Camping in Paradise

With the early summer-like weather Maine's been enjoying this year, we had high hopes for the first camping trip of 2010, over Memorial Day weekend. I had been working in Ohio earlier in the week, but flew home Weds night and we were set to head north early Thursday morning. We had spent the previous weekend shopping for the food we would take, then cooking and freezing meals and packing our clothes. While I was gone (and Ava was with Gram and Gramp), Patrick got everything packed into the truck and ready to go.

We woke to clear and beautiful weather on Thursday morning, and Ava was up by 6:30 which is WAY early for her! She was so excited to hit the road! We got last-minute toys and books packed, put the dogs in the kennel in the back of the truck, and rolled out of the driveway at 7:30.

It takes about 4 hours to get to Millinocket from home, and she was pretty good during the ride. She's never liked to ride in the car, so it's always a challenge to keep her happy for a trip longer than an hour or two. She gets restless, gets "the sandy things!" (her foot or leg falls asleep, and she'll get pretty upset about it), starts in with the whine heard from the back seat since Henry Ford's day - "Are we there yet??..."

We passed many miles playing the "Thinking Game" (an Ava-ized version of 20 Questions), then we played the "Yummy-Yukky" game for a while - this is when Ava mixes up an imaginary plate of some kind of imaginary food and serves it up to us. Usually we say something like, "This tastes kind of funny..." and she busts out laughing and tells us that it was mushed up slugs and other disgusting things - she loves thinking up as many gross things as she can. Cracks her up every time!

One of the things that entertained her the most during the ride was the Audubon Field Guide to North American Mammals. She had a great time thumbing through the pages and making up stories about the animals and looking for the cute ones. ("Gammer, what mouse do you think is cutest?")

It was a relief for all of us when we got to Millinocket and had to pick up a few things at Hannaford. She was able to stretch her legs, go to the bathroom, and come out of the store with a new bouncy red ball while Patrick walked the dogs. When we met him at the truck, he told us to go out into the grass where the dogs had been walking and see what was there. Kind of apprehensively, I took Ava by the hand and we walked over - dozens of pink and white lady slippers! Beautiful! Growing in the grass right beside the Hannaford parking lot.

The North Maine Woods doesn't allow you to bring firewood from home anymore, so the last thing we had to do before we left Millinocket was to pay a highway-robbery price for a couple bundles of firewood, and then we were able to get into the best part of the trip. Mt. Katahdin loomed majestically over us as we drove toward it - patches of snow on its upper reaches. (Unbeknownst to us, an injured hiker from Ohio was in the process of getting himself lost on the mountain, and would wander for three days before finally being spotted by a rescue helicopter on Sunday.)

The Golden Road is paved for quite a way, unfortunately. It's in serious need of repair, with potholes, cracks, and frost heaves, and it was a relief when we finally hit the gravel! There had been no rain for a while, apparently, and the road was dry and dusty. It was a work day for the loggers, and when one of the trucks careened by us at full speed, the dust cloud was immense. We'd have to come to almost a complete stop while it settled and we could see again. Patrick worked the CB to try to keep track of what was coming at us.

Ava was looking for moose, and she and I both spotted a cow at the edge of a pond, not too far from the road. She was standing back-to us, with her head looking over her shoulder, checking us out as we drove by. Then we were at the gatehouse, and Ava and Patrick went in to pay the fees. There's always an old lady or two working the gatehouse, and it's fun for Ava to chat with them.

Once Ava and Patrick were back in the truck, we had another couple of hours driving ahead of us - Golden Road to Ragmuff Road to Caucomgomoc Road to another series of small logging roads - the feelings Patrick and I always share (and hopefully Ava will, too) as we get deeper into the woods are of light-heartedness and joy. There's nowhere else that we experience these feelings to the same degree - we love the Maine woods more than any other place on earth.


The only change to these feelings comes as we approach the pond and our favorite beach campsite. As we get closer, we start to feel nervous and begin glancing at each other - we know what the other is thinking: "Please Please PLEASE let nobody already be there!" The road curves around the pond, first passing the south campsite, which we always check out to see if anybody's there. It's our second choice if the beach site is taken. We've never had to stay there, and I've never really cared for the site - very shady. On this day, nobody was there.

Then we pass the next camping area, two sites, which are side by side next to the road. We've stayed here before, when we had our camper. There's no beach, although there is boat access, and you have to cross the road to get to the outhouse. You also probably will have neighbors - we've met some nice people camping here. But, again, it's not preferable, especially with a tent when the dust from passing logging trucks swirls around.

As you pass this site, if you look to the north, you can catch a glimpse of the beach site. We always strain our eyes to see if we can spot any sign of life - campfire smoke, a bright color, movement... But it's not until we drive another quarter mile or so, pull into the access road to the campsite, and see no other vehicle that we breathe normally again!

We arrived at about 2:30 on a bright and sunny afternoon, absolute peace and quiet greeting us as we stopped the truck and got out. The only drawback to our complete happiness was a new orange sign, posted to a tree. It told us that somebody had introduced smelts into the pond, and they were decimating the native trout and char population. Pending new fishing regulations for the pond that would be forthcoming, they were asking all anglers to please release alive any trout or char caught. No more bluebacks for lunch!

This pond is one of only a handful in Maine that has a natural stock of Arctic Char - the beautiful little fish with the bright orange fins that we've been honored to catch over the past 12 years in this water. Patrick was heartbroken to think that some idiot has ruined the pond for everyone.


Ava, in the meantime, was in heaven!! There are boulders blocking access from the road to the campsite, so we always park and carry in all of our gear - a hike of about 150 yards. Part of it is through a muddy area where several years ago Patrick and I layed down old boards from a dilapitated picnic table and made a walkway. Ava danced along the boards and then ran like Seabiscuit (literally! She was "Seabiscuit" all weekend every time she blasted off!) down the long beach to the campsite. She continued to romp and run while we made multiple trips back and forth until everything was unloaded. The last thing to come over was the boat, which Patrick launched near where the truck was parked, and drove over to the site.



In short order we had the tents up (one for us, one for the dogs) and the cots and sleeping bags in place, and the camp stove/propane set up on the picnic table. Patrick had also thought to bring our fold-up plastic table which came in handy as a "staging area" - all the mess kits, coffee pot, etc etc. When the camp chairs were unpacked, it was time to relax!


We noticed the black flies and deer flies right away, but they weren't intolerable. We've been camping at this time of year before where the black flies especially were so thick that you couldn't breathe without a head net, but not this time. We all got a few bites, but after a while we more or less became oblivious to them. Every once in a while, we'd have to mop up a stream of blood from Ava's leg or her shoulder where one got her, but she didn't seem to mind. She spent the whole weekend scratching her head, but she wouldn't wear her hat, so the black flies were free to crawl around in her hair - she could have cared less! The only bugs that really freaked her out if she saw one were spiders. She won't even walk by a spiderweb willingly!



There were also a lot of bees, and we had put our coolers in the midst of a dandelion patch that seemed to be the primary bee hang-out. I tried to keep Ava from going over to the coolers during the day when the bees were busy, and I was careful when I went over to wear shoes so I wouldn't step on one accidentally. It was great to see so many of them, though - they seem to be scarce at home.

Ava wasted no time in getting her little animals out to play in the sand. Before long, she and I had built a few little houses for them, with roads connecting Unicorn's house with Lion's house and Mother Bear's house - very fun! She was a little timid about getting into the water once she heard Gaffer say something about "leeches"... She went in as far as her ankles but was scared to go any deeper.



She and I walked up to check out the outhouse, and we found a tree across the path. We had to duck under it to get to the outhouse, and on the way back we took a different path. The paths were both magical, carpeted with soft green moss and pine needles, and with painted trilliums growing here and there. The outhouse itself was clean and stocked with TP. Ava always asked me to hold her hands while she sat on the throne, though. She didn't want to take any chances about falling in.


Patrick could never talk her into going fishing all weekend. When he was ready to go out, he'd invite her to come with him, and she would ask if he could just take her for a little "putt-putt" before he went out farther into the pond to fish. At one point, he was giving her a hard time about not going out fishing with him, and she said, "I don't want to go out in the deep water in that tippy old thing!!" Under his breath, he said, "I don't blame you!" The boat is 12' long, and could use to be a little longer...


While he was out fishing, I was able to get Ava to walk out a little deeper into the water. We found that the soft sand was home to dozens of little newts, just waiting to be caught. The beauty of this pond is that the sand in the water is incredibly soft, not gooey or mushy, but just really silty soft - delicious on the feet. And the water is clear as crystal, and shallow for 100 yards out into the pond - not above Ava's waist. It's a big part of what makes this pond paradise to us.


There are a few little areas of sticks here and there in the water, which we avoid because that's usually where the leeches are hiding. Occasionally, though, you see a big fat black leech swimming along the golden sand. At first, a sighting would cause Ava to run, splashing and shrieking, out of the the water as fast as she could go, but once I caught one with a stick and carried it to the fire to throw it in, she became interested in them. She still wouldn't get near one herself, but was a great cheerleader to anyone who would catch them for her to look at!


Catching newts was one of the highlights of the weekend for her. She never was fast enough to pluck one out of the water, but she helped hunt for them, and when I was able to grab one, she made a big fuss out of petting it and naming it, and then kissing it before we put it back. About the kissing, after we had let one go and she was on the hunt for another one, she looked over her shoulder and told me, "It's not that I LIKE to kiss them! I HAVE to!! It's good for my LIPS!!"

When Patrick got back from fishing (caught and released several; he was happy), we heated up the chop suey for supper, then cleaned up and spent the rest of the evening sitting around the campfire. It was a beautiful clear evening, and we watched as the moon began to rise in the east. First we could see the glow over the tops of the trees as it got darker, and then slowly the brilliantly bright full moon made its way over the hill and into the sky. We told stories out loud to Ava, until she finally asked if we could go to bed.


We put the dogs in their tent (they went happily!), and then we each got into our own cot in our tent - Ava's in the middle - and I read a couple of books to her before we all went to sleep. Cozy! Ava slept like a cute little log all night long.

We awoke at around 8am, with filtered light beaming into the tent - obviously a glorious day out there! The dogs were whining and scratching at their tent, ready to GET OUT! For breakfast we had coffee and orange juice and bacon and eggs, and Patrick played a few hands of Old Maid with Ava before he went out fishing. The sky was pure blue and the air was warm with some nice breezes to keep the bugs at bay - a perfect day.

We spent the day pretty much the same way we had spent the previous afternoon - building fairy houses for the toy animals, looking for newts, catching the occasional leech to throw in the firepit, Patrick fishing on and off, sitting in our camp chairs, playing board games (we brought Candyland and Chutes & Ladders) and Old Maid with Ava, and going for walks up to the outhouse. She always made an adventure about going up to the outhouse - being an explorer and discovering new paths and shortcuts. It was so fun for her.

We also had fun with the bouncy ball we had bought at the Hannaford in Millinocket. She would stand up on the hill at the back of the campsite and kick the ball down to us, and we'd catch it and roll it up to her to kick again. Every now and then, we'd find her down by the water, sitting on the beach, singing to herself while she dug with her little plastic shovel in the sand, busy with some little project she was enjoying. Several times she said, "Wouldn't it be good if someone else came camping that had little kids?" We've had people show up at our site and camp with us before, but they've always been crusty old fishermen, not families with nice little kids

But the following day, which was breezy and cooler with a lot of cloud cover mingling with short periods of bright blue sunny sky, as Patrick was out fishing, and Ava and I were playing at the picnic table, we heard the dogs start to bark and watched them run up the beach toward where our truck was parked. I was able to grab Heidi, just as - we couldn't believe our eyes - a family with two little girls and a teenage boy - came walking up the beach! They were on their way to the south campsite, but stopped in to say hello. The little girls were instantly in the water, and I let Heidi go to play with them - she was in her glory!


We broke our rule of not letting Heidi play with sticks etc while we were camping, because Ava had had so much fun throwing things for her to catch, and these girls had a blast doing the same thing! Heidi will put her whole head under water to fetch up a stick that's been thrown for her! She's good with the kids, too - doesn't get over-excited and jump on anyone - she just stands patiently and alertly, ears up, tail wagging, waiting for the next thing to come her way.

Ava turned shy. She sat behind me at the picnic table and watched the girls play, but didn't feel comfortable joining in. We found out the girls' names were Maia and Madison, one 6 and one 7. After a half hour or so, they left to set up their own campsite, with a promise to come over later in the afternoon so the girls could play. Sure enough, after lunch, we saw them coming across the pond in kayaks. This time Ava wasn't shy, and she and Maia had a ball catching newts. Maia was good at catching them, so she'd give some of them to Ava, and they'd put them all together in a red plastic bucket with some sand in it. Then they'd play with them. And play with them and play with them. All the adults were feeling kind of sorry for the newts, hoping they were made of tough stuff, because they sure got man-handled by those little girls! Squeezing and carrying and kissing and dropping - the newts endured it all until it was time for the family to go back to their campsite and the newts were dumped back into the pond, with dramatic good-byes from the girls.


They had said they'd come back later that evening, but a late afternoon thunderstorm kept us all hunkered down until night rolled in and the skies cleared up. During the storm, we played games and read books in the tent and listened to the rain and the thunder, feeling cozy and happy and secure. We had a late supper of chicken stew and dumplings, and spent the third night in a row sitting in front of a beautiful campfire and telling stories until Ava fell asleep in my lap.

She really enjoyed this "telling stories around the campfire" business. I told her the story of Shrek twice, and Gaffer told her the story of The Hobbit and part of the Lord of the Rings. I was wishing I remembered more of my Grimm's Fairy Tales, but none really came to mind. I have an old copy - will have to study up on it before our next camping trip!

We woke on our final morning, Sunday, to a nice day. After a breakfast of pancakes and moose sausage, we slowly began to pack things up, taking the time to fish (Patrick) and play (Ava and me) in between working. By 3, we had the truck packed and were ready to go. Anytime we've ever gone anywhere for any length of time, Ava is always anxious to get home and see her cat, and this was the case now. She was dreading the long ride, but really wanted to see Blue Cat.

Usually as we drive away, Patrick and I feel kind of sad. This is normally a once-a-year trip for us. As we see other trucks drive in, loaded with canoes and camping gear, we're always jealous that we're heading out of the woods and they're getting to go in. But this time was different, because I'm on vacation again in two weeks, and if the weather is nice, we'll be right back!

The Haircut

One of the things that everyone has always loved about Ava is her long, thick hair. It's beautiful, but she gives us a hard time about brushing it. Every morning is an ordeal to try to get her to stand still while we spray de-tangler through it and try to get it arranged into pony tails or braids. She cries that it hurts, and has no patience for the time it takes to get through the long mass. I've often told her that we should just shave it short like Gaffer has it, then we wouldn't have to go through this every day, but she tells me that she loves her hair and doesn't want it cut. Then, I say, you have to take care of it - and that means brushing!

When she was two, we had to cut several inches off so that it wouldn't hang into the toilet. She was terrified, but the nice young hairdresser at Bubba's was friendly and gentle with her, and we got the job done. After that, she's been several times to Bubba's and enjoys the whole process - the shampoo, the booster seat, the cape, and the attention.

The other day I saw a picture of a little girl about Ava's age, with a short bob haircut. I started thinking about how cute Ava would look with short hair, and how EASY life would be without the de-tangling, brushing, and braiding every morning, and how convenient it would be over the summer when she's swimming and playing outside. Even eating would be easier - no long strands blowing into her ice cream cone!

So I showed Ava the picture, and she liked it! We made an appointment, and headed into Bubba's - leaving Gaffer at home with very uneasy feelings about the upcoming loss of Ava's long locks. Even the young hairdresser was squirrely about taking off so much! Ava, freshly shampood and sitting up high in her booster seat, draped in a cape, was matter-of-fact: "Cut it short!" I was sitting nearby, and the hairdresser turned to me with an anxious face, "Shouldn't we make it shorter in stages??" I said, "Ava, are you SURE you want it short?"

But Ava was fearless and anticipating her new 'do, so the scissors went to work and 8" long strands of hair fell to the floor. There was a mix of shock, horror, and admiration on the faces of the other customers and clients as more and more of Ava's luxurious hair was clipped off, but Ava sat there, like a little statue, calmly watching the process. I was second-guessing our decision, but was so proud of her for her courage and steadfastness, and I was already imagining how easy tomorrow morning was going to be!

So she's got herself a little bob now, and it's even fashionably "poofy" in the back where she's got a terrific cowlick - looks like a rooster-tail every morning - and it's wonderful. We've been able to put away all the ponytail holders and barrettes, and never need the de-tangler. She brushes it herself and she looks adorable. I'll leave it up to her whether or not to keep it short or to let it grow out again!

Fishing

Back in September, when we were in Presque Isle for the moose hunt, Ava spotted a Dora fishing pole in the trading post where we tagged the moose. She looked at it, then looked at me, then looked down at the floor -- "We're probably not here to buy a fishing pole, are we?" And I had to tell her, "No, Ava, we're not here to buy a fishing pole today..." She was disappointed, but accepted it. But then, when the moose hunt was over, and the guys had paid for our guide service - they gave Ava and me a tip! So back we went to the trading post, and Ava walked out with a brand new fishing pole, that she had paid for herself!

She got her first chance to use it this weekend, on Cobbosee Lake. Gaffer took her to the bait shop the day before, and she picked out a fluorescent green lure for her own fishing pole. The day was beautiful, sunny and warm, and she and Gaffer had a great time casting. Ava's technique is to get the lure in the water, and then let it sink until she can't see it anymore, and then wait. We're not exactly sure what she's waiting for, but this is a serious part of her fishing technique. At some point, she decides to reel the lure in, and often will say with excitement, "It feels heavy!!" One time when it felt heavy, something was actually on the line - a perfectly shaped brown beech leaf. She was just as happy as if she had caught a fish! We had to save the leaf, and it came home with us in her backpack.




Gaffer got a big bass on his line, and got it close to the boat, almost close enough that I could scoop it up with the net, but then it let go of the hook and swam off. That was the only fish we saw all day, but seeing fish wasn't really the point. We just wanted Ava to have fun, and she did! We found a little island that had a cupboard with maps of the hiking trails on the island, and Ava led the way. The trails were also marked by white paint on occasional trees, and we got a kick out of Ava saying over and over, "... According to this map, we're going the right way!"


The next day, we took the boat out onto Merrymeeting Bay, where Ava was excited at the thought of seeing seals and dolphins, but Gaffer let her know that we'd have to go out a little farther in order to see those things. She tossed out her line a few times, for the fun of it. She's always hopeful that she'll catch something, which I guess is how every fisherman feels!

Disney Vacation 2010

On Saturday afternoon, February 27th, after dropping off the dogs at Misty Ridge kennel in Lisbon and leaving two kitty litter boxes, a casserole dish full of cat food, and five big bowls of water along with the lid up on the toilet for Blue Cat, we put our suitcases into the Escape and headed for Manchester. Ava stayed awake for the entire drive, and we spent a lot of time playing her new favorite car game – “20 Questions”. (For the record, most of the time the answer is “Teddy”…)

We checked into the Hampton Inn in Bedford, just over the river from the airport, and then went over to Bugaboo Creek for dinner. We sat near the talking bison, which Ava enjoyed! After dinner, back at the hotel, we put our bathing suits on and had a great time in the pool for the rest of the evening. There was even a hot tub and a sauna, and we enjoyed both of those as well. Finally we dragged a reluctant Ava back to the room for a bath and a good night sleep before our 7am flight the next morning.

The alarm woke Patrick and me up at 4, and Ava amazingly woke up on her own at 4:30 – ready to go! So it was easy to get everyone dressed and packed up and we were in the car on the way to the airport by 5:15, boarding the plane right on time at 6:45. As we began to taxi down the runway, the plane came to a stop, and the pilot came on the P/A, saying, “We’ve just heard from the FAA, and because we always do exactly what the FAA instructs us to do, we must make the following announcement: … So-and-So is the worst cribbage player in New Hampshire!” Everyone had a good laugh, and the plane started rolling again.

Ava took a window seat, and had fun looking out the window and playing “aminals” for the entire flight. She got to try out the tiny bathroom, which she thought was pretty interesting. The pilot had announced to us earlier in the flight that we’d be landing a full 50 minutes early!! Instead of 10:30, we arrived at 9:40! Descending into Orlando, Ava began to cry because her ears hurt, but she recovered by the time the wheels touched down, and was cheerful for the walk to the Magical Express terminal.

We hadn’t walked very far from the gate when Ava spotted a display of bananas for sale, and so she munched on a banana while we made our way onto the little train that took us to the main terminal, and from there we walked to the far end of the building to get to the Magical Express area. We had no line to stand in, and were on the bus in minutes.

It was a beautiful sunny day, and we sat in the first rows on the bus for the ride to Ft. Wilderness, stopping first at several other resorts. We had a quick, easy check-in and were delivered to our cabin (2823) by 11:30.
We still had to wait for the groceries (scheduled for 1:30) and luggage to arrive, so Patrick took a Ft. Wilderness bus to the store at the marina to get some refreshments for us while Ava and I explored the cabin and played animals out on the picnic table.



The groceries arrived right on schedule, and the suitcases not long after that, and then we were free to begin our vacation! Epcot was planned for the afternoon, with a dinner reservation at 6pm at the Biergarten in Germany. From our cabin, it was a little bit of a walk to the bus stop – we’d be using the “Outpost Purple” bus for any park except Magic Kingdom. The Outpost Purple bus took us to the Outpost (the area where we had checked in) bus stop, and from there we’d jump on whatever bus was going to the park we wanted to visit. The Outpost bus stop was fun, because it was near the stables and we could visit with the horses and watch people getting ready for trail rides while we waited for our bus. The wait was never longer than 10 or 15minutes.



It’s about a 10-minute bus ride to Epcot from the Ft. Wilderness Outpost, so we were there before 3:00. We had packed a backpack with a rolled-up warm fleece blanket and extra clothes for Ava, her thermos of apple juice, the video camera and the digital camera – Patrick was lugging it around (being the good Sherpa that he is) and had to go through a security check where they went through the bag each time we entered a park.

We got a stroller for Ava first, and then went over to “The Living Seas” – going on the “Finding Nemo” ride, taking a picture with Bruce the Shark, and sitting through “Turtle Talk with Crush” which was too corny for Patrick and me, and way over Ava’s head with the excessive surfer-dude talk. She had sat on the floor with all the other kids, and Patrick and I were in the front row, and toward the end of the show she looked back at us as if to say, “… Are we out of here yet?” so we scooped her up as soon as it was over and got her cozy in the stroller – next thing, she’s sound asleep.



Patrick and I decided to walk over to the World Showcase and get a beverage. Then we saw the boat going over to Morocco, so we jumped on with Ava still sleeping cozily in her stroller, and rested our legs for a little cruise across the Epcot lagoon. We explored Morocco a little bit, and I went into the “Kidcot” station there to get Ava a mask. There’s a Kidcot station in every country, with a representative from that country sitting at a little table – they stamp the mask with the name of the country, and write the kid’s name in the language – then the kid can take the mask to another little table with chairs and color their mask. The Kidcots are sponsored by Sharpie, so there’s a big bowl of fat Sharpie pens of all colors on the table. You can also buy a passport in any of the gift shops, and get those filled out at the Kidcots, too, but we thought Ava was a little young for that this year.

We bought Moroccan beers to go, which really made the already enjoyable strolling around even better! The World Showcase is spectacular and beautiful, and it was such a pleasure to walk slowly, sipping a beverage, and looking around. We went into Japan and walked a quiet path through flowers and trees, and over a bridge that looked down upon a babbling brook ending in a big pool filled with giant koi fish. Approaching Germany, we came across a little village that had been built – tiny evergreens and rosemaries for trees, and a tiny railroad track with a working train – the detail was amazing. A little groom carrying his little bride was coming out of a little church, a miniature castle overlooked the village, farmers worked in their fields – it was magical.

And then we saw Snow White! She was signing autographs and having pictures taken, and we didn’t want Ava to miss it! It was difficult to get the sleepy girl going, but once she realized what was going on she was all over it. Snow White was very sweet to her, and when Ava told her that she was going to ride the teacups the next day, Snow White told her that the teacups are the dwarves’ favorite ride, too. She gave Ava a big hug and gave Teddy a kiss on the forehead, and told her to take good care of him. Ava was thrilled.


By now it was time for our dinner reservation, so we went over to the Biergarten. We had a pretty blond waitress named Daniela who took us to our table. In the World Showcase, all the people working in all the countries really are native to that country, and sign on for a 12-month stay at Epcot. Daniela’s time was almost over – she was going home to Munich on March 10th. She was charmed by Ava and when we took their picture together she gave me her e-mail address so I could forward the picture to her.

We were seated at a long table with another family, overlooking the stage and dance floor below where a live polka band was playing and where a whole bunch of little kids and their parents were dancing – it was so fun! The dinner was a buffet, so we helped ourselves to sausages and sauerkraut and herring salad and all kinds of other German fare, and had some Oktoberfest beer. Patrick and I both spent time dancing with Ava after dinner, and we had a great time.


On the way back through the park, Ava spotted a puppet unicorn that she had to have, and so “Goldy” was added to the family, and spent the rest of the week as Teddy’s sidekick (her puppet strings were cut off by the end of the night!) We stopped at China so Ava could work on her mask, and we went on the “Three Caballeros” ride in Mexico. Ava fell asleep on the bus back to Ft. Wilderness – she had had a very full day.


The next morning, Monday, we headed by bus over to Animal Kingdom.
This turned out to be the nicest day, weather-wise, that we would have. It was warm and sunny and we had fun on the safari ride and walking along the different trails in the park. Ava sat on the left side of the jeep, and had a close encounter with a giraffe! It was eating leaves from a tree right beside her when we stopped, and she told us that he waved his tongue at her! He was so close she could have reached out to pat him. We didn’t do any rides, other than the safari, but just enjoyed being able to walk the beautiful paths and look at all the birds and animals.
Ava noticed some kids that had their faces painted, and asked if she could do that, so we found a little kiosk with some ladies doing face painting and got in line. Ava made friends with another little girl in line with her, and they both had fun comparing what design they were going to get and looking at the other kids getting painted. When it was Ava’s turn, she seemed to really enjoy sitting in the tall chair with her eyes closed, allowing the lady to dab paint on her face. In no time, she was decorated with a sparkly unicorn!


We left the park by one in the afternoon to go back to the cabin for lunch. After some sandwiches and chips, we decided not to go back to Animal Kingdom, but to go to the pool instead. It was about 65 degrees, and Steve had called to say he was coming over for a visit. He was at flight school in Orlando, and had a rental Mustang convertible so he could drive over to Ft. Wilderness to see us. Ava met a few more 4-year-olds at the pool (lots of 4-year-olds at Disney!) and she and Gaffer had great fun swimming and jumping and splashing. Steve had called to say that he was going to Daytona, and we decided to hook up on Tuesday instead. It started cooling off as the sun went down and it was time to get out of the pool, and Ava cried and made a ball of herself on the ground and completely pitched a fit – she would have been happy to swim all night. We had a supper of cereal and toast, and an early bedtime – breakfast with Cinderella was tomorrow morning!

We had an 8:10am reservation on Tuesday for Cinderella’s Royal Table, so we had the alarm set early and woke to pouring rain! Crap! But we got Ava all dressed in her beautiful gown, and she got Teddy into his (matching) beautiful gown, and then she stuffed Goldy into Teddy’s gown also. Patrick and I both felt bad for Teddy, having to share his big day with a new pet, but he was very gracious about it, and I wrapped him and Goldy in a plastic bag so they wouldn’t get wet on the way to the bus stop. We trotted in the rain to the bus stop, where we were lucky enough to find a purple bus waiting. When we boarded and told the driver that we were going to Magic Kingdom for a Cinderella breakfast he got on the radio and asked the dispatcher if he could take us all the way to the park! And he did!


It was 7:30 and by now the rain had let up, but the wind was fierce and cold, and we still had to wait for the park to open. We stood shivering with ten or twenty other people until they opened the gate just before 8. We bee-lined it for the castle and in no time we were inside and Ava was getting her picture taken with Cinderella. From there, we went up red-carpeted stairs to the dining room where we were seated at a table near the windows and, after Ava was given a magic wand, were served a wonderful breakfast of coffee, juice, pastries, fruit, eggs, bacon and sausage. Princesses made the rounds, one at a time,

and stopped at each table to give autographs and get photos taken. Ava had colored a picture for Snow White, and anxiously waited to see her. When she came to our table, Ava gave her the picture and Snow White hugged it and said she had to take it back to show the dwarves – she left the dining room holding the picture to her chest, and a lot of little girls watched her leave wondering why they hadn’t had a chance to see her! But she came right back and continued working the room. It was a wonderful experience – not too crowded and noisy as we had kind of dreaded, but rather surprisingly cozy and relaxed. We all enjoyed it very much.


For the rest of the trip, every time Ava told people about her breakfast with the Princesses, the next question to her was always, "Which Princess is your favorite?" Her answer cracked us up - "...Myself!"

After breakfast, we hopped on the boat back to Ft. Wilderness. It was still very cold and windy, and we wanted to get Ava changed into warm play clothes to go back to Magic Kingdom in. We were the only ones on the boat going back to the campground – all the other traffic was heading in to the park – so we sat in front with the captain and Patrick had fun chatting with him about duck hunting and boating. Or actually, the captain had fun chatting and Patrick did a lot of polite listening. Ava was happy because the captain had given her a couple of fancy plastic rings and some stickers – another person captivated by her charms!

After a quick change we took the bus down to the marina for the bus to Magic Kingdom. We saw the pony barn along the way, and walked over so Ava could have a $5 ride. She was given a smart-looking white pony named Cloud, and I led him along the path while she looked around and completely loved the ride. Cloud was a perky little guy, with a snappy step and alert pointy ears – we liked him.

After another cold boat ride, we were back at Magic Kingdom. From time to time we’d see a little bit of blue sky, but for the most part it was a stormy overcast sky with ferocious winds, and the temps never warmed up beyond the mid-50’s, but we made the best of it – Ava loved the teacups and the carousel, riding them both several times over. The lines weren’t bad, and we never had to Fast Pass anything. After Peter Pan’s Flight, Ava fell asleep in her stroller so Patrick and I took the opportunity to go on the Haunted Mansion and the Pirates of the Caribbean rides with a sleeping Ava slung over our shoulders.

When she woke up, she wanted to do the Pirates (twice) and then we had lunch at a little restaurant across the way – Ava ate a taco and grapes and carrot sticks and chocolate milk… Hungry!! Then we went on the Haunted Mansion, and she loved it – not scared at all. She likes to sit on the outside when the three of us get onto a ride together, so Gaffer and I both had the middle seat at times. Teddy and Goldy also went on all the rides, so there was a certain level of vigilance to make sure that a little brown guy or a little white guy weren’t being left on the seat or on the floor or dropped into the water during the ride!

Steve was coming to the cabin for supper, so after a few more rides we left the park on a bus – due to the wind the boats weren’t running. Steve brought us a couple of frozen pizzas, and we had a fun visit. We were really glad we had the cabin, and were able to relax and stretch out just like at home rather than cramped into a hotel room.

Ava fell asleep after I read her a story, and the next morning I was up early, reading my own book, when I heard her little feet trotting down the hallway – she had woken up before Gaffer, ready to start the day! When we asked her where she wanted to go today, she said “Epcot!” so that’s where we went after breakfast in the cabin. It was still very cold and windy and overcast, so we bundled up in layers. Once in Epcot, we went to “The Land” and watched a little environmental movie starring Simba from the Lion King – Ava liked the movie and we liked the warm theatre. Then we did a boat ride that took us through Epcot’s greenhouses and other displays of vegetation; very cool. Next was Innovations with another fun ride for Ava (“Figment”), and now the sun and swaths of blue sky made occasional appearances, and it turned into a decent day.

Once we had meandered into the World Showcase we found that the International Flower and Garden Festival had begun, and we discovered newly unveiled topiaries and beautiful flower displays that hadn’t been there on Sunday.
One of the things that Ava did the most while we were in Florida was to pick flowers! Flowers were a magnet to her, and she really enjoyed choosing different types and colors to pick and show to us. We also found two new playgrounds where Ava had a blast running around and climbing and swinging – wonderful!! In France, she saw "Marie" from The Aristocats and went in for a hug and a picture. She went into all the Kidcots and finished her mask, which was really fun, and we saved some money by packing the leftover pizza into the park with us, and had a little picnic on a bench in the sun. Ava had another face-painting session, and we went to Mexico to get Katie Lou a souvenir (and had a body-warming shot at the new tequila bar), then we finished with a ride on the Viking-themed boat ride “Maelstrom” in Norway. We decided that we really loved Epcot!

But then we had to leave because we had dinner reservations at the House of Blues in Downtown Disney. We had a challenging time trying to get there from Epcot – a number of buses and transfers – but we finally made it, only to find that the House of Blues was almost the farthest spot inside the park so we still had quite a hike. Fortunately, Ava was a cheerful little trooper, and was still smiling and happy by the time we arrived at the restaurant. After a very disappointing dinner with no ambiance and no music (and during which Ava spent most of the time lying on her blanket against the wall under the table - just getting some rest!), we had to walk all the way back to the buses. We passed an outdoor DJ with a mike and he came up to us and started asking Ava about Teddy which was funny. He was announcing everything she said over the P/A so the whole park could hear – it was the bright spot in the night. We didn’t get back to the cabin until about 10pm, and weren’t completely happy to know that we were going back to Downtown Disney in the morning for our 11am lunch reservation at the T-Rex Café.

Ava wasn’t so easy to wake up on Thursday morning – the week was starting to tire her out, but she stayed happy and ready to enjoy everything and we were able to get her up and about and out the door by 10. We took the bus to Downtown Disney, and were early enough at the T-Rex Café that Ava had time to shop in the gift shop and buy a bag of dinosaurs before we were seated for lunch. The restaurant was spectacular, with animatron dinosaurs all through it, and special lighting in different areas to create a real prehistoric ambiance.
The lunch was good, and Ava had fun visiting with all the dinosaurs, but Patrick and I were happy to leave and made a vow that we wouldn’t go back to Downtown Disney ever again. It’s really just a big shopping center, totally lacking in any kind of charm for us.

We did the “Planes, Trains, and Automobiles” again trying to get back to Magic Kingdom, and finally got there in the early afternoon. Once again, little Ava was the cheerful one, as Patrick and I got a little testy with the dysfunctional Downtown Disney commute, and was able to get us laughing again. She’s wise beyond her years and isn’t afraid to speak up! So we did the teacups, the carousel, the pirates, the haunted mansion, and some others, and said good-bye to Magic Kingdom after a final street parade, and got on the monorail to have a last dinner at the Biergarten in Epcot. We met some people from Maine on the monorail and Ava chatted them up during the ride – once she gets talking, you can’t stop her. She told them all about her cat at home, that she had to get home tomorrow to take care of him, etc etc. People really get a kick out of it, although half the time they have no idea what she’s babbling about!

This had been the coldest day of the week, so we hurried to Germany for dinner and enjoyed the same hospitality, music, dancing, and food that we had experienced on our first day in Florida – it was a great way to finish our vacation. On the way out of the park, Ava found some light-up Mickey ears that she just HAD to have, so with a final souvenir we left our favorite place. We flew home the next morning on an 11:25 flight after a nice long bus ride(stopping at several resorts to take on passengers along the way) with “Al”, a personable young Hispanic driver who announced to everyone on the bus that Ava was making sure he took the right route to the airport!

And then, for the first time in a week - Ava got grumpy. On the ride home, it was "Are we there yet?" "I'm tired..." "I'm uncomfortable..." "This is taking too long..." whine whine whine whine whine... We got home at around 6, and she finally got to see her Blue Cat and the smile came back to her face! Now it's just a matter of waiting until next year to do it all over again - we can't wait!!