Lovin' Disney

The last couple of weeks have flown by!  The last weekend of March we enjoyed the musical stylings of The Lovin’ Spoonful (Summer in the City, Do You Believe in Magic, Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind?) at Epcot.  Did you know that they were the first rock band to have their hit song, Nashville Cats, on both the pop and country charts at the same time?  The band includes original members Steve Boone and Joe Butler along with Jerry Yester (who joined the band in 1967) and provided a nice mellow evening with their folk/rock sound even if both shows were exactly the same including jokes. J

 

Instead of staying for the Epcot fireworks we met Joe and Nancy at Magic Kingdom to watch its fireworks, Wishes.  Since we’d be beginning our trek west soon, this was probably going to be the last chance we’d have to see them this season.  The place was packed, but we managed to find some seats for viewing.

The FastPass+ program has now been expanded to allow Annual Pass holders to also reserve FastPasses online.  So we managed trips back to Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios for a couple of our favorite attractions, but I didn’t take the camera either time so I have no proof that I finally beat Russ at Toy Story Mania!

 

Our last trip to Epcot was the following weekend.  In addition to the topiaries (more pics below), they had created a sand sculpture to help announce Disney’s upcoming movie, Bears.   From what I gather it’s filmed in the mountain ranges of Alaska and documents the lives of two mother bears and their cubs over the span of one year.

 

This weekend’s concert series featured Paul Revere & the Raiders (Hungry, Kicks, Indian Reservation).  We arrived for the 6:45 show, and Paul, who is 76, didn’t seem to be as energetic as usual though still quite sharp and funny. His left arm was in a sling but no mention was made of it during either show, and he walked out using a cane assisted by his
son, Jamie, who’s now playing with the band. He crammed many of his hits into the 30 min. set, and every time they played a song, he’d say “I think that was a solid gold hit, let me check”, then hit a button on his keyboard, and a cash register ka-ching! would sound, and he’d say “yeah, it was!” He also noted that his was the first rock group to
ever perform at Disney World and they have played somewhere in the park every year since 1971.  Lead singer, Darren, also does a great impersonation of Elvis which they play up to the audience by giving out "scarves" which are pulled from rolls of toilet paper...what a hoot!  We stayed for the 3rd show, too, which is pretty much the same with a few variations.  If you’ve never seen the band, these master musicians are quite entertaining and Paul is a riot.  He just might truly be the “last wild man of rock and roll”!

 

After the last show instead of watching Illuminations again, we decided to take one last ride on Spaceship Earth (called the big golf ball by most people) since there was literally no line.  We’d be leaving FL in a few days, and it was a lovely, relaxing way to spend our last day until next season.  So for now I’ll simply leave you with more topiary pictures to enjoy.

It's All About Me!

Well, at least on this day it was because it was my birthday!  Yep, 39 again!!  J  The day started with a surprise phone call from a friend of ours who was in London on business, and he called just to wish me a happy birthday!  And of course my sister called with her very special birthday song (she makes up a new one every year).

 

We waited a little bit before heading across the street to Denny’s Restaurant for my free Grand Slam breakfast figuring the rush would be over, but we were wrong.  The place was packed, but we found a couple of seats at the counter.  All the servers were obviously stressed, and things were slipping through the cracks. 

Bottom line, Russ ended up getting his meal free, too!

 

Now it was time to head over to Hollywood Studios.  We had reserved a FastPass for Toy Story Mania, and even though Russ said maybe he’d let me win on my birthday, he definitely did not, beating me by 6,500 points.  Not

to worry, I’m sure my day will come!  While we were waiting for our FastPass reserved time, we caught a performance of Beauty & the Beast, one of my favorites.  These mini-productions are so well done and really capture the entire story of the full length musical.

       The park was extremely crowded, but it was a beautiful day and we were in no hurry so simply wandered around stopping for a bit to watch that magical street performer, Jack Diamond, do some of his incredible card tricks and

    spotted a street performer we had not seen before…Daisy Day with her “Hollywood or Bust” suitcase.  It was hard to miss her since she was seated on a blanket right in the middle of the street!

 

   We also stopped to watch some of the young kids who had signed up for the Jedi Training Academy where they learned to use the Force to “battle” Darth Vader, and
      near the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular were some props where I let Russ get in a picture, too!  J

 

As we continued our stroll towards the Streets of America, we could
   hear the sounds of rock music in the air, and sure enough we found one of our favorite Disney groups Mulch, Sweat n’ Shears!  Led by “Morris Mulch” this high energy group specializes in classic rock or as they like to say “rake and roll!”  They drive up in an innocent
   looking landscaper’s pickup truck that quickly turn it into a fully functioning stage with the sound system under the hood run by “cousin Sparky”.  Their 30 minute sets are filled with fun and incredible musicianship, and they
     routinely involve the audience whether it’s having you sing along or bringing someone up to play air guitar with the band.  We had arrived in time to only see the last couple of minutes, but they would return for another set in half an hour and so did we!

All in all it was a great day though nothing really spectacular happened.  Just spent the day enjoying beautiful weather and fun with my guy in the magic of Hollywood!

 

"Piggylicious"

Playing at the festival this weekend for the first time was Gary Lewis & the Playboys (This Diamond Ring, Just My Style, Count Me In).  Quite a different feel than The Guess Who…they didn’t really rock the house but were still good and fun.  For those who may not know, Gary is the son of comedian Jerry Lewis but got his start without relying on
his dad’s name. In fact, his first gig was at Disneyland where he was billed simply as Gary & the Playboys.  However, his dad was helpful in getting the group’s first appearance on the Ed Sullivan show, but their continued success was all on their on merits and talent.  Gary comes across as a really nice guy, and we caught the 2nd and 3rd shows (which as it
turns out were exactly the same except for one cover song done by the band...a different one each show).  And at the end of each show as Gary was leaving the stage, his keyboardist said, “Let’s hear it for Gary Lewis, the man who made his father famous!”  Of course, that got quite a few laughs!

 

Joe and Nancy joined us for the last show, and after it was over and before we found our spot to watch Illuminations, we all decided to try one of this year’s new delicacies at the American pavilion called the “Piggylicious” Bacon Cupcake.  We had heard they were delicious and some even said “to die for!”  This white cupcake was studded with applewood smoked bacon topped with maple frosting and a few mini-pretzel pieces, and quite frankly none of us were very impressed.  We shared two, and though the maple frosting was delicious, not one of us would claim that this cupcake was anywhere near “to die for”, but we can at least say we tried it.

 

Earlier in the day as we made our way over to the concert, I was able to snap more photos of the incredible topiaries on display so am posting more here for you to enjoy.  I also captured Woody from Toy Story after the last show near where we got the cupcake.

 

Spring Has Sprung!

It’s March and that means the start of Epcot’s International Flower & Garden Festival!  75 days of beautiful flowers, plants, topiaries, special guest artists and gardeners giving demonstrations and tips, special events for the kids, vendor booths, and of course the Flower Power Concert Series featuring performers and music from the 60s
& 70s!  Every weekend they perform three 35 min. “mini-concerts” each night at the American Gardens Theater, and our neighbors, Joe and Nancy, joined us for the first weekend’s shows.  One of our favorites was playing…The Guess Who (American Woman, These Eyes, No Time).  These guys are master musicians and seem to
have a blast not only playing for their listeners but playing off each other.  They include the audience whether it’s the keyboardist leading everyone in Clap For The Wolfman, the lead singer coming out into the crowd, or encouraging everyone to stand up and dance.  Their shows are definitely a rockin’ good time!  We arrived for the
second show, stayed for the next, and then caught the Illuminations fireworks before heading home.  On our way out the front entry, we got to enjoy the topiary now beautifully illuminated with multi-colored lights.

We didn’t see all of the topiaries on this first weekend, but there will be time to catch the rest during the coming weeks. With over 100 of them, it could be tiring to try to see them all in one day!  We won’t get to see all of the concerts since we’ll be leaving the area before the Festival is over, but the ones we see are always fun!  So stay tuned for more pics of beauty and song because spring has definitely sprung at Epcot!

 

 

 

A Little Of This & That

Not a lot happened during the month of February so only this one post for the month.  We attended a Super Bowl party at Miller’s Ale House (Millers) just for something fun and different to do.  As you can see by the tickets, it was an all-you-can-eat buffet with carving station, snow crab legs, hoagies, wings, pastas, salads, dessert bar, and more!  We didn’t know anyone who was attending but were lucky enough to join Ralphie and his friends who had a couple open seats at their table for a fun evening.  Sorry, I didn’t take the camera so no pics.

 

We’ve been working on those “to do” lists that seem to get pushed to the back burner, and one of those items that we couldn’t do

ourselves was the repair/replacement of the RV windshield.  Somewhere out west it got hit by a couple of small rocks, and one of the chips had developed into a nice crack.  Russ called our insurance company and mentioned that there were chips on both sides, and we were referred to a window replacement company.  Without seeing it, they decided that only the passenger side with the crack would need to be replaced while the chips in the other could just be repaired.  Well, once the

guys arrived, they determined that the driver’s side would also have to be replaced because of the location of the chips.  Since these windows need to be ordered, they’d have to return in a couple of weeks to finish the job but at least we got one side done that day.  And according to state law, FL residents do not pay for windshield damage no matter where it happened!  (Of course, they generally get some of that back come insurance renewal time. J)
  

The only trip to Disney this month was Animal Kingdom.  You can tell we really enjoy checking out the animals!  After riding on Kilimanjaro Safaris, we wandered next door to the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail, a walk through exhibit inhabited by African wildlife including gorillas, hippos, fish, and exotic birds.  It was a warm day so many of the critters were napping or hidden, but the trail is still a nice walk.

 

 

 

 

 

      We planned to catch a performance of Finding Nemo - The Muscial, and along the way stopped for a few minutes to watch the Tam Tam Drummers of Harambe.  These guys do a fantastic job adding to the feel of this area of Animal Kingdom by performing authentic African drumming while engaging the audience in their lively and energetic performance. Always fun to watch!

 

And just in case you think we don’t have any wildlife here at the campground, think again.  Not only do we have raccoons and lots of little lizards, we frequently have visits from a couple of sandhill cranes, and as you can see, this time they got very close! 
   Plus this  red-shouldered hawk has been hanging around a lot lately, too.  Nothing like being in Yellowstone, of course, but fun to see just the same.