Nothing Fancy-Just a Good Old 4th of July at the Fort TCD TR

[DaveInTN 3,247]

 

That's the last golf cart photo I have.

 

 

Hallelujah.  

 

Have a nice weekend.   

[AC in A2......Aaron 693]

That's a small crowd. i have seen more people than that under one EZ up on the 2000 loop.

[Big Kahuna aka John 71]

I've seen more people at an accident than along that parade route.   Nice looping pictures....  I love the early mornings at the Fort.  The days hold so much promise ....

[Katman1356...Jason 1,140]

Here's another update for you.

 

It's still the morning of the 4th of July, and we are going to see the famous Fort Golf Cart Parade.

 

I went out to scout things before the parade started.

 

I noticed that they moved the judge's tent from where it used to be along the path to the Settlement to over by the Settlement Bus Stop:

 

 

They always stage the golf cart parades up by the hitch/unhitch area.  So, I headed there to see what I could see.  I saw a lot of carts:

 

 

It looks like there were a lot of carts this year:

 

 

Hey- look Olaf is on that cart:

 

 

I'm not sure what those people in the minivan over there were doing- they've got chairs set up behind their minivan and are taking it all in:

 

 

The parade was supposed to be at 9 am, and it was about 10 of now.  I needed to go and get the girls, so I headed down the parade route.  This gave me a chance to see how many spectators there were out to watch.  There weren't many at the four way:

 

 

Not many around the Meadow Trading Post either:

 

 

And this is just past the 900 loop entrance, with the 800 loop on the left and the 600 on the right- that's the 800 loop bus stop up ahead.  What you don't see is anyone out to watch the parade:

 

 

This shot is taken just past the entrance to the 700 loop, looking down toward the Settlement- again no people out to watch the parade:

 

 

Wow.

 

There were more people in the parade than there were people to watch it.  I don't remember it being like that in the past.

 

I made it back to the site, and the girls and I carried some chairs over to a spot behind the 400 loop, along the road.  In the shade.  There was a pug on a golf cart there:

 

 

This was the beginning of the parade- just a CM golfcart:

 

 

But we did get Goofy on the pony wagon:

 

 

 

And one surrey:

 

 

And then a cart with a lot of red, white and blue:

 

 

And a bunch more:

 

 

 

This is what you call multi-tasking- decorating for a Sweet 16 and the 4th of July at the same time:

 

 

The Olaf cart:

 

 

A bunch of flags:

 

 

This cart had a couple of kids in costumes on the back:

 

 

Nothing says 4th of July like the Florida Gators. Go Gata:

 

 

Underneath the decorations, this cart is painted yellow and has a picture of Snoopy's friend, Woodstock, on it.  The Fort should not allow this kind of hippie stuff:

 

 

This cart had bucket seats bolted on in the second and third rows.  Nice work:

 

 

This cart apparently died, and everyone had to get out and push.  I think the young man seated on the cart is the young man depicted on the poster, who is going into the Navy soon.  Why isn't he pushing too?:

 

 

I guess the owner of this cart has a nice electric jigsaw:

 

 

Don't quote me on this, as I may be mistaken, but I believe this guy is a Revolutionary War veteran.  Well, he looks old enough to be one anyway:

 

 

A pink cart.  Nice (if your name is Barbie) :

 

 

The Tiki Room cart.  I think one of the ladies on this cart recently joined the Fiends:

 

 

Semper Fi:

 

 

That's the last golf cart photo I have.

 

We had a reservation for breakfast at Trail's End, and I didn't want to be late.

 

We heard a bagpiper bringing up the rear of the parade.

 

But, we had to bolt before he got to us.

 

We stopped at our site to drop off our chairs, and then headed right to breakfast.

 

TCD

 

For the record between the 800 and 600 filled in nicely within in a couple minutes at most of you going by. Rennie and I watched from there. 

[.....Gary 85]

They don't really make much "Ado" about the parades.  Also they have the 4th parade to early "IMHO"   :clint:

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

I wish the parade was in the afternoon. I would have liked to see it, but the 4th was my only potential RD morning. 

[lklasing 16]

Good updates!  One day I'll be there on the 4th to get to see the parade.

 

Boo on the DB with the dog.  Shameful.

 

Yay for upcoming breakfast at TE!  Mmmmmmmm.

[Heidi-meetsTCD@TSM 5]

TCD,

 

So happy that you could get all three girls together at the Fort! I am finding out with my 21 and 18 year olds it is getting harder and harder for us all to be together.

 

Back in 2006 we were in Disney over the 4th. We weren't staying at the Fort, but went over for the parade. We were shocked with both the amount of participants and the amount of spirit that people put into their decorations!!

 

We watched the July 4th fireworks in the MK on the 3rd. They were the most amazing display I have ever seen. Afterwards was the only time in my life that I felt a little panic with claustrophobia....

 

Love all of your early morning photos of the Fort!

 

Heidi

[Momof6....aka Marty 769]

Wait.

 

Give me another 10 minutes, and I'll have something for you to read over the weekend.

 

Well, I did finish reading it already, but i can always read it again, right?

 

I am a little worried.  I actually find myself considering braving the heat or Florida in July.  To see fiends?  To be at WDW?  To maybe be a part of a TCD TR?

 

Nope, because I want to see Goofy in his Revolutionary War Costume being pulled in a pony cart.  That just looks awesome to me!

 

God bless America!    :usa:

[The Troll 67]

Parades suck.

 

And the Navy kid won't be in the Navy long.

 

Hey...anyone else notice that there's this new sense in American society where if you join the military, you're automatically a "hero"?

[LONE-STAR 370]

Parades suck.

 

And the Navy kid won't be in the Navy long.

 

Hey...anyone else notice that there's this new sense in American society where if you join the military, you're automatically a "hero"?

Last month they were calling Soccer players heros.

[red...Susan 37]

It is sometimes hard to see the people fresh out of bootcamp already wearing awards. We have been around the Navy several years and it took DH a while before he got his first one in the 80's. Now I look at his and think that is going to cost a fortune to update. He wears them out every few years.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Hallelujah.  

 

Have a nice weekend.   

 

Yeah, after a while, you realize that there is only so much one can do with red, white and blue. 

 

It's more fun in person.

 

That's a small crowd. i have seen more people than that under one EZ up on the 2000 loop.

 

LOL.

 

The sad thing is, I know you're not kidding.

 

I've seen more people at an accident than along that parade route.   Nice looping pictures....  I love the early mornings at the Fort.  The days hold so much promise ....

 

Thanks, and that is exactly why I like sunrise so much better than sunset.  A new day is about to begin, and who knows what is in store?

 

For the record between the 800 and 600 filled in nicely within in a couple minutes at most of you going by. Rennie and I watched from there. 

 

Well, that's good to know.  Everyone just got a late start, I guess.

 

They don't really make much "Ado" about the parades.  Also they have the 4th parade to early "IMHO"   :clint:

 

True.  They say they do the 4th of July parade in the morning to beat the heat.  I guess that's true.  They would probably need to do it around 5 pm if it was in the evening.  It's a lot hotter then in July.

 

I wish the parade was in the afternoon. I would have liked to see it, but the 4th was my only potential RD morning. 

 

You made the right choice.  The Halloween parade has a lot more variety in the cart decorations.

 

Good updates!  One day I'll be there on the 4th to get to see the parade.

 

Boo on the DB with the dog.  Shameful.

 

Yay for upcoming breakfast at TE!  Mmmmmmmm.

 

Thanks.  You ought to try the 4th at WDW some time.  Between the golf cart parade and fireworks, it's worth braving the heat.

 

TCD,

 

So happy that you could get all three girls together at the Fort! I am finding out with my 21 and 18 year olds it is getting harder and harder for us all to be together.

 

Back in 2006 we were in Disney over the 4th. We weren't staying at the Fort, but went over for the parade. We were shocked with both the amount of participants and the amount of spirit that people put into their decorations!!

 

We watched the July 4th fireworks in the MK on the 3rd. They were the most amazing display I have ever seen. Afterwards was the only time in my life that I felt a little panic with claustrophobia....

 

Love all of your early morning photos of the Fort!

 

Heidi

 

Panic and claustrophobia you say?

 

You were there on the 3rd.  Keep reading, and you'll see what it's like on the 4th.  There was a moment there where I almost reached that point.

 

Well, I did finish reading it already, but i can always read it again, right?

 

I am a little worried.  I actually find myself considering braving the heat or Florida in July.  To see fiends?  To be at WDW?  To maybe be a part of a TCD TR?

 

Nope, because I want to see Goofy in his Revolutionary War Costume being pulled in a pony cart.  That just looks awesome to me!

 

God bless America!    :usa:

 

Goofy in a pony cart is pretty awesome.

 

Come on down!

 

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Parades suck.

 

And the Navy kid won't be in the Navy long.

 

Hey...anyone else notice that there's this new sense in American society where if you join the military, you're automatically a "hero"?

 

Hey, I'm on to something here.  If I post parade photos, Troll posts. Good thing I have some more in the next update.

 

Good point about everyone being a hero now.  But, in the grand scheme of things, I prefer the respect members of the military receive now to how our returning soldiers were treated during the Viet Nam war.  That kid's going into the Navy.  Good for his family for giving him a little send-off.

 

Last month they were calling Soccer players heros.

 

What's soccer?

 

It is sometimes hard to see the people fresh out of bootcamp already wearing awards. We have been around the Navy several years and it took DH a while before he got his first one in the 80's. Now I look at his and think that is going to cost a fortune to update. He wears them out every few years.

 

Go Navy!  Beat Army!

 

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Update time.

 

We left off with the golf cart parade.  We missed the bag piper in order to get to Trail's End in time for our breakfast reservation.  We made it. 

 

I'm sorry to say I have no photos from breakfast.  But, it was good.  Great, even.  And 40% off for us thanks so Twin #2 being a CM.  God bless America.

 

We missed the awards for the golf carts.  So, I can't tell you who won.

 

After breakfast, Twin #2 had to leave to go to work.  She was planning to meet up with us later in the MK, though.

 

The other girls got showers, and I went out looking for Fiends.

 

I found one in the 800 loop, it was Rennie.  We had a nice visit.  I hung out a bit longer than planned, because it starting raining while I was there, so we hung out under his awning.

 

Then I stopped by to see Jason, who was just down the loop.  Jason filled me in on all the things that had happened to him so far on this trip.  Wow.  He had a great attitude about it though.

 

I think I saw Maryanne and Randy on that looping trip too, but that may have been another time.

 

When I got back to camp, the girls were about ready to go, and so we headed out to the MK.  I had booked us FP+ reservations for some big rides in the early afternoon, including the Mine Train.  And, I had some research to do on FP+ hacks that I wanted to conduct on a busy day like today.

 

We headed out at about 1:20 pm.  This sign was posted along the path to the marina.  How awesome, I thought- snacks on the beach.  But, read the sign- there's not a whole lot to it:

 

 

We went the normal way past the CM dock, and I could see that there was definitely something going on there:

 

 

See- they have an EZ-up awning, and they're unloading a truck:

 

 

Take a closer look:

 

 

They are loading fireworks onto the barges there.  This is not a normal occurrence, and has nothing to do with the 4th of July fireworks which would be shot off later on the night of the 4th.  These are the special fireworks that they will be using on the 5th.

 

We got to the MK, and headed right to the Mine Train.  We rode it.  Our next FP+ was for Big Thunder, and our plan was to walk through Storybook Circus so we could take the train around to Frontierland.  I also wanted to stop at the FP+ kiosks there in Storybook Circus for my continued research. I have often recommended these kiosks as being the best place to stop, as they have not had lines and there have been plenty of CM's around to help.

 

Well, there was a line today:

 

 

And, despite the fact that there was plenty of room under the nice fake circus tent, the geniuses in charge had guests wait out in the blazing sun. 

 

Since I am a team player, and I'm here to help, I stood in that line and roasted in the name of FP+ hack research.  I hope that someone reading this will one day benefit and appreciate it.

 

It as busy under the nice shady tent, but I saw that there were plenty of CM's there to help, so I stuck with it:

 

 

I told the girls to go ahead and take the train and head to Frontierland.  Timing was such that we had time to watch the Festival of Fantasy parade from there before heading to Big Thunder.

 

I waited.

 

And waited some more.

 

But, I finally got to a CM with an iPad.

 

He asked me how he could help.

 

I pulled out a handful of MagicBands from my backpack and asked if he could help me schedule FP+'s on them.

 

Sure, he said.

 

Now, these MagicBands in my backpack were extra ones from both this trip to the Fort and a previous one.  I added names of some of my fictitious relatives to the reservation, and got extra MB's for them.  There were no tickets attached to these MB's, and these MB's had not been used to enter the park.  Apparently, that makes no difference.  They were still eligible to be used at the kiosks.

 

Since this was a busy day, and it was after 2 pm at this point, there were no FP+ reservations available for any of the mountains or the other really big rides, but there were slots available for rides that have long wait times, so I booked them for us to use for after the fireworks later today.  This is what I ended up with:

 

 

Anna and Elsa are my two fake nieces who were on a previous Fort reservation.  Using those names was a mistake, because CM's always ask if those are the real names.  No need to call attention to this trick.  The other names you see are some of the new names I added to this most recent reservation.  This time- I went with names that could be used by a male or female.  Since the person using the FP+ needs to be wearing the MB, using names like this eliminates the raised eyebrows that I previously encountered using an Elsa MB. 

 

So that's the hack- extra MB's with no ticket attached to them can be used at FP+ kiosks to reserve FP+'s.  At least for now, anyway.  In our case, that gave us all three more FP+'s to use in the MK in addition to the three that I had booked on our real MB's.  Had I wanted to, we could have FP+ reservations at a different park, and still made three new ones here.  And, if I add more relatives on a future trip, I'll have more MB's to use in addition to these.

 

So there you have it- good luck to you if you try it.

 

Oh, and even though I complained about the line, this all took me just about 10 minutes.

 

From here, I hopped to train to Frontierland, and found the girls out front of the Country Bears.  The 3:00 parade wasn't starting until 3:30 again, and the shade for our shady spot had not yet arrived.  It was crowded and brutally hot, but they were right along the rope and had good seats.  However, we still had over 30 minutes to endure before the parade came by.  And, there was a shady spot behind a row of people just a bit down from where we were.  I suggested that we abandon this prime spot and go for the shade. The girls agreed.  When we walked past the Country Bear entrance, we felt the cool air blowing out from the waiting area.  We all got the same idea at the same time- let's wait in there!  So we did.

What that meant is that we gave up any chance of getting a spot along the rope to watch the parade.  But, we also avoided heat stroke or worse.  When we heard the parade music, we headed right back out, and found spots behind the shortest people we could find.  And we were in the shade. Not the best place to watch the parade, but way more comfortable than the hot sun.

 

The part on the back of the first float that is supposed to spin was not spinning again, so we got a lot of Tiana, and not much Frozen:

 

 

Elsa still spotted me though:

 

 

 

We were on the wrong side for prime Flynn viewing:

 

 

Dragon:

 

 

Dragon Pilot:

 

 

Fire shot:

 

 

Pinocchio:

 

 

Pegasus Girls:

 

 

The mice:

 

 

In case you're asking yourself- didn't we already see FOF parade pics in this TR?, the answer is yes, we did.  So, I am just posting these to show you what kind of view you might expect showing up at the last moment for the parade.  The good news is that you can see it all pretty well even showing up late.

 

Then we rode Big Thunder, and spent some time in places with good AC.

 

We headed back to the Fort around 5.  We were going to hang out there for a while, eat dinner at the camper, and then head back some time before 9 to get a spot in the MK for fireworks.

 

Here we are leaving.  This photos shows that the dock they recently completed to allow a second MK ferryboat to dock blocks the old access for the Fort and WL boats, and we now have to go all the way around the breakwater:

 

 

Here's a look at the second dock.  It has been completed for a couple of months now.  As far as I know, though, they still haven't had two ferries in operation simultaneously.  Today is a busy day.  Why not today?:

 

 

There was something new parked along the bank of the lagoon:

 

 

Take another look:

 

 

What's that?

 

Let's zoom in:

 

 

That's a portable fireworks launcher.  As far as I know, they only bring these out for New Year's Eve and the 4th of July.  For these fireworks- they shoot fireworks off from around the Seven Seas Lagoon, in addition to the normal launching points for the MK fireworks.  That's why the boats have to be suspended.

 

Someone in one of the Contemporary Garden Wing room was in the spirit:

 

 

When we cleared the canal by the Contemporary, our boat pilot announced that we needed to make a quick stop there.  What the Fort?  Well, we headed that way:

 

 

Good thing we weren't in a hurry.  And we were out back where we could feel the breeze:

 

 

Sure enough, we docked at the Contemporary:

 

 

And, then we found out why.  A family of six or eight folks got off there.  They had somehow gotten on the wrong boat.  So we all had to be diverted here to help these idiots?

 

Since we were here, the idiot CM's graciously invited any of the guests waiting for the resort boat to join us for a ride to the Fort.

 

I was hoping to get another look at the preparation of the fireworks barges at the CM dock, but our little detour took us the long way around Discovery Island:

 

 

Clementine's Beach from way out in Bay Lake:

 

 

One more look at the very overgrown Discovery Island:

 

 

Hmmm.  Where was the lake patrol today?  Those little boats were very close to the island.  They don't usually let them get that close.  I think maybe the Lake Patrol CM's were over helping with the fireworks barges:

 

 

I wish I had known that ahead of time.

 

Well, that's 30 photos, and we're still out in the water.

 

But, I have to stop here.

 

Next up, we'll see how the beach looks at a little after 5, and we will be meeting up with some more Fiends at Jason's site.

 

TCD

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

Nice work on the hack. I wonder how long that loophole will last.

 

The reason the line is probably longer there is because all the CM before RD were telling the crowd that there's never a line there.

 

You have perfected the dragon shot.

 

I don't understand why they would divert a boat because people got on the wrong one. They could just take the next one.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Nice work on the hack. I wonder how long that loophole will last.

It probably won't last long. I've also heard that it won't be long before they close the loophole which allows you to use another guest who had not entered the park's MB.

The reason the line is probably longer there is because all the CM before RD were telling the crowd that there's never a line there.

Really? Isn't that special?

That place isn't good to go to anymore because they seem to have since cut down on the number of CM's stationed there. They are letting guests use the kiosks without assistance. From my limited experience so far, that is a disaster. The kiosks work about as well as the MDE app, which is not well. Add stupid people into the mix, and it's not good.

You have perfected the dragon shot.

Thank you. I have also seen the parade more than I care to. My girls still love it. I'm over it.

I don't understand why they would divert a boat because people got on the wrong one. They could just take the next one.

Exactly. Let the dumb-dumbs ride all the way to the Fort then back. Why does a boatful of people have to be inconvenienced? You know why? Because CM's are so hell-bent on giving everyone a magical experience that they've lost sight of the big picture. It's one of my new pet peeves about WDW. Have you ever had to wait for a CM who is busy pin-trading with the guest in front of you? So I have to wait 5 minutes while the CM trades a piece of crap worth less than a penny for a similar piece of crap? Makes my blood boil.

TCD

[AC in A2......Aaron 693]

Hmmm.......sounds like I have some work to do on MyDisneyExperience.

:)

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Hmmm.......sounds like I have some work to do on MyDisneyExperience.

:)

 

Yup.  You need some cousins to join you at the campsite.

 

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Moving right along . . .

 

We are still out in the lake.  With all the new orange buoys.  Man, there are a lot of buoys.  Are there going to be barges anchored to each of these?:

 

 

 

I really can't get over how the little rental boats were so close to Discovery Island, and there were no Lake Patrol CM's around to chase them away:

 

 

It was after 5 now as we approached the beach, and I was interested to see what was going on, as there were several activities that were supposed to be going on here:

 

 

 

According to the official activity guide, which the Content Queen posted here: http://www.fortfiends.net/_/activities/fort-wilderness-activities-schedule-july-2014-r368 , there was supposed to be a volleyball tournament and a sandcastle building competition going on now.  So it says:

 

 

I guess this is the Volleyball Tournament:

 

 

And that over there is the sand castle building:

 

 

Here are the DJ's for the so-called Beach Bash:

 

 

Hmmm.

 

Doesn't look like such a bash to me.

 

In fairness, it was only about 5:20.  But the bash was supposed to start at 5. 

 

I guess it got off to what you call a slow start.

 

It seems like they did this all kind of half-heartedly.  The canoe that was supposed to be filled with beverages chilling on ice just got used as a table to hold the coolers they brought the drinks in:

 

 

Here's the Beach Snacks set up.  Nothing fancy, that's for sure:

 

 

Remember how I went to bed late and got up early?

 

I was feeling a little tired when we got back to the site.

 

Time for the TCD hammock.

 

Here's what you call a point of view shot from the hammock- the official rock that came with our site:

 

 

Here's why I liked my site.  I could lay there in the hammock and watch the traffic on the path.  Here comes a carriage ride:

 

 

And a golf cart:

 

 

I could faintly hear the banjo music sound track that they play on the speakers along that path:

 

 

There is nothing better than laying back and looking at the trees and the sky above:

 

 

 

Another golf cart:

 

 

You want to see something cute?

 

Twin #1 has her own hammock now:

 

 

She was getting a power nap too:

 

 

Those hammocks are a big fad at the University of Florida and other college campuses.  Kids hang them up between trees on campus and take naps in between classes. Genius.

 

Why didn't I ever think of that?

 

I wouldn't have needed an apartment.

 

So, the manufacturer of those hammocks had a photo contest recently.  Twin #1 set up this shot and had a friend shoot it:

 

 

That photo got a couple of thousand likes on the hammock maker's Instagram account.

 

I like it too.

 

All the TCD girls have hammocks now.  I'll have some more hammock photos to share later.

 

For now, though, nap time was over for me.

 

I had to go and meet some Fiends.

 

I headed over to Jason's site.

 

There, I finally met GeorgiaDawgFan (GDF) and her son Z.  And, I saw a bunch of other Fiends whom I had previously met, including, but not limited to, Lou and Gail.  I didn't stay long, though.  I couldn't.  I had to get back to the site and make our dinner.  So, I said hi and bye.

 

And, in honor of this great nation of ours, I made some Pirate Jeff's Macaroni and Cheese, and we ate.  GAG chicken was served on the side.  Basically, a feast.

 

Then we needed to skedaddle.  The fireworks were at 9, and we hoped to have a better spot than the night before.

 

The problem is we didn't head out until about 7:30.

 

In years past, the Rangers have made a total mess of golf cart parking.  The last time we were here on the 4th, we had to park behind Pioneer Hall.  The walk from there would have been further than the walk from our site, so we walked.

 

I wasn't sure exactly what they were doing with golf cart traffic, because we had received this letter from the management this morning:

 

 

I guess that means that they were going to pull the poles out of the sidewalk by Feisty's site, and direct traffic through the 100 loop.  That sounds like a dumb idea.  But, nobody asked me, and we weren't going to be there to see it.  I kind of wish I could have seen it. 

 

There wasn't much traffic as we headed down the path.  In fact, there was none:

 

 

Have no fear, the Rangers were here to mess things up:

 

 

It looks like the poles were pulled from the sidewalk:

 

 

This sign says that the path is for exit only.  I wonder if that means they weren't letting folks park carts in the lot across from Trail's End?:

 

 

We made it to the dock, and it was crowded.  Guess who was right behind us?  GDF and Z!  They were heading to the MK too.  Crazy.

 

The boat was packed.  Who were all these crazy people heading to the MK now?  There was a guy right in front of us DisneyBounding as Flynn Rider.  Complete with a stuffed Pascal on his shoulder.  Freaky:

 

 

This person thought it was a good idea to bring her service dog to the MK.  On the 4th of July.  Poor dog:

 

 

We made it to the MK, and the entry area wasn't too bad.  Not busy at bag check of the kiosks.  I was encouraged.  Maybe for some reason it wouldn't be busy tonight.

 

Then we walked under the train station and out into the area around the flag pole.

 

OMG.

 

I need to share all of those photos in a fresh post.

 

TCD

[AC in A2......Aaron 693]

Wow. I would never bring my dog on a day like that. How many times do you think the dog's paws get stomped on or rammed by an idiot with a giant stroller?

Good work by the kids with the hammocks.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Wow. I would never bring my dog on a day like that. How many times do you think the dog's paws get stomped on or rammed by an idiot with a giant stroller?

Good work by the kids with the hammocks.

 

I was thinking more about the fireworks.  I haven't met a dog yet that likes them.  And there's a lot of fireworks on the 4th.

 

I meant to mention that hammock photo with the girls was taken at Lake Alice on the campus of UF.  Those are some of Twin #1's college friends. Go Gata.

 

TCD

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

It was very nice to meet you! 

 

Those hammocks are big in high school too. Our campus is pretty big, and sometimes the kids string them up during lunch. I will have one of those hammocks on our cruise next year because we have the cabin with the huge balcony again. 

 

You captured a little bit of Z in his stroller in the dog and lady's butt picture. So, I asked her about that dog because Z was fascinated that a dog was on the boat. The dog is in training to be a therapy dog for autistic kids. It needs to be around a lot of people and stuff going on, so they actually encouraged him to pet the dog vs. how you can't pet most service animals. I still bet that was a crazy night for the poor dog. 

[Beckers 1,136]

Brian has a hammock like that. Was like $20 from target. His good woven one got destroyed by squirrels when he didn't bring it in one night. They tore that sucker up. Adam hates the new one because he can't get in it by himself.

[lklasing 16]

Good updates.  Love the hammock shots.  Eno should be very happy with the pic that Twin #1 posted - it's so cute!

 

Interesting and a little worrisome to think about the dog at the MK on the 4th of July.  My dogs absolutely hate fireworks.  This 4th, one of them got on our bed at the lake and peed on it while we were outside watching fireworks.  Ray found it when he went to bed that night.  

 

Fun times.