Spring Break 2009 at the Fort with TCD!

[Tri-circle-D]

Here we are peeking in on the hot tub area:

Here is some of the new equipment installed behind the fence. Be sure to notice the expert work of the representative of Local #96783 Yellow Pipe Painters' Union. True craftsmanship at work! Good thing they brought in a pro for the job:

Looks like we are getting close on the hot tub:

More digging and general mess-making over at the splash zone:

You think that I have posted enough photos of the 600 loop? I think I have, but sorry, here's another:

For a change of pace, here are some photos of the limos and cast

Next up . . .

More pool pics (come on, I know you like it )

TCD

 

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On our way out to the pool, we ran into these suspicious characters outside of the Meadow Trading Post:

I have no idea what they were doing, but the guy with the light sabre from the toy store at Downtown Disney sure has some cool head gear, doesn't he?

Well, goodness, here we are back at the pool.

Again.

Ugh! That means more pool photos! You can't not look, can you?:

clkelley scooped me on these photos, but here are some photos of new fencing going up in the golf cart parking area by the campfire area:

Let's see how things are going in the 700 loop. They are pushing it like crazy. All the picnic tables got delivered, and they are installing the new grills:

If you asked me to bet on Wednesday, when these photos were taken, that they would be putting campers in this loop on Friday afternoon, I would have said there is no way. But, they cranked it out, and got it done. We will see the first campers arriving in this loop later in this report (if I ever stop posting pool photos and photos of 617).

Speaking of pool photos, here are a few more:

TCD

 

[Shan-man]

Here are some photos of the site that won the TCD award for best Spring decorations. These campers are ringers, though. They were here on this same site (114) for Thanksgiving and Christmas this past year. Stacktester has met the lady and her son (who hasn't he met?) (and as far as I can tell there is no DH on this site ). I think he told me that he partied with them on this past NYE:

Ah yes, I know her too! That's Judy (more affectionately known as "Crazy Light Lady", as she told me) from Nawlin's (or New Orleans if you've never been). I wouldn't call her a ringer, just a very practiced amatuer! She promised to have a red velvet armchair for me to be a part of her Christmas display next year. She and her son (Paul?) spend months of the year at the Fort. Very sweet gal, drop by and introduce yourself sometime, and tell her Santa says "howdy"!

 

[Tri-circle-D]

Ah yes, I know her too! That's Judy (more affectionately known as "Crazy Light Lady", as she told me) from Nawlin's (or New Orleans if you've never been). I wouldn't call her a ringer, just a very practiced amatuer! She promised to have a red velvet armchair for me to be a part of her Christmas display next year. She and her son (Paul?) spend months of the year at the Fort. Very sweet gal, drop by and introduce yourself sometime, and tell her Santa says "howdy"!

Oh, I see how you are working there, Shan-man.

Does Mrs. Shan-man know about this plan? You had better stay away from Donnie's woman. Your own red velvet chair, huh?

Seriously, I think it would be great if you set up on this site. What a great place to hang out and do your Santa thing.

Since you will hanging out there anyway, why don't you just share her site with her? You could park your sleigh right behind her site by the Settlement Trading Post, and maybe you could use the grill once, and as long as she didn't smoke or look at you cross-eyed, you could save yourself a heap of money.

I'll stop by and take photos of the kids sitting on your knee, and we can sell those to the parents, and cover your share of the site. Bingo, a free trip to Disney.

TCD

 

[DaveInTN]

Since you will hanging out there anyway, why don't you just share her site with her? You could park your sleigh right behind her site by the Settlement Trading Post, and maybe you could use the grill once, and as long as she didn't smoke or look at you cross-eyed, you could save yourself a heap of money.

Ok, I didn't jump in on the horse whisperer thread, but I can't help myself any longer! That's just TOO FUNNY!!

 

[Tri-circle-D]

Have you had enough pool photos yet?

If you have, too bad, because here come some more.

If you haven't, then you are in luck.

I just saw a post on the "Something is happening near the pool thread" that the pool is going to open tomorrow morning. April 9.

Here we are looking at photos that were taken exactly a week ago.

If you look at some of these, it is hard to believe that the pool would be ready to go in just 7 days, but apparently it is.

These were all taken in the afternoon of 4/1:

Notice that the ladders and life guard stands are still not in place.

Those are the last photos that I took during the day on 4/1.

My sister and three of her children came by for a visit on 4/1, so we were busy doing Disney stuff with them, and I was not able to get back by the pool during daylight hours.

But, that evening, we stopped by.

And found that the hose that we saw attached to the hydrant was on and furiously running. They were filling the pool!:

Here is a photo of my DD and my nephew sporting their trendy Snuggies, reacting to the pool being filled:

Here is the water going into the pool!:

You can see in one of the photos above that the pool ladders were installed some time on Wednesday afternoon.

Here is a night shot of the splash area:

The next morning, Thursday, we all went to morning EMH at the MK at 8 am. When I got back to the Fort right after noon, I headed right to the pool, and snapped these photos. The first I have of the pool filled with water!:

Here we see the lifeguard stands are in place, and the ladders installed. There used to only one lifeguard stand. Now there are two.

TCD

 

[Tri-circle-D]

Here are some more photos of the state of things at the pool on 4/2. Exactly one week from opening day:

Here is a non-pool photo. Our neighbors on the 900 loop, just a few sites down from us, had a suit of armor on their site. I don't know why, but they did:

 

[Mmketeer]

Okay the suit of arm thing is just kinda weird. Wonder if they take that with them everywhere they go? Gosh they could have at least Disney'ed it up a bit. Hidden Mickey maybe- Brave Little Taylor Theme...etc.

But hey the pool has water in it! Wahoo!!!

 

[Shan-man]

I suspect the second lifeguard's main duty is to control the Stop-Go light for the slide.

 

[Tri-circle-D]

I suspect the second lifeguard's main duty is to control the Stop-Go light for the slide.

I think you are right. It is an interesting set-up. They do not have a red and green light at the WL pool. I think this slide is going to be fast! Should be fun.

Now, who is up for some more photos?

Here we go . . .

The darker colored concrete that you see in these photos got poured some time on 4/2. You can see that they left all of these steel pipes sticking up. What in the heck could this be about? You saw in the previous photos that they had re-bar and such in a trench in between these posts.

These are the last photos you will see of the slide in its original tan shade.

Here are some photos of the man who painted the slide. He was definitely being paid by the hour. Probably overtime. He worked on the slide for three straight days, and still was not finished when we left on Saturday. You will notice that he has a cig going in every photo. He always had a cancer stick in his hand or mouth. Always. His uncle must be the foreman or something:

If you notice in this photo, the painter/smokestack is looking right at me. This was right after I yelled: "Yo, why don't you put down the cig-bones and get painting-- slowpoke!" Do you see the dirty look I got? You would think I said something bad about his mother. I think he was thinking about coming down off the ladder, but after he got a good luck at old TCD, he stayed right where he was. Smart man. But, he didn't paint any faster.

Here is a peek into the new equipment room. There is a lot of new stuff in here (maybe the old equipment room is going to be used for something else?):

This is a piece of one of the aluminum tower arms. It obviously was sawed off after the slide was installed. Do you think it has any value on e-bay?:

Here are some photos taken through the open back gate late in the afternoon on 4/2. This had usually been a good time to spy, but this week, the workers were working up to and after dark:

Do you see the square piece of concrete with the bolts sticking up in the middle of this next photo? This appears to be what they were making with those big cardboard cylinders. There is a round base, with the other stuff put on top. These appear to be for light poles:

Here is the painter again. He really was great at taking forever to paint the dang slide (and interfering with my spying):

TCD

 

[Tri-circle-D]

Moving right along . . .

If you look carefully at the pool edge in this photo, you will see what appear to be tiles stacked up.

I thought that maybe they were going to fix the error made in the metric depths stated on the pool sides. But, they used these tiles to put on top of the raised pool edge. It looks like the pool has three slightly different depths: 3 ft.; 3ft. 6 in.; and 3ft. 9 in, but all of the corresponding metric statements just say 1 M.

Here are some big pipe pieces that were stacked outside of the construction fence. These look like the pipe being buried in the splash zone. Looks like a lot of water is going to be in use here:

Some views of the pool from the Meadow recreation area playground equipment:

On Friday morning, April 3, a big truck showed up loaded down with all kinds of landscape plants and mulch:

And, the crew was hard at work all around the pool:

I still have no clue what the splash zone is ultimately going to look like, but they clearly are building some type of oval thing around it:

TCD

 

[DaveInTN]

Nice splash zones I have seen before have had a short wall around them, creating a defined entry/exit point into the zone. These are typically knee high (waist high for a toddler or pre-schooler) and made of concrete. What we are seeing in the oval contraption could be the forms to pour such a wall.

Of course, I've seen lots of things during this construction project that didn't turn out like I thought they would! For example, when they first built the decking for what turned out to be the slide platform, I thought it was going to be a raised platform for Shanta's red velvet chair.

 

[Shan-man]

For example, when they first built the decking for what turned out to be the slide platform, I thought it was going to be a raised platform for Shanta's red velvet chair.

Ho, ho, ho!

 

[BradyBz12]

when they first built the decking for what turned out to be the slide platform, I thought it was going to be a raised platform for Shanta's red velvet chair.

Hmm.... looks like plenty of room up there to me!

"And what would you like for Christmas, Jimmy? A football? Great! Down the slide you go!"

 

[DaveInTN]

Fa ra ra ra ra, ra ra, ra, ra!

 

[BradyBz12]

Fa ra ra ra ra, ra ra, ra, ra!

Careful.... you'll put your eye out!

 

[Shan-man]

How 'bout a nice... FOOTBALL?

 

[DaveInTN]

When TCD gets back online this evening he will wonder how his thread went so very horribly off topic. Then again, they usually do!

 

[RvUsa]

Awwww heck, this ain't nuttin, we haven't even started drinking yet!

 

[BradyBz12]

Awwww heck, this ain't nuttin, we haven't even started drinking yet!

Speak for yourself!