The Yogi “F” List

This is our first time being at a Yogi park doing activities. It’s a huge park, very busy and has lots to do… but that’s another story. This entry is about the Yogi “F” list. Now I wouldn’t want to shatter any child’s illusion about Yogi being real… but I think the danger of that here on my blog is very minimal. Some of the time I play my part as being … Yogi… and we go through the following list of “F”’s when getting ready to bring Yogi to life.

• F = Frozen… the inner vest filled with frozen stuff to help keep you cooler
• F = Fat suit… it’s the thing that makes you look bigger and rounder
• F = Fur… it’s Yogi’s furry skin
• F = Feet… it’s the boots/shoes that look like Yogi’s paws
• F = Face… it’s Yogi’s head
• F = Fur… yes again… furry gloves that made Yogi’s hands.

             and the two most important “F”’s.

• F = Fun! … all the fun you have having hugs and photos with the kids.
• F = Friends…. all the little friends that you create for Yogi and the kids. 

             So… there you have it… the Yogi “F” list… Kinda neat!

Now I know how the Cast Members at Disney feel when greeting the kids in the parks.   

And while talking about work… I have two schedules that run concurrently through out the day. There’s the guest schedule that tells them what’s happening and what time. Them there’s my schedule. I’m able to do both the guest scheduled  activities and mine at the same time.. together. No matter the activity I are doing with the guests… my schedule always fits right in. Well… here’s a quick sample of my daily schedule:

• 9am – Have Fun with the Guests! 
• 10am – Have Fun with the Guests! 
• 11am – Have Fun with the Guests! 
• 12pm – Have Fun with the Guests! 
• 1pm – Have Fun with the Guests! 
• 2pm – Have Fun with the Guests! 
• 3pm – Have Fun with the Guests!  … and so on…

Well… I think you get the picture. My sense of humor serves me well as does the fun realization that I’m well into my second childhood… makes it fun for me and everyone else too… or at least I hope so. Kinda the perfect job if you have to work or just plainly like eating occasionally. The Biggest Fish in the smallest pond… no stress, no tension, on worries… and get paid for playing and having fun! Sweet!

Kinda like the song…. “I don’t want to work… I want to bang the drums all day” … the drums being playtime! Yep… Sweet!  

Nikon Coolpix L22

Okay, are you looking for a new digital camera? Don’t know which one to buy? Well this is certainly not a definitive comparison. I’m sure there are a lot of good choices out there. I can only tell you how much I enjoy my Nikon Coolpix L22. I have a Canon IS S5 which takes great photos. I also have a Nikon D70… also which takes great photos. For everyday all around photos I truly enjoy my Coolpix L22. The D70 has many advantages and for specialized photos… but you have the size and weight to consider. I generally only use it now for specialized applications and special indoor dark situations for the hot flash and the quick focus. The Canon is mid sized and has good auto features… great for everyday photos in good light… but lacks a bit in focus quickness and flash strength. Both are great for all around everyday use. My current choice for all around daytime used is the Coolpix L22.

Most of my shooting is normal daytime. The Coolpix takes care of 95% of my photo needs. 12 mp for great sharpness and a good flash went needed ( better than the Canon but not as good as the D70 ). It’s the expanded auto options and size that make it my great for what I mostly do… everyday photos. Small to fit into your pocket… basically one hand operation, auto open lens cover (no cap to remove), good focus response, big view screen, and easy zoom. The zoom is only 3X optical… the the lack of zoom, for me, is generally made up for with the higher mp rating. I can crop the photo, as if I had zoomed in, and not loose any clarity or sharpness. We both have a Coolpix L22 and both love them vs our other cameras. We have both taken over 10,000 photo and the camera performs beautifully… just like new. Takes great photos with a varied selection of automatic settings. Could not be easier. It does have a video feature that we don’t use much… just okay… but if you are into video clips the “L” series higher in numbers offers more video resolution and capabilities. So there’s the long and short of it. We love it! Just something to consider. Small, light, easy to use, point and shoot, one hand operation, and great photos. After carrying around much bigger cameras for several years… the small Coolpix is a very welcome change for the better.  Feel like I’m free! and don’t have to lug around bulky equipment to get great everyday photos. So if you are undecided… check it out. For around $100… well… that’s easy to take too.

Easy to use and at a great price. Here’s a link to check it out!

http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-Coolpix-12-0MP-Digital-Accessory/dp/B003IDE2GO%3FSubscriptionId%3DAKIAJTNV63WMBUPD7NVA%26tag%3Dallartscotlan-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3DB003IDE2GO

Doomsday

Yet another Doomsday has come and gone. Guess we all dodged another bullet and the world as we know it is not coming to an end. How many doomsday predictions had I see in my lifetime… somewhere between 7-10 I think. Some were predicted by religious doctrine, some by ancient prophets, some by more modern day prophets, and some by… to put it simply… crackpots. But then again… no matter where the doomsday beliefs or predictions originate… they all fall into the crackpot bucket. So we have the doomsday Sayers… and all the people that don’t really have a life and looked to buy into in the doomsday belief of someone else… ‘cause they have nothing to look forward to other then the end of the world? Hard to believe that people have quit their jobs, left their families, sold all their stuff, gave away all their stuff, had ceremonies to prepare for the moment of the end, killed other people, killed themselves, or incited others to kill someone else. Irreversible tragedies that will change their lives forever and destroy families and the lives of others. I can honestly say that in a moment of idle daydreaming… the thought crossed my mind that if the world was in fact coming to an end… I could, before the end finally got here, take the charge cards, become a world traveler, enjoy whatever I wanted, eat steak, shrimp, and crab every meal, and wouldn’t have to worry about the bill when it came in. Being a more rational emotionally stable person that I am, I decide that without a bit more proof positive about the end of the world… maybe I shouldn’t get caught up into the whole doomsday thing… nor join the other crackpots in a self righteous condemnation of the world… but rather just sit back and enjoy the day as it unfolded into another wonderful day to be alive… having the belief that the world is far from perfect… but it was not going to end today! … someday… but not today! Funny how those things always seem to work out for the good. Wonder how all those people feel that quit their jobs and destroyed there lives feel today? Maybe they’ll seek the help that they so desperately need… but that too is a bit of wishful thinking on my part. Come on… they never get help… they’re just altering their plans and readjusting their mental outlook on the next doomsday prediction. Sorry folks… yall need to come up with another plan for life… not the end of it. For the rest of us… sorry to say… the bills are still coming… and you’ll still have to pay them. Life’s not perfect, but it is life! and I enjoy everyday… not really concerned about the past, not really worried about the future, just taking care of today. Life is sweet. Chicken Little is still alive, still running around claiming the sky is falling… all these many years later. So if you see him or the rest of the Doomsday Sayers… send them on their merry way with words if wisdom and encouragement… “Get a Life… and try living it”. As for me… like I said… I’m just enjoying today! Sound advise for all, but waste on the weak minded. We’re all gonna die… someday… but not all today! 

       

Update as of May 23rd. The revered religious leader that predicted that the world was going to end on May 21st has explained what went wrong… since we are all still here. After reviewing the calculations, it was determined that his math was faulty and off by 6 months. You’d think that for something as monumental as the End of the World… the math would have been double or triple checked. New calculations indicate that the world will now end on October 21st, 2011. So we all get a 6 months reprieve. Those that gave up everything… just sit tight, it’s on the way… just hang on for another 6 months. Those of us that didn’t take the prediction serious… well.. we all get another chance to change our mind. Lets see… if I plan it right… I can max out all the credit cards… do what I want… and come October… I don’t have to worry about it. Bonus… don’t have to do any early Christmas shopping. Second chances don’t come around too often… think about it. Oh, yes… just in case I’m being a bit too subtle… yes… I’m being sarcastic. But on a serious note… it was reported that this religious prophet is several millions richer over his predictions and all that resulted from them. So who’s the crazy here?   

Dinner and a Movie

You’ve all the hared the phrase “dinner and a movie”… well now you can… have dinner and a movie at the same time. The AMC theaters at Downtown Disney are offering you “seat service” right in the theater while you watch the movie.

The Dine-In Theater!

From burgers to entrees, sodas to wine.

Now you don’t have to worry about eating before the show and getting there on time, or being hungry after the show and fighting the crowds… enjoy it all at the same time. And the prices seem to be reasonable… considering you where you are… Disney. May just have to check it out when we get back! Enjoy! 

Supernatural Collage

Just a little something for all the Supernatural Fans…

PLEASE STAND BY:

PLEASE STAND BY…

Technical Difficulties

Too Hot – Too Windy – Too dry – Too Dusty

Wi-Fi Internet Signals Blowing in the Wind…

Don’t know how long we can transmit…

------[ S I L E N C E ] -----

We are currently working too hard…

(Possibly)

Playing too much…

(Probably)

Just too tired…

(Definitely)

have no internet…

(Sometimes)

can’t find my computer…

(Never a problem)

not creative at the moment…

(Not Likely)

or just plainly sleeping…

(Highly Probable)

or doing something else…

(you never know)

or nothing else…

(maybe I don’t know)

or maybe it’s a secret…

(I’ll never tell)

In Any Case… Please Stand By…

(at least for a while)

for future Blog Entries.

(just popping up)

Coming Soon…

(I hope)

or

Perhaps Later…

(“dismayed”)

So… Please Stand By.

(Thank You)

First & Last Thoughts

This is all about … the last thoughts at night… and the first thoughts of the morning. When I was younger lots of this occupied my thoughts. Mostly things that were troublesome… work, relationships, and things that in the whole scream of life, really didn’t mater too much. They kept me from going to sleep, they woke me up in the middle of the night, and they got me up in the morning before the alarm went off. Amazing how much things pray on your mind and occupy your thoughts. I sure this has happen to many of us. As I have gotten older most of the worries and stresses of life have faded away and seem almost insignificant. Looking back most seem as if they were a waste of time to think about… let alone loose sleep over. Getting older has some negatives… I don’t climb mountains anymore… literally or figuratively… but I do enjoy my last thoughts of the day and my waking thoughts in the morning. Almost without exception they are thoughts of my grandkids. Thoughts of all those precious moments of time shared together… everything from big special happenings to brushing your teeth together, watching a Tv show together or holding hands as they fell asleep.  Yep… it’s such a joy to hold all these memories as the most enjoyable moments of your life. 100% happy thoughts and feelings… then the thought of how much you miss seeing them. Never the less… an great way to fall asleep… and and even better way to wake up. I may be thousands of miles away ( not be choice )… but they are always just a thought away.

I guess you slow down to smell the roses of life’s best memories as you get older. Cherish past memories of times spent together… and wish you had more of them as time continues to slip away. You can’t get back time that is gone… and I always think how much more I could have done to get every second of out every moment shared together. Yep… ya always want more.

So… a little bit of insight from the most natural place in life… someone that’s “older & wiser” ( at least I hope so ). Make the most out of all those moments ( less the opportunity is gone forever )… continue to look for ways to invest time for moments shared together… think more about how to create more memories together… less about the stresses & worries of the world… you’ll be rewarded much more and have many more cherished memories… as time marches on… months… years… and before you know it… almost a lifetime.

That’s the last thing on my mind at night… and the first thing I think about as I wake. Not too bad at all. Sure do miss them…. Kayla, Brianna, and Lizzi.

If you’re younger… just stop to think about moments missed and memories lost… and make the most of every chance you get… worries of the world only leave you empty… precious moments give you cherished memories that last a lifetime. Use you time together….wisely.  

Yep… times have changed

Just one more way that times have changed….

Just a little something I found…

and considered it amusing!

Could you possibly imagine this ad being run today?

He’d be hanged with that necktie!

and this ad…

I think that a very large group of women would find the men responsible for this ad and show them how spirited and untamed they can be! Yearns… yes… they would yearn to run him down with that Subaru!

Just a little something for fun!

 

Jeopardy

Jeopardy ? … Kinda sounds that way… and the Categories are:

                   (called “Labels” on the Blog)

• Potpourri of Amusements
• Travel and Places
• Disneymania
• Philosophical look at things
• Family, Food, & Fun with Photos
• Wishful Thinking

Maybe that’s because I enjoy Jeopardy… or maybe that most things in life can fall into Jeopardy Categories… or is it that Jeopardy categories cover most things in life… either way it’s good. In any event that’s how I “label” my blog entries. It makes certain groups of topics easier to find… and since my entries tend to go in almost any direction, and you never know what you might find here… the “labels” help direct you to certain groups of a similar topics.

Other “Labels”of topics include:  

• Disney info (Tickets, being a cast member etc)
• Full-time Rving
• Day to Day Life
• Computer Stuff
• Politics – A Four Letter Word
• Whatcha do for Fun
• But Seriously (rare serious moments… and I do mean rare)

Yep… ya just never know what you will find here.

To explore by “labels”… just use the directory on the right (towards the top). You’ll see entries by Blog Archive (by dates published) and by labels (topics published). Hope you enjoy them all.

By the way… why aren’t you blogging. Great way to stay in touch with family and friends. It’s easy, it’s free, and what you post is easy to find and posted forever (or until you edit or delete it). Facebook is more for the moment… A Blog is forever! … and easy to find older entries. Think about it… and if you decide to blog… I’d love to read your “words of wisdom, flights of fantasy, or moments of levity”. I enjoy the thought of not only communicating with my family and friends, but that I just might make someone smile today… see something from a different perspective… toss up a thought provoking topic… or tell them something that they didn’t know that might be useful… but I’d settle for the smile as being reward enough. So if you have a blog, start a blog, or want to send me any of your comments… my blog email is : RvCampingToday@hotmail.com

Yall have a super day.

Additional Note: Just like Facebook… never put too much personal information on your blog. Full names, addresses, phone numbers, etc. Never tell your work places or schedules or when you are going away for vacation… ya never know who’s reading it that might have some wrong ideas. So where am I… could be almost anywhere… moving around the country in an Rv has that advantage… not easily found… unless I wanta be.

Story telling… telling stories… kinda all the same… they’re all semi true stories… believe them or not… I made up a few things … and there’s some I forgot (as the song goes)… but the life’s in the tellin’… and it’s all real to me… and they all seem to spring forth… and turn out to be… a semi true story. Enjoy!         

Summertime phews…

Arrived Texas last Wednesday…. comfortable 80/55 with breeze…. very nice. Monday… first day off… hit 97° here today… mostly sunny and very windy… gusts to 40 mph whipping up the very dry dusty roads into a cloud like a blizzard.

Here in Texas…

Orlando no better…

Worked outside this morning…

Resting inside this afternoon…

Finish up outside this evening…

Go for a golf cart ride, collect some firewood… I know… firewood?… just in case we want to start a campfire one evening… not that we are going to sit too close…. 15 feet away just to set the mood.

So… summer is here for us… enjoy the spring while you can where ever you are… the hot stuff is coming your way. Stay cool.

Texas Home

Getting settled into our new home for a while… Lone Star Yogi Campground located in Waller Texas about 35 miles northwest of Houston. We got a Big Welcome from the 3 bears… no… not those 3 bears… these 3 bears… Yogi, Cindy, and BooBoo!

Just finished first weekend and had a wonderful time working… I use the term working cause I have to be someplace at a certain time and have fun with the big kids and the little kids… so it’s more like getting paid to play… but don’t tell anyone. The Managers and assistant managers are great, the staff is great, and the guests are really nice… best of everything you could want. The park is to say the least… outstanding.

This past weekend they estimated that we had over 1,000 guests here… campers, cabins, and day use… busy, busy, busy… ca-ching! Where to begin ?

Amenities:

• Ranger Station and big camp store – has everything… plus more!
• Lots of pull thru sites, everything 50amp full hookup- over 200 total sites.
• Vast tent camping areas with water and electric
• Bathhouses and laundry rooms  
• Adult pool, deck and chairs
• Family pool complex, deck and chairs with umbrellas
• Lifeguards at the pools and slides 
• Kids Water World Pool Park with small slides and tubes, water falls, water cannons, and everything that shots water everywhere… fun time … all the time. 
• Serpentine water slide
• Big Alpine racer waterslide (6 lanes)
• Cafe by the pool… pizza, wings, sodas and snacks
• Large Craft room, kids corner, 3 - 60 plasma tv’s and dvd system
• Kitchen & large dinning clubhouse room ( pot lucks – pancakes breakfast etc )
• Yogi Stage & Karaoke system… really rocks!
• Outdoor billboard DVD Movie system with logs for seats, and lawn for chairs, and a drive up golf cart area…. just like a drive-in movie!
• Petting zoo with animals
• Volleyball courts
• Tennis court
• Basketball court
• Dragon Slide ( large blowup kids slide )
• Game room with shooting gallery
• Comfy Room playland for small kids
• Shaded sites – Open pull thru sites
• Fishing Lake
• Cabins on the Lake, in the woods, and everywhere else (71 total)
• Carnival Snack stand – Funnel cakes, cotton candy, popcorn, nachos etc
• Horseshoe pits
• Golf cart rentals and golf cart trails in the woods and fields
• Mini golf
• Lots of open spaces to roam… walking trails.
• Expansion project to add 60+ more cabins, another water park pool complex, plus 60 more camping sites
• and the Bears… Yogi, Cindy, and BooBoo… that come out to play everyday.
• Plus the soon to be expanded Activities Programs

Wow… don’t think I missed anything… the park is big, fabulous, and total awesome! … unbelievable!

 

New Place to call Home…

Just a quick entry….new place to call home for a while…

(more pics and info to follow)

So where are we?

T E X A S

Waller, Texas to be more precise. About 35 miles north west of Houston…. out on route 290… pretty much in the middle of no where. Our travels started in Orlando… we said all our goodbyes to Mickey & Minnie… stopped off in the Florida panhandle for 10 days … vacation and to see family and friends… than 630 mile, two day trip to Texas.

Additional notes:

• The roads in Louisiana have gotten better since our last trip
• I don’t like road construction… especially in Texas
• I really don’t like big cities… Baton Rouge & Houston (ruff patched bumpy concrete roads)
• Houston traffic at 1pm was bad enough, can’t imagine 4-6pm rush traffic
• Never seen so much lost stuff along the road… ice coolers, ladders, Rv sewer hoses
• Armadillos have got to be the dumbest animals alive… or should I say dead.
• yes… I knew Texas is flat… but it’s really FLAT! … see forever! talk about long straight roads.

First night here, as usual, went out for dinner… I think a real “Texas Road House”. Not the ones in the movies, and not Logan’s or Lone Star. Just like it’s called… a road house. Except is wasn’t really a house… kinda like a barn/shed/storage type building that was built in the civil war and added to over the years… hence the many different colors and materials that were reused from other old previously torn down buildings… if you get the picture. Getting there was, by luck, easy, but a guessing game, good thing we guessed right… no street name signs… well, some, they tell you the road your on…but I’ve already guessed this one… and the crossroads… just another guess. Old 1¾ lane roads once paved and now patched for 30 years run straight and true. But it’s still all good! But back to the Roadhouse. Now I really know the meaning of the word “Rustic”. The primary construction materials were old weathered boards and older rust encrusted corrugated steel panels…. but on a positive note… the floor was concrete and not dirt. Somewhat little comfort if you ventured to think about how many cows or horses had previously used this same floor. But it did kinda clean up nice verses first impressions and retrospective thoughts. Neon country signs, and neon beer signs decorated the walls… as did numerous animal heads, deer, turkey, owl, beaver, lynx, wild boar, and large rabbit mythical creature with antlers known as a Jackalope, and some things that I couldn’t venture a guess as to what they once were. Old photos of the wild west, also heavily varnished completed the decor. Old farm tools… the kind from horror movies… hung from the ceiling… rescued from a rusting existence in some old barn… but than again… they were still rusting in some old barn. The tables were plywood, but varnished, but the lights of a “modern age” gave you a sense of normalcy. The friendly staff and real Coca-Cola added to the sense that you were some place a bit more familiar… and not in a country Twilight Zone.  Not many people there yet, but it was a bit early. I had the sense that shorts and a Disney T-Shirt SCREAMED that I wasn’t from here (go figure) …. the Disney Croc’s were a dead give away too… and all brought on similar stares. I half way expected that some big old boy would come over to exclaim that were weren’t from here and I was sitting at “his” table. The only thing left to confirm my illusions of a Texas Road house was bar fight… but I think that is planned for Friday or Saturday night. Getting back to dinner… we got the special… the chicken fried steak special. It came with real mashed potatoes including the lumps, real fresh green beans, and white gravy on everything… and of course, the Texas toast. The small was a piece of steak about 4x8 inches… the large was two pieces… wow… great dinner tonight… and lunch tomorrow! Good home cookin’. We told our waitress we were from the campground… she said lots of people from the campground come here… only two places in town… here, and the Mexican place where everyone gets sick the next day… guess that settles that question. All in all, two great cooler drive days, glad to be here, settled in the site, and went exploring the campground via the golf cart… beautiful evening… and lots of nice folks here. Looking forward to new places, new adventures, and new friends.  I was advised that if I couldn’t say “howdy” properly… I should just stick to “hello” … without the “How-r-ya”… no doubt good advise… and I need to get a cowboy hat… not that it would help much. Must be a whole accent thing… what accent?  Should be a busy weekend… park completely booked, 1000 people expected… so much for a slow, ease into it thing. Off Monday & Tuesday… think I’ll need it. More to follow. Enjoy your day!

Additional note: Funny how our mom’s and grand mom’s tried desperately to get the lumps out of the mashed potatoes… now we look for the lumps so we know that they are “real” mashed potatoes. Times change.                 

Sunset King Visit…

Had a wonderful time visiting family and old friends at Sunset King…

Planned to do a Facebook Home Page for the Resort Members…

brought it up at a meeting… seemed to be little or no interest.

( shot down )

Might have been nice way to keep in touch…

guess it was not meant to be…

( deactivate/cancel account )