Dad and UNC Football
It didn't really hit me until yesterday that I'm really going to miss talking to Dad about college football this fall. Dad was a voracious reader of recruiting news and all the polls and watched as much football as he could get. I happened to be at his house last fall for that incredible Michigan-Notre Dame night game - neither of us cared at all who won, just that it was a phenomenal game. No way I would have seen that otherwise.
I've always been a fan of college basketball and professional football before anything else - there were years when I couldn't name more than a handful of starters for UNC's gridders. But once Dad retired and got off the road and had time to watch, he became a huge fan and his enthusiasm was catching. Every year started with his prediction that they were going to win at least 2 or 3 games more than they ended up winning and every year he was happily sure that this year he'd be right. He was really the only person I'd bother talking to about the ugliness of the last couple of years as he was the only person I was sure didn't have an agenda.
I hope Larry Fedora creates something special at UNC and I'll be watching every game that I can and I know more than once I'll catch myself starting to call Dad to celebrate a win and I'll smile around the lump in my throat and thank him for leaving me with something special we shared.Labels: Family, Sports
Happy Thanksgiving
The three most important women in my life that I'm not married to - sister, mom and mom-in-law
DaddioSpent a very nice Thanksgiving at my sister's rebuilt-after-last-years-Halloween-fire house outside of Charlotte. Drove down in the morning with JennySlash, her mom and her mom's fiance - the drive down the back roads to Harrisburg via Liberty, Ramseur and Asheboro was pleasant and the food of course was all that one could ask. Got a chance to see nephew Sailer Boy for a bit, although he spent most of the day shuttling between family members' houses. They're heading out for the Gulf in February and then (probably about this time next year) heading to the Orient, which should please Sailor Boy since he's been wanting to get to Japan since he joined up.
Spent some time Friday cleaning up my home office (it's still something of a disaster area but not as much as before) and then got a little Christmas shopping done on Saturday before going over to the Cradle (more on that in the next post). Today we got the tree up and decorated (I think it's our prettiest tree yet) and now I'm enjoying a fine local IPA at Top of the Hill while J is at church for the first Sunday of Advent.
Got a lot of work to do over the next few weeks before Christmas but also have a lot of good holidays stuff planned, so I'm in a good holiday buzz that I hope will last for a few more weeks!
Labels: Family, Holiday
President Obama
Seeing Rep. John Lewis basically speechless a few minutes ago brought to mind a number of things that have been running through my head the last few days. I think John Lewis was one of the guys that sat in at the Krystal restaurant in Nashville (before the Greensboro Woolworth lunch counter sit-ins) in 1960 trying to get served - the restaurant was cleared and the manager turned the heat all the way up and then filled the restaurant with insecticide trying to get rid of the protesters, while in the meantime, Dad was in the back (while working for Sunbeam Bread) pulling hamburger buns out since they weren't going to be sold. In the meantime, my paternal grandfather was driving a Nashville city bus out to Fisk University where of course the students had to sit in the back of the bus.
I went to a majority black elementary school in Nashville growing up - when busing was instituted after my 5th grade year, I was bused to a whiter school than I'd been attending. Before then, my first real memories of US politics was the 1968 Presidential election, which I mostly remember for being against George Wallace (who my grandfather was for) and for Hubert Humphrey (who both my parents were enthusiastically for) - I have to admit that Richard Nixon was just an afterthought.
What might be most significant is that I've thought very little about race when it came to this campaign - it's been a matter of ideas and policies, not the color of the candidates. The most incredible thing about this whole election is that I think that's been the case for most Americans, and that says something quite wonderful and a little unbelievable about how far we've come in my lifetime. As I watch President-elect Obama speaking at Grant Park in Chicago and reflect on Kay Hagan's victory over Liddy Dole, I've never been prouder of my country and my fellow countrymen.
The champagne is flowing and I'm a happy guy.
Labels: Family, Politics
My Sister's House
JennySlash doesn't see dead people
Tony Plutonium Self Portrait - "After the Halloween Shop"
JennySlash
Some of you may recall that my sister and brother-in-law's house burned down a year ago this week, the Sunday before Hallowe'en. After an initial slow start in getting any help from their insuror, they finally got the house rebuilt and were able to move back in around the first of July. We went down for the weekend to see the rebuilt place for the first time this weekend and I'm happy to say that the house looks fantastic and they're doing very well. They've always been known for their Hallowe'en parties and despite the fire (started by old wiring) starting the morning after their party last year, they're gearing up to have another one next Saturday, albeit on a smaller scale. It was great to see how well they've bounced back from such a life-altering event.
Labels: Family, Travel
KDH Day Eight - Tony Heads For Home
JennySlash taking a last few shots from the boardwalk over the dune
One last look...
Good thing we'd done most of the packing the night before since I set my alarm clock wrong and instead of waking up at 6:45 for a last walk on the beach at sunrise, I woke up after 8am with the sun shining in. Arghhh! We'd already made reservations at Flying Fish for brunch so we didn't have to worry about breakfast - just pack up what we didn't finish the night before and take four hundred and sixty-nine trips up and down the stairs loading up. We were supposed to be out by 10am and I turned around to lock the door at 9:59 just as the cleaning person showed up - great timing!
Had a nice brunch at FF and spent a little time messing about before heading back across the causeway to the mainland. As I stopped to fill up (gas had dropped from $3.59 when we got there to $3.19 in a week), a big SUV pulled up at the next pump and hollered over that he'd seen gas for $2.89 in Columbia on the way out, but I'd pretty much topped off by then.
I've got a bet with one of the guys at work that I made back in June - he argued that the $4.00+ gas prices were all speculation while I argued that real demand was a big part of that, so I bet him that gas would still be $3.00 or over Memorial Day next year. I figure I win either way - either I get $5 or I get cheaper gas.
So there you have it - after a mercifully uneventful drive home we're still trying to unpack and do laundry 2 weeks later, but I did actually manage to get some real rest and I've found where I want to stay for my 50th birthday in a couple of years!
Labels: Family, Travel
KDH Day Seven - Tony Packs It Up
Hang-gliding at KDH
Not as high up as he looked
Kiteboarder in the background
Saturday - last full day of vacation. And yet another new beach. I stepped out on the balcony and realized the wind was really blowing hard straight in off the beach and the waves were as high as I've ever seen them. Instead of the shell seekers and dog walkers or the surf fisherman, it was the day for hang gliders. As we had our coffee while bundled up against the wind, we watched a couple of gliders take off from the dunes in front of us and just hang in the air like a seagull before slipping down the beach. There were also a number of kiteboarders - surfers harnessed to a kite for propulsion. They zipped past a couple of times - found out afterwards that the speed record for kiteboarding was set the week before at over 50 knots!
After hanging around taking pictures all morning and playing a little Dungeon Siege while J finished up some stuff, we took a drive up to Duck as we'd bypassed it on Thursday. Last vacation days are always a little melancholy (one of these days I'm going to go all European and take two damn weeks in a row off. One of these days...) so we decided to treat ourselves to another dinner at Ocean Boulevard and this time sit back at the chef's "table" (actually a little bar overlooking the kitchen) so we could watch the kitchen crew. There were a couple of poor guys out on the patio trying to perform but the wind was blowing so hard they were out there singing away by themselves with the exception of one young woman who I assume was related to them in some way, but they soldiered on. We had another terrific meal (the best crab cake and one of the largest I've ever had anywhere) and were able to have a couple of laughs with the chef and his minions (I'm all about having minions!). If you're ever out there, I highly recommend asking for the chef's seating - it's a lot of fun.
Then it was back to the condo to pack and take one last long soak in the hot tub before calling it a night and a week and one of the best vacations I can recall.
Labels: Family, Food, Travel
KDH Day Six - Tony Chills Out
Friday was another day to relax a bit, although I did get up and go for a run. It was overcast and mizzly again with the beach once more covered with SUVs and fishermen, so I ran up the beach road again - didn't make it far as it started raining a bit more and I was still pretty worn out from my kayak beating. Can't complain - Friday was the only really rainy day we had. After a shower and then spending some time playing around with my new laptop through midday, we took off for Manteo for the rest of the day. We often stay in Manteo so it was a little weird that we weren't getting back over there until the end of the week. The waterfront and "old town" around Shallowbag Bay is a great place to spend a cloudy day messing around, hitting the antique stores and craft stores and looking at boats in the marina. I found a great old Reader's Digest swing collection on vinyl at one of the antique stores and a book on Carolinas music that I was unfamiliar with (the book, not the music) at Manteo Booksellers. Since we'd again skipped lunch, we stopped in at Full Moon Cafe for an early dinner. We've been eating there since they started out in the small space in the Waterfront building where Darwin's had been, then a few years ago they moved into a new much larger building across the street. I know I sound like a broken record, but yes, they too are one of our favorite restuarants in the OBX area. Even with a week we didn't make it to all of our favorites, like Black Pelican (usually too crowded) or Mama Kwan's (closed for refurbishing). The seafood enchilada at Full Moon is both ginormous and delicious - I'd actually been looking forward to it since before we went out there and it didn't disappoint.
Labels: Family, Food, Travel
KDH Day Five - Tony Tends His Wounds
KDH-style surfing
Mid-afternoon we took a drive up to Corolla to poke around the shops and walk around a bit (plus I like driving up into Currituck County past the $3M houses and do a little fantasizing). Unfortunately most of the places up there that weren't closed for the season were closing at 5pm, so we didn't get a lot of time since we'd gotten a late start. As we'd kinda skipped lunch, we opted for dinner at North Banks Seafood rather than driving back down to Kitty Hawk or KDH. We'd eaten there once before a year or two ago on a day when their A/C wasn't working and the fact that we'd even consider going back was a good indication that the food was good. This time it was cool and the food was even better - it's a pretty laid back, bar-oriented atmosphere but I like it. The "crab grenades" appetizer rocks. I've seen some poor reviews of the place but I like it.
Little note about the Outer Banks - you could blindfold me, drug me, and drive me around for two days before sitting me down in a restaurant and I'd be able to immediately tell you whether I was on the Outer Banks or not by whether the Weather Channel was on the bar TV. From fairly upscale places like Ocean Boulevard to bar-oriented places like Red Drum and North Banks, unless there is a local-interest sports event and only one TV, you'll see the Weather Channel.
Labels: Family, Travel
KDH Day Four - Tony Thinks He Just Turned 24
Getting out was hard enough
Coming in was an adventure!
That most often ended in a wipeout
(all these pictures are of course by JennySlash)
So I finally rented the kayak on Wednesday - it was warmer but the waves were still a lot higher than I realized. With the rental place right across the street, I just walked over and picked one up. And then walked across the street and immediately dropped it on my big toe. Ouch!
I managed to get beyond the breakers on my first try and spent a little bit just paddling parallel to the beach down towards the pier and back before deciding to ride a wave back in. I actually managed to get a fantastic ride in my first try and from then I was hooked. The waves did get a bit bigger though and it got harder to get past them as the afternoon went on - I'd either get dumped going out or I'd get dumped immediately when I tried to ride one back in. No matter, I was still having a great time, despite the bumps and bruises from having waves smash me in the shins and the head repeatedly with a 60 pound kayak. What wasn't cool but still didn't kill the buzz was when a wave smashed me in the back of the head, dumped me off the kayak and grabbed my prescription Wayfarers off my face and threw them into the deep. Of course as I told J, if I hadn't been willing to lost them, I wouldn't have worn them into the water - I need a new prescription and the frames were getting a bit worse for wear.
After a few hours of this, I finally relented and dropped the boat off across the street and limped on through the rest of the day. We went out to pick up a few things and then hit Flying Fish for dinner for yet another terrific meal. I'll admit that I still miss Osprey Island Grill that preceded FF at that location, but the food was really good and we also got a $7 off coupon for Sunday brunch, which worked out well since we had to be out of the condo by 10am on Sunday.
Topped the night off by soaking my horribly battered bod in the hot tub for awhile before hitting the sack for some well-deserved Zzz's.
Labels: Family, Food, Travel
KDH Day Three - Tony Turns 48
Windblown
Beach Pigeon
Dinner was at Ocean Boulevard in Kitty Hawk and was a memorable experience! The scallops were fantastic and the creme brulee I had as a substitute for birthday cake was out of this world. This was only the second time we'd eaten there and I highly recommend it for a special occasion. Great birthday!
Labels: Family, Food, Travel
KDH Day Two - Tony Settles In
Monday morning sunrise
J is the best dolphin spotter - she pointed out this little pod out playing in the waves
JennySlash had to work on her paper, so I went for a run down the beach road (I like running on the beach, but only barefoot and that's frankly not a good idea for a very long distance) before coming back for breakfast. Then I went for a swim or wade-and-splash or something for awhile in the afternoon. The water temp was still low 70s and the air temp was close to 80, so it was quite comfortable!
J knocked off for a bit late in the afternoon and wanted to get out, so we drove down to the outlet shops and did some serious damage to the Eddie Bauer outlet (if it weren't for Eddie Bauer, I'd pretty much be naked) before heading up to my favorite restaurant - Chilli Peppers. Besides having some of the best t-shirts around, the chimmi churri oysters appetizer is worth a drive to the beach all by itself. Mmmmmm-mmmmm!
Labels: Family, Food, Travel
KDH Day One - Tony Breathes a Sigh of Relief
We often rent a really nice condo in the Pirate's Cove development on Roanoke Island just before you cross the causeway out to the barrier islands. This time though we wanted two things that place doesn't have - an ocean view and high speed internet access. So I did some searching on Sun Realty's website and came up with this place to stay, just across the line from Nags Head to Kill Devil Hills. Now we've always had good luck with Sun Realty but our choices have not always been good. The condo in Duck we tried would have been great for 4 guys hanging out and drinking beer all weekend but it was not particularly romantic. And the first house we rented in Duck had such a creepy vibe in the master bedroom that we spent the week sleeping on the sofa in the great room (which turned out to be not that bad and the week we spent turned out okay).
So anyway, I was a little concerned that we'd get out there and find that the place was a disaster, but instead found a romantic little second floor condo with a beautiful view over the dune to the ocean, a private balcony with a hot tub, working broadband access and the only real problem was having to lug all of our stuff up two flights of stairs. Score! The other huge benefit was the proximity to other places we needed to get to, like beach rentals, restaurants (although we were disappointed to find that Mama Kwan's was closed for redoing), grocery stores and other necessities.
After lugging an XTerra full of stuff up the stairs, we drove the horrible long distance (all of about 800 yards) to the Harris Teeter for beer, food and beer (I kid - I was actually quite uncharacteristically moderate the whole week) and then walked the half a mile down the beach road to Red Drum Taphouse for a really nice dinner and a couple of Dogfish 60 Minute IPAs. After that is was back to the condo and the hot tub (did I mention that it is on a private balcony - with privacy?) and one of the best night's sleep I've had in awhile. Until...
Labels: Family, Travel
KDH - Prologue
I don't like to blog about being out-of-town until after I'm back. I've never tried very hard to hide my non-Interweb identity and while it's probably not likely to happen, it wouldn't be all that hard for someone to figure out where I live, so blogging about being at the beach for a week is best done afterwards.
So NOW it can be revealed that JennySlash and I just got back from a week at Kill Devil Hills, staying in a rental condo right on the beach (something we usually don't do - we usually stay on the soundside on Roanoke Island). This was definitely a (much-needed) vacation for me but a working one for J as she was working hard on a grad school assignment most of the week.
Note on food: You'll note a lot of attention paid on where we ate. That goes back to our first trips out to the Outer Banks back in 1986, when finding anything other than fried seafood and steaks was nearly impossible (a little place on the beach road called Gandalf's probably saved our marriage and certainly kept us from starving to death). Since then every year there are more and more really good restaurants with a fine variety of styles and even though some of my favorites like Millie's Diner, Papagayos and the aforementioned Gandalf's are gone, there are new ones every year that take their place. So, yeah, it's important.
Labels: Family, Travel
No Repeat Summer - One Month Down, Two To Go
Last Friday we went to Pazzos in Southern Village with the intention of maybe going to see a movie (we didn't and we're starting to get backed up on our summer movie watching list). We'd eaten there once before but frankly I didn't remember much about it. It's an interesting place - half take-out pizza place and half eat-in bistro. I've got to say that the shrimp and rustic pasta I had was the best meal of the month. There were some other tasty-looking selections on the menu that will definitely bring us back this fall.
Had dinner Wednesday night with my boss and one of our teammates from out of town - went to Champps (or is it Chammps?) out at Southpoint. It wasn't bad for big-box fun-foodery food but nothing remarkable.
Last night we had an early dinner at George's Garage over on 9th Street in Durham. We've eaten in plenty of Bakatsias restaurants over the years (Georgio's in Chapel Hill was a favorite while it lasted) but we'd never been to George's Garage. The spicy shrimp appetizer I had was really, really good. The stuffed rainbow trout was more in the okay category. The fish was nicely cooked but instead of being stuffed with crabmeat, it was stuffed with crabcake - not as good as it might sound, although it was certainly enjoyable. I'd have liked it better if it was on rice or linguine - instead it was perched (ha, get it?!?!?) atop a gummy mess of orzo that I really could have done without. Not a bad dinner, certainly, but I think I want to go back to Pazzo and try their version of the stuffed trout next time.
This afternoon we met JennySlash's mom and her mom's fiance at the Granary at Fearrington Village to celebrate said fiance's birthday. They just do lunch and brunch - the eggs benedict with salmon instead of canadian bacon was really good and the quiche that J had was remarkable (I was tempted to ask for a trade).
So one month down and we've still got some of our favorites that we haven't visited yet, so we're doing okay!
Labels: Family, Food
Memorial Day Weekend Rundown
1) I. M. Pei's East Gallery - National Gallery of Art
2) Thunder rolling down Constitution Ave.
3) National Cathedral from the Bishop's GardenWe spent an extended long Memorial Day weekend in DC again, as we did last year. Since the Hotel Washington is closed for refurbishment after being bought, we stayed at our old favorite - the Marriott Crystal Gateway Hotel in Crystal City. Besides consistently having excellent service, it means not having to drive all the way into the city and there's a Metro stop adjacent to the hotel.
After getting in Friday afternoon and spending a little unwind time in the hotel hot tub, we took the Metro into town for dinner at The Oceanaire on F Street. While it's not quite as good as Devon in Chicago, it's damn fine food (as is the one in Charlotte near South Park).
Saturday we drove up to Rockville so that J could hit G Street Fabrics (although we both ended up spending more time and money at Filene's Basement in the same shopping center). We drove back into town via Wisconsin AVe and stopped off at the National Cathedral to take pictures and enjoy the grounds (we were too late to go inside, but we got some good pictures of the interior last year). We then drove on down Wisconsin through Georgetown to M Street before cutting across Key Bridge and back to the hotel. It has been a few years since we'd been in Georgetown - I was quite surprised that some of our old haunts like Commander Salamander are still in business. As I had thought, most of M Street looks pretty much like a mall but there still appears to be some interesting places on Wisconsin. AFter a bit of cleanup, we took the Metro down to the King Street station in Old Town Alexandria and walked over to Bistrot Lafayette. We showed up there on a Friday night in December last year without a reservation and they were kind enough to make room for us, so we actually had reservations this time and were rewarded with a really fine meal. I highly recommend the place - it's not very big, so you really do want to make reservations.
Sunday we took the Metro into DC in time to catch much of the Rolling Thunder parade of Harleys down Constitution - I've seen estimates anywhere from 350,000 to over 500,000 riders in the city. Pretty damn impressive - if you don't like V-Twins, I suggest you stay away from DC on Memorial Day weekend. We spent most of the afternoon in the National Galleries of Art - I remember reading about I. M. Pei's East Wing design when it first opened in the '70s and fell in love with it on my first visit to DC as an adult when it housed an incredible exhibit of Rodin sculpture. With no real plans for dinner for the first time during the weekend, we walked up Pennsylvania towards the White House with the intention of seeing if Occidental Grille was serving outside. They were not, but there were tables available at the Cafe du Parc next door (part of the Willard Hotel) so we parked it there and had the best meal of the weekend!
We didn't have definite plans for Monday but I'd suggested we stop off at Mt. Vernon on the way home. I had been once when I was about 9 years old and hadn't been back and J had never been. It's a beautiful drive down George Washington Memorial Parkway and it was quite hot but lovely on the grounds. Despite high gas prices, it was packed! The tour through the house was a bit rushed due to the crowd but we spent some time on the grounds and enjoying what has to be the best view of any house I've ever been in.
Now I need to get back to work so I can rest!
Labels: Family, Holiday
Happy Birthday, Sweetheart!
I'm anticipating by an hour or so, but happy birthday to JennySlash - hottest, coolest, smartest chick that ever decided to marry me - seen here yet again kicking my ass on the Buzz Lightyear ride at the Magic Kingdom (she's the cute but intense-looking one on the right). She not only beats me every time we ride/play, she embarasses me. I have no idea how.
It's been a little tough for her the last couple of weeks with me and my new motorcycle and my broken tooth extraction and stuff unfairly taking the spotlight, so if you have a chance, drop over to So, Anyway.... and sing Happy Birthday!
I .love you, hon!
Labels: Family
Water - for a change
It was nice to actually see water in the creek at Dad's - the last couple of times I've been up there, there's been barely a trickle. You really get used to hearing it while you're there and miss it when it's gone.
Labels: Family, Photography
January 17ths in History
Significant happenings on previous January 17ths:
1595 - Henry IV of France declares war on Spain.
1605 - First publication of Don Quixote.
1819 - Simón Bolívar proclaims the Republic of Colombia.
1916 - The Professional Golfers Association (PGA) is formed.
1917 - The United States pays Denmark $25 million for the Virgin Islands.
1929 - Popeye the Sailor Man, a cartoon character created by Elzie Crisler Segar, first appears in the Thimble Theatre comic strip.
1946 - The UN Security Council holds its first session.
1977 - Convicted murderer Gary Gilmore is executed by a firing squad in Utah, ending a ten-year moratorium on Capital punishment in the United States.
1991 - Gulf War: Operation Desert Storm begins early in the morning. Iraq fires 8 Scud missiles into Israel in an unsuccessful bid to provoke Israeli retaliation.
1994 - A magnitude 6.7 earthquake hits Northridge, California; see 1994 Northridge Earthquake.
...and me Mum was born!
Also born on January 17th:
1504 - Pope Pius V
1706 - Benjamin Franklin American statesman
1763 - John Jacob Astor, American entrepreneur
1863 - David Lloyd George, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
1899 - Al Capone, American gangster
1899 - Nevil Shute, English author
1922 - Betty White, American actress
1928 - Vidal Sassoon, English cosmetologist
1931 - James Earl Jones, American actor
1933 - Shari Lewis, American ventriloquist
1942 - Muhammad Ali, American boxer
1949 - Andy Kaufman, American comedian
1954 - Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., American lawyer and environmental activist
1957 - Steve Harvey, American actor, comedian and radio personality
1959 - Susanna Hoffs, American musician
1962 - Jim Carrey, Canadian actor and comedian
1971 - Kid Rock, American singer
1980 - Zooey Deschanel, American actress
1982 - Dwyane Wade, American basketball player
Happy Belated Birthday!
Labels: Family
WDW Trip Report - Afterwords
This was one of those trips where pretty much all those things that can go wrong and mess up a trip were blissfully absent. The flights were uneventful, on time and comfortable, ground transportation was on time, the room was in a great location wth a great view, there was little rain to cause problems and even the cool (and a couple of times cold) weather really wasn't an issue. The food was uniformly much better than just acceptable and while we didn't get to eat at all the places we originally planned to, the substitutes were all good. All in all, it was a great trip!
If there were any negatives, it was spending too much time focusing on the late night stuff (totally my fault) and still not relaxing and taking it easy enough to suit either of us. While I came out of the trip feeling pretty good (until the night AFTER we got home, when I got hit with the cold that dogged me through the rest of the holiday season), J started out pretty tired and finished up even more tired, so that's something we need to work on next trip.
Ah, the NEXT trip! While I think we were ready for a break after our last trip to Disney, six and a half years was too long to wait before going back. I think that led in part to trying to get everything in on this trip, rather than relaxing and thinking that we'd be back in a few months or at most a couple of years. I expect that we'll want to head back down there within 18 months or so - there were things we didn't get to despite some rushing around and certainly other things that we're going to want to do again soon.
Labels: Disney, Family
WDW Trip Report - Day 6 (Disney Studios, EPCOT, Departure)
Last day. We packed up and called the bellman to hold our luggage while we got out to do a little more park hopping. We started out by walking over the the Studios. We didn't have any plans for lunch but there was no line at the Brown Derby so we had a second terrific meal there, this one sitting outside on the patio. Thus fortified, we walked back to the Boardwalk and on to EPCOT for some last-minute shopping. The main thing was to relax and enjoy the last bit of the trip.
So we picked up a few things at Mouse Gears in Futureworld, grabbed a beer in Canadia and stopped off to hear a bit of Off Kilter's set before making our way back through England and back to the Boardwalk. We had a few minutes to rearrange our luggage and get things set before the Tiffany driver showed up (right on time) to whisk us back to the airport. The flight back was uneventful, except for my sympathy for the young father of two sitting a couple of rows ahead of us that spent the entire flight throwing up in the bathroom and didn't make it to the parking lot at RDU before hitting the barf bag again. I've rarely felt so sorry for anyone I'd never met.
Overall, it was a great trip and one that was long overdue.
Our room at the Boardwalk was the middle large balcony to the right of the star on the tree
JennySlash and lunch at the Brown Derby
The Fountain of Nations and Spaceship Earth
Labels: Disney, Family
