Dec 29, 2009 - Tuesday Plane left Asheville on time-- security not too bad - just taking care of all the little things -- Taking off shoes, getting out one qt baggie and mini-laptop (not sure I needed to do that - the man behind me left his in its bag and she said that was okay). Would have been a lot to deal with if I also had a carry-on suitcase. It was a good thing I checked my bag anyway, because we sat on the tarmac for an hour after landing in ATL - then I had to dash a long way to the train to get from D concourse to A, which would have been really hard pulling an extra bag (esp. since I don't dash very well anymore). Fortunately we had landed ... read more

Saturday, November 7, 2009 -- Cool pool; another move; crowded Epcot Started my Disney visit with a cool dip in the cool pool at Coronado Springs Resort. The water wasn’t too cold to get used to it fairly easily. I took a lot of photos of it before they turned on the water features. They gather all the kids to the bottom of the Mayan style pyramid and sit them on the bottom stairs then go through several steps of getting ready to turn on the water slide. So it’s surprise to the ones who don’t know that water also comes down the pyramid stairs and gets them wet (or wetter, since most were already in the pool). The water doesn’t have much force, and it’s a kind of cute little ceremony. I watched from out ... read more

Thursday, Nov. 5, 2009 Looks kinda cloudy and windy again; fixed broccoli omelet for breakfast and then headed out. Woke up early again, darn it -- had hoped to sleep in, nothing in particular on schedule for today. Started the day at Flamingo Gardens ($13.60 for a senior) -- it’s very pretty and worth a visit after you’ve hit your main highlights. The animals and birds appear to be fairly well taken of, with decent habitats (could be roomier of course, but better than I was expecting). Lots of huge, very interesting plants and trees. Fortunately I had my umbrella, because the skies opened up mightily, but it was still fairly warm, so I plugged on ahead. The Wray house on the property (the original developers of the gardens) is quite charming; I could move right ... read more

Nov. 16, 2009, Monday-- Yet another moving day. Shifting today from Animal Kingdom Lodge to Beach Club Villas at Yacht and Beach Club Resort near Epcot. Had to be out of room by 10 a.m. -- not really any animals visible this morning. Took the ice cube chest out empty and moved the car closer, and packed the remainder of the cold stuff in a large plastic bag, so I was able to get that and everything else out to the car in one trip with the Wonder Wheeler beach cart -- I love it. Drove on over to the Beach Club and they actually got me a room almost right away, by about 10:30 a.m. It’s a first floor handicapped studio, and I really like it -- wonderful accessible bathroom, with roll-in shower (no tub). ... read more

Tuesday, November 10, 2009: Backstage Magic tour and castle lighting ceremony Always bring a flashlight when you travel! Got “home” to no power. It had started sprinkling as I was leaving MK, and raining as I looked for my car in Epcot parking lot. It was pouring when I stopped at the Outlet Center, and at the turn-off to the timeshare, the street was dark (at least the signal lights were working). The room keys are battery-operated, so I could get in and find my flashlight in my suitcase. There’s some ambient light here, of course, and there are front porch battery-operated lights. Fortunately I was planning on a cold asparagus snack -- so got that and shortly after, the power came back on. An interesting end to another lovely day -- got through the whole ... read more