Magic Vacation 2011 Fourth Day

The next morning, Thursday, was our big day. Brenda and I had made reservations at the Akershus castle in Norway for a princess lunch for the kids. Ava and Alivia had both packed their beautiful princess dresses for the occasion. We got an early start and were at Epcot before it opened. It was another lovely, warm Florida morning and we were looking forward to seeing the rest of our family.
We met up with Brenda and John and Lindsey at "Soarin'" and were among the first group to get in. This is a spectacular ride and we were all blown away by the special effects - we swooped over the countryside in a glider, gentle breezes and scents of the landscape adding to the realistic sensation. Wow. Derek and Nikki and the kids were on their way, so we left Brenda, John, and Lindsey in that area of Epcot to wait for them while we took Ava over to "Spaceship Earth" and "Finding Nemo", until we got a text from Bren that everyone was at the "Test Track" and we headed over. It was great to finally know that we'd all be able to spend some real time together that day! Ava and Alivia both had their princess dresses on, and were absolutely gorgeous - the two nicest and smartest and most beautiful girls in Florida that day!

Derek took Alivia and we took Ava over to the line at Test Track and jumped in. The girls were happy to see each other and it was cute to watch them enjoying each other's company.

We were finally loaded into our car. Speeding, swerving, skidding - what ride!! The girls loved it, and so did the grown-ups! From there, we had to scoot pretty quickly over to Akershus to be there at the reservation time. But, although we got there right on time, there was still a pretty significant wait to get in. Ava went around to everyone for signatures in her autograph book while we waited. Aunt Lindsey had given her and Mason and Livvy brand-new ones before the trip (she brought her own old one from when she was a kid!), and Ava really had fun getting signatures from all the characters she saw.

The lunch was very exciting for the girls with their favorite princesses making the rounds in the room, and even a parade with Sleeping Beauty, and Mason enjoyed getting their autographs and was a good sport about getting his picture taken with them. Some of them were actually quite beautiful, and the guys joked about getting into a picture or two. The menu selection had something for everybody, and the desserts were phenomenal.

After lunch, the Wymans and Faulkners went back to their resorts for some down time - we'd be meeting again later for dinner at Ft. Wilderness Trail's End restaurant. Gaffer, Ava, and I spent some time walking around until Ava fell asleep and we decided to go back to the cabin and get some downtime ourselves.

Later in the afternoon, Bren sent a text that she and John were on their way over by bus, so we gave them directions to the cabin, and next thing we knew, we had company! Ava and Gaffer were down by the pool, so Bren and John and I walked over and had a nice visit sitting at a pool-side table until it was time for dinner. When we got down there Derek and Nikki were still a half hour away so we had time for Aunt Brenda to take Ava on a pony ride while we waited.

Dinner was a blast!! The Faulkners had been over at Magic Kingdom and came to Ft. Wilderness by boat, so we met them down by the marina. The kids were able to play for a while on the playground while we waited for our reservation, and they ended up tossing horseshoes like crazy right in front of the restaurant, attracting quite a crowd to watch!

During the dinner, I got to sit with all the kids except Landen and it was so much fun to talk with them - by the end of the meal I wasn't ready to let go of them. Brenda and John were going to spend the night with us, and I asked Derek and Nikki if Mason and Alivia could spend the night, too. She said yes, and the kids were ecstatic to be having a "sleep-over"! They had a lot of fun putting together a play for us later that night (even cut out little "tickets" to get in), and then at bedtime the three of them and me piled into the double bed, Gaffer in the bottom bunk, and John and Brenda out on the Murphy bed in the living room.

The kids and I read a lot of books, and one by one they dropped off, Livvy first, then Ava, and at 10:30 Mason's eyes were starting to droop as we got into "Tearwater Tea" of "Owl at Home", and he was gone. It was an interesting night - Livvy squeezed against the wall, with Mason between her and Ava, Ava pressed up next to me, and me hanging on by a butt cheek at the edge of the bed. I'm not sure how well everyone rested, but we got a fair amount of sleep in between the leg stretching and jostling for blankets.

Magic Vacation 2011 Third Day

It was our "Animal Kingdom" day and we got there at around 10:30. After getting a stroller, we bee-lined to the Kilamajaro Safari for a Fast Pass. The safari jeep ride is everyone's favorite thing at Animal Kingdom, so you can expect to wait in a long, long line unless you use the Fast Pass. Once we had ours, we had some time before we needed to return for our time so we enjoyed wandering around, soaking up the sights and the atmosphere. The details in Animal Kingdom are wonderful. In the Africa and Asia areas, the old villages, crumbling ruins, lush foliage, and mysterious temples are so fun to wander through.

At one point we saw something so cool! A vine was moving, slowly and gracefully. It emerged from some vegetation - a lady on stilts (legs and arms), covered in leaves, camoflaged perfectly until she moved. We watched her in amazement until she disappeared back into the jungle.

Ava also got her face painted while we waited for the safari, and had her picture taken with Baloo and King Louie from "Jungle Book". King Louie didn't know how to use a pen, but Baloo signed Ava's autograph book.

We had a good time on the safari. I always tell Ava she has a "hunter's eye, like Gaffer", and she takes great pride in seeing things before I do. So she was very excited to sit next to the open-air side of the safari vehicle and yelled out when she spotted something. The jeep took us through an African savannah, with beautiful grasslands and freely roaming animals. A giraffe was almost close enough to touch as we bumped by. Several crocodiles were lounging in a murky pond near the road, near Ava's side of the jeep, and Ava turned to me with wide eyes: "Are they real?" When I told her they were, she dropped off her seat onto the floor and covered her head with her hands! Luckily, we left the crocodiles behind quickly, and she enjoyed the rest of the trip pointing out the rhinos, wildebeest, zebras and elephants.

After the safari, we went back over to Asia and Gaffer took Ava on the Kali River Rapids raft ride. She says now that it was fun, but at the time when they met up with me afterwards she was wet and grumpy, and said she didn't like it. I had been waiting for them and watching some funny black & white Colobus monkeys - a little one trying relentlessly to get a bigger one to play and wrestle with him. The bigger monkey was being very patient and every once in a while would indulge in a little rolling around with the little guy, but then he'd get back to lounging around in the sun and put up with some more pestering. Their house looked like the ruins of an old temple, with bamboo staging all around it - lots of fun for monkeys to clamber around in. Gradually, I noticed John. There was Brenda and John! And Gaffer and Ava! They were all talking together (without me!!) a little way down one of the pathways.

So I hustled over and we got to have a few minutes of visiting and catching up, but then they were headed over to Expedition Everest, and we were heading out of the park - Ava was tired, so we wanted to get her back to the cabin for some R&R and then maybe come back to the Animal Kingdom in the afternoon. We would see each other tomorrow.

As we made our way to the park exit, Miss Ava fell asleep. Gaffer bought me a "Lost on Safari" cocktail at one of the little bars in the park - a mix of Captain Morgan, Bacardi, and "Pangani Punch" - it was delicious! We began walking slowly, sipping beverages, and just taking in this beautiful day. It was about 75 degrees and sunny; one of those heart-exploding loving-life kind of days. We made our way over to the Tree of Life to have a close-up look at the animal carvings.

Disney World is a crowded place, no question about it. There are lines for just about everything, people walking fast, people walking slow, kids darting around, a cacophony of noise - it's all part of the experience. But what never ceases to amaze us, and it's part of the Disney magic, is that in spite of all the crowds and noise, it's possible to have a unique and solitary experience while you're there. You turn a corner and, all of a sudden... nobody.

This happened to us at the Tree of Life. We found ourselves on a beautiful trail, surrounded by fragrant flowers and tropical birds. Time stood still for us for a moment. Ava was sleeping, we were happy and relaxed and able to hear the sounds of the running water and the different calls of the birds - it was paradise.

There are 325 different animals carved on the 50-story tree, and it was great fun to try to spot them. We had a good time as we slowly walked back to the exit. Gaffer slung Ava over his shoulder for the ride back to Ft. Wilderness, and she stayed asleep all the way to the cabin. We tucked her into bed, and enjoyed the quiet afternoon sitting out on the porch, reading the newspaper and talking, until it began to be overcast, and then to rain. What began as a gentle shower turned into a heavy torrent, and we were glad we hadn't made any plans to do anything. We cooked up a couple of frozen pizzas and hunkered down in the cabin, playing Pollys with Ava and reading.

Magic Vacation 2011 Second Day

The next morning was Tuesday. Just like at home, Gaffer was up first and I woke to the aroma of coffee in the cabin. We had packed a bag of our favorite coffee from home, so it was nice to kick back on the couch and sip Kona Macadamia Nut and watch the room get lighter.

It was cloudy, and I reached for the remote. Gaffer said, "What are you doing??" When I said that I wanted to check the news for the weather, he said, "Nope - we're not turning on the TV while we're here." I agreed to that, and it turned out to be a great decision. We knew nothing of Libya or Afghanistan or Lindsay Lohan during the entire trip. We also had no internet in the cabin, so we couldn't check Facebook or our Maine Seaduck website - we stepped away from the rest of the world for a while. I had my Blackberry, but made a point to stay off-line (other than a daily check at "accuweather.com"!) and only glanced at my Southworth emails, opening just a couple over the course of the week. I turned the ringer to "silent". We were off the grid! Except for texting with Brenda. This was very important and began every day at dawn.

So we drank coffee and watched the sky hopefully. The clouds darkened and brightened and darkened and brightened for an hour or two, and then it began to rain. We were happy that Ava was still sleeping - it was a perfect morning for her to sleep in. The Wymans/Faulkners were going to Magic Kingdom, and we planned to meet them in Fantasyland when we got there. Ava finally woke up, but it was apparent that she was still exhausted. She was moving in "granny-low" and very quiet. I thought a nice bath might get her sparkling again, so I filled the tub and she enjoyed playing with her animals in the warm water. She seemed pretty lively once she was dried off, dressed, and eating breakfast, and by 10:30 we were walking out of the cabin on our way to Magic Kingdom.

The rain had stopped and it was cloudy and warm. We walked to the bus stop and waited for the bus to the "Settlement" - the area of Ft. Wilderness where the marina is. The Settlement is also where the stables for all the Disney World horses are kept, and they have a big collection of ponies. Pony rides are available for $5, and it's worth every penny! Add pony rides to swimming pools and flowers, and you have Ava's perfect vacation. She made a bee-line from the bus stop to the pony stable! A "small world" moment = the lady working with the ponies was a retiree from Dayton, Maine. When she introduced the pony as "Cloud", Ava and I smiled at each other - she rode Cloud last year! He was a nice, peppy little white pony who stepped right along as I led him along the pony path.

I got in trouble, though. Cloud was stepping so briskly and seemed in high spirits, and Ava was loving the ride, and I stupidly said, "Ava, would you like to feel a trot?" Anyone who rides, knows. A trot is much different than a walk, and is the most difficult gait to sit. It's fun to learn to ride a trot, and I wanted Ava to get a feel for it. She was like, "YES!!" and I *cluck cluck*'d to Cloud, and he went into a crisp little trot. Ava was loving life! And then I heard the Dayton Retiree yelling at me from the barn - no trotting, no trotting!!! I shut him right down, and then I felt terrible. Of course these little ponies shouldn't trot - for many reasons!! What a dummy move on my part. So I apologized to Dayton when we came back to the dismount platform, and I explained to Ava that Gammer had made a mistake.

So then it was time to wait for the boat to Magic Kingdom. We stood on the dock and watched for the green flag boat. Ft. Wilderness is so sprawling (700 acres) that you learn to look for colors to be sure to take the quickest transport - purple, orange, yellow, blue, and green were all meaningful. As we waited for the boat to appear in the distance, we watched the birds - pelicans and cormorants and herons and vultures - and listened to the instrumental music playing quietly over the intercoms. (One of my best memories from Disney World is the music; whether on a bus or in a park, there is good music playing in the background - interesting and pleasing to hear.)

The Settlement is peaceful, with rows of lounge chairs on the long white beaches, and rental pontoon and bass boats serenely bobbing at their moorings. A tavern with a broad porch and rocking chairs sits adjacent to a playground for kids. After a short wait, we heard our boat whistle as it approached and pulled up to the dock. We waited for the in-bound passengers to disembark, then we loaded up for the 15-minute ride over to Magic Kingdom.

Bay Lake is a natural lake, about a mile long with two islands - Discovery and Shipwreck. Discovery Island was operated as a walk-through wildlife sanctuary from 1974 until 1999, when it was closed and Animal Kingdom was opened. Some of the docks and other construction can still be seen on the shoreline. The boat passes the Ft. Wilderness Lodge and the Contemporary Resort along the way, and then Cinderella's Castle appears in the distance as the boat rounds the corner into the Magic Kingdom harbor.

First stop to the stroller rental, and then we were off to Tomorrowland. We texted back and forth with Bren - she and her family were at the Carousel of Progress. We didn't see them when we got there, so we hopped into line to see the Carousel of Progress ourselves. Unfortunately, it wasn't the best way to start a day at Magic Kingdom. We had never been on this ride before and found it to be mildly entertaining at first, with the wonderful Disney animatronics and the rotating carousel seating, but after a while it just became too long and we felt trapped inside the theatre. A baby was screaming the whole time somewhere in the darkened audience until finally during the last scene its parent carried it out through an emergency exit. It was great to have the baby gone, but the unplanned exit caused the ride to stop and replay the final scene.

Finally, it was over and we could escape out into the muggy Florida air. We found Bren and John nearby, and then there were the rest of them - Lindsey and Nikki and Derek and the kids! Lots of hugging and smiling happened, and Lindsey and Alivia gave Ava presents - a Disney pin lanyard and a bracelet - then we went our separate ways again. By now it was after noon, and the Wymans were ready to go back to their room for a break. The Faulkners were going on Space Mountain. Gaffer and I wanted to escape from the "dark side" of Magic Kingdom and get over to the areas we loved.

Every year, we've given Tomorrowland and Fantasyland a lot of our time, but we've never really liked it. Ava loves the Teacups and Dumbo and the carousel, and so do we to a point, but that side of the park is concrete and steel and crowded and hot, and we can happily ignore it in favor of Liberty Square, Adventureland, and Frontierland - and that's what we did. We didn't mention anything to Ava about Dumbo and Teacups, but just hustled back over the bridge from Tomorrowland and through the park to Adventureland. Right away, Ava spotted the Aladdin's Carpet ride and Gaffer said he'd ride it with her. I was grateful for that.
There was a long line and they dived right in, while I went over to the Jungle Cruise attraction, and got a Fast Pass for the ride - basically, come back in an hour and go to the head of the line. Fast Passes help a lot where they're available - you can go do other things for a while, then come back and not have to wait in a long line.

After the Aladdin ride, we decided to mosey over to Frontierland. Ava had told us over the past few weeks that she wanted to ride Splash Mountain, and we had measured her to be sure she was over the 40" height requirement (she was 42"), so we decided to check it out while we waited for the Jungle Cruise. Gaffer ran to see what the line looked like while Ava and I found a comfortable spot off the main thoroughfare to watch the hollowed-out logs full of screaming passengers go straight down over the 5-story waterfall. I thought for sure she'd change her mind, but she was determined to do it.

Gaffer came back to say there was only a 10 minute line at Splash Mountain, so we parked the stroller and went running over. In no time at all, we were in our log flume - Gammer left, Ava middle, Gaffer right. We bobbed along gentle, twisting waterways for a long time, through the animatronic story of Brer Fox and Brer Rabbit and their friends, everyone cheerfully singing "Zippity Do Dah". The problem with Ava was that she couldn't enjoy the ride or the story to its fullest because she was waiting for the 5-story dropoff at every moment! She asked me constantly when it would happen. There were three small dips during the ride that added to the excitement, and by the time we were getting close to the real drop-off, Ava was so nervous she began to cry. "I don't want to do this", she sobbed. I tried to calm her, to say it would be okay, it would be fun, but she became so scared.

Finally, I said the one thing I knew would get through to her: "Ava, they take your picture going over the waterfall - you don't want to be crying in your picture, do you?" If you know Ava, you know this appeal to her sense of propriety is effective. She's embarrassed by public displays of emotion, and will always put on a calm, brave face to the public, no matter how she's feeling inside. (Hence the secret trip for band-aids at the Manchester Airport.) She pulled herself together in time for the waterfall, and even raised her arms up in the air as we went over! SPLASH!!! It was a fast fall, and we were wet and laughing as the log flume bobbed along toward the exit. Ava was proud of herself that she had done it, but has no plans to ever do it again.

A photo of your boat is snapped as you go over the falls, and we planned to buy it - what a treasure, Ava arms up on her first "coaster" - but we were in the store for an hour trying to find our digital image - never found it and walked away empty handed, dang it. Leaving Splash Mountain, we bought a Mickey Mouse ice cream (which turned into a tradition while we were there - I think Ava had a Mickey Mouse ice cream each day - she began to look forward to it), and walked over toward the Jungle Cruise. Our Fast Pass got us to the front of the line, and soon we were listening to the corny jokes and looking at the realistic jungle animals on either side of the Nile. From there, the other two must-dos for us - Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion (which was under re-furbishment so some of our favorite parts were missing...) - and then it was time to leave. We had dinner reservations in Mexico at Epcot, so we wanted to get back to the cabin and relax for a while before heading out again.

Ava was able to take a quick swim - she reluctantly got out of the pool after only 20 minutes and we had to get ourselves together and out the door. Ava and I were sitting in the back of the bus on the way to Epcot, and spotted a wild alligator lurking in the river near the shore, only a stone's throw from the road! His eyes, nostrils and part of his back and tail were clearly visible in the shallow water. Very exciting!

Ava really liked sitting in the back of the bus - her favorite seat was the last one, beside the window. I didn't mind going to the back because that's where the heater was and the seats were always warm. But Gaffer, our sherpa, didn't like having to walk all the way back through the bus, lugging all our crap, and then up the stairs to the raised platform where the seats were, so he often would settle in toward the front and we'd meet him when we disembarked. He always asked, "Come on, Ava... don't go back there..." but she always ignored him and cheerfully trotted back to her favorite seat.

We had dinner at La Hacienda de San Angel. The food was great - authentic Southern Mexican and a sampling of tequilas - and the dinner was one of the highlights of the week. We wrapped up the evening with a ride on "Spaceship Earth" in the Epcot ball. This turned out to be Ava's favorite ride at Disney - we went on it four or five more times during the week. She enjoyed the ride itself, the time travel through communications history, but she especially liked the interactive computer screen. At the end of the ride, it asks some questions about your lifestyle preferences (she always chose "health" over "work", "home", or "play"), and then a "future you" romps around in a cartoon, doing the activities you enjoy - very cute.

Ava and I both stayed awake all the way back to the cabin, and then "Owl at Home" put the three of us to sleep until the next morning when we awoke to a lovely Florida morning.

Magic Vacation 2011 First Day

We'd already had our suitcases packed for a month and a half and, on Sunday morning Feb 27, Ava's first happy words were "FLORIDA TIME!" as she sat up in bed. We all were so excited about going on vacation to Disney World. This was Trip #3 to the cabins at Ft. Wilderness, so we knew what awaited us - we love that place. And to put it over the top - Brenda, John, Lindsey, Derek, Nikki, Mason, Alivia, and Landen were all going, too! We were staying at different resorts, but we all were there for the full week. Brenda and I had been planning and texting and e-mailing about this trip for months, comparing schedules and discussing attractions and restaurants - it had been a blast already, just in the planning.

Gaffer took Heidi to the kennel that morning while Ava and I ran around cleaning the house and making sure we had everything we needed. Blue Cat was going to stay in the house alone while we were gone, so we left big mixing bowls full of food and water, and two big clean litter boxes for him. When Gaffer got back, we loaded up the truck and pulled out of the driveway. The weather was dank and cold, snowbanks lined the roads.

Our flight was at 7:45 the next morning on Southwest Airlines out of Manchester, NH, and Brenda and John were on the same flight. They were riding over from Maine with Lindsey (who had a Delta flight earlier than ours, but landing later) and would meet us at the airport. We were spending the night at the Hampton Inn near the airport, where we'd get a chance to start vacationing a little early because, for Ava, pool = vacation. Ava and I changed into our suits while Gaffer ran out for pizza. We spent the afternoon enjoying the pool and hot tub and looking out at the dirty snowbanks in the hotel parking lot ("good-bye dirty snowbanks!!"). A sauna was in the pool area and we enjoyed going from the cool pool into the hot sauna, lounging in the dark on raised benches near a bed of steaming lava rocks. It was a great way to begin our vacation, in a refreshed frame of mind, and eating pizza on top of that!

We swam, whirlpooled, steamed, and ate until it was time to get back to the room to watch "The Amazing Race", read "Owl at Home" (Ava's sleeping potion - works on all three of us! It has five little chapters and in our family it's not uncommon to hear this: "You didn't even make it to the end of Tearwater Tea!") and go to sleep, Gaffer in one double bed, Ava and me in another.

As soon as I woke the next morning I texted Bren: "Where are you guys?" She instantly texted back, "At the airport!" So we started throwing our things together and got Ava up and dressed and out into the cold, dark morning. At the airport, Gaffer dropped us at the curb with the suitcases and went to park the truck. It was about 6:30 and the Southwest line was already a mile long. It was fun for us to notice the suitcases with the yellow "Disney World Transport" tags on them - many other little kids on their way to Disney!!! YAY! These were a bunch of happy, sleepy people in line - the kids and the parents! Gaffer caught back up with us while we were still halfway through the line. Southwest moves fast, though, and next thing we knew we were through security and looking at John and Brenda, sitting on a bench having breakfast. It was really happening - we were all really about to go to Florida together!

But poor Ava. She didn't want anyone to know, but her pretty, sparkly new shoes (the ones I told her weren't practical, but bought anyway because she thought they were beautiful) were scraping her heels. So she took me aside and whispered to me what the problem was, then we casually walked off to the ladies room and did a little first aid with bandages on each foot. She's always very discreet about her personal issues - a throwback to a different generation when struggles weren't worn on sleeves.

We had some breakfast, and then it was time to board. Bren and John had got A Group tickets (the first 60 people to board), but we had B Group (the next 60 - and we were at the end of the 60), so they said they'd try to hold some seats near them for us, and they did. We were right across the aisle from them, and we cheers'd with Bloody Marys (Ava had apple juice) somewhere over one of the mid-Atlantic states. Ava and I played Pollys and worked on pre-school workbooks, passing the time until we landed. She had the window seat and looked outside occasionally, but seemed mostly to be happy having me as a captive participant in the land of Pollys.

Bren and John had told us they were planning to wait for Lindsey's flight at the airport, so we would be parting at the gate. The airport in Orlando is sprawling and (we think) not well-marked. Adding this year to the previous two, we've not been able to find the Disney Transportation for three years in a row. After the short train-ride from the gate area to the baggage claim area, there are wings and floors and no signs. There probably are signs, but we've failed to see them for three years in a row. So this time, same as the last times, we wandered around like idiots and finally had to ask someone for directions, and found out we were in the wrong wing of the airport. I think we will just expect to do this every time we come back - just add it to the itinerary: "Explore Orlando International Airport". So we eventually, after making several new friends lost like us (although, to their credit, they were first-timers) got to the Disney Transportation area and then quickly onto our bus for Ft. Wilderness.

It takes about a half hour of highway driving from the airport to get into the Disney World Resort, and then there are stops at other resorts before getting to Ft. Wilderness - it's always the last stop. It's fun, though, to see the other resorts and Disney movies play on little video monitors, so the ride is enjoyable. Ava was laughing out loud at a Donald Duck movie, and it was cute to hear little kids laughing from other seats in the bus.

The skies were blue and the sun was hot when we got off the bus at the check-in (the "Outpost") at Ft. Wilderness. Gaffer went inside to do the paperwork, while Ava and I stayed outside, soaking up the sun. She was going crazy picking flowers and bringing them to me. She's a good flower-picker, as far as the flowers are concerned. She picks off one beautiful bloom from each plant - dead-heading without the dead part. For the recipient, it's kind of awkward because there is rarely enough stem presented to put in water, but it's a sweet gesture.

Ava has always loved flowers, and a highlight of her Florida vacation is the flora. Whether it's at Magic Kingdom or at the airport, it's the flowers that catch her eye. It's been this way since she was three, but this year she added something - giving out beautiful blooms to nice people she meets. She gave a flower to the lady at the reservation desk, to the maintenance guy working on our cabin, to the bus driver, to Disney characters... A dozen people were presented a tiny flower by a small girl with a big smile in Orlando last week, and all of them were sweetly touched by this gesture and thanked her sincerely.

This was the beginning of the Disney magic for us. We never ceased to be amazed at the genuine helpfulness and friendliness of the Disney staff, wherever we went. There was the occasional annoying or sullen employee but, considering the sheer numbers of them we interacted with, the impression remains that Disney employees have been dusted with something very magical. Human nature wants to be happy, I believe, and when you spend a week with people who go out of their way to help you and talk with you and smile at you, you can't help but be affected by that in a very positive way. This has been a big part of why we go back - we enjoy that gentle happiness and soak it in.

Our suitcases were to be delivered to our cabin later, so we jumped on one of the Ft. Wilderness buses for the 2500-block - "Cedar Circle". The bus stop was only a short distance from our cabin number 2505, and as we walked toward the cabin we saw a car in the little driveway. Our grocery lady was already there! We had ordered our groceries on-line, the same service we had used the previous two times at the cabin. Cathy was a retiree from North Pole, Alaska, and she was a character - telling us she'd probably be hearing from us later in the week for more beer and a bottle of rum! Ava presented her with a little flower after we paid the tab, and with a smile Cathy was off, and we were on vacation!!

Brenda texted that Lindsey had arrived and gone over to see Derek and Nikki, so they were free to meet us at Epcot. We hopped on a bus and in a short time we could see that beautiful big golf ball on the horizon. The first stop at any of the parks for us was always the stroller rental. In addition to giving Ava's little legs a break, the stroller was handy to carry the back pack and anything else we picked up in the park - it even had cup holders for our beverages. After a few pictures at the entrance, we started to wander into our very favorite Disney place. We've timed each visit to to coincide with the opening of the Epcot Flower & Garden Festival, and we weren't disappointed this year - the topiaries and themed gardens and playgrounds were everything we expected.

As we walked through Future World toward the World Showcase, the three of us were relaxed and happy. We don't really see the crowds or feel any pressure to accomplish anything in particular at Disney. I had spent months planning each day but, once there, it becomes completely about the moment. "Look where we are!" "What a day!" Allowing yourself the time to the feel the joy of the moment is a luxury that should be savored, and Gaffer and I do when we're there. Ava savors every moment of every day anyway, so this is not a new experience for her. Maybe that's one of the reasons why Disney is so popular - people find it to be a place where they can be like a child, living in the joy of the moment, even if only for a couple of days.

So, even while savoring the moment, we're also looking forward to beer! Why do we love Epcot so much? Because we can have beer there! Cross the bridge into the World Showcase and go the right and get English beer. Go to the left and get Mexican beer. Keep walking, and you can have American, German, Moroccan, French, and Canadian beer! At $8 a cup, you have to go back to Epcot for a few days to try them all, so that's what we do. But there is an intense joy in the moment when you're walking with your favorite people through the Epcot Flower & Garden Festival, holding an Oktoberfest brew in your hand.

Ava had never taken a nap all day, and was still going strong. We had taken a left toward Mexico and were strolling toward the outdoor cafe where we could get a beer when we heard, "Hey", behind us and there were John and Brenda walking toward us. Ava ran over for big hugs, and then got back into her stroller as we started meandering with our Dos Equis toward Germany, where we had a dinner reservation. It was great to have friends to be with! I was missing Steve and Jennifer (and Andrew)- wishing they could have shared in the laughing with us - but it was great to have 1/3 of our card playing comrades with us in Florida!

We were seated almost immediately in the Biergarten restaurant - taken to our long wooden table by a cheerful grey-haired fraulein. At Biergarten, the tables are occupied by as many people as will fit so, unless you are a big group yourself, you'll always end up sharing your table with people you don't know. The lighting is dim: you feel as though you're sitting in an outdoor cafe in a quaint old German village, with balconies dripping with flowers, German state banners on the walls, and clouds moving across a bright moon in the night sky. The seating is raised, looking down upon a stage with a dance floor - live polka music plays in between short breaks, and the little kids love to dance to live polka music! Who knew? It's a blast.

The food is buffet, with a selection of German cuisine for all palates. Ava was tall enough this year to help fill her own plate, and she was very generous with herself with sausage, roast pork, mac&cheese and mashed potatoes. And a roll with butter. She eats well at Biergarten. We were joined at the table by a young couple with a cute blond-haired little boy named Jackson who was about Ava's age. She could barely wait for everyone to finish eating so she could go dancing! This is a kid who had woken up in New Hampshire many hours earlier, now wanting to dance in Germany - I was impressed! "That's my girl!!"

So she and I went down to the dance floor, and who should follow us? Little Jackson!! So the three of us held hands and swung to the polka music until Gaffer joined us and then it was four! Polka-ing with two 5-year-olds after a buffet of sausage, sauerkraut, and herring salad (and mugs of German beer) is not for the faint of heart, but Gaffer and I were up to the challenge - we were still dancing when Bren came up to let us know that she and John were heading back to their room. It wasn't too long after that when we returned Jackson to his parents (regretfully - I would have liked to have seen them again!), and wandered back out into the World Showcase.

Ava and I don't remember the bus ride back to Ft. Wilderness that night. We both fell asleep on the bus from Epcot, but Gaffer got us safely home to our cabin, like the good Gaffer he is.

Magic Vacation 2011 Last Days

Before dawn on Friday morning, Ava woke me to ask for a drink so I went out to the kitchen to get it. I wear earplugs at night, but have always felt fairly confident that I can still hear through them. As I rustled around the kitchen, getting Ava's drink, I was kind of surprised. Brenda is an early riser, and I half expected to hear from her while I was up. I planned to stay up with her if she was awake, but I didn't hear anything from the Murphy bed. I was kind of happy for her - "oh, great! Bren must be getting a good night sleep!!" and smiled to myself as I went back to bed with Ava's cup. Later Brenda told me that she had been calling to me - "Pam... Hey, Pam..." and I never heard a thing. She didn't know I wore earplugs, and thought to herself "Pam is deafer than I am!!"

By 8am everyone was awake - Ava was the last one to get out of bed - and after breakfast we went over to Epcot to meet up with Derek and Nikki and Landen. We went by way of the boat to Magic Kingdom, and then the monorail to Epcot - it was a fun way to get there, with lots of sights along the way.
The kids were happy to see their parents at the entrance to Epcot, and we went right to Spaceship Earth. Turned out that this was Mason's favorite ride, too! Livvy, Ava, and I rode in the front of the car, with Mason and Nikki right behind us. After that, we went over to the World Showcase so the kids could play "Kim Possible".

We had been looking forward to this detective-style activity for the kids, but it turned out to be a little hard to do with three young kids. You get a "communications device" (looks like a little Nokia cell phone) which gives you clues around whatever country you're in (we were in England) and you follow the clues to find a bad guy who plans to hurt the environment in some way. We found the clues kind of hard to follow with such a long back-story accompanying each one - the kids didn't really have the patience to listen to it. Plus, by then the three of them had spent about 20 straight hours together and were starting to get a little edgy with each other.

They were all good, but it became confusing as to whose turn it was to hold the communicator. Derek turned out to be the best at listening to and understanding the clue, and he was able to get us through it, but we were all kind of relieved when it was over.

Patrick, Bren and John had waited for us on a bench in a beautiful English garden, and they waited a little longer while we took the kids into the Kidcot station for England.

We had briefly visited Canada before Kim Possible, letting the kids check out the "Kidcot" station there. Kidcot is a wonderful idea for kids, and it's something that we look forward to. Each country in World Pavilion has its own station and kids pick up a cardboard cutout (free! - last year it was a theatre mask; this year was "Duffy", a bear, the Epcot mascot) glued to a paint stick, and take it from country to country. The country's representative sits at a table, has some conversation with the child, and stamps the stick with the country's name. If it's a country with a different alphabet than ours, they write the child's name in the native language. (Last year, they also affixed a ribbon or other decoration to the mask, but for some reason not this year.)

After they get their stamp, the kids can go over to a little craft table surrounded by little chairs, where they can choose colored Sharpies out of a big bowl to color their bear. Ava made sure to divvy up her coloring such that she was able to finish it at the last country.

Gaffer got the kids some ice cream along the way, and they had a fun time running around, eating ice cream, going into the Kidcot stations - they even got to see a street show in France with two acrobats dressed as French chefs.

By early afternoon they were tired, though, and Derek and Nikki took the kids back to their resort, and Bren and John headed back. (Lindsey had left the night before, and it seemed as if some bubbles in the champagne were missing....) Gaffer and Ava and I did some more Epcot wandering, doing some more Kidcots, and had dinner in Germany again. Ava fell asleep on the way out of the park, and Gaffer looked cute with a little princess slung over his shoulder on the way back to the cabin!


On Friday morning we headed out bright and early, back to Epcot. This was going to be our Garden Festival day, and we took our time wandering through all the exhibits - the Fairy House garden, the Butterfly garden, the miniature village in Germany, the scented garden in France, the tea gardens in England.



We went back to Ft. Wilderness in the afternoon, spent some time at the pool, and that evening went to the Chip n Dale Campfire Sing-along at the campground.

We bought a little "s'more" kit and Ava had fun roasting marshmallows and dancing with Chip. She got his autograph, too. Dale was working a different part of the crowd, so Ava was disappointed that she was never able to catch up with him for his signature. She had a lot of fun with that autograph book!

Brenda and John were leaving on Saturday and they came over to Trail's End for breakfast before they took off for the airport. Ava had another pony ride while we waited for them, then it was hugs and promises to get together as soon as we got back home, and then they were gone. Derek and Nikki and the kids were also leaving that afternoon. It felt kind of lonely to know that our family was all leaving, and we wished we could have spent more time together while they were there; it was hard with all the kids and everyone's different schedules, but we were glad for the time we did spend together.

So we had the rest of the day Saturday to enjoy. I asked Ava if she wanted to go back to Magic Kingdom and was surprised by her answer: "I never want to go back there - it's my worst favorite place!" When I asked her why, she said, "Because everything's fake!" That's our little Ava - a true Capricorn - feet planted firmly on the ground, practical and logical. But I was kind of disappointed - I would have enjoyed another walk through Magic Kingdom!!

We spent the day very enjoyably at the pool, and most of Sunday there as well.

On Sunday afternoon we made our last visit back to Epcot. We walked slower than usual, knowing it was our last day. The weather was gorgeous, sunny and warm, and we soaked it in. We had dinner at an outside table at Morocco, Ava enjoying the chicken and couscous, and watched a Canadian bagpiping rock band ("Off-Kilter" - they wore kilts) for a while before drifting out of the park.






One last ride on Spaceship Earth and we were on the bus back to Ft. Wilderness, to be ready for our 4:30am transport to the airport. We were looking forward to coming home, sunburned and tired, and happy.