365 Adventures in 2011: Day 327 – A Disney Surprise
When Michelle and I were near Walt Disney World earlier today, I suddenly got a craving for a Dole Whip. Less than 15 minutes later, I was enjoying a self-served Dole Whip from Captain Cook’s at the Polynesian Resort, which I happily ate near the pool, with a view of the Seven Seas Lagoon stretching all the way to the Magic Kingdom’s train station. Though it’s late November, it’s still in the high-70s / low-80s here in Florida – rather beautiful weather actually. So plenty of kids were splashing in the pool while I enjoyed my cold treat. Michelle also got a ginormous plate of pork nachos (BBQ pulled pork, crispy potato chips and wonton-like fried goodies, spicy sauce, and pineapple salsa) which I gladly helped her finish off.
Then we wandered through the hotel’s arcade where I got a free round of Tron: Legacy pinball, as someone had left it ready to play. Score. Afterward we went to Downtown Disney for some shopping and then back home. We hadn’t set out to visit Disney, but somehow we always end up there. Not complaining.
365 Adventures in 2011: Day 326 – Christmas Treats
My consumption of themed Oreo cookies is usually limited to the Halloween variety, with little ghosts, bats, pumpkins, witches, and cats. But this year I couldn’t resist getting the “winter” version, with almost-as-fun shapes. There may be no Halloween tricks left this year, but these are definitely a treat. And to go with them, I grabbed some Jolly Rancher candy canes too. Peppermint gets old, but Jolly Rancher flavors are always great.
365 Adventures in 2011: Day 325 – Frozen Turkey
It’s Turkey Day! No, not Thanksgiving quite yet. But we did buy a nice 18-pound frozen turkey that will slowly thaw over the next 3.5 days until it’s ready to be cooked. 18 pounds should be enough to feed 6.5 people and leave PLENTY of leftovers… for me. Turkey overload here I come.
365 Adventures in 2011: Day 324 – Christmas in Africa
My mom took me and Michelle to Boma for dinner to celebrate both of our birthdays (Nov. 28 and 16, respectively). And when we walked into Animal Kingdom Lodge, I realized I had never been there around Christmas time before. The hotel’s lobby is always impressive and comfortable, but even more so with the giant Christmas tree sparkling with orange white lights – a perfect blend between Thanksgiving, Christmas, and African decor. Best of all, there’s a small throne in front of it, which makes a great photo op.
365 Adventures in 2011: Day 323 – Fridge repair gone wrong
A seemingly simple repair of a broken water dispenser lever on our refrigerator turned into a 1 hour+ event last night that ultimately required the removal of 10 screws of varying sizes, a circuit board, a few plugs, and a struggle with a small plastic tube. In the process, we managed to scratch our wood floor and break a decorative glass item that was on top of the fridge. Lesson learned: Don’t start repairs at 1am, no matter how simple they appear to be. But now filtered water is flowing freely and easily once more.
