We've Been Busy!

(It’s been a busy two weeks since our last entry so I'm breaking it up into two separate posts, and this one will cover March 1 – 7.)

March sure started interestingly enough. We had scheduled an 8:30 a.m. appointment for Mar. 1 at Camping World to have an RV and generator oil change (requires over 20 quarts for the RV and about 5 for the generator). Now keep in mind that it’s not as simple as just driving your car in for an oil change. The night before we have to make sure everything is put up and anchored down for the drive, then in the morning bring in the slides and disconnect the water, sewer, and electric. I was going to follow in the car because we'd need to have the dogs and cat with us (couldn’t leave them inside the RV while it’s in the garage being worked on), and we had made a vet appt. at a nearby clinic for the dogs (just routine stuff) since we’d have some time on our hands.

We planned to leave at 7:45 to give us plenty of time, but when Russ turned the key, the RV wouldn’t start. We waited, tried again, but it still wouldn’t turn over. Russ drove the car onto the grass next to the RV’s battery bay and hooked up the jumper cables. It took another 20 min. but finally it started. We had called Camping World to let them know we were running behind and arrived about 25 min. late. We figured this was now going to be an even longer day especially after we learned a couple of their techs had called in sick, but they said it would only be a couple of hours. Maybe this wasn’t going to be such a bad day after all!

The vet appt. wasn’t till 10:15 so we took our time getting there, everything went fine, and when we returned to Camping World, we still had a little time to kill. Pets are allowed in the store, so we loaded Jo’s cat carrier into a shopping cart (shame I didn’t have the camera!), and with the dogs on their leashes, went inside. We walked around a little, and then headed for the waiting area, where we only had to wait about another 15 min. We were back at the campground shortly after noon…much better than we had anticipated when the day began! The dead battery probably had something to do with not letting the RV idle long enough when we'd turn it on occasionally.

The next day we headed over to Animal Kingdom’s Kidani Village (http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/resorts/animal-kingdom-villas-kidani/). Our neighbors, Paul and Anne, have been members of the Disney Vacation Club for years, and though they live in their RV, they take a few days here and there to stay in one of the Disney hotels since they have to use their points within a year or lose them. Kidani Village is one of the newest resorts and has an African lodge-style theme with “African-inspired architecture and decorations, from hand-carved columns to intricate patterns that adorn the golden-tone furnishings. Tall floor lamps allude to tall, swaying trees, and ornate hanging fixtures appear to overflow with colorful flora and fauna.” Absolutely beautiful, bright colors! On the map the Village appears to be shaped like a “w” but is actually supposed to resemble the curlicue shape of a water buffalo's horns. Surrounding the Village are the savannahs full of not only native African shrubs and grasses but also plenty of African animals…right outside the rooms!

Anne had invited us over while they were there to watch the animals from their balcony. Sounded like a nice idea since we had not yet seen Kidani Village. (In the pictures you can actually see some of the Village balconies in the background.) It was a little too cool and windy to sit outside the entire time, but we did see several animals and birds. Giraffes gracefully meandered across the grass, munching from tree limbs above their heads, while the Ankole cattle with their massive horns grazed nearby. Zebra were grazing as well, and we spotted Roan antelope in the distance. Some Ruppell’s Griffon vultures and East African crowned cranes ventured over from the other side of the building, and an ostrich strutted its stuff below us. There are many more animals and birds that freely roam the 33 acres of Kidani Village but those are the only ones we saw from the balcony.

Thurs. was my follow-up visit with the surgeon, and I’m doing great…in fact, I drove myself to the appt. She said I’d probably still have some twinges of pain for possibly 6 months but that everything I was experiencing was normal. She released me and said she’d see me in a year….yay!!!

The Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival started this week, and as you may recall from previous years' posts, part of this annual event is the Flower Power Concert Series featuring entertainers from the 60s. Three 35 min. performances are held on Fri., Sat., & Sun. nights by the entertainer at the outdoor American Gardens Theatre, and this weekend was Jose Feliciano, whom we had not seen before. He began the set with the Chico & the Man theme song, which I had totally forgotten he had written. He told several stories about the songs he sang but probably the most interesting was about the first time he appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show. Long story short, he didn’t sing on the show but instead played “Flight of the Bumblebee” on his guitar, which he repeated Sat. night. We had also forgotten what a master guitarist he is! Absolutely incredible! Of course, he ended the set with his big hit “Light My Fire”.

We had about 35 min. till the Illuminations fireworks, and on the way to find a spot from where to watch them, we passed the Morocco pavilion where the band, Mo Rockin', was performing. A belly dancer soon joined them, and on this chilly night I was glad to see she had on a "warm" outfit. In fact, the middle section of her costume was flesh material!

Other than that we've been working on eBaying some more stuff we have in storage, and that always entails researching, taking photos, writing up listings, packing what sold, preparing postage labels, and taking packages to the post office. We also were busy this week getting the RV ready for the next week’s out-of-town company…stay tuned!