Canadian Buffoon's Semi-EPIC Vacation - 10/29 - Link to new TR!

[pkondz]

Frantically trying to get caught up today, and if that happens, I'll post the best of the crop on my thread.

Looking forward to it!

 

[Steppesister]

Finally feeling caught up, so thought I'd come back and quote some:

Yeah, that'll work. Now just have
to wait for a monorail to come by
to complete the...

You'd die waiting. I almost did once. I was patient another time earlier in the day and survived WITH one.

But... yes... food.
I grabbed a Crispy Citrus Chicken
with Orange Aïoli and Baby Greens
while Elle tried the Lobster Tail
with Meyer Lemon Emulsion and
Grilled Lemon.
She loved it. And was her favourite
item of the day.

I LOVED that kiosk!

So the garlic spread detracted instead
of enhanced.
Also... it was cold.

So my question is: why was there foil on it if it was supposed to be cold. Non sequitor.

We stopped at La Isla Fresca
and snagged a Tropical Freeze.

I tried that and loved it too.

Choza de Margarita and
just had to have some.

Pass on the guac, but man... their empanadas are to die for. Totes getting some in Sept!

They were everywhere!
Worst I've ever seen.

They were disgusting!

Death, by hot sauce.
What a way to go.
Circle of life.

Slow clap.

We continued on and these butterfly
houses caught my eye, outside of Germany.
I fashioned an eye patch out of some
paper napkins and took a look with
the one eye I had left.

Slower clap.

Am I the only one who thinks this guy looks like Data from Trek?

And no one can pass by the little
model railroad and village in Germany
without stopping.
It's just not possible.

Simply not possible.

We moved on and paused for a minute
or two to watch the juggler in Italy.

Boooooooooooooooooring.

They're so good. Love hearing them.

Me too. Unsurpassed talent.

I had to stop and admire this young
Bougainvillea bonsai.
It was easily one of the prettiest
I'd ever seen.

I'd agree! So pretty!

This is one of my favourite attractions
in World Showcase.
It's air conditioned... and has seats.
Oh, and there's a movie or something.

Shush. It's a wonderful movie! My fave of them in WS. The soundtrack is so lovely!

Once at the resort, I grabbed my
camera and tripod and headed
out to shoot some resort photos.

Is that the thing you put a camera on?


And.... you took some lovely ones too! These 2 are my favorite.

Fun update!

 

[pkondz]

Finally feeling caught up, so thought I'd come back and quote some:

Welcome back!

You'd die waiting. I almost did once. I was patient another time earlier in the day and survived WITH one.

I almost did die.
I waited and waited...
and when I burst into flames,
Elle doused me with water
just in the nick of time.

I LOVED that kiosk!

I'm pretty sure it was my fave.

So my question is: why was there foil on it if it was supposed to be cold. Non sequitor.

To keep your hand
from freezing, of course.

I tried that and loved it too.

It was very refreshing.

Pass on the guac, but man... their empanadas are to die for. Totes getting some in Sept!

Thanks for the tip!

Slow clap.

Thank you. Try the veal.

Slower clap.

Slower as in stopping
and shaking your head
in disgust and dismay?

Am I the only one who thinks this guy looks like Data from Trek?

Not one of Disney's better
efforts in the animatronic
department.

Simply not possible.

Nope!

Boooooooooooooooooring.

Very.
I have no idea why he's still there.

Me too. Unsurpassed talent.

Really enjoyed them.

Shush. It's a wonderful movie! My fave of them in WS. The soundtrack is so lovely!

Well, to tell the truth...
When they fly over Versailles
and when you see Mont St. Michel
for the first time...
Wow.

Is that the thing you put a camera on?

I still can't believe she said that!

And.... you took some lovely ones too! These 2 are my favorite.

Thank you!

Fun update!

Thanks, Liesa!

 

[Tracy161]

Well, to be fair... it's only on
page 26 right now.

(But don't blink. That'll change.)

Oh. Well, I was roughly 24 pages behind then

 

[pkondz]

Oh. Well, I was roughly 24 pages behind then

But you're all caught up now!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Our first stop, the Citrus Blossom.
Kay (DD18) had asked for the
souvenir Orange Bird cup, so...

It's such a cute beverage holder! I do think you're the first one who seemed to enjoy the drink that came inside, but I'm glad you liked it!

I grabbed a Crispy Citrus Chicken
with Orange Aïoli and Baby Greens
while Elle tried the Lobster Tail
with Meyer Lemon Emulsion and
Grilled Lemon.

OH. MY. GOODNESS. These both look incredible - but the lobster may have the edge! If they still have this next year I HAVE to get it!

I was right. It couldn't be better.
It was downright awful.

Oh, no! I agree that it sounds tasty (I LOVE garlic!), but also do agree that fresh corn is best with only butter and salt. I find that it's tough for restaurants to provide hot corn on the cob - I almost never order it and prefer to make it myself. Also, living in the Midwest, you can't beat super fresh sweet corn!

I snagged my VIP weather card
and waved it angrily in the air
and it immediately stopped raining.

I'm not kidding. It was that fast.

You are incredible.

Circle of life.

Nicely played.

I still don't know how we did it.
I still don't know why we did it.

Seriously, what on earth were you thinking?! Why didn't you get even just a small bag of caramel corn for later?!?!

This is one of my favourite attractions
in World Showcase.

WHAT?! What about O' Canada?!

We stopped in Canada
and watched O Canada, okay?
I always enjoy that show.

Okay. That's better.

Wait... I saw that Tracy posted that they're updating this?! I LOVE this film! I hope it's just as funny and charming as the current one!

There was an eleven minute wait
until the next show.
I took this photo, because it
encapsulates fathers everywhere,
but especially at Disney:

I don't know that many moms would lie down on the floor, but I think this illustrates many parents at Disney.

We had an ADR at Teppan Edo!

Fun! I haven't been there in years as I've found so many other favorites, but I'd love to try it again when my daughter is older (and I wouldn't sit through the meal terrified that she would burn herself on the tabletop).

When he served the appetizer,
he deadpan said. "Bon Appetit, eh?"

That's awesome! I think most of the cooks at Teppan Edo are great, but he sounds especially great!

Photopass was working this time.
It would appear that we enjoyed the ride.

Great picture - you both look so happy!

It's too bad you weren't looking toward the camera, but as you were maybe talking with your daughter so I'll give you a pass.

"Sorry to bother you, but the room
directly below you is reporting
water leaking from the ceiling."

Oh, no! I'm glad your room didn't have any damage, but YES I hope those poor folks got upgraded when they moved rooms! (At least, I hoped they moved them!)

 

[Tracy161]

But you're all caught up now!

We'll see how long that lasts!

 

[Steppesister]

I almost did die.
I waited and waited...
and when I burst into flames,
Elle doused me with water
just in the nick of time.

You could have just jumped in the water.

To keep your hand
from freezing, of course.

I'm not sure, but I've heard metal is an excellent conductor.

Thank you. Try the veal.

Come to think of it, I do believe you cannot get veal ANYWHERE on Disney property. Animal rights issue, I suppose.

Slower as in stopping
and shaking your head
in disgust and dismay?

Close.

Not one of Disney's better
efforts in the animatronic
department.

Very.
I have no idea why he's still there.

Frankly, me neither. They used to have the COOLEST mimes in there with the Venetian masks. They were so fun and interactive.

Well, to tell the truth...
When they fly over Versailles
and when you see Mont St. Michel
for the first time...
Wow.

See?! I knew I could get you to 'fess up.

 

[vamassey1]

Someday.
We've talked about NOLA
quite a bit.
Even recently.
But it just hasn't happened.

May just decide to go on my own again.

I hope you make it down there.

 

[Kiotzu]

Lobster Tail
with Meyer Lemon Emulsion and
Grilled Lemon.

It looks delicious!

We both love corn on the cob.
And it couldn't be anything but
better with garlic spread on it, right?

Corn on the cob is one of my summer favourites but it should be simple.

Butter. And salt.

See! SEE! I was right, nothing like butter and salt and I add a little pepper.

Did I mention yet, the love bugs?

I don't remember these but I googled them, sound like they are not fun are certain times of the year better for them?

The entire display was glued solid.

Does that take away from the magic of it the garden?

They asked if they needed to send
someone to clean anything up.
I assured her that we were fine,

The first time I read this I read like you fell asleep on the bed and forgot to turn off the water. I'm glad that is not what happened.

 

[Pluto0809]

I didn't find the poke painful at all.
Then again, maybe I was just sitting right.

I seem to have bad luck with those kind of things so I avoid them if possible. One time I got a big bruise on my shoulder from the old Tomorrowland Stitch ride. I did ride it again after that but I made sure that I sat up very straight when the bars came down and then slouched a bit afterwards so they didn't hit me as hard when Stitch "jumped" on you.

Painful?
Too jerky?

For some reason I can't seem to hold my head as still as I need to on bigger coasters and I get knocked around and come off with a headache sometimes.

It was good.
But the lobster was better.

I did want to try the lobster but being by myself, I couldn't carry both dishes and a bottle of water. So I started with the chicken with the intent of going back for the lobster. I was a bit too full from the chicken though and never made it back to try the lobster.

What about chocolate?
I had an amazing Rice Krispie
cake dipped in chocolate there.

Hmmm, I've never actually gone in the store and looked at the case because it's always too crowded. From all the pictures I've seen, I just assumed that every item had caramel of some sort. I may have to take a closer look in the future.

 

[AggieDizzer]

First off... to the TR!
It's a really nice resort, isn't it?
Where abouts were you?
Do you remember your building number?


We were in building 22, overlooking the 6th hole of the Lake Buena Vista golf course. I am enjoying your report - it is very well done!!

 

[thumper*]

YAY I'm here and it's only 28 pages in.

I could've sworn I heard
a faint burp as the last
bag disappeared from view.

I see it

I see it and those were the only 2 I saw

OOOOHHHHHH thanks for thinking of me. I think Thumper is laughing cause you took a picture of Bambi's butt.

Eventually, my head grew heavy
and my sight grew dim.

I thought you weren't suppose to be bringing pot into the US.

 

[docsoliday1]

I don't remember these but I googled them, sound like they are not fun are certain times of the year better for them?

I was going to say the question should be are certain times of the year worse for them, but then thought about it a bit more...

For them, they're generally mating and very prolific in late April/early May, so...that's better for them.
Worse for us.

You said you already searched, so you probably know (or for those who haven't searched the web) the reason they're called love bugs is they mate may attaching to their partner and flying in tandem. So...if you ever see a single love bug either they've not found a mate or they're done.

Car windshields and fronts of cars hate them more than we do. They're a pain to clean off. Unfortunately, that's really the only thing that kills them off...they have no natural predators. (that I'm aware of)

 

[pkondz]

A Little Bit Campy

A quick real-life update
just for fun.

A few weeks ago, Kay,
my youngest DD(18),
asked if we could go
camping for a couple days
at the lake we like to frequent.

Arm sufficiently twisted
(matches my mind)
I acquiesced, and plans were
made to head out late
Sunday afternoon and return
Monday evening.

As the departure date approached,
the forecast started looking less
and less favourable.
We changed our plans somewhat
and decided to head out Sunday
mid-morning and do that day,
what we thought we'd do Monday.
We'd return sometime on Monday,
hopefully avoiding any forecast
thunderstorms.


On Saturday, I spent some time
cooking up some Rice Krispie squares,
potato salad and chopping veggies.
A bit of shopping for a few other
necessities (i.e. chips) and we were set.

Sunday morning and the weather is fine!
Gorgeous day with a low of 70F/21C
and later it warmed up nicely to a
sunny 84F/29C.
Since we rarely have humid days,
those temps are just this side of perfect.
No... they're perfect.

The drive out to West Hawk Lake
takes about an hour and a half.
We arrived somewhen around one pm-ish.
We were here to kick back and relax.
so keeping close track of time wasn't
high on the list of priorities.


We didn't have a list of priorities.


We wandered over to the marina
and plunked down the credit card
to rent a couple of kayaks for half
a day.

We headed out with our first goal
of reaching Peanut Island.
This is a vast island a few hundred
yards offshore that harbours a
huge quantity of flora and fauna.

This shot, from the water,
gives you an idea of the
surrounding area.
Sorry for the not-so-great photos,
I was shooting with my phone
through a waterproof phone pouch.

Not long after taking that photo,
we arrived at Peanut Island.

I may have exaggerated a bit
when I said it was "vast".
But it is an island.

And it does have flora and fauna.
See? I count at least three trees,
(one of which was dead... details)
and I saw at least one spider.
So... totally justified.


We pulled the kayaks up onto
some rocks and went ashore.

The weird thing was
(and I didn't find this out
until later) was that there
was cell reception out there...
but nowhere else where we stayed.
My only guess was there was a cell
tower somewhere and the relative
flat surface of the lake let the signals
carry further.

I actually really enjoyed exploring
here, since I'd seen and been close
to Peanut Island ever since I was a kid.
But this was the first time I'd ever
set foot on it.
Nevertheless, it didn't take very long
to explore every nook and cranny.
(Official count, 2 nooks, 3 crannies.)

We paddled around for about 2 hours.
I wasn't keeping close track of time.
We stopped when we felt like it
and paddled when we felt like that.
It was a pretty chill afternoon.

When we tired of paddling,
we returned the kayaks
and headed to the beach.
We swam a bit and I relaxed
in the sun and read a bit.
(Grisham, The Reckoning.
About half done.
So far, a good read.)

Around 4pm, our campsite
became available and we
checked in and set up our tents.

Mine is the itty-bitty one
on the right.
I'm used to it and actually
prefer it.

View of our site from the tents.

Not exactly super private,
but we chose it for its proximity
to the beach.

I got some firewood and got
a fire going.
(Which is what one does
with firewood.
One can also throw it at people
who make noise in the middle
of the night, but then one
goes to jail, no matter how justified.)
We roasted up some Smokeys
(Smoked sausage. Similar, but
thicker than a regular wiener)
and chowed down.

Nothing like open air and cooking
over an open flame to make a meal
taste great!

We had plans to make s'mores,
but it was 1. too early, 2. too light,
and 3. too soon after eating.
Instead we went for a hike.

Some of the flowers we
saw on our short hike.

We got to the top of the hill
and I had Kay pose for a photo.

I'd taken the same shot of Elle
when I'd last camped here with
her back in '14...

and both of them,
back in '05.

The view from the top:

And our campsite location:

Once we got back, it was starting
to get a bit darker and our
tummies were starting to get
a bit rumblier.
Time to break out the smores!

Yussss….

And... yes. I did ask Kay
if she wanted s'more.
(She did want, and she ate s'more.)

We crashed for the evening
around ten or eleven.
I'd like to say we slept well, but...
Unfortunately, proximity to the beach
means proximity to others, means
more noise.
I threw firewood at them.
They did eventually quiet down, but...


The next day, we packed up and
headed back to the beach.
We swam and lounged for a
couple hours then grabbed some lunch.
Lunch was egg salad sammies, left-over
chips, veggies and dip, and potato salad.

We jumped in the car and made a stop
at Falcon Lake, which was only
about 7 miles up the road
and on the way.
We played a round of mini-golf
under threatening skies,
where I trounced her 50-54.

I don't have any photos.
But I won. That's all that matters.

We continued the drive home,
stopping about the halfway mark
at Sandy's Snack Shack for some
ice cream.
Kay somehow found the room
for some perogies as well.
I was still full from lunch, so passed.
(Okay... I ate 2 of the 6 she ordered.)

Adirondack burger anyone?

A close up of a few of the signs
plastered over the Shack.

Ice creamed (and perogeed) up,
we headed home.
We drove through a thunderstorm
that caused traffic to slow down
considerably.
But after my nightmare drive
from Asheville, NC to Knoxville, TN
a couple of years ago...

Nothing fazes me anymore.


That was our weekend get-away.


Coming up... Back to our regular program.

And shout outs! I'll get to those too!

Chapter 7. Gonna Be Epic​

 

[pkondz]

It's such a cute beverage holder! I do think you're the first one who seemed to enjoy the drink that came inside, but I'm glad you liked it!

Me and one other.
That's it!

OH. MY. GOODNESS. These both look incredible - but the lobster may have the edge! If they still have this next year I HAVE to get it!

The lobster was the clear winner.

Oh, no! I agree that it sounds tasty (I LOVE garlic!), but also do agree that fresh corn is best with only butter and salt.

I find that it's tough for restaurants to provide hot corn on the cob - I almost never order it and prefer to make it myself. Also, living in the Midwest, you can't beat super fresh sweet corn!

I never order it at a restaurant.
It's never as good.

You are incredible.

Thank you.
I whole-heartedly agree!

Nicely played.

Seriously, what on earth were you thinking?! Why didn't you get even just a small bag of caramel corn for later?!?!

I was a fool, Jenny.
A fool!!

WHAT?! What about O' Canada?!

I said "one of"...
Not "the" favourite.

Okay. That's better.

See?

Wait... I saw that Tracy posted that they're updating this?! I LOVE this film! I hope it's just as funny and charming as the current one!

If anything, it will be both
apologetic and polite.

I don't know that many moms would lie down on the floor, but I think this illustrates many parents at Disney.

And fair point about moms.

Fun! I haven't been there in years as I've found so many other favorites, but I'd love to try it again when my daughter is older (and I wouldn't sit through the meal terrified that she would burn herself on the tabletop).

I know of one adult who
didn't believe the chef...

He won't make that mistake again!

That's awesome! I think most of the cooks at Teppan Edo are great, but he sounds especially great!

He really was!
If I could request him, I would.

Great picture - you both look so happy!

It's too bad you weren't looking toward the camera, but as you were maybe talking with your daughter so I'll give you a pass.

Must admit...
I know there's a camera,
but not sure when/where it is.

Oh, no! I'm glad your room didn't have any damage, but YES I hope those poor folks got upgraded when they moved rooms! (At least, I hoped they moved them!)

Nah. They just converted their
room to an indoor pool.

 

[pkondz]

We'll see how long that lasts!

Right up to... now.

 

[pkondz]

You could have just jumped in the water.

Nah.
I'm afraid of water.
I need a push.

I'm not sure, but I've heard metal is an excellent conductor.

So is Mickey Mouse

​

Come to think of it, I do believe you cannot get veal ANYWHERE on Disney property. Animal rights issue, I suppose.

What about Biergarten?
I checked the menu and it just says "Schnitzel"

Frankly, me neither. They used to have the COOLEST mimes in there with the Venetian masks. They were so fun and interactive.

See?! I knew I could get you to 'fess up.

Sorry... every time I see the word "fess"
in relation to anything French...
It cracks me up.

Pun intended.

 

[pkondz]

I hope you make it down there.

Well... it's on the list.

 

[pkondz]

It looks delicious!

Looks can be deceiving.
But not in this case.

Corn on the cob is one of my summer favourites but it should be simple.

See! SEE! I was right, nothing like butter and salt and I add a little pepper.

You're the second person
that's mentioned pepper.
Interesting.
That's never occurred to me.

I don't remember these but I googled them, sound like they are not fun are certain times of the year better for them?

They were pretty gross.
Worst times is a four week
period in May and September.
I've never seen them that bad, though.

Does that take away from the magic of it the garden?

Not in this case, no.
The garden here is almost
insignificant to the displays.
If it was outside, or
in an actual Japanese garden...

Yeah, I'd be unhappy about it.

The first time I read this I read like you fell asleep on the bed and forgot to turn off the water. I'm glad that is not what happened.

Nope! Wide awake...
And happily flooding the
downstairs neighbors.