Month: January 2019

Enjoying Winter in Maine

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We obviously made it home safely from California. Our flights were all on time, just long. But we had a great trip and visit with the family.

We had a big snow storm come in a few days ago … we probably got about a foot of snow, but the wind was blowing too, so it was hard to gauge the depth.

I had intended to go out and get more photos, but the wind came up and it was bitterly cold the day after the snowstorm. You can see on this snapshot from the backyard … even though the snow was deep, it had all blown off the trees…

Today we got rain … so lots of slush. Fortunately our driveway and the local roads are clear.

I had my first visit back the YMCA after my last eventful session. I am happy to report I did not pass out. I managed to do all the weight machines in the circuit and will be going back for more !!!! No selfies taken today, but I did snap a pic of the building from the parking lot. You can see how the rain has washed much of the snow away.

Day 4 – Back to Disneyland

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This turned out to be a perfect day. We decided to forego early morning entry in order to have a fun breakfast at the hotel. We were joined by Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, and Chip and Dale.

We then trekked through Downtown Disney to the original Disneyland Park. No rain today and minimal crowds. We went on all the rides we wanted to with only 10-20 minute waits.

Space Mountain, Jungle Cruise, Indiana Jones, and Big Thunder Mountain were all tamed by us. Pirates of the Caribbean was down due to technical difficulties – probably Pirates with hangovers.

We felt very brave, so also went on Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, and It’s a Small World. I swear that ride is 2 hours long at Disneyland. After all this fun, I left Todd and Beth to do more rides cause I needed my nap.

Beth picked the venue for her Birthday Dinner – Steakhouse 55 at the Disneyland Hotel. We had a great meal and an even better visit.

We walked back to our hotel in a torrential downpour. I was even getting Flash Flood warnings on my Apple Watch. Needless to say, not everyone in our party enjoyed the walk in the rain 😉

This brings our Disney trip to a close. Beth and Todd gave us a ride to the airport on Wednesday morning (which is today). Lou and I are in Atlanta, awaiting our flight to Portland. We will spend the night there and drive home tomorrow.

We would like to thank the California Crew for joining us and making this such a nice vacation. And Happy Birthday again to both Victoria and Beth.

Day 3 – Calif Adventure Again

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Beth, Todd and I set out for early morning hours and fought through a few sprinkles. We had a good time, since the park wasn’t crowded. The Cars Land Radiator Racers ride was closed due to rain, but we got lucky and it opened up after we had breakfast at Flo’s V-8 Cafe.

First we rode Galaxy of the Guardians. Beth sat this out. It’s my favorite!

Then we checked out Soarin’ Over the World, another fun ride. We were hungry so went back to Cars Land to Flo’s V-8 Cafe for breakfast. While there, we got lucky and saw they were opening Radiator Racers. This is a great ride and I was glad Beth and Todd got to experience it.


We did some more stuff, had some more fun and went back to the room in the afternoon.

We had dinner at Tortilla Jo’s and once again everyone left filled with guacamole and other stuff.

On the way back to the hotel, we watched the Confectioners prepare the cutest candy apples. We were tempted but skipped the treats.

Disney Day 2 – A Birthday Party!!!

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After our morning of Adventure, we came back to the Hotel, found Lou and went to a Mexican Brunch at Tortilla Jo’s. Some of the food selections were strange, but there was plenty of it and it was reasonably priced.

Beth and Todd arrived after lunch, and we enjoyed a visit with them and watched some football. We all headed down to Napa Rose, the signature restaurant at the Disney Grand Californian (which is the hotel we are at). We were celebrating both Victoria and Beth’s birthdays. Grandma Jeannette made it extra special with some cute gifts for the girls.

We had a nice dinner, although it was uneven … some really enjoyed their meals, others not so much. We might have to try this again, as this is supposed to be one of the best restaurants in Orange County. The food was beautifully presented, as shown in the photos below – the first is the starter selection, then the main courses. The chef is partial to yellow …

We said goodbye to the Holmes Family after dinner. It was great to see Catherine, Mark and Victoria. And we were pleased Olivia was able to take time away from her USC life to join us (btw, she is doing very well at school). We were extremely lucky to schedule our visit when Victoria had a free weekend from her busy Volleyball schedule, and Olivia didn’t have a Trojan Marching Band event.

We will spend the next couple of days with Beth and Todd, before heading back to icy cold Maine.

Disney Day 2 – California Adventure

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It rained again today, but I was out early with the Holmes family. Lou is dealing with some back issues … probably from the long plane ride, so he was due to meet us later.

I was very excited to visit California Adventure … the second park at Disneyland. It was all new, because I’d not been to Disneyland in 40 years.

As soon as we got in the park, we went straight to Cars Land, which was built in 2010, and is based on the Disney Movie “Cars.” It is very well done. We were able to step right on the Radiator Racers … a ride that usually has a 90 minute wait. Advantages of early morning rain, and visiting in January.

We rode Cars, then zipped over to Galaxy of the Guardians … a ride thst has replaced Tower of Terror. In this ride, you drop in an elevator many times … much fun!!!!

After this excitement !!! The younger set (all but me) ran to the Pixar Pier area so they could ride the Incredicoaster… I was happy to skip this one, and wandered through the park, taking some photos and enjoying the new sights.



Disneyland Day 1

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Mark, Catherine, Victoria and I were up and out early to catch the 7 am park opening. We had a great morning, going on lots of rides. We were back to the room before lunch and Olivia joined up. We ended the evening with a nice Italian dinner in Downtown Disney. Beth and Todd join us tomorrow (which is technically today and they are here now – yay!)