Antilles Treasures

Cap’n Rouge recently escaped his terarium and set sail on a business trip to sunny Florida, specifically Orlando and figured that while he was visiting the great state of Florida would stop to fill his sea bag with some Siesta Key rum. 

This were to be a 4 day journey, a shake down cruise of sorts to work out the kinks of dealing with the TSA and migrating himself thru the multitudes of airports that he will be traveling thru in a couple of months to get back to his Caribbean home.

This trip Cap’n Rouge has a new crew member…we will call him Mr Peebody as this crew member be a nervous flyer and lets just say Mr Peebody got to know the aft stewardess well because of his many visits to her staging area. 

Cap’n Rouge and Mr Peebody started their travels at 8 bells on Sunday morning.  Sitting in the airport MR Peebody wanted to take a bit of edge off so we strolled to the airport bar…which didn’t start serving till 9.  Traveler’s nerves appropriately calmed….we head off to our gate for a great flight to Orlando.  Navigated across town to our hotel and checked into our rooms.  The search for Siesta Key began in earnest.  We were on a county line…one county no liquor on Sunday the other no big liquor stores.  Stopped in one that had rum but not the Key….did however decide to mitigate risk and snagged the only bottle of anything decent in the store…..a bottle of Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva….now this trip is not wasted even if Siesta Key doesn’t end up in the Cap’n’s storage locker.  Gave up the search at this point and will focus on it later. 

We were in town for three and a half days of training as we work for a company that has just merged with another so this was both sides eyeing new teammates and determining the pecking order!!   We had some long days and fun evenings. 

The Cap’n didn’t abandon searching for his mystical rum but changed course and lets just say “enlisted” local team members to put their heads together and help locate the treasure we had set out to find.

Cap’n Rouge and Mr Peebody did stop at another large liquor store but they acted as if this rum were the proverbial black spot…and pretended to never hear of it. 

One of the crew members did locate all three variations at a store that is on the return route to the airport.  Now that you have the history…..here is how the return trip to the airport went.

Cap’n Rouge was of a mind set that he was to have a bottle or more in hand so set a time for leaving our training to allow for a stop.  We took a different route on our way back to the airport which was all surface streets so I am thinking we stopped at 1500 red lights and got behind every snow bird and tourist in Orlando…..Rouge nearly clipped the wings of a few snowbirds that habitually drove 10 mph under the speed limit and thought the dotted white line was where they centered their cars. Rouge was pretty busy dodging snowbirds, lost tourists and reading cross street signs looking for that turn off that would lead him to his local obsession.  With about 75 lights to go to the airport Mr Peebody spoke up that he needed to make a pit stop so we found a McDonalds and off he went to off load a bit of nervousness.  Once he returned to the car Rouge recognized that he had one shot at getting his stash of rum and that was it otherwise, may miss the flight home. 

Peebody had by now forgotten about Rouge’s quest and the Cap’n was switching his focus to return of the rental car as he had been warned that the last time Peebody was in Orlando with another crew member they had totally blown by the rental return and had to circle the airport like a buzzard looking for road kill.  Cap’n Rouge promised he would hit the mark on the first attempt.  While having this very conversation and passing thru intersection #1486 with a green light…..Rouge bellowed out….that was our exit to the liquor store….CRAP!!! oh well, guess there is always a next time to stop and get this rum or we can beg one of our local friends to pick up some for us and send a care package our way.

Rouge did find the rental car exit on first attempt.  Check in was a breeze.  Cap’n Rouge then saw a Sea World store in the airport lobby…..he had to stop in and pick up something for his grandson, the family powder-monkey.  Rouge picked up a penguin pillow that converted into a stuffed bird, cool gift for a three year old.  Next stop was TSA for our yearly physical then off to wait on our flight in hopes that none of the forecast thunder boomers would develop before we got into the air.  None did and  the return flight was even great…..Peebody only got up 4 times on a two hour flight to visit the lavatory and we are still friends…that is at least till he reads this..

We made it to our home port but while standing at baggage claim waiting on our luggage to appear, it donned on Rouge that he had left powder monkey’s new pillow on the plane.  Rouge talked to an agent at baggage claim and they called to the gate.  The pillow had been rescued.  The agent told Rouge to go to a specific gate and wait for the bag.  The gate was of course behind security so a knock at the door startled the security agent Deputy Fife.  As he reached for the bullet in his pocket…Rouge stepped back away from the door and told the agent he was looking for a package.  As Deputy Fife was giving Rouge the once over to see if he were a threat or not, one of the flight attendants arrived on the scene and told the Deputy that this indeed was the package that Rouge was looking for.  Whew, she saved Rouge from at least a full body cavity search and probably a screen door to the shoulder..I owe her for that one!  Thank you, MS. Flight Attendant!!

Epilogue

We all made it home safe, the Cap’n, MR Peebody and the penguin.  The bottle of rum that was purchased…though not Siesta Key, was tasty and the powder monkey is bonding well with his new penguin.  A good time was had by all!!