Fort Fun, Flowers, Food & Fiends!

[stefa70 205]

Just returned from 5 wonderful days at the fort, and have a TON of pictures to share! I have signs, food, rides, animals, just about anything I could snap a picture of. I even have a little something for Dave (besides food pictures of kitties) :argh: I am sure there are some repeats that have been posted by others, but please bear with me as I am too lazy to separate them.

Wednesday 3/23 - Got everything all packed up and ready to go including G.I. Jordan:

Had to stop and gas up:

With G.I. Jordan as our co-pilot, we headed east:

Arrived at Disney around 1:00 pm:

Assigned to site 350:

The boys setting up the screen room:

The best part of this set up, is you can see how close my sign is to my Mickey lamp. COUNTLESS  people went by to take pics of my lamp, which I'm sure included my sign. How funny it will be if they post it on the other board and don't understand why it gets deleted 

Trevor found me a card holder that we clipped to our sign so if we weren't at the site and someone wanted one, they could just take one. Trevor actually handed out some from there while playing cornhole and people would stop and ask about fort fiends.

The fort was extremely busy, especially for a Wednesday, but a "little birdie" told me it was resort-wide, and we found out the hard way just how busy everything was. We relaxed and hung out at the site.

Someone is always a camera hog! :argh:

G.I. Jordan hangin in my chair:

Took Mason for a walk along the canal beside the 300 loop:

Our neighbor had a clothes line:

G.I. Jordan had too much beer, so we decided we had better get some dinner:

Took a cart ride to check things out.

This tree was in the 1800 loop, and full of tangerines! We picked one, but it was just a little bit sour still:

I went inside to watch Survivor and fell asleep.....................

[stefa70 205]

Thursday 3/24- Decided we would hang around the fort today. I showered, cleaned up and Nathen and I hopped on the cart to explore. (Amanda wouldn't be down until Friday night so it gave us some mom/son bonding time that we haven't had in a long time) I texted Magicbus to tell him we would be around all day if he got a chance to come by for a visit. He texted back to say he would be by around 3:45. Nathen and I went to the horse barn first. In all my years of forting I have NEVER seen the blacksmith working, until now!   "Luke" was getting new shoes, so we hung around and watched and chatted with the blacksmith. He has been doing this for 23 years, and you could tell! He explained that Luke was around 11 years old so he was very used to getting new shoes. The Magic Kingdom horses get new shoes about every 6 weeks. Around 2 months old, though they don't get shoes yet, they start handling their feet and get them used to the process. He was a super nice man who was happy to answer all our questions.

From there we strolled through the barn and the petting zoo:

Then we walked down towards the Settlement area:

I love this utility cart with all the Mickey cut-outs:

The Settlement trading post was getting a new roof:

Went back to the site for lunch, then took Mason for a walk and a romp at the dog park:

They were repainting the playground at the 300 loop:

We played a little cornhole:

Continued..........

[stefa70 205]

As promised, Magicbus showed up!! Ladies, this picture doesn't do him justice (or me for that matter ) But he is ADORABLE!!!! We hung out and chatted for a while with a super sweet man!! I was so happy to finally meet him.

After a couple of cocktails, I cooked some macaroni salad and BLT's for dinner:

After dinner, it was off to the tavern, and then the Settlement trading post for..............

I love Goofy taffy! For any families out there, this is a huge box of taffy for $7.30. It's a great deal (by Disney standards) and will last forever.

While heading back to camp we came across this:

We've all seen this sign on our favorite attractions from time to time, but this was a first! :argh:

I couldn't wait for this to be finished so I could "enjoy" this section of sidewalk! :argh:

We turned in fairly early as Nathen and I were heading to Animal Kingdom in the morning.

[SCTigerCock 171]

Enjoying the report! :argh:

Obligatory JJ comment follows:  The JJ memorabilia (crap) isn't necessary.  Obligatory JJ comment ends: :argh: :argh: :argh:

[doodlebug....Cherie 461]

Wonderful report Stef. There were several times that I wished I had taken you up on your offer to stay with you and send Mike on the cruise by himself

[H in SC 85]

Now THAT is what I call a Trip Report! Love the placement of the Fortfiends sign, very smart.

All the pics were great. Looks like a great trip. More to come?        :popcorn:

[stefa70 205]

:popcorn:

Enjoying the report! :banana:

Obligatory JJ comment follows:  The JJ memorabilia (crap) isn't necessary.  Obligatory JJ comment ends: :parrot: :tool: :tool:

Sorry Donnie!......oops I mean tigercock! :rofl2: I'm so used to Donnie jumping on my JJ stuff, I thought it was him.

Wonderful report Stef. There were several times that I wished I had taken you up on your offer to stay with you and send Mike on the cruise by himself :rofl2:

See, I told you that you should have gone with us!!! Then I wouldn't have missed you!

Now THAT is what I call a Trip Report! Love the placement of the Fortfiends sign, very smart.

All the pics were great. Looks like a great trip. More to come?        :rofl2:

Thanks H, Yes there is MUCH more to come!!! :banana:

[Lou... 3,118]

You're right Stef, that photo didn't do us justice, so I cropped it. And yes, everyone tells me I look like a young Tom Selleck. Hey, if you have it, you have it. And for the record, Stef is 5'6" so you can see that I'm at least 6'.

Seriously, for me, the original photo was taken at a good distance and you can't tell how tall we are, or are not.

Nice job on the TR. Did someone, who you'll divulge later I'm sure, give you some pointers?

[mouseketab.....Carol 1,261]

Sounds like fun!!!  It looks like ya'll moved in the day after we moved out.  We were in 349 up until Tuesday!!

[doodlebug....Cherie 461]

Wow, MagicBus you were having a really good hair day :popcorn:

[stefa70 205]

Friday 3/25- Nathen and I got up to head to Animal Kingdom. There were quite a few people at the bus stop, and lo and behold, they were all going to Animal Kingdom!

We got there a few minutes after nine and it was pretty crowded already. No worries, we wanted to just enjoy the day together and take in the sights even if we didn't ride any rides. We headed to the Safari ride (along with half of the park)

The line was pretty long, so we skipped the Safari and went into the Pangani Forest Trail:

"Momma" gorilla was sitting up against the glass cleaning her teeth:

Then the baby came running out:

We went around to the "open" side after "Daddy" gorilla headed over there:

Here is Dad, Mom & Baby all hanging out:

This "Dad" is quite a stud, as he has three mates in this enclosure!

On the other side were three other silverbacks, that they keep separated from the baby:

Just a waterfall in their enclosure:

From there we went and watched the meerkats:

And the birds:

This little tree had about 30 nests in it:

This guy was playing a tune as we walked:

Then Nathen played me a tune:

We left Africa and headed over to Asia and look who we found:

Some Tree of Life pics:

Asia:

Nathen & G.I. Jordan in front of Everest: The reaction we got from people, photopass guys, and even the security checking bags was priceless! They loved the idea.

Everest was shut down for some reason when we passed by.(It was working by the time we had lunch as I could hear the screams.)

So off we went to Dinoland:

Primieval Whirl is being refurbished but I loved the signs they had on the wall:

Nathen (and G.I. Jordan) wanted to ride Dinosaur:

By then, it was lunch time!

The BBQ was excellent, and we had a nice lake view:

After lunch we wanted to see the Lion King show. It's one of my favorites and just makes me feel good, so we headed over to:

Along the way I snapped a couple of pics:

Continuing on with the Lion King..................................

[stefa70 205]

Lou, you are much better looking than Tom Selleck!!!

Carol, I saw on your TR that you would have been our neighbor!    Hopefully we can meet up another time.

[doodlebug....Cherie 461]

Your pictures are just awesome. I am really wanting some bbq now.

[Lou... 3,118]

Lou, you are much better looking than Tom Selleck!

And I thought all the whoppers were at Burger King.

[stefa70 205]

Did I tell you I love the Lion King? 

After the show let out we thought we'd try our luck again at the Safari, the stand by line said 30 minutes so we went for it:

Momma elephant was hot, so she was throwing mud all over herself to keep cool. Too cute:

Just think how much better these flamingos would be if they were PURPLE!

By now it was around 2:00pm and we were ready to get back to the fort to Trevor and Mason. So we made our way to the exit:

Waiting for a bus:

We made it "home" and relaxed for a bit. We thought we would have an early dinner and then go over to Magic Kingdom. Nathen was waiting to pick up Amanda from Downtown Disney as that's where she was being dropped off by friends. I cooked some cheese sausages on the grill and made a tossed salad:

Did we make it to the Kingdom? To be continued (after my ass wakes up from sitting in my chair )

[stefa70 205]

My ass is awake, I sang a few bars of "Hakuna Matata" (happens every time I speak of Lion King ) And Nathen is bringing home Chinese food, so I don't have to cook!! Looks like ya'll are getting MORE PICTURES!!! 

Around 6:00pm we decide to go over to Magic Kingdom, Nathen heads toward Downtown to meet Amanda. The boat dock was empty:

When the boat shows up it is FULL!! Good for me, everyone is leaving the Kingdom, right?! :-\ HAD to get the obligatory River Country shot:

The Magic Kingdom is PACKED! People were stampeding off of the monorail as we got off the boat. But on we go........

The Confectionary has a facade up and some doors blocked off:

Passed the Liberty Bell:

We went to see how long of a wait Splash & Big Thunder Mountains had. 60 minutes! :argh: Uh, no thanks. So we walked over and rode Pirates:

We fought our way through Adventureland. I tried taking pictures but trying to weave and bob out of the crowds is dangerous when your 4'10" 

Getting back across Main Street was brutal as people were starting to line up for the parade. The castle was just starting to change colors:

So when all else fails and the lines are long, what do you do? Where there's never a line & good place to relax?

At the big stage by Carousal of Progress they were having a dance party with Pluto & Goofy. They were doing YMCA, Thriller, Cha-Cha Slide...I couldn't hardly help myself But hubby said NO WAY are we going in there dancing. So we watched for a minute and I danced in my pants. >:D

We stopped at the Launching Pad for a drink and a pretzel while we people watched. It was a sweet cream cheese pretzel! Neither one of us had ever had one and we both enjoyed it!

There were more "Walt" signs on the wall around Fantasy Land expansion:

[stefa70 205]

With all those people lining up for the parade, the lines have gotten shorter, right? NO, the mountains were still an hour, so we decided to go back to camp. On the way out we had to get Trevors favorite snack in all of Disney World:

We hopped on a boat (a very noisy, "driveshaft about to fall out", boat) and headed back to camp. We had pre-warned the kids not to try to meet us at the park as it was too crowded, so we found them back at camp. Cocktails & cornhole!

Next up: Epcot!

[LORNADUCK 261]

Great pictures, looks like you had a very good time. So glad u got to meet MagicBus he is a super guy.

I didn't realize that u lived in Inverness, I knew you live near Ocala, but can't believe it is Inverness. My Nieces were brought up there. My Brother-In-Law owed Point of Woods Golf Club. My Sister-in-Law still works there (she doesn't talk to us, long story). But we do know some of their friends that live there. How long have you lived there? What a small world. One of the reason's we love Crystal River is we discovered it when Rich (DH) was running a Golf Course in Beverly Hills (Twisted Oak). He was staying there during the week and we had been there with his Brother so we brought a camper and he stayed in Homosassa in a CG there.

Sory I hijacked your trip report.

[DaveInTN 3,247]

I even have a little something for Dave (besides food pictures of kitties) ;D

I'm scared!  :argh:

:argh:

[DaveInTN 3,247]

At first glance I thought the blacksmith had a shovel for a head. 

[DaveInTN 3,247]

We left Africa and headed over to Asia and look who we found:

Did you HAVE to post this?:argh: 

That Devine chick FREAKS me out!!  :argh:

Now I'm gonna have nightmares tonight. 

;D

[stefa70 205]

Great pictures, looks like you had a very good time. So glad u got to meet MagicBus he is a super guy.

I didn't realize that u lived in Inverness, I knew you live near Ocala, but can't believe it is Inverness. My Nieces were brought up there. My Brother-In-Law owed Point of Woods Golf Club. My Sister-in-Law still works there (she doesn't talk to us, long story). But we do know some of their friends that live there. How long have you lived there? What a small world. One of the reason's we love Crystal River is we discovered it when Rich (DH) was running a Golf Course in Beverly Hills (Twisted Oak). He was staying there during the week and we had been there with his Brother so we brought a camper and he stayed in Homosassa in a CG there.

Sory I hijacked your trip report.

Wow, it is a small world after all........... I've lived in Inverness for 27 years so I may know your nieces, BIL or SIL! My husband takes care of a couple houses in Point of Woods, and Black Diamond in Lecanto. My mom's ex-husbands mother used to run the restaurant in Twisted Oaks (Madge) When did you stay around here? That's so crazy! Now you know why I got excited that you guys will be in Crystal River in April, it's a hop, skip and a jump away.

No need to apologize for hijacking! :)

I even have a little something for Dave (besides food pictures of kitties) :dance:

I'm scared!  :bday:

:banana:

Don't be skeered! >:D Sorry that Devine freaks you out. It's funny to watch others reaction to her when she reaches out her "stilt arms" I only took those two pics, so you are in the clear from here on out!

[stefa70 205]

If your eyes aren't bleeding yet from all the pictures, just wait. There's more!

Saturday 3/26 We got up early to get ready for Epcot. Mason, being a golden retriever loves to bring me presents! Well this was the first morning that Amanda was in the RV, so he went and stole her thongs  :banana:

I had bought a marinade  to put chicken breasts in for the day so I could throw them on the grill when we got home.

Great idea for camping, as this is already made up into a bag, just dropped the chicken in!

Took the cart to the front to catch a bus:

The bus was packed so I got a corner seat while the rest of my kids stood. The whole ride I had crotches, asses and armpits in my face!

We got to Epcot, walked in the gate and I got a message from doodlebug. We had planned to meet on Saturday, and stupid me, assumed it would be in the afternoon. So I was completely bummed out that I would miss her.

First up, Test Track!

G.I. Jordans first test track ride!

After test track we made a quick bathroom break, then went through the Fairy Garden:

Artichokes!

Flowers all around:

This man was using a pottery wheel, making it look MUCH easier than it really is!

A playground for the little ones:

These sand castle guys did amazing work;

The boys had their "fill" of flowers, so we went to Nemo:

Nathen, Amanda & Bruce:

Then off to The Land:

Soarin was a 50 minute wait so we took the boat tour:

We stopped to regroup and plan lunch somewhere in the world:

We started our way around the world, while I had only one thing on my mind.....ITALY! Love the atmosphere, love the food, love the men, and especially men with Italian accents!! >:D

I have been down this street a time or two in my life :rofl2:

We're about halfway around the world...........I'll be back!

[doodlebug....Cherie 461]

Your Saturday was a lot more fun than mine. I had a wonderful cruise but I still wish I had been at WDW instead. And we will meet soon.

[beccaewert 10]

Sounds like its been a great trip so far....btw I love the pics of DeVine....I've never seen her yet!

:banana: