3rd Annual We are "NEVER" going to Disney in the summer again"

[honeydiane1953]

The heat!!! I live in central Ga. so u would think I could take it but no Fla. heat had us beat. The last time I went in the summer was 30 yrs. ago and that was it. I said no more in the Summer and I meant it.

 

[natebenma]

The heat!!! I live in central Ga. so u would think I could take it but no Fla. heat had us beat. The last time I went in the summer was 30 yrs. ago and that was it. I said no more in the Summer and I meant it.

What time of year do you prefer? We have been in January, May, and November (bk-before kids) and July and August as a family. With schoolaged kids, we are limited to school vacation time- either Feb, April or the summer.

If I didn't have to worry about timing, I would go at the end of October- low crowds, Halloween decorations, and although the weather is always a wildcard, there is a good possibility it would be pleasant.

 

[pixarmom]

Your question about our travel plans inspired me to update my signature with a ticker, even though Mark thinks it is strange to have a non-Disney ticker here. We are going back to the the Barcelo in the Riviera Maya in February.
IIRC, you have been there too.

Nothing else is booked for us at this time. Mark and I need to figure out where (and when) to go to celebrate our 25th anniversay which is this year! Yikes!

Kids would love to go back to Atlantis, too, so I am thinking April 2012.

First, Happy Anniversary!

Love the Barcelo ticker! And we wouldn't have known you were going to D.C. without the D.C. trip in your signature. So I say add them all! I've found these boards are great for all kinds of trip planning. I love to discuss one of our favorite vacation spots - Newport Beach, CA - over on the DL boards.

We have January at the Poly, February at BC and then our APs expire. We're trying a 3-night Disney cruise in August, with some time at the Kennedy Space Center. And it's fun to think about 2012! We haven't been to Barcelo Riviera Maya since October of 2008, and we were just talking about a return. We tried Iberostar (same area) for our anniversary, but think Barcelo is more our style. The boys are still requesting Atlantis . . .

 

[natebenma]

We interrupt this trip report to bring you a couple of special announcements:

Here are the top 10 tips in my 18 page file I described earlier. Some are common knowledge for Disney vets and some have already appeared elsewhere in my trip report, but I thought I would post them all together for you:

Top 10 Tips

1) You can request a free cup of ice water from any counter service stand at any of the parks

2) Photopass photographers will take a picture using your camera if you ask
And don’t forget the $99 pre-order!!! http://www.disneyphotopass.com/previsitoffer.aspx

3) Ziploc XLarge Bag to keep camera, shoes, backpacks dry during Kali River Rapids. Change into flipflops before ride.

4) Fast Passes can be used ANYTIME on the same day after the time window has opened. You can also hold multiple fast-passes at once.
Document contains a whole section on Fast Passes.

5) Luggage lockers, located OUTSIDE of the parks, are an inexpensive and larger alternative to renting a locker in the parks. 4 Quarters ($1) for a HUGE locker. Single access to locker rather than unlimited access during the day. Document contains a whole section on lockers

6) To avoid delays at bag check tables, carry an empty, folded drawstring bag, and all your other stuff (camera, water bottles, etc) in your hands, then once in park you can use the bag.
I'll post more about this in my next post.

7) Shipping merchandise can often be relatively cheaper (or maybe less expensive) because you don’t have to pay the Florida sales tax if you ship to your home. Saves luggage space, too!

8) You don't need to buy the "Hopper Option" or “Water Park Fun & More” UNLESS and UNTIL you need it.
If you are already at one park and decide that you'd like to "hop" to another... right then, just walk up to a ticket window and pay the $52 (plus tax) per ticket (it’s the same price whenever you choose to do it) and you're ready to hop (that day, and any others, for the rest of your trip.) You must make this and all other upgrade choices within the first 14 day of when the ticket was first used. Same thing with Water Park Fun and More. If you present your receipt from one day at the waterpark within 14 days to another water park or Disney quest, you can just pay the difference in the upgrade price

9) Less chaotic, but excellent view of MK fireworks/Water Parade fr Polynesian beach. Music is piped in.

10 a) Packing tip-if I am packing 2 or more checked suitcases, I always spread each person's clothes into different suitcases. That way if one gets lost, everyone will still have something to wear. My husband does not follow this advice and packs everything in one case. Hope he doesn't regret that someday!
10 b) Packing Lego Sets from Lego Store in DTD. Bring extra Ziploc bags. Put pieces and instruction manual into separate ziplocks. Break down the box. If you want to keep the box, flatten and put at bottom of suitcase.


Now back to our regularly scheduled program...

 

[natebenma]

A Former Pack Mule lightens up

And now, a public service announcement about bag check.

I’m the type of person who likes to be prepared for whatever may come up. If you are on the playground and need a bandaid- see Dee. Scizzors? Yup. Mints, tissues, pens in 3 colors. Got ‘em. This personality trait makes packing for a trip to the park challenging- Here are some of the things that should be included in a properly prepared park pack:

Water bottles, cameras, extra cameras, extra batteries, ponchos, small umbrellas, pins to trade, quarters and pennies to squish, sunscreen, extra t-****s, extra snacks…

Packing a bag like this can make you feel like you are a Sherpa leading an expedition to Everest (well, some days you are). Plus, it is a pain to have to stop at bag check while security paws through your precious possessions.

Shortly before we left on our trip, I read a post that changed my life!

Someone suggested using one of those drawstring backpacks for the parks, entering the park with it empty and folded, carrying your water (Camelbacks) and cameras. And that’s it! I was a little skeptical at first, but at some point in the trip, I decided to try it. WOW!!!

We breezed right through bag check, and once we cleared the turnstiles, we could open the drawstring bag and put in the water and the camera case. Mark carried park passes/fast passes in his wallet, or in a zippered pouch he would wear around his neck.

I left Disney this year a changed woman. In fact, at one point, Mark asked “Who are you and what have you done with my wife?” But we all loved being able to walk into the parks all together without one of us (me) enduring the Spanish Inquisition. I never missed anything that didn’t get packed.

 

[natebenma]

First, Happy Anniversary!

Love the Barcelo ticker! And we wouldn't have known you were going to D.C. without the D.C. trip in your signature. So I say add them all! I've found these boards are great for all kinds of trip planning. I love to discuss one of our favorite vacation spots - Newport Beach, CA - over on the DL boards.

We have January at the Poly, February at BC and then our APs expire. We're trying a 3-night Disney cruise in August, with some time at the Kennedy Space Center. And it's fun to think about 2012! We haven't been to Barcelo Riviera Maya since October of 2008, and we were just talking about a return. We tried Iberostar (same area) for our anniversary, but think Barcelo is more our style. The boys are still requesting Atlantis . . .

Thanks for the anniversary wishes! Our 25th is on July 19.

Sounds like you have some fun things planned for the coming year!

MNDisneygirl just finished her trip report (What are we celebrating? Air Conditioning). She spent a week at the Beach Club at Disney just after our trips this summer, then went for a few days for a beach vacation near Cape Canaveral, with a visit to the Kennedy Space Center.

Tell your boys your friend Dee says you should go to Atlantis!

 

[natebenma]

​

We had a free afternoon, no plans until our dinner reservation at Ohana at 6:20. After lunch in our room, the family split up once again.

Ben and I wanted to head to Typhoon Lagoon. Mark and Nate weren’t quite sure what they were going to do.

Since I was not with them, I’ll give a quick summary of their afternoon. Sorry, no photographic evidence because the official photographer of our traveling party was otherwise occupied:

First, they went to the Beach Club Marketplace to find out about shipping the rifles we had purchased the previous day in the Magic Kingdom. They talked to a very nice CM named Mark (wonder how I remember that), who took care of them. He is also the one who told us that we could have shipped the rifles at the point of purchase (the Adventureland kiosk) and we wouldn’t have had to pay the Florida sales tax, which would have essentially covered the shipping cost.

After taking care of that business, they paid a final visit to the Magic Kingdom to repeat some favorite rides: Pirates, Haunted Mansion and the TTA Peoplemover. Nate also tried the shooting gallery in Frontierland for the first time.

Nate had his final smoothie of the trip and then they hopped onto the resort monorail to the Polynesian to wait for us. And wait. And wait. But more about that later.

Ben and I love the water. A lot more than Mark and Nate do, so the two of us were excited to be headed to Typhoon Lagoon.

Last year, we did this on our last afternoon, after a half day at Animal Kingdom. It took FOREVER for us to get there! First we boarded an AK bus to the Caribbean Beach Resort since we figured the resort was on the way to TL. HUGE mistake. First, the bus driver got lost. We drove around and around for about 10 minutes, and then ended up BACK at the AK parking lot! We finally arrived at CBR and waited for a bus. And waited. And waited. It was probably 20 minutes before a DTD bus showed up. Then of course, before you go to TL, you go to the DTD stops. The trip from AK to TL took us over an hour, I don’t remember exactly how long. We didn’t have much time to enjoy TL before we had to head back to our resort and get ready for our Coral Reef reservation.

No way was I repeating that fiasco this year! Taxi. 12 minutes. $12 plus tip. Done.

We arrived somewhere between 3 and 3:30 I think.

A furious storm once roared across the sea...
Catching ships in its path, helpless to flee...
Instead of a certain and watery doom…
The winds swept them here…to TYPHOON LAGOON!​

First order of business was finding a place to put our stuff. We found a couple of empty chairs in this picturesque little cove near the wave pool.

I love the tropical theming and the cool soundtrack of beach tunes at TL!

The first thing we did was take a dip in the wave pool. The wave pool at TL is much more intense than the one at Blizzard Beach. A lot more fun for us.

Look at all the Lazy People in the Lazy River! (Can't resist the urge to quote Stacey)

We had other attractions to check out. Next up, Crush-n-Gusher, a water propelled rollercoaster. First we rode on the Coconut track, then Banana. The line for the slides was probably 10-15 minutes each time. We didn’t go on the Pineapple track today.

Continued in the next post

 

[natebenma]

Our next destination was Shark Reef.

I love, love, love snorkeling! Ben hasn’t quite caught onto snorkeling, but he was able to use his goggles in the pool.

I crack up when people warn you about how cold the water is in Shark Reef at Typhoon Lagoon. 70 degress?!? HA! I’m from New England where ocean temps in the high 60’s are downright enjoyable!

Ben was so excited when we exited. “Mom, Mom, I saw a hidden Mickey in the water!” When I was reviewing my photos, I saw that I accidentally almost got a picture of it.

Finally we returned to the wave pool for a few minutes. This was at 5 PM. I know this because I looked at my watch. For the last time.

We saw a photographer, so I dragged Ben over to have our picture taken. When the large waves started up, she snapped away. I’m not thrilled with the result. But it is a good thing we didn’t wait any longer. There were no more waves to be had. I’m not sure what was going on, but the big waves were not coming.

Reluctantly we had to change and begin our journey to the Poly for our dinner reservations. We each went to the changing rooms to put on dry clothes. Where did we put the wet clothes? In the Ziploc XL bag, of course!

As I was leaving the changing room, I glanced down at my watch to see what time it was. But there was no watch on my wrist! I had looked at it in the wave pool, so I knew it had been lost either there, in the changing room or where we throw the wet towels. I immediately headed back to the changing stall I had used. Not there.

I knew the approximate time it went missing (between 5 PM and 5:20) and had narrowed down the location it was lost to 1 of 3 specific locations at TL. I had a pretty decent description: black Armitron with Velcro strap. Armed with this information and my complete faith in the Disney Lost and Found system, I was sure I would get my watch back.

What time is it when you lose a watch at Typhoon Lagoon? Time to get a new watch!

Despite phone calls to Lost and Found from Neil from the Beach Club Concierge and a couple of calls from me when we returned home, my watch remains MIA.

At 5:30, we were at the resort bus stop waiting for a bus to the Poly. How do I know this? There are clocks at the waiting area. Or my cell phone. I can’t remember which I used to determine that it took 25 minutes for our bus to arrive. Yikes! Our reservation is in less than 30 minutes!

Once we are on the bus, I give Mark a call to let him know where we are and that we are on the way. Unfortunately, the bus ride was very long. And we stopped at the Contemporary first. Only we couldn’t enter the parking lot right away because there were 3 or 4 buses ahead of us. Tick Tock went my watch. Or maybe not, I don’t know, it’s gone.

Finally, at around 6:40, 20 minutes late, we arrived at Ohana. Mark was not very pleased. They would not let him check in without all of us being there. And now there was a line about 10 people deep waiting to check in. We received our buzzer and then endured our 30 minute penalty punishment for being late.

Finally at 7:10 we were seated.

Next up: Ohana means… (Exhausted) Family

YAWN! Do we fall asleep in our banana bread pudding?

 

[TwiddleDeeTwiddleDum]

THe only time we got to TL it rained buckets after a round trip on the lazy river & a little frolicking in the wave pool, prior to being smashed into the cement ground

SO having not been to the sharks area, it was nice to see your photos

I think your family got a second wind. No sleeping in the banana pudding, in fact I'm guessing you had a marvalous time Once the food started coming, your DH forgave your lateness

 

[eandesmom]

Bummer about the watch but at least you got a wave picture, we had a few of our PP pics go missing from our TL day. I don't know what it is but it takes FOREVER to get to TL from just about anywhere! Good move on the cab.

That last picture is a riot, I know how he feels!

Sorry I've been MIA

 

[mickeystoontown]

It looks like you had a fantastic time at Typhoon Lagoon. The pictures you took while in the Shark Reef were great. The only time we did the Shark Reef, Hunter kinda freaked out and I had to hold onto him meaning I didn't see a darned thing.

I hated to read that you lost your watch and that it is still MIA. What a bummer!

Looking forward to the Ohana review since we are eating there for our first time this May.

 

[natebenma]

THe only time we got to TL it rained buckets after a round trip on the lazy river & a little frolicking in the wave pool, prior to being smashed into the cement ground

SO having not been to the sharks area, it was nice to see your photos

I think your family got a second wind. No sleeping in the banana pudding, in fact I'm guessing you had a marvalous time Once the food started coming, your DH forgave your lateness

ARGH! Doesn't sound like you had the bestest of times at Typhoon Lagoon! The water parks are tough since they are so weather dependent. The Mouse can control a lot of things, but so far hasn't found a way to tame the weather!

Glad you enjoyed the shark photos. This was the first time I had used my new camera snorkeling. I can't wait to try it in Mexico in a couple of months.

I think you will be surprised about something that DIDN'T happen at our dinner.

Bummer about the watch but at least you got a wave picture, we had a few of our PP pics go missing from our TL day. I don't know what it is but it takes FOREVER to get to TL from just about anywhere! Good move on the cab.

That last picture is a riot, I know how he feels!

Sorry I've been MIA

I hate it when photopass pictures are missing! It must be especially frustrating at the waterparks, since many people do not want to have their cameras out for both protection from damage and security from theft. I like having the waterproof camera that never leaves my wrist.

I was surprised at how hard it was to get to TL considering how easy it has been for us to get to BB from AK. I knew after last year's trip that getting there by cab was worth every penny!

Ben was a bit tuckered out! I can't blame him. I am very proud of how well the boys did keeping up with our hard-core pace.

 

[natebenma]

It looks like you had a fantastic time at Typhoon Lagoon. The pictures you took while in the Shark Reef were great. The only time we did the Shark Reef, Hunter kinda freaked out and I had to hold onto him meaning I didn't see a darned thing.

I hated to read that you lost your watch and that it is still MIA. What a bummer!

Looking forward to the Ohana review since we are eating there for our first time this May.

Somehow I missed your post. You must have been adding it while I was responding to the others!

It was great actually seeing stuff in the lagoon. Last year when we tried Shark Reef I was paying more attention to what the boys were doing than looking at what was below us. Ben is a fish, and I knew if he had his goggles on, he would be fine.

I hate losing things, but it was probably "time" for me to replace the watch. The velcro strap had not been attaching all that well lately (OBVIOUSLY)! It took me several months to even bother replacing it. There are certainly more than enough clocks in the world (the real world, not the World), so I just relied on my cell when I needed to.

Ohana review coming up in a day or two, but I'm sad that I'm getting to the end of my trip and my report.

 

[pixarmom]

Hi Dee!

I'm sorry to see your trip report coming to an end, too. But I'd love to see a Barcelo trip report! We'll have to lobby for an "Other Places Pre-Teen Boys Like to Vacation Trip Report" board: Barcelo Riveria Maya, Atlantis, D.C., Martha's Vineyard, Newport Beach, Park City, etc. - it would be great!

We try to reduce our reliance on buses by walking and taking the monorail or boat as much as possible. But I usually prefer the bus to anything having to do with a car. Your last post, however, officially convinced me to take a cab from BC to our Ohana breakfast ADR in February!

As for your watch, ugh! I know exactly where it is: with my blue swimsuit (disappeared at CBR in 2001) and my little brother's blanket (disappeared at the Poly in 1983.) For nearly 30 years, we've always said "hello" to the blanket at the Poly. We'll add your watch to the list.

 

[natebenma]

Hi Dee!

I'm sorry to see your trip report coming to an end, too. But I'd love to see a Barcelo trip report! We'll have to lobby for an "Other Places Pre-Teen Boys Like to Vacation Trip Report" board: Barcelo Riveria Maya, Atlantis, D.C., Martha's Vineyard, Newport Beach, Park City, etc. - it would be great!

We try to reduce our reliance on buses by walking and taking the monorail or boat as much as possible. But I usually prefer the bus to anything having to do with a car. Your last post, however, officially convinced me to take a cab from BC to our Ohana breakfast ADR in February!

As for your watch, ugh! I know exactly where it is: with my blue swimsuit (disappeared at CBR in 2001) and my little brother's blanket (disappeared at the Poly in 1983.) For nearly 30 years, we've always said "hello" to the blanket at the Poly. We'll add your watch to the list.

I'm already trying to figure out ways to S-T-R-E-T-C-H my report. I have a couple of ideas. And of course, I have to include an installment about the summer BC DIS meet that I crashed as "Flat Dee"

I told you that there is an Unofficial Barcelo forum board. I hang out there when I am not here, and they have a place for trip reports, but not nearly on the scale here and very little feedback. And most of the reports do not include pictures! Blasphemy!!!

Oh, and there is a forum I like for Atlantis questions, too. So when you are ready...

I would love to hear about Martha's Vineyard sometime. It is embarassing, but we may be the only New England family who has not vacationed on the Cape or the Islands.

Too, too funny about the missing items. I'm picturing a place like Rudolph's Island of Misfit Toys. Lost stuffed animals going for a swim in your blue suit, checking my watch to see if it is time to go to bed, then snuggling under your brother's blanket.

In 2009, we had early morning reservations for Chef Mickey (7am) and Kona (7:30). It was definitely worth the money, and time, to take a cab there. They were both around or under $20, including the tip. We were able to use a traditional cab, but I think the van-style cabs are readily available at the same price. It is like 10 minutes to get there when you are going direct, and it so beats the hassle of waiting for buses and worrying that you won't make your reservation.

 

[Queila]

All caught up!

-I love that you guys got to do The Sum of All Thrills at Epcot. I did not do it because of Beatriz last time but I told myself it is a must do in a future trip. That is amazing that people got to pay to ride it in the after hours.

-The breakfast at Cape May looks good too! I love the characters in their beach outfits. So unique.

A-nd I did not know you could ship stuff home directly from the kiosks. One more thing I learned by reading you TR. That and the fact that Chip is the one with the brown nose. I had never noticed that before either!

-Your day at Hollywood Studios was A LOT of fun. Oh gosh... those GAD FP'S are priceless, aren't they? And it was so cool that you got to share some pixie dust with another family. Good job.

-I also love the pictures of Typhoon Lagoon. That is the positive side of visiting Disney in the Summer. You are guaranteed some great refreshing days in the water parks. That is too bad about your watch though...

-And I cannot wait to read about Ohana. I know what a tired family looks like in a Disney restaurant.

Are you guys planning to go back to Disney soon? I will miss your report!

Q

PS" Your trip to Barcelo is coming soon! How exciting! We gave up on our trip in Feb. 2011. There is too much going on right now. We might be able to get a last minute deal to Barcelo in Cuba this Spring. Hopefully it will work out.

 

[natebenma]

YAWN! Do we fall asleep in our banana bread pudding?

After our 30 minute wait in the loud, crowded lobby, our buzzer started flashing.

Here are some pictures of the restaurant as we were walking to our table.

This is the view from my seat:

Bring on the food!


Bread:

Nothing spectacular here.



Mixed Greens with Honey-Lime dressing

We liked this- I think and Ben and I both had a couple of servings, but let's face it, it's salad.


Coriander chicken wings

These were ok. Ben liked them a lot.


Pork fried dumplings

Not the best potstickers we've ever had. Ben LOVES potstickers and wanted to order more, so I asked for another 4. Cousin Tonya said she would bring us a full order (8). I said we only wanted 4. But they can't do that. So they brought 8, and 4 went to waste. That bothers me.


Accompaniments: broccoli and green peas and pad Thai noodles

The veggies were fine, but again, who goes to Ohana for veggies? The noodles were tasty. Ben (surprise) liked them. I'm not sure Nate had tried anything except for the bread at this point.


Sauces: peanut, chimichurri and sweet-and-sour.

Skewers (prepared over an oak fire):
Marinated sirloin steak, Asian BBQ pork loin, Mesquite grilled turkey, and non-peeled shrimp

Beef:

Pork- this was our favorite:

Shrimp-a bit dried out:

I can't remember if we got seconds on any of the skewers.


Did we fall asleep in our banana bread pudding? We must have, because I don’t have a photo!



Never fear, though- here’s my favorite photo of the dessert that I “borrowed” from someone else’s report. I apologize for not giving credit to the orginal photographer of this spectacular photo, I don’t know who it is!

Ohana bread pudding a la mode with Banana Foster sauce.

This is my photo- the dessert was on display near the grills as we made our way to our table:

I have to say, we were not blown away by Ohana. I’m not entirely sure we can blame the restaurant, though. We were pretty frustrated by the wait to be seated. This was by far the latest dinner for us- the 6 PM reservations we had for our other meals were perfect. Scheduling this on the last night of our vacation was a mistake, too. We were all exhausted from our early wake ups and our ambitious, grueling touring the past week.

Don't judge Ohana by our visit! Your mileage may vary.

Would we return here for another meal? Probably. But it is not one of our top, must-do restaurants.

Next up: A spectacular, solitary finale

 

[natebenma]

All caught up!

-I love that you guys got to do The Sum of All Thrills at Epcot. I did not do it because of Beatriz last time but I told myself it is a must do in a future trip. That is amazing that people got to pay to ride it in the after hours.

-The breakfast at Cape May looks good too! I love the characters in their beach outfits. So unique.

A-nd I did not know you could ship stuff home directly from the kiosks. One more thing I learned by reading you TR. That and the fact that Chip is the one with the brown nose. I had never noticed that before either!

-Your day at Hollywood Studios was A LOT of fun. Oh gosh... those GAD FP'S are priceless, aren't they? And it was so cool that you got to share some pixie dust with another family. Good job.

-I also love the pictures of Typhoon Lagoon. That is the positive side of visiting Disney in the Summer. You are guaranteed some great refreshing days in the water parks. That is too bad about your watch though...

-And I cannot wait to read about Ohana. I know what a tired family looks like in a Disney restaurant.

Are you guys planning to go back to Disney soon? I will miss your report!

Q

PS" Your trip to Barcelo is coming soon! How exciting! We gave up on our trip in Feb. 2011. There is too much going on right now. We might be able to get a last minute deal to Barcelo in Cuba this Spring. Hopefully it will work out.

Sum of all Thrills was good. I'm not totally into simulators, but we all enjoyed it. I'm glad we all got a chance to do it and the boys got to try it a couple of times.

The Cape May breakfast was good too. We were going to do that on our last morning but we had to cancel due to stupid airline tricks! I've already posted a rant about that, but I feel another one coming on as I get ready to describe our return travel day.

Before our trip, we debated a lot about when we would use our GAD FPs. We are very happy that we picked that day. It was nice to spread the wealth, too, especially since it didn't cost us anything!

We have fun at the waterparks, but both of these days were rushed for us this year. We were rained out at Blizzard Beach, so we had to cram a lot into the short time the park was open. We got to Typhoon Lagoon later than I would have liked. None of us likes the big body slides, so we didn't miss out on that.

Right now we don't have any plans for another Disney trip. We did some pricing this morning, but the prices were not motivating enough for us to book. We are looking forward to the Barcelo trip, so we are doing some packing today, even though the trip is over a month away. But why leave that until the last minute???

Oh, that's right, you can travel to Cuba! Have you been?

 

[Mom2m&k]

Hi! I just found your trip report and have spent hours today on this cold Sunday afternoon dreaming of WDW reading your report! Thanks!!

 

[natebenma]

Hi! I just found your trip report and have spent hours today on this cold Sunday afternoon dreaming of WDW reading your report! Thanks!!

Hi Mandy-



Thanks for reading!

Yes, it was a kind of dreary weekend up here in New England. The weather forecasters tried to send us into a tizzy about a weekend snowstorm that never happened.

I hope my summer report added a little "warmth" to your day.