Sunday, April 29, 2012
Sweetest Granddaughters
Emery and Isla. They are the sweetest, don't you think? I am the luckiest grandfather ever...
Tale of a trip... part ocho
Fort Lauderdale- Beach-side
We spent a couple days here, yesterday at the 'Glades, but we also hit the beach as often as we could, usually in the morning and at night just to go for a walk or to eat. One morning Brenda and I went to the beach and she did her thing whilst I went for a run.
After being down here, I can see why the snowbirds flock to this region of the country. I could probably be talked into a place like this. I love to run along the beach and wade in the surf... where I can hopefully get a little more sun on my florescent-white legs, and Brenda can enjoy the sun (actually, anyplace warm for her). We may have to look into it when we get older- "...but today is not that day!..."
As I mentioned before, we always tried to find local places to eat and not go to the national chains we're familiar with. Last night we went to some obscure pizza place... it was OK. Tonight we went to Bubba Gump's Shrimp Co. It was quite good. There were a lot of things Forrest Gump there... "Anyway, like I was sayin', shrimp is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, saute it. Dey's uh, shrimp-kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo. Pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried. There's pineapple shrimp, lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad, shrimp and potatoes, shrimp burger, shrimp sandwich. That- that's about it."
We had to go someplace nice each night to eat, it seemed. We judged it this way.... Sydney would look at a place and say "This place doesn't look good". We finally realized what she was really saying was, "This place doesn't look expensive enough". My how her tastes are gonna change once she is on her own and she's paying the bill! :) Well Florida, it's been wonderful. Has it been a slice of heaven? No, but it's been real close I think. Tomorrow we'll be flying home and we're sad to leave this warm paradise and go back to the real world. Check this out- Madison just sent us this picture of what we are heading back to... boo hoo! Sends a shiver down my spine. Guess I'm ready for spring.
Oh well, all good things must come to an end... as they say. Why do they say that? It's not very nice. We didn't get to do all the things we wanted, like; we wanted to go down to the Keys and spend a day or two there- maybe next time, we hope... we hope to have a next time. "...I still cling to hope..." Fare thee well Florida- we will miss you. Thanks for a lifetime of memories.
"Snip snap snout, this tale's told out."
We spent a couple days here, yesterday at the 'Glades, but we also hit the beach as often as we could, usually in the morning and at night just to go for a walk or to eat. One morning Brenda and I went to the beach and she did her thing whilst I went for a run.
After being down here, I can see why the snowbirds flock to this region of the country. I could probably be talked into a place like this. I love to run along the beach and wade in the surf... where I can hopefully get a little more sun on my florescent-white legs, and Brenda can enjoy the sun (actually, anyplace warm for her). We may have to look into it when we get older- "...but today is not that day!..."
As I mentioned before, we always tried to find local places to eat and not go to the national chains we're familiar with. Last night we went to some obscure pizza place... it was OK. Tonight we went to Bubba Gump's Shrimp Co. It was quite good. There were a lot of things Forrest Gump there... "Anyway, like I was sayin', shrimp is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, saute it. Dey's uh, shrimp-kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo. Pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried. There's pineapple shrimp, lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad, shrimp and potatoes, shrimp burger, shrimp sandwich. That- that's about it."
We had to go someplace nice each night to eat, it seemed. We judged it this way.... Sydney would look at a place and say "This place doesn't look good". We finally realized what she was really saying was, "This place doesn't look expensive enough". My how her tastes are gonna change once she is on her own and she's paying the bill! :) Well Florida, it's been wonderful. Has it been a slice of heaven? No, but it's been real close I think. Tomorrow we'll be flying home and we're sad to leave this warm paradise and go back to the real world. Check this out- Madison just sent us this picture of what we are heading back to... boo hoo! Sends a shiver down my spine. Guess I'm ready for spring.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Tale of a trip... part siete
Fort Lauderdale- The Everglades
"Look at those snappers, will you Ralphy."
Oh boy, we made it to Fort Lauderdale, checked into our hotel and just lazed around the rest of the day. The next day we wanted to do something fun and thought that going out to the 'Glades and checking out some gatahs would be the trick.
The Everglades are not too far west of the city which was nice- didn't have to drive for hours. We hopped one of those airboats with a dozen other nature-hungry tourists, and with our illustrious guide, Captain Chuck, we went on a search for gatahs in the wild. Before taking off, he said to make sure we keep our hands inside the boat- the gatahs are always looking for a handout... get it? A hand out! Come on, stay with me! 
The good captain pulled over to a swampy spot and started throwing crackers at the birds. As they started chasing the crackers, that got the gatah agitated and chasing the birds. The one we spotted started growling (or whatever they do) for a minute or two. The captain said that was probably the 3rd time in his (15 years?) out on the swamp that he's heard that... I guess we were quite fortunate. Course, he may say that to all his guest- I don't know. On the way back to the dock, we saw an osprey atop a dead tree, eating his/her latest catch. 
Just in case you are at a party and need a wee bit of trivia, just lay this on them.... the osprey eats its catch head first. Just thought you'd like to know.
At the end of the tour, they had a little "petting" zoo with gatahs, snakes, birds, wolves, pathers, puma... one of the hired hands started petting the puma through the fence.
It was just a purring and digging it like a regular house cat. But this one for sure would eat you if it had the chance. I got a shot of the black panthers, but they were hiding in their shelter and the pic didn't come out... it was a nice shot of the fence though. 
As we left the "petting" zoo, there was a little shop where we could buy some tasty treats. Among other things, there were Gator Bites- I don't know if they were real gatah or not, but I'll bet they taste just like chicken :) There were also frog legs for purchase, hmmmm.... I think we'll wait to get back to the city before we eat- this ain't Deliverance, ya know. 
Over all, a very fun time with nature and the wildlife. Amazing that the Everglades are fed only by the waterfall that Florida gets from around Orlando south... at least that's what Chuck said... oh sorry, that would be Captain Chuck- Aaaarrrrr!!!
"Look at those snappers, will you Ralphy."
Oh boy, we made it to Fort Lauderdale, checked into our hotel and just lazed around the rest of the day. The next day we wanted to do something fun and thought that going out to the 'Glades and checking out some gatahs would be the trick.
The Everglades are not too far west of the city which was nice- didn't have to drive for hours. We hopped one of those airboats with a dozen other nature-hungry tourists, and with our illustrious guide, Captain Chuck, we went on a search for gatahs in the wild. Before taking off, he said to make sure we keep our hands inside the boat- the gatahs are always looking for a handout... get it? A hand out! Come on, stay with me! 
The good captain pulled over to a swampy spot and started throwing crackers at the birds. As they started chasing the crackers, that got the gatah agitated and chasing the birds. The one we spotted started growling (or whatever they do) for a minute or two. The captain said that was probably the 3rd time in his (15 years?) out on the swamp that he's heard that... I guess we were quite fortunate. Course, he may say that to all his guest- I don't know. On the way back to the dock, we saw an osprey atop a dead tree, eating his/her latest catch. 
Just in case you are at a party and need a wee bit of trivia, just lay this on them.... the osprey eats its catch head first. Just thought you'd like to know. At the end of the tour, they had a little "petting" zoo with gatahs, snakes, birds, wolves, pathers, puma... one of the hired hands started petting the puma through the fence.
It was just a purring and digging it like a regular house cat. But this one for sure would eat you if it had the chance. I got a shot of the black panthers, but they were hiding in their shelter and the pic didn't come out... it was a nice shot of the fence though. 
As we left the "petting" zoo, there was a little shop where we could buy some tasty treats. Among other things, there were Gator Bites- I don't know if they were real gatah or not, but I'll bet they taste just like chicken :) There were also frog legs for purchase, hmmmm.... I think we'll wait to get back to the city before we eat- this ain't Deliverance, ya know. 
Over all, a very fun time with nature and the wildlife. Amazing that the Everglades are fed only by the waterfall that Florida gets from around Orlando south... at least that's what Chuck said... oh sorry, that would be Captain Chuck- Aaaarrrrr!!!
Monday, April 16, 2012
Tale of a trip... part seis
Gulf to Atlantic
Thought you'd like to see the sign just outside our hotel here in Port Charlotte. Man, don't let the kiddies wander or let Fido out to relieve himself...
On our way out of town (we were headed to Fort Lauderdale as that was where we had to leave our Floridian paradise and head back home), we stopped at a beach called Barefoot Beach, so beautiful- white sand, blue-green water. The water on the gulf side seems to be quite peaceful- no big waves at all while we were there... a hurricane would cause a little more chop, I suppose.
But the drive to this beach was incredible. The houses were amazing, and just check out the road... Follow the red brick road, follow the red brick road..." I wondered what kind of maintenance would have to be done on this type of road during the winter... then I remembered where I was. Too much sun perhaps?
The drive through the Everglades was uneventful, 'cept we sang campfire song and rounds all the way through it- right. I thought for sure there would be gator roadkill all over the place, but no! There were a lot more trees than I thought there would be- at least the first part had lots of trees. As we got closer to the eastern side, it did get more swampy and grassy. Anyway, a couple of pix on the drive east.
Remember on part cuatro that I was going to tell you about the story of the Pumpkin Juice that we were going to take home and share with all? Well, in the immortal word of Paul Harvey- "And now, the rest of the story...". After we checked into our hotel in Fort Lauderdale and unpacked out stuff, I was looking for the Pumpkin Juice to put into the refrigerator- it was not to be found anywhere. The only thing I can think of it that I left it in the refrigerator at the hotel in Port Charlotte- dang! Oh well, I guess that will be a good tip for for the cleaning person (lest I offend, I want you to take notice that I didn't say cleaning lady, as that would not be politically correct. And no, I don't know a lot of cleaning ladies). They can take it home to their kids or grand kids. I suppose we'll just have to make another trip to Potterland someday. :) "And now you know, the rest of the story.... good day!"
Thought you'd like to see the sign just outside our hotel here in Port Charlotte. Man, don't let the kiddies wander or let Fido out to relieve himself... On our way out of town (we were headed to Fort Lauderdale as that was where we had to leave our Floridian paradise and head back home), we stopped at a beach called Barefoot Beach, so beautiful- white sand, blue-green water. The water on the gulf side seems to be quite peaceful- no big waves at all while we were there... a hurricane would cause a little more chop, I suppose.
But the drive to this beach was incredible. The houses were amazing, and just check out the road... Follow the red brick road, follow the red brick road..." I wondered what kind of maintenance would have to be done on this type of road during the winter... then I remembered where I was. Too much sun perhaps?
The drive through the Everglades was uneventful, 'cept we sang campfire song and rounds all the way through it- right. I thought for sure there would be gator roadkill all over the place, but no! There were a lot more trees than I thought there would be- at least the first part had lots of trees. As we got closer to the eastern side, it did get more swampy and grassy. Anyway, a couple of pix on the drive east.
Remember on part cuatro that I was going to tell you about the story of the Pumpkin Juice that we were going to take home and share with all? Well, in the immortal word of Paul Harvey- "And now, the rest of the story...". After we checked into our hotel in Fort Lauderdale and unpacked out stuff, I was looking for the Pumpkin Juice to put into the refrigerator- it was not to be found anywhere. The only thing I can think of it that I left it in the refrigerator at the hotel in Port Charlotte- dang! Oh well, I guess that will be a good tip for for the cleaning person (lest I offend, I want you to take notice that I didn't say cleaning lady, as that would not be politically correct. And no, I don't know a lot of cleaning ladies). They can take it home to their kids or grand kids. I suppose we'll just have to make another trip to Potterland someday. :) "And now you know, the rest of the story.... good day!"
Friday, April 13, 2012
Tale of a trip... part cinco
Port Charlotte- Spring Training
Well, there are no more amusement parks to visit... what are we gonna do now? SPRING TRAINING!! I tried for several weeks before going down to FL to get some tickets at the Red Sox spring training home field, but to no avail. The only game we could attend during our time there was the Rays vs. Red Sox at the Rays' field in Port Charlotte. The place was packed! We were able to carve out a little patch of space on the lawn (as those were the only tickets I could get) and get comfy with our neighbors. I couldn't believe the number of Sox fans there were!... are.... well, I guess I couldn't, actually- Red Sox Nation baby! :)
It was a wonderful day for baseball, bright sunny day with a few puffies floating by. Very laid back atmosphere, no one up in arms if they didn't win. But, at the end of the day, the Sox prevailed... good thing I didn't have to get my arm up. We strolled around the park, ate and over-priced dog (why wouldn't we?) which I guess is the Rays farm team there, the Stonecrabs... what a name.
So, there we were strolling around Stonecrab Field, and just the nicest people- especially the Hooter girls walking around in their orange hot pants, giving out coupons for free or discounted libations after the game. I don't know if they had a family-friendly four-pak or not :) You can see them in the background of one of the pix. And for the record, I did NOT take that picture. If I would have, it would have been a closeup... just kidding!
After the game, we went and found our hotel, then the next order of bi'ness was food! We all had a hankerin' for some good seafood and the concierge (motel-7 employee) gave us a couple of choices. Our motto when we travel is that we don't do national food chains unless and emergency, coming off a 40-day fast, or under duress of starvation. Well, it looked like the choices we had left much to be desired. The place we chose was I believe a shelter for the Snowbirds that congregate in the area.
Seemed like the patrons and the owner/workers all knew each other and were saying their good-byes as they were "flying" back to the northern nesting grounds for another season. Now, lest I offend someone... may I say that I love old people, I have many old people that are friends, in fact, I hang out with old people quite a bit when I'm at home (my neighbors: Mom and Dad)- I expect to be old someday... (but today is not that day!)
I felt so bad for our server, she must have been about 75, and might have had a peg leg or been One-eyed Willie's wench (she actually had a bad limp... but I expected her to blurt out a "How arrrrrrrr ya" any minute). Where was her eye patch? I didn't think she was going to be able to make it through our meal she was limping so bad (probably faking it to get a bigger tip- man, she pulled me in hook, line, and sinker! Just kidding- I love people that limp).
The ambiance at the restaurant was very nice though. We ate out on the deck overlooking the water- the sun was starting to set and dang- it was a beautiful site- check the pic. While we were eating, there was a family of three that came and sat next to us.
The woman ordered some wine and while she was waiting for that to come, I thought she should have ordered some cheese as well as she brought a whole bagful of whine with her. She was whining about everything it seemed. They finally brought our her beverage which was in a plastic cup. That was the proverbial straw that broke the proverbial camel's back. 
I thought she was going to rip Ms. One-eyed Willie a new one. They were done. They left a couple of Washingtons, spread wing, took flight and were outta there faster than a snowbird in a Winnebago. What is this place thinking- serving wine in a plastic cup? The impudence! The audacity! The unmitigated gall! Guess the lady forgot her meds today- "Yo lady- this ain't The Plaza. At least they wiped the lipstick off the cup before they gave it to you. Take a pill" (I actually love people who take pills- I mean no disrespect).
Ah, what a day... thanks for the good times- good night Port Charlotte.
Well, there are no more amusement parks to visit... what are we gonna do now? SPRING TRAINING!! I tried for several weeks before going down to FL to get some tickets at the Red Sox spring training home field, but to no avail. The only game we could attend during our time there was the Rays vs. Red Sox at the Rays' field in Port Charlotte. The place was packed! We were able to carve out a little patch of space on the lawn (as those were the only tickets I could get) and get comfy with our neighbors. I couldn't believe the number of Sox fans there were!... are.... well, I guess I couldn't, actually- Red Sox Nation baby! :)
It was a wonderful day for baseball, bright sunny day with a few puffies floating by. Very laid back atmosphere, no one up in arms if they didn't win. But, at the end of the day, the Sox prevailed... good thing I didn't have to get my arm up. We strolled around the park, ate and over-priced dog (why wouldn't we?) which I guess is the Rays farm team there, the Stonecrabs... what a name.
So, there we were strolling around Stonecrab Field, and just the nicest people- especially the Hooter girls walking around in their orange hot pants, giving out coupons for free or discounted libations after the game. I don't know if they had a family-friendly four-pak or not :) You can see them in the background of one of the pix. And for the record, I did NOT take that picture. If I would have, it would have been a closeup... just kidding!
After the game, we went and found our hotel, then the next order of bi'ness was food! We all had a hankerin' for some good seafood and the concierge (motel-7 employee) gave us a couple of choices. Our motto when we travel is that we don't do national food chains unless and emergency, coming off a 40-day fast, or under duress of starvation. Well, it looked like the choices we had left much to be desired. The place we chose was I believe a shelter for the Snowbirds that congregate in the area.
Seemed like the patrons and the owner/workers all knew each other and were saying their good-byes as they were "flying" back to the northern nesting grounds for another season. Now, lest I offend someone... may I say that I love old people, I have many old people that are friends, in fact, I hang out with old people quite a bit when I'm at home (my neighbors: Mom and Dad)- I expect to be old someday... (but today is not that day!)
I felt so bad for our server, she must have been about 75, and might have had a peg leg or been One-eyed Willie's wench (she actually had a bad limp... but I expected her to blurt out a "How arrrrrrrr ya" any minute). Where was her eye patch? I didn't think she was going to be able to make it through our meal she was limping so bad (probably faking it to get a bigger tip- man, she pulled me in hook, line, and sinker! Just kidding- I love people that limp). The ambiance at the restaurant was very nice though. We ate out on the deck overlooking the water- the sun was starting to set and dang- it was a beautiful site- check the pic. While we were eating, there was a family of three that came and sat next to us.
The woman ordered some wine and while she was waiting for that to come, I thought she should have ordered some cheese as well as she brought a whole bagful of whine with her. She was whining about everything it seemed. They finally brought our her beverage which was in a plastic cup. That was the proverbial straw that broke the proverbial camel's back. 
I thought she was going to rip Ms. One-eyed Willie a new one. They were done. They left a couple of Washingtons, spread wing, took flight and were outta there faster than a snowbird in a Winnebago. What is this place thinking- serving wine in a plastic cup? The impudence! The audacity! The unmitigated gall! Guess the lady forgot her meds today- "Yo lady- this ain't The Plaza. At least they wiped the lipstick off the cup before they gave it to you. Take a pill" (I actually love people who take pills- I mean no disrespect).Ah, what a day... thanks for the good times- good night Port Charlotte.
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Tale of a trip... part cuatro
Universal Studios
Another glorious day in southern FLA. I am having such a great time... I wonder what the poor people are doing today- oh, we're here in FLA! (again, lest I hurt someone's feel bads out there, I mean no disrespect to poor people. I know a lot of poor people (I'm one) and many poor people are my friends- I love poor people!) We didn't get as early of a start as we would have liked, so by the time we got to Universal, it was hoppin'. The parking area was ginormous! I'm was worried I wouldn't remember where I parked... as it turned out, I didn't! Good thing the kids were watchin'.
We wanted to get the speed passes for this place for sure. So we got in a ticket line which we thought was going to be quicker than the normal lines. I must have missed the line for speed passes to get the speed passes- ha! There were about 3 people ahead of us and they must have taken 30-45 minutes- could not believe it! People, tell your life story to 1-800-WHOCARES, I've got rides to do, what? So much to do, so little time..." Then I had thoughts of Yoda in my head... Patience, patience, soon you'll be there." Well, sorry Master Yoda- you're wrong this time. Wish I had been trained in the Force, I'd have been tossin' a few people aside.... just kidding! I'm pretty mild-mannered these days ;)
There is so much to do and see here, you really do need a couple of days to enjoy it all. The fist thing we did was go right into the Shrek show- a 4D diddy, 3D plus seat shakin', slobber splashin', etc. for the other D.... (you see, if you remember your math: 3D + 1D = 4D)- it was fun. Then we did the Twister thang- man, felt like I was right in the movie when that tornado came through and wiped that outdoor movie screen away!
The Mummy ride was next on the list- dang, I thought we were gonna burn up on that ride as the heat from flames was quite intense on a portion of it. I think we also went on the MIB (Men In Black) ride... or did I get flashy-thingyed? There were a lot of people, must have thought they were..."hosting and intergalactic kegger here". It's a ride where you shoot little aliens with your Noisy Cricket. I was trying to beat Carson's score- you know, he's a video game enthusiast (duh). When we were done, come to find out that this old lady behind us just kicked our trash! Made us look like noobs (sp).
Of course we tried to hit the best stuff as our time was limited. They've got a lot bigger rides here than they do at Disney, but you can sure tell that Disney does it better... the staff is nicer, it's cleaner, but I still enjoyed myself. We probably spent most our time in Harry Potterland. I was skeptical about it, but it turned out to be very awesome.
The detail of the castle and Hogsmeade was fantastic, like some of the pictures moving in the castle, just like in the movies. The Harry Potter ride, kind of a 3D thang, was great. I can see where they make a little more money off of this one as I was almost upside down and all the change was shaking out of my pockets! Carson almost lost his phone- whew! Then there is the dragon ride. I think you get the choice of the Chinese Firebolt or the Hungarian Hunchback (or whatever it is)- wicked awesome! Wish we would have had more time to ride it again, but even the fast pass line was long on this one. 
We wanted to get into Olivander's wand shop, but that line was probably longer than for a rides- unbelievable! Luckily they had a little cart just outside the rides where you could buy wands- high quality ones. Expensive, but great detail. The kids bought a few for them and some for their friends. 
Another thing we were looking forward to was the butter beer. Oh my goodness, but I didn't expect it to be as good as it was. No wonder the lines were so long! They had it in a big keg on the back of a wagon. I guess you had the choice between regular and the frozen kind- we chose the frozen. It was so good. I would describe it as a cream soda, butterscotchy concoction, with a slushy vanilla ice cream top... I don't know, but I want some more. 
There was also pumpkin juice that was bottled, but we didn't want to carry them with us, so we decided to come back later and get some. We just hung around there for a while, just soaking up everything Potter 
and trying to find a backdoor into Olivander's... dang! Oh well.
We then left Pottersville to enjoy more of the park. I think the next thing we went on was the Jurassic Park ride. Wasn't expecting to get wet this late in the day... again. But, we all got blasted from the waist up, and were almost eaten by the T-Rex and the raptors- whew, it was close! Saved the camera again apparently.
They have this whole section devoted to the comics. I wish we would have had more time to enjoy them all. We spent most of our time in the Marvel comic area and went on the Spider-man ride. It was very cool, another 3D action adventure. Brenda enjoyed it so much that she had to close her eyes as she was starting to get sick. I didn't want another 4D ride on my hands- no spewage please!
We spent a while looking for t-shirts to take home to the other kids- so many cool ones made it hard to choose... and since I couldn't decide on one, I didn't get one- weird, eh, Pacha? There was a Dr. Doom drop ride and a Hulk coaster ride. Sydney and I went on the Hulk ride a couple times... so much fun just screaming like little girls all the way through that thing. 
It was getting late and we were ready to leave. We then remembered that we wanted to get some pumpkin juice, and I didn't come all the way to Florida to not. So Sydney and I high-tailed it back to Pottersville whilst Brenda and Carson went shoppin' for more t-shirts and shoes. When Syd and I got to Potterland, it looked like they were closing down. We asked the guy at the butter beer cart if we could buy some, he said the cart was closed... "here, just take this one, they don't keep good count anyway."
I told him that I wanted to buy two (one to drink now, and one to take home and share), so he just gave me another one. I told him I didn't want to do that, but he insisted. I then quickly thought about how much money I spent here today...... yeah, I still think they came out ahead ;) 
So, I thanked the kid for his kindness, I quickly put on my hat and dark sunglasses, stashed the beverages in my trench coat(jk), and slunked away into the darkness. As we were walking away, Syd said, "I should have asked that kid for his number, he was cute." Where are her priorities, really... we just scored pumpkin juice! So we all shared one and are going to take the other one back to Utah to share with everyone else... we are so thoughtful (more about this story later).
Another glorious day in southern FLA. I am having such a great time... I wonder what the poor people are doing today- oh, we're here in FLA! (again, lest I hurt someone's feel bads out there, I mean no disrespect to poor people. I know a lot of poor people (I'm one) and many poor people are my friends- I love poor people!) We didn't get as early of a start as we would have liked, so by the time we got to Universal, it was hoppin'. The parking area was ginormous! I'm was worried I wouldn't remember where I parked... as it turned out, I didn't! Good thing the kids were watchin'.
We wanted to get the speed passes for this place for sure. So we got in a ticket line which we thought was going to be quicker than the normal lines. I must have missed the line for speed passes to get the speed passes- ha! There were about 3 people ahead of us and they must have taken 30-45 minutes- could not believe it! People, tell your life story to 1-800-WHOCARES, I've got rides to do, what? So much to do, so little time..." Then I had thoughts of Yoda in my head... Patience, patience, soon you'll be there." Well, sorry Master Yoda- you're wrong this time. Wish I had been trained in the Force, I'd have been tossin' a few people aside.... just kidding! I'm pretty mild-mannered these days ;)
There is so much to do and see here, you really do need a couple of days to enjoy it all. The fist thing we did was go right into the Shrek show- a 4D diddy, 3D plus seat shakin', slobber splashin', etc. for the other D.... (you see, if you remember your math: 3D + 1D = 4D)- it was fun. Then we did the Twister thang- man, felt like I was right in the movie when that tornado came through and wiped that outdoor movie screen away!
The Mummy ride was next on the list- dang, I thought we were gonna burn up on that ride as the heat from flames was quite intense on a portion of it. I think we also went on the MIB (Men In Black) ride... or did I get flashy-thingyed? There were a lot of people, must have thought they were..."hosting and intergalactic kegger here". It's a ride where you shoot little aliens with your Noisy Cricket. I was trying to beat Carson's score- you know, he's a video game enthusiast (duh). When we were done, come to find out that this old lady behind us just kicked our trash! Made us look like noobs (sp).
Of course we tried to hit the best stuff as our time was limited. They've got a lot bigger rides here than they do at Disney, but you can sure tell that Disney does it better... the staff is nicer, it's cleaner, but I still enjoyed myself. We probably spent most our time in Harry Potterland. I was skeptical about it, but it turned out to be very awesome.
The detail of the castle and Hogsmeade was fantastic, like some of the pictures moving in the castle, just like in the movies. The Harry Potter ride, kind of a 3D thang, was great. I can see where they make a little more money off of this one as I was almost upside down and all the change was shaking out of my pockets! Carson almost lost his phone- whew! Then there is the dragon ride. I think you get the choice of the Chinese Firebolt or the Hungarian Hunchback (or whatever it is)- wicked awesome! Wish we would have had more time to ride it again, but even the fast pass line was long on this one. 
We wanted to get into Olivander's wand shop, but that line was probably longer than for a rides- unbelievable! Luckily they had a little cart just outside the rides where you could buy wands- high quality ones. Expensive, but great detail. The kids bought a few for them and some for their friends. 
Another thing we were looking forward to was the butter beer. Oh my goodness, but I didn't expect it to be as good as it was. No wonder the lines were so long! They had it in a big keg on the back of a wagon. I guess you had the choice between regular and the frozen kind- we chose the frozen. It was so good. I would describe it as a cream soda, butterscotchy concoction, with a slushy vanilla ice cream top... I don't know, but I want some more. 
There was also pumpkin juice that was bottled, but we didn't want to carry them with us, so we decided to come back later and get some. We just hung around there for a while, just soaking up everything Potter 
and trying to find a backdoor into Olivander's... dang! Oh well.
We then left Pottersville to enjoy more of the park. I think the next thing we went on was the Jurassic Park ride. Wasn't expecting to get wet this late in the day... again. But, we all got blasted from the waist up, and were almost eaten by the T-Rex and the raptors- whew, it was close! Saved the camera again apparently.
They have this whole section devoted to the comics. I wish we would have had more time to enjoy them all. We spent most of our time in the Marvel comic area and went on the Spider-man ride. It was very cool, another 3D action adventure. Brenda enjoyed it so much that she had to close her eyes as she was starting to get sick. I didn't want another 4D ride on my hands- no spewage please!
We spent a while looking for t-shirts to take home to the other kids- so many cool ones made it hard to choose... and since I couldn't decide on one, I didn't get one- weird, eh, Pacha? There was a Dr. Doom drop ride and a Hulk coaster ride. Sydney and I went on the Hulk ride a couple times... so much fun just screaming like little girls all the way through that thing. 
It was getting late and we were ready to leave. We then remembered that we wanted to get some pumpkin juice, and I didn't come all the way to Florida to not. So Sydney and I high-tailed it back to Pottersville whilst Brenda and Carson went shoppin' for more t-shirts and shoes. When Syd and I got to Potterland, it looked like they were closing down. We asked the guy at the butter beer cart if we could buy some, he said the cart was closed... "here, just take this one, they don't keep good count anyway."
I told him that I wanted to buy two (one to drink now, and one to take home and share), so he just gave me another one. I told him I didn't want to do that, but he insisted. I then quickly thought about how much money I spent here today...... yeah, I still think they came out ahead ;) 
So, I thanked the kid for his kindness, I quickly put on my hat and dark sunglasses, stashed the beverages in my trench coat(jk), and slunked away into the darkness. As we were walking away, Syd said, "I should have asked that kid for his number, he was cute." Where are her priorities, really... we just scored pumpkin juice! So we all shared one and are going to take the other one back to Utah to share with everyone else... we are so thoughtful (more about this story later).
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Tale of a trip... part tres
Sea World
We slept in, of course, as a result of our late night last night- or would it be better said, early morning? I think we had McDonald's breakfast today, as we did a couple of mornings- I just don't think my bank account could afford another $40 Disney yogurt, bagel, and juice breakfast... but the staff is nice :) Well, all that's on the agenda today is- Sea World! I hope that everybody stayed another day at Disney- oh, but I doubt it.
Again, back in 'ot whenever when we went to Disneyland, we also went to Sea World, CA- it turned out to be more fun than Disneyland, at least for me.
Now, this scene looks very familiar, 'cept that Sydney wasn't so happy when I took a pic of her at Sea World, CA- Shamoo got us wet... she was crying and could not be consoled- so funny. Sydney has grown up and apparently, so had Shamoo, cause we got super-soaked! I bought a new camera for the trip and I was trying to keep it from getting wet- I was worried it was going to be ruined. Guess it was OK (since I got the pix). 
We were walking around "chafed" and sore for the rest of the day. Man, where's some Vaseline when you need it?
There were a couple of fun rides there too, The Manta and The Kraken. I couldn't stop myself from saying "Release the kraken" every minute or so. It makes you laugh- try it! "Release the kraken"... see? There were a lot of birds,
fish, sharks and dolphins, etc., so much to see. We fed the mantas 
and the dolphins, saw a dolphin/bird/people-dressed-in-funky-outfits show, which was crazy! 
Then we rode the The Manta and we released the Kracken one more time... "release the kracken!"
A little slower paced day and we got back to the hotel a little earlier. We needed to be well rested, for tomorrow... Universal Studios- here we come!
We slept in, of course, as a result of our late night last night- or would it be better said, early morning? I think we had McDonald's breakfast today, as we did a couple of mornings- I just don't think my bank account could afford another $40 Disney yogurt, bagel, and juice breakfast... but the staff is nice :) Well, all that's on the agenda today is- Sea World! I hope that everybody stayed another day at Disney- oh, but I doubt it.
Again, back in 'ot whenever when we went to Disneyland, we also went to Sea World, CA- it turned out to be more fun than Disneyland, at least for me.
Now, this scene looks very familiar, 'cept that Sydney wasn't so happy when I took a pic of her at Sea World, CA- Shamoo got us wet... she was crying and could not be consoled- so funny. Sydney has grown up and apparently, so had Shamoo, cause we got super-soaked! I bought a new camera for the trip and I was trying to keep it from getting wet- I was worried it was going to be ruined. Guess it was OK (since I got the pix). 
We were walking around "chafed" and sore for the rest of the day. Man, where's some Vaseline when you need it? There were a couple of fun rides there too, The Manta and The Kraken. I couldn't stop myself from saying "Release the kraken" every minute or so. It makes you laugh- try it! "Release the kraken"... see? There were a lot of birds,
fish, sharks and dolphins, etc., so much to see. We fed the mantas 
and the dolphins, saw a dolphin/bird/people-dressed-in-funky-outfits show, which was crazy! 
Then we rode the The Manta and we released the Kracken one more time... "release the kracken!"A little slower paced day and we got back to the hotel a little earlier. We needed to be well rested, for tomorrow... Universal Studios- here we come!
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