Disney World

We just got home last night from 4 days in Disney World!   My Aunt Sandy has a timeshare and she had us stay at the Reunion Resort off of Disney property for free - did you hear that?  FREEEEEEE!!!!!!
A beautiful 3 bedroom -3 bath condo minutes from Disney.  I decided not to take many pictures on this trip.  Sometimes that gets so time consuming so these memories are going to be in my head.




The first night we ate at the Olivia's Cafe.  Good prices, for Disney, and good food.  I think we were all in bed by 10:30 since the morning would take us to EPCOT.  We had rented a scooter for Mom and that allowed her to go everywhere comfortably.  Beautiful flowers everywhere and the weather was in the low 80's with sunshine!   Yes, I remember sunshine.

We all had our Disney shirts on - yes, we were dressed appropriately for a day at EPCOT.  I love Dad's shirt.  I seems to kind of fit him in some way.  

These two are really knowing the Disney Ways.  We went to Magic Kingdom and this year EPCOT.  Of course, Downtown Disney is always part of the trip.

Here is a little girl talking to ALICE. We also saw Mary Poppins and MICKEY!!

The dancers and musicians did a short show in the Polynesian while we waited to be seated in Kona Cafe.  (My favorite Disney restaurant.  I had the coconut chicken.)

Something I keep wanting is the famous Dole Whip.  I love ice cream and pineapple so this is a must.














Dole Whips are sold in two places - the Polynesian and the Magic Kingdom.  There are different serving styles you can get, t-shirts, and even poster sayings.

Next time I am at Disney I AM HAVING A DOLE WHIP!!!!

The next day we went to Downtown Disney and the temperature had dropped 40 degrees.  Whew!!! With light rain and wind.  I can get lost in the Downtown Disney shops looking at all the Disney - expensive Disney products.   But it is fun.  We knew that a terrible ice storm had hit Gulf Breeze/Pensacola while we were gone.   It was the worst winter storm that they have had in over 20 years.  It closed down schools for 3 days and all the bridges.  Along with the closings HWY 10 was closed from Tallahassee to Pensacola - our route home.  We had to sit and wait at times for them to open the next section.   You can see some snow on the side of the road. in the next picture.  Now, up in Indiana some salt would of been thrown down and people would be very careful and allowed on the roads but here they have no salt, no salt trucks, and the equipment to open up the roads.   Accidents were everywhere!  People who have always lived here do not know how to drive on icy roads and black ice.  Today everything is back to normal but we missed the excitement.

Well, someone is calling me back to Disney right away.   I have purchased the Florida annual pass and they are having a discount on their on-property hotels the first week of March.   I have always wanted to wander Disney World alone and see areas that I have not visited - like Disney Boardwalk and some of the resorts.  The beginning of the EPCOT Flower and Garden Show will begin while I am there.  I will definitely have my camera for that.
Kathy and Terry will be there my last night!   So fun!
I hope to see Disney at Christmas time in early December, also.

I need to go unpack for now - HAVE A MAGICAL DAY!

Kacey

When our dogie is sick, everyone is unhappy.   Three days ago my 11 year old pug, Kacey, was vomiting and sounded if she had lots of congestion so off to the vet we go. The vet said that there was a bit of congestion in the lower lungs but she had a normal temperature.  Blood tests were given and all came out ok.  So Kacey is on antibiotics and after three days is feeling much better.  ($250.00 later.)
I hate when she is sick because there is nothing sadder looking than a sick pug.   They have a way of making quite the pout.  The first night she was sick I had her laying on my bed all night while I tried to sleep with her pushing at me with her back legs to move over.   Really Kacey?   You already have more than half of the bed and you are a small dog.  But she was uncomfortable with an upset stomach so little sleep happened that night.   I can hear her snoring away right now so hopefully she will get a good night's sleep.

Wet Kacey - not happy at all.

So here is my thought.   I hate going to the vet because it is going to be a BIG bill.  I ended up at the vet we are at because the last one seemed too expensive to me.  Oh well, she is feeling better which is especially good because we are going to Disney World soon and Kacey will be a guest of Mickey Mouse.  I have never left her at a kennel before but if you can't trust Mickey Mouse, who can you trust.   Actually, when you look at their web site it looks like she will be living pretty good - top dog, you might say.   And she will get ice cream each day.   I will get to see her each day and take her for a walk and give hugs and kisses.

Nothing much has been going on here.  Weather was warm today - upper 60's but cooler tomorrow.  Mom and Dad have had some Dr. appointments to go to and that is about it.   Yes, it is winter here but so different looking than up north.  The grass is a brownish color - in its dormant phase and there are some trees that have lost their leaves but many do not drop leaves and of course, there are lots of pine and palm trees.  We have had an unusually cold winter - five nights below 32 degrees and you can see certain plants that did not do well.   Especially after the 19 degree night.   What does not live, will get replaced - more business for Lowes.  

The vet told us that Kacey needed to loose a couple of pounds.  Here is a picture of her 9 years ago.  Yea, I guess she could loose a couple.   So we both are cutting down on snacks and walking.

Take care everyone - January is a tough month sometimes with wishing Spring would come.  My brother says it is snowing in Monticello right now - that I don't miss.   And neither does Kacey!

Baby Giraffe

Off to the Gulf Breeze Zoo I went today.  Just 1/2 mile down the road and we enjoy hearing the monkeys screaming at each other at times from our back yard.   I especially wanted to be there at 12:00 because they were going to talk about the newest zoo member, Gamba, a 2 month baby giraffe.  

(These pictures could be better but there was NO sun, LOTS of clouds, and MISTY rain coming down.)

http://www.gulfbreezezoo.org/

Gamba is about my height right now and too cute for words!    Once born, his mother was unsure of him and would not let him nurse so he is right next to Mom and Dad but fed by his zoo keeper.  

This is Gamba's Mom, Dad, and Aunt.  One tall, happy family.  Gamba is taken inside if it gets below 50 degrees......otherwise he shivers and might get sick.  

I guess giraffes are like people, the grass beyond the fence is more appetizing.  

The eyes of a giraffe are beautiful.  

Time for the noon time feeding.  Sooooo goooood!   

Well, here are a few other zoo friends I visited while I was at the zoo.  All are very friendly.

So cute, I have watched him grow from a baby.  

Give us food......Stop!   Give us food!  

This Kangaroo likes to sleep on his back.

This is Zachary and Patrick.   They love to do peak-a-boo, eyes, nose, mouth, time to eat, and more.  Pretty smart guys.

I was there right around noon.  Must of been nap time.

Pretty berries and leaves.  

This guy has free roam of the premises and was following me for much of the time.  

I have read that these are not too smart.  I won't tell them that though.  

And this looks like a special meeting of the zebras   Hmmmmm.....what do you think they discuss?  They actually have a very large, open area to live.   Maybe they don't like the neighbors with their large horns.  Hard to imagine what might upset a zebra.  

Again, it was so dark from the cloud cover that the pictures did not come out as good as I would of liked.  But most important you have met our baby giraffe.   I am going to make hamburgers for dinner tonight and a low cal cake that is so easy.   Take a box of angel food cake, one can of crushed pineapple.   Mix together.   It will get frothy.  Put in a baking dish and cook 30 minutes at 350.  Either put cool whip or cream cheese frosting on  and yummy!   Everyone loves it.  

Colder!

Colder?!    Oh, yes!  We have had two nights in a row in the teens - about 19 degrees.   Here is Mom at the mall - all bundled up.  She is cold when it is 70 degrees.  But it was quite chilly with a strong wind that goes right through you.   Many people here do not own winter coats.   There is just no need so layering was how they kept warm.   Then there were the people, mostly guys, who just would not give up their shorts.  Brrrrrr....just too cold!

(By the way, Dave.   I wish you had not introduced me to these pretzels.  They are just melt in your mouth good.  I try to avoid them but sometimes you just got to have one.)

It was cold during the afternoon yesterday.    I took a picture of our outdoor thermometer when we got home.  32 degrees.

At night we covered our palms the best week could even though the wind fought us all the way.  Most of our palms are good to 25 to 20 degrees.  So what did 19 degrees do to them?   Well, we have to wait and see.   You can see how bad our banana trees look in the next picture down - I think they will shoot up just fine when the warmer weather begins and we fertilize.

We made a fire in the fireplace and cleaned out drawers in the family room.  I shredded three large bags worth of old documents.    Time to just get rid of all that paper work from years ago.

So whether you have been up in the mid-west states or in the panhandle - it has been unusual weather for sure.  If you were at Key West right now, it is 68 degrees and International Falls, Minn. is -25.    People choose were they want to live - but International Falls?   Really?  No offense to those that live there.   It is beautiful, peaceful, and I loved visiting in the summer for a week but in the winter - the 

"Icebox of the Country"?   I think I will just stay with my Pensacola/Gulf Breeze weather.

Keep warm, y'all!

COLD!!

Yes, it is cold all over the country.   Here is it is just chilly but I have had a sore throat for two days so I feel chilled all the time.  (But up in Indiana can you believe a    - 20 for Monday.   Oh my gosh!)

It was sunny - YES!  I said  sunny  today so we went for a drive up to Fort Pickens today.

Because there was no wind, it felt more like 65 degrees!   It was a wonderful feeling.  A quick stop at Sidelines for lunch.   Sidelines has great food - a sport's bar on the beach - and is always busy even with locals.

The sea oats along the road have a brown look this time of year rather than the greenish summer look.  But they are doing their job - holding down the sand from blowing away.

Since Dad was driving, I could concentrate on taking pictures.

We drove through the Fort Pickens Campgrounds.  We always do because camping is in our blood.  But so is comfort and convenience.   This would be too small for me.

Ah, there we go.  A little bit more to my liking, I think.  Yes, and it has Direct TV cable.   

People are walking, riding bikes, fishing, and sailing.  The land across the sound here is the Navy Aviation Base.   I was born on that base.......a few years ago.

For those that are interested, the small grocery store for the camping area is opened again and has new siding put on the building.   Looks nice!  

Pine trees grow really fast (this is why in woodworking, pine is a cheaper wood to buy).  It is good to see some new ones growing up because the hurricanes in the last 15 years have damaged much of the island.  But most of that damage is not noticeable today.

These beautiful old live oaks live through the hurricanes and more are over 100 years old.   They are all over the campground and the city of Pensacola.  

There I am trying to climb a tree!   (And if you believe that, I have a 3 mile bridge I would like to sell you.)

Up north they have snow plows and here we have sand plows.  I love the look of ridges in the sand from the wind.

And here is the star of this blog, the Gulf of Mexico!   I love her beauty, power, and the way her colors change.  But anyone that does not respect her is in for great danger. 

Many thanks to the Mom and Dad taxi service for the drive down to Fort Pickens.  It was a beautiful day of sun and salt!

And my last picture is the weather for Monticello, In.  I am not going to tease because it is going to be down right dangerously cold.    Notice the temperature for Monday and Sunday night.  And with the wind chill they are saying below -30.  Please take care everyone up there and hunker down!  

Take care all!  Oh, and Happy 2014!!!