4/24 Fleet Racing and Dave's birthday (report by Fleet Captain Andy previously posted) on a beautiful day. Used the newer boat, feels different from the Pig but was moving pretty well.
We dropped off Missy at Debo's (friends) after dinner with them at outside venue that allows dogs, The Burger Shack in Palm Harbor. Lexi and Missy were very popular, as, of course, they are very beautiful black labs. Hope Missy doesn't terrorize Hadley (their wonderful chocolate lab) too much. Since we've been fostering, Missy has grown to like other dogs much more and tends to play a lot more.
4/25 Woke up early, last bits of packing, securing the boat, making sure coolers were properly provisioned. (Ice and beer, what else do you really need on vaca?)
We stop at Hound Haven (a safe haven for dogs of all kinds) where we adopted Missy and from where we have fostered Glory, Prescott, Duke and Lexi) to drop off Lexi the wonder dog and discuss with Linda the Duke vs. Lexi dilemma. We'll see what transpires during our time in Orlando.
Arrived at The Boardwalk a little before check-in, and wanted to get the rooms set up before Dave's parents arrive. They are flying from AZ, and will be with us in Walt's World till Thursday. Right on cue, humidity and heat forecasted for the first 2 days of the visit. Yikes. Turns out it rained a bit Sunday night, but we were safely in the restaurant at dinner, it let up briefly for the short walk back to the room from one of our faves, The Big River Grill. We spent the rest of the evening catching up, unpacking, and resting up for a big day at Epcot.
4/26 We aren't the kind to set the alarm to get to the park at opening, we took our time each morning, eating a hearty breakfast, and wandered to the side entrance of the World Showcase, near France, to start the adventure. France's pretty movie was a great way to start the day, then on to the American Adventure. Made dinner reservations at Italy, for 7:45 – perfect for finishing in time to see the wonderful light show at 9:00. We had lunch in Mexico, hit a few attractions in Future World, but we started to peter out. Dave and Dad rode Mission Space, and we went back to the condo to rest before dinner. The Flower and Garden Show was a big hit, and we took many great pictures.
4/27 We decided to lay low on Tuesday, and put in some time by the pool. We also took a ride in the car to take in some sights- pools at other resorts, floor plans of new Vacation Club models, and happy hour at the Grand Floridian, with the orchestra playing. It's quite a place. Did I mention the weather has been fantastic? Not too hot, yet, and the breeze kept the humidity manageable. Dinner was pizza delivered to the room, we highly recommend local joint, Flippers.
4/28 Wednesday am, was also spent leisurely breakfasting, and more visiting at poolside. Took a ride on the boat transportation from Boardwalk, to Swan/Dolphin, and Hollywood Studios; decided to definitely make that a stop on the next visit. We ended the tour at the Dance Hall where DVC holds a member reception. We arrived in time for Kim to win a raffle prize and we were entertained by the DVC group. Free hat, too – score! All together now- "DVC is for you and me!"
Back at the room, we had a quick turnaround making some roadies for some quality time on the veranda, then into the car for a road trip to Celebration for dinner. Nighttime consisted of packing and preparing for an early trip to the airport for the parents. Dave and Kim finished reading The Gate House (Nelson DeMille book we're into for this trip), and we reflected on a trip that passed all too quickly.
4/29 At Walt's designated time, 11:00 am, we were packed and on the road to Clermont, to pick up the boat – we left it at Hound Haven. We spent some time visiting with Linda and Emily / Whisper. This yellow lab has a great story and will have a wonderful life in NY with 4 other dogs and her new family. Safe to say, she'll be rooting for the Yankees and wearing Yankee blue and white for special occasions, so great for her. She is healing up from her surgery and looks great!
1245 left HH for NC! Good drive, started a new book, James W. Hall this time – haven't followed our hero, Thorn in a while…good stuff so far. Arrived in Orangeburg, SC at 1930, after a room change due to technical difficulties (poor TV function), we settled in. We are probably within 4 hours of Lake Norman, so we should be there early and hope to go for a sail.
