Wordless Wednesday-A is for Alligators

Anyone for a swim?
This was taken at the Alligator Farm in St. Augustine.

I know you are all busy checking out everyone's Wordless Wednesday but take the time to bookmark me and drop back to check out my blog. I am a retired Special Ed teacher who now spends most of her time on Sanibel Island, Florida volunteering for a Wildlife hospital rescuing and rehabbing wildlife. I even dumpster dive for injured Raccoons!! I am also the proud grandma of 5 wonderful grandkids and brag about them often!! I also have a blog called Branches and Roots where I talk about genealogy and my ancestors. OK, enough about me. Back to Wordless Wednesday.

Enjoy more Wordless Wednesdays at Wordless Wednesday and 5 Minutes for Mom

Ruby Tuesday-Red On Red

You can't get a whole lot more red than this!! My twin grandsons, Ethan and Luka, when they were about 8 months old.

OK, I know you are all busy checking out everyone's Ruby Tuesday but take the time to bookmark me and drop back to check out my blog. I am a retired Special Ed teacher who now spends most of her time on Sanibel Island, Florida which is a Sanctuary Island for wildlife. I volunteer for a wildlife hospital. I am also the proud grandma of 5 wonderful grandkids and brag about them often!! I also have a blog called Branches and Roots where I talk about genealogy and my ancestors. OK, enough about me. So if you really want to see red go to Work of the Poet.

Camera Critters-

There is a great meme called Camera Critters. I love the pictures and decided that with my wealth of critter pictures down here in SW Florida, I would give it a go. So here goes, but before I do, I must tell you to hop on over to Camera Critters. There you can either sign up for your own post for Camera Critters or see lots and lots of other great critter pics. So, now that you've done that--here are my pics for the day.

This is a Woodstork. This has been my favorite bird ever since I saw my first one down here years ago. I think they have the kindest eyes of any bird I've ever seen. I have always contended, though, that they need a top hat and they would be my idea of the old fashioned undertaker. If you want to learn more about the endangered Woodstork, go here.

I'm Here--Just Not Much Going On

I haven't posted for a couple of days. I was going to do a meme yesterday but didn't get to it. I was called in to work in the clinic Wednesday afternoon and also this morning. I did lots but can't tell you what :-(

My laptop went belly up with all of my blog pictures on it. So, now I'm using a fairly new Dell which has Vista on it. So, I'm trying to get used to it, get over the fact that I can't play my favorite game on it because it is incompatable with Vista, learning a new mail system because Vista doesn't work with our Eudora mail system, and getting over the fact that most of the pictures I had cataloged for my blog are gone. Luckily Mr. Snowbird had backed up all of my genealogy before my computer died. He was going to do pictures the next day but unfortunately there was never a next day for my little laptop.

We went out to eat with our friends last night. We both bought the Sanibel Kiwanis coupon books last spring and they are good until December 20th. There are coupons worth up to $25 to many of the Sanibel and Captiva restaurants in there. The booklet, itself, only cost $30 so two meals out and you get back the cost of the booklet. For those of you who know Sanibel, we went to the Jacaranda. Diana and I had the Crab Stuffed Grouper (yum), Mr. Snowbird had the Crab Stuffed Lobster Tail (another yum) and Steve had the 16 oz Prime Rib. It also looked yummy. We came back to our place to enjoy desert and the evening on our deck.

So that's about it. I worked 5 1/2 hours--you know where--this AM taking care of little ones. Now, I'm just chillin' in my new AC and watching Florida and Ole Miss on TV. I'm not a big Gator fan but Coach Urban Meyer got his start as a head coach at Bowling Green so I do kind of root for him.

So, now I have to go try to recover some pictures from other files for my blog. See ya later.

Wordless Wednesday--Fall Colors

This was taken several years ago at Lake Anna in Barberton, Ohio. I thought since it is now officially fall I would show some fall colors.


I know you are all busy checking out everyone's Wordless Wednesday but take the time to bookmark me and drop back to check out my blog. I am a retired Special Ed teacher who now spends most of her time on Sanibel Island, Florida volunteering for a Wildlife hospital rescuing and rehabbing wildlife. I even dumpster dive for injured Raccoons!! I am also the proud grandma of 5 wonderful grandkids and brag about them often!! I also have a blog called Branches and Roots where I talk about genealogy and my ancestors. OK, enough about me. Back to Wordless Wednesday.

Enjoy more Wordless Wednesdays at Wordless Wednesday and 5 Minutes for Mom

How Cool is That??

Cool Fact #1--We have AIR CONDITIONING!!! Of course they are saying on the news that we are supposed to start cooling off around here this week, but if 88 degrees down from 90 is cooling off, then I'm glad I have a new AC.

Cool Fact #2--We got a letter today from the Doubletree Guest Suites in Lake Buena Vista at WDW. That's where we stayed when we stopped at Disney World on the way down here. Apparently every week they have a drawing from guests who have answered their survey and they give the winner 2 free nights in their hotel! And the winner for the week of Sept. 9th was US!! Yay. I very rarely win anything and this is great. We loved that hotel. And now that WDW is letting you in free on your birthday, we may just have return to WDW in January.

Cool Fact #3--I had a "girl's day out" with my friend,Diana today. We went to Gulf Coast Shopping Center and did some serious shopping then went to lunch at PF Changs China Bistro. Oh YUM! Best chinese food I've ever had. Anyway, on the way home, I was stopped at the stop light the corner of Summerlin and McGregor and saw a turtle in the middle of the street. Now if you know that intersection, there are cars turning every which way. So I put my blinkers on, got out of the car and started waving my arms at traffic to stop. I got to the turtle and found that it was a Florida Softshell. Not the most gentle turtle in the world. The thing to do is take them in the direction they are headed. When I reached down to pick him up, he took off running--and I do mean running--back the way he came from across 3 lanes of traffic! I didn't know a turtle could run like that. So here I am, chasing him across the street clapping my hands at him and trying to stop traffic. Horns are honking etc but finally a guy came running up to help me and we got him back up on the grass. When I got back in the car I realized that my finger was bleeding. It was just a tiny cut and I don't know how I got it but I think I got clipped by one of Mr. Turtle's toenails. Anyway, this guy is not a potential patient--at least yet--so, I'm talking about him. That is the second turtle I've saved from certain doom this year already. More than I've done in the 10 years we have lived here.

So there you have my cool facts for the day.

Ruby Tuesday--Clowning Around

The Teach over at Work of the Poet asked for just a little bit of red this week. This is our friend, Alex Beaton, a well known and loved Scottish entertainer, clowning around a wee bit. And it is just a wee bit of red.

OK, I know you are all busy checking out everyone's Ruby Tuesday but take the time to bookmark me and drop back to check out my blog. I am a retired Special Ed teacher who now spends most of her time on Sanibel Island, Florida which is a Sanctuary Island for wildlife. I volunteer for a wildlife hospital. I am also the proud grandma of 5 wonderful grandkids and brag about them often!! I also have a blog called Branches and Roots where I talk about genealogy and my ancestors. OK, enough about me. So if you really want to see red go to Work of the Poet.

Did I Mention, Part 2

Did I mention that it's Hot?

Did I mention that it's HUMID?

Did I mention that our air conditioner is STILL on the FRITZ!!!

The AC guy came out Thursday and told us that the coils were frozen so he turned the AC off then came back Friday and added some Freeon, charged us $150 and left. Well, it did put out some cold air--very little cold air. It was a lot cooler with the fans going and the windows open.

So, here it is Monday and he is back again as we speak. He said, "Well, there is cold air coming out." Well duh, we knew that. So how come it isn't getting any higher in the room than floor level? He said maybe a connection came loose. So, I'll keep you apprised of how the AC Guy--who must be a brother to Bob the Builder--says and does.

Oh by the way, Hurricane Ike didn't touch us here but did some damage to our Findlay house taking off a couple of pieces of siding. So Mr. Snowbird is having Bill, who lives with us and takes care of the house while we laze around in Florida, call------you guessed it----Bob the Builder. I wonder if that job will get done before we get back next summer?
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OK, so Greg the AC Guy looked it over and looked under the house. Ugh! We have critters that tend to like living under our house--like Armadillos, Raccoons, etc. Apparently with all of their rutting around in there, they have played havoc with the duct work and it is all coming apart. Also, it would appear that we need a new AC unit. The other one was put in in 2001 and was a used one then. So, we are going to bite the bullet (a big one might I add!!) and go for it. We were going to get a second opinion but decided we would just go with this company. The new unit also has a heat coil in it so we will have heat when we need it in the winter. Greg the AC Guy can actually come out and do the work TOMORROW!!! Wow, getting someone to do it this quick is worth it--I guess. It just means we won't be eating quite so many meals out at Sanibel's finest restaurants this winter!

Camera Critters #2-Silent Sentinel

I have read several blogs lately that have been posting Sunday memes for Camera Critters. I love the pictures and decided that with my wealth of critter pictures down here in SW Florida, I would give it a go. So here goes, but before I do, I must tell you to hop on over to Camera Critters. There you can either sign up for your own post for Camera Critters or see lots and lots of other great critter pics. So, now that you've done that--here are my pics for the day.

This was taken in the Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel Island, Florida. I know the birds hang out on the signs all the time but I just thought that this was kind of neat. He looks like he is guarding the place.

Halfway to St. Patricks Day

Last night, we met our friends Steve and Diana at Jimmy's Pink Cadillac for a "Halfway to St. Patricks Day" party. I must admit, I had never heard of Halfway to St. Patrick's Day but I guess the Irish can think up just about any excuse for a party! LOL.

Steve and Diana had made reservations for us several weeks ago. In fact she called us while they were having dinner there and asked if we would be down here yet and would we like to go. I never miss a chance to party with the Irish! We arrived at 6:00 and could hardly find a place to park. In fact we had to park way down a residential street. (Later we and a lot others had to move our cars thanks to the Lee County Sheriff). When we walked in, there were several long tables set up as well as their booths. Our friends waved to us and we went over at sat down at a very crowded table. Apparently people who had made reservations also brought extra people with them. Amazingly, Jimmy and his staff got everyone settled in.

Of course they had Corned Beef and Cabbage--not my favorite meal--so I had their usual Thursday night fare, Broasted Chicken, as did Diana. Mr. Snowbird had the Seafood pasta and Steve had a huge 16 oz sirloin. The food was excellent and despite being run ragged, the service was also great.

Since it was an Irish party, there was lots of green. One guy had a big leprecaun hat and a red beard. Pretty funny. The group down the table from us were members of the Notre Dame Club. I guess they were alumni--or wanabe alumni--who knows.

A guy by the name of Harry Boyle entertains every Thursday night and of course was there last night. He was born in Brooklyn but definitely uses an Irish accent when entertaining. He began entertaining at about 6:10 and performed for well over an hour singing Irish and DoWop songs. It was great fun. Lots of sing alongs. He would also have people he knew from the audience come up to join him or to sing a song. He definitely has a following as there were lots of people there who seemed to know him. He took about a 20 minute break and was back at it again until 9:00. We left about 8:45 but had had a fun time. We definitely plan to go back again.

Of course, wouldn't you know, I forgot my camera. I took some pictures with my trusty cell phone but they came out so bad there is no way I could post them. Maybe I'll remember next time we go and I can post them then. But you can go to Harry's websites here and here and listen to some of his music--especially "Greetings from Ft. Myers Beach" which he wrote and won a contest with.

Anyway, we had a great evening--and it was air conditioned!!!

Did I Mention?

Did I mention that it's Hot?

Did I mention that it's HUMID?

Did I mention that our air conditioner is on the FRITZ?

I have thought for several days now that our air conditioner wasn't keeping it real cool in here but at least a little air was coming out. So this morning when I discovered that it was cooler in the Florida room--which has no AC--than it was in the house, we thought it time to call an a.c. repairman. He said that the coils were frozen up and he couldn't do anything until they thawed so he will be back tomorrow. So, here we sit with fans going, windows open and sweat pouring!! Thank goodness we are going out to eat with our friends tonight so we will have air conditioning. We are going to a "Half Way to St. Patricks Day Party". Should be fun. Better than sitting in a HOT HOUSE!

Bob the Builder is Still at It!

When last we left Bob the Builder, he had called in Susan the Savior to finish his work--or the work he didn't do. Of course, we left Findlay before the work was all done. Bill, who lives with us, told us that she had painted the hall woodwork and was coming back to do the computer room ceiling. Bob the Builder hadn't told her about painting the trim in my bedroom. So, she emailed us today. He had told her only to paint the windows, not the 3 doors. Now why, I ask you, would I want just the windows and not the doors??? So, she said she would give us a quote, would go out and buy more paint since Bob the Builder's son didn't buy enough and then she would do the work. I wish to heck that we had found her originally! We have lots more work to do next summer but unfortunately she is being transferred by Marathon Oil to Houston. Drat.
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This is the first time that we have come south this early. Usually we don't come until mid October but due to us being Florida residents now and Ohio law says that they can charge us full state tax if we are there over 3 months, we came down earlier this year. And believe me, it is HOT--and MUGGY! As I revealed on this blog a while back, due to my restless leg syndrome and sometime insomnia and Mr. Snowbird's snoring, we sleep in separate rooms. When we are down here, that means that I sleep in the Florida room. Usually it isn't too bad and sometimes during the winter it gets downright cold. Unfortunately, the Florida room is not heated or air conditioned. So, since we got back down here, I have been sleeping in a sauna! And the overhead fan hasn't worked since we had the Florida room remodeled. (I think Bob the Builder's cousin did the work here!) So, I have a tower fan which is aimed right at my futon. It helps a little but I tend to wake up dripping from perspiration from time to time. I can't wait until it starts to cool off a bit. Three or four weeks I am told.
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BTW, I did pick up a little something, put it in a cage and transport it today. :-)

Wordless Wednesday-Contemplation

This is my oldest grandson watching his little cousin. I love this picture!

I know you are all busy checking out everyone's Wordless Wednesday but take the time to bookmark me and drop back to check out my blog. I am a retired Special Ed teacher who now spends most of her time on Sanibel Island, Florida volunteering for a Wildlife hospital rescuing and rehabbing wildlife. I even dumpster dive for injured Raccoons!! I am also the proud grandma of 5 wonderful grandkids and brag about them often!! I also have a blog called Branches and Roots where I talk about genealogy and my ancestors. OK, enough about me. Back to Wordless Wednesday.

Enjoy more Wordless Wednesdays at Wordless Wednesday and 5 Minutes for Mom

Ruby Tuesday-A Hard Day's Work

My grandson has been a computer geek since he was about 18 months old. Even geeks get tired sometimes, especially those dressed in red.

I know you are all busy checking out everyone's Ruby Tuesday but take the time to bookmark me and drop back to check out my blog. I am a retired Special Ed teacher who now spends most of her time on Sanibel Island, Florida which is a Sanctuary Island for wildlife. I volunteer for a wildlife hospital. I am also the proud grandma of 5 wonderful grandkids and brag about them often!! I also have a blog called Branches and Roots where I talk about genealogy and my ancestors. OK, enough about me. So if you really want to see red go to Work of the Poet.

Well Now, How Cool is That?

Today was my first time to enter the Camera Critters meme. And would you believe that my little raccoon critter was chosen by random draw to be the critter of the week over there? Hop on over there and take a look if you don't believe me. :-)

Camera Critters #1

I have read several blogs lately that have been posting Sunday memes for Camera Critters. I love the pictures and decided that with my wealth of critter pictures down here in SW Florida, I would give it a go. So here goes, but before I do, I must tell you to hop on over to Camera Critters. There you can either sign up for your own post for Camera Critters or see lots and lots of other great critter pics. So, now that you've done that--here are my pics for the day.

We live on Sanibel Island, Florida which is a sanctuary island. about 60% of the island is wildlife refuge. Our back deck is right on a small stream teeming with wildlife. Following are just a few of the pictures I took in one day last spring.







And of course, there are times that I don't have my camera handy and miss all kinds of critters out back. Guess I need to keep a camera on the deck, huh?

Life Goes On-A Little Bit of This and That

OK, so I can't blog about some things I used to blog about but life goes on! I did volunteer at that place today for 5 1/2 hours. My feet hurt! My back aches! I am whipped! I probably lost 5 pounds from sweating! Oops I'm a lady. Ladies only perspire. Nope, that's wrong. I was SWEATING!!! But, I enjoyed being with the people I was with and with the other little ones. Enough said!!

These were some of the waves that Ike sent us. I took this picture on Tuesday.

And these are some of the shells that Ike sent our way. I went out shelling to Access 6 on Thursday and Friday. I'm not one to go out in the surf so I did most of my shelling in the shell piles and up on the dunes. I found two of the best Olives and several nice Shark's Eyes up near the grass. The little shell that is above the Shark's Eyes is actually a tree snail which I found on the beach. I am always amazed at the different colors of the Scallops. And as you can see, I love Turkey Wings--the shell kind, not the edible kind.

Yesterday was our friend, Steve's, birthday. We went out for dinner then went back to their house for cake. I love going to Steve and Diana's because they have 5 of the greatest Greyhounds you could ever hope to meet. They have Cooper, Commander, Fargo, Magic, and Rockin' Robyn who is their newest. Here they are getting their treats. Ok, so there are only 4 there. Magic is missing.

This is Magic. She is very, very shy and I had to chase her into the bedroom to even get her picture. She will not let me pet her unless she comes up behind me and I don't look at her. She would let me pet her all evening if we did it that way.

Note:The power just died for about 2 minutes. I was right in the middle of my blog. Thank goodness it saved everything except the next picture. So, on with the blog.

This is Cooper. Cooper is by far my favorite of the 5 dogs--although I've got to say that Robyn is gaining ground rapidly. Coopie is the most loving, kind, tender, amazing dog I ever seen. He would let you hug him all night if you wanted to. And there are times when you just need to hug a puppy, or kitty or other critters--you know what I mean. (Wink, wink)

So, life goes on and I continue to do all the stuff I did before. I just can't share it all with you guys. Sorry.

No More

Due to a Confidentiality Policy that we were totally unaware of, I will no longer be able to blog about our adventures and escapades rescuing and rehabbing wildlife here on the island. We have discussed this policy with the clinic director and now understand better the need for such a policy. We will continue to rescue and transport and I will continue to volunteer in the clinic but we just can't write about it. Thanks to those of you who followed our adventures through this blog. I also hope that those of you who donated to the clinic will continue to do so. Our wildlife need you. I also hope that you will continue to check in to read about our life here on Sanibel and in Ohio.

Remembering 9-11

The following pictures were taken in 2006 at the 4th of July parade in Stow, Ohio.

Wordless Wednesday-Tree People

I love the tree people in Animal Kingdom at Disney World.

I know you are all busy checking out everyone's Wordless Wednesday but take the time to bookmark me and drop back to check out my blog. I am a retired Special Ed teacher who now spends most of her time on Sanibel Island, Florida volunteering for a Wildlife hospital rescuing and rehabbing wildlife. I even dumpster dive for injured Raccoons!! I am also the proud grandma of 5 wonderful grandkids and brag about them often!! I also have a blog called Branches and Roots where I talk about genealogy and my ancestors. OK, enough about me. Back to Wordless Wednesday.

Enjoy more Wordless Wednesdays at Wordless Wednesday and 5 Minutes for Mom

Home Sweet Home

We got to our Sanibel home about 12:30 yesterday afternoon. 95 degrees and HUMID! But, we unloaded the car, unpacked the suitcases and boxes, and set up the computers. Yes, we each have a laptop. Then I headed out to CROW to pick up cages and see my friend, Diana, who answers the phones on Saturday. We talked for awhile and then I saw Nikki and Dr. Stephanie and met Gordon, the new vet intern who lived in our house this summer. They all asked when I was coming back to work!! They usually have several student externs and fellows but right now only have one or two and they are leaving soon. So, I guess I will be working in the clinic on Saturdays again. Plus, we will pick up produce at Publix tomorrow AM and then substitute drive on Tuesday morning. So, we're back and we're busy!

We decided not to buy too many groceries because we still aren't sure if we will be affected by Hurricane Ike or not. If we have to evacuate, we have to clean out the fridge. And then we discovered that our 21 year old fridge was in the process of giving up the ghost. The fridge is cool at best and the freezer is about the right temp for refrigerating things but not for freezing them. We have a plug in cooler so that is our backup.

This morning, I attacked the runaway weeds, trimmed the palms, harnessed the bouganvilla, and swept the deck which was covered with berries or whatever the heck they are from the palms. Did I mention that it is in the 90's and HUMID?? After that, I obviously was in need of a shower. After the shower we headed to Home Depot to purchase a new fridge. We bought one but they only deliver on Sanibel on Thursday so we have to make do until then. We need a new stove too but we have propane and none of the stores hook up the stoves to propane. We need to call the county--haven't figured out which department--to do that. So, we didn't order the stove--but we will. It's a bit hard to bake Christmas cookies or cook a turkey when you set the oven for 300 and it heats to 500 or you set it for 450 and it heats to 200!

Tonight, I decided that I wanted to go to Pinocchios for ice cream. They have the best flavors--such as Sanibel Crunch or Dirty Sand Dollar. So off we went. A sign in the window announced that they were on vacation until Friday. So we headed to Schnappers, a great hot dog, pizza, burger, ice cream carry out place. Even thought it was 6:45, they were already closed! So, we went to Jerry's, the local grocery store, and got a pint of Ben and Jerry's Butter Pecan. Any excuse to get Ben and Jerrys! Remember, we have no freezer so we had to eat it all or throw it away. Needless to say, none of it got thrown away!

So, we're here, we're hot, but we're happy.

Our Trips to Epcot and Magic Kingdom

Ok, I know that I should have reported on our day at Epcot yesterday but I was too pooped to post. Sorry.

As you guessed, we went to Epcot yesterday. We had a great day and didn't wait in one line for a ride. The only waits we had were for shows or movies and those were only a few minutes. This is a GREAT time of the year to be here. We did the front part before noon and the Nations afternoon.

The new The Seas with Nemo and Friends was great. You take a little ride and then they dump you off in an aquarium which had manatees, dolphins, all kinds of fish, and of course a bunch of Nemos and Dorys. The Circle of Life movie was great too. That song always brings a lump to my throat. Whenever we have been at Epcot before and headed over to the World Showcase, we always seemed to go to the right but this time, we headed towards Mexico.

Why? Because they have those wonderful adult beverages which that country is known for. So after one of those--apiece--we went on the ride through Mexico.

This was taken at the suggestion and request of mariby.

Then on to Norway (where we took the picture above), China etc. We ended up at France at dinner time and decided to splurge and eat there. Pricey but good. Since it was still about 3 hours until the Illuminations and we have seen it several times, we decided just to head back to the hotel to relax and watch some TV.

This morning when we woke up, Tropical Storm Hanna was off the coast just east of us and it was very cloudy and threatening rain. We decided to take ponchos just in case and headed off to the Magic Kingdom. I love the MK. It is such a happy place and I'm always reminded of it when I look down Main Street.

We have never been there when it is decorated for a holiday but Main Street was all dolled up for Halloween. Really neat. We headed to Adventure Land first and got there just as Jack Sparrow was walking away. Drat! He has been added to the Pirates of the Caribbean (which is my favorite ride) so it is kind of like a Where's Waldo trying to spot him. We don't do the wet or roller coaster rides so we moved along fairly rapidly. We went to the Hall of Presidents, another favorite of mine. We got out of that just in time to catch the River Boat. Just as we boarded the Boat, the skies opened up and POURED! Luckily we were under cover. When we finished the boat ride, we donned our ponchos and ran over to the Haunted House. By the time we got out of the HH, the rain was done. I guess Hanna had moved north. We of course had to see the Country Bear Jamboree.

I had to take this for my daughter who LOVES Big Al.

Lunch and then on to Fantasy Land and Tomorrow Land. Again today, no waiting in lines for any rides. We bypassed Peter Pan's Flight which obviously is a very popular ride as there was a 20 minute wait. We finished up everything about 4:30 so decided to head home. The park closed at 7:00 today anyway so no fireworks to hang around for.

I hope I don't offend anyone here but I just don't get the whole Princess thing. Even though my daughter and granddaughter will always be my princesses, they were and are not the "princess type". So when I see the little girls--and honestly some were only about 2 years old--dressed up in the Princess outfits which cost at least $75-$100, with their hair done at the Princess Boutique all slicked back, gelled and sparkled, and walking around in shoes that hurt my feet just looking at them, I have to wonder--who really wants them to dress this way--them or their moms who wish they could. OK, I'm off of my soapbox now. Sorry for that little tirade.

We had dinner in tonight--leftovers from the last two nights. Did some packing and took some stuff to the car so we don't have so much to haul down tomorrow.

This view shows Ike bypassing us. I sure hope so!

We will head to Sanibel tomorrow. Unfortunately, we don't know how long we will be there since Hurricane Ike seems to have it's eye on our fair island right now. I'm sure we will have to evacuate Monday or Tuesday so we will probably head to our friends who live in Ft. Myers. I have never been through a hurricane before and I'm not really looking forward to it. Hopefully this storm will turn and go back out into the Atlantic and fizzle out. Keep your fingers crossed for everyone in Florida as this storm looks like it could affect the entire state.

Anyway, we had a great time here. Now all I want to do is go home and unpack--but--I'm not going to because I will probably just have to repack in a couple of days. I'll keep you posted.

No, We Didn't Buy a Timeshare--Yes, we got Disney Tickets.

We bounced out of bed at 7:00 to be down in the lobby at 7:40 as we had been told to. At 8:00 we checked with the concierge as we were supposed to have been picked up at 7:45. Apparently they had us down to be picked up at 9:45!! But, someone came to get us so we got to the Hilton Vacation Club Headquarters about 8:20. A very nice looking young man came out, called our name, looked at our sheet and said rather dejectedly, "I've never had anyone from Sanibel Island before." So he ushered us into a big, rather noisy room with a lot of tables for 4 in little cubbies. He told us to get something to eat while he went and got some catalogs. When he came back, he asked us if we were employed then asked what jobs we had retired from. He then asked if we traveled much and we said not so much anymore. Then we had the following conversation:
Brian: How did you find out about this?
Me: From the Doubletree.
Brian: What did they promise you?
Me: Disney Tickets.
Brian: You live on Sanibel. You're not really interested in a Timeshare are you?
Me: Not really.
Brian: Let me go talk to my boss and see if we can't get you out of here without having to sit through the whole talk.

So, he did. When he came back he said that he had done this before and took the sales book, marked it all up like he would if he were giving us the sales pitch then told us to go in and watch a short movie, then come back to the table. We did and when we came back, he was gone but a lady came up and told us thanks for coming. I got brave and said that we had been promised Disney Tickets and she said, "Of course" and took us to the Gift Dept. where we got our two 2 day tickets to DW. We paid $146 for 4 tickets. That is $36.50 a ticket! If we had bought a 3 day pass as a Florida resident, they would have been about $43 a ticket. Of course, we do have to buy the 3rd day at full price which is $75 a ticket. But, if we add all that up together, we ended up still only paying about $49 a ticket. Not too shabby for not even having to sit through a sales pitch!! We were back to the hotel by 9:15.

So, off we went to Animal Kingdom. When we got there we learned that they would be closing at 5:00. That gave us about 6 hours. So we headed to Africa and took the Safari ride, the train ride, and the other sights in that section. We aren't into roller coasters or rides where you get wet, so we headed to Asia, had some lunch, then on to It's a Bugs Life under the Tree of Life. When we got done there, we hurried back to see the new Nemo, The Musical. It was amazing. Live actors who did the speaking and singing while working their puppets. Some of the costuming was amazing. And the scene with the Sea Turtles was out of this world. When we got done, it was only 4:00 but I guess I'm getting old. My feet hurt, my gimpy knee hurt, my back hurt, and we just decided to head back to the hotel. What with waiting for the bus and the ride back, we finally got back to the hotel about 5:30. We cleaned up a bit then headed to Downtown Disney to eat at Fulton's Crab House. It is a bit pricey but has always been one of our favorite restaurants. I had Crab Stuffed Shrimp and Mr. Snowbird had Cioppino and we shared a chocolate creme brule for desert. Everything was wonderful as was the service.

So, I think it was a pretty good day. We got cheapo tickets and a free breakfast without having to listen to any kind of sales pitch, we had a good day at Animal Kingdom, and a fantastic meal. Tomorrow we are headed to Epcot and you better believe that I will be taking a bunch of Tylenol with me!!

Onward to Orlando

The Snowbirds have landed in Orlando. We left Macon at 9:30 and thanks to GPS had a very uneventful 6 hour trip (except for intermittent downpours) to the Doubletree Guest Suites in Lake Buena Vista. We got a deal online for $80 a night plus $8 a day parking. When we checked in we were told that they hadn't started the parking fee yet. Cool! So, after receiving our warm packaged Doubletree Chocolate Chip Cookies, Brandon the Very Cute and Efficient Bellhop (as opposed to Brandon the So Called Painter) showed us to our room. I opened the door and was amazed. We have a huge two room suite with a kitchen area which has a table with four chairs, sink, microwave and refrigerator. The living room has a sofa bed, chair, chest, end tables and a flat screen TV. There are louvered doors which separate the living room from the bedroom. The bedroom has two double beds with 5 pillows each, a chest, a dressing table with mirror and a closet. Plus there is a nice sized bathroom. Wow, I'm in Paradise here. And I really feel like I'm on vacation. OK, so internet costs $10 a day but since we don't have to pay the parking fee, we went for it. I mean, I have to keep my readers up on my activities don't I?? LOL.

We unpacked, had a glass of adult beverage, then went down to the desk to check out tickets prices. We are Florida residents and are supposed to get cheaper tickets than the rest of the world. Sorry world. But---at the desk, we found out that we have to buy them online and we have to order them 72 hours in advance! Now they tell us. But--since we are in a Hilton hotel, he gave us the opportunity to go listen to a 90 minute presentation and in return we would get 2 tickets for 2 days at DW for $146. That is half of what it would normally cost. Oh, and we get continental breakfast to boot. I think I can deal with listening to a spiel for 90 minutes if I can save $146. It even beats the deal you get by being a Florida resident. So, guess what we will be doing tomorrow morning before we head in to see Mickey.

After signing up for tomorrow AM we headed to Downtown Disney for dinner and to walk around. We checked out several restaurants and either didn't care for the menu or found that it was just WAY to expensive. Now that you don't have to pay to wander through Pleasure Island, we walked through and found a great Irish Restaurant called Raglan Road. Good menu and pretty reasonable prices so we went in. There was hardly anyone there. I guess the day after Labor Day is the day to go to DW. Anyway, we had a great waiter and fantastic food. It was a great preview of what we will get next summer when we go to Ireland for 10 days. After dinner, we wandered around some and then headed to Ghiradelli's for a hot fudge sundae. More wandering then back to the hotel.

And there you have our day. Now we are just keeping our fingers crossed that Hanna fizzles out because if she doesn't, Friday will be a total washout in the land of Mickey.

Macon Whoopie

Don't ya just love that name? That's the name of the hockey team here in Macon, Georgia. Oh, right, I forgot to mention that we are in Macon. We left at 5:30 this AM and didn't really hit a whole lot of traffic until Atlanta. We found out later that many of the Gustav evacuees headed to Atlanta. We rolled in here about 5:30 PM and were greeted with some showers which apparently are connected with Gustav.

We are staying in the Best Western here for the night and will head on to see Mickey tomorrow in Orlando. It appears now that Hurricane Hanna may visit us on Thursday or Friday. Great. Just Great!!! So much for our trip to Disney World. So now, we don't know whether to ride it out in Orlando and stay an extra day or head home to Sanibel. I guess we will play it by ear. My friend, Linda, who lives in Titusville just got cleaned up from Fay and now is facing Hanna. But NASA will probably give her a "snow" day so that's not all bad. Stay safe, Linda. And, oh yeah, just in case we haven't had enough of hurricanes and tropical storms this year--Ike is steaming his way west and they don't really know where he will end up. And it appears there are a few others revving up out there. It is going to be a loooonnnggg fall.

So, if I can get free internet at the Doubletree in Lake Buena Vista, I will keep you posted on the exciting adventures of the Snowbirds as they wing their way south.