Hello? Anyone still here?
Sorry folks life got incredibly busy for a while there and the trip report resides in a fairly low slot on the priority list.
But the good news is, life is returning to some sense of normalcy and Im writing again!
Before I get back on track, though, I have some updates to report on this years WDW trips:
Sadly, thanks to school project/paper deadlines, Ive had to opt-out of the annual Adults Only Food & Wine Fest.
The Halloween/
MNSSHP trip has been reduced to a single night, but well pay a visit to the Food & Wine Fest the next day. Itll be a quick tour, but at least well get there.
Dec.s long weekend is also reduced to a single night, due to a change of school for Leo. They have a far less lenient attendance policy than his old school did, so well need to keep this to a weekend.
NEW! The new school also clebrates Thanksgiving with an entire week off
so we decided to spend it in WDW! Believe it or not, Gramma suggested this. More details as we get to that trip.
Leo and I are headed to WDW this coming weekend, mostly to catch up with our good friends, the sharkB8HooHaHa family, but also to enjoy cooler temps and low crowds. Also because Im in dire need of a break from reality.
I cant guarantee any thorough reporting on some of these short trips; there just arent enough hours in the day! But Ill at least try for a short recap on them and promise to write at more length about the longer trips.
Like the August one. From which I so abruptly departed just now. Lets get back to it, shall we?
When I last left off, Leo and I were bussing our way back to SSR from a rainy morning at the MK.
Look, no rain!
Moments later, it was raining again.
I dont remember whether it was at the bus stop, on the bus or at SSR, but somewhere along the way I spoke with Lauralee on the phone. I also cant remember where she was when we talked on the road, checking in, at her room??? But I do know this: after I called for our room number, Leo and I got in line to order some lunch. And next thing I knew, there was LL giving us hugs! It was SO good to see her again.
I think her DH and DS were either at the pool or on their way to the pool, and we agreed to meet out there after lunch.
Let me tell you about that lunch. I went in with very, very low expectations. My prior experiences with Artists Palette were pretty abysmal: an overly-fatty roast beef sandwich in Aug. 2007 and an equally carppy turkey sandwich in Jan. 2008.
This time, I steered clear of the sandwiches altogether and went for the house salad with chicken.
O
M
G
!
!
!
It was beyond delicious. A pretty mix of greens with candied cranberries, some nuts, grilled chicken, apples and the most amazing vinaigrette. Im sorry I know Im not doing it justice and Im likely leaving out some critical ingredients, so just take my word for it: the Saratoga House Salad with Chicken is DA BOMB!
Leo had a hot dog. It was limp and rubbery. Sort of gray-ish in color. Bleh. But he liked it.
After lunch, we headed out to find our room, crossing the High Rock Springs pool area to get to the Springs section. I spotted LL on our way over; it had stopped raining then started again, but she convinced me to go get swimsuits on and come back to the pool for a bit. I figured what the heck it was warm and wed get wet either way, may as well enjoy the facilities, right?
Over at the Springs, I pulled my car over from the bus stop to the elevators, scoring a front-row spot. Woo hoo! Grabbed the couple bags still in my car and headed on up
all the way up to the top floor
and a mere 10 steps from the elevator! Opened the door and
NO SMELLS! NO SCARY NEIGHBORS! NO DIRTY ROOM!
It was, however, an odd room. See where that connecting door is? Right behind the table and chairs? Doesnt seem very convenient if you actually wanted to use both rooms as a 2 bedroom villa. My studio also came with a little sumpin extra:
Thats a tiny extra closet next to the front door. With a short shelf.
It was strange, but a nice extra Leos clothes went in there, while I used the full closet with long, tall shelves next to the vanity area.
Heres another oddity of that room:
See how low the towel ring is? It made the towel lay across the vanity top instead of hanging freely from the ring.
Also, the hook on the back of the door was really low.
I initially though it was a handicap-accessible room, but it had a regular tub/shower and no other indication of special design. Just low-hanging hooks, shelves and towel rings.
Holy carp, was it a Little Person room?! And, if so, should I have been offended??? I may be vertically-challenged, but Im not
that short. Hmmmppphhh.
Anyway, the room was great, even the view. Despite the rain.
FM liked it.
I may have called for the bags, or I may have waited till later. Not sure. But I know that Leo and I got into our swimsuits and headed back to High Rock Springs. In the rain, natch.
Sure enough, LL and family were still there and I got to see my buddy Michael again, and finally got to meet LLs DH Tony! Tony is a great guy. Really. Within minutes of talking, I felt like Id known him for years, just like I did with LL when we first met. They make a great team and Im so glad I got to spend time with them!
Leo and Michael pretty much picked up where theyd left off back in Jan., only this time with some swimming added into the mix. Poor Michael hed broken his arm mere weeks before this trip and no one was sure hed even be able to swim. But thanks to the awe-inspiring power of Google, I found these neato cast covers online and LL ordered one for Michael. It was great! Hopefully, shell jump in here and tell you more about it, but I was just thrilled to pieces that my buddy would be able to get some pool time in.
Now, about that pool.
Dudes, it was COLD. Way too cold for V. I got in up to my waist and said Forget it! All that rain from Fay, coupled with cloudy days and cooler nights, was wreaking havoc with the heating system I guess. Leo and Michael were braving it, but I needed to warm up. LL suggested something from the pool bar
and she was right-on! What I wanted was something to warm from the inside out, but scotch just didnt sound right for a poolside drink. Instead, I had some kind of grown-up lemonade-y thing. I have no idea what was in it, but it was good not too sweet, just enough sour and it warmed me up nicely!
So did the hot tub. We all spent some time going back and forth between that and the pool, which worked pretty well. Still, in the rain.
At some point, wed all had enough and headed back to our respective rooms to clean up and get ready for the evenings festivities: more reunions!
Leo watched a movie whilst I got showered and changed. I figured he could take a shower later, when we got back. I mean, we wouldnt be that late with a bunch of young kids in tow, right?
As I pondered my clothing choices, I kicked myself squarely in the behind for not thinking about the temperature ramifications associated with TS Fay. Read: it was about 15 degrees cooler than normal outside, and about 40 below inside. Or so it felt, anyway. And all Id packed were shorts, Ts and sundresses. I went with a sundress, saving the Ts and shorts for park days. I also donned my new poncho for the walk over to Artists Palette. For the first and only time that trip. It sucked! It blew all over the place and kept letting rain in through the sides. My jacket worked MUCH better. TFI.
Why were we heading back to Artists Palette (AP) you ask? To meet our friends for dinner! The original plan had us eating dinner on oour own, then meeting up at the pool later. The rain scratched that idea. Instead, we would meet up at the Turf Club Lounge at SSR, which featured a living room-like atmosphere. And. A bar.
But LL and I had both dumped our dinner ADRs for that night and met back up at AP instead. Leo and I got there first and snagged a table while LL and Tony went up for their food. Michael stayed with us at the table, where he and Leo reprised last years AP fun:
Leo had mac & cheese. With grapes. Lots of them. He loved the grapes. He told me so. He told Michael, too. And asked Michael if hed like a grape or three. Michaels response was one of the funniest moments I enjoyed that trip:
No thanks I like junk food on vacation.
And who doesnt, really?!
Continued in next post...
I was even happy about it when Leo and I got back to our room (after walking through the rain) and he complained that he was itchy from the pool water
at 11:30pm! 
Where ya staying?
I love the junk food line that Michael said. That's too cute and sooooo true! LOL!
