We Have Lift-off…Finally!

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We had planned to attend the Discovery space shuttle launch on Feb. 12, but as you know, it was canceled and rescheduled for a Wed., Mar. 11, night launch. Scott had never seen a space shuttle launch so was going to make the 1-1/2 hour drive with us to Titusville, and we had never seen a night launch so were excited about that. Lift-off was scheduled for 9:20PM, and we had decided to stop for dinner on the way so left here at 3:30. Unfortunately about 1/3 of the way there, we learned that the launch had been scrubbed yet again due to a hydrogen gas leak, so we turned around and came home. We were more fortunate than some folks we know who left here at 2:30 and found out the mission had been scrubbed after they were already in the area in the middle of dinner.

Launch was re-scheduled for a 7:43PM lift-off on Sun., Mar. 15, which would be only shortly after sunset. We left at 2PM figuring the crowds would be even larger with a Sun. launch, and we had heard the restaurant, the “world famous” Dixie Crossroads (http://www.dixiecrossroads.com/), is always packed on Sundays. We had eaten there when we saw the shuttle launch in Oct. 2007 and were anticipating another delicious meal! You might remember from our blog entry back then that Dixie Crossroads is the “Home of Rock Shrimp”, small shrimp that have an extremely hard shell. The hard shells can make them difficult to clean, and if the vein is not taken out, it's said that chewing the rock shrimp is like eating a mouthful of beach sand. Rodney Thompson, the owner of Dixie Crossroads, invented a machine back in 1969 that made it easier to crack open the shrimp and remove the large sand vein (all done in the kitchen). They are considered a delicacy and commonly referred to as the "shrimp that tastes like lobster." The restaurant itself is a virtual art gallery - large wildlife murals, photography, stained and etched glass, and sculptures that portray this region's unique habitats. Outside we noticed that they’ve added a plaster shuttle replica with an alligator painted on it! There was quite a crowd when we arrived but were told the wait was only 20 min., and in fact we waited only 10 min. The menu is quite extensive, but Russ and I ended up ordering the same thing, the Cape Canaveral Special. This "sampler" consists of 1 dozen shrimp, 2 dozen Rock Shrimp, and 1/4 lb. scallops plus two sides…more than enough food! In spite of Scott’s limited ability to eat very much, he ordered the 20oz. Porterhouse steak dinner planning to take most of it home for sandwiches during the week. By the way, when we left, the wait time was 1 hr. 15 min.

After dinner we drove across the bridge to where we had last watch the shuttle launch, which is approximately 11 miles across the river from the launchpad. There was quite a large crowd already assembled 3 hours before lift-off…fishing (some standing right in the river!), tailgating, chatting…just having a good time. It was a gorgeous day…warm, sun shining, cool brisk breeze blowing off the water, hardly a cloud in the sky. A group next to us had turned their radio to the local AM station for the live feed from NASA. The sun had begun its descent into the western sky, and all eyes were geared towards the east awaiting the countdown. Suddenly we could see the bright orange clouds coming from the base of the shuttle as it lifted off, blazing into the night sky!! For some reason the “live” feed from that radio station was a little over a minute behind the actual launch! Russ scrambled to get the lens cap off the camera and turn it on, and even with our little camera from such a distance, got some great shots. What an incredible sight!! As the shuttle rose into the night sky, the trail changed colors as it was captured by the setting sun. Some 10-15 seconds after lift-off, the roar of the engines began to reach us, and with each passing second, the sound became louder. Another 15 seconds later, we could feel the ground below our feet begin to tremble even at 11 miles away. As we continued to follow the trajectory, we could see the separation of the booster rockets (the picture on the left is a little blurred but when you double-click on it, you can see the 3 separate pieces). It’s so hard to put into words what an awesome experience this is.

STS-119 (Discovery) is delivering a fourth and final set of U.S. solar arrays that will put the International Space Station into full-power status. As we stated in the blog entry following our last shuttle launch experience, space exploration is an expensive endeavor, but one which we feel is worthwhile. Since the beginning of written history, man has always explored the unknown. History is littered with their travels and discoveries. Columbus and Magellan explored the seas. Ponce de Leon, the Pilgrims, and others followed to the New World. Daniel Boone, Lewis and Clark, all headed West looking for new discoveries. Man has strived to be the first to the North Pole and to the top of Mount Everest. Jacques Cousteau ventured underwater to discover what we could not readily see. Space exploration seems like a natural extension of man's journey here on Earth. We know nothing about flying saucers or Klingons, but when you look up in the sky and see all the stars and all the opportunities for life to exist, it does present some exciting possibilities. After all, for those of us on Earth, to think that we are the only intelligent life form in the entire universe would seem to be extremely arrogant and not very intelligent. But what do we know?

Unfortunately the only down side was the ride home…that 1-1/2 hour drive to get there took us 4 hours to get home. We wasted no time loading the car back up and getting out of our spot onto the road, but then we proceeded to sit on the bridge for nearly a full hour. We’re guessing that this road was blocked off while all those that had amassed on the other side of the bridge were allowed to get out of the way. Seems there should have been someone alternating traffic. Once on the other side of the bridge, it was fairly smooth sailing until we once again came to a grinding halt on I-95. The lane merging onto SR-407 was inching along, and we could see the same ahead of us on the overpass which was SR-407. With all the toll booths we were going to encounter taking this route, we knew this was going to be an even longer process so Russ decided to take a chance and head further down I-95 and try to cut over somewhere else. It took us quite a bit out of the way but probably still saved us time and aggravation. All went well until we went the wrong way on the FL turnpike but finally found a spot to get off (albeit illegally since the exit did not accept cash only Sunpass) and made our way back around to the northbound lane. We finally arrived home safe and sound at midnight. Just all part of the adventure, right? :-)

The other thing that kept us busy this week was scoping out a new home for “next season” (for us that means Dec.-Apr.) We had heard about another resort (Elite Resorts at Citrus Valley) approximately 4 miles from here that had been totally refurbished and just re-opened this past Oct. We told Paul, Anne, and Scott about it, and over the course of a couple days, we went back several times to scope out locations (you get to pick your spot), which had the best shade at which time of day, etc. The cost at Elite is virtually the same as where we are this year except it will include electric, which is a huge cost savings. Right now at Lake Magic, electric is paid separately based on your meter reading each month. It seems they’re constantly raising the price per kwh, and without running our A/C and keeping our electric usage to a bare minimum, it’s still costing us nearly $75/month. If we ran the A/C, it would easily be over $100/month. We’ve heard the monthly site rates will be increasing, and since we’ve been discouraged with some of the changes and practices here at Lake Magic anyway, we signed up for 5 months starting the middle of Nov. Scott signed up for the same timeframe while Paul and Anne signed up for 4 months starting early Nov. We’ve got 3 spots all near each other so we’ll already have instant friends! The people we’ve met over there already have been extremely nice and hospitable, and even invited us to join in their activities right now!

Fri. I went with Scott to see the oncologist. Since Dr. Robinson had prepared us so well the week before with the worst case scenarios, what he said didn’t come as such a shock. Temporarily he has categorized the cancer clinically as a stage 3, recommending chemo and radiation to run concurrently for 4-6 weeks followed by surgery. One of the scans showed a spot on his spine, and they are not sure if it’s simply a cyst or possibly more cancer. Scott is having an MRI tonight to help make that determination. Because he will need a lot of care during his treatments, he is leaving Wed. to head to a campground in NC, closer to family. The campground has many patients who are going through cancer treatments at Duke or UNC, which are both only a few miles away. Scott’s brother is affiliated with Duke and is lining up doctors, and we got copies of all his records to take with him. Please continue to keep Scott in your thoughts and prayers, and you can follow his adventures on his blog at http://www.serenityadventure.com/ . We look forward to Scott catching back up with us out West this summer.

Life at Lake Magic

I can hardly believe two weeks have passed since our last post, but I guess that’s because not much has really been going on. Life here at Lake Magic RV Resort pretty much just hums along day to day. We’ve gone to dinner a couple times with Paul, Anne, and Scott, and I’ve attended a couple card making and line dancing classes but haven’t made it to any of the morning water aerobic classes yet. Just been too chilly and breezy to get out of the pool! Weather has actually been very nice with only a few days here and there dipping into the 30s at night, but we’ll take that over all the snow and ice up north. As you can see in the photo, we have a nice wide camp site with plenty of space between you and your neighbors. Most of the people around us have been here for a few months though we’re in what is considered the more transient area with several people staying only a week or two, sometimes only a couple days. Scott’s RV is located to our right and on our left are Jack and Jean from IL whose daughter and grandsons (Joey and Jack) came for a visit last month. One day they were heading to Magic Kingdom to see Pirates of the Caribbean, and the boys dressed in their pirate outfits…I couldn’t resist taking a picture.

A couple weeks after we arrived, a new resort manager was introduced, and she’s held a meeting for all “residents” every two weeks. She’s very young and has never worked for a campground before (or knows anything about RVs and the lifestyle), so there have been some challenges for her and the residents. We generally attend these meetings because they’re always entertaining with all the griping, her lack of knowledge, and her tendency to doublespeak! Also, about a month after the new mgr. started, the Activities Director’s position was eliminated by the corporate office, but several of the members have continued to be involved voluntarily organizing all the events and activities.

Last night we experienced another first on our travels. Since Cape Kennedy is only about 50 miles from here, we were able to see the Kepler spacecraft shortly after it launched into space! About 10:30pm we turned the NASA channel on the outside TV so we'd know exactly when the launch happened (scheduled for 10:49pm), and about 30 seconds later we could see what looked like a very bright orange star rising swiftly into the night sky. We watched it for a few more minutes before it vanished behind the clouds and out of sight...how cool! In case you don't know, the Kepler spacecraft will watch a patch of space for 3.5 years or more for signs of Earth-sized planets moving around stars similar to the sun. The patch that Kepler will watch contains about 100,000 stars like the sun.

On another note, our good friend and traveling companion, Scott, has been facing a challenge these past couple weeks when he found out there is a malignant mass in his lower esophagus. He's been having tests to determine the stage, and I've accompanied him on a couple visits acting as his surrogate family member and secretary to take notes for him, and his brother who lives in NC. We’re glad we’re here to help. Next Fri. he sees the oncologist so we'll have more information, but in the meantime we ask that you keep Scott in your thoughts and prayers. This has been quite a shock for everyone, and one lesson we've learned through all this is that just because a doctor's office says they’ll call only if there’s a problem, don’t settle for that. Call and follow up yourself...things can fall through the cracks.

Will You Be My Valentine?

This year we made Valentine’s Day last an entire weekend. Fri. Russ took me to the Magic Kingdom about 6pm so we could catch the 7pm Spectromagic Parade, followed shortly afterwards by the fireworks spectacular, Wishes. But first we got a bite to eat at Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café, a fun little fast food place in the Tomorrowland section of Magic Kingdom. There are three “bays” for ordering food, each offering something different…burgers from one, chicken from another, and salads/sandwiches from another. Seating is located a few steps down into the lower section of this space-aged restaurant, and while eating you are entertained by Sonny Eclipse, an out-of-this-world audio animatronics alien lounge lizard singing and telling some very corny jokes. He’s seated behind a keyboard, and singing backup are the invisible Space Angels. Makes for a very silly yet entertaining way to enjoy your meal. Little kids love to get up and dance! (I thought I had a photo of Sonny in my archives but discovered otherwise so will have to post one at a later date.)

We picked a new location to watch the parade…in the center circle in front of Cinderella’s Castle. I snapped this picture of Cinderella and Prince Charming in their coach as they passed right in front of her Castle…just thought that was appropriate. :-) It’s always fun to see the parades and fireworks from different locations as they give you different perspectives and sometimes you see things you hadn’t seen before. Afterwards we moved back towards the entrance and stood in the middle of Main Street to watch the fireworks, our favorite spot for watching them, plus you can make a quicker exit to beat some of the crowds since the fireworks are the last thing before the park closes and everyone has to leave.

Sat. was Valentine’s Day and we had signed up to attend the campground’s dinner/dance that evening. For $25/couple we got a shrimp cocktail, salad, roll, steak, baked potato, green beans, and dessert…all prepared and served by volunteers! The flyer had said BYOB so we had taken a couple bottles of Merlot with us though the volunteer staff had managed to have enough funds to cover the cost of soda and some boxed wine. Also included in the price was a photo taken of each couple under a decorated archway. (I asked them to take one with my camera, too, so I’d have it for the blog.) A two-piece husband and wife combo provided the entertainment and did not take a break for the two hours they played! Russ and I managed a couple of dances, and I joined the group of line dancers on several songs. Paul and Anne had saved us a couple of seats at their table, and though nothing fancy, we enjoyed quite a pleasant evening visiting with them and meeting some new folks.

The next day Anne came over and asked if we wanted to join them for dinner at T.G.I. Friday’s since they had a 2-for-1 coupon they said we could use. As it turns out, I had also found one on the restaurant’s website so didn’t have to use theirs. Scott joined us, and we had another enjoyable evening. That was quite a weekend…dinner out three nights in a row…quite a rarity!

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Rise & Shine for Free Pineapple!

Every once in awhile you just gotta do something silly and I guess last Sat. qualifies. Feb. 6 was the grand opening of a Sweetbay grocery store about 5 min. up the road. Paul and Anne were planning to be there before the 7am opening because the first 1,000 customers would get a free pineapple and they asked if we wanted to go. Yep, you guessed it, the 4 of us piled in their car at 6:30am! There was a good size crowd but nowhere near 1,000 so we felt assured we’d get our free pineapples. Shortly after we arrived, the ribbon cutting was done, and all the “suits” lined up to greet everyone coming in and to hand out those pineapples. As we entered, there was a huge strawberry display and another “suit” holding an enormous bowl of strawberries for sampling. Most people veered to the right, but Russ and I took off to the left. The only thing we had seen in the grand opening ad that we were interested in was the 12-packs of Coke products...4/$10. They were on an end cap close to the registers, and Russ thought that maybe they’d be giving something to the first person to check out so hurriedly put the soda into the cart so I could immediately head to check out. I was either the 1st or 2nd person (definitely would have been 1st but had a problem with the credit card reader), but it doesn’t appear that anything was given for being 1st since no announcement or hoopla commenced. On the way out the first 500 customers were given a reusable tote bag stocked with a large box of cereal, a box of vanilla wafers, a box of spaghetti, and a 64 oz. bottle of apple juice! Russ and I each got one so we took the soda and our bags out to the car and then went back inside to catch up with Paul and Anne. This time we veered to the right where they were giving away free coffee, cookies, carnations, and ham samples. The mood was very festive with a guy playing island music at the back of the store. On our way home we stopped at Denny’s for breakfast. Crazy way to start a day, eh?

The next day Scott and I went to the annual show of the Sound of Sunshine Show Chorus called “ab-SALUTE-ly Music 2009”. (Russ opted not to go with us.) This local Sweet Adelines chorus (http://www.soundofsunshine.com/), directed by Master Director Nancy Lewis, put on quite a show. This group of about 60 women entertained with classic uptunes and ballads from across the musical spectrum. Nancy was also the emcee, telling some corny jokes between songs, and a couple chorus quartets were showcased as well. Just before intermission one of their guest men’s quartets were introduced, The Humdingers. They are actually part of the group of men who regularly perform on Main Street at the Magic Kingdom known as the Dapper Dans. You may recall that I actually got to sing with the Dapper Dans last year, but these were different guys than that (though I have seen this group perform there). It turns out that this foursome performs shows all across the country as The Humdingers (http://www.humdingers.org/). Their 20 minute performance of singing, soft shoe, and comedy kept the audience thoroughly entertained.

When they were done, a couple stagehands placed a white sheet on the floor, brought out a long table, 4 chairs, and some other stuff we couldn't really see on the table, and I thought perhaps they were just setting up for the raffle after intermission. Well, one of the ladies came out on stage and announced that we were going to get a sneak preview of the guest quartet, Lunch Break (http://www.lunchbreakquartet.com/), who would be performing later in the show. Slowly, one by one, each guy made his way onstage dressed in pajamas, t-shirts, robe, flip-flops or slippers. They were moving very slowly as though they were hungover, with one of them even rolling out from under the curtain! The audience couldn’t help but laugh. They made their way to the table, a couple with head in hand, and each began moaning on a different tone (evidently tuning up for the pitch), and then very softly began singing. It was a parody of the song Summertime (When the Living is Easy), but they were singing Morningtime (and My Stomach is Queasy)…what a hoot!! When they finished (to thunderous applause), they broke into a song about Lucky Charms cereal, eating while they sang! These guys began singing together in the summer of 2007 just for fun during their lunch break (hence the name), and won their District contest of the men’s Barbershop Harmony Society that same year! Does that give you any idea of their talent?? These guys were well worth the price of admission all on their own!

After intermission we were treated to the Glazer Family Trio. These three kids aged 11, 13, and 15 have been playing piano since they were infants! Together they play classic music as a string trio, a piano quartet with mom Elaine (who is a member of the chorus), and all kinds of chamber music with their dad, Benoit, who is the musical director of Orlando’s Cirque Du Soleil “La Nouba”. The also play jazz as a quartet with their dad on trumpet. Each kid plays 3 different instruments, but for this show they played two classical pieces with two on violin, the youngest on cello, and mom on keyboard. Truly a delightful addition to the program to showcase such a wonderfully talented family.

Once again it was time for the return of Lunch Break, who performed another 20 minutes. Dressed in yellow and black bowling shirts, they had a great mix of comedic and serious songs, entertaining the entire time. One of the best was sung by the tenor, Shane Scott. Do you remember that beautiful song from Oliver called “Where Is Love?” Well, Shane’s version is called “Where is Lunch?” I was laughing so hard, tears were rolling down my face, but he does have a gorgeous tenor voice and sang it very tenderly and straight-faced with the other guys as his backup. If you read the bios on their website, you’ll see that he writes most of the parodies they perform. They ended their portion of the show with a seriously beautiful gospel song, Vic'try Road. If you ever get a chance to see these guys perform, don’t pass it up! The chorus returned for one more song, bringing all the performers onstage, and another successful show was complete. Afterwards Scott treated me to dinner at Colorado House of Beef, a nice ending to a delightful day.

As for the rest of the week, Russ had his stitches removed, and the doc informed us that the biopsy results showed he had gotten all the cancer. Yay!! I started a new pill regimen to reduce the inflammation in my intestine from the Crohn’s, and I started attending the weekly line dancing class. Even though I had learned about 7 line dances last year at Sunset King, wouldn’t you know they haven’t done any of them here! But the fun part is getting to learn some new ones. We’re gearing up to perform some at the resorts Valentine’s Dinner/Dance this weekend. So until then, stay warm and stay safe!

Did Someone Say Free?!?!

It’s been another week busy with medical related trips, either visiting a doctor, taking Scott for a medical procedure, or running to the pharmacy to pick up pills. Last Wed. Scott was scheduled for a colonoscopy and since they don’t allow you to drive for 24 hours after having anesthesia, he asked if we could give him a ride. We were happy to do so even though it took longer than anticipated because the facility got way behind schedule. On Thurs. it was time to take Russ in to have the skin cancer removed from his arm. The doc did it right there in his office, injecting local anesthetic around the area, and taking out a nice size chunk. He got 6 stitches and was to keep the pressure bandage on for 24 hours. The nurse used the whole roll of the bandage so it looked much worse than it was. For the next few days I treated it with peroxide, Bacitracin ointment, and regular bandaids. He’s now got it uncovered and will go Mon. to have the stitches removed. Today we went for a follow-up visit to my GI doc to discuss further options for dealing with my Crohn's. The fun never ends!

The resort here has a number of activities though not as many as the place we stayed last winter, Sunset King in DeFuniak Springs, FL, but enough to keep you busy if you want. So far we had only attended a pool party and a couple meetings, but Mon. I decided to attend the weekly cardmaking class. For a $5 fee, the instructor (who lives here at the park) provides all the supplies needed to make 3 cards and instructs you on how to make them. I love learning new craft ideas, and these were lots of fun to make. Who knows, you just might get one of these in the mail!

Yesterday we took advantage of the nationwide Denny’s FREE Grand Slam breakfast! You know how us retired folk are....if it's free, we're there! There’s a Denny’s right across the street from the resort, and we decided to go about 10:30 to hopefully avoid some of the crowds. We waited in line only 15 min., but when we left the wait was probably about an hour. Scott had gone at 6:30am and said he walked right in, while Paul and Anne went at 1pm and said they had about a 15 min. wait. Not too bad for a free breakfast no matter what time of day you eat it!

For those of you who may be jealous, thinking we’re basking in the warm Florida sun, don’t worry…it’s become downright chilly! For the last couple weeks it’s gotten into the mid-30s a couple nights, was 36 last night, will dip to 24 tonight and 26 tomorrow night! Brrrrr!! But as you can see, we still get gorgeous sunsets.

T-Rex

This past week started off great with a visit from one of my best friends, Linda, and her daughter, Angela. Because it was a holiday, Linda was off work and Angela had no school, so perfect time for a visit. As you may recall, Linda and I have known each other since 4th grade in St. Louis, and she’s lived in Tampa the past 16 years. I hadn’t seen Angela in about 5 years and she just celebrated her 8th birthday this month! To celebrate we went to Downtown Disney, an outdoor shopping, dining, and entertainment complex that requires no admission fee. We ate lunch at DD’s newest restaurant, T-Rex, billed as “a prehistoric family adventure”. What a cool place! A giant T-Rex greets you at the door roaring and moving. (His presence also separates the restaurant area from the gift shop.) T-Rex is divided into distinct areas each with their own décor and filled with giant audio-animatronics creatures. As you enter the restaurant you pass by the Coral Reef/Shark Bar area complete with saltwater aquariums. Above the bar is a huge octopus whose tentacles slowly moving to and fro, and you can see the jellyfish light fixtures in the picture. As the hostess took us to our table we passed the Kitchen of Fire (with little flames shooting up along the service area and above the servers’ window that exposes the working chefs), the eerie-looking Ice Cave, and to where we were seated, the Fern Forest. We were told it was the section of the Herbivores (plant eaters). Every 20 minutes a meteor shower takes place. The lights dim, the sky shimmers, “meteors” streak across the ceiling, and all the dinosaurs roar and move in fear. The Ice Cave changes colors from an icy blue to pink, red, orange, and purple before returning back to its original color at the end of spectacle.

Our server told us about the drink specials and Angela thought the slushy blue-raspberry sounded yummy. It comes in a tall, plastic T-Rex “bone” for $4.99 with refills for $1.99…not really a bad deal. The server told us that the nachos were quite large so Linda and I decided to split an order to start, and boy were we glad we did…it was huge! We couldn’t even finish them and didn’t order anything else. Angela dined on mini corn dog poppers with two sides from an extensive kids’ menu, and it was too much food for her, too! T-Rex is owned by Landry’s, the same people who own the Rain Forest Cafes, so you might notice some similarities if you get the opportunity to visit.

After we were done eating, we walked around visiting several of the shops including one of the largest Disney stores and a store one with the largest selections of Mr. Potato Head parts I’ve ever seen. We also passed the LEGO Imagination Center that is not only a store for buying LEGOs but has a play area for kids. It’s also home to a life-sized vacationing family and a 30-foot sea serpent in the adjacent lake, all built from LEGOs. The trip was not going to be complete without a stop at Ghirardelli’s Ice Cream and Chocolate Shop. Since the day had turned a little breezy and chilly, Angela opted for hot chocolate, but it didn’t stop Linda and me from each getting a scoop of yummy Ghirardelli chocolate ice cream! We had a great visit and plan on getting together again before Russ and I head out May 1.

Sunday we went to the weekly pool party held here at Lake Magic. Scott and I went briefly a couple weeks ago, but this week the three of us went shortly after it started at 1pm. Hamburgers and hot dogs were on the grill ready for purchase, a combo was playing a variety of tunes, some folks were line dancing, some were in the pool, and some were just mingling and having a good time with friends. Paul and Anne showed up around 2pm, just in time for strawberry shortcakes, which are sold every other week at these pool parties. A nice size piece of shortcake piled high with sliced strawberries and topped with a nice helping of whipped cream for $3. Because Anne can’t be out in the sun long, we sat around inside the clubhouse afterwards chatting and getting all the latest gossip.

Other than that this week, a new President was inaugurated, and I had two medical tests done for my Crohn’s. Quite an eventful week. :-)

Is that a hearse??

Over the last couple weeks we’ve only visited Disney World once so not a lot to report there. However the day we did visit, we arrived at Animal Kingdom just before they opened. The day began overcast, and as we walked towards Kilimanjaro Safari, the Tree of Life was barely visible through the fog. But that didn’t stop the opening festivities…the arrival of Minnie, Goofy, and Pluto! The crowd is stopped at this specific point while the trio checks to make sure they’ve got everything needed for the safari, but golly, the “guide” was missing. Never fear, Mickey suddenly appeared in front of the Tree! The ropes are dropped and onward to your destination!









Overcast and rainy days are the best times to see animals on the Safari, and each ride through is different. We went twice this morning, and the first time saw no giraffes (an actual first for us cause you always see the giraffes), but the second time through the giraffe family (mom, dad, baby) were standing right alongside the road. As the truck approached, dad started moseying across right in front of the truck so the driver had to stop, and the baby was sniffing the folks sitting on that side of the truck! We saw lots of animals including the lions (many times they are laying completely prone and are hard to see) and one of the newest baby elephants.











Afterwards we decided to walk the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail where you can see gorillas, meerkats, birds, fish, and many other animals essentially from the backside of the Safari. As we walked through the Trail and the park, it was amazing how little of the English language we heard. There seems to be a lot of foreign tourists in town which should help the economy!




Then it was time to catch the next showing of Finding Nemo-The Musical an exciting and entertaining original stage show that brings the “Finding Nemo” movie to life, merging puppetry with live performances. Since the holidays are over, the crowds are smaller and we were able to get seats in the 2nd row even though we arrived only 20 min. before showtime…unheard of when it’s busy! Later we decided these were probably not the best seats because with the elevated stage you sometimes missed things that were happening on the other side, but we had seen the show a couple times before so it wasn’t a big deal. However I was able to get some good pictures since flash photography is not allowed. The show is very well done and lots of fun.

It had turned into a beautiful day, and though it wasn’t quite noon, we decided to head home. We arrived at the front of the park in time to catch the next tram, but just as we sat down, a cast member came and asked us if we’d like to be part of a magical moment. Sure! So we followed her over to a golf cart and were told that she was going to personally drive us to our car. She gave us a Walt Disney World “Where Dreams Come True” certificate that reads “Across the miles and over the years, you’ll always remember this Certifiable Magical Moment from the Walt Disney World Resort”. Then she gave us each a button that read “Honorary Citizen of Walt Disney World Resort...Where Dreams Come True”. She wasn’t going to be able to drive us directly to our car but only to the end of our row, and of course by the time she filled out the certificate and the paperwork and drove us over to our row, it would have been quicker to take the tram, but hey, then we wouldn’t have had this magical moment!

Since then we’ve been busy, and there’s been good news and not so good. The good news was from the IRS. Several months ago we received a notice that we were being audited for 2006. Nearly all our records were in storage in Baton Rouge, so we called to let them know we wouldn’t be able to access those records until the first of the year, but we did have the contract for our RV that we purchased that year showing the tax amount we had paid on it. By mailing a copy to them we hoped that would go a long way towards satisfying their curiosity and audit request. Bottom line is that when we called last week to follow-up and see what else they’d need, we were told the case had been closed and no further info would be needed. The not so good news was that a biopsy done on a small scaly patch on Russ’ left forearm turned out to be the early stage of skin cancer. It’s scheduled to be cut out on the 29th and that should take care of that.

We’ve become friendly with Paul and Anne who are staying here at Lake Magic till April 1, and they make regular trips to Tampa to visit family. On the way there is a place called Plant City, which sells among other things delicious, fresh picked strawberries. They picked up a quart for us a few weeks ago, and they were so good that we then offered to split a flat with them. Scott had them pick up a quart for him at the same time, and then proceeded to make some strawberry jam, which he shared with me. Yummy!

One of the funniest things we’ve seen in our travels was about a week ago on a trip to the Publix supermarket. Parked at the very back of the lot was a hearse with a ghoulish looking skeleton peeking out the side window! Turns out that it belongs to one of the guys who works in the meat dept. He used to park it closer to the store but was told he had to park it further away because it was freaking people out. What a hoot!

I’ll close this post with shot I took on Jan. 10th of the “biggest full moon of the year” known as a “perigee moon”. The moon’s orbit around the Earth is an ellipse with one side closer to the Earth than the other, and astronomers call this point of closest approach “perigee”. It’s a phenomenon that occurs once or twice a year making the moon appear larger than normal. I just wish I had grabbed my camera a couple minutes sooner because when it was just above the tree line, it looked even biggger and was the largest looking moon I’ve ever seen!

Happy 2009!!

Another day dawns and a new year has begun….Happy New Year!! Did you ring it in with a bang? Did you party hearty? Or did you quietly usher it in, perhaps even sleeping through it? Ours arrived with a bang…lots of them in fact! Epcot had special fireworks at 11:40 on New Year’s Eve around the World Showcase lagoon, and about 9:30pm we headed over to check it out. We parked across the street from the Boardwalk area in the self-parking lot and at the bottom of the stairs on the Boardwalk a DJ was spinning tunes while a couple hundred adults and kids danced and partied. We arrived at the Epcot gates about 10pm, and as we expected, the place was packed. Several stages were set up around the park with DJs blaring music, crowds dancing, people blowing horns, and just a general sense of merriment. A couple of the spots where we normally like to watch the fireworks from were 10-15 people deep, and they were closely monitoring that people stayed within the taped off areas. As we walked past the Canadian section, we noticed a large group of people sitting on one side of the steps leading up to the pavilion. We walked up the other side, and by standing right behind them, had a great view of the lagoon where Illuminations takes place. Of course, that meant we had to stand there about an hour, but some things are just worth the wait! The group on the steps in front of us was a South American tour group and was having a blast continually blowing their noisemaker horns, and though it did get a bit annoying, we weren’t giving up our spots. Their group seemed to keep growing but we stood our ground! In fact a couple times Russ asked people to move when at the last minute they tried to jump in front of us and the folks standing next to us. (Afterwards as we were leaving, the one guy next to us told Russ he was his hero for making those people move!) Finally it was 11:40, and the show began with an abbreviated version of Illuminations. As it turns out, this really was a great place from which to watch them! Then the New Year’s portion began as over the loud speaker they announced that though the U.S., Canada, and Mexico would soon celebrate the beginning of a new year, first we were going to enjoy the celebration of other countries. They said that at 10am Japan and China had welcomed in the New Year and suddenly fireworks went off over the China pavilion followed by fireworks over the Japanese pavilion. This was followed by the announcement of the other countries’ times and then each country’s fireworks display around the lagoon and it was so cool! Now it was time for our countdown to midnight, which appeared in large LED lighted numbers on the Earth globe in the middle of the lagoon with everyone counting, and along with 70,000 others we watched one of the most spectacular fireworks displays we’ve ever seen!! We could actually feel the vibrations in the concrete below our feet!! Wow! What a way to bring in the new year!!

It took us 45 minutes to just get out of the parking lot once we got back to the car, and as we were driving home Russ suggested that we stop for a drink to bring in the new year. Several weeks ago we had passed a place around the corner from where we’re staying called The 19th Hole Bar & Grill. We weren’t sure how late bars were open in FL but decided to check it out since it was close by. Contrary to what you might think, it is not located at a golf course. When we pulled up the door was open and the bright lights were on, which usually indicates time for everyone to leave, but we got out of the car and tried to ask someone if the bar was still open. The few folks that were outside seemed to be busy with their own concerns, so we walked in and asked the DJ who was announcing something to the effect that they’d get things rocking again shortly. He told us to go on up to the bar, and there we stood waiting for a bartender to emerge. It was rather a chaotic scene and we were trying to figure out what was going on. We started chatting with another couple about our age at the far end of the bar, and as it turns out, some guy had gotten jealous about his girlfriend’s attention to someone else and a fight had ensued. We just happened to show up right afterwards! The bartender finally emerged, handed us our drinks, and as Russ was giving her the money, the manager came back behind the bar all upset, saying he was closing the place down (evidently the ruckus had continued out in the parking lot), started apologizing to us, and told us our drinks were on him. Well, ok, that works for us! So we stood there talking to our new friends, Freddie and Donna, and watching the “show” that was still going on. Turns out one of the inebriated participants in the ruckus was the owner! The bar still wasn’t closing, so we ordered another drink, and never did have to pay for that one either. Wow! Drinks and entertainment for free! Just your typical neighborhood bar on New Year’s Eve! Bars evidently close at 2am in this area, and finally they were making everyone leave but not everyone was ready to go home. Freddie, Donna, and a few others were going to head over to a place called McNichol’s in the Westgate Inn just down the road because supposedly they served until 3am. Hey, ya only live once, right?! So we followed, and as we walked in, seemed like half the people there knew Freddie, but it was 5 min. till 2 and they had stopped serving. Freddie said not to worry, went out to his car, and came back with four Budweisers he had in the cooler in his car! So we stood there in McNichol’s watching the commotion and revelry, drinking our Buds. This is definitely a night we won’t easily forget!! We can’t tell you the last time we were out till 3am!!

Earlier in the week we caught one of the last performances of the Candlelight Processionals which was narrated by the husband and wife team of Angela Bassett (ER, What’s Love Got To Do With It) and Courtney B. Vance (ER, Preacher’s Wife, Law & Order:CI). What an incredibly wonderful performance. Both have powerful speaking voices and really brought the narrative to life.


Since Richard and Shelley were going to leave right after the New Year to head south to Miami for their next job, we met them for lunch at Cici’s Pizza on Mon. the 29th. The place is connected to a miniature golf course and has this cool waterfall out front so of course we had to have a picture in front of it. We spent a few hours chatting and walking through the nearby touristy gift shop before saying our goodbyes. Hopefully we’ll get a chance to visit again when they return for a couple of weeks in April. And the day ended perfectly as we watched our Missouri Tigers defeat the Northwestern Wildcats in the Alamo Bowl on TV that night!

New Year’s Day Scott brought over a Honeybaked ham, cornbread, and some home cooked black eyed peas…a traditional New Year’s dinner for him. I supplied scalloped potatoes and a chocolate covered banana cake for dessert. Good meal with a good friend to start the New Year!

This week starts the real reason for being here in the Orlando area…establishing relationships with new doctors. We’ve met our primary and are in the process of getting bloodwork and scheduling other appointments. Since there probably won’t be much happening over the next few months, the blog entries may not be weekly, but please keep checking in. You never know when something fun (or was that funny) and exciting like the bar hopping on New Year’s Eve might happen!