Day 29: Orlando, FL
Welcome
Yesterday we played a headline show in Orlando, Florida.
I regretted my decision to attend the complimentary breakfast buffet at our Holiday Inn Express & Suites. Of course, it was never going to be good, but the polystyrene bowl full of porridge I assembled made me feel deeply sad, and the orange I peeled with a plastic knife, and the Yoplait Original smooth style harvest peach *flavoured with other natural flavour* yoghurt were not enough to redeem this bleak situation.
Afterwards I went for a run with Tristan. At 9.30am it was already warm, and the air was thick and moist, conditions that were highlighted when we emerged from the air-conditioned lobby of the hotel. There wasn’t much in our area to see, so we found a dirt road that led off the highway and ran along it until it ended. We did find a big old crane sitting on the shoulder, specifically a Manitowoc 4600 lattice beam dragline crawler that looked like it was just itching for some fresh grease in its joints. If you have driven one of these cranes, leave a comment below and tell us all about it!
The drive to Orlando had us back on I-75, cruising along steadily until just north of Gainsville the traffic becan to slow and then come to a complete halt. About ten miles ahead of us a tanker truck carrying a load of styrene, the highly volatile chemical used in the manufacture of disposable cups and containers, had flipped over, spilling thousands of litres (or gallons) of the oily substance from its ruptured tank. Karma had come to greet me, this sorrowful user of hydrocarbon-based tableware.
The interstate was closed in both directions while the clean-up took place. The remaining liquid had to be suctioned from the tank, while the spillage would have to be washed down a drainage ditch to a catchment area further down the highway where it would also be suctioned up. Eventually we managed to escape I-75, taking a diversion that bypassed the accident, but it doubled the length of our journey. It took until 10pm that evening until the Interstate was reopened.
We were late for load-in but once we arrived, we found a bunch of friendly stagehands and techs waiting to help us unload. They had the rapport of a tight sports team, perhaps a baseball team that had started off at the bottom of the league and then found an unlikely mentor in their new coach, a reformed computer hacker, who would inspire them to overcome their fear of catching and in doing so forge a bond strong enough to win the championship. Every piece of communication from these guys was accompanied with a joke or a razz, and it was a hilarious setup process. We didn’t have time for a full soundcheck, but we made sure everything was plugged in and working before leaving the stage to Lunar Vacation.
Sometimes they have our band name on these signs out in front of venues.
Our venue was called The Beacham, a large club located in downtown Orlando, an area which felt very quiet the entire time we were there. Just a few blocks away is one of the city’s most famous landmarks, Lake Eola, and we walked there after dinner to enjoy the spectacular fountain, as well as the five species of swans that live on and around the lake. Although it looks like a manmade body of water the lake was actually formed in the late 1800s by a combination of stormwater flooding, and a sinkhole caused by a natural aquifer, deep underground. We had been warned to expect gators in any body of water, and we were careful when walking close to the edge of the lake. None were spotted but we did see a mean-looking snapping turtle.
The fountain in Lake Eola.
A Shag enjoying the available perches on Douwe Blumberg’s Aluminium and Magnesium sculpture ‘Take Flight’.
Lunar Vacation sounded especially good last night. The room had a nice acoustic, especially up close to the stage, and all the subtlety and detail in their music came through beautifully.
Our first headline show in the Sunshine State went very well. The T-40 bass did not disappoint, except for when I found out that it has one less fret than my other bass, and now there are a couple of moments in the set where I need to execute a string bend.
We enjoyed a nightcap after packing the van, courtesy of a local establishment called Insomnia Cookies, making the most of our final few days in a country that executes this particular food at the highest level.