(Sea)Lions & Gators & Dolphins….Oh, My! A Halloween PTR/TR with a “wild” theme - Oct/Nov '18

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Shame about the French toast but the rest looks lovely. You can see from the picture there is no cinnamon. Love the last picture of Steve. In all honesty when you said it was 8 years ago you last visited I thought really...... have I been reading Gina's reports for that long! It doesn't really seem that long ago

I know! Hard to believe our first Orlando trip was almost 10 years ago . As the old saying goes, time flies when you're having fun .

I used to love the Cracker Barrel, but it seems like their quality has diminished over the past few years. I do still love their Cornbread, though. I am enjoying the Gatorland write up. We have quite a few alligators where I live, so I don't know if I would pay money to see them!

I'm not sure I've ever had their corn bread . Always their biscuits!

I can totally see Gatorland holding little to no appeal for those from the southern states.....we feel the same way about Blizzard Beach (why would we want to go somewhere "snowy" ... even fake snowy! ... when we have way too much of the real thing?). Definitely not too many gators in our neck of the woods, though one was recently discovered in Lake Michigan:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news...ator-lake-michigan-chicago-suburb/1567864002/

Pretty sure he wasn't there "naturally", though .

Hi Gina thanks and I will ask any questions I need too. I was thinking that this trip report will be exactly what I need to help plan. I am interested in Gator Land also, I have heard good things about it. I won't make it there this trip but will put it in the idea basket.

Gatorland is a fun park day without the chaos of the bigger theme parks. Definitely keep it as a possibility for a future trip . It's worth a visit!

While I agree that Gatorland's train isn't a must do, I do hope you tried the new swamp buggy ride. It's silly but a lot of fun!

We didn't do the swamp buggy this time.....I asked Steve if he was interested, but we did the Adventure Hour instead. Sounds like we have a reason to go back again, then .

I need to visit Gatorland someday! I still have never gone

Really? Grab those fun friends of yours and plan a visit! It's a cute day out . Though living in Florida, gators aren't really novel to you, either, like they are to us.

That is so funny. Our family always has savoury French toast with butter and salt and pepper and spices. Cinnamon, yuck.

I've never heard of it being served savory before . Perhaps its a regional delicacy? Maybe I should have skipped the syrup and tried it your way!

Yep- love Kohl's!! I have some Kohl's cash to spend this weekend!!

Love the Gatorland pictures! We've never been there! We're not gator fans(they are terrifying!!), but I think we'd enjoy a visit nonetheless. Seems like a fun place!

Patty, did you get your socks?? I hope so!

I'm poised to drop some serious $$$ when Kohl's Black Friday sale starts tomorrow . I plan to be up early to get my order in before I go to work!

Gatorland has helped me learn to appreciate those jawsome creatures. I've always been quite fascinated by them, though, and am incredibly intrigued by their behavior. You'll have to give the park a try sometime!

Gatorland looks like it would be right up my kids alley. I would imagine it's a half day park?

Depending on the season you visit, you could probably make it a fairly full day if you wanted . They have some fun features that kids would love to spend some significant time in: a water/splash pad, the train rides (which are unlimited when you purchase a ride pass), a petting zoo, and several really great shows. Add in the gator areas and you could easily spend 6 hours if you wanted. There's more to enjoy there than you think!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Saturday, October 27th: Gatorland, continued

Just around the bend from the train station is the Breeding Marsh. We couldn't think of a better place for a leisurely stroll on such a splendid fall day.

The breeding marsh is a large, natural area that is chock full of mature gators. There ain't no teeny cuties here: these are the Big Daddy's (and their leading ladies).....and due to their size, they're wonderfully easy to spot.

The breeding marsh an oddly beautiful place: the peace and tranquility of the marsh is a strange contrast to the danger that lurks on either side of the wooden walkway.

Unlike on an air boat tour, where you have to have a keen eye to spot alligators who are doing their best to camouflage their existence), no binoculars or keen eyes are needed here: this is "home" to these scaly residents, and they are relaxed and unafraid of the visitors who pass through their natural environment.

Some were in the water. Some lounged on the muddy banks. Some stretched leisurely in the sun. All of them were humbling-ly huge.

In the middle of the marsh, there is a multi-level look-out tower where you can climb the stairs to the top for some pretty spectacular views.

Some would even say it's a "Bird's Eye View". Just ask this guy!

The park offers a ziplining experience which Steve would have loved to have done, but alas....he exceeded the maximum weight limit (which, I believe, is 250 pounds). While he didn't get to zipline, we did get to a great view of one of the tracks from the look-out tower: as you can see, it runs straight over the breeding marsh. I suppose that's a GREAT reason not to exceed the max weight limit!

A quick check of the time after we finished our stroll through the marsh noted that the Gator Wrestlin' Show would soon be starting. We made a quick pit stop at the rest rooms, then headed into the seating area to find a place to sit.

The show was well attended ..... lots of guests were excited to see some gator action! ..... but we found some decent seats on one of the benches. Our timing was perfect: we had less than 10 minutes to wait before the "wrestlin' " began.

The two fellas that ran this show were hilarious. Their jokes were endless and rolled off their tongues with ease. The show opened with them selecting a young guest from the audience to select the gator who they would wrestle.....and that young lad picked the biggest one he could find.

During the show, the Gator Wrestler managed to pull the selected alligator from the pool and bring him onto the sandy show area. While it seemed at times he might just lose a hand to those giant jaws, within a few minutes he was happily perched on Mr. Gator's back: keeping a firm grip on those mighty jaws, of course .

As he "wrestled" Mr. Gator, he shared all kinds of gator facts and knowledge that I'm sure would be very helpful if we ever found ourselves face to face with one of these massive creatures. We learned about their teeth:

....their eyes (did you know you can poke their eyes into their heads and not hurt them? Not to be tried at home, of course ) and even how to put an alligator to sleep. Just roll it over on its back and voila! Easy peasy .

Still much more Gatorland to come!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

So sorry there was such a long break between entries! It's been a crazy week....we had a special event at work on Friday that kept me busy preparing in the days ahead, and then at the office until after 9 pm on the day of . I have been playing catch-up all weekend, and made it my mission to get up my Christmas tree.

I worked until after 9:30 last night getting an electric train artfully arranged under the tree, only to awake to find that these two hellions had completely annihilated the track, the trees......everything but the tree (thank God at least something was still intact ).

I wasn't sure if I should laugh or cry . Then I caught site of their feeding area in the dining room.......to where apparently they had chased a wayward log from the train set, and while in hot pursuit of said log managed to upset their water dish. My floor was soaked . And there they sat, in the middle of the chaos, with the wide-eyed innocence that only two guilty felines can possess.

I ended up packing up the remnants of the electric train. Wish me luck that the tree doesn't suffer a similar fate overnight tonight!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Saturday, October 27th: Gatorland, continued

After the show, guests had the opportunity (for an additional cost) to go inside the enclosure and have their photo taken while sitting on one of those big ol' gators. Steve had done this on our first visit to the park many moons ago, and had no real inclination to repeat it. Been there, done that, maybe? So we navigated our way through the crowd that had gathered for that purpose and made our way back out into the park. We had much more yet to see.

We stopped by the crocodile enclosure to learn a little about the alligator's close cousin.

These animals were MASSIVE . And very sedate......not sure if they are all that way by nature, or just lulled into a hypnotic state by all that warm sunshine . They were so still, one would have wondered if they were actually real. While we didn't see the aggressiveness that the signage attested to, we certainly believed it was possible . They definitely have size......and some incredibly toothy jaws.....on their side.

After meandering around a little more, we noticed that it was time to start heading over to the meeting place for Adventure Hour. We braked for another rest room pit stop on the way, then arrived at the designated spot which was located across from the train station and adjacent to the entrance to the Breeding Marsh.

We were slightly ahead of the Gatorland crew who hosts this particular activity, but a few other participants had arrived before we did. We couldn't help but notice the soundless group on the other side of the fence that was slowly making their way in our direction .

Within a few minutes, a young and friendly Gatorland staffer arrived to check each guest against their master participant list. She assigned each person to one of two groups, A and B, and distributed each participant a clear disposable glove. Steve and I were in the "A" group, which meant we'd be among the first people to go beyond that fence and get up close & personal with those massive beasts. So exciting!!

Two young men in Gatorland uniforms arrived shortly after we had been sorted and organized by the first staffer, and they began their introduction to the Adventure Hour Experience. They explained that we would be taken in small groups to the other side of the protective fence, where we would be face to face with some of the largest alligators in the park without any kind of barriers or fences. We would be provided with large chunks of raw meat to feed those amazing creatures and were directed to wear the disposable glove on whatever hand we would be picking and throwing with. Each participant would be permitted three hunks of meat to throw, and once everyone in our group had their feeding opportunity, we would have a chance to have pictures taken with the gators. Some basic safety precautions were reviewed, most significant of which was to not go beyond a certain point on the shore: they literally drew a line in the dirt with one of their sticks so we'd have a visual of the "STOP" point. They assured us that they had their sticks ready to deal with any gator who may become aggressive, but made sure we knew that that was unlikely if we all followed the respectful guidelines that they had laid out for us. Without further adieu, it was time to feed some gators!!!

I cannot even explain how exhilarating it was to be THIS CLOSE to these unbelievable animals. Seriously amazing.

The chunks of meat were kept in a large cooler that we could just reach into and help ourselves from. The gators clearly enjoyed this snack and while they may seem slow and lazy, let me assure you that they have amazing reflexes and caught those meaty bites like pros. Not a single bloody drop went to waste.

We were given lots of opportunity to snap photos while we were side-by-side with our gator friends. The Gatorland animal staff kept a watchful eye on their toothy charges so we could turn our backs with confidence. Well, as much confidence as one can with some deadly hunters (who were still feeling a little peckish ) just a few feet away .

Gatorland also provided a photographer to capture family or group photos. While these pictures were not included with the experience (Adventure Hour cost an additional $10 per person on top of regular park admission), they were available for purchase if desired. A couple of different signs were provided, and they allowed each group to select which one they wished to use.

Photo options included both prints and/or digital, though they weren't available for about an hour after the conclusion of the experience. We opted for the digital copy on a Gatorland USB ($20). I believe that any additional photos taken in the park could have been added to the USB for around $10 each.

This was a seriously fun and very cool add-on . I believe it was $5.00 to feed the alligators at the front of the park (dangling hot dogs on a fishing pole down into the enclosures and allowing the small gators to chomp them off), but this was WAY cooler. How many other places can a person have this opportunity? (in a safe way, that is)

A group was eventually swapped out for B group, and we disposed of our gloves and headed back into the park for more fun. We still had lots to explore!

More Gatorland coming up . But first, your up-to-date weather report :

 

[pattyw]

Patty, did you get your socks?? I hope so!

Yes! Got a few cute pairs!

And there they sat, in the middle of the chaos, with the wide-eyed innocence that only two guilty felines can possess.

Not those two little angels in the picture!! Steve must have done it and tried to blame the cats!!

Every so often, we wake up to dry cat food all over the place! Must have been some game of tag in the middle of the night!

Just love your Gatorland pictures!!

Eek- no zip lining for me!

The gators were smiling, too in the pictures!

 

[Mrs Doubtfire]

Well Gatotorland seems to be a hit, not sure about getting that close to all those hungry gators love the weather report, we always say it's probably best just to look out of the window!

As for the cats, I hope they were reprimanded after their naughty escapade...... but have a feeling they weren't in too much trouble

 

[scottishgirl1]

Love that weather report!! I know how you feel about turning your back on the gators. I remember it well even though it must have been about 10 years ago!! Our kids were about 8, 7 and 6 at the time and we were kind of thinking, was this really a good idea

 

[verleniahall]

You are braver than me!!

 

[bankr63]

Ha! My mom has that same AccuWeather weather report. Accurately reporting since 1,000,000 BC...

Great gator shots. We really have to go there one of these trips. Still, these things we haven't done yet provide plenty of reasons to keep going back!

Oh, and BTW, re your last question. There are lots of places I've never been, never been across the pond at all. But I have traveled a lot in North America, and a little in South America. Looking forward to seeing more of the world once retirement comes along.

 

[Pumpkin1172]

WOW...that close to those gators. Yikes the daughter and I did a gator swamp river boat ride tour after our cruise before we headed to the hotel. We didn't get to feed the gators lol. I don't know I would be brave enough to do that!! They had massive gators there as well. Some were wild...others were not. It is unnerving to see them and their sheer size. Love the pictures from feeding them!!!!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Yes! Got a few cute pairs!

Not those two little angels in the picture!! Steve must have done it and tried to blame the cats!!

Every so often, we wake up to dry cat food all over the place! Must have been some game of tag in the middle of the night!

Just love your Gatorland pictures!!

Eek- no zip lining for me!

The gators were smiling, too in the pictures!

I like the concept of zip lining, and think it would be a really great rush.....but I'm pretty sure the heights would be an insurmountable personal obstacle for me. I'm terrified of heights. Probably because, as a short girl, I've lived my entire life so close to the ground .

As for those rascally cats.....I couldn't have been mad at them if I tried . I am pretty certain they know they have mommy wrapped around their little paws.

Well Gatotorland seems to be a hit, not sure about getting that close to all those hungry gators love the weather report, we always say it's probably best just to look out of the window!

As for the cats, I hope they were reprimanded after their naughty escapade...... but have a feeling they weren't in too much trouble

Nope, try as I might, I just cant scold those sweet babies. Even with my living room in chaos, the train set blown to pieces, and my hardwood floors soaking wet, it was still up roariously funny . Perhaps I just have a sick sense of humor?

Love that weather report!! I know how you feel about turning your back on the gators. I remember it well even though it must have been about 10 years ago!! Our kids were about 8, 7 and 6 at the time and we were kind of thinking, was this really a good idea

One of the gator dudes almost gave me a heart attack. As Steve was taking my picture, he reached out with his stick and poked the back of my lower leg. As he did so, he screamed OH MY GOD RUN!

I think I almost peed my pants . I thought sure I was gator bait .

He, on the other hand, got his laugh for the day .

You are braver than me!!

I will try most anything at least once. Unless it involves high places or being spun around. Gators? I am totally OK with those. Roller coasters, on the other hand......

Ha! My mom has that same AccuWeather weather report. Accurately reporting since 1,000,000 BC...

Great gator shots. We really have to go there one of these trips. Still, these things we haven't done yet provide plenty of reasons to keep going back!

Oh, and BTW, re your last question. There are lots of places I've never been, never been across the pond at all. But I have traveled a lot in North America, and a little in South America. Looking forward to seeing more of the world once retirement comes along.

You have never been to Gatorland yet? Definitely give it a try someday when you have a day at your disposal. If you enjoy gators at all, you'll enjoy that park. It's definitely novel for us northerners.

WOW...that close to those gators. Yikes the daughter and I did a gator swamp river boat ride tour after our cruise before we headed to the hotel. We didn't get to feed the gators lol. I don't know I would be brave enough to do that!! They had massive gators there as well. Some were wild...others were not. It is unnerving to see them and their sheer size. Love the pictures from feeding them!!!!

Do you remember which airboat tour you did? We have done tours with 2 different companies now, Wild Willy's airboats and also with Wild Florida. Both were excellent. Nothing like seeing gators in their natural environment!

 

[pattyw]

One of the gator dudes almost gave me a heart attack. As Steve was taking my picture, he reached out with his stick and poked the back of my lower leg. As he did so, he screamed OH MY GOD RUN!

I think I almost peed my pants . I thought sure I was gator bait .

He, on the other hand, got his laugh for the day .

Oh My!! That is so bad of him!! Funny now, but geez I think I'd have been out cold!
So- did you run? or just freeze??

 

[halfpintpeggy]

Just stumbled upon your trip report tonight - yay! Thanks for sharing . We live nearby a Cracker Barrel restaurant but STILL tend to visit them while on vacation haha! Your condo looks so spacious & wonderful, love it! We also enjoy extra space rather than being in a cramped hotel/motel room. Looking forward to reading more!!!

ETA: We're so hooked on the CB hash brown casserole, we actually make it at home lol!

 

[Joanna71985]

Really? Grab those fun friends of yours and plan a visit! It's a cute day out . Though living in Florida, gators aren't really novel to you, either, like they are to us.

While I do like gators (I watch them at SW and BG), my big draw would be the birds

So sorry there was such a long break between entries! It's been a crazy week....we had a special event at work on Friday that kept me busy preparing in the days ahead, and then at the office until after 9 pm on the day of . I have been playing catch-up all weekend, and made it my mission to get up my Christmas tree.

I worked until after 9:30 last night getting an electric train artfully arranged under the tree, only to awake to find that these two hellions had completely annihilated the track, the trees......everything but the tree (thank God at least something was still intact ).

I wasn't sure if I should laugh or cry . Then I caught site of their feeding area in the dining room.......to where apparently they had chased a wayward log from the train set, and while in hot pursuit of said log managed to upset their water dish. My floor was soaked . And there they sat, in the middle of the chaos, with the wide-eyed innocence that only two guilty felines can possess.

I still can't help laughing at that picture! They both have such innocent-looking faces (like they are saying "who, me??")

 

[bankr63]

Ah yes, our kitties.

The Egyptians used to worship cats as gods.

The cats have not forgotten...


The "Who, me?" look on Dash's face is priceless. At least I think that's Dash under the tree?

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Oh My!! That is so bad of him!! Funny now, but geez I think I'd have been out cold!
So- did you run? or just freeze??

When the gator dudes yell RUN, I run first and ask questions later . My rapid response generated some hearty belly laughs from both the Gatorland guys AND Steve (who was apparently in on their little joke......shame on them all! ).

Just stumbled upon your trip report tonight - yay! Thanks for sharing . We live nearby a Cracker Barrel restaurant but STILL tend to visit them while on vacation haha! Your condo looks so spacious & wonderful, love it! We also enjoy extra space rather than being in a cramped hotel/motel room. Looking forward to reading more!!!

ETA: We're so hooked on the CB hash brown casserole, we actually make it at home lol!

Welcome to the thread, @halfpintpeggy ! Glad to have you reading along!

Does your recipe for the hash brown casserole have sour cream as one of the ingredients? I would love to try to make my own version if I could figure out a good substitute for the sour cream.

While I do like gators (I watch them at SW and BG), my big draw would be the birds

I still can't help laughing at that picture! They both have such innocent-looking faces (like they are saying "who, me??")

The birds at Gatorland are cool, but there are definitely not enough of them at the park to warrant a visit just based on birds. They're a feature of the park, for sure, but not a main focus. I have a few pics to share in the upcoming entry(ies) .

Poor Dash has a perpetual look of wide-eyed innocence . There isn't a mean bone in that kitty's body...he's just a pure and sweet spirit. Violet is determined to achieve world domination, but Dash is all about snacks and cuddles . Any trouble he manages to find is usually totally by accident!

Ah yes, out kitties.

The Egyptians used to worship cats as gods.

The cats have not forgotten...

That kind of catitude is my Violet to a T.

The "Who, me?" look on Dash's face is priceless. At least I think that's Dash under the tree?

Yes sir, that's my Dash under the tree. My sister in law calls his signature wide-eyed expression his "Puss in Boots face". He often seems to be wondering where he is and how he got there .

Violet, on the other hand, looks like she's ALWAYS thinking. She gets into things and places that a cat has no business being part of . She is easily the smartest cat we've EVER had, and I have no doubt she's the mastermind behind most of the mischief that goes on around here. As mom always said, it's the quiet ones you have to look out for!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Saturday, October 27th: Gatorland, continued

After we wrapped up our Adventure Hour session, we continued our tour of the park and made a point to seek out some of the big cats that call Gatorland home. We tracked down the gorgeous Neiko and Lucy, a pair of sibling Florida panthers. I was immediately IN LOVE .

These are big, beautiful, strong cats.....and I can only imagine that they have the deepest, loudest purrs on the planet . We watched them for quite a long time, marveling at how many of their movements and behaviors were very much like those of Violet and Dash .

During our tour around the balance of the park, we also managed to locate Bobcat Bayou, and a little part of my heart melted for the two darlings who ran amok in the habitat : Osceola and Abiaka were surprisingly small, remarkably agile (running all along the rooftops) and oh-so sweet.

Oh, how I wish there was a Big Cat Adventure Hour! To have an up-close encounter with either pair of wild cats would be an absolute dream come true .

In addition to the panthers and bobcats, we spent some time at the multitude of other animal habitats as well. There was a lovely assortment of birds in the aviary:

....a small herd of deer:

....and even a flock (?) of emus. [Pics to come......my laptop is acting wonky!]

 

[PrincessP]

Oh, Gina! That picture of Steve with his head in the gator’s mouth caused an audible gasp from me. I realized only a few seconds later that it wasn’t a live gator. And the upclose feeding opportunity...you two are BRAVE! The only gator I want to get close to is my dad....who is a graduate from the University of Florida.

Gatorland looks like such an amazing place with the gator wrestling, the marsh/swamp views, zip lining, etc....and so many wildlife viewing opportunities. I like your idea for the Big Cat Adventure Hour. I would do that one, too.

Cracker Barrel....my cousin’s husband worked there, and many years ago, it was a treat to have Cracker Barrel cornbread on Thanksgiving....special discount. He was a cook (they divorced many years ago so we only had a few Thanksgivings with him)... it was great when they hosted Thanksgiving for the family. I always want to try the French toast, but chicken out and go with pancakes each time. I think I will not be tempted by the French toast anymore after your review.

Your Christmas tree is so beautiful. I love the flocked look. Dash and Violet....the train disaster and water mess makes me think of the Siamese cats from Lady and the Tramp, though I know Dash and Violet are much sweeter....and they definitely look more innocent. Did you set the train up in the same spot after the clean up?

Can’t wait to read more. Happy Thanksgiving.....although, I know you already celebrated your Canadian Thanksgiving last month.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Saturday, October 27th: Gatorland, continued

Alrighty, I have restarted my computer. Hopefully the bugs are now gone.

As I was mentioning.....we visited with the emus!

Each exhibit was fashioned with some interesting information on the animal(s) it featured, so we made a point of reading each sign and learning a little more about each unique creature.

We stumbled upon some snakes and other reptiles (figuratively stumbled, not literally):

....and we made friends with a very old and very gentle tortoise.

When our bellies started to let us know that it was well past the lunch hour, we stopped for a bite to eat at Pearl's Smokehouse. A couple of uninvited guests showed up to see if they could partake in our mid-day meal with us.

He was persistent, this fellow, and looked longingly at our snacks in the hopes that we might share a tidbit with him.

But, we heeded the wise warning of the sign in the seating area, and Mr. Peacock had to search for snacks elsewhere .

Food was basic theme park fare and took a few minutes to prepare, but everything was served piping hot by super friendly people and tasted good (for what it was). Steve had a cheeseburger, I had a corn dog, and we split some very yummy onion rings. A couple of beverages rounded out the meal.

Believe it or not, there's still more Gatorland to share! Stay tuned!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Oh, Gina! That picture of Steve with his head in the gator’s mouth caused an audible gasp from me. I realized only a few seconds later that it wasn’t a live gator. And the upclose feeding opportunity...you two are BRAVE! The only gator I want to get close to is my dad....who is a graduate from the University of Florida.

Gatorland looks like such an amazing place with the gator wrestling, the marsh/swamp views, zip lining, etc....and so many wildlife viewing opportunities. I like your idea for the Big Cat Adventure Hour. I would do that one, too.

Cracker Barrel....my cousin’s husband worked there, and many years ago, it was a treat to have Cracker Barrel cornbread on Thanksgiving....special discount. He was a cook (they divorced many years ago so we only had a few Thanksgivings with him)... it was great when they hosted Thanksgiving for the family. I always want to try the French toast, but chicken out and go with pancakes each time. I think I will not be tempted by the French toast anymore after your review.

Your Christmas tree is so beautiful. I love the flocked look. Dash and Violet....the train disaster and water mess makes me think of the Siamese cats from Lady and the Tramp, though I know Dash and Violet are much sweeter....and they definitely look more innocent. Did you set the train up in the same spot after the clean up?

Can’t wait to read more. Happy Thanksgiving.....although, I know you already celebrated your Canadian Thanksgiving last month.

Ha ha! Feeding gators without barriers is one thing, but even WE would draw the line at sticking one of our heads in a gator's mouth . We're a little bit crazy but we do have limits!

You are the second person now to mention Cracker Barrel's cornbread. I know what I'll be having on our next visit . We are actually headed to Toledo next Friday for a concert, so we might try and stop there for dinner on our way home.

Thank you for the compliment on our Christmas tree! We bought it new this year, from Kohl's. Saw it and loved it (and had to have it ). So far the cats haven't seemed inclined to climb it yet, so hopefully that doesn't change as the season rolls on.

I haven't bothered to set the train up again. I may put it out this weekend to see if it gets ripped to smithereens for a second time. A couple of the pieces of track took quite a beating the first go round, so hopefully I can get it all back together again!!

Happy Thanksgiving to you as well! We did celebrate last month with Jake, so this Thursday we will be marking the day with some friends of ours here in MI. They were sweet enough to include us last year and extended the offer to join them for dinner again this year.....and we were very happy to accept. I'm in charge of dessert (they hate baking and I love it!) so I'll be a busy girl tomorrow afternoon and Thursday morning!