The ABC's of a FALL Trip with Friends, Food, Wine, and a Conference-Y is for: Yearning for More, But This is the End (4/17) & Z is for: Zero Warning

[pkondz]

I always tried to find places the give rest to my soul when studying all throughout my years of school.

Good habit.

Very. My guess is an assortment of historical witches? Fictional one? Either way, creepy!

Yeah... love it.

har har.

Answer: "har har"
Question: What sound does a cat with a hairball make?

It was a ghost "PEEP". Supercool! Such an adorable garnish!

Fun.

I didn't get a photo of these myself but these were actually my favorite:

I like those too.

Mine too, but one I have only made at home once. I'm too lazy to wait around stirring. I'll save it as an "eating out treat".

I have made risotto the classic, slow way...
But now I do it in the Instant Pot in a fraction of the time and almost zero effort... and it's just about as good.

Hey, I like to live on the edge now and then. Keeps life interesting.

I've had that once in Scotland at a teensy pub.

Really!

It was horrifically bad (jugged hare). It literally had a bit of hair still on it and smelled like urine.

Oh... gross...

I vant to suck your blood....

For real?!

yes! And it snowed today, too, just for fun!


I am so over winter...

 

[MaryPopsIn2]

One of my fondest memories as a young child was Grandma and Grandpa taking me to the Ringling Bros. Barnum and Bailey Circus and bringing home a HUGE souvenir book (that probably cost a fortune) which had a cover full of sparkly silver glitter and full fold-out pages in glossy color of the clowns and animals and best of all the horse vaulting ladies (that I'd later get to do myself a few years later every summer). Sigh...the good old days.

I was telling my niece a very similar story the other day, as she was heading to WDW, looking forward to riding Dumbo.

My grandparents brought 6 grandchildren and our parents to RB&B&B Circus and all 6 of us received those beautiful souvenir books. I would flip through it for hours

I wasn’t so fortunate to ride horses like you were. I would love to hear about that summer experience!

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Your summer camp experience sounds brilliant. Love that you got to put on a show for the parents.
Can’t believe any cookie is worth a 3 hour wait
Love the look of your drinks and food at DS and Summerhouse cookies were the perfect solution to skip the wait

 

[Wood Nymph]

Kari and I ate there together once, and I did enjoy it. I'd go back but might choose WBG over it first. Hard to get a reservation there though.

I've had good luck getting a dining reservation using Open Table when I couldn't get one through Disney.

 

[missjackiemcg]

What a fun evening! I find that we spend less and less time visiting DS on our trips because it is SO chaotic. I really want to try several places, but I need to prioritize visiting during the day when it isn't so crazy. Fun that you got to meet Eddy Maserati! I love his whole vibe and hope I can be enjoying life that way when I'm old enough to retire!

 

[disneyAndi14]

I really enjoyed this evening! Jock Lindsey’s Halloween Bar was amazing as usual! I would have liked a few of the Halloween Appetizers, however, it would have been those and no dinner!
It was fun getting a picture with Maserati!
I really did like Enzo’s Hideaway and would definitely recommend and go back again!

 

[Steppesister]

Answer: "har har"
Question: What sound does a cat with a hairball make?

I like those too.

I think it was rice paper covering them. So clever!

I have made risotto the classic, slow way...
But now I do it in the Instant Pot in a fraction of the time and almost zero effort... and it's just about as good.

Huh! Does it make a ton? Or freeze?

yes! And it snowed today, too, just for fun!


I am so over winter...

YAY! A really long Christmas!

 

[pkondz]

I think it was rice paper covering them. So clever!

I thought so. And yes!

Huh! Does it make a ton? Or freeze?

Makes quite a bit. Never tried to halve the recipe. There is a minimum amount of liquid required in the Instant Pot. I'd have to look into it.

YAY! A really long Christmas!

There is a special place in H.E. double-hockeysticks for people like you.

 

[Steppesister]

I was telling my niece a very similar story the other day, as she was heading to WDW, looking forward to riding Dumbo.

My grandparents brought 6 grandchildren and our parents to RB&B&B Circus and all 6 of us received those beautiful souvenir books. I would flip through it for hours

I wasn’t so fortunate to ride horses like you were. I would love to hear about that summer experience!

YES!! This was the book I remember looking at for months. Sigh... the good old days!

Since it was a working ranch we rode mostly Western, but they also taught carting and English with saddles for both. But there were a few of us daredevils who vaulted in the ring. Fun stuff. Sadly, I decided to ride on a trail ride bareback one day, fell off, and broke my ankle.

But that camp was also the place I dabbled in stained glass, leather tooling, tie dye, and tons of other fun hobbies. Also did some riflery, rock climbing, and hiking. They were very serious about making sure we learned hard work too. We did everything from carrying cement to build the dam on the property to weeding in the garden, to doing dish duty. We made it fun though with singing camp songs, joking around... it was great.

 

[Steppesister]

Your summer camp experience sounds brilliant. Love that you got to put on a show for the parents.
Can’t believe any cookie is worth a 3 hour wait
Love the look of your drinks and food at DS and Summerhouse cookies were the perfect solution to skip the wait

It was a great experience for sure! See reply above too ^.

Totally not worth that. I don't know many, or any, who would hang around the Springs for 3 hours for a cookie or two.

Summer House is the perfect alternative!!

 

[Steppesister]

I've had good luck getting a dining reservation using Open Table when I couldn't get one through Disney.

I didn't know WBG used Open Table!! Thanks! good to know!

 

[Steppesister]

What a fun evening! I find that we spend less and less time visiting DS on our trips because it is SO chaotic. I really want to try several places, but I need to prioritize visiting during the day when it isn't so crazy. Fun that you got to meet Eddy Maserati! I love his whole vibe and hope I can be enjoying life that way when I'm old enough to retire!

Exactly. Just too much poepley-ness. LOL! Yeah, I think the day time is best, but hard to pull away from the parks, I admit. I suppose if you do go in the evening, best just get to "the place", eat, and bolt.

Isn't Eddy great? Just love his exuberance!

 

[Steppesister]

I really enjoyed this evening! Jock Lindsey’s Halloween Bar was amazing as usual! I would have liked a few of the Halloween Appetizers, however, it would have been those and no dinner!
It was fun getting a picture with Maserati!
I really did like Enzo’s Hideaway and would definitely recommend and go back again!

It was a really fun evening. Yes, JL's is always got such a vibe goin' on. I love to just wander and take in all the Indy stuff. Next time, we'll have to plan an appie dinner there LOL!

 

[Steppesister]

Makes quite a bit. Never tried to halve the recipe. There is a minimum amount of liquid required in the Instant Pot. I'd have to look into it.

That's very true. Haven't used ours in quite a while.

There is a special place in H.E. double-hockeysticks for people like you.

I've heard it freezes over there now and then.

 

[pkondz]

I've heard it freezes over there now and then.

Only when the Winnipeg Jets win the Stanley Cup.

 

[Steppesister]

Only when the Winnipeg Jets win the Stanley Cup.

Like never...?

 

[pkondz]

Like never...?

Like… never

 

[Steppesister]

Chapter in progress....

 

[Steppesister]

X is for: eXemplary Food and eXcellent Rides in EPCOT
Oct 27, 2025​

We’ve come to the final day of this very nice Disney trip. Other than the Great Laptop Fiasco of 2025, it was grand in every way. Did I get to go Vic & Al’s? No. But I did stay deluxe; I did experience every attraction I had hoped to; I did soak in all of that lovely Disney vibe that makes my heart happy.
Let me share how I spent my last few hours in one of my Most Happy Places.

While Caroline and I gussied up for the day and did the last bit of packing pf our bags, I snapped a few photos of the room décor.

​

There’s something about the raw and earthy nature of African art that makes me smile. Point of order…. Here’s a photo of the painting I bought in Tanzania last year:

​

I waved good-bye to the savannah animals and rolled my bag to Luggage Services and got them all checked in. I mean my laptop was already wrecked, so no risk there. We walked into the park at 9:45, so clearly there was no early start for these girls. And that’s ok. This was a day of mostly wandering around eating all the things. I’m pretty sure we had some LL’s, hence some of the criss-crossing that was done.

​

There were a few last-minute pumpkins I needed to find to round out my hunt, so took care of those. As a word to all things EPCOT Hunts, generally speaking, the Remy, Honey Bee, and Figment hunts (Festival respective) are mostly found/done in the World Showcase areas and the other, more holiday-centered hunts, like Easter Eggs and Halloween Pumpkins are in the Future World areas. And as a point of rabid disappointment and consternation, I am abhorred at the complete dissolvement of everything Walt had envisioned for this park. They may as well just re-name the whole thing. It was supposed to be future-oriented (OF TOMORROW!) not what it has become. It makes me sad. I miss Innovations and the Edutainment that was executed so well at EPCOT.

Alright, back to making the best of the re-imagined park…

​

We found ourselves in Club Cool tasting all the things. Beverley is just as disgusting as it’s always been, and all the others reminded me why I don’t enjoy soda/pop in general. Just not my thing, and that’s okay.

​

With no particular route planned, we made our way through the Harvest Hollow area (love this new space for the Festivals as it has some seating and green space) and on into World Showcase.

​

It’s a Small Mexico had a zero wait, and I still wanted to see if I could snag a photo of the hardest Hidden Mickey on property… to no avail. It takes a team effort and it’s doubtful I will ever time the photo just right. Maybe someday. Instead, I just enjoyed the catchy music and silly plotline of Donald doing what Donald does best- causing trouble.
From the net:

​

It’s crazy that I don’t have a single photo between Mexico and America, but once I got there, I found a cool little display tucked in a corner of the America Pavilion art store.

​

Don't forget to take time now and then at Disney to admire the carefully curated theming stuff. You just may find some amazing treasures tucked here and there. One mini-museum inside the America Pavilion (next to where VOL sings) has some amazing rotating collections. But my favorite one is inside the Morocco Pavilion where there are some fun cultural finds to admire.

This year, the F&W kiosk in the America Pavilion had 2 of my very favorite items.

​

This little slider was sooooo good! The horsey sauce and au jus made it absolutely perfect. I’d get that again in a heartbeat. Caroline and I split this and the other savory they served there- the Lobster Roll. So much yum-yums!

​

Admittedly, it could have had a bit more filling but what was there was simply divine! It’s hard not to like something dipped in warm butter.

​

Before leaving, I took time to have a moment of silence for the fallen and those who’ve made sacrifices. Disney has at least two little areas that pay a bit of tribute.

​

We moved on to Japan next to pig out just a little more. Why not? Vacation calories mean nothing. It wasn’t on my list, but Caroline wanted to try the Don Buri bowl. Right nearby was the Greece kiosk and I had my eye on the Griddled Cheese. She snagged the former and I stood in line and grabbed the latter and we met up at a table somewhere in Morocco.

​

Who was the winner?

She was.

The Griddled Cheese just wasn’t what I thought it would be, so more of a missed expectations sort of situation. I mean it was ok, but it was rigid and crunchy, whereas I thought it would be melty on the inside with a sweet crispy crunch on the outside. So, not even a flavor thing, but more of a texture misfire. Ah well, if you don’t try new things, you may never find new loves or never misses.

​

The Don Buri Bowl was very good, albeit quite spendy for the size. Would I get it on my own? No, I try to stick to the $6-$7 range for my goodies. But to share, you betcha!

​

From there, we found ourselves heading to France for more noshing. It’s how Festivals are done. I haven’t purchased a single item there since I nearly barfed on the escargot pastry many years ago. But Caroline was eyeing the cheese-stuffed bread, and I was happy to share it. In a nutshell, I thought it was very good, but very filling and very rich. I think if we’d started with this one, we’d have ended up trying a whole lot less that day.

​

I didn’t take a photo of the kiosk’s menu board, but I don’t remember it being too terribly spendy. Again, I’m soooo glad to have had a snack-splitter to conquer massive amounts of food with. @disneyAndi14, we will have our work cut out for us at F&G in a couple of weeks.

On our way to ride Remy, (paid or SR, I’m not sure now) I found the MOST amusing thing EVER!!! I’m pretty sure someone in Disney management has been reading my TRs and copied my idea. Lookie what I saw!!!

​

As soon as Caroline gets our LL’s on Thursday, I’ll finish up my own little Excel, laminated Trip Cards and get them into the Park Bag along with my ears, MB, poncho, extra charging brick, and mini-First Aid Kit. Adequately amused, we scurried around with Remy lamenting my last ride in 3D.

​

Speaking of riding in 3D, I channeled my inner Colette while desperately wishing I could remember more than 2 words from the 2 years of French I took in high school.

​

For now I’ll say adieu (my favorite Wordle start word) and finish up both this day and the TR as a whole next time. Stay safe, Friends!!

 

[Steppesister]

Like… never

Sowwies.