Saturday,
February 9, 2008

Ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch

Today's adventures were somewhat delayed when I had to make a quick stop in the Mercantile (aka the hotel shop) and pick up some Solarcaine with aloe vera for my rather impressive sunburn. It doesn't hurt so much as prickle, but I've decided that the pool will just have to do without me today.

Instead, we headed over to the Grand Floridian Resort and prowled around for an hour or so -- and oh, my dears, they are NOT lying when they say "grand." It's essentially Disney's take on Florida's golden era with a heavy Victorian overlay -- white buildings with brick-red roofs, white wrought iron touches everywhere, wide verandas, cupolas, gables, all that lovely frou-frou wedding cake sort of architecture. They even have a wedding chapel because so many people want to get married there, and I can't blame them.

And they have a spa. In its very own building. Stacy and I just looked at each other and said, "Oh HELL yes we're staying here next year." Plus the pool is to die for and Clara will love it.

Once we cleared that item of business up, Stacy and the poppet headed off to the Wilderness Lodge's pool while I rented an eensy speedboat and cruised around the lagoon for an hour. I can see why Lyndon's friend Peter loves boating so much -- that was fun. Didn't help the sunburn much, but at least I wasn't boating around in a tank top and I did wear a billed cap.

I turned the boat in, stopped off at the bar for some margaritas and hung out at the pool chatting with Stacy and watching Clara do her Little Mermaid thing for a half hour or so until we both decided a nap was in order before heading out to EPCOT (Every Person Comes Out Tired) for a couple of hours. We didn't stay for the IllumiNations light and fireworks show because Clara was clearly tired and overexcited by that point -- she got into a giggling fit so bad while we were in line for the Soarin' ride that after the operators announced a delay due to a breakdown we finally gave up and took her back outside.

Nonetheless, we did have a nice stroll around the World Pavilion Showcase, a couple of beers in the British Pavilion ("Congratulations, Clara -- you've been in your first bar," Stacy said as we left the Rose and Crown with Boddingtons in hand. I wanted to get a picture of myself with Alice in Wonderland in the bookstore across the way but Stacy had wandered off by that point) and scarfed an incredible combo platter at the Mexican pavilion before staggering back to the Wilderness Lodge and crashing.

Tomorrow -- back to reality.

	Yours Truly with Clara, waiting for the boat to take us to the monorail station to take us to the Grand Floridian. You try saying that three times fast.
	Does that or does that not look like the very image of the Carribean?
	Clara likes playing around in the sand while Mom and Auntie Mellie get yet more of a tan and a burn, respectively.
	And you wonder why I want to stay here.
	Somewhat more pink than usual, and you can't even see the second degree burn in my cleavage.
	Oh, strawberry margarita, how I love you.
	The relatives standing outside Spaceship Earth, now thankfully denuded of that idiotic wand it sported last year.
	The French pavilion at sunset (or as we liked to say, the only place in EPCOT where Mickey smoked and spat).

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