July 27, 2020

 

This morning was no different than the other days.  I performed my morning rituals of going to the gym and doing all of my required testing, then I sat outside to have my lunch near the lagoon.  I noticed a small watercraft out on the water which was cruising near the shoreline at a very slow pace.  I asked one of the Disney personnel what the apparatus was and what was it doing.  Just so happened this individual’s father used to operate one of these contraptions so this guy knew what he was talking about.

The lagoon has a series of plants that buffer the shoreline, planted in such a manner to prevent tourists like us from easily entering the water.  Swimming is discouraged as there are signs all around the lagoon warning of alligators and snakes being present in the water.  As of today, I have yet to see an alligator or a snake but I will trust the signs as being true.  Anyway, back to the plants.  Just above the water line and extending into the water are plants that appear to be reeds that encircle the entire lagoon.  The reeds extend about ten to fifteen beyond the shoreline and it is very easy to see them growing below the surface until the water depth becomes too great for them to survive at that distance under water. Those reeds that are growing underwater, once they break the surface, grow for bit more, then for some reason, they break apart, float on the water, and begin to stink a bit.  The reeds growing that are not submerged do the same thing, so you can imagine the amount of dead reeds floating around have the capability of, not only destroying the beauty of the lagoon, but emitting a foul smell as well.  That is where this floating vessel comes in.

I wasn’t told the name of this vehicle, but it has an apparatus on it that looks like a giant hedge trimmer.  This trimmer has a reach of around ten feet extended parallel to the water, but can reach five feet under the water and five feet above the water.  The operator cruises about ten feet off the shoreline with the trimmer submerged, more or less mowing the reeds that exist under the surface.  He trims them so the tops of the submerged reeds are about a foot under the surface.  This prevents them from growing out of the water and breaking apart and stinking up the place.  He also extended the trimmer towards the shoreline and controlled the growth of the reeds that weren’t submerged. It was quite fascinating to watch this guy perform his underwater and above water landscaping tasks.  After he has finished “mowing” the lagoon, he goes back and extends a huge “catcher” from the front of the boat as he patrols the shoreline retrieving all of the clippings that are floating about the lagoon.  This whole process, for a lagoon this size, takes about a day to complete.  

But this is July, and in July, it rains damn near every day.  Today was no exception.  He was only able to mow half the lagoon before the clouds came and thunder and lightning filled the sky.  He pulled his craft out of the water and would return the next day to complete his work.  I caught up with him before he pulled away for the day and before the skies opened up.  As you can tell, I was pretty intrigued by the whole concept.  I asked him how often he has to work this lagoon and he responded that during the summer months it is once a week.  But he has a whole lot of other lagoons that he works, like those near the airport, at other parks, all over Orlando.  I know I am spending a lot of time on this but for a guy that grew up in California and now resides in Tucson, the idea of mowing a lagoon is pretty fascinating.  I have a friend back home that owns a huge landscaping firm.  I can’t wait to tell him about this water gardening that I discovered in Orlando.  Now I know why all these ponds and small lakes always look so clean.

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful.  I went to the pool to do a little reading after the rain stopped.  It’s very muggy post precipitation.  I wonder what it is like after a hurricane.  I may be able to discover that as on the news we get daily reports of the storms brewing in the Atlantic and heading towards Florida.  We are in hurricane season so maybe I will be able to check that off my list of weather experiences.  I have never seen or been in a tornado either.  I think tornados are best witnessed from afar and not being in!

The Cibola Pool in the Dig Site here at the Coronado is reserved for players only.  I have walked past that pool every day.  It is huge, bigger than Olympic size, and it has a water slide that dumps into it as well.  Four lifeguards monitor the pool, walking from side to side, back and forth, from 11 am to midnight each day.  Not once, I repeat, not once I have witnessed anyone in that huge pool.  Yet these lifeguards pace back and forth like clockwork, much like the guards at Buckingham Palace.  I mean, they don’t have that same cadence and strut, but they are religious in their pacing, all the while guarding the life of no one as nobody is ever in the pool.  But this is not the point of my tale. 

Adjacent to the pool is a very large Jacuzzi type spa. We have been instructed that we cannot be in the Cibola Pool, but there is no mention of not being allowed in the spa.  Me, I like a nice hot spa in the evening, yet opting to use this feature might be a little risky.  I have used it on occasion a couple of times thus far, and I haven’t told anyone of my experience there.  I am not sure if we can really utilize the spa, but I don’t want the word to get out and then a bunch of television guys start going over there and then they prohibit us from using it.  Each time that I have either used the spa or walked past, like the Cibola Pool, there is no one using it.  Again, I emphasize, there is not a sign or anything at the entrance of the spa saying it is only for players, so I will claim ignorance if challenged but nothing has happened thus far.  Still, I will continue to be mum about the usage.

Anyway, that evening, I was relaxing in the spa, alone, as usual, listening to music on my Bluetooth speaker, sipping on a rum and coke, minding my own business and keeping a low profile.  And then, crap, it happened.  Into the area and preparing to enter the spa is an NBA player.  Shit!  Is my cover blown?  Am I going to be escorted out of the bubble like the few other guys did during my week of quarantine?  Is he going to report me on the NBA Snitch Line that a commoner is in the spa, when it is supposed to be for players only?  I reiterate once again, to myself, that there is no signage designating the spa as player’s only.  There are clear signs for the pool that state the pool is for players only, but not the spa.

And this was not just any NBA player, it was Serge Ibaka, the 7 foot World Champion from the Toronto Raptors. He’s from the Congo and played in Spain prior to joining the NBA when he was 20 and is in his twelfth season playing with the best players on earth.  He was playing some music via his phone, so I offered up my speaker for him to connect to so he could hear his music more clearly.  I was probable correct in assuming he didn’t want to hear my 80’s music as he wasn’t even born yet!  He politely accepted my offer, and I breathed a sigh of relief thinking he would never turn in a guy that offered up his speaker.  The music he played, well, it was something I had never heard before.

The lyrics were clearly not English, and I assumed they were a mixture of French and Spanish languages.  The beat of the music was very smooth, if that works as a musical term.  It sounded a bit Caribbean, a bit salsa, a mixture of several styles.  And it was very relaxing to listen to.  I had to ask him where the music was from.  “From the Congo, do you like it?”  “Yeah, I’ve never heard this before.  It’s relaxing.”  “That’s why I listen to it, to wind down,” he responded.  I asked him what language they were speaking and, sure enough, it was a mixture of French and Spanish.  My Duolingo courses are paying off! So then Serge asks me if I have ever been to the Congo and I tell him that I have never been to the African continent, much less a country within.  He says it is beautiful and I should make an effort someday to visit his country.

What a nice guy!  I was raring to ask him all kinds of questions about the bubble, how it affects him, his team, all those prying questions he probably would rather avoid.  No sooner do I prepare to open my mouth and begin rapid questioning, I see him dial game video on his phone. I don’t mean video games, I mean NBA game video for him to study his opponents.  I am smart enough to stop talking and let him tend to his business.  We had exchanged pleasantries, got his music playing, but now this was his time to study and perfect his craft.  I settled back with my rum and coke and felt safe that I would not get tossed from the bubble, at least not tonight.

After two cycles of the spa jets, I was ready to go, as was Serge.  And what he did next was classic NBA know how.  Because, prior to COVID, the press was allowed in the locker room after games and after the players had showered, but not dressed, the players have learned to get dressed or undressed under the cover of a strategically placed towel.  Some players don’t care, they are proud of their manhood and will be completely naked in front of the reporters (and many of those reporters are women) while others choose to be a bit more modest. I would categorize Ibaka as one of the modest ones.  Well he was able to take off his swim trunks and put on a pair of Raptors shorts in a manner of seconds, beneath the pool towel available at the spa.  He was quick and completed his quick change damn near unnoticeable.  Classic NBA move.

I wished him good luck and told him I would see him in the arena, again trying to insure that he knows I belong there and please don’t turn me in. I picked up my stuff and strolled back towards my room, smiling to myself that I am one lucky guy to be in this situation.