CCIntrigue...aka Gwen

On 11/16/2017 at 7:45 AM, BigTom said:

Love your photos, don't worry about the ones you reject, I had a friend that took photos for a living and he told me if he get one good shot out of 2 rolls of 35mm film he was  happy and sometimes he only got one good shot out of 10 rolls. This was a fellow who traveled all over the world taking photos at important events like super bowls,  and world leaders for famous magazines and such.

Thank you!

On 11/16/2017 at 8:23 AM, twiceblessed....nacole said:

California Grill is the one at the top of the Contemporary... correct?  We've never been there, but the views look so awesome.  Next year is our 20th wedding anniversary; Tom and I may need to figure out a way, to have dinner there 

Yes, CG is at the top of the Contemporary.  I didn't expect the food to be as good as it was, but it was worth every penny!  It would be a great place for an anniversary dinner.

On 11/16/2017 at 9:08 AM, Tri-Circle-D said:

Great job so far, Gwen.

It's awesome that you got to Fort!

Way to go, Jean Ann!

TCD

Thanks, TCD.  I'm glad we got to experience a cabin too.  Jean Ann is a very special friend.

21 hours ago, Avatab.... Steve said:

As a former pro photographer I can second this, I used to cringe when I saw how much we spent on developing and printing photos that weren't usable and I believe that digital photography has been a true blessing.

But....  even with digital I still end up taking several different shots of important scenes, and rejecting most of them (if not all of them! LOL) later at the computer.....   

And I also love your photos Gwen, there's no question you have the eye for it   :-)

 

Yes, I agree about digital photography.  Such a blessing and a dollar saver.  Thanks for enjoying my photos!  I was an art major in college (design) and have since transferred my dubious creativity into photography.  It's so much quicker and cleaner!

10 hours ago, ImDownWithDisney said:

Your pictures are wonderful! 

Thank you!

10 hours ago, slices said:

Enjoying the photos
 

Thank you too.  Thanks for reading along!

Mary, Ceil, and Jean Ann rode Pooh.  The FP+ line was too long for me to stand through it.

We had lunch at Casey's ...

And then rode the People Mover ...

Next up was our FP for Buzz.  None of us played very well, but we had a great time!

We decided to do a little shopping before our early dinner reservation.

I really enjoy taking photos of the window displays, but I can never find the right time of day to avoid the reflections.

We had early dinner reservations at the Contemporary.  So everyone was hopping onto the monorail.  But I had another idea.  I'd always heard about the walkway from the Contemporary to MK and wanted to see what it was like, so I decided to ride over on it.   And guess what?  I beat them!

I went up to the second floor and checked us into the California Grill.  So excited -- I hadn't been there since it was Top of the World.  The menu doesn't exactly appeal to David.

So after several minutes the rest of our little group arrived.  We were ushered up to the restaurant and were quickly seated.

We ordered drinks ... I can't tell you what they were since I can't find them on online menus.

One comment here -- I was so looking forward to taking pictures, but the windows were ABSOLUTELY FILTHY!  I couldn't believe it.  Here's an untouched picture I took, putting my lens right up to the window.

The rest of the photos I'm showing you aren't great.  They have been heavily processed in Lightroom and PhotoShop to cut through the grime.

Then our food arrived.

My bison steak (it was absolutely delicious -- not quite as tender as a filet, but the taste made up for it):

Ceil's flatbread:

Mary's sushi:

And Jean Ann's filet:

Sorry.  Must stop here.  Have to take mom to two doctor's appointments today.

6 hours ago, Ivy said:

So glad you were able to get away for a few days. Great photos, thanks for sharing!

Thank you, Ivy!

Tuesday continued ...

And then another problem.  Mary's magic band didn't have her tickets attached to it.  We spent another 30 or so minutes at Guest Relations getting that straightened out.

Finally we stepped into the park and surprise, surprise!

Have to take mom to a doctor's appointment now.  Will post more later.

On Tuesday we left the cabin around 9:30 thinking we'd have plenty of time to make our first FP+ which expired at 10:30.

We were wrong.  

There was a huge line of people waiting for the boat.  But the boat didn't have room for our two scooters.  Lots of people in line behind us got onto the boat, but we were told we'd have to wait for the next trip.  One boat was down for maintenance, and so they were only running one boat, and it would be 20-25 minutes before they could get back for us.

So we sat and chatted at one of the tables near the dock.  And of course I started snapping photos.

After a really long wait, we finally made it onto a boat.

And arrived at MK around 11:00 ...

16 hours ago, Cortezcapt (Derek) said:

Great photos as always Gwen. So glad you were able to get away for a few days and so far sounds like you had a blast. 

Thanks, Derek.  Yes, we did have a blast!

14 hours ago, alexwyattmommy said:

I wanted to post earlier, but lost connection.

Thank you for taking the time to give us a trip report. I love your photos.

Thank you too!  Glad you are enjoying my pictures.

I OFFICIALLY HATE IMGUR!

Have spent all afternoon uploading Tuesday's pictures.  Can only upload 3 pictures at the time.  No bulk uploading like Photobucket.

Almost finished.  Then I deleted one duplicate photo and my entire album went away!

21 hours ago, twiceblessed....nacole said:

Oh Gwen...I'm so glad that you got this escape!!  I'm only sad, that we weren't there to see you.  So glad you got to see Marty and Mo.  What a sweet friend you have in Jean Ann.  Such a gift.

As always, I am loving your pictures.

Thanks, NaCole!  One of these days I hope you and Jean Ann can meet.  I think you would become great friends.

21 hours ago, keith_h said:

Good to hear you were able to get some time for yourself and unwind. Great pics of everything as well.

Happy to hear you're enjoying my pictures!

20 hours ago, h2odivers...Ray said:

Great pix.  They look like they should be in a flyer or brochure for Disney. . 

Thanks, Ray.  

19 hours ago, Littleolwoman.aka.Kristie said:

I am so glad you posted a TR, I love looking at your photos. What a great getaway. 

Yes, it was a great getaway at a very much-needed time!

17 hours ago, momof3kids-Yvonne said:

Seeing your pictures makes me realize how much I have missed you posting them. Thank you so much for taking the time to do this trip report.

Thank you for reading along, Yvonne.  I appreciate it!

1 hour ago, Okieatheart said:

Gwen, your pictures are fabulous!  Seeing those inside the cabin made me think I was still there. . . oh, how I wish!  You may have used the wrong lens for the fireworks shots, but they are beautiful!!!  And we were so far away!  You are a masterful photographer!

Jean Ann, as always, you are too kind.  As I told you last week, you don't see my really bad shots.

I'm writing this TR mainly so the two of us can remember the wonderful times we had ...

5 minutes ago, Okieatheart said:

Hey, hold on a minute there, Bucko!  I think I was pretty good company, except that I about froze Gwen out for three nights!  Ok.  Well, maybe I wasn't such good company. . . 

Yeah, I had to sleep with two layers of blanket while wearing my sweatshirt.  But that was a small price to pay for the amazing days we had!

We got back to the Fort and relaxed awhile.

Then we decided to ride the cart down to the Settlement to watch the MK fireworks.  We wanted to watch from the right-hand side of the building, which meant I had to walk through several feet of sand.  Not a good scenario for someone with balance problems due to osteoporosis.  By the time I met up with the gang, I was having trouble standing up and said something like "I need to sit down right now."

And then I heard a voice behind me saying "Let me get you a chair."  I turned around to say thank you, and was shocked to see that it was Marty!  I burst out crying, I was so happy to see her!  We gave each other a big hug, and then Mo stepped up and we hugged too, and then I really started crying.  I was so happy to see them!  Marty was the only Fiend I'd told I was coming down, but I really didn't expect to be able to see her and Mo.  What a wonderful surprise!

I knew I had the wrong lens with me, but I took a few photos anyway:

The fireworks were nice, but I really didn't care for the music.  It seemed disjointed and didn't tell a story.  Marty and Mo both assured me the show is great when you see it from Main Street.

After the fireworks, we went back to the cabin and crashed.  It had been a long day.

More pictures from Disney Springs:

Oops, sorry, Jean Ann.  I focused on the wrong thing:

After getting settled into the cabin, we made a quick stop at the Meadow Trading Post.

Then we went to Disney Springs for lunch.  We decided to eat at:

The rest of the group opted for sandwiches:

But I couldn't resist the sides:

The Brussels sprouts with whiskey-caramel were amazing.  Then I tasted the BBQ cauliflower with paprika sour cream.  Wow!  It was even better!  And then I tasted the tomato and watermelon salad with feta, basil, and pickled onion.  I was in heaven.  

After lunch we shopped and just wandered around.

12 minutes ago, h2odivers...Ray said:

 That is so awesome that y’all had the opportunity to get together at the fort. I’m glad you decided to do a TR I always enjoy them. Especially your awesome pictures. Can’t wait to read and  see more 

Thanks, Ray!

Jean Ann checked us into the cabin.  Mary and I picked up our ECVs, and Jean Ann picked up the golf cart.   It didn't take much more than an hour after we landed before we were in our cabin! 

Ever wonder what a disability access cabin looks like?

So on November 2 we all flew to Orlando -- Jean Ann from Texas, two other friends, Mary and Ceil, from Connecticut, and me from North Carolina.  We all arrived within a few minutes of each other and quickly got onto DME.

The Fort was the first DME stop.

2 minutes ago, momof3kids-Yvonne said:

I am so glad you were able to get to the Fort for some much deserved R&R.
 

Thanks, Yvonne!  Jean Ann saved my sanity!

Okay, I know I said I wouldn't do another trip report.  But this trip was only four days long, so I'm gonna give it a try.

Many of you know that we had reservations to be at the Fort from November 5 to December 5.  But my mother got suddenly sick (doctors didn't think she would survive).  She made a miraculous recovery that the hospital staff talked about for days.  She was then sent to a skilled nursing facility for three weeks of physical and occupational therapy.  Eventually she went home on November 2.  By that point we had cancelled our first week of reservations.  Even though her therapists assured us she was fully capable of living alone again, we knew her personality too well and understood what a nightmare we were embarking.

Fast forward a day or two, and my dear friend Jean Ann (Okieatheart) invited me to fly down and spend three nights in a cabin with her and two other friends.  For those of you who haven't had the pleasure of meeting her, this is Jean Ann:

So on Monday, November 6, we all flew to Orlando.  Jean Ann from Texas, Mary and Ceil from Connecticut, and me from North Carolina.  All our flights arrived within 10 minutes of each other.  So we met in baggage claim for me to pick up my checked bag and then got onto the DME.

The Fort was the first DME stop that day, so before 1pm we were checked into our cabin and Jean Ann had picked up the golf cart.  Luggage arrived just a short while later.

Ever wonder what a handicapped-accessible cabin looks like?

Okay, I know I said I wouldn't do another trip report.  But this trip was only four days long, so I'm gonna give it a try.

Many of you know that David and I had reservations to be at the Fort from November 5 to December 5.  But my mother got suddenly sick (doctors didn't think she would survive).  She made a miraculous recovery that the hospital staff talked about for days.  She was then sent to a skilled nursing facility for three weeks of physical and occupational therapy.  Eventually she went home on November 2.  By that point we had cancelled our first week of our reservations.  Even though her therapists assured us she was fully capable of living alone again, we knew her personality too well and understood what a nightmare we were embarking into.

Fast forward a day or two, and my dear friend Jean Ann (Okieatheart) invited me to fly down and spend three nights in a cabin with her and two other friends.  For those of you who haven't had the pleasure of meeting her, this is Jean Ann:

Happy belated birthday!

Wish we could be there .. since Nov 19 is my birthday ... but it's looking less and less like we'll be able to make the trip.  Taking it one day at the time.  

As it stands right now, we have about a 10% chance of being there for Thanksgiving.  We still have our reservations, but we are running out of hope.

I'm in too.  Great start!

46 minutes ago, Mamma_Eagle said:

Gwen, I'm sorry to read that you may have to cancel.  I know that must be a disappointment to you.  

We are more than disappointed.   We are devastated.  This was to be our first month-long trip.  We've waited 13 months for it. Now it appears that we'll have to wait at least another 12 months.  We are part of the "sandwich generation."  And it's no fun.  But life could be worse.