thanks, lori of wyndham

If Sunday had not been so cold, we would have been out and about, not at the resort.
But it was cold...
so we had chosen to explore the resort's Palmetto Tower.
If the beach had been warmer, we would have walked along for awhile before possibly returning inside at Palms Tower and our suite.

But it was very cold and very windy...
so we had returned to the warmth of Palmetto Tower, thinking to check out the store upstairs.
However, it was closed.
Returning downstairs, we were met by Lori, with her offer of $150 and free lunch for just two hours of our time.
If not for the weather still being 'bitterly cold' on Monday, we might have selected that day for the meeting.
Instead, I chose Tuesday, January 2, for the Wyndham resort pitch.
It wasn't until later that I had second thoughts, as that date marked the 17th year since Mama died...
but I kept that date, choosing to regard the outing as a gift...
and it was.
i thank You, God.

We had a nice lunch of chicken fingers, barbeque sandwiches, mac'n'cheese, green beans, and all the soda or tea we wanted. Two Hours and forty minutes later, we left there sated and one hundred fifty dollars richer. Hooray!
And, no, we bought nothing, politely declining repeatedly until they relented.
i thank You, God!

Rather than return to the confines of the suite, we opted to walk around at Broadway At The Beach. We went ahead and bought tickets for Ripley's Aquarium - thanks, Wyndham! - though it was too late to actually indulge. Instead, we visited the Paula Deene store, a huge two-story glass-lined structure, mostly to get out of the chill wind. Back in the wind, we fetched the car and headed to Dave & Buster's - time to spend some money! Plus, we still had our game cards, still unused, from the lunch there on Saturday. Time to break them in!

Break them in we did - and then some - for about an hour. I chose to kill aliens, drive fast cars, and drive even faster snowmobiles - oh, joy! She preferred the less-mobile games, like spearfishing, or tossing balls.

Time for us to allow Wyndham to buy us dinner! As good fortune would have it, we were there just in time for Team Trivia Tuesday! Hooray! So, we had a leisurely dinner, playing as "Karlin Smith", and ended up in 4th place! No prize for that, but it certainly was fun... and Nick, the TJ, was quite cute... sweet dreams, right?
You betcha!

Back to game-playing we went!
With my crazy-mad skills,
I managed to snag 2nd place
in my super-fast, souped-up ride!
Don't stop me now, folks!

Sandy, obviously, was not up to
the Autobahn-style speeds!
I guess that's why I did all
of the driving of her
brand-new Toyota Camry
on this trip...
with the Queen song
ringing in my ears much of the time -
oh, yeah! hahaha!

She may not have been a killer behind the wheel, but set her in front of a harpoon and she was positively deadly! With the aid of another game card - thanks, Wyndham! - she amassed a huge quantity of points. In fact, she had enough for a Wonder Woman soup mug to carry home as a souvenir. Brava!

Yesterday was another bone-chilling day, spent mostly at the suite as we waited for the snow. With more funds still to be spent, we 'did brunch' at Captain's Cafe in Palmetto Towers. As I said elsewhere, the Captain's Club, with fries, stood in quite nicely for bacon strips, toast, and hash browns. Thanks, Wyndham!

By late night,
the snow we had awaited
all day
began to fall...
and fall...
and fall,
thoughout the
early morning hours.

When we awakened and looked out around ten AM,
a snow-frosted landscape lay between us and
the parking garage.
Thick ice covered all concrete surfaces,
including the street we would have to cross.
Nonetheless, we had tickets for
Ripley's Aquarium and we were going!

When the temperature peeked above freezing,
we were out of the suite,
keeping to the snowy ground
and off the icy sidewalk.
This Southern Ray welcomed me
with open arms - I think he was trying to hug me!
He stayed right there with me
until the Ray Bay Dive Show began!

That was such fun!
I was so warm that I had taken off
my sweater and was wearing my Gray's Reef
Ocean Film Festival T-shirt.
How wonderful to be that warm!
Here, I was sharing a post-dive high five
with Meredith while Rachel talked
about the rays and sharks in the tank.

Here is another Southern Ray.
Looks like he might have
been exposed to the snow!
Maybe he was making snow angels
and still has some frosting!
(smile)

This spotted Eagle Ray was
such a beauty in Friendship Flats.
That was one of the three
petting pools on the premises.

These prehistoric beasts were
in yet another pool,
this one on the second floor.
One, two, three!
This horseshoe crab train
was created by tail-holding.
One, two, three!
Some barnacles had hitched
a ride on the caboose!

Guess what I was doing here?
Touching a moon jellyfish -
on purpose, too!
Apparently, their sting is quite mild,
but I still made sure to avoid tentacles.
Guess which ones are females?
The ones with the pink clovers!
True fact!

See that purple jelly,
the one with the moustache?
He also has seventy tentacles,
should you care to count them,
as well as a friendly mermaid.
How do I know all of that?
Because I created him!
What a fun game in Jelly Land!
(smile)

No petting was allowed here.
The Shark Tunnel had all manner
and size of toothy swimmers.
Sandy was quite happy to
keep her distance -
and her hands -
away from the many sharks inside.

See what I mean when I say
"toothy swimmers"?
I took this shot specifically
for my nephews in Beaufort.
I would truly enjoy going
to this aquarium with them -
I just know they would love it!

This was one of my favorites.
I had already taken a photo
of the sawfish, just by himself.
Then I passed by this sea fan
and couldn't resist taking another
or the "sawfish in the weeds",
with a shark lounging in the back.
Nice!

Time for another dive show!
For this adventure in the depths,
Rachel was in the water while
Meredith spoke of fish and coral.
We were at Rainbow Rock,
home of corals and tangs galore!
Having trouble finding Rachel?
Check out those lurid blue fins!
(smile)

Here's a close-up of some
of that aquatic life.
You do realize that corals are
fauna, like us, right?
They are certainly not flora,
though they are brilliantly hued.

Not only are they brilliant,
but the colors are diverse, too,
with rich reds and dark purples
and every color of the rainbow!
Some of the corals in the tanks
were artificial, but these
are 100% genuine and in a
special protective tank.

No photo book taken in such a place
would be complete without
a few fish posing, right?
This swarm behind Sandy seemed
to be begging to be captured
for posterity -
so, here they are!

And here many are again,
this time with my omnipresent
butterfly totebag!
A shark and a Southern Ray
are hanging out, too,
to say farewell as we
departed the Shark Tunnel.
What a fabulous five hours!
i thank You, God!