Day 3--Gaylord Palms

The Everglades Atrium by day
(taken from our balcony with the "tiny camera" filter.

Although Lily woke around 6, she crawled in our bed and fell sound asleep until 730. Erwin got to work at 7 and we noshed on cereal we bought the night before. Although the Gaylord is lovely, breakfast options are pretty well limited to the Java Coast coffee bar and room service. Although I guess the coffee was pretty good, while we were there they had no black tea. Had I brought some, I still would have been out of luck (no microwave). 

That morning we stayed around the room to watch Mouse, do some sorting and repacking, and general relaxing. Mid-morning, Lola took Lily for a walk. She came back and we tried to do a nap. No luck, so we went back to Java Coast for lunch. (Again, not a lot of lunch options.) The sandwiches were good, but nothing out of the ordinary. As we walked back to the room, a VERY sleepy Lily was wobbling. She got to the room and slept for almost three hours!

When she woke up, a thunderstorm had blown through and the radar was clear. Erwin finished his work day, so off to the pool we went. Aside from the atrium, the pool area is the most impressive part of the resort. There is an adult pool (where we did not go for obvious reasons), a jumbo movie screen/stage area near the three foot pool depth, zero entry for the main pool, splashers around the pool deck, and a water play area with frequent dumps of a huge bucket of water. Lily was a little shy about the pool area, but once she warmed up to the splashers, she was very happy to go in the pool up to her chest. We stayed there for a half hour, and I ended up a rosy shade of pink, sunblock and all.



After getting changed, we headed to the Key West area for dinner at Sunset Sam's Fish Camp. Each of us had a different type and preparation. I had the mahi mahi, Lola had the coconut crusted cobia, and Erwin had the corvina. Each of us was very impressed with the quality. After dinner, we grabbed ice cream (I fell in love with the coconut macaroon flavor) and headed back to the room. No problems tonight although Lily had a tough time getting to sleep. When she did, we weren't too far behind her, because we had a busy day ahead.

The cobia.

The corvina.

The mahi-mahi.

Sunset Sam's Fish Camp

Day 2: Arrival in FL...eventually

We have taken the AutoTrain enough times that we have some habits. Always order the chocolate dessert. Consider soda with dinner. Skip the lounge car movie. That sort of stuff. One of our habits is that we wake up around the time the train reaches the Jacksonville rail yard. Imagine our surprise when we woke up late, but were still in South Carolina! 

Apparently it was a perfect storm of events--literally with flash flooding rain overnight. At some point, one of our two four-thousand horsepower engines died. We had noticed the power outage, but thought it was the normal refueling stop. Alas, not the case. Then, to add insult to injury, a freight train ahead of us had hit a car, so we were stopped for some time.

As Erwin needed to work, it wasn't bad that we were significantly delayed. This meant he was able to work on the train instead of in the hotel lobby. Normally we arrive around 830 AM....that day we arrived after 1 PM. The crew was awesome, though--extra snacks, an additional movie, and even helping me secure extra milk for Lily. And remember me mentioning I was glad I went back for those extra diapers? Had we not grabbed them, it would have been very close!

Instead of beating Lola to the hotel, she beat us there, but that gave her time to get settled. After a 45 minute trip down 417 (with only a minor navigation kerfluffle) we got to the Gaylord Palms. We went up the line to the reservation desk, and were escorted from the queue to the desk-- a distance of 10 feet. No lie, they have someone to escort you from the line to the desk, even though it is pretty darn clear how you would wait in line and go to the registration desk, even if you have never been to a hotel before.<p>

The Everglades Atrium at the Gaylord at night.

The atrium at the Gaylord Palms is simply stunning and really puts the Disney ones down the road to shame. Completely enclosed and climate controlled, the atrium is divided into unique Florida "zones". We stayed in Everglades Atrium, complete with a small hut with snakes and gator grunts. The view from our fourth floor balcony was marvelous. There was also a St. Augustine area (complete with fort), Emerald Bay (with larger gators), and Key West (with a sailboat indoors).

The room was typical for a hotel room of its price point. The only disappointment was the lack of a microwave. Being able to sit on the balcony in the evenings while Lily slept made up for any shortcomings, however.

Erwin finished up his work day and it was time for dinner. We had a 530 reservation for Villa de Flora, but we didn't need to worry. In our whole dining time, there were less than 20 people in a place that could seat hundreds.



Our server had a daughter named Lilly who was about 21 months, so the comparisons began. Our Lily was cuter, and as she counted the crayons and said what color each was, the server commented about how we must be raising a genius. True, but awkward nonetheless.

The restaurant was "open air" under the trees and some strings of lights, but because the atrium is climate controlled, it was the best of both worlds. The food was Med-market-inspired and simply delicious. Lily colored for about 20 minutes before she showed interest in food, but then polished off a lot of fettuccine. The rest of us sampled a variety of offerings. The biggest hit was the golden beet salad with goat cheese. It was exceptional. The beef burgoinise was also superb. And for folks who know how picky I am about mashed potatoes.... I had two servings.

The desserts were great, but the neatest prep was doing creme brûlée in ceramic spoons. Just enough, and looked great. It was espresso creme brûlée so I skipped it, but everyone else said it was delish. Even Lily tried some ice cream for dessert! Afterwards, we walked around and eventually headed to the room for bed.

Let me preface this section by saying that while I am not supermodel thin, I am not fat either. So when I sat on the corner of Lily's bed and the whole thing collapsed, I was pretty darn shocked. (Maybe it was dinner...? That's my story and I am sticking to it!)

Another section of the massive atrium.

We looked and saw that the bedframe was not screwed together. A quick call to maintenance and all fixed. (This will be a bit of a theme...) We sat on the balcony and noshed a bit on some snack mix and called it a night. Fin day 2.

Day 1: Travel from MD

In general, travel days are my least favorite, but the scheduling of the AutoTrain has made things much better. I am not a fan of waiting to go anywhere, so I have learned to keep myself busy, for everyone's sanity. That means military like schedules, kept to with the ultimate precision.

Got up, packed last-minute items, and ate breakfast. After a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse for Lily, off to CVS for a couple items and then to Petsmart for opening at 9. Amused kid with fish and kitties for a half hour, bought at litter for the return, then to Panera. Got lunch to go and arrived home at 10 AM. Put everything away, got kid settled and prepped the cats for the resort. Got them dropped off and checked in and home by 11 AM. Husband moves carseat and loads two heavy suitcases. I finish car loading. Take out trash and cat litter, hop in car, hit the road at 11:30 for arrival at AutoTrain at 12:15.

Well, everything was okay until that last step. A multi car, bus, truck accident closed three if four lanes on 95, which meant an arrival closer to 1 PM. We still got the first dinner seating, so all was well....

.....until I realized we left Lily's day diaper bag in the car. Not a huge issue because I did pack enough diapers in the suitcase we did remember for 24 hours. When I got back from changing her, I noticed our car had not been loaded, so I ran out and grabbed the diaper bag. Better safe than sorry, and that was a VERY wise decision!

Our car attendant, Sallie, was an absolute delight, and because we were old pros, she let us have a very quiet time once she got us briefed. Erwin had to work, so Lily settled down for Mouse and a huge plate of broccoli while Erwin and I had cheese and snack mix.

We woke Lily up for our dinner seating, and sat with a guy originally from Rockville, but now living in Apopka. He had a Sony 3D camcorder....very neat toy, I must say. For dinner, I had the chicken breasts in a roasted red pepper sauce with a multigrain pilaf and spring vegetables. Erwin had the broiled salmon in lobster sauce (same sides). We ordered mac'n'cheese for Lily, but she ate my rice and I ate her dinner. For dessert we had a painfully rich chocolate torte.

Got back to the room, had a few more Mouse, and got Lily ready for bed. Knowing that I was tired and she would be up at dawn, and thinking we would pull in the station before 9, I called it an early night and went to sleep at 830 when she did. Good thing, too....because our run of odd luck with transportation was about to get even more challenging. (Continued in Day 2)

The Black Locust--My Enemy

It's called Robinia pseudoacacia. It is a major honey plant in the U.S. It is what makes my life miserable.

Here's some other tidbits about it, courtesy Wikipedia:

The flowers are edible if dipped in batter and deep fried. (ED: Then again, what isn't edible if dipped in batter and deep fried?)

In 1900 it was reported that the value of Robinia pseudacacia was practically destroyed in nearly all parts of the United States beyond the mountain forests which are its home by locust borers which riddle the trunk and branches. Were it not for these insects, it would be one of the most valuable timber trees that could be planted in the northern and middle states. Young trees grow quickly and vigorously for a number of years, but soon become stunted and diseased, and rarely live long enough to attain any commercial value.

The wood is extremely hard, resistant to rot and durable, making it prized for furniture, flooring, panelling, fence posts and small watercraft. Wet, newly-cut planks have an offensive odour which disappears with seasoning. As a young man, Abraham Lincoln spent much of his time splitting rails and fence posts from black locust logs. Flavonoids in the heartwood allow the wood to last over 100 years in soil. In the Netherlands and some other parts of Europe, black locust is one of the most rot-resistant local trees, and projects have started to limit the use of tropical wood by promoting this tree and creating plantations. It is one of the heaviest and hardest woods in North America.

Black Locust is highly valued as firewood for wood-burning stoves; it burns slowly, with little visible flame or smoke, and has a higher heat content than any other species that grows widely in the Eastern United States, comparable to the heat content of anthracite.

For best results it should be seasoned like any other hardwood, however black locust is also popular because of its ability to burn even when wet.


With fertilizer prices rising, the importance of black locust as a nitrogen-fixing species is also noteworthy. The mass application of fertilizers in agriculture and forestry is increasingly expensive; therefore nitrogen-fixing tree and shrub species are gaining importance in managed forestry.


Black locust's pods are small and light, and easily carried long distances. Although the bark and leaves are toxic, various reports suggest that the seeds and the young pods of the black locust can be edible when cooked, since the poisons that are contained in this plant are decomposed by heat.

Age, revisited

Thanks to Wikipedia, I now know that I'm as old as Wheel of Fortune, Space Mountain, Saturday Night Live, and Busch Gardens Williamsburg. Doesn't sound quite as old as Amtrak, though...

How old is that?

I frequently enjoy reminding my mother that she's as old as Israel (as Israel got its independent country status the year she was born). My brother is as old as EPCOT. For my husband, I do enjoy reminding him that he's as old as the Magic Kingdom, but now I've got another one to use with him--he's as old as Amtrak.

It's a good thing he likes both of those...

Now if only I can figure out what I'm as old as.