Sunrise

Sunrise... beautiful start to the day. Everyday is a new discovery...sometimes first hand with nature... sometimes discovering and learning about new things via the internet... the modern day library. Sometimes the simple joy of watching the birds at the feeder while enjoying a peaceful morning and the springtime breeze.

Disney food

Disney is always updating and changing its food choices at the parks.  Not to say that it's for the better.  The idea or concept usually seems like a good idea... But the actual offerings are generally almost always disappointing to say the least. Counter service restaurants are rarely better than expected. On average simply average,  and as usual most are not too good, despite the never ending price increases. And when you find a good service counter menu,  rest assured that it will change for the not so good very soon. But it's amusement park food, and despite being Disney,  there is no "magic" when it comes to food. Here's one of the new menu items.  Sliced beef sandwich.  Notice the menu board photo at $12.99 verses the actual product being served. Sad... very sad. But you judge it for yourself.  Above premium pricing for sub standard product. Among the many hit and miss counter service locations, this was definitely and miss.

Happy Easter

Happy Easter

Speaking of...

Speaking of... cupcakes. In true Disney fashion, they never miss any opportunity to cover all the bases down to every detail of any themed event or happening.  It's been the craze for years,  but now the efforts to create more and more themed cupcakes is in your face everywhere. And why not,  everyone loves cupcakes... And you could never get bored with the unlimited selections. Why so many cupcakes? To give you something special that you,  and your kids can not resist. It's a great treat for any time of the day... They're fun & delicious... And... Not too bad a deal for Disney. Ranging in price from $5.49 to $5.99 for each cupcake... The profits add up quickly.  Along with every other possible thing you can enjoy & buy at the parks. But,  is all in great family fun. And, the cupcakes are indeed fun. Much more fun than the 50 cent version at Walmart.

Easter Disney Style

Easter... Disney style. As with any holiday,  Disney never misses a chance to build in a theme to your visit.  Decorations, themed characters, and of course...cupcakes! Hope everyone has a great holiday weekend. 

Easter

Wishing everyone a great holiday weekend.  Family, food, and fun. We're making a traditional dinner with ham as the main highlight.  Nice ham,  baked with honey, brown sugar,  pineapple juice, and cloves... Trimmed with pineapple rings and cherries. Sweet potato casserole made with apples, brown sugar,  honey,  and cinnamon.  Simply veggies round out the menu with home made bread.  Okay... Probably not home made bread.  With the click of a mouse,  I found this old... Okay,  very old photo from ... Oh my goodness... 59 years ago. This hardly seems possible.  Easter 1960. I still remember it clearly... I hated those shoes, pants, shirt & bow tie, jacket, and that hat.  I think I remember... the socks were okay. Easter outfits... Not my favorite thing... But the candy was delicious.  Hope y'all have a great holiday.  Be safe and go ahead... Eat until you are ready to burst.

Yesteryear

Being older, we always think of all the things that were better when we were kids growing up.  So much better than today. Long before they found ways to make things cheaper and smaller, and with more artificial ingredients. But looking back,  some things were not really too good to being with...even though we didn't totally realize it at that time. Before microwave ovens, meals were a process, then came along tv dinners. Out of the package, into the oven,  ready to eat. Dad worked, mom worked,  and TV dinners were a quick & easy meal. Can I count the many ways that I hated them? The meat was barely okay, but the veggies were always the worse. I remember them costing 39 cents and later 2/$1. Then there was pot pies at 4/$1. What happened to home cooked meals? So... Not everything was better as a kid. Over 55-60... You know what I mean.

A Life on the Road

A Life on the Road... Priceless!

I truly can not imagine my life with out Shelly. In a few months we will have been together for twenty years. She is, and has been the joy of my life. Sharing a wonderful life together... all the memories and adventures... priceless! Thinking back to all the places,  the memories, and all the people we have met in our adventures while full time thing since 2003. Absolutely priceless! Feel like we have had a charmed life.... truly charmed!  Full time Rving... Some people thought we were crazy. Some thought it was a dream life, but would probably never do it themselves. Few people have known the joy of simply driving off into the sunset looking for new adventures. Not a single regret for anything. Not a case in the world. Simply the best way to experience new places and meet new friends. Go where you want... and stay as long as you like. Memories beyond imagination.  I've kept a blog of our adventures, now with over 2,000 entries. If nothing more,  something for us to look back on to bring up memories,  and something for the grand kids to someday look at to get a bit more insight into its and how we lived and loved life together. Maybe good reading on a rainy day.  Y'all have a great day. Be happy and enjoy life.

Don't miss this

Not to be missed... The Monsters Inc Laugh Floor.

James Madison

It's was too pretty a day to stay home,  so we went for a ride top visit the home of James Madison in Virginia.  Very interesting tour of the house and its history.  Photo #1 was the boyhood home of Madison.  His father built the family home on a land grant of 2600 acres and was a tobacco plantation. It was a fraction of what you see today... just imagine the photo minus the columns and the portico. Later as James grew up and married,  he added the second section, photo #2 to the building as two separate residences. Later after his parents passed, James knocked doorways connecting the two into one residence. The center doorway (double doors) replaced the original windows to created a main entrance.  As James progressed in politics to later become president, the house was expanded on both sides (photos #3), and the new main entrance provided straight access to the main greeting room for reception of public figures and dignitaries. The columns and a wide portico was added to complete the look of a finished mansion. Quite impressive. You would never know that it wasn't all built at the same time. The inside was decorated with period pieces and room decor as described in written documents of the time... giving you a good feel for how it appeared during the life of our 4th President. Quite interesting. We scheduled a tour at 1pm and got lucky that no one else booked the time slot... as we had a private guided tour, just for us! Lots of great information and interesting period artifacts to see. Here's a few photos. The view of the country side is front the front portico (porch) looking out over some of the 2600 acres towards the Blue Ridge mountains in the distance.

For what it's worth...

For what is worth...

What is...

What is...

Not Hawaii

Not Hawaii... But Disney Magic can make it special.

Recovery

8 weeks ago... Total knee replacement.  My recovery is going along pretty good... So much so that I was willing and able to join a local hiking club. So... I'll seeya when I get there. They even have cool shirts.

Nighttime Adventure

How about a little nighttime Adventure?

Missing...

Missing southern coastal foods. Yum.