. No, I've been countless times both before 7/4/2001 and since. But it was just the happenstance of seeing it in MS Money and being around the 22nd year since then. Got it? Good, let's move along, shall we?
So yesterday, my first drink was a specialty margarita called the Confisco Margarita (quite tasty and nicely strong), the second a draft Goose Island IPA. 22 years ago, the drinks I bought then may well have been margaritas, considering the price. I paid $21 in 2001, which I'm guessing, is probably a round for Ric, Gary and I, figuring a margarita back then would probably be about $6 each. I'm guessing beer (not IPAs as I don't think they were yet popularized and certainly not available at IOA) was around $4 so that's why I say margaritas. 6 times 3 plus a 3 buck tip equals 21 dollars.
As you can see from the receipts below, 2023 prices are considerably elevated from then.
Sipped, people watched, and let the booze carry me into a slow, easy buzz. After about an hour, trudged through the hot as balls heat, making my way around the park in the traditional clockwise fashion. Unfortunately I wasn't even as far as Comic Strip Cafe before the deluge commenced. By Jurassic Park I was drenched, yet plodding on, sneering at the wimpy tourists skittering away under every covering available as if they were made of sugar and would melt.
The rain got the temps to drop probably a full 10° down to the upper 70s, but the shit wouldn't let up and my Florida bones could tell this was going to be an all afternoon soaker, and it was.
I had booked a room back at the Avanti, having much more reasonable rates during this midsummer lull in tourist numbers. Popped into a Walmart off Sand Lake Road, grabbed some provisions, and by 6:00 I was hunkered down for the night. Avanti beds are awesome and I got a really good night's sleep.
When I first got to the room, the AC was just blowing warm air, but maintenance came readily quick enough, and I was chilling soon enough. Was thinking about going back to the park this morning, especially since all I did yesterday was stop at a bar, had a couple drinks, walked in the pouring rain for one circuit around the park, and that was it. No attractions, no rides. But the TV news said it would rain starting at 9:00 and going on through the afternoon so I decided to just drive home.
Oh, I did do one other thing yesterday before the rain started. I bought this:
It's an exact replica of the previous keychain I bought for Hulk about 10 years ago. And speaking of Hulk, not sure if he deserves this gift. Sure enough, the coolant leak that I was warned about months ago when I got my oil change made its condition known by the temps reading up to 114° during some of the stop and go I-4 traffic when it couldn't get good air flow. So here we are again, wasting away in Beater Ville.