Thanks for the various sharing of American history and some trivia surrounding it.
Now I've got a thread related topic of sorts. With the development of VWL II and all that goes with it, I have sometimes gone back to DVC Mike's map of the development. I guess I end up with a couple of questions that are only guesswork right now but worth discussing.
1. What will the area look like between current VWL and the new bungalows/cabins? What would be your best case scenario for Disney to do there? Would you prefer they put back as many trees as possible? A few trees to leave a nice lake view on that side? Something besides just trees & bushes? What I think they'll do and what I'd like them to do are two different things. I would like the trees replaced along with a few grills and small picnic areas with tables and to make the path to the cabins with cinder, rather like the running tracks back in the 50s/60s. What I think they'll do is plant a lot of shrubbery, plant some grass, and pave a lot of it. Definitely need to put up twinkling lanterns and piped in Lodge music along the paths. Oh, and put topiary Mickey and buffaloes back!!
2. What are the other buildings that are on the plans near the new swimming pool? Rumors have included another restaurant and a community hall. Could they be anything else? Again, if they are putting something else in that area, what would you like to see? I know nothing more than the others have said, so what I'd like to see is nothing. lol That beach was a special place for us, and to not be able to feel the warm sand between our toes as we stand arm-in-arm looking at the sunset makes me verklempt. Since they will put something there, I'd say put the bike/boat rental in the building, put an expanded Roaring Fork there with views of the water, move the Mercantile there (and make the current Mercantile space a larger coffee shop instead of being in the Territory Lounge), and where the bike/boat rental now sits make something like horseshoe pits, tennis courts or better yet, a meditation garden wiht plenty of benches upon which to sit and drink you liquid of choice.
Rather than discussing rumors, I guess I'm asking that if you were a Disney Imagineer and you've been told that we're building these cabins...that's a done deal...what would you like the end product to look like and still meet Disney's needs and customer experience? I also like the idea of interspersing cabins on the water and on the grounds rather than just lined up along the shore.