Seaworld is tired but still wunnerful!

The Cochrans and the Rosers, including Holly, made a day of Seaworld Wednesday.  Seaworld is tired but still wunnerful!

Holly got to go because Seaworld has a Pet Care Center.  For $15.00 you get short term boarding next to the front gate, next to a very nice dog park.

The best part of Seaworld is still all the marine life.  Flamingos.  Rays.  Sharks.  Seals.  Walruses.  Dolphins.  Killer whales.  Penguins.  Fishes that are hard to believe are real.

Out of four of us, only one was brave enough to ride any of the rides.  From personal experience, I can say I enjoyed Manta!  Didn't get to Kracken because the day got away from us.

A weak part of Seaworld for those of us old enough to remember, the Shamu show is muted some.  It is still fabulous, but there was a time when the trainers got in the water with the whales.  The trainers do still get in the water with the dolphins.

As for more pictures, stay tuned.  Hayden promised to send a link.  I wasn't about ready to try to keep up with Photo Boy.

PS:  Hayden keeps his promise here.

Seaworld once more

Being from Florida and having spent most of my life in Florida, the theme parks have been an issue.  All out-of-state visitors want to go, and they get old if you have to visit them often.  Except for Seaworld.  Best park ever.  And that's why we are going again today!

Debbie has never ridden rides, and I am going to again beg her to go on Kraken or Manta with me.  Come on!  Why not?  She never has a good answer.

Hotwire one-day sale

Hotwire's one-day sale?  Excellent!  The room we are in this week is clean, just fair overall because it is older.  But the deal is fantastic, $32.00 a night, $38.00 all in, at an Extended Stay America.  The deal came through email as a one-day sale two days before we needed to check in.  Hotwire must remember your searches.  Glad our other reservation could be cancelled.

Hotwire rated this place 2.5 stars, and we don't plan to typically go that low.  We usually filter at 3 stars and up.  Put in perspective that we are just sleeping and bathing, and watching a little TV here while we visit family and friends.  So as long as the room is clean enough we feel good walking across the room in bare feet, price trumps.  Taking the risk with a 2.5 star place paid off.

Holly gets a sweater

Holly is getting toys and other stuff every where we go.  The most grand, a sweater:

Hand knit by Ellie Hall.

RDI is new RDA is old

Today the guvment tells us what the Recommended Daily Intake is.  Used to be they told us what the Recommended Dietary Allowance was.  The guvment helps us with these numbers for most foods.  But I cannot find the RDI or RDA for scotch!  The guvment, Dewars, and owner of the Dewars brand Bacardi, has failed to say whether I should be drinking three shots a night, or seven.  How do I know what an appropriate amount is?  Time to contact AA, and I don't mean American Airlines.

Kismet's coming south

After getting launched about October 15:

Our first detour will likely be to meet them in Wrightsville Beach.  Don't forget the calendar and the map here on the blog to the right of the posts.  They carry answers to the questions when and where.

By the way, artistic license with the picture above.  It was taken when Kismet was on the hard at some prior time.

Thule customer service fails BUT THEN REDEEMS

THULE REDEEMED THEMSELVES AFTER ANOTHER PHONE CALL!  THE MESSAGE BELOW IS OLD NEWS SINCE THULE DID MAKE ME HAPPY WITH A 25% REFUND.  ALL IS NOW GOOD!  I LIKE THULE PRODUCTS AND LIKE THULE CUSTOMER SERVICE.

All did not go well with the delivery of the Thule cargo box.  Here are two pictures of the shipping carton:

Click here to see more pictures, including pictures of the damage to the cargo box itself.

Thule packaged the cargo box very poorly, if intending to use commercial carriers.  Their transportation manager is too hopeful.  AIT Worldwide Trucking handled the shipment very poorly.  The shipping container was marked, FRAGILE.  I wonder what the cargo box would have looked like if it wasn't a fragile shipment.

Me, I wonder what discount is proper now that I have a damaged not new Thule cargo box.  I bought the Thule box specifically because it had an "automotive finish".

Thule is saying that I did not properly document the damage.  They and presumably AIT are sticking by their terms, inspect the delivery before accepting it.  You have to be kidding me!  Debbie noted the hole in the shipping carton.  Even if Debbie was healthy I would not have expected her to uncrate the shipment.  Dealing with Thule has been a much different experience than the last time I was in this position years ago with a Ducane grill.  Ducane has it right!  Thule has it wrong.

So why does Thule customer service fail.  They started this mess by not properly packing the cargo box, and they chose AIT.  Now they won't discount the box enough to make me reasonably happy.  Fair to me would be a 25% discount.  What do you think?

By the way, exchanging the box is not really an option because we need the thing and mechanically it may be fine, but Thule can't want the damaged box back anyway.  That would cost them way more than 25%.