2008 Orlando---last trip with Dad

 This was a bittersweet trip.  Sweet that I got to see Dad again, but bitter because he was not well.  This time Carolyn decided to join us, too.  Originally when Dad bought into this timeshare, he hoped that all us kids and grandkids would vacation with him, too.  Turned out to just be me and when Angie was off school, she joined us a couple times.  But that's ok, Dad was a great travel companion and we had a lot of great trips.  Unfortunately, this wasn't one of them.

 

 Orange Lake North Village---3 bedroom unit

Since Carolyn was joining us, I also booked us a 3 bedroom unit in the North Village of Orange Lake Resort for the first week.  Then Carolyn was going to be going home and Dad and I would stay another week in his unit.  Since I'm writing this in 2023, some of my memories are fuzzy.  I do remember seeing Dad at the airport and immediately being shocked at how sick he looked (he was fighting prostate cancer and the initial harmone treatments were no longer working).  But I don't know why I don't remember Carolyn arriving with him.  Maybe I'm remembering him showing up on a different trip?

Anyway---we did get to the resort and checked into our unit.  I liked that the units were only 2 stories high.  We asked and got a lower level because of Dad's health. 

As with most travel days, we mainly just settled in and enjoyed our first sunset.

View of our building from the golf course---no, we are not golfers.

 I found the inside of the unit to be a little too "festive" for my taste, but it was roomy and clean, so I won't complain.

Carolyn messing around in the kitchen

nice screened in patio

 

Holyland:

After recuping for a couple days, Dad wanted to go to Holyland Experience.  Since he's been diagnoses with cancer, he's turned to religion again.  But we've both grown to like this "amusement" park.  No rides, just a lot of history.  

and cute plays

neat displays

an incredible model of Jerusalem back in the day

Nice seeing the little smile on Dad.

I tried to access Dad's pictures later and the camera didn't work and the photos were corrupt.  Strange how things quit working right after he died (his watch, clock, camera!).

characters in costume

The Garden Tomb

He is Risen

pretty scenic place

 More  exhibits

someone giving a talk about old times in Jerusalem

more of the model

love the flowers in it

I was pleasantly surprised how well Dad did with our excursion here.  Most of the time at the resort he's been hanging out in his room resting.

Carolyn's first time here.

Dad's Orange Lake West Village 2 bedroom unit:

The day finally came for us to transfer to the West village golf villa.  I love the 1 story villas with parking right in front of them.  Seems so residential.  

They had just remodeled the unit.  I like this scheme a lot more then the North villages.  This was back when Orange was the "in" color.

Dad coming out of his room for a few minutes to check his emails.  You could just tell he was in pain.

more of the remodel

Dad checking out the remodel

Quite a change from when he bought into the place years ago----very good change

Dad's room

We were only there a couple days.  The first night, Dad fell in the bathroom and I helped him back to bed.  Fortunately I'm strong for an old lady and was able to lift him.  

Next day Carolyn left for home.  As I recall, she took a shuttle.

That night Dad fell 2 more times.  At that point, I decided it was time to get him home to Oregon---some 4000 miles away.  So I called and changed his flight for the next day and changed my flight to go with him, instead of going back to St. Louis.  When I told Dad I did that, he wasn't too happy, but didn't argue.  The flight home was long.  He asked a few times---are we almost there?  From PDX it was another 1.5 hours to his house.  There I settled in for a couple weeks.  He even went for his last chemo treatment while I was there.  The treatments were no longer working.  Also had an infusion.  It was hard seeing him so sick, yet he never complained.  David didn't even "know" he was so sick.  He thought Dad was getting better.  Carolyn refused to come by because it "reminded her of Tom being sick".  So I started flying out there from St . Louis every couple weeks for a couple weeks.  I was on one of my scheduled trips there when David picked me up from the airport to warn me about Dad being so sick.  He finally got it!  That was the beginning of April---just 3 months after our Orlando trip.  On April 8th, Dad died.