Medical

There's lots of reasons why you loose interest in writing and sharing. Some might be emotional or simply not being inspired. My current medical issues seem to be over shadowing the desire to post right now. Total knee replacement,  kidney stone surgery,  and complications are definitely affecting my desire to write & post.
Hopefully, if you enjoy my postings and photos , you will go back in time to my older posts spanning some 2,200 entries since 2008. Wow, that hardly seems possible.
So on those rainy days or quiet late evenings when you have nothing better to do, there's always something amusing you might find going back in time on my blog. Thanks for reading. Hopefully I will return to my normal inspired self, and feel inspired once again. Y'all be good... be safe...and feel healthy.

Underground escape

Underground escape. Even in the midst of winter there's still some things to do outside. Here in Virginia there's a host of caverns to visit and once you are in the caverns, the temperature,  which is the same all year round,  you can leave the winter blues above ground. Plus its not tourist season, so there are no crowds.  The groups are smaller and the guides seemed to be less rushed and are usually more informative. And the caverns beauty is yours to enjoy. 

How good?

How good could it be ?
Now perhaps it's just me... And perhaps I've gotten to that age where almost everything is OMG, how much it that? You've gotta be shiting me!
But still... OMG... cupcakes $4.99 & $5.99... for one cupcake.
Apples... okay, gourmet apples on a stick $11.99 & $13.99
So how good can they be? Personally... They can't be that good.
Yes,  I know its Disney,  and you always pay more,  for everything.
So a family of four get one snack each... $30 - $45... plus drinks.
Wow... I'm getting really old fast looking at some of these prices.
But it's Disney. Just thinking that you can easily spend as much snacks & drinks as it cost you to get into the park. Not counting meals which could easily cost you 2 times the cost of park tickets. Plus Merchandise and keepsakes... Boggles the mind.
But it is, what it is. 

Note: I write a lot of good positive posts about Disney,  but sometimes the negative stuff needs to be mentioned. It's not all gumdrops & roses.

Never forgiven

Never forgiven. Many things over the years at Disney have come and gone.  Attractions and shows as well a special promotional events like the Riverboat Show for the Princess & the Frog. Spectacular little show that you knew was going to be short term, but wish it ran a bit longer. Attractions, rides, and shows of which many have come and gone... some missed, some not so much. We all enjoyed them time and time again and were in various degrees of sadness to see them go, but that sadness passed quickly. Then there were the major things that were eliminated. The Christmas lights in Epcot... the giant trestles that completely covered the walkway from FutureWorld to World Showcase... side to side, from one end of the walkway to the other... lit with thousands of lights timed to the music. Very dramatic and somewhat  mesmerizing. Came down one year after Christmas and never returned. The rumored reason was that the bulbs were failing and outdated. Really, the power of Disney couldn't replace the bulbs with new technology? This was strictly a matter of cost cutting. That Christmas barely only 50% of the previous years decorations went up. I almost never got over this. Then there was the elimination of Studios Osborne Christmas lights. Another huge disappointment. This only added to the feeling that too many spectacular things were eliminated as cost cutting measures. Paying more to go to and enjoy Disney Magic, but some of the most magical things were being discontinued. Yes, I know things change... old things are gone,  and new things replace them. But these were major attractions that were never replace. They were seemingly simply thrown away despite overwhelming guest enjoyment.
The most disappointing thing ever eliminated at Disney was the Spectacular night time light parade SpectroMagic. For me, the stale Electric Light Parade was replaced with SpectroMagic and this was hands down the most spectacular night time parade at Magic Kingdom. Absolutely over the top with a wonderful mix of music, lights, floats, characters, and themes. The parade was done twice each night at 9 & 11pm with the fireworks show "Wishes" at 10pm. Each show was a huge guest favorite and drew huge crowds. We could watch it over and over again when we went into the park. Simply could not get enough of it, no matter how many times we had seen it. This too was eliminated and to make it worse, it was replaced by the Electric Light Parade which was already a stale night time parade from years earlier. This too was stop eventually and there has not been a night time parade at Magic Kingdom for several years. No doubt another cost cutting measure.
SpectroMagic... I don't think I'll ever forgive Disney for eliminating this beloved parade. Some things I will never get over... and this is one of them. As prices continue to escalate, it surely rings true... we are all paying more and more and getting less magic, under the cost cutting banner of making more money.
For us, I'm an so glad we got to enjoy the Disney Magic during what we call the sweet spot... 2003 - 2012. It will never be the same for us again... overshadowed by the disappointment of things that were eliminated. No matter how many new things are available,  and old favorites remain, the Magic will always be tarnished  by what was lost. Not a good feeling.   You can see videos of SpectroMagic on YouTube. This will give you some idea of what once was... but the video can never have you experience the grandeur of actually experiencing the parade first had.
Nope... I'll never get over this... and never forgive Disney for this one. 

Full time rving

Full time rving is a great lifestyle.  The adventure of going to new places,  meeting new people,  doing new things, having new experiences... it goes beyond all of our expectations.  Traveling since 2003 has been the experience of a lifetime.  Currently we are stationary due to medical issues, so posts about traveling will be from past experiences, except for local excursions.  But I can say, we have had the times of our lives. Lived more, done more,  experienced more in the last 16 years than in the first 33 of my working life. So many memories.  So if rving is your dream,  your passion, plan for it, and go for it.

Disney Skyliner

Disney Skyliner service to begin in the fall seems to be well underway. Here's some information from some of my favorite Facebook sites.  Interesting reading.

Figure it out

Figure it out... yes.... yes I did.
Most other people... not so much.

SNP Skyline Drive

Shenandoah National Park Skyline Drive.
One of my favorite places to visit. Now has a new app that looks to be very useful when visiting the park.  Can't wait to go up on the mountain and try it out.

Changes at Disney

If there is one thing that is a constant,  there are always ongoing changes at Disney  World. Most times it seems that when new things are added some old things say goodbye.  Sometimes the things that are eliminated seem to have nothing to do with the latest progress.  But there will always be something new to see as the years pass by. Seeing many of these changes over the years sometimes you wonder how they spend so much time and money changing something that was good to start with. But then there the projects that add to the parks enjoyment.  Lots of changes,  massive changes coming to Disney World are in the works.  One of those changes is to the entrance to Epcot. Here's some  "shares" from some of my favorite Facebook sites. 

Note... there has been speculation that the monoliths will be one moved forward outside the entrance gates. 

Upcoming event

If you are somewhat local to the northern Virginia area... and what to experience life size dinosaurs... Here's an event that may be perfect for you.

I'd live here...

I'd live here... oh, wait...no internet... ah, okay...maybe for a while. I mean some each day. Wait,  no cable...ahhhh...ahhhh.  Okay, yes... maybe even some entire days ... Just to get away.  Wait... No cell service?... ( thinking ) .... (still thinking)... sure. Quick visits would work... Sometimes. I mean,  I can certainly live without phones, internet, and cable... For a while.  OMG... ( anxiety setting in ). I'll have to think about this...

Looks good !

Looks good... And some, not so much.
Table service food at Disney... We all can probably agree,  most food at Disney is a roller coaster of looks good & tastes good verses doesn't look too good & hope it tastes better than it looks. Pricing aside, the old saying,  you get what you pay for,  needs to be adjusted for theme park value & economics. You pay more for what you get, which is probably less than expected,  or you pay above more than expected to get something that looks good and tastes good.  Of course there are exceptions when you can get surprised and pay less and get more... Then there's still the pay even more and be disappointed.  Some Disney restaurants are consistently good, some consistency not so good ( average at best), and add to this guessing game,  those that are good one time, and questionable the next.  I even hesitate to make recommendations because things change so fast. Eat someplace several times and get great food... Return with friends and be disappointed. Here's some photos from table service restaurants... So you be the judge of what looks good verses what is questionable. It's a hit or miss situation.  Generally the more premium restaurants do a better job consistently,  and those in the resort hotels are usually better than those in the parks. We go out of our way to enjoy better meals at the resorts.

and the not so appealing...

Disney food

Disney food... There's a lot you could say about food at Disney.  Some is good... Most is average at best... Some is, well, if this was an outside restaurant, they'd go out of business in short order. Some places are consistent,  good or not so good,  but must follow a pattern... Good for a while,  then not so good,  then good again... It's an up and down cycle.
Feeding the masses in a fast food fashion generally means preparation in advance of demand. So most things are keep warm before being served.  Nothing is really hot,  especially the fries. And things change over time.  Here's a good example. Magic Kingdom... Fantasyland... Gaston's ! In the beginning the cinnamon buns were big, hot, loaded with cinnamon,  and smothered in caramel & white icing... Absolutely the best. With time, they were served barely warm with noticeably less cinnamon and less icings. And eventually served where the magic was gone. Of course,  if you were not there for the entire time to see the transition, you wouldn't know the difference, or how far something has gone from what to once was. This was one of my favorites that simply went so terribly wrong. Change is not always for the better. But when you have a captive audience... You don't really have to be that good. 
Disney does many things consistently good... Food as a whole is not one of them.

Sunrise over history

Sunrise over history. The American civil war. Regardless of the primary cause of the war,  the slavery issue was not the reason why 600,000 soldiers fought and died. The overwhelming vast majority,  some estimate 97 percent, were not fighting to either free the slaves or preserve slavery. Besides, we are talking 165 years ago and  regardless the issues, it's history, no matter how you viewed the war, its causes, and those that fought... It's history. Civil war monuments and battlefields are a remembrance of all those that fought, and all those that died, for something that they believed in... which had nothing to do with slavery. The slavery issue, as attributed to the cause of the war, was the sole motivation of the southern politicians and the wealthy plantation owners. Getting the southern soldiers to fight was attributed to clever propaganda of the Southern leaders to convince them that they were fighting against the northern government and their rule of tyranny that would change the southern way of life affecting their families and communities. It's a strategy that worked for the southern leaders.
Remembering those battles and the soldiers that fought them is not a confirmation of the slavery issue, that's not why they fought.  And it was, and still is, an American tragedy. Remembering them today is to honor their sacrifice,  many if whom died and are buried in graves as unknowns... stripped of their last bit of their personal humanity. The countless that survived the war having lost arms or legs, and the countless lives that were changed because of the war is staggering. The losses were tragic. So year after year, with solemn thoughts, they are remembered. Sunrise over the battle fields is a time of reflection and remembrance... For those that shaped a nation.