My older brother Don Thorspecken came to visit with his wife Val and son Kyle. They spent a solid day at Universal Studios which cost more than $80 a person. They asked if I wanted to join them for the day but I declined. I gave them two bright yellow Mickey Mouse ponchos in case they got caught in a late afternoon shower. I worked on the Mennello Museum Mural instead. They of course explored the new Wizarding World of Harry Potter attraction. Don and Kyle waited in line for well over an hour. Kyle decided he wanted a magic wand but that chop stick cost $29! He decided he didn’t need it that bad.
It started to rain. Don had his poncho, but Kyle had left his in the car. Even with the poncho, they were soaked to the bone. It was a family adventure dashing back to the car in the torrential rain splashing through puddles. They wanted to meet us for dinner but I was no where near Universal Studios. Terry’s office had pizza brought in for lunch since it was a difficult day in the stock market. She brought home a whole leftover pizza pie and that is what we had for dinner.
After dinner we all played Phase 10. In this card game there are 12 cards each with a unique color. 10 cards are dealt and the point is to get rid of all 10 cards to end the hand. Phases consist of card combinations like five of a kind and three of a kind or seven cards all of the same color. Our pet cockatoo, Zorro, watched the game intently. When Terry screamed in delight, Zorro screamed even louder causing everyone to laugh. Terry was in the lead most of the game. She is very competitive. Kyle however started winning every hand towards the end of the game and he was the first to complete Phase 10. The game didn’t end until well past midnight. The Thorspecken clan must have been exhausted. Heavens knows, after many hours in the Florida heat, I was.