The Trolls Run from Isaac!

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

You haven't lost your touch, Norm.

Great photos, and great commentary!

Sorry about your awning. I am lucky enough to be able to keep my camper under cover, so I don't have an answer on how to keep that awning dry when the trailer is stored. I know I wouldn't like a moldy awning either.

Looking forward to more of your great photos!

TCD

[dblr....Rennie 224]

You are right on getting bleach, what some folks do is mix a 1/4 cup of bleach and a 1/4 cup of dish soap in either a 5 gallon bucket or even a sprayer ( like the bug guys use) and spray or brush the mix on the awning. Roll up the awning, enjoy an adult beverage then roll it back out and give it a good rinse, you'll be surprised how clean and easy it is. Just do not use to much bleach and also do not forget to rinse, I did this at a campground when I did mine so as not to bleach my lawn, just in case.

[SCTigerCock 171]

I like the suggestion above. Just be sure to rinse the awning well before storing for long periods of time if you applied chemicals.

lesson learned the hard way. We now have a brand new awning because of this lesson learned the hard way.

[ftwildernessguy 778]

Man, I am loving those POV pics. Only problem is, I don't like bloody Mary's and now I can't get the taste out of my mouth.

[fortpartyof4 108]

I look forward to reading what fiends recommend for awnings, too. I am with you on the smell and mildew. Hate it!

Love the POV photos! It really feels like I am the one sitting on the porch. But man, I really need to shave my legs!

FP4

[stefa70 205]

Loving the report Norm!

My dog is allowed everywhere and anywhere he pleases also. If I can't spoil them rotten, I don't want any.

As for your awning: I have no suggestion for keeping the mold from accumulating as ours sits outside too and the mold always comes back. What I can tell you is that before we leave on a trip, we unroll it, spray top and bottom with Tilex mold & mildew cleaner and roll it back up for about 10 minutes. Unroll, hit it with a brush and rinse good. Cleans it and removes that funky smell.

[SCTigerCock 171]

Love the POV photos! It really feels like I am the one sitting on the porch. But man, I really need to shave my legs!

:rofl2:

[Nicki aka Rebelstand 272]

My dog is allowed everywhere and anywhere he pleases also. If I can't spoil them rotten, I don't want any.

said from a person who has never owned a 145lb great dane.... the above comment is a good way to end up, literally, sleeping in the dog bed/house because he is bigger/stronger/heavier than you and you can't force him to get up when he doesn't want to

[The Troll 67]

You haven't lost your touch, Norm.

Great photos, and great commentary!

Sorry about your awning. I am lucky enough to be able to keep my camper under cover, so I don't have an answer on how to keep that awning dry when the trailer is stored. I know I wouldn't like a moldy awning either.

Looking forward to more of your great photos!

TCD

Thanks, TCD! It's good to hear from "The Man" that I haven't lost my touch!

You are right on getting bleach, what some folks do is mix a 1/4 cup of bleach and a 1/4 cup of dish soap in either a 5 gallon bucket or even a sprayer ( like the bug guys use) and spray or brush the mix on the awning. Roll up the awning, enjoy an adult beverage then roll it back out and give it a good rinse, you'll be surprised how clean and easy it is. Just do not use to much bleach and also do not forget to rinse, I did this at a campground when I did mine so as not to bleach my lawn, just in case.

This sounds like a great method. I did use bleach on my awning but didn't think of rolling it up to allow the bleach to do its magic that way. I'll try that next time.

I like the suggestion above. Just be sure to rinse the awning well before storing for long periods of time if you applied chemicals.

lesson learned the hard way. We now have a brand new awning because of this lesson learned the hard way.

Thanks! I will keep that in mind. I will always rinse the bleach off very thoroughly before storing the camper.

I look forward to reading what fiends recommend for awnings, too. I am with you on the smell and mildew. Hate it!

Love the POV photos! It really feels like I am the one sitting on the porch. But man, I really need to shave my legs!

FP4

Ha ha! Yeah...I need to, too.

Loving the report Norm!

My dog is allowed everywhere and anywhere he pleases also. If I can't spoil them rotten, I don't want any.

As for your awning: I have no suggestion for keeping the mold from accumulating as ours sits outside too and the mold always comes back. What I can tell you is that before we leave on a trip, we unroll it, spray top and bottom with Tilex mold & mildew cleaner and roll it back up for about 10 minutes. Unroll, hit it with a brush and rinse good. Cleans it and removes that funky smell.

Tilex sounds like a good idea. Comes in a pump sprayer, ready to go. And I agree on your stance on spoiling the dogs. What else are they good for?!

said from a person who has never owned a 145lb great dane.... the above comment is a good way to end up, literally, sleeping in the dog bed/house because he is bigger/stronger/heavier than you and you can't force him to get up when he doesn't want to

I do know the feeling. Our dog Zoe weighs only 40 pounds and she still kicks us out of bed!

[michele j 9]

Lovin' your TR. Your doggies are precious :heart:

[The Troll 67]

OK, time for the next installment! I mean to write up this installment this morning, but I had some technical difficulties. But those issues are resolved, so it's time!

As I mentioned in our previous episode, we had a special visitor while we were sipping our cocktails. Here he is:

Isn't that cool? It's some kind of predatory bird -- a hawk or an osprey. Anyone know?

Here's a closer picture of him:

There's wildlife like this all over the Fort. We've even seen bald eagles at the Fort. Very cool.

Well now it was getting closer to dinner time, so we started kicking around ideas. We thought about sushi over at the Polynesian but agreed we should do that later in the trip. Then Mrs. Troll remembered that on our last trip, we had those awesome waffle sandwiches at Sleepy Hollow over at the Magic Kingdom. That sounded really, really good to me, so I said, "Let's go!"

Plus, we hadn't yet been on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad since its refurb, so we could grab a ride while we were there.

And, of course, there's always the Laugh Floor! The Laugh Floor is always fun because it's different every time you go...except for that gross "Put a little boogie in it joke."

So that was the plan: Take the boat over to MK for waffle sandwiches, BTMR, Laugh Floor, and maybe a dose of Splash.

Onward!

Before we headed over, we stopped back at the campsite to take the puppas for a walk and give them dinner. Then we road the Kenny car to the marina and almost immediately hopped aboard the MK boat. We sat up on the bow:

Mrs. Troll was pumped up for a waffle sandwich:

Notice she's being a sweetheart by agreeing to carry the backpack with all my camera junk in it.

Aaaaaaah! What have we here? Check it out:

You're on your way to the Magic Kingdom for a delectable spicy chicken waffle sandwich!

The boat captain wasted no time in shoving off:

Here's that not-up-to-Disney-standards "Shoe Tree" abomination that I don't like:

I wonder how many dirty old shoes the poor hard working Disney managers have to clean off this poor tree every month?

Notice River Country in the background. All the slides, docks, and poles still looked intact.

Like it could be reopened any day with just a little pressure washing and a smattering of paint here and there.

Hey, for the rest of you old timers out there, do you remember in 1983 when Coca-Cola changed its formula to that putrid "New Coke"? Remember how all the traditionalists screamed bloody murder about the change and forced Coke to switch back?

You know why they changed their formula in the first place? Because Pepsi was beating them in sales.

But then when Coke changed their formula back to "Classic Coke," Coke shockingly retook the lead!

Absence makes the heart grow fonder?

Dear Disney Honchos: Reopen River Country and I guarantee you an army of balding 40-year-olds suffering the pangs of nostalgia will flood

through the gates.

Just ask George Lucas about the power of nostalgia.

Here's a closeup of some nostalgia:

And another:

Notice that the "No Diving" sign is in perfect shape! See? There's something right there that they wouldn't have to replace. It wouldn't be expensive at all to reopen!

Here's a shot of the Contemporary as we approach:

You know, there's a problem with building things to be futuristic -- after, oh, 30 years, you're futuristic building doesn't look futuristic anymore.

It just looks out of style.

But I still love the Contemporary. More nostalgia working its magic.

And here's a boat loading up those rich hobnobbers over at Wilderness Lodge. You know, those loaded big wheels who get dropped off by the bus first.

You know what else I call people who stay at the Wilderness Lodge?

Suckers!

Kidding...kidding.

Anyway, we sailed on past the boat full of hobbnobbing, loaded, big wheels.

Then Mrs. Troll pointed out how just about the entire Bay Lake is a no wake zone:

That doesn't make those little speed boats very much fun.

Speed boats that you can't drive very fast.

And there's the river boat!

Notice how empty it is.

Disney sure does spend a heck of a lot of time, money, and manpower ferrying people across that lake.

Hey, I wonder why a one day pass to the Magic Kingdom costs $80? I could never figure that out.

And then here's another opulent hotel for all those opulent sucker big wheels:

And now we're getting ready to dock:

Have you ever noticed Mr. Disney has a larger navy than most third world countries?

And there it is, waffle sandwich central:

As we were going all to shore who's going to shore, I noticed two Asian girls in front of us. I think they were maybe from South Korea. Anyway, this evidently was their first visit ever to Disney World:

Notice that the girl has pinned her 1st Visit button to her backpack.

Someone should have told her that that was a bad idea. Whenever they give you one of those buttons -- whether it's your first visit, birthday, anniversary, or whatever -- always, always wear that sucker front and center on your shirt.

Why, you ask?

Because you get free stuff.

Like fast passes.

Mr. Troll knows a few Korean words from his time in the military, but not nearly enough to say, "Uh, miss, you really should reposition that button on your blouse so that you'll get lots of free stuff."

Incidentally, when I snapped this picture, realize I was taking a picture of the girl's back.

Mrs. Troll was worried the girl would think I was taking a picture of her butt.

It dawned on me that I also didn't know enough Korean to say, "I'm sorry, miss, I'm taking a picture of your button, not your butt."

Here we are walking through the bag check area. Notice the turnstiles:

No line, no wait!

So coming up next, we continue our quest for those coveted waffle sandwiches!

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

More great stuff and I'm glad I'm not the only one that shoots completely mundane things from 37 different angles.

Especially loving the POV pics - and now I want a spicy bloody mary!

As for the dogs...

Have I mentioned we picked the layout for our current TT just for them and when we got it home we immediately ripped out the bunk and extra couch to turn the slide into a doggie dorm, complete with their own TV?

Yeah - they run the show around here too.

said from a person who has never owned a 145lb great dane.... the above comment is a good way to end up, literally, sleeping in the dog bed/house because he is bigger/stronger/heavier than you and you can't force him to get up when he doesn't want to

Um... I have a 35 lb little possum that can take up that magically kind of space too. And she sleeps like a rock. We can literally ping pong her back and forth between us and all she does if flop her head over onto the nearest ankle. :rofl2:

[SCTigerCock 171]

Um... I have a 35 lb little possum that can take up that magically kind of space too. And she sleeps like a rock. We can literally ping pong her back and forth between us and all she does if flop her head over onto the nearest ankle. :rofl2:

I see your 35# and raise you a 65# spoiled rotten, useless, clueless, scared of her own shadow dobe. That as I type this, my leg has fallen asleep.

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

Touché!

[momof3kids-Yvonne 596]

All right we are at the MK!! Can't wait for my waffle sandwich!

[DaveInTN 3,247]

I'm enjoying the trip report and really looking forward to your take on the waffle sandwich...including several different angles in the photos.

[Disneyzombie-Brenda 10]

Yummmmm! Waffles!

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Wow, great update, Norm.

You covered a lot of issues in just that one post.

First, about the hawk (I think that's a hawk)-

I remember that there was an entry about some kind of hawks at WDW on the official Disney blog a little bit ago. I went and found it, and here it is:

Rare Hawks Call Walt Disney Resort Home

So, is that one of those rare hawks?

Here's a photo from the blog:

Yours doesn't quite have the same coloring. But, that could be attributed to the lighting. It would be cool if what you saw is one of those rare hawks mentioned in the blog.

Next, you have quite a lens on your camera- those River Country shots are great!

Last, I think I know how your quest for a waffle sandwich is going to end. If I have your timeline right, you were sipping your Bloody Mary on Crockett's porch at 4, and then you went back and fed your pups and got ready to go to the MK. If you arrived there after 5, I believe you found out a cruel fact about the chicken and ham waffle sandwiches.

TCD

[fladogfan aka Gretchen 259]

I think the bird in question is a red shouldered hawk. They are very common in the area. Love to hear them calling.

Went back to take another look at both birds. The 1st photo could be a young hawk of either type, I guess. The photo of the short tailed hawk has a very bright yellow breast, maybe an adult?

[The Troll 67]

More great stuff and I'm glad I'm not the only one that shoots completely mundane things from 37 different angles.

Especially loving the POV pics - and now I want a spicy bloody mary!

As for the dogs...

Have I mentioned we picked the layout for our current TT just for them and when we got it home we immediately ripped out the bunk and extra couch to turn the slide into a doggie dorm, complete with their own TV?

Yeah - they run the show around here too.

I'm so glad you're enjoying the POV photos. Like I said earlier, I have many more of them. They were a lot of fun to shoot.

And you're really hardcore when it comes to your dogs! Their own dorm and TV? We haven't gone quite that far...yet.

All right we are at the MK!! Can't wait for my waffle sandwich!

I'm enjoying the trip report and really looking forward to your take on the waffle sandwich...including several different angles in the photos.

Uh oh. I hope I don't disappoint.

Wow, great update, Norm.

You covered a lot of issues in just that one post.

First, about the hawk (I think that's a hawk)-

I remember that there was an entry about some kind of hawks at WDW on the official Disney blog a little bit ago. I went and found it, and here it is:

Rare Hawks Call Walt Disney Resort Home

So, is that one of those rare hawks?

Yours doesn't quite have the same coloring. But, that could be attributed to the lighting. It would be cool if what you saw is one of those rare hawks mentioned in the blog.

Next, you have quite a lens on your camera- those River Country shots are great!

Last, I think I know how your quest for a waffle sandwich is going to end. If I have your timeline right, you were sipping your Bloody Mary on Crockett's porch at 4, and then you went back and fed your pups and got ready to go to the MK. If you arrived there after 5, I believe you found out a cruel fact about the chicken and ham waffle sandwiches.

TCD

That is one awesome photo of that hawk in the blog. If you've never tried to shoot wildlife before, you would never guess how hard it is. The suckers just won't stay still!

I'm glad you like the RC shots. I figured you'd appreciate them. I set my shutter speed as fast as it would go, zoomed in -- breaking the cardinal rule of never using digital zoom -- and snapped. I think the prohibitions against digital zoom are a bit overstated. I get a lot of shots I wouldn't otherwise get at all.

Last, I think I know how your quest for a waffle sandwich is going to end. If I have your timeline right, you were sipping your Bloody Mary on Crockett's porch at 4, and then you went back and fed your pups and got ready to go to the MK. If you arrived there after 5, I believe you found out a cruel fact about the chicken and ham waffle sandwiches.

Hold that thought!

I think the bird in question is a red shouldered hawk. They are very common in the area. Love to hear them calling.

Went back to take another look at both birds. The 1st photo could be a young hawk of either type, I guess. The photo of the short tailed hawk has a very bright yellow breast, maybe an adult?

Red shouldered hawk? I'll have to look up some photos and see if I recognize my hawk as a red shouldered hawk.

[michele j 9]

Bring on the waffles!!

[The Troll 67]

Onward!

We're at the Magic Kingdom, and fun, waffles, and a redone BTMR await us!

We entered the park with no wait at all. Then we went through the entrance that tunnels underneath the train station and emerged to see a very rare sight:

It's a parade, folks.

At the Magic Kindgom...

And there's no crowd!

You can see straight through to the parade floats! Almost no obstructions whatsoever!

You know, I really, really love Main Street USA. It's my favorite area in the park. Not a single ride attraction is there, yet I love it so. Such classic styling, such incredible, breath-taking attention to detail. Next time you're there at nighttime, see if you can find a burned out light bulb. I bet you won't!

Going with a classic, turn-of-the-century style ensures one thing -- your design and theming will never go out of style. It never looks dated or in need of a refurb.

The same, unfortunately, can't be said about the Contemporary or Future World in Epcot. Future World is no longer very futuristic.

This brings me to a question I wanted to ask the rest of the Fiends. Remember (if you are old enough) when Epcot first opened in 1982? Back then it was referred to as EPCOT Center...

Oh, and remind me to tell you a story about that, too, later...

Anyway, back in 1982, Epcot wasn't Epcot, it was EPCOT. More specifically, it was EPCOT Center. So, now, I'm sure you're familiar with Innoventions. Back in the day, it was called CommuniCore. They used to showcase the latest technological advances in CommuniCore, and I remember finding the exhibits fascinating. Well, CommuniCore is gone, replaced by Innoventions, a pavilion with the same approach -- a showcase for new technology.

But you know, somehow I don't find the technology they showcase now nearly as fascinating as I did back in the days when the pavilion was Innoventions. Everything in there just strikes me as a cheap advertisement.

So here's my question: Has everything cool already been invented?

Chew on that for a bit.

But for now, let's continue...

Fortunately Main Street USA and Br'er Rabbit never go out of style.

One of the things I've been really, really wanting to do for a long, long time is get a haircut in the barbershop on Main Street. So Mrs. Troll encouraged me to get one. So we hoofed it over to the barbershop, but we were too late:

What this sign is delicately saying is, "You're too late. We're already home, pounding back a beer. Come back tomorrow."

Well doggone!

I was really looking forward to a haircut, as my troll fur was really getting unruly.

Do trolls have fur?

Undeterred, I turned around and was struck by this view:

Isn't that building just beautiful? I'm with Walt: Steam trains are just plain cool.

OK, now it's time to possibly rile a few people up.

There's a strange new phenomenon spreading across our great land. I am unable to explain it or understand it. I'm sure you've seen. Perhaps you're even guilty of committing it.

Young women everywhere, ostensibly in a vain and laughable attempt to look "sexy," are...what's the word...posing themselves for photographs in a most peculiar, annoying way.

It's called...

The Duckface.

I'm sure you know what I'm talking about. They pucker their lips and poke them out exaggeratedly. Their eyes are wide open, almost bugged out.

And for some reason, this most contrived expression is almost always combined with the two finger peace sign...only held sideways.

If you're still unsure what I'm referring to (and if you are, damn, what rock have you been living under?), here's a visual aid:

Duckface.

Almost textbook duckface.

The only atypical thing about this one is the fact that the duck in the photo is holding her peace sign incorrectly. It's supposed to be backwards and sideways, like this:

Now we're talking!

Anyway, Mr. and Mrs. Troll hate duckfaces. I mean, hate -- as in despise.

As in possibly willing to commit bodily harm.

So Mrs. Troll decided to lampoon these fools by ridiculing them at Disney World. I have an entire series of Mrs. Troll mockingly doing duckfaces for your enjoyment.

Here she is now, duckfacing on Main Street, USA:

Yes, I have a whole collection of these.

You thought you liked the POV set? Well, it gets even better. Duckface galore. Courtesy of Mrs. Troll.

So if you're a genuine duckfacer, you have my apologies.

Well, not really.

So after making the duckface, Mrs. Troll pointed out that the Disney overlords were already putting out the Halloween decorations.

Keep in mind it's August.

Here's Minnie, ready for a fall festival:

Notice the mini Minnies at her feet.

Kind of cool display. The life size manikin's outfit matches the mini Minnies'.

And here's Mickey in a Halloween-themed tux:

I must say, that's a very garish outfit for a guy with such a dull personality.

I wonder if that clock in the display is for sale?

We decided to press on to the waffle sandwich dispensary.

Now let's revisit a comment from the guy who can make anything fascinating and engrossing, Mr. TCD:

Last, I think I know how your quest for a waffle sandwich is going to end. If I have your timeline right, you were sipping your Bloody Mary on Crockett's porch at 4, and then you went back and fed your pups and got ready to go to the MK. If you arrived there after 5, I believe you found out a cruel fact about the chicken and ham waffle sandwiches.

Yes, indeed, you know the cruel, tragic way it ended.

It ended like this:

Noooooooooooo!

Confound it!

How can this be?!?

If the masterminds at Disney know anything, it's how to separate a mark from his money. How can they only serve those heavenly waffle delights until 5PM?!?

It's dinnertime!

Many, many people eat dinner after 5PM!

And many, many people are perfectly willing to eat waffles for dinner!

Noooooooooo!

I told the lady at the window I'd give her $20 if she'd make us waffle sandwiches anyway, but she said no.

In fact, she said no while frowning. She evidently did not think my attempt at bribery was very funny.

Of course, I wasn't trying to be funny.

Blast.

No waffle sandwiches for the Trolls.

Dejected, we pressed on.

Trivia time! Who can guess where I got the saying, "Confound it?"

Here's a hint: It's uttered by a legendary character out of a legendary movie that isn't a Disney movie but should be.

Anyone know?

Bonus Troll Points for the person who guesses first.

In fact, I will buy the winner a beer. If no one guesses right, you all owe me a beer.

And I don't drink the cheap stuff.

So now Mr. Troll was 0 - 2 -- no haircut and no waffle sandwich.

My money was still firmly in my wallet.

Fail, Disney managers, fail! Walt would be most displeased.

So we pressed on. Notice Mrs. Troll is still lugging the backpack:

Also notice how empty the walkways are! This was really nice. We were like taking a stroll down an uncrowded downtown street. This is not common at all. Ordinarily you are stuck in a morass of hot, sweaty, people, many of whom are angry, tired parents, scolding their children for wanting to do something unruly -- like go on a ride or something. And then to make matters worse, there are people pushing triple-wide strollers into the backs of your ankles. In agony at having your ankles rolled up on, you turn to see what hit you and notice that the triple-wide stroller does not have a single child in it. The children are trailing behind on foot and the stroller is being used as a cargo cart, like a wheelbarrow.

I don't think anyone on this site has ever been assessed any penalty points.

I wonder if I might be the first?

Let's find out.

I'm clicking the POST button right now.

Coming up next, we head for the town of Big Thunder to ride a train possessed by Sitting Bull.

[momof3kids-Yvonne 596]

What??? No waffle sandwich!!!! But I'm starving and I wanted a waffle sandwich!!!!

[michele j 9]

Excellent job Mrs. Troll on the duckface.

My first time at EPCOT was in 1983. It was cool back then...

NO waffles?!! Ugh. Bring on the rides then

[ftwildernessguy 778]

Confound it, from the 1966 Batman movie?