More Vacation Pics

We are home from vacation and enjoying some quiet summer days.  Here are some of my favorite vacation pictures:

Here is Jordan introducing KatyAnn to the ocean.  We discovered that she actually liked the water best at twilight.

 I got the girls patriotic crowns.  KatyAnn discovered all sorts of ways to wear hers.

Oma sent flags to help the girls enjoy the 4th.

Uncle Al took us touring in his motor home.  The girls found a lot of interesting things inside.  Here is Cassie clowning with a hat.

 We couldn't visit Florida without spending an incredible amount of time swimming.

Lacey enjoyed a lot of good food!

 Here are Les and Uncle Al enjoying a seafood dinner.

Cassie took this next photo when we visited the flea market with Uncle Al.  These people have paid to have their teeth whitened - at a flea market!!

 Here is Les at the pool in Orlando.  He enjoyed shooting everyone (even people we didn't know) with the water cannon.

We didn't spend too much time waiting in line to pose with characters.  But, Jiminy Cricket was too cute to resist.

I just love this photo of the girls in the Disney boutique.

The castle is beautiful at night.

Where are the Real Aimals?

Wednesday we introduced Lacey to Sea World.  This park remains a family favorite.  We fed the dolphins, played in the kid's water park, watched the shows, saw the pearl divers and didn't suffer heat stroke.  We asked Lacey which park she liked better and she answered, "Sea World.  Magic Kingdom doesn't have animals."  Well, Lacey, there are animals at the Magic Kingdom.  But, they are the two-legged type.

A dolphin friend

Cassie said she'd never wash her hands again.

Enjoying lunch

Cassie and Lacey on the big screen - left side, fourth down

Yesterday, we made our inaugural visit to Disney's Animal Kingdom.  The night before our visit we planned exactly what we wanted to see and plotted our course on the map.  According to the trusty GPS,  we needed to leave the resort at 8:30 to arrive as the park gates opened.  This time, we would be armed with sunscreen, hats, water, spray bottles and ponchos.  We planned for all scenarios.  Oops!  I went to give Cassie her cough and allergy medicine and discovered that our large bag of snacks and medicine was missing.  Apparently, the housekeeping staff had tossed it.  We had to file a loss report with resort security.  Despite the delay, we had a great morning at Animal Kingdom.  

We began by riding the African Safari.  Next, we visited the Conservation Station and the girls learned how the 1500 animals housed there are cared for.  We visited a petting zoo, walked on nature trails and had lunch.  A kind lady reminded us to stay hydrated, as she charged us $2.69 a bottle for water.  After lunch, we decided to see the Lion King Show.  A Disney guide encouraged us to arrive 30 minutes before showtime to ensure seating.  No need to check the map - we joined the mob of people massing toward the theater.  Les decided to stride ahead to find a place in line, instead of dragging the girls down the dirt trail.  When we arrived at the theater, we began searching for Les.  Suddenly, Cassie leapt in the air as she was struck by a woman who was driving a motorized scooter.  As the woman's hands flew to her mouth in horror, Les materialized, and began yelling at the woman.  Instantly, her husband appeared, trying to shove Les away.  As the volume rose, I did drag the girls down the dirt trail, explaining that when Daddy got kicked out of the park, I didn't want them to have to leave too.  It turned out that the woman should have been escorted from the park.  She had already run down Les twice.  The first time, she was eating ice cream and looking back over her shoulder at her husband.  I think she probably rented the scooter at the park for the day and was learning to drive.  Maybe she should practice on an abandoned road instead of a crowded trail.

Thursday afternoon, Bill and Dorothea drove to Orlando and spent the night at the resort.  We all went out to dinner, sat by the pool, and had breakfast together this morning.  Time spent with Bill and Dorothea was truly a magical way to end our Disney vacation.

Animal Kingdom

A rhinoceros followed us down the road

Cassie making friends with the wildlife

We finally got to use our ponchos.

Get in Line

What is it about visiting a theme park that makes people turn into savage beasts, clawing their way to the front of a line, pushing small children out of the way to get a better view, using strollers and wheelchairs to knock down anyone who gets in their way, and otherwise being obnoxious?  Maybe it's the heat.  Maybe it's the cost of the theme park tickets that makes people act so extreme.  Whatever the cause, the behaviors make me want to head for home.

 We arrived in Orlando Monday afternoon.  Of course, Les and I had developed a plan to maximize our time here.  We checked into the resort, unloaded the car, and headed for Downtown Disney.  We spent a few hours there enjoying the sights and sounds, having dinner, indulging the kids with a couple souvenirs, and acclimating to the crowds.  We reminded ourselves that this was nothing compared to the 23 million people in Shanghai.  We could handle a Disney crowd!

Tuesday morning, we attended the resort’s mandatory sales presentation.  We kindly explained that this wasn’t the right time for us to buy, and thanked them for the five-day stay.  We had a poolside lunch back at the resort and headed for the Magic Kingdom.   Based on past experience, we thought that if we arrived after the 3 p.m. parade, many families would be leaving and the park would be emptier.  Apparently, everyone else had the same idea.  We first got in line to pay the $14 at the toll plaza.  Next, we followed a line of cars being ushered into parking spaces.  From there, we followed a growing crowd of people who were actually walking toward the park.   Yes, the kindly dude in the parking lot who kept wishing us a “Magical afternoon,” told us we had actually parked close enough to walk to the park’s entrance and avoid waiting in line to ride the people mover golf carts.  Imagine that!  Our next step was to get on board the Disney metro rail.  We were even lucky enough to find seats.  But, the train wasn’t moving.  Another train had broken down and was being moved off the tracks.  There were three trains stuck in front of us.  “Relax,”  I told Les.  “Remember Shanghai.  This is easier.”  "Relax," I told the girls.  "Remember, we are at the Magic Kingdom."  Meanwhile, Lacey was repeatedly asking when we were going to see the princesses.

After a brief delay, we entered the actual park.   Our first stop was to get in line at a souvenir shop to buy sunscreen.  The five bottles we already owned were in the hotel room.  To Lacey’s delight, we found the castle.  However, we couldn’t get her to understand that we weren't going to  go inside to meet the princesses.  From there, we headed to Adventureland to ride some water ride the girls had investigated.  The waiting time for the ride was only 80 minutes.  And, if we registered our park passes for the new FASTPASS, no-waiting-in-line-necessary feature, we could return to the ride at 9:00 p.m.!!  So, we climbed up to see the Swiss Family Robinson tree house.  At least that line was moving.  We then waited in line to buy some water.  We finally made it through a shorter line and actually got on a ride.  Our next stop was to get in another line to buy water spray bottles for the kids.  Meanwhile, the throngs of people continued to grow, along with an almost manic sense of urgency.  I began to wonder what everyone thought would happen if they didn't see absolutely everything that the Magic Kingdom has to offer.

To escape the impending storm, we saw the 3D movie.  We then stood inside a tiny gift store, with about 500 other people, waiting for the storm to pass.  Our ponchos had been forgotten in the car.  We got in line to ride Small World.  After about 20 minutes, we got out of line to take Lacey to the bathroom.  We got in line again at Small World and after about 20 minutes, the ride was closed because of technical difficulties.  A major portion of Fantasyland was walled off for renovations.  This included the tent where the princesses used to stand and pose for photos with children.  There was no other designated site for meeting princesses.  To escape the next wave of rain, we grabbed some dinner.  After dinner, we successfully rode Small World.  By then, it was time to scramble to find a place to view the evening parade.  The parade was lovely, but disappointing for Lacey because of the scarceness of princesses.  “Where’s the yellow princess and why does Snow White have to walk?”  We walked down “Main Street” in the general direction of the exit.  There were thousands of people jammed down the entire street, revving up to see the fireworks over the castle.  Some were trying to peer between tree branches.  Some were squatting to see between peoples’ legs.  Many were stepping on children.   We agreed that it simply wasn’t worth this.  We boarded the ferry to ride back to the parking lot.  And, guess what?  We had the most spectacular view of the fireworks from the water.  

The Magic Kingdom

Disney's Electrical Parade

Disney Style a la Cassie

Disney Style a la Lacey

Cinderella's Castle

3D glasses

 

From the Road

Here we are, relaxing in a motel in Brunswick, Georgia, en route to visit Uncle Al.  I thought I'd share a few interesting things that I've observed along the way.

First, I am absolutely fascinated by the number of all-you-can-eat buffets populating the South, and even more amazed by the tremendous amount of food consumed by buffet patrons.

Equally enthralling is the number of WalMart superstores scattered throughout the South.  As Lacey proclaimed, "WalMart are everywhere!"

I also find it funny that within moments of having served our food, all the waitresses ask, "Everything come out all right, y'all?"  I'm a little confused with this question and tempted to answer, that actually no, the food is just now entering our bodies.

This next one is more of a lesson learned.  If you are on a road trip, don't let your family eat at Taco Bell unless you want to accept the consequences.  Remember, when the temperature is in the 90's you probably don't want to have to open the car windows. 

Finally, the sign in the bathroom at a fast food restaurant has kept me laughing for days.  It read, "Each employee's hands must be washed before returning to work."  Exactly who is supposed to do the washing?  If you were an employee there, would you understand that you were supposed to wash your own hands?  What's wrong with the traditional, "Employees must wash hands before returning to work?"  Or, maybe whoever wrote the sign had some concern about those employees who tend to wash only one hand.  So, this might work, "All  employees must wash both hands before returning to work."  That one seems pretty clear. 

Looking for Shark's Teeth

Whenever I ask my students why they came to the U.S., they reply, "For opportunities."  "Opportunity" seems to be one of the first words that they learn in English, and they use it to mean "chance" or "lucky break."  My students continue to believe that the U.S. is full of opportunities, even after they discover that the job market is miserable and they might have to pay $1,000 a month to rent a single room.  

I try to teach my own kids to appreciate the many opportunities that life tosses at them, especially the unexpected opportunities.  Take this vacation,for instance.  What a marvelous opportunity Jordan and Pam have given us!  Cassie's previous beach experience was limited to just a few hours.  And, Lacey has never been to the beach before.  Now, they have a whole glorious week to roll in the sand and dig for shells.  As if that weren't enough, Bryan, Rachel, Cooper and Maddie got to join us for a few days.  Truly, that was a lucky break!  As you can see from the photos, we are taking advantage of the opportunities here.


One of the unexpected opportunities that came our way this week was Cassie coming down with pneumonia.  This gave Cassie and me the chance to spend five hours alone together at the local emergency room.  While we were there, we had the lucky break of meeting the family that manages the local fishing pier.  We also learned how to best treat a stingray bite.  We benefited from a lot of friendly attention from the staff.  And, I got to introduce Cassie to some great reruns of the "I Love Lucy" show.

One of Cassie's goals this trip was to find a shark's tooth.  Unfortunately, she hasn't felt well enough to spend much time on the beach.  So, I had the opportunity to be wading through tide pools on the beach this morning, watching the sun come up, while I searched for a shark's tooth.  And, I had the chance to meet a local fisherman who had lost his cellphone on the beach.  He helped me look for a shark's tooth and I helped him look for his phone.  We didn't find either.  But, we shared some great conversation.  And, he gave me some useful advice about looking for shark's teeth.  (Keep your head down because you never know when you might find one.)  I'm still looking for a shark's tooth.  I'm keeping my head down because I imagine that the quest will present me with a few more interesting opportunities and I'd hate to miss them.   

Cute Kids

A First Timer

Maddie and Cassie digging for treasure

A Cute Couple

Another Cute Couple

A Little Mermaid (and me impersonating Hitchcock)

The Most Beautiful Baby

Can we come here next time?

Cooper and the gulls

The kite that knocked Bryan down!

Cousins

Girl Cousins