Last Enrty of the 2008 Year

Happy New Year Wishes to Everyone!

Unforgettable moments... Brianna

Here are just a few more unforgettable moments...

Always looking for something interesting and new... what will she find next... the keys to Poppys Golf Cart...now how does this work? Than there's always those moments of total surprise and shock! Hence the wild child eyes....just click on the picture to enlarge...

Brianna's First trip to the Beach!

The Beach...everyone's loves the beach. The waters along the coast in the panhandle are extremely nice. They were much nicer before all the hurricanes, and are still recovering... but still very nice. We took Brianna to the beach's near Destin. It was her first time seeing the sand, the beach, and the ocean. After a short time of playing in the sand...wow..it's everywhere, she saw the water. Running straight to the edge and falling face first into a wave... wow... what a surprise! I don't think it was quite what she expected... nor us. Than the fun began. The beach is great! We all love the Beach! She had a great time in the water as the waves came ashore, and a great time playing in all that sand. It was a beautiful warm day and almost 75 degrees. Lets see... Winter... snow or sand? I think I'll take the sand... I love winters in the south.... and so does Bri!

Tinker Bell Fan!

TinkerBell Fan! Tink's biggest fan..... Shelly! Shirts, mugs, pins...hundreds of Tink Pins, charms, pictures, place mats, pillows, towels, nightshirt, figurines, snow globe, lights, stickers, buttons, purses, scarf, hat, Christmas deco, signs, spinners, nightlight, necklace, earrings, cake topper, wallet, and jibbitz for those Disney Croc's. Given the last four years at Disney World...lots of tink stuff... but no Tink! Disneyland had Tink, but not WDW. Then in the fall of 2008... Tink was here. This was now the new "must see"... and we did. Opening day... there we were, Shelly to meet Tink, me to take pictures. Shelly the happiness person, in the Happiness Place on Earth. Tink, Fawn and the other Fairies are located in Mickey's Toon-Town... get there early!!

Last week in Orlando!

This is our last week in Orlando... wrapping up with seeing friends here. Time to say goodbye to... at least until the spring... again in no particular order, Bob & Glenda, Bob & Donna, Susan & Russ, and our fellow cast members at Disney. We will miss you all... but new adventures await us in Miami. A whole new place to explore and discover. Day trips into the Keys and many more photo opportunities. Speaking of photos... I just clicked over 7000 on my camera... a little over a thousand per month. Wore out the last camera at 15,000. That's the nice things about "Digital"... once you have the equipment, it doesn't cost you a thing... so snap away! That's Bob & Donna by the water ( Disney Boardwalk), and Bob & Glenda sitting on the bench ( Spectro-Magic Parade), and Russ & Susan ( Rams Game). I know...I know.... Rams Fans... just remember... nobody's perfect. Everyone should be able to root for their own team... Go Ravens!!

No Particular Order!

My blog entries, like Dancing with the Stars, are presented in no particular order... so there is no implied importance as to the order of the entries or the fact that planned future entries are less important than those already posted. So what will be posted next?? Is the suspense getting to you? I don't even know what I'm going to do next....for sure!…. but it’s all part of the Fun!

Josh-Grumpy-Fire Wizard

Richard, Shelly & Josh

Animal Kingdom

Josh goes to Disney World.... buys a "Grumpy" shirt...

it's a warning to the world. B-E-W-A-R-E

Not another picture!

B-E-W-A-R-E !

No more Pictures...

Fire Dragon Wizard has Spoken!

Baltimore Ravens ... the home team!

We were both born and raise in Baltimore. 50 years later we spend most of our time in the south... officially residents of Florida. Loyalty still remains with the home team... The Baltimore Ravens. The year....what a season!!! New coach, new quarterback, new hopes...what a year. It's December 28th, 16th game of the season, game about to start. Raven vs Jaguars back in Baltimore. 1000 miles away (we are in Orlando) . Thanks for Direct Tv Sunday Ticket... we get all the Ravens games. Last game of the season... win...and we're in the playoffs. nuf said! Time to watch the game. By the time you read this we will all know the outcome of the game. Either way, a great season.

Go Ravens!

Sunday 7:05pm Ravens Win! 27-7 Ravens go to the Playoffs!!

Lake Ridge Resort - Virginia

Sometimes... life takes a turn in an unexpected direction. It's been said that when one door closes, another one opens. Some say that when things go wrong, something good will happen. In this case... nothing went wrong and no doors closed. With a simple twist of fate...we went from good to great. Having volunteered to do Activities as a workamper, last winter, (work just for site), it unknowingly laid the ground work for a better opportunity before we even realized how much we might would need it. Just prior to the economic downturn, we took a summer job doing Activities at in Virginia... Legacy Lake Ridge Resort. What a wonderful experience. There was a bit more time involved, but the difference was a totally free site plus a salary. What a plus! Getting financially ahead of the game was going to be nice. Events unfolded, and we could not return to the winter campground to do activities, but another door opened for a winter job, with the same company that we had worked for in the summer. Again a wonderful plus. Cannot say how much we appreciate our friends that offered us the summer job, and made it possible for us to get a winter job for Jan-March. The winter job is near the Florida Keys and we are looking forward to another wonderful experience.... but that's another story for later. The summer Activities job could not have been any better. The Resort is Legacy's Lake Ridge Resort in the Mountains of Virginia. Located near the Blue Ridge Parkway about 25 miles across the state line from Mount Airy, NC. of Mayberry fame. The Resort is beautiful and is a welcome change from all the "flatness" here in the south. If hills is what you want... well... just be careful what you ask for... it's not named Hillsville on a whim. The Resort has a 75,000 sq.ft. main complex, 2 pools, 2 waterslides, lake with paddle boats & kayaks, electric boats, fishing, Arts & Crafts Room, arcade, kids play room, snack bar, entertainment hall, full basketball court, mini golf, office/store, computer room, movie room, 3 pavilions, rental cabins, cabins on the lake, playground, themed weekends, live entertainment, wi-fi internet, wooded sites, and open super pull-through sites.... and then there's all the activities and special events. Did I mention how beautiful the resort is... just look at the pictures. The summers are cooler in the mountains and the only negative thing is being higher up and closer to the thunder & lightening when it storms. We had wonderful managers and a wonderful staff. Did I mention the great fresh baked pizza or the chicken wings... a bit of heaven. The staff... everyone was great, and if I could have it my way... they would all be coming back... but with the nature of Rving... it's only natural for everyone to move on to new adventures. We on the other hand feel as though we have found a home with Legacy Resorts... sometimes things just click! We are also a least somewhat closer to our daughter Brandi and the Grand-girls. If we added up all the plus's... I'd say we are at least 10+... it's all good!! So again... Thanks to Willa & Steve... having good friends is good indeed. We are looking forward to returning to Lake Ridge in the spring of 2009. Maybe we'll see you there! It's worth the trip!

Bri is always ready to go!

Bri is always ready to go anywhere on a moments notice. Always ready...and always prepared. Well, you be the judge.

All she needs is a .... car? No...No... you can't drive! She didn't agree... she had the required safety gear... she had the keys... and the car was charged up and ready to go!

Just can't reach the pedals. Maybe next year!

Seeing is believing......right?

It's always been said that seeing is believing...right? With the development of Digital photography... and all the related programs that let you "adjust" your pictures... well, sometimes it's hard to know what is truly real anymore. This brings to mind another saying... " Would I lie to you?" Well, I guess it just depends who you talk to. Some people simply have a narrow view on the truth... others like myself have a more expanded version as it were. Having said that, perhaps I should mention that I use use "photoshop" and "picture-it" to "enhance" a lot of my pictures. Another great saying... "Read between the lines". Oh.... I almost forgot... I once caught a fish this BIG! Well... back to reality.


Did you know Disney has Mickey Ears power towers? Now here's an example of a real photo that might appear to have been enhanced? On a more serious side... I always enjoy our stay at Disney... our most favorite spot for the Rv is right at Seven Seas Lagoon.


It's a little know place right next to a well known Disney Hotel. Check it out. Looks good... remember, a picture is worth a thousand words...right? More to follow later.


Sometimes, I just can't help myself... it's just my nature.

Doug & Cindy & crabs...oh yes...crabs!

Family back in Marlyand....Here's a good place to start. Doug & Cindy. It's always nice to see family, and we see them in Maryland (when we visit), in Crestview Florida (when they visit), or we meet in Orlando and go to Disney. While going to Disney has been a blast in the past, and will be again next spring... visits to Maryland are especially nice. Well... anything that ends up with steamed crabs is always nice! First you start with the Captain of the boat... Doug... add water, throw in some crab traps... and walaa... crabs (ohh...that's a big one!) Watch out... they can’t bite... but stay away from those claws. Throw them in the pot... turn up the heat... and they will magically turn from blue to red! In this case red is a go color... go sit down and enjoy! Don't bother me now... I'm dreaming about Crabs!

Can't think of anything I'd enjoy more!
Great friends, great food, great times!

What a Wonderful Finish to the Year! SSK Friends Visit us at Disney!!

What a surprise....what a treat.......what a way to finish out 2008. Friends and Disney!!


There was a Special Treat this year. Along with the normal friends that are usually here in Orlando this time of year... we were visited by friends from Sunset King. First there was the first group... Lois & Doug, Bob & Linda, & Martha & Bill. Than Lois liked visiting so much, she came back down a week later... so than there was Lois with Mike & Betty. We all had such a wonderful time together. Disney is so much better with friends. We had not seen them since last spring, and without the visit, would see them again until next winter at the earliest. What a Great Time!! We miss everyone at Sunset King. We have spent the last 5 winters there and made many a friend that we consider our extended family. We will not be there this year. The economy as such... we have the wonderful chance to be near the Keys for the winter... doing Activities, having fun, enjoying the warm weather, and enjoying the Florida Keys... while getting paid to do it. But that's another story. So to all our Snowbird Friends at Sunset King... fare thee well... for this year. You and your friendship will always be with us... in our thoughts... and in our hearts.

Disney Monorails

Disney Monorails.... could they be any cooler!!! Here's a couple of pictures that show the different models over the years. I'll keep then in order... or at least I think so. Every generation
has changed with the times. Just too cool...especially the brand new Mark VII's. Wow!!

Mark I Monorail 1961?









Mark II Monorail









Mark III









Currently in use in Disney World Florida these were the latest Monorails over the past several years. They have had many different themes painted on them. "Year of a Million Dreams" , Florida version and Disneyland version, as well as a special theme for the sub ride nemo in Calfifornia.

.....These are Pics of the newest Mark VII Monorails in Disneyland California.... Wow!!










Can't wait to see these at Walt Disney World in Florida.