New avatar. You look extremely determined.
I would not want to get in your way!
With some lovely solo time under her belt (which was all she had under her belt since she’d skipped breakfast)
Geez, why didn't you say so? I could've stopped somewhere.
Steppe headed to the front of the park, making sure to check the portcullis of her castle along the way. Nice and sturdy, that’s the way she likes them. (Keeps the riff-raff out.)
Doesn't work. I still got in.
With plenty of time to mosey, dilly-dally, sashay, saunter, or whatever mode you happen to enjoy most,
Guess which one I prefer?
Is it that freaking difficult to look at the menu and decide what you want BEFORE you get to the cashier?
Grrr.... Pet peeve of mine.
No, not old in age- age is merely an attitude.
Well, I'm old. You young ladies aren't. But I am.
Want proof? Photos coming up later in this update!
Everyone had a small bucket list of things they wanted to do, and for the most part, each was accommodated.
"For the most part"? Which ones didn't you get to do?
Today was not a day to focus on photography, and Steppe pretty much abandoned all attempts given she had some pretty fabulous company beside her to laugh and play with
Yep. Pretty much did the same.
They all agreed that an indulgence of beignets and mint juleps was in order.
And they were darned good, too!
I don't remember you doing that!!!
Oy. Three pretty ladies. One old fart who's seen better days.
Here. Let me help you with the cropping.
Muuuuuuch better. Now you can eat that beignet
and keep it down.
At some point, they stopped for a Dole Whip- because that’s what’s done. Every time.
Don’t you agree we make a pretty good looking trio?
I agree 66.67%. The two without mustaches are definitely pretty good looking indeed.
Ponzi and Alison split the fried chicken meal and seemed to enjoy it quite a lot.
It was very good!
Definitely not KFC.
Sorry, again, zero food porn, as Steppe was decidedly NOT in Trip Reporting Mode this day.
Totally get that. Nor was I.
But first, Carsland.
Ummm… wow!
Pretty much sums that right up.
Don’t ask Steppe where this “back way” was or how to get there. She was merely following along like a sheeple and couldn’t retrace that path even if there was a Dole Whip at the end of the trail.
I'm the same. I was just following along and not really paying attention where we were going.
Is an annual pilgrimage too extravagant? I think not.
Agreed. You should.
Well, mania might have occurred, but Steppe sat that one out, as she needed to make a call back to Kentucky and check up on her Mama.
I remember being very reluctant to go on the ride. I was concerned about you and your Mom.
But the teen was not to be denied.
Mostly, she just sat in the shade and watched the inevitable late afternoon meltdowns and shook her head at the bad behavior around her. PSA: Know when to pack it home, Folks.
Did you know Kay and I were counting the number of times we heard children crying?
Suffice to say, this is Steppe’s single favorite place she’s visited in any Disney park, anywhere, ever.
High praise indeed!
While Steppe can afford a genuine Tiffany or Lalique about as much as she can afford a new washing machine right now, repros fill the bill.
What's so expensive about beating clothes on a rock by the river?
The ice spheres are pressed for some serious wow factor
Gotta admit. That was pretty cool.
Not shown were some pastry-wrapped hog dogs for the less adventurous (read teenager) of the group.
I do believe she ate.... practically all of them.
So I ordered more. And she ate those too!
Exactly how it USUALLY happens when Steppe is anywhere within 25 feet of anything that has even the remotest possibility of it causing a 100-year flood all over the table. Oh, don’t worry, she was nice enough to spare the nice duds of her tablemates, but it was close.
Oh, it wasn't that big a deal. No one drowned.
It was close.... but no one did.
The cute little 1901 cocktail napkins were dispatched, thus effectively wiping out a free souvenir pilfering.
Oh! Crap. That's my fault. I grabbed them to sop up the spill. Wish I'd known you wanted them for souvenirs. I would've asked for more.
Inward, shame and embarrassment filled Steppe’s heart, but she (probably not so effectively) passed it off coolly while dying a slow death on the inside.
Oh, don't worry. No harm done and stuff happens. No one minded a little spill.
The final stake was neatly driven home when the sweet server noticed and cleaned up the table the rest of the way and brought her a brand new drink. (#3 if you're counting)
Well you spilled at least half your drink, so it was really only two and a half.
The moral of this story is…. You just can’t take her anywhere.
You were perfectly delightful company.
So, it’s not surprising that on the way to watching WoC, Steppe stopped to listen to a little group performing; she’s pretty certain it was Five & Dime. The music was upbeat and fun with a decided Roaring 20’s feel, and it was time to get a bit of her bee-bopping on. Yes, again.
Good for you!
Nope, no photos, sorry; Steppe was busy enjoying herself far too much.
Good!
Steppe would like to inform you that it’s her favorite Nighttime show after MSEP. That may change after she gets to see RoL at some point. Time will tell on that, but for now, WoC is pretty high up there. WAY below Illuminatons, but that’s another rant altogether.
Wait. You say it's your favourite... but way below Illuminations?
There are times when it’s absolutely necessary and preferable to simply sit back, relax, and enjoy the show. This was one of them.
After a bit of chit-chat, Steppe learned that the gal also grew up in Hemet and knew a few of her old classmates' siblings. Seriously, SoCal is a BIG place- what were the odds of meeting someone with mutual acquaintances from a place you'd just been back to after 10 or more years the previous day?!
No way!! (I will
not say the words. Not in a Disney park where that ride lives.)
Afterwards, Steppe called it a night and gratefully accepted a ride back with Kay and Ponzi.
Well, we drove you there. Only fair.
Your humble authoress deeply apologizes for the lack of photos to this point.
Don't apologize. Lack of photos means more enjoyment. And after reading, it's pretty apparent that you were enjoying.
I also apologize for the slower pace of getting chapters up. Life is a bit overwhelming right now with a crapton of stuff going on.
No need to apologize there either. Totally get it.
Lastly, we have our rental property on the market and are having to interface with the realtor quite a lot in addition to having to spend time getting it sale-ready.
Know what you mean. Been dealing with MIL's place for a while now.
After that, since we’re doing a Starker Exchange (a 1031) we’ll have to spend time looking for a duplex to purchase (must be done within 45 days), and then fix it up to get renters into it.
Because you're not busy enough. Sure. Makes sense.
(Just teasing. I'm sure you have excellent reasons for doing that.)
If that wasn’t enough, we’re getting a couple of kid goats this weekend that’ll have to be bottle fed for a few more weeks
Yup. Plenty of time. You should get another job and start your own business too!
summer is here which means spending time in our yard, and vacations.
Oh? Where are you guys off to?
(I know about you going to your folks'... but you said "vacations" plural.
For all of those reasons, I doubt updates will happen as quickly as I’d like.
No worries! Sounds like you'll be pretty busy!
Hang in there…. still loads to come, though.
I'll be here!