Cold Spaghetti

Step One.

Step Two.

Step Three…

FAIL.

So.  Plan B.

Nice how Plan B involves the pressing of the widest parts of my thighs from not one, but TWO sides.  Lovely.

I love the kids faces here.  And the fact that Will took my sunglasses off and put them on his head.

The original idea was for us to have family time together in that in-between week: the lapse between end of camp and start of school.  In practice, we juggled kids around appointments for travel shots and dental cleanings, while working 8-10 hour days.  On Wednesday, we met my parents in Mississippi and they took the kids to Sandestin, Florida.  Thursday, I submitted grades for my summer course and sent the requested edits back to my committee chair (with hopes of finally getting a defense date).  Thoroughly exhausted, we met them all there 2 days later, spending a beautiful day and a half at the beach.

I have a hard time with predictability.  It’s just too boring, too rigid.  I even need to switch sides of the bed every once in awhile just to keep fresh perspective during sleep.

The exception to the rule seems to be visits to Disney World, whose wonders we can’t quite exhaust.

We were there in late May/early June… a trip timed at school’s (almost) end and with a few days of summer camp shaved from the front.  The fact that it was during one of the 3 “Star Wars” weekends hosted yearly at Hollywood Studios was also a key part of our last-minute-travel decision-making.

The trip was wonderful.  We met up with several groups of friends — from Virginia, New Orleans, Miami, and Orlando.  I don’t think we were there for even a day where we didn’t meet up with friends.  We stayed on the monorail for the first time (in the Polynesian) and were upgraded to concierge level, all of which was amazing.  We ate in Cinderella’s Castle (another first) with one of Kate’s best friends from school (and her big brother, a friend of Will’s).

And, Kate got her hair cut and sprayed with pixie dust at the Barber Shop on Main Street:

In the picture above, Kate is laughing at the parade going by the window — bright floats with characters singing and dancing.  Not bad for distraction during a haircut!

If they aren’t busy, they folks in the shop will spray your hair with pixie dust for free.  Otherwise, a hair cut with all the special sprinkles is $15.  While we were there, the Barbershop Quartet singers came in and performed.  Seeing our anniversary pins, they chose a special romantic tune just for us — complete with the crowd applauding for us to kiss at the end.

It was just that kind of magic trip.

Here’s Cinderella’s Banquet Hall in the Castle, in silhouette.  Princesses are announced and greet guests table-to-table.

When we checked into the Polynesian, the concierge staff brought us handmade leis made of live, fragrant flowers, with congratulations on our 10 year anniversary.  Kate loved the real flower necklaces.

Here’s Paul on the teacups!  (The kids are great spinners.)

Each evening, we could watch the light parade on the water followed by the fireworks over Cinderella’s castle from the pool and beach of the Polynesian.  Or, we could go up to the Concierge building lodge (where there were desserts and adult beverages) and watch them from the air-conditioned, two story room with wall-to-ceiling windows looking out to the castle.  They even piped in the music from The Magic Kingdom during the fireworks.

Each night, as people gathered on the beach to watch fireworks, the ducks and ducklings took over the pool…

The Star Wars events were fun.  Both kids were thrilled at seeing the characters.  Including storm troopers who interacted with the crowd at the entrance gates.

Different celebrities are on hand throughout the day for photos and signatures (we didn’t do much of this) and there are interviews, quiz shows, and other special events for guests.  While these may be things are kids will want to do when they are older, they were thrilled to stick with the daily Star Wars parade.

(I think my favorite part of the parade were the Sand People with Babies.)

Will was into this photo-op.

We did stand in line for a few signatures.  Jango Fett was there and took a break (yikes) when Ashoka (at least, I’m told this is her name… I don’t get the Clone Wars stuff) popped in.

Ask Kate about the force and she’ll do this for you.

Thankfully, someone who looks a bit like Jango, but in different color, came back.  That was enough for Will.  He’s got a thing for these helmet-wearing guys.

There were non-Star Wars moments, too.  (The ones below are from the Nemo ride at EPCOT.)  Will friends Bryan and Carolyn there, we had more opportunity to switch off and do more “intense” experiences — Mission: Space (simulates the g-forces of rocketing off the earth) and Test Track, which Will tried for the first time and loved.

A few days into our trip, the “Summer” Nighttime program started.  This year’s summer program includes the return of the Main Street Electric Parade, the original light parade that I remember from my own childhood.  I was THRILLED to share it with the kids.

Will passed out a few minutes before it started, of course.  We told him that it is a parade filled with Star Wars characters and everyone that is awake is given real laser lightsabers.

I got a little artsy while waiting for the parade.

Here are Paul and Kate, watching Tchoupi et DouDou as we wait for the start of the parade.

The previous parade, part of the “Wishes Nighttime Spectacular,” is a beautiful parade of white lights.  It is a nice parade, with a dreamy quality that left you with oohs and aahs.  But it is no where near the fun of the original Main Street Electric Parade!

Here’s Prince Charming with one of the Stepsisters, who is trying to put on the glass slipper.

See Peter Pan and Hook?

Here they are — sword fighting away…

Pete and his dragon, Elliot, were a favorite part of the original.  Elliot has his bumbling voice, disappears, and blows smoke.  (What?  You haven’t seen Pete’s Dragon?  With Helen Reddy, and her Candle on the Water torch song?)

We figure that we don’t have much time before the kids are old enough to appreciate Europe.  Or trekking in the Himalayas.  Or rafting the Grand Canyon.  Or finding the perfect pebble on Skye.  So right now, while they are this wonderful age, we are really enjoying the Disney magic with them.  Even if it is predictable!

I only had the 50mm on the cropped sensor camera… so getting the full scope of these lights was a challenge.  The Osbourne family made themselves supremely unpopular with their neighbors for the abundant light displays they put up each holiday season… so Disney brought it down to Hollywood Studios.  And added a few gazillion more lights, just cuz.

The overwhelming exhibit was pretty cool.  Also?  It snows.  Resist the urge to taste it.

But one question.  That last picture.  Who are those figures?  Best we could come up with was Gandhi, providing sage advice to the Power Rangers.

… parade, riverboat, friends, food and fun …

View of EPCOT Illuminations, from Boardwalk Villas, at 1/2 second exposure because I didn’t set up the tripod.  I came inside to check on the kids before the finale.  MENTAL NOTE: have tripod ready before 9pm and WAIT!

And notes.  So I don’t forget.

– Boardwalk is an incredibly short walk from EPCOT International Entrance, which is very very very uncrowded, uncomplicated, and easy.  Walk to Hollywood Studios is further… we’ll check it out later in the week.

– The boat ride is fun and quick, but it’s faster to walk if you need to wait for the boat.  The walk is wonderfully scenic and peaceful, too.

– There are no stroller rentals at this entrance.

– Self-parking is in Georgia.  Best option is to use bell hop to bring up your bags when the room is ready.  NOTE: you must be in the room to receive the bags, they won’t just put them in the room for you, like they do with Magical Express.

– If it’s during a peak season, you probably won’t get your room before 4pm.

– Renting points for DVC is simply unbeatable.

– Only rent an actual Disney stroller on days when you’re getting them first thing in the morning.  Otherwise, find someone about to return theirs and offer them a few bucks for it.  It makes them some money and saves you money for the best strollers on the planet.  If you need a stroller outside of the park, consider www.magicalstrollers.com

– If you have a boardwalk view, the further from the Epcot entrance you are, the better your view of Illuminations will be.

– There is no zero entry in the Luna Park pool.

– Jiko is an absolutely fantastic dining experience.  The Cauliflower Soup was surprising and full of great flavor.  We’re so proud that the kids tried different African foods.  BONUS: staff signed a birthday card for Will in several different languages common in Southern African countries — Afrikaans, Swahili, and others (Oshiwambo, Khoekhoe, German) reflecting the nationality of the staff (Botswana, Namibia, South Africa).

– Jambo House at the Animal Kingdom Lodge is like a museum with a fantastic collection of African art and history.

We are having a fantastic time!

When I was a kid and my Grandparents worked for Disney, we were incredibly lucky to have the opportunity to spend summers with them.  In the many, many times I’ve visited the parks, I had never been there for the fall and winter holidays.

When we went last spring during Mardi Gras, we decided to try to go during the kids’ fall break.  Lucky for us, the break coordinated with the Magic Kingdom’s Halloween celebration.  The park was beautifully decorated.  Even cast member costumes held subtle changes to reflect the fall season.

The party is after-hours — and features special parade, fireworks, character greetings, dance parties, and trick-or-treating.  Costumes are encouraged.

Like we could say no to that!

Take a moment of pause at my 5-year old sweetheart above, who DRESSED AS A WHITE RABBIT to support his sister’s costume.  Also?  He made his own clock.  And?  Let me draw a nose and whiskers.  I couldn’t stop looking at him all night, thinking that this is probably the last time he’ll willing put ears on his head.

Kate was over the moon.

It took a few seconds for folks in the crowd to take in our whole ensemble.  But when they did, we heard many, many compliments.  The kids were thrilled.

We took a prime spot in the front of Cinderella’s castle for the Villian’s show (they take over the night) parade (featuring the Villians taking over Main Street) and then the Fireworks!

See Paul and the kids below?

For the record, Disney parades are truly a spectacle.

The fireworks, too, are amazing.  Some of the best (if not the best) I’ve ever seen.  (Including the 4th of July fireworks on the Mall in DC.)  I thought that this display was outstanding.  I loved the images flying up the castle, the music, and surprises of fireworks not only behind the castle, but coming up around Main Street — lighting up the entire park for a few seconds.

We rode a few rides, too — including Alice’s Tea Cups (of course).  When we stumbled off the tea cups (the kids went crazy on that spinning), we ran smack into our dopplegangers!

The Tweedles spent quite a bit of time playing with our caps, spinning the propellers, and straightening our ties before insisting on several different posed shots with us.  Cute, very very cute.

What a fantastic time to visit the Magic Kingdom!

Happy Halloween!

A long, long, time ago we took the kids to Baton Rouge to visit the State Museum and Planetarium.

Okay, it was only last month.  But it feels like a long time ago.

The State Capital was across the street.  Very interesting fence.

The planetarium itself was very cool, with a good sky show. The kids loved it, which was fun for Paul I because we loved it (it was about the size and composition of the universe). Kate participated in a “building the city” event where kids got hard hats and “building permits” for different things. She built an animal shelter and we placed it in a spot in the city grid, where parents were busy building the biggest, tallest things they could “with” their kids. There was a special exhibit on handbags, which was surprisingly interesting and engaging. The Mummy was interesting as well, though the kids weren’t as willing to spend a long time in the tomb-like presentation space. Best part: no accidents from Kate, who is proving to be completely successful in potty training outside of the home, but not so much within the home.

After our amazing breakfasts — the selection, quality, and presentation of which is unrivaled by anything I’ve seen before — we set off to get in some hiking before the predicted rain came.  We went into The Braes, an area near where we stayed the night before.  Full pictures from Braes are up here.  Below is just a taste…

A walk through a field and down the hillside led to a pebble beach.  (This photo is actually 2 hours past the first time we walked through this beach.  When we backtracked on our return, the tide had gone out to reveal these huge stones.  Just another example of the ever-changing scenery!)

Stone wall from up on the hillside — this strip of land rises up on the end of island with dramatic rock formations cutting to the sea below on each side.

Sheep.  Lots of sheep.

It was also quite “boggy”.  We read about boggy, but didn’t realize that this meant “be prepared to step on normal-looking land only to find your foot submerged in 6 inches of cold wetness.”

Looking out over the rocky cliffs.  You have to climb around the rocks and hills to each side to really see what all of this looks like as it crashes into the sea.  (Note: you don’t want to mess around any more closely!)

We didn’t see another human at any point in this walk (well, except for the guy in the far-off sailboat and a few people walking along the road on our way back to the car) — it was amazing to be so far away from the world and yet right within it, all at the same time.

More pictures here!

We went to Scotland?!  WHA?

Here’s the jist… a member of my close-knit group of girlfriends from college (the five of us call ourselves, “The Birds,” based on other friends joking about us flocking together and chirping away or something) was married in a castle outside of Ayr, Scotland last weekend.  Our bird, Lee, a Barrymore-award winning performer/writer/director/teacher, recently moved outside of London with her finance.  He spent childhood summers in Scotland visiting his Mother’s side of the family and they decided to marry there.  So, three of us birds (plus Paul) managed to make the trip.

Leaving the kids with my parents, Paul and I arrived a few days early to explore the Highlands… hence, our travelogue begins…

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Here is our big travel savings tip… when flying to Europe, check out the independent vacation airlines.  We found direct flights on flyglobespan to Glasgow from Orlando (worth the drive!) for half of the regular price of flights with 2 or more connections.  The downside is more possibility of flight delay, since there are limited planes flying the route (read: one plane flying the route).  An unexpected upside were the hilarious “what to expect in America” videos they show on the flight back to the States.

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Although our arrival was a few hours late, we manged to get the rental car (Peugot) and start off North before 11am.  We had about 4 hours sleep, but were committed to get through the day — for a variety of reasons (limited lodging due to Highland Games) we had 200 miles to cover to get to our pre-booked B&B.

First rest stop: Loch Lomond.

I couldn’t get enough of the street signs in Scotland.  First was the fact that everything is incredibly well-marked (at least, once you got outside of the cities).  From when we left the airport Monday morning until we returned to the airport to get Christie (another bird) on Thursday morning, we did not take even one wrong turn.  The second wonderful thing about the signs were that they were clever in that high-brow speak of the UK, with things that no one in the States would get away with without getting egged.

Light bites, anyone?

Something else about that picture above… the whole driving on the left side of the road thing?  Driving around Loch Lomond for the first time on the left was like a Baptism by fire.  I can’t say more than that without experiencing post traumatic stress over the certainty of being rubbed against a mountain wall and/or driving through the low stone wall and crashing into a loch.  (What I can say is that Paul rocked the driving in about 600 ways.)

Mile for mile, Scotland is by far the most stunning and dramatic scenery of any country I’ve seen.  We were shocked how quickly the landscape changed.

From Loch Lomond, we drove through Glen Coe.  (The sign in the picture below says you’re looking to the Glen Coe valley.)  We went to the park visitor center to pick up information on area hikes (all we could do that day due to the late flight was a few quick walks to overlooks) and see some of the informational displays.  In 1692, the valley was the site of a massacre, where families (women and children) were murdered by guests in their homes.  The families (the MacDonald clan) were thought to have not pledged allegiance to William II and Mary II, who had recently taken the British Throne.  So, William had his officers, guests in MacDonald homes, rise up and murder their hosts.

In general, I felt that the Glencoe Massacre offered a valid representation of how much of Scotland seemed to unfold for us: incredible beauty with complex, interesting stories of history, intrigue and tragedy.

Mountains seem quite close… but a walk into the valley quickly sets you straight.  Be careful reading guides in Scotland.  The term “short walk” closely resembles what we in the States might call “heavy mountaineering.”

The village of Glencoe is close by — just a mile or two around these munros.  (Munro = large peak, distinctively a peak over a certain height that I can’t remember at the moment.)

We didn’t spend a lot of time in the Glencoe Valley because we were already getting tired and had so much more ground to cover to get to Skye.  We stopped a lot as we traveled… sometimes at official pull-off areas (the more touristy of which included bagpipe players) and sometimes at areas on the side of the road that didn’t look too deadly.

Driving was more exhausting than we had prepared for — the constant hyper-awareness and adjustment to the positioning was tiring for us both.

When the views were particularly spectacular, we were so shocked that we weren’t able to stop for a photo.  The entire drive was so amazing that it seemed impossible to even try and capture it.

The clouds moved rapidly and changed the scenery every few minutes.

We stopped at a Monument build in memory of Commandos that lost their lives in the Second World War, where we could look back over the plain to Ben Nevis (highest Munro in UK), which was mysteriously shrouded in moving, rolling clouds (see picture above).  Best part of the stop: seeing an elderly man take tea (complete with china saucer and cup) at a table in the back of his little British mini-van.

About these pictures… few weeks before the trip, I found a used 5D at great condition for half of the price of new.  It was a fantastic deal, so I jumped on it — Canon stopped making the original 5Ds when they introduced the (very expensive) second version, so I’m happy to have gotten one while they can be found!  The full frame is heavenly and it rarely left my hands… leaving Paul with the rebel and either the 50mm or a telephoto lens we rented to try out for the trip.  This is why his pictures are all wonderfully arty, like this one:

It looks dark in these pictures, but really, it was in the prime of the afternoon.  In August.

We took the northern route to Skye, avoiding the car ferry.  The landscape got more rocky and less lush the further we got.

Around 4:50 — without a moment to spare — we arrived at Eilean Donan.  The 10 minutes we had before the last entry into the castle gave us just enough time to get a few photos from further up the Loch.

It’s the most photographed castle in Scotland.  It was beautiful and gave an interesting and informative tour… with absolutely no references to Highlander (phew).

The Clan MacCrae are caretakers of the castle.  After sitting in ruin for 200 or so years (the result of a mishap with the Spanish in the 1700s) a MacCrae purchased the castle and spent a few years spiffing the place up.  His family still uses the property (in fact, a one Mrs. MacCrae had just spent the night in the castle and left the morning of our tour).

Remember the severed heads on stakes decorating this bridge in Highlander?  We learned that this came from historical record.  Apparently a 14th century disciplinarian thought it good measure to do this to folks he felt were not up to par — so Highlander was simply reflecting history in that gory little detail.

Our tour of the castle was self-guided, though there were several caretakers giving tours and explaining the uses of various rooms.  We tried to hang around and listen to a tour… but, with no exaggeration, we were much more able to understand the Spanish conversation of the Argentinian tourists behind us than we could understand the Scottish tour guides.  In case you haven’t heard, Scots don’t use consonants in speech.  But it’s really no matter.  They are so incredibly friendly that they don’t at all seem phased by repeating something 12 times, slowly, and then finally writing on paper “do you want white or black coffee” so that your thick head understands.

Also.  We noted that Scottish stairs, while steep and winding, are much less intimidating than Inca stairs.

In the parking area next to Eilean Donan, we saw this van tricked out with Calvin and Hobbes and Garfield comics (in German).  Over the following three days, we saw this van in different places at least 8 times.

From Eilean Donan, we sent off for Kyle of Lochalsh and the Skye Bridge.  Paul’s exhaustion was getting into scary territory and his patience for my pleas for stopping for pictures was limited — so we didn’t get any photos of the beautiful bridge.  The drive from Eilean Donan castle to Portree, the largest town on the Isle of Skye, was about 50 miles.

Here’s a little Scottish oddity: speed limit signs, car pedometers, and distance signs are all in MILES.  Miles per hour and miles of distance.  We discovered this leaving the airport on the expressway as Paul asked, “how can the speed limit be 30 km per hour?!” and then noted that miles per hour were what the dashboard indicated on the car.  Who knew?

Driving over to the Isle of Skye was like crossing a rainbow from one lush dreamland into another.  The beauty of the Isle hit us quickly.  Skye is a lush, misty island filled by sharp mountains, twisting, running streams, and sweeping sea vistas.  The magic of the place is infectious.

Paul wasn’t walking down into the valley to water the flowers in relative privacy — he was going to take pictures of them, see?

We checked into our Bed and Breakfast before heading into town for dinner.  Because the Highland Games were taking place in Skye that week, lodging was VERY difficult to find — and what was left was quite expensive.  But oh!  The loveliness of where we stayed in Skye!!

Here is the Bed and Breakfast we found for the first night.  The beauty of the outside (this picture is from the following morning) does not do justice the warmth and hospitality of the inside.

We stayed in a huge room on the top floor.  It felt like walking into a Scottish home decorating magazine spread.  Also?  Standard in Scottish B&Bs are complimentary assorted teas, coffees, biscuits, and chocolates in your room.  Just in case all of this isn’t enough…!

The bathroom was pretty enough to picture, too.

Even our cute little staircase up to our private top floor retreat was worth documenting.

All of the above, plus a FULL breakfast (cereals, fruits, beautifully set table, juices, coffee, tea, made to order Scottish breakfast of eggs, tomatoes, haddock, bacon… you name it) was a peak-season rate of GBP 55 per person, per night.  (1 GBP = 1.64 USD… roughly.)

After the delight of settling in, we took off to town for dinner… where we opted for take away fish and chips.

We ate by the bay with a couple from Australia.  But they weren’t the only friends we made as we munched delicious fresh Haddock and perfect potatoes…

(See a few more pictures from the Day here… in a post made from Scotland.)