Christmas fun!

Christmas turned out to be a "hoot!" Several of our local celebrants felt is was best to take advantage of the season to "let their hair down!" Pat and Darlene were the hit of the Christmas Dinner!!

Well, it's difficult to keep a good reindeer down. Before you knew it their spirit was matched by Carl and Jackie...

Carl worked on his smile for this photo op! As you can tell, his idol just happens to be the Grinch!

Not just anyone can wear a costume like these.

But, speaking of costumes...

We managed to find someone who can really wear a costume...

This rather unassuming "vine" happens to be ...

"The Grape Vine Lady"

She is a unique "performing artist" in Disney's Animal Kingdom. She is a delight to watch as she "walks" among the guest and then literally disappears into the flora.

She moves effortlessly and is incredibly flexible...

Can you figure out where her head is? She has two arms and one leg on the ground. Her other leg is reaching upward!

But, there's alway one Disney Costume you can easily make out...

Have a Happy New Year!

No time for sitting!

We packed up and headed out to WDW to share in Darlene and Buzz' first day in the Parks with their first annual Disney pass.

First the "obligatory" photo...

After a day of "park hopping" and "drawing class," we thought we'd take in a real change of scenery and head for a night of seasonal fanfare at Celebration. The center of town is blocked off for ice skating, caroling and "snow!" On the hour it would "snow" on the kids (young and old) who made their way onto the "snow" covered street for a chance to kick up their heels in several inches of the "fluffy" stuff and make a "snowball" or two!

There's something to be said about frolicking in "snow" in shorts, flip-flops and tee-shirts!

We just had to get back to "reality." So, we headed back to WDW! This time, six of us took advantage of a cloudy, comfortable day to explore EPCOT and Disney's Hollywood Studios. Twelve hours later the couple we thought might tire out were going strong! The rest of us were beginning to dream of "sugar plumb fairies."

Josie and Charlie trudged about the parks like they were kids!

We glided like eagles in "Soarin" and the "kids" beat a "Fast Pass" to "Fast Track!"

Speeding by in the front (as you sit in the car) center and left seats are Darlene and Buzz and in the rear seat center and left is Charile and Josie.

We left the park for lunch and planned to meet in Disney's Hollywood Studios. Buzz and I headed back to walk their dog "Winston."

While waiting for us, Darlene invited Pat, Josie and Charlie to try their hand at Disney Art. They were all successful and proudly showed us their very own "Pooh Bear!" We squeezed in a segment of "American Idol" and by then it was dark enough to experience the amazing "Osborne Family Christmas Light Show."

We watched in awe as the five million lights "danced" to music in a grand spectacle.

From there we made a "bee-line" back to EPCOT for coffees and almond encrusted sweet pretzles in Norway to wait for the grand finale... "IllumiNations!"

BUT, first, we needed a diversion. Something relaxing... so we headed for "Spaceship Earth" for a virtual "get-a-way!" We let our "time machine" "take us away."

Pat and I planned a "get-a-way" in our very own "time machine" to an under water dream world!

Disney spares no expence to see to it that all your creature comforts are satisfied as you travel about the parks!

Pat and I jet-setted our way to a "blue lagoon" for an underwater experience of a lifetime!

IllumiNations is especially spectacular during the Christmas Season. Disney tacks on a special holiday tribute to all with a fireworks grand finale like none other. It literally takes your breath away.

Our walk back to our cars was a lot slower than it was twelve hours earlier, but we all agreed, we had a great day, did many more attractions/activities than we thought we would and that we'd do it all again... soon!

Around the "World!"

We headed for the Magic Kingdom with our friends, Darlene and Buzz to be part of the crowd for the WDW Christmas Day Parade. We got quite a lesson on what it takes to make a production for an hour (or two) television program. First off, you know there will be entertainers there along with all the people who want there 15 minutes of fame (like us)!
There were camera crews and equipment set up in front of Cinderella's Castle along with a screaming mass of (mostly young) people. We managed to talk to a fellow Cast Member to find out who's on stage and what's all this stuff about taping the Christmas Parade.  Well, here's who was on stage...

I know you really have to look to figure out who the entertainer is. He's the one in the black vest/white shirt in the center of the photo. It's American Idol's Chris Allen! We got there late in his taping but it was all kind of surreal as we bagan to realize the scope of taping the Christmas Parade.

To boot we found out Celine Dion was to be there the next day. We were literally blown away when we heard her name! To make a long story short, we missed her due to the "rain clause" high profile entertainers have in their contracts. Due to rain, her segment was taped the day we were in the park at the Grand Floridian Resort. We were oridinally told Celine Dion was to tape on Sunday! Yep, we got up real early and headed to the Magic Kingdom to see Celine!!! You know how that turned out! We didn't know she had already come and gone! Well, we made the best of it. Darlene, Buzz, Pat and I hit a few attractions, a few stores and Buzz and I checked out another group to be part of the Christmas Day Parade...

The Jonas Brothers!

That was cool! Buzz and I stood near the crowd as the film/audio staff plotted out their taping. For over twenty minutes, Buzz and I watched as the crew tried to get a group segment taped. The entire process can be quite taxing and time consuming and not as glamorous as you might think. The Christmas Day Parade will be taped in sections over a number of days. The finished product truly is "Magical" when you see what it takes to put it all together.

We headed for "Sweet Tomatoes" for lunch. We know Bill and Angela have enjoyed a lunch or two at "Sweet Tomatoes" and many of you may not have heard of this restaurant. To save time, I'll let their web site speak for itself! http://www.souplantation.com/ The place is great! The originial store is based in CA and goes by the name, "SoupPlantation." Other stores in the southern states are called "Sweet Tomatoes." Their 55' salad bar is incredible. Add to that their soups breads and ice cream... is ALL YOU CAN EAT!

Well, now we had to walk off lunch. We pointed our HHR toward Disney's Hollywood Studios. Darlene, couldn't wait to take us to the Hollywood Studios Animation class. Pat and I never new about this super, out of the way fun place. We waited our turn to enter an art studio and draw our very own Disney Character.

Above, Darlene and Buzz waited impatiently for the instructor to begin our class to draw "Pluto!"

We were like little kids. We had our own drawing board (shaped like Mickey of course) and an eraserless pencil. Yep, NO erasers, and only one piece of paper! After our first class, we headed out to catch the music of "Mulch Sweat and Shears."

After some great music and laughs we headed back to the drawing board! We had to do another drawing.

This time we got a choice of characters... we opted for "Minnie."

And here is how they turned out...

Yep, these are our "works of art!"

Twelve hours later we made our way out of the park and headed for some rest. I'll leave you with several uniquely serene photos... Downtown Disney at 7:30a.m....

Till next time!

Decorations!

The Thanksgiving Day decorations are packed away and the Christmas decorations are taking their place.
On our weekly bike ride we had to stop at the most decorated corner in the Fort Wilderness Campground. If you've been to Fort Wilderness during any big holiday you've more than likely passed by this and other impressive selections of Disney decorations. As near as we can tell, the campers parked in the two corner sites either haul the massive display in a trailer behind their camper or store it all in a rental unit close by. Surely, there's simply not enough space in their campers to carry it with them!

Our first photo of our group gives you an idea of the layout of the street corner. We were awe struck and amazed by the shear number of lawn ornaments, inflatable Disney Characters and animated decorations spread out before our eyes.

Here's one corner...

Here's another corner...

...and here's part of the same corner...

It's plain to see, there are a lot of serious Disney fans spending the Holidays at Fort Wilderness! Every loop of the park is a treat to explore and take in the creative camping layouts that anyone who spends a vacation in Fort Wilderness is proud to display. Some like to take it to the "next level!"

As you would expect Disney has a way of celebrating Christmas in a big way as well...

This is the Christmas tree in the Fort Wilderness Lodge.

Well, we finished off our ten mile bike ride, where else but, at "The Wave" Restaurant in the Contemporary Resort. What can I say, we exercise and then "reward" ourselves for being good! It makes sense to us!

Merry Christmas until next time, Dave and Pat!

Glen Beck's book signing!

I promise not to let this post turn into a political discussion! Last Saturday I spent over two hours standing in line for a chance to meet Glen Beck at Barnes & Noble's Bookstore in downtown Orlando. Arriving a mere hour and a half before the scheduled 11:30 to 12:30 book signing, I was lucky to be number 343 before the real crowd lined up. If you don't know, Glen Beck is a Conservative Talk Show host who is doing his best to perserve and protect America from the very elected politicians who are sworn to protect it. Glen has, as he says, "connected the dots" between Obama, his Czars and the unions with an ultra Left Wing, Liveral/Progressive Agenda. Glen's first two books; "Common Sense" and "Arguing with Idiots" are best sellers and filled with facts you'll never hear on main stream media.
I began listening to Glen months ago and guickly began to watch his show as the Obama administration began "saying one thing and doing quite another." Pat purchased his book "Arguing with Idiots" for me just before we headed out for the season. Following Glen on his web site and  TV increased my interest in his passion to make Americans aware of the direction America is headed under the current administration.
Glen's Book Tour placed him in Cities providing me with a chance to have him sign my books. Orlando fit the bill just right.
This is the first time I've ever attended a book signing, especially for such a controversial Talk Show Personality, and it turned out to be a good experience. Obviously, as near as I can tell, the group was made up of Beck supporters, very much ProAmerican and not happy with the current administration. The attendees were quiet and extremely patient.
Barnes & Noble establishes "rules" for book signings to expedite the process and it all became rather exciting. Glen was only going to sign "Arguing with Idoits" and  (his latest book) "The Christmas Sweater." We had to set the book cover into a specific front page. Glen would not be able to pose for photos, however you were allowed to take all the photos you like. The staff put wrist tags on all of us and ushered us to specific store book sections where they "weaved" us through the book shelves to wait for Glen.

Glen's bus stopped at the front of the store but some how, Glen "snuck" in from the side of the main floor and took his place. Those in the front of the line let out greetings and we began to move up the line.

Glen's "handlers" would take each book, open to the book to the pre-established place and set them in front of Glen. Each person had an opportunity to shake his hand, say a word or two and another "handler" would take the book, close it and hand it to you. It was my turn. I passed the book to Glen's "handler" moved in front of Glen (on the right), greeted him and he thanked me for supporting him. While shaking Glen's hand, we made eye contact and I sensed his passion and deep sincerity of his belief in our American way of life. Glen's "handler" passed me my book and I headed out the door.

Glen signed nearly 1000 books. Outside, people were lingering nnd taking photos in front of his bus.

My first book signing turned out to be quite an experience.

A "bed time" story!

Here's a story that will tickle your funny bone. It's 10:00 p.m. and you're settling in for a quiet night in mild temperatures. Your windows are open and even the local Florida night time insects are soothing. Suddenly, it's raining water into your camper! You scamper for towels or anything that will hold back the spray as it seems to be coming at you from every window. A sudden storm? We know "Ida" was due here either today or tomorrow. But, last night??? Naw, it was all "Little" Buzz' doing! ... and, now, the rest of the story...
Our friend Buzz (of our friends Darlene and Buzz) noticed a tiny problematic leak at his exterior water connection on the campground's water post earlier in the day. It was such a tiny leak. Buzz thought he would simply help out the campground and replace the water faucet with a nice new one from Lowe's. After all, the faucet was threaded into the PVC pipe... that's been in the Florida sun for ten or more years!
So, after visiting with their friends, Darlene and Buzz made their way back to their camper. It was a nice night, mild and quiet and 10:00 p.m. Buzz decided this was a perfect time to replace that new faucet. In the dark, Buzz dutifully took a shiny wrench out of his tool box and fit it to the metal faucet flats and gently applied pressure to the leaky faucet... and sheard off the PVC pipe below the shut-off valve!
Buzz was blasted with a high pressure stream of water that rose twice the height of their fifth-wheel travel trailer. Sans any light/flashlight, Buzz had all he could do to redirect the full force of the gushing water as the spray hit every bay or window Buzz had opened, including the windows and roof vents. Meanwhile, Darlene is in full attack mode throwing towels and even their dog, Winston (figuratively) on the rapidly invading rush of water.
All the while, Darlene and Buzz fought valiantly with nary a sound in the dark! Their neighbor, "Big" Buzz, heard the rush of water running down the street and wondered if it had rained. Checking outside "Big" Buzz was awe struck to see the plume of gushing water rising above Darlene and "Little" Buzz' camper.
While "Little" Buzz fended off the geyser, Darlene mashed down on their diesel throttle and headed toward the campground Maintenance Manager's camper. Within seconds, Adrian showed up and in the dark floundered around and found a shut-off a couple of campers down line.
Buzz was soaked! His tool box was full of water. His camper basement bay was soaked. Adrian, checked out the PVC break and deceided she could fix it right then and there. Buzz and Darlene finally got to rest after midnight. Buzz was somewhat "stirred up" and finally closed his eyes near 2:00 a.m.
Buzz has become a bit of a celebrity here at Lake Magic! And the best advice we can offer Buzz is; if he wants to tackle any job while he's here... he must NEVER start a job after sunset!!!
... and, now, you know the rest of the story!

Campground activities

We're getting into the park routine. Ice Cream Socials, bike trail rides, game nights, and some volunteering. Our days are getting busier and we're trying to keep up a routine of bike riding or walking.

This is what we do down here. As we wind up our activities here we'll have much more to write about so don't give up on our Blogs. Gnorm is getting itchy to get out and about and we're getting into our routine. Till next time!

Pat helped out for our first Saturday morning breakfast at the park.

Critters are different in FL

Just when you think it's safe to walk around, guess what we see...

Our little friend here is an Eastern Coachwhip Snake and is non-venomous, however it is over five feet long! Its marking is striking. His head is very near the color of the ground cover. The dark brown color extends about eight inches from his head and becomes light tan for the rest of its length. According to the website I searched for info, this snake is really fast. It says, "try to catch this on, if you can, it's probably faster than a Black Racer." http://www.floridabackyardsnakes.com/ (This is a terrific site to find out about the FL snake population.) Check out the "Dusky Pygmy Rattlesnake." There are a few of those running around here as well! But, fear not, these critters are seldom seen. As long as you stay out of the brush and higher grass you may never see one. We only happened to see the Coachwhip Snake because he was moving along the back of the bathhouse among the darker mulch. Of course, this is all Darlene needed to see... especially since their new campsite is about 50' from the bathhouse!

We headed out for our first morning bike ride. We biked Fort Wilderness and took the boat to The Wave in the Contemporary Resort. Eight of us enjoyed cooler temps with an overcast sky as we made our way through the camping loops.

Yes, Gnorm wasn't about to be left behind! You'll just have to check out his blog to catch up with his adventures!
W're getting into the campground activites which seem to be starting earlier than last year. We had our first shuffleboard games today and Pat and her partner Larry will have their names on the campground TV this week! Yours truly had a couple of good "practice" games!
Till next time.

Back in the heat... again!

The New England temps followed us most of the way south. We began feeling the heat and humidity in southern Georgia. It got hotter in Florida.

The route south went very well. Traffic was in our favor as we met but one brief slow-down just south of D.C. Two campgrounds, one truck stop and a short final day of driving put us in our site with enough time to rush to "Sweet Tomatoes" and a walk-about in Magic Kingdom. The park is decked out in its Halloween attire.

The park was noticeably less attended by guests than we've noticed before. We took advantage of short lines at some of the attractions and headed for the Gran Pris race track.

The newly refurbished "Hall of Presidents" was open and is still a favorite for us. The video and audio has been updated and the program expanded.

Our walk down Main Street in the warm evening was a welcome treat that always manages to bring back fond memories.

Hey, it's good to be back home again!

Hi Folks,

We spent two days in Intercourse, PA, visited with our Amish friends and enjoyed some great food. Amish country is gearing up for it's busy season, the fall.
Our final day of driving is just over 400 miles and we were psyched up for the drive. The throttle was pressed just a little bit further to the floor as we worked our way home. Our 6,000 plus mile trip was over. Our Journey motor home did it's job flawlessly, never skipped a "beat" and served us well for the entire distance. I'll be giving our Journey a "treat" over the next few weeks. Fresh oil, filters, grease and even a check up at a local truck service center. Likewise, our HHR did a fine job as it dutifully "followed" along behind us the entire 6,000 plus mile trek. We drove the HHR over 800 miles and we appreciated having our "TOAD" with us.

You may recall, early on in our trip we totally forgot that we had to renew all our vehicles registrations. Thanks to the help of Laura, our Park owner and Pat's sister Angela and her husband Bill, we were able to put all the new registration stickers on our plates and paperwork in our glove boxes... of the motor home and the HHR. We waited until we returned home to put the plate stickers on the Toyota. While taking care of the registration stickers and inserting the new registration into the folder for the Toyota, I took a minute to remove old registrations/inspection papers from the folder. It was then that I began to look for the "Insurance Verification Form" that MUST be in the vehicle at all times! Being from MA, it was never required because in MA you cannot register a vehicle without insurance. However, in all other states, you are required (by law) to keep the "Insurance Verification Form" in the vehicle with the registration! So here's a "slap of the forehead" for ya! Just before leaving for FL last October, Pat renewed all three vehicles insurance. We received the "Insurance Verification Froms" and she "filed" them away... for the winter! We drove all three vehicles (and two of them nearly all the way across the country) while the forms sat in our file box at home for nearly the entire year! You can bet, that won't happen again... and we will not be forgetting to renew our vehicle registrations!!!!!

We had a great time. We got to see the major attractions we wanted to see and we've learned a great deal about the many beautiful places and people America has to offer. We're already thinking about another trip west!

Pat and I want to thank each and every one of you for following along with us. We hope you've enjoyed reading our Blogs as much as I've enjoyed writing them.

We hope to enjoy a WIT weekend campout in early October and then we begin our preparation for our journey south for the winter.

May each and everyone of you enjoy good health, many wonderful moments in the months to come... and if you like, I'll continue with our blog. Fortunately, for Gnorm, Debbie has agreed to our "Ransom Demands" and Gnorm will be taking his "Place of honor" in her garden very soon. I guess we'll just have to "abduct" another "critter!"

As you travel, always try to enjoy the view from your windshield!

Dave and Pat

P.S. If you choose to enlarge the above photo, it may take a long time to open in another window, it's a large photo made up of four pictures "stitched" together.

Hey, it's good to be back home again!

Wrapping it up in Nashville!

Except for several more days on the road to end our journey, Nashville may well be our final city destination to experience. Bob and Sally gave us ample information and tours that made our visit both fun and exciting. We want to extend our gratitude to them for their company and willingness to act as our "tour guides." We should explain that if it weren't for a washer/dryer problem they would've headed out a couple of days before we arrived. Fortunately, their problem was corrected and we got to spend three days with them. They will be heading northwest from here. Their plans will take them to the National Parks in South Dakota, Wyoming, down to the "Four Corner" States, Las Vegas and perhaps a chance to see the "Balloon Festival" in NM. Continuing on, they will drop down to Route 10 and they will make their way to Melbourne, FL for the winter. Bob and Sally are also from New Hampshire, just a couple of towns away from us. We look forward to hearing about their trip.

While Bob spent an afternoon at the close by Camping World having their washer/dryer fixed, Sally, Pat and I headed out to take care of some errands. With their coach back and the washer, dryer back in business, we enjoyed the afternoon to reflect on our visit together and each others future travel plans. While sitting on our patio, Sally jumped up when a sickeningly large bug landed on her ankle. The "bug" was actually two big insects. Check out this photo of a really large wasp "carrying" an equally large Cicada! (You may need to "blow up" the photo to make them out.) We think the wasp attacked the Cicada and was taking it "home" for his "family!" The Cicada was too large for the wasp to fly with it. As near as we can figure, the wasp got the Cicada in the tree (above us), fell to the ground and was determined to get that bug back up into the tree. The wasp, with wings flapping "walked" his prey across our patio, up into the tree again. He wasn't about to drop his trophy!

After all that excitement, we settled back down and turned our thoughts to the evening meal ahead.

Bob and Sally wanted to take us to a local restaurant on North 6th Street called "Monell's." Monell's is one of those establishments that is best found by "word of mouth." Bob and Sally were introduced to it by fellow MA WIT Club Members, Russ and Judy Garber. Monell's serves "family style" breakfast and dinner buffets. We walked in, were quickly seated, served and eating by the time we unfolded our napkins! Sometime during the meal, our server placed our (2"x 3") "ticket" in front of us and we paid on the way out. There "quote" below their Logo says it all!

The entrance to Monell's is beautifully adorned with plants and flowers.

Driving up to Monell's you notice all the buildings appear very tiny. Sally used the phrase "Shotgun" buildings to describe the building style. The building fronts make a small "footprint," but as you pass by them, they extend well into the back yard.

We said our goodbyes to Bob and Sally and Pat and I headed to the "Opry Mills" Mall. The large plot of land is the home of the Mall, the Gaylord Hotel and the (present) Grand Ole Opry. As suggested by Bob, Pat and I purchased tickets for tonight's show and will drive over a couple of hours before the show, have a dinner and complete our stop-over with a show of the "real" Nashville.

The "Grand Ole Opry" was a new experience for us. I can remember my father watching and listening to the old programs both on the radio and TV any time "Hee Haw" or the "Grand Ole Opry was on. He grew up with and closely followed the "original" country western singers. In fact, he did a stint on the old WESX radio program when he was a young man. He called himself, "The Whispering Ranger." He had a large local following as attested to the old cards and letters from listeners that my brother and I held onto after his death. As I entered the "new" Grand Ole Opry theater, I couldn't help but think, oh how he so wanted to sit in this theater and actually see the men and women who graced the radio waves of yesteryear.

The two hour show was well produced and an outstanding experience. The "Oldest Radio Show" in the world was an experience to enjoy. The talent, quality and music that emanated off the stage was exponentially better than expected. No, Pat nor I didn't know any of the performers. Most were very old but still very classy. The stage was filled with performers who radiated character, and wholesome American ideals. We can only imagine what it must be like to see any of the "big name" performers on that stage.

Nashville, TN

We met up with fellow Winnebago Club Members, Bob and sally Tufts at the "Two Rivers" Campground just northeast of downtown Nashville. Bob and Sally have been to Nashville many times and gave us some terrific tips on what to see while we're here. They also acted as our "tour guides" for an evening in downtown Nashville.

We made the rounds in a number of "rustic" remaining bars along the "strip." This is the inside view of "Tootsies," the most famous bar in all of downtown Nashville.

The walls of "Tootsies" are filled with photos of just about every performer who "played" in the narrow, dark bar since it's opening.

I realize the photo does not do her justice, but that is the real "Tootsie."

The red and white building at the right is where it all started. This is the Ryman Auditorium, the original location of the "Grande Ole Opry!"

(Can you see anyone standing on the steps?)

Downtown "wakes up" at night!

And, it sure likes it's musicians!