Ants in the Cheerios - Final Update 12/21

[DaveInTN 3,247]

That's incredibly sad to me.  

[h2odivers...Ray 952]

I googled it like you said and I found this posted on another site. Take note when she mentions, Lynn bringing her 4 kids to the world.

Sorry the other 'thread' was closed. That is a new term to me.

The lady who is always at the Grand Floridian Hotel is my sister, Lynn, who lives near there and is definitely Not homeless.

Her late Husband, Bruce, used to be there often, too, but would often go off and do other things while Lynn listened to the music.

She takes her bags of teddy bears with her everywhere and has for many many years.

Lynn has a terrific sense of humor, but she does hear the beat to a different drummer, as the old saying goes.

Bruce suddenly passed away from a brain aneurysm October of 2007, which was a shock to all of us. He had a fantastic sense of humor as well, and the two of them couldn't have been more perfectly matched.

Lynn will be 67 in March, so she isn't as old as some thought. I am 65, and at times, websites like this one are somewhat of a struggle for me to figure out how to use, so I hope you will be patient with me.

Even as a child Lynn was rather overly imaginative. I remember when one night she got me to drag her into our closet so she could pretend she was a doll and 'catch' all of the toys come 'alive' when the rest of us were asleep. She was probably around 7 or 8 at the time. She was dissappointed the next morning that none had come to life, but she reasoned it all out that the toys must have realized that she was really a human and not a real toy.

So, Lynn is not homeless, but she is OCD. One day she will no doubt tire of going to the GF and go off into something else.

She and Bruce used to love to hand out teddy bears to children, but only after asking the children's parent's permission first. They have been going to Disney since it opened, and have spent a small fortune there, taking 4 kids there very often, spending almost more time in the place where people camp than at their own home, renting golf carts. So, if anyone thinks either of them were or are freeloaders, they are very wrong.

The person who wrote #43 on the original site about my sister needs to learn compassion for those less fortunate than she is. With the way the world is today, she could be homeless right now. I hope that is NOT the case, but if it is, I can't help but wonder if she would even give a thought to what she wrote about homeless people when many thought Lynn might be, and she really didn't like the idea of Lynn being in the hotel if she was homeless. I seem to remember that she didn't even want Lynn there if she wasn't a guest at the hotel. My goodness, don't you think there are literally thousands of people that go into these hotels to eat in the restaurants, or listen to the music, etc. It is a public place.

Lynn has a LOT of friends at the hotel, as well as a few like the above person, who resent her being there daily.

Who is she hurting? No one.

At any rate, I hope this satisfies everyone's curiosity. Thanks to all of you who were kind in your remarks about her.

Lynn's Sister,

Tracy Joan

Nashville, TN

[Lou... 3,118]

"and have spent a small fortune there, taking 4 kids there very often, spending almost more time in the place where people camp than at their own home, renting golf carts."

 

Good catch Ray.
 

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

Love the castle in the snow!

 

 

That was a beautiful picture!!! The snow came out just fine!

 

Thank you, Kelly and Carol!

 

I love to visit AKL. I don't want to stay there though! 

 

I'm glad we visited once.

 

That's Lynn, also called Miss Lynn, aka the Teddy Bear Lady.

She and her husband, now deceased, loved and visited the Grand Floridian often. It was a special place for them. They would both visit  and give out teddy bears to the kids. Her husband passed away 6 years ago, and she now finds solace in visiting by herself.

 

Lou, thank you for the information. 

 

That's incredibly sad to me.  

 

I agree.

 

"and have spent a small fortune there, taking 4 kids there very often, spending almost more time in the place where people camp than at their own home, renting golf carts."

 

Good catch Ray.

 

 

Ray, thank you for the info!  I wonder if they actually stayed at the fort or just went looping.

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

You are an awesome photographer.

Congrats to your son. Most professional sports teams have chaplains. Don't know if that's God's plan for him just thought I'd put it put there.

 

 

Thank you x 2.

 

The PGA has chaplains, too.  But I don't think he would want to be on the road so much and away from his family right now since his children are so young.  We'll see.

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

Saturday, November 16 - Sniff, Sniff, our Last Full Day - Rain, Rain, Go Away!

 

Woke up to a rainy morning.

 

 

We spent the day in the Magic Kingdom.  We cut through the Emporium to get out of the rain for a bit.  Sometimes I take the strangest pictures!

 

 

 

Our first stop was Peter Pan.  It had just been reopened after the refurbishment and looked a lot better.

 

 

I tried to take some photos on the ride, but they didn't turn out so well.

 

 

 

Our next stop was the Haunted Mansion.

 

 

 

 

I rode it twice and used different settings on my camera, but I failed.

 

While I was in HM the second time, David walked over to Sleepy Hollow and got a cookie filled with ice cream.

 

 

He ate less than half of it and said it wasn't very good.

 

We walked toward POTC.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I got one halfway-decent pic in POTC.

 

 

At that point I was starving, so we went to:

 

 

 

 

I started with a no sugar added vanilla-chocolate swirl milkshake.

 

 

It was delicious!  And they bring you the leftovers in the metal cup.  I had 2.5 glasses total.

 

Next I had an Angus burger smothered with cheese, bacon, sauteed onions and mushrooms, etc., with a side of broccoli slaw.

 

 

David only got something to drink.  That cookie ruined his appetite.

 

When we exited the restaurant we saw a bit of the "Singing in the Rain" parade.

 

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

Saturday, November 16 - Sniff, Sniff, our Last Full Day - Rain, Rain, Go Away! - Part 2

 

The rain finally slacked off a little.

 

 

We visited Mickey's Philharmagic.  I love the dump shop -- never look at any merchandise there.

 

 

 

 

When we walked out David said, "Look at that big green vine.  I've never seen it before."

 

 

So I took him inside and showed him the giant.

 

 

 

 

What is this bush?

 

 

 

It was midafternoon and time for us to take Kassie out, put on DeeDee's hairnet, and start preparing to leave in the morning.  So we again cut through the Emporium.

 

 

 

 

Goofy looks like he's saying "Gawrsh, get me out of here!"

 

 

 

 

I did some looping while David took Kassie for a walk and finally found Mike (Classact) and his lovely wife Susan at home.  It was great to meet them.

 

 

To be continued ...

[DaveInTN 3,247]

Gwen, I've never seen that vine or the giant either.  Thanks for sharing.  

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

I'm not sure I've ever noticed the vine either. 

 

How do you protect your camera in bad weather? That's one thing Jason is always worried about. 

[Laura 17]

I have seen the vine, but never the Giant!  THANKS!  I cannot wait to show my daughter next time

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

Gwen, I've never seen that vine or the giant either.  Thanks for sharing.  

 

Something new to show the girls next time you're there!

 

I'm not sure I've ever noticed the vine either. 

 

How do you protect your camera in bad weather? That's one thing Jason is always worried about. 

 

In rainy weather David carries my camera backpack for me.  It's a LowePro flipside, I think the 400.  It is rainproof when you use the built-in rain hood.  If it's misty rain, I carry it under my jacket.  If the rain gets heavy, it goes into the backpack.

 

I have seen the vine, but never the Giant!  THANKS!  I cannot wait to show my daughter next time

 

Have fun!  The giant is easy to miss if you're not looking for it.

[alexwyattmommy 181]

That would be a beauty berry bush or ala google Callicarpa americana

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

That would be a beauty berry bush or ala google Callicarpa americana

 

Thank you for the info!  I googled it and found that it is native here in NC, but I've never seen it here.  Only in Florida.  And it grows in part shade!  I'm gonna try to find one next spring to put in our wooded area.

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

So let's finish up our last full day.

 

Saturday, November 16 - Sniff, Sniff, our Last Full Day - Rain, Rain, Go Away!  - Part 3

 

So we spent the rest of the afternoon at Dolly doing a lot of chores in preparation for leaving the next morning.  

 

After an early dinner we went back to the Magic Kingdom.  It was a cloudy but rain-free evening:

 

 

We had one last PP picture made:

 

 

I took this one myself, and it's another one of my favorites of the trip.  Although I wish I hadn't cut off the top of the castle.

 

 

 

We walked through New Fantasyland.  It's so beautiful at night!  And then I realized I had once again forgotten my tripod.  Without it there was no way to get a picture of the Beast's castle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was getting late (for us, anyway) and we would have an early morning, so we walked on to the train station.

 

 

 

When we got off the train at Main Street, the MSEP had started.  How could I have forgotten about my absolute most favorite thing in the Magic Kingdom?!?

 

 

We walked downstairs, and it was a terrible place to take pictures.  Too much ambient light, sooooooo many people in front of me.  But this is my beloved MSEP.  I have to do what I can!

 

 

I inched my way forward and got some semi-decent shots:

 

 

 

Pete's Dragon, my favorite float!

 

 

And the beautiful tribute to America:

 

 

I said a tearful goodbye to the Magic Kingdom as we made our way to the boat launch.

 

 

Here's a WL boat, but we had to wait awhile on ours.

 

 

 

The fireworks started just as we pulled away from the dock.

 

 

And they were ending as we docked at the fort.  I used a post on the dock to steady my camera for these pics:

 

 

 

 

 

 

And in the blink of an eye it was all over.  Finished.  Completed.  Another year before we would see these sights together again.  Another year, Lord willing, until we experience the Disney magic again.

 

But notice I said WE?  And together?  I'll be back in January for WWW!

 

Coming up -- a final morning at the fort, the trip home, PhotoPass pics, final thoughts/wrap-up.  Thank you all for reading along!

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

Awwww.... I'm sad your trip is ending. I like the MSEP too. I don't care what Dave says. It does NOT SMB.

[alexwyattmommy 181]

We had three of those bushes.  They grew much wider than I thought they would.  They were beautiful. 

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

Awwww.... I'm sad your trip is ending. I like the MSEP too. I don't care what Dave says. It does NOT SMB.

 

Thanks.  I was so happy when they brought back MSEP!  Just wasn't a Spectro fan.

 

We had three of those bushes.  They grew much wider than I thought they would.  They were beautiful. 

 

You said had.  What happened to them?

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Excellent job, Gwen.

 

Those night photos are great! 

 

I'm sorry that this trip report has ended.

 

But, I'm glad you don't have long to wait for your next visit to WDW!

 

TCD

 

p.s.  I am amazed by how many people never noticed the vine at Sir Mickeys?

 

Are you kidding me?

 

How could you miss the vine?

 

TCD

[alexwyattmommy 181]

LOL They got too big for where I put them and had no place to replant them.  They are now gracing a neighbor's yard.

[DramaMama .......... Janet 75]

Incredible pictures - even without your tripod.  Someday.  Someday I will get a better camera.  I loved my Rebel, but alas, using film just isn't worth it anymore.  (So sad when those like your $400 camera are selling on EBAY for $25.)  I look but just can't put the money there at this point in our lives.  For now the phone or the little digital point and shoot will have to do. 

 

Thanks for sharing your talent.  I feel like I am there, noticing the details, with you.

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

Excellent job, Gwen.

 

Those night photos are great! 

 

Thank you!

 

I'm sorry that this trip report has ended.

 

The trip ended, but the trip report hasn't.

 

But, I'm glad you don't have long to wait for your next visit to WDW!

 

TCD

 

p.s.  I am amazed by how many people never noticed the vine at Sir Mickeys?

 

Are you kidding me?

 

How could you miss the vine?

 

I agree with you!

 

 

LOL They got too big for where I put them and had no place to replant them.  They are now gracing a neighbor's yard.

 

Maybe I don't want one.  Just how big did they get?

 

Incredible pictures - even without your tripod.  Someday.  Someday I will get a better camera.  I loved my Rebel, but alas, using film just isn't worth it anymore.  (So sad when those like your $400 camera are selling on EBAY for $25.)  I look but just can't put the money there at this point in our lives.  For now the phone or the little digital point and shoot will have to do. 

 

Thanks for sharing your talent.  I feel like I am there, noticing the details, with you.

 

Thank you!  I haven't had a great camera since my SLR died in the early 90's.  Am anxious to get it repaired after the holidays.  But can you imagine how much film/developing would have been for this trip?  At 90's prices I would have spent around $1,000!  Don't know what it would cost now.

[alexwyattmommy 181]

Fast-growing deciduous shrubs, beauty berries grow 4 to 8 feet tall and wide:per google.  I had mine in full sun and they were about 6x6.  Had I pruned them from the beginning, I might have kept them manageable.  But I didn't and they grew funny when I finally tried.  I'm a lazy gardener. ROFL  My neighbor has had them for two seasons and they look much better.

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

Thanks, Annie.  I can handle that size.

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

Sunday, November 17, and Monday, November 18

 

I awoke to discover that the battery cover on my new camera had broken off somewhere in the Magic Kingdom last night.  Just one more insult with it.

 

I finished with my morning getting-ready-to-leave chores before David did, so I took one last spin on DeeDee.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finished unhooking and pulled off the site.  Couldn't believe our vacation was over so quickly.

 

 

When we got on the main road Okie and her DH were standing on the side waving goodbye to us!  They are both such thoughtful people.  Wish I could have snapped a photo of them, but I went zooming by on DeeDee at an excessive speed ... ROFL.

 

I followed David up to the overflow lot, where we got DeeDee situated and strapped in for the trip home.

 

 

 

 

 

Oh, yes, stop!  Please stop!  Turn around and go back!  I don't wanna go home!

 

 

But duty and our bank account said "You must go home."  So we obeyed.

 

 

And now my series of "through the dirty windshield" photos begins. 

 

Every year I tell myself I'm going to wash the windshield before we start home. 

 

And every year I'm having too much fun to bother with it. 

 

And every year I kick myself for not having done it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We entered Georgia right on schedule.

 

 

And then into South Carolina, again on schedule.

 

 

We stopped mid-afternoon at our usual spot, the Cracker Barrel in Walterboro, SC, and had a late lunch/early dinner.  We were the only unit to overnight there, which was unusual.

 

After an uneventful road trip we arrived home around noon on Monday.

 

Yes, the house was still standing.  Yes, I was again disappointed.  If the house were to be destroyed while we are at Disney, I would be so happy!  Then we could take the insurance money and go fulltime.  My dream. 

 

I so didn't want to be home but had so many wonderful memories to comfort me!

 

Next up -- some PhotoPass photos that weren't included earlier.

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

The abuse your new camera took is making me nervous about Jason bringing his new one on our trip. Or maybe you just need to switch to Canon. LOL!

 

What a great trip! 

 

I want to full time some day too, even if it's just for a year or two.