Tuesday, September 17:
Today was supposed to be another "rest" day. We took the boys for their walk and saw an injured stork with a broken(?) leg. We called the front desk and they said they know about it and had been trying to catch it for several days with no luck. Well, we did our good deed of the day. One the way back to Alf we met a couple and their dogs and told them about the injured stork and to be careful in that area. They told us that they had to call in a 'gator report in the morning because their folks little dog had been attacked by a 4' 'gator over by the dog park. Hmm, have to be careful about Ricki. After the walk we went over to Downtown for a quick shopping tour. Then it was home to rest up for tonight's Halloween Party. We are going mostly for the parade and to get some Halloween Sorcerer cards. We went immediately to the train station to claim a spot to watch the parade and fireworks.
The Headless Horseman
Hitch Hiking Ghosts
Not-So-Evil Step Sisters
Castle Projections
Fireworks and Castle Projections
It was a beautiful night so the boat ride back to the Fort was wonderful. It had cooled off to the low 80's or upper 70's, no humidity, and a light breeze. We could have stayed on the boat all night, but it was late and the boys needed to go out. So, we went to bed.
Wednesday, September 18:
We are finding our routine. The boys got their walk, we saw Ricki (on our side) and did not see the stork. We are hoping the Disney crew caught it and are taking care of it. We needed some things from Wal-Mart so we thought we would try the one Hilda told us about. It is farther from the Fort, but a much nicer store. It was lunch time so on the way home we made a side trip to Panera's (first one this trip) for lunch and some pastry for breakfast tomorrow. The plan was to then go to the outlet store and pay a visit to the Disney Outlet Store. However, slight change in plans - it was pouring when lunch was over so we decided to do the outlets another day. On the way home we came across a wreck on Bonnet Creek Parkway that had traffic really buggered up. There were police cars, fire trucks and an ambulance in the other lane and traffic in both lanes was backed up quite a way. Eventually, traffic cleared enough that we could get by.Since it was raining and looked like it was going to rain the rest of the day we settled in for the afternoon. About dinner time the rain let up and we decided to try the food court at French Quarter. It was very good, we wondered why we had never given it a try before. After dinner we came home and did some DOG work to get ready for classes that start Saturday, then it was off to bed.
Wouldn't you think that since it rains so much here they could drive without flipping their cars over? This really messed up ALL traffic in both directions
Thursday, September 19:
Today was "return day". We had some purchases sent to the Fort Tuesday and when they arrived several were broken (unusual for Disney). We went to Downtown to make our returns and they were done with out any issues, very normal for Disney! We are looking for some bookmarks that we had purchased on a previous trip. I was told at one store that "no one reads books any more, so we don't have book marks"! Our last place to look was the Writer's Place at the Studio. So we were off to the Studio. We quickly found that the Writer's Place did not have what we were looking for. Since we were at the Studio, Jane decided to look for some pins at the pin station "under the hat". By now it was lunch time, we finally decided to take the boat up to EPCOT to have lunch at the French food court.
The Studio "Hat"
It seems that there is always a street show
These are very popular on hot days
After a very good lunch we started walking up front to catch a bus home. On the way Jane wanted to stop in one of the shops (surprise) and we saw this gentleman. He has 544 pins on his coat and hat - and they are all "Duck" pins! Carol, do you know this guy? He was also a fountain of Duck trivia. He attracted a lot of attention! We continued on and Jane stopped at one of the little pin stations and I took a chance and went to Soarin' to see if by chance they had the DVD I tried to get Tuesday. They did! I was a happy camper. Meanwhile, Jane had gone to MouseGear (surprise) and I met her there. Along the way, Jane had accumulated several duplicate pins and she gave some to a couple of little "princesses" and made their day. We got the bus back to the Fort and it was so nice, the boys got to go on another long walk! We cooked bratwurst and beans on the grill and settled in for the night
The Pin Guy
Friday, September 20:
Another relaxing day. We first watched F1 practice from Singapore, then took the boys for the walk. Today we are going to Theme Park Connection, a warehouse type store that sells discontinued and surplus Disney stuff. We have never bought anything big there, but there is always a chance! We did buy some pins and a "tooth pick holder", that is Disney for shot glass. We did find out that they are moving in October to a bigger space in a nicer part of town. Maybe they will have more big stuff and it can be organized better. On the way back we stopped at a cute little shopping mall for lunch at Panera's. We explored the mall and discovered that it is connected to a huge mall. This is going to be our "go to" place in the future. We have just pasted it by in the past. When we got home it sort of looked like rain, again, so we settled in for the rest of the day. Just did DOG stuff (trying to help organize our big even at the end of October). We decided that we would wait until December to do the "Resort Rally" so we also got pictures of all the resort lobbies and their Christmas decorations. The weekend is here so the campground is filling up. When we left this morning our loop was about empty, by 5:00 there are only a couple of empty sites and by morning the whole campground will be full! Then Monday, it will be about empty again. I love this time of year here. Since we don't go to the parks on weekends anyway, this is perfect. We had lunch late, 3:00, so dinner was just snacky. We watched some TV and called it a day.
Saturday, September 21:
It's the weekend, we stay away from things Disney and let the newbies and locals have the parks and shopping. Since we stayed in we did some laundry and caught up on reading and DOG business. Took the boys for a long walk but didn't see any wildlife. It was another pretty lazy day. We contacted Andrew's Mom (Andrew is the equipment manager for the Mavericks) about picking some things up to take to Andrew's new baby. We are going to check out a new meeting place tomorrow. Meanwhile, back in Missouri, the DOG team had a new set of classes starting and also some of them (Lotta, Christi and Jonathan) had an appearance at the Maverick's Fan Fest. Apparently everything went well (we didn't get any phone calls anyway). After a restful afternoon, we fixed burgers on the grill, watched some TV and called it a night.
Stella at Fan Fest
Sunday, September 22:
This morning we got up early and watched the F1 race from Singapore then took the boys for their morning walk. We commented on how clear the sky was "not a cloud in the sky". With that in mind, we decided to go to the pool for a while. The morning was beautiful, not too hot, light breeze, no crowd. The only negative was the LoveBugs were thick! They were everywhere! finally, we couldn't take it anymore, (and the crowds were building). since it was lunch time we decided to go to the Boardwalk for lunch. Our original thought was to go to the ESPN club but changed our minds and went to Big Creek Brewery since we hadn't been there for a couple of trips. We watched the clouds move in and by the time we left the blue sky was gone! We stopped in at The Screendoor gift shop to check for the bookmarks we have been looking for. The cast member there thought she had some and went in back to look. No dice. On the way home we stopped at the Caribbean Beach Resort to check their gift shop for the bookmarks. This is probably our favorite of all the moderate resorts and the first Disney resort we stayed at. Again, no bookmarks. Tomorrow we might drive over to Art of Animation resort to try the gift shop there. We also go back to Coral Reef for lunch at EPCOT. It hit us that we only have a week and a half before we have to go home - then we thought some people only have a week to do everything (been there, done that). We got home just in time for the rain to start. Got the dogs out and fed then settled in for the evening. We did some DOG work and went to bed.
Monday, September 23:
We awoke to a cloudy, damp day so the boys walk was almost skipped. We thought we would try it anyway so the boys were happy. Since it was supposed to start raining about 2:00, we decided to go to EPCOT early (we had 1:30 reservations at Coral Reef) and do some things, eat and get home before the rain started. We took car to front and the bus to EPCOT just in case it should be raining when we got home. We did Spaceship Earth first since we hadn't done that for a longtime. At the end of the ride they do a bunch of "future" images on a screen in your ride car - with personalized images in them. I don't remember that part. After a quick tour through MouseGear it was off to Captain EO. It has been here for a long time and we were thinking it is going to be replaced shortly. When Captain EO was over it was about time to head over for lunch. It was just starting to rain so we hurried. The place was mobbed! I have never seen Coral Reef so crowded. We were seated fairly quickly at a table next to the glass. We had a nice leisurely lunch and watched the fish. Why don't the sharks eat the little fish - or do they?
Spaceship Earth
Our "future"
Our dining companions - stingrays and ugly fish
By the time we were done eating it was pouring! We hurried to the buses and by the time we got to them we were soaked (yes, we did have an umbrella). The bus was packed. The driver told us that they had shut down the boats - we were really glad that we hadn't taken the boat to the Monorail. There was a younger couple on the bus that gave up their seats to us - does that put us in the "elderly" classification? It rained the rest of the day and most of the night. We went to sleep to the pitter-patter of rain on the roof.
Tuesday, September 24:
Today we got up and again it was too wet to go for the long walk so we went for a short one, just to make the boys happy. We went to Art of Animation to look for the elusive book marks. And again - nothing. Next to AoA is the Pop Century Resort so we stopped there on the way to DownTown Disney. Nothing there also. We stopped at DownTown to ask about PhotoPasses and how to download them to my computer. Sometimes the Disney web sites aren't real user friendly - or maybe it is just me. Anyway, got my questions answered and we were off to Publix for some groceries. On the way we decided to stop at Fuddruckers for lunch. Great hot dog and chili cheese fries. We did our grocery shopping and headed home - in the rain (again). We got home and got the boys
Cholesterol central
Campsite visitor
Let the decorating begin!
out before the heavy rain started. We fed the boys and then they wanted to go out again. But wait! when we looked out the window we had a little furry visitor, a baby bunny! The boys would have to wait. The last time the weather was good we noticed that the Halloween decorations had started going up. The tradition at the Fort is to do big time decorations at Halloween and Christmas. When we have been here in the past for Halloween they have had very elaborate golf cart decorating parades and even a dog costume contest. Anyway, just a little off the track. It rained all night, again. May be nicer tomorrow - hopefully. We eventually had a bite to eat bafore settlingin for the night. Apparently the boys were still hungary, too.
"Boy, that sandwich looks good"
Wednesday, September 25:
This morning we are going to breakfast at Kona cafe in the Polynesian. We have heard so much about the fantastic Tonga French Toast they serve there. It was, indeed wonderful. Tonga French Toast is basically two slices of thick bread with bananas stuffed in between and covered with brown sugar. We weren't disappointed. After breakfast we did a little more shopping and then home before the rain. We got home and did a little more laundry and after a couple of hours the skies began to clear. Since our time here is running short, we headed back to MK for a few "must do" things. First on the list, ride Dumbo and then the Teacups. That done we were off in search of something to eat.
We decided on Cosmic Ray's for burgers and fries (good fries). While we were sitting there overlooking the Castle we saw the crane behind the Castle. We had seen it from the lake and wondered what they were doing. From our table we could see what was going on - they are starting to hang Christmas lights! Aren't you glad you don't have to hire a crane to do your lights?
The Dumbo ride
Teacups- minimal spinning please!
The Castle and crane
Christmas lights hang from a Castle turret
Tonga French Toast - a sugar high
Just a fun shot of the Castle
When we went over to MK in the morning we took the boat, hoping it wouldn't rain. Well, it was starting to rain on our way out so we hoped the boats were still running. As luck would have it, they were, but not very often. Seems that there was only 1 of 3 cruisers running from the MK, so there was a long wait. We then decided to take the Monorail to the Contemporary and then the launch (smaller boat) to the Fort. Great plan, except there was only 1 launch running, too. I don't know what was going on with the boats. We also noticed that only 1 of 2 ferries was running, too. It seemed that half the floating fleet was not running. When we finally got a launch back to the Fort, the Captain was a real comedian. It is "Be a Pirate" week so the Pirate jokes were flowing. For example:
Q: Where does a pirate eat?
A: Arrrrrrrrby's
and
Q: What does a pirate pay for an earring?
A. A buc-an-ear
and it went on for the whole trip back to the Fort (fortunately it was a short trip). His final comment was "the jokes were cheesy, but I do work for a Mouse". When we finally got home it was raining harder so we called it a day and did some laundry. I did some DOG stuff and watched some TV then called it a night hoping that the rain would stop tomorrow.
On our way out of the park we noticed that they were getting ready for the Flag Retreat. They do this every day at 5:00. It is pretty impressive! The Dapper Dan's and the Main Street Band participate. It is quit a ceremony to watch. They present the flag to a special veteran that is in attendance. If you are ever in Magic Kingdom at 5:00 you need to make your way to town center to see this ceremony
Thursday, September 26:
We got up this morning to a beautiful sunny day. We were going to take the boys for a long walk, but by the time we got up and ready to go it was raining. We had reservations at Teppan Edo (EPCOT Japan) for 1:10 lunch. We took Hilda and her daughter Stephanie to lunch. We went to EPCOT via bus to the Studio and then a boat to the Swan and Dolphin to do some shopping. We walked from the Swan and Dolphin to EPCOT. We had some time to kill so we went to France to watch their little travelogue about France. It was very good, beautiful country. We met Hilda and Stephanie at 1:00 and went right up to lunch. Teppan Edo is one of those Japanese restaurants where they cook the food in front of you on a big grill. Our "chef" tonight
was a bit of a comedian and a very good cook. He was also very handy with a knife and fork. I wonder if they use ginsu knives. The meal was very good and we all had a great time. Also on the menu was frozen beer- VERY good on a hot day! After we ate Hilda offered us a ride back to the Fort and we accepted. When we got home we took the boys for a walk and we think we saw either Rickie or Rickie's little brother. The canal is covered with algae and all we think we saw was a pair of eyes poking up through the green. We started making plans for the weekend and next week - things that need to be done before we leave.
Tomorrow is the beginning of the Food and Wine Festival so we plotted out our stops. With that done, we called it a night and turned in.
Really good COLD beer
Friday, September 27:
The weather forecast is for sunny and clear. Actually it is overcast and humid.
We decided to go to Food and Wine this morning (11:00)via boat to MK, bus to Beach Club Resort and walk into EPCOT the back way, eliminating the long walk from the front of the park to World Showcase. We met a couple of girls on the boat to MK that were on their way to Food and Wine and weren't sure on the best way to get there. We took them under our wing and walked with them to the back entrance of EPCOT. Once in the park we went our separate ways. Jane and I had looked at the maps and menus of all 30 venues to decide what we wanted to try. First up was Canada for Cheese Soup!
The beer cheese soup is awesome. It is a staple at LeCellier, our favorite restaurant in EPCOT. The Canada kiosk was across the way from the Greek kiosk and they were having shouting matches between them. When anyone ordered Cheese soup the Canadians would all yell "EH", when anyone ordered the Taste of Greece, the Greeks would all yell "OUI". It is going to be a long day for those folks. Next up was the Refreshment Port for Orange Dole Whip. They had two kinds, one plain, one with Creme de Cacao White. They should leave the alcohol out! From there we stopped at Scotland. They had a really cute kiosk setting. The food wasn't bad either.
The Canadians were having a ball!
The Scottish kiosk diorama
We had one more "must-do" along the way, Australia, for Garlic Shrimp. There are 26 more venues around the World Showcase and we are not going to do all of them. We are definitely going to stop at some and maybe stop at some others. Our next definite stop is at Germany for Brats and Strudel. Very good! We stopped at the American Adventure Coffee Cart for Shakin Jamaican Coffee with Kahlua. We are thinking of going back with a gallon container! That was awesome!
The crowds were growing and we only had a few more stops - today. We might have to come back Monday and do some over! We made our way to the boat to the Studio to catch a bus back to the Fort. When we got back to ALF it was time to feed the boys and think about getting something light for us. I got things ready for DOG class Monday and then went to bed - it was a long Day.
Saturday, September 28:
Today is a "stay out of the parks" day so we are just chillin'. We went to a movie, Rush, at Downtown Disney. They have an awesome AMC there. 24 screens, it is a huge complex. They even have a full bar! The movie was great, if you are into F1 racing this is a must see movie. Ron Howard directed and produced it so it has to be good. After the movie we met Nancy,
Drew's (Mav's equipment manager) mom, in the parking lot for another transfer. Usually this is an exchange of wine for beer, today we are just picking up a rocking horse for Drew's new son. With that done, we went to Walgreen's to pick up a prescription and then to the Orlando Ale House for lunch. Food here is very good and there is lots of it. Their deserts are awesome! Then it was home to the boys. Looked like rain again so we just settled in and planned what needs to be done before we leave on Wednesday morning. Earlier we have seen the untimate golf cart. This is awesome! Someone is very creative.
Full bar at AMC!
Cool golf cart
Sunday, September 29:
We woke up to a beautiful day, sunny and clear. We have some things to do before leaving, but first breakfast. We went over to the Contempo Cafe for a quick breakfast. On the way to the boat we saw another "golf cart"
I am always amazed at the variety of things do with golf carts here. They are the preferred mode of transportation here, followed closely by bicycles. After breakfast it was so nice we decided to go to the pool for a while. Sunday is the day to do the pool! It finally got too hot and we did have things to do, groom dogs and get more dog food. Jane did the clipping and I went to Petco for food. When I got back I started putting our patio rugs away since they were dry. I noticed another site was setting out Halloween decorations. These are Halloween people!
We will start seeing more and more decorations go up in the next few days. Still a bunch to do before we leave. Just little things, but time consuming. After our chores were done we settled in for a beer and dinner. We watched a movie and then were off to bed.
Monday, September 30:
We decided to go to Whispering Canyon for breakfast. We took the car over so we could go to Downtown after breakfast. When we arrived we noticed that the landscapers we busy planting new flowers. This is why the plants always look so good here. When one plant stops blooming, it is replaced by one that is. We got into Whispering Canyon right away and got a table with Chad. We got seated just in time for the "Pony Races". These are run several times each morning and are fun for young and old alike.
After breakfast we went over to Downtown to do some last minute shopping. We stopped at Old Key West and Saratoga Springs to check out their gift shops. It was a beautiful day and I was tired of shopping so I headed over to the balloon ride. I thought it would be a great place to see down into the parking garage work area. It was a great view. They are making good time on the construction of a 5 story parking structure that is part of the major revamping of Downtown Disney.
Pony Rides at Whispering Canyon
One parking structure coming up
My aerial platform
When we were done at Downtown we went over to the All-Star resort area for more shopping. First stop was All-StarSports where we saw some "not so hidden" Mickey's in the carpet. Many Disney stores and resorts have hidden Mickey's made into the carpets. We continued on to All-Star Music and All-Star Movies. Neither of them had hidden Mickey's in their carpet. We can now say that we have shopped at all the resort gift shops this trip. When we were done shopping we headed back home and the boys. We started packing up some things, making sure that some things would fit where I wanted to put them. Tomorrow will be the final loading up day.
Towards evening we decided to go back to Downtown for one last thing and some Ghiradelli ice cream. It was looking stormy again so we didn't stay too long (and it was crowded!). Tomorrow will be a busy day so we hit the sack early.
Not so hidden Mickey
Tuesday, October 1:
Today is a sad day - our last day (for this trip). Lots to do today, drug store, grocery store, final shopping,and this evening we go over to the Dolphin to meet the artist that painted our Lady & Tramp painting. He will also add some embellishments to the painting. We went over to Whispering Canyon for breakfast and to say good-bye to Chad (and Bridgett). We love their chocolate chip pancakes! Before breakfast I finished up the daily blog - and found My mouse had died. On the way home from Whispering Canyon we stopped at the Meadow trading post to get some new batteries and they didn't have any. The cast member said wait and she found an open package that they had gotten into and gave me the three remaining batteries - no charge! We got home and I finished up the daily entry and then it was time to start packing up. It went pretty fast and we were pretty much loaded up by 2:00. Time to go to the grocery store for some traveling food. We got the essentials (and some non-essentials) and were home before we know it. We took the boys for a second walk, they loved it. We went to Earl's one more time for dinner. We decided it would be more efficient to keep car until morning and just drop it off on the way out in the morning. At 6:00 we went over to the Dolphin Resort for the painting. The artist, Rodel Gonzalez, was a little late, but finally got there and got setup and got to work. He had one painting to embellish before ours and he was fairly quick. When he got to ours we had him add a couple of dates and initials which he did very nicely. We also had him add a couple of hidden Mickey's - but we didn't want to know where he put them. We are having it shipped home and will find them then. This artist is one of the premier Disney artist and told us how he got started with Disney. When we were done there, we went home to do some final stowing inside the coach and then it was early to bed - long day tomorrow.
Rodel Gonzalez at work "embellishing"
Wednesday, October 2:
Well, today is the day we leave. a sad day indeed. But first a last walk for the boys. We saw 2 deer behind the 800 loop that looked as surprised as we were. Then I had to get to work dumping tanks, lowering TV antennas & retracting jacks. We got going about 8:30 and dropped the car off at the Dolphin and were on the road, but we will be back in 60 days. The weather was great, the roads are good, and the boys are settled in. We stopped once at MM262 for gas and some lunch, then on the road again. We noticed that unlike I-75 (wall to wall billboards) on I-10 there are virtually no billboards - just pine trees. About 4:00 and 457 miles later we arrived at Emerald Beach RV Park in Navarre, FL. This is probably our 2nd favorite campground so far.
We fixed some dinner and then relaxed with some TV and then went to bed. It was a long day and everyone slept good.
Thursday, October 3:
We really slept good last night. It is a beautiful day so took the boys for a walk around the park and went out on the pier. We went to the beach for a while, then it got hot so we went back to Alf for some lunch (and beer).
After lunch we went back to the beach for a while. The locals are a little bit on edge, there is a Tropical Storm (Karen) brewing in the gulf and there is allot of uncertainty about where it is going to make landfall and with what force. Good thing we are out of here in the morning. We got the grill out and fixed burgers and brats. Since it might be raining tomorrow we thought we would cook them and then just heat them in the microwave. Looks like the storm might be arriving in the morning, might get some good storm pictures.
Friday, October 4:
Got up this morning to a clear sky. There were a few high clouds, but no storm. We took the boys for a walk and then we were on our way. We made a quick stop at Publix for buns and beer and then hit the highway. We were going to try a new way back to Jackson, MS that is all interstate highways, not the little 2 lane road we took coming down. The thought was even though it was a little longer it might be a little quicker, plus the roads were all good, wide interstate highways. Good plan, however, it was 103 miles longer AND about 60 minutes longer. Hmm, was the nice road worth the extra time and mileage?? Maybe not! We got into the camp ground about 4:30, fed the dogs and popped a beer.
Saturday, October 5:
Major change in plans today. We were supposed to be on the road to Sikeston, MO today but the weather forecast for Sikeston and points in between is not very good - 90% chance of severe storms. We decided to sit tight at the Movieland RV Park for the day. Not much to do here, so we walked the dogs, watched TV and read books. When life gives you lemons - make lemonade. We will push on tomorrow and home Monday afternoon.
Movieland RV Park, Canton, MS
More Movieland RV Park
Jane - "Making Lemonade"
Sunday, October 6:
The weather is better today, although it is raining lightly. We set out at about 8:00 and should be in Sikeston in time for a late lunch at Lambert's Cafe (our favorite eating place of the trip). We made good time, with one stop for gas. We arrived at Lambert's about 2:00 and it was mobbed. There was only a 30 minute wait though. We ordered and apparently forgot how big the servings are. We ordered our meals plus and extra to split for dinner later. Wow, the meals we ordered were huge! We only ate about half of our orders and took the left back to Alf. Sunday afternoons must be "let's fo to Lambert's for dinner" in Sikeston. After dinner we checked in to Hinton RV Park and settled in. Hinton is a very nice RV park, clean, large level sites. Since we don't need their wi-fi we chose a site in back, away from the crowd. We took the boys for a walk, and realized that summer is over, time to change to long pants - it is cold here (70 deg)! There was a beautiful sunsetand the weather looks great for tomorrow and the last leg home - and back to reality - for 55 days. Turned on the heat and went to bed.
Monday, October 7:
We got up this morning to clear skies - home we go. Sure wish Lambert's was open for breakfast. It was a pretty uneventful day. Light traffic, good weather couldn't be better, except we are going the wrong way - away from Disney! we hit St. Louis about 11:30 and traffic seemed heavier than normal. why aren't these folks at work? we stopped at Flying J in Warrenton for gas ($2.91/gallon) and a little lunch. Must be the time and place for gas stops, the RV pumps are backed up. I have never had to wait for a spot at the pumps. After lunch and walking the boys we were on our way - the last leg of the trip. this part always seems soooo long. Maybe it is the familiarity of the road. We pulled into the driveway at 3:30, parked Alf in the garage, plugged in electric and called it a day. But wait, there are still classes to deal with. Jane has to teach at 7:00 & 8:30 then we can call it a day. Welcome back to the real world. Back to WDW December 1!
