Gotta Have Friends

The last half of this month started with a visit from one of my best friends, Linda, who lives in Tampa. She had Presidents’ Day off, and we made plans to spend the day together with no particular goals in mind. There were a couple of shops I wanted to visit, but other than that we were going to wing it.

I had heard of a place called A World of Orchids, and it was on the way to where we were heading though off the main road. There’s an Oriental design to the exterior, and stepping through the front door, you enter the retail portion of the facility where beautiful orchids abound. However, once you step through the back door into the greenhouse, much of the beauty fades away. At first glance it doesn’t seem so bad, but as you look closer amidst the greenery, you see the damage. After crossing over a little bridge under which several Koi are swimming, you continue along pathways where venting systems hang by wires, missing roof tiles leave the area open to the elements (and the damage that creates), and dried and dying plants are visible here and there. You can see the vision of what once was and hope will one day return. However, as we were leaving, we happened to meet the owner, and those days are gone. Having been hit by hurricanes several times, he finally decided not to sink any more money into major repairs after the last one. They have another wholesale facility not far away and that is their main focus though it doesn’t seem they have any plans to close this one any time soon. Even so it was an interesting little side trip off the beaten path with some beautiful flowers.

We spent the next few hours just tooling around town, shopping, chatting, and enjoying each other’s company. Having both grown up in St. Louis, Steak ‘N Shake is a favorite, and that’s where we ate lunch, spending way more than our allotted time in our booth (apologies to our server :-). It was time for Linda to head back to Tampa, but we hope to get together one more time before I leave FL.

The very first friends we made after we hit the road fulltime were Bob and Kathy. We met them at the campground in Tellico Plains, TN, where they were planning to build their dream home, and we made an instant connection. Their Golden Retrievers, Elkie and Summer, enjoyed meeting Mikey and Abby, and the four of them had a great time exploring Bob and Kathy’s property when they took us for a visit. That was in June 2007, and though we’d kept in touch, we hadn’t seen them since. So what a great surprise it was to learn they were only an hour away for a few days and wanted to get together! They were getting work done on the RV so could only come for a short visit, but we told them the doggies were more than welcome, too. Elkie had passed away not long after we met them, and they had gotten Buddy, another golden, as a companion for Summer. She is now a senior citizen like Mikey, and Buddy is about Abby’s age so this was going to be a fun visit.

Initially we sat outside catching up on life these past 3-1/2 years and letting the dogs get acquainted. The Missouri basketball game was about to start so we went inside to watch it while we chatted and enjoyed some Bloody Marys. Buddy soon found Abby’s stuffed tiger and a tug of war ensued. It was obvious Abby had a new boyfriend as he kept enticing her to play (which doesn’t take much) and licking her face. Of course he also licked Jo-Jo’s face, and I wish I would have gotten the camera in time to catch her expression! Mikey had decided to stay outside (as he does most everyday) while Summer watched the antics of the younger “kids” inside with us. However, Mikey did join us for awhile and suddenly we had an RV full of big dogs!

After the game, we continued to chat, and while munching on some peanuts, Russ obviously had Buddy’s and Summer’s undivided attention. Not sure where Abby was because she never misses out when there’s food around! At one point Bob asked if we wanted to see Buddy’s trick, and he picked Buddy up and sat him on his lap like a baby. Buddy then laid his head back on Bob’s chest and seemed very relaxed. Bob said he will lie like that for hours if he lets him!

We ordered pizza for dinner, and all too soon it was time for them to leave. Hopefully it won’t be another 3-1/2 years before we see each other. In fact they might make a trip out west later this year while we’re there!

Pick-A-Pearl

We had a great visit with Terri and Bill. After picking them up at the airport around 8:30 a.m., we headed for their hotel, Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort. Figuring their room wouldn’t be ready for several hours, the plan was to drop off their bags, pre-register, and head out for breakfast. Surprisingly the room was ready, and they had been upgraded to a room with a fantastic view from their balcony of the Magic Kingdom across the lagoon. After breakfast, we dropped them back at the hotel and made plans to return later that evening. Bill was treating us to dinner for his 60th birthday!

We began the evening with drinks at Mizner’s Lounge and then walked over to Narcoosee’s, both located at the hotel. The restaurant is situated on the Seven Seas Lagoon, and we were fortunate to get a window table with a great view of the water. Russ and Terri shared the Fried Oysters Rockefeller to start while Bill and I each got a bowl of the Butternut Squash-Tomato Bisque Soup. Ohmigosh was it yummy!! Terri’s favorite dish at Narcoosee’s is the Crispy Whole Snapper, which is served upright on the plate and has a crispy exterior with a deliciously moist and flaky interior. Russ ordered the same, I ordered my “usual” Grilled Filet Mignon (ok, it’s only the 2nd time I’ve eaten there), while Bill enjoyed the Surf & Turf. (Are you hungry yet??) All came with delicious sides, and we were stuffed by the end of the meal, but of course we managed to save a teeny bit of room for dessert. We ordered two to share…the Crème Brulee Duo and the Bittersweet Chocolate Mousse Dome with Raspberry Sauce to which the restaurant added a candle and “Happy Birthday” wishes on the plate. After managing to roll ourselves out of our chairs and the restaurant, we returned to their room to watch the Magic Kingdom fireworks from their balcony.

On another day we all met at Epcot planning to just hang out in World Showcase. We enjoyed walking “around the world”, stopping in many of the countries' shops, getting a bite to eat in America, and drinking margaritas in Mexico. At Canada this little waterfall is located just outside one of the shops, and as you can tell by the photo, it was a rather chilly day! At Japan Bill insisted that I choose an oyster from the Pick-A-Pearl tank because he likes to watch the production the cast members create in opening each one. As they bang sticks together and clap, an announcement is made to gather a crowd. The young lady then asks everyone to count to 3 (first teaching us how to say it in Japanese), and with a quick flick of her blade, the oyster is open revealing a beautiful little pearl tucked within the meat! You never know what you might find inside…sometimes there are even two pearls or occasionally the rare black pearl. Mika made a little game of measuring its size and explained the process of cleaning it as she did so (though quite frankly we hardly understood anything she was saying because her accent was so thick!) But it was fun, and I got a 7-1/4 mm cultured pearl…thanks, Bill!

As we exited the shop, the Japanese Matsuriza had just begun their performance of Taiko, a form of drumming. This is one of Bill’s favorite things at Epcot, and the ladies are amazing to watch as they bang the drums in well choreographed rhythm.

Of course their trip wouldn’t have been complete without a trip to Steak ‘N Shake, which is where we enjoyed lunch on Sat. Bill and Terri had come down to escape the cold and snow of NJ and enjoy some warm FL sun. Unfortunately it never got warm enough for them to enjoy any time at the pool but at least it was warmer than home…and there was no snow! On the drive back to the airport, however, we told them they could take the cold weather back north, and the next day the temp here reached 71. :-)

The following week Russ and I returned to Epcot, but on this day stayed on the Future World side and arrived first thing in the morning planning to ride the very popular Soarin’ a few times before the lines got too long and they ran out of Fast Passes. Traffic along the way had been surprisingly light so we arrived at the park 30 min. before opening. What Disney generally does is at about 15 min. before the park opens, they allow everyone to come through the turnstiles up to a roped off area where you’ll wait the next 15 min. A few minutes before 9 a.m. several of the characters come out to greet the crowds, and after the countdown, they lead the way further into the park. The cast members do a great job of keeping order (and the people from running) all the way to the entrance of The Land and inside, down to the lower level where this most popular ride exists. It’s kind of funny though because people are constantly jockeying for position as they walk, heels on heels. In fact it reminded me of a car race with all the weaving back and forth. I started out right behind the cast members and Russ was a couple rows back. By the time we got inside and downstairs, I was 5 rows back and Russ was about 10 back! With arriving early and the use of Fast Passes, we were able to ride Soarin’ 3 times by 11:30, which is really good given the crowds this ride attracts.

While waiting for the entry time for our last ride, we walked over to The Seas to catch Turtle Talk with Crush, a 10 min. interactive “discussion” with the dude himself. Though geared mainly towards the littlest dudes and dudettes, we totally get a kick out of it and especially of what comes from the mouths of babes! After leaving the show, we strolled around viewing the 5.7 million gallon saltwater aquarium and even found a hidden Mickey!

After our final Soarin’ adventure, we walked next door to catch the return of “Captain EO”, the 17-min. musical 3-D space fantasy adventure film featuring Michael Jackson. Created and first shown 26 years ago, we remember seeing it for the first time back then and being amazed at the technology, the special effects, and being wowed by the music. Its last showing was in 1994 so this was a big deal when Disney announced last year that they were bringing it back for a limited time. This was going to be our first time seeing it since back in the 80s, and as excited as I had been beforehand to see it, I was kind of disappointed afterwards. Perhaps part of it is because cinematic technology has advanced so much in the past 26 years that this now seems almost ho-hum. It was still good, but we probably won’t make a point of going to see it again. (You can see how excited Russ was about it. :-)

Epcot was busy preparing for their annual International Flower & Garden Festival with many of the topiaries already in place, and before leaving the park, a cast member offered to take our picture in front of Mickey, Minnie, and Pluto. Looking forward to returning when all the topiaries are up!

An Exciting Opportunity

The last few weeks have been relatively quiet though busy…and we haven’t even been back to Disney since the end of December! We finally decided to eBay some of our Dept. 56 collection that has been in storage, and it’s more work than you would think…almost seems like a full-time job! Researching, cataloguing, making sure each piece is in mint condition, photographing, creating listings, and then once an item sells, packaging and preparing it for the post office. Our couch is literally filled with boxes! We’ve sold a few of the buildings so are making a dent in the 17 dish-pack sized moving boxes they’ve been stored in.

However, we do have some exciting news. A few weeks ago we submitted an online application for positions as campground hosts at some national parks out west. After a couple of phone calls, e-mail exchanges, and the ranger talking to 3 of our 4 professional references that were requested, we got a call offering us the position at Capitol Reef National Park in Utah! (Here's a link about the campground http://www.nps.gov/care/planyourvisit/fruitacampground.htm).

The position was supposed to start mid-March for 4 months, but when we originally talked to the ranger, we had mentioned that I had a doctor’s appointment April 1 (which I began thinking that I could probably postpone till we return at the end of the year). When she called to offer us the position, she told us we could wait to start Apr. 5 or 6 to accomodate my appointment. It's about 2,300 miles from here so will take us 4 or 5 days. She said that last year during the last few weeks of March there was still snow on the ground so the hosts really didn’t have anything to do, and she said if the weather was nice this year, the ranger staff could help out till we arrived.

There will be another couple doing the same job, and we will work 4 days on and 4 days off…and we don’t have to clean bathrooms!! Each morning we’ll report the number of vacant or soon-to-be vacant campsites to the ranger staff, check again after the checkout time, make sure that everyone has their generators turned off at the appropriate time, clean out the fire pits, answer any questions campers might have, and though it’s a self-service registration, we may assist campers in finding a spot. I’m sure there will be other duties, but those are the main ones.

In exchange for volunteering, we get our campsite, water, sewer, and electric (which the rest of the sites do not have), phone line for free local calls (we can get long distance and dial up internet through the local phone company if ours won’t work there), PLUS we'll be paid $15/day that we work (for both of us, not each)! Most campground hosts are not paid additional money, but we figure this is probably to compensate for gas mileage. They will also provide us uniforms shirts, jackets, and hats while we provide our own slacks/jeans.

We've driven through Capitol Reef a couple times, along the main road, stopping to see some of the sights, but never for an extended stay (though we did earn a Junior Ranger badge from there). It's probably a good place for our first campground hosting gig since there are only 71 sites and though busy, wouldn't be as busy as larger and more well-known places like Zion or Bryce Canyon. It is kind of in the middle of nowhere, and though only a few miles from Torrey, UT (not a very big town), it's like 100 miles from the nearest Wal-Mart! However, we're excited about this opportunity and really looking forward to trying our hand at being campground hosts.

As you can see, our blog postings have been sporadic since we arrived in FL and probably will continue to be so over the next couple of months since not much is going on though we are looking forward to Russ’ sister and her husband coming in town for a few days next week.