Vacation update

My cousins, Pat and Barb, and Barb's spouse, Darald, are going to go to Florida with us.

Well, not exactly *with* us, but we're all going to show up in the same place.

What you have to understand is I'm just a little scared of what the same place may be.

You see, my cousin-in-law is, to be honest, a cheap bastard. Every family has 'em. They can be an amazing source of family stories, and he's no exception. I can't remember if I've blogged about him here. I'll have to go back and read my own archives, for there is one family story that has become a classic.

Anyway, in Kate's mental world, the invitation would be issued, and people would respond yea or nay if they were going. What was I thinking????

I didn't hear anything for almost a week. This past Sunday I received a call from Darald, informing me that they were all going to go.

Then he dropped the bomb. "I've found a place for us to stay."

Oh. My. GAWWWD.

Again, in my mental process, we'd decide who was going or not and all sit down together and decide what we wanted to do about lodging, car rentals, etc. I think that would be a logical next step, but who am I to say??? (Darald is of the mentality that women should be barefoot and pregnant, which the independent women in our family have a wonderful time with.)

It seems he has a friend. Okay...I know he has a friend; I've met the guy and he seems very very nice, a dedicated family man and a hard worker. The most shocking thing is that he tolerates the crap that Darald has been known to dish out. ;)

Seems the friend has parents or in-laws who "have property" in Florida. Fort Myers, to be exact. Now, Fort Myers is only 30 miles from Naples, which is our target destination. So, that's not too bad, considering we want to go to Sanibel and Captiva Islands.

Florida's west coast is expensive, with millionaires in Naples as common as tap water and alligators. Fort Myers isn't all that much different. I know what rental properties go for in that area. I have been researching prices for both high and low seasons, and have been dividing by five to see what the price per person would be for a stay. Not cheap. Not cheap at all.

But, Darald said, "I've found a place for us to stay." And proceeded to tell me that his friend's family would rent us a two bedroom place with a pool in Fort Myers for $400.00 for the week.

I'm scared...I'm very, very scared. The only place I've been in Ft. Myers is the airport. I don't know the city. I don't know these people. I don't know if the price is reflective of the neighborhood. Does Ft. Myers have a project, a barrio, or a similar place? Will our rental car be safe there? It has a pool. Are we talking about an in-ground, filtered cabana boy type pool? (I'm hoping! LOL) Or are we talking about a weekend special at Sears sort of pool? You might understand my concern if you know that the typical two bedroom house or condo typically rents for somewhere between $1500-$2500 per week. So...hearing a price of $400 really makes it sound like it could be in a horrible neighborhood, or out in the swamps!

Okay, he's been to Naples, too. He knows what a rich place it is. He drooled constantly as we drove around San Marcos Island. But, as I said, he's a cheap bastard, and the thrill of the "deal" is as much of a turn on to him as the million dollar condos. So, we could be in deep s***.

I hope he has the sense to get pictures of this place. I may ask him to.

Because there is no frickin' way I'm going to stay in a place that doesn't meet basic life necessities. I don't care if it is cheap!

The other side of it is that it could be just wonderful. But, I'm still scared!