EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival

We did get over to Disney for the opening day of the EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival yesterday. Since we take Aunti Vi shopping on Wednesdays, we didn't leave until after 4 arriving at EPCOT around 6. We found parking close to the entrance which meant we didn't have to wait for a tram. We walked around both loops and the only thing we didn't get to see, as it was dark by the time we got there, was "Pixie Hollow Fairy Garden" and Minnie's Butterfly House. Both of those exhibits close at dusk. The flowers are beautiful and we are looking forward to going over again. There are many new features this year including several new play zones for various aged children. Pixie Hollow Fairy Garden is a play area for 2-5 year olds. Pirates Adventure Zone is for kids 6 and older. "Let's Get Moving" play area uses Evos Play Systems for older children (6 and up)and Weevos Play Systems for 2-5 year olds. A display of sand sculpture art is featured this year as well as many new topiaries making their debut. Between the two of us we took almost 200 pictures!!

Miscellany

Sunday was our final band concert and it was phenomenal! The band (www.manateecommunityband.org) played really well. The program was demanding and contained a variety of musical genre (classical, marches, pops, etc.). The concert lasted over 2 hours and we were absolutely drained by the time we got home. I can't believe we've been playing with them for 6 months. The time has flown by! Now the challenge is to keep practicing over the break even though we have no music to learn. Our technique and tone are back to where they were when we stopped playing 15 years ago and now the thing is not to regress over the 6 month break!

How we got involved in the band:
Last fall we quit our church choir for a variety of reasons and were looking for an outlet for our music. Besides vocal music, we both have played instruments since we were in 6th grade (I play Eb Alto Sax and Dan plays French Horn). Once we left choir, we started looking for an opportunity to exercise our instrumental talent (we had both missed playing tremendously). We found the community band website and went to a rehearsal, intending only to sit on the sidelines and observe - we hadn't touched our instruments in over 15 years. However, the band members would have none of it and invited us to play that first night (we had taken our instruments with us). The band rehearses every week from October to March and presents concerts in various venues two times each month during that time period.

Yesterday, I went to my ortho doctor for my 1 year check-up after my bilateral knee replacement. He took x-rays and checked my knees (to be sure the prosthesis hadn't loosened up) and flexion and was absolutely thrilled with both. I don't need to go back for 3 years!!!

Today was a very quiet day - it was cloudy and threatening rain, so we just stayed home. I spent part of the day preparing for the last Bible study session Thursday. I can't believe the 11 weeks is finished. It seems like just a couple weeks ago we were starting our study of David and here we are done. Next week I'll be in Tennessee helping my dad pack up mom's things. The following Thursday we start Beth Moore's study on Daniel. I've led it 3X before, but there is still a demand for it. I think it is absolutely hands down my favorite study of hers. I love the way she breaks Daniel down into two sections - Lives of Integrity (Chap 1-6) and Words of Prophecy (Chap 7-12).

Tomorrow we take Aunti Vi shopping and then we're planning on heading over to Disney for the opening day of the Garden and Flower Show. If we do go, I'll try and post pictures.

Weekly Update

I can't believe another week has flown by! It seems like just yesterday we were at church and here it is Saturday night and we'll be heading to the Lord's house to worship Him in 8 hours (we go to early service at 8:15 AM).

Monday, we went for an 11 mile bike ride. We were going to do 20 miles,
but the on-shore "breeze" was blowing in from the gulf at 15+ MPH. Our favorite ride is biking west to the island, south to the other bridge back to the mainland and then back home. However, the first leg of the ride was straight into the "breeze" and after going 5.5 miles our legs were "screaming" so we turned around and headed back home (11 miles round trip). (This time of year when the gulf is cool and the land temp is warm, the cool air from the gulf "rushes" in to fill the void from the rising warm air resulting in a strong on-shore breeze.)

Tuesday was another busy day with hair appointments in the afternoon and then band practice in the evening. Our final band concert is tomorrow afternoon, so practice was intense to say the least. Wednesday, we took my 98-1/2 year old aunt to the doctor. It was supposed to be a follow-up visit, but during the night on Tuesday, her back went into "spasm" and she was in agony. The doctor thinks she may have cracked a rib (she has severe osteoporosis) and gave her a cortisone shot. We went back to her apartment and stayed with her until about 5:00. I talked to her later that night and she was up washing dishes! Thursday was Bible study morning and evening. One of the things I'm praising the Lord for is we have a zero attrition rate! The ladies who start the study finish it! Thursday afternoon, I checked the pool temp and it was 90 degrees! WAHOO!!! The air temp was in the upper 70's, so we went in the pool for the first time this year. It felt so good to float and let the water surround, support and caress us! After the evening session, I called my aunt to see how she was doing and the pain was completely gone. Praise the Lord!!!

Friday we went to the high school to help the director set up the stage for the concert. It only took about an hour. Friends came over for dinner and left about
1 AM. We spent the evening scrapbooking and watching the first 2 "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies. Today we spent the day doing much needed yard work. One of the things we love is getting warm (hot!) doing outside work and then "rewarding" ourselves by relaxing in the pool!

This coming week is shaping up to be busy also with a doctor's appointment for me on Monday (my one year post op "new knees" check up). We're hoping to put the bikes up on the car on Tuesday and head south to do a ride along one of the Rails-to-Trails trails. Wednesday we take my aunt shopping, Thursday is our last Bible study and Friday we head north to my dad's. I don't know if I'll get to blog this next week or not. I'll update when we get back home.

Disney Trip 2-1-09

I realize this entry is out of sequence, but I'm trying to catch up on blogging after taking 6 months off. Also, we did many trips while Dad was here, as I mentioned earlier, and I want to journal about them so I don't forget what all we did!

Our second trip to Disney was on the occasion of a friend's birthday. Even though we have annual passes, our friends don't, so they wanted to take advantage of the "What Will You Celebrate" promotion (free admission on your birthday). They also asked us to go over with them since we're "Disney Pros" (at least in their estimation and you absolutely have to twist our arms to get us to go ;-)). They wanted to go to EPCOT since they had only been there once before for 1/2 day. Dad, who is 93-1/2 years old, was game to go. We thought we might need to get a wheelchair for him, but he walked the entire time we were there.



The first thing we did upon arrival was to head for Soarin' to get fast passes. After getting the fast passes, we headed to Test Track. We were afraid Test Track might be too intense for Dad, but he wanted to do it. After we got off, his only comment was "That was a little rough."



From Test Track, we headed back to Soarin' as it was time for our fast passes. As always, Soarin' was phenomenal. We first rode Soarin' Over California at Disneyland when the California Adventure park first opened. We've made 2 more trips to Disneyland and each time we made sure we rode Soarin' Over California. We were thrilled when the decision was made to bring Soarin' to EPCOT!

After riding Soarin', we headed to the World Showcase. We started at Mexico and did the "River del Tiempo" boat ride. It;s been changed to now include scenes from Disney's "Three Caballeros". The scenes are woven into the original travelogue and add much amusement to the ride.




After Mexico, we went to the Norway Pavilion and rode "The Maelstrom" and watched the movie on Norway. We continued on around World Showcase watching the movie "Reflections of China" at the China Pavilion, window shopping at Germany and Italy and winding up the day eating dinner at the French cafe' and viewing the movie "Impressions de France." (We didn't do the American Adventure this trip as our friends had seen it on their previous trip to EPCOT.)

The last item on the "must do list" was a monorail ride. By waiting for another train, our friends, my dad and I were able to ride up with the "pilot" (the front cab only holds four, so since Dan and I have done it many times, he rode back in the car behind the cab). We rode from EPCOT to the TTC in the front cab, but since there were others waiting for the privilege of riding with the pilot, we had to vacate and move back to the cab with Dan for the return trip to EPCOT.

By now, it was almost 9:00 and we still had the 1-3/4 hour drive home. It had been a full day, but many happy memories were made. It is one birthday that won't soon be forgotten!

Another Disney Visit

We went over to Disney yesterday. It was an absolutely beautiful day - 80 degrees and crystal clear. We planned to meet Rick and Csilla for dinner, but because of wanting to avoid rush hour traffic, we left home shortly after lunch. We figured we would go to EPCOT and walk around the 2 loops (Future World and World Showcase) to get some exercise. We also wanted to see if there were any signs they were setting up for the flower show which starts March 18th.

When we got to EPCOT, we noticed the parking lot was filled back to the access road. We figured the park was going to be very crowded, but that was alright since we were just going to walk and not do any attractions. Upon further checking, the reason the lot was full was because they had 2 of the big parking lots shut down for the Princess Marathon this weekend (as I understand it, it's actually a half marathon). The park wasn't crowded at all. The first thing we did was ride Spaceship Earth. We only had about a 5 minute wait. After getting off, we started walking back toward World Showcase and saw the beginnings of the displays for the flower show. When we got back to the American Adventure pavilion, the fife and drum corps was performing on the promenade in front of the pavilion. After they finished, we continued around World Showcase and saw that the banks of the lagoons were planted and Minnie's Butterfly House was all set up. Many topiaries were present, but it was obvious
there was still much to be done in the next 12 days.

As we were approaching the Innoventions' Pavilion, we heard music and went to see where it was coming from. An 8th grade girls' choir from Lake Forest, IL was performing in the Arts in Education concert venue. The pureness and clarity of their voices were a joy to listen to.


After the concert, we headed over to The Land. We had heard the boat ride "Listen to the Land" had been revamped, so we figured since we had a few minutes yet before we had to leave, we'd check and see what the wait time was. Again it was less than 5minutes. The boat ride is basically the same except where they used to have a cast member on each boat giving the talk, they now have it recorded and it plays through speakers located in the ride.

We headed to the car and as we were getting in the car, my phone rang and it was Rick letting me know he had just gotten to the restaurant. We said we would be there in less than 10 minutes. We had a wonderful dinner with Rick, Csilla and the girls and then headed back home about 8:00. All in all a wonderful day!

Clown Princes of Basketball

Monday night we went and saw the Harlem Globetrotters, the Clown Princes of Basketball. Their ball handling was absolutely phenomenal and the amount of practice and rehearsal time they put in, has got to be astronomical! Sitting in the stands, it was almost impossible to follow the ball as they passed it to one another and then took shots (and made them!) that no one should be able to make!! They have the "alley oop" shot down to a science. The Washington Generals (the team that they "play") make perfect foils for the Globetrotters' shenanigans. It was thoroughly enjoyable and if they are in the area again we most certainly will plan on going to their "game."

Trip to Disney with Dad

As stated below, we went over to Disney two times while Dad was here. One of the times we went over was on Dan's birthday. Since we had another trip to Disney planned, we didn't want Dad to have to pay 2 Disney admissions plus 1 Sea World admission (we have annual passes to both parks), so this trip, we just rode the transportation system. The picture above is us taking the ferry from the Ticket and Transportation Center (TTC) over to the Magic Kingdom. Once at the Magic Kingdom, we caught the Bon Voyage (a boat that has been in service since at least our first trip to Disney in 1977) over to Wilderness Lodge. We walked around Wilderness Lodge and then headed back down to the dock where we caught a launch (a small open boat) to Fort Wilderness and then over to the Contemporary Hotel. We walked from the dock up to the monorail level at the Contemporary and then took the monorail around to the TTC where we caught another monorail for a roundtrip down to EPCOT and back to the TTC. We debarked at the TTC and headed for the car as we had arrangements to meet Rick, Csilla and the girls for dinner at a barbecue place near where Csilla works.


Dad with two of his great-granddaughters