The ABCs of Another Steppe Into Adventure!- Last Africa Ch. + World Showcase Pt. 2

[Steppesister]

One costume I've seen is to go as Disney World road signs. Get purple t-shirts printed with the white letters, make Mickey ear hats with the big white arrow. Worth googling!

Hey, that's not a bad idea and easy to pull off pretty inexpensively. Thanks!

 

[Steppesister]

See? All need to know stuff!

I should start charging for this stuff! It might be a more reliable return than the stock market these days.

Oh, I will. I don't have to open the can before it goes bad until 2340AD.

Yes. You know, I probably would have gotten that if I went during F&W. But after reading your description.... No.

Although I've never cooked them myself, I'd imagine it's not an easy dish to do well.

 

[vamassey1]

He probably is...snails make good bait to catch something edible.

But in a totally friendly, non-judgemental, just having fun way.

I ate a fair amount of Spam in Hawaii.... I got home and bought some.
Haven't gotten up the nerve to open the can yet!

It will come in handy when zombie acropolis comes.

I'm not a fan either. See? We agree on something.
Although... I had Oysters Rockefeller once and liked that.

It's nice to agree. Youngest works as a waitress in a local restaurant and loves Oysters Rockefeller too. Won't touch the raw ones.

(And don't tell anyone... but I really don't care if people like escargot or not. I just like to tease them. mum's the word.)

Mums the word.

I don't blame you. I've loved oysters for a long time, but I learned that I'm eather particular about them. The ones i had in New Orleans were were big and chalky and made me gag. I like small ones you can eat in one bite.

Louisiana takes pride in their large oysters. Yuck!

 

[Steppesister]

Does oyster stew count for liking oysters?? If so, great.

 

[vamassey1]

Very festive update. I enjoyed all the glitzy decorations around DHS. They were the perfect compliment for this park. Your meal sounded delicious. Someday I need to eat here.

 

[pkondz]

The alarm hissed

You have a snake to wake you up???

He’d have grabbed his right arm too, but he traded that in for his 8-day Park Hopper a few months back.

Haven't we all.

Besides, running one limb short would make bus driving a bit challenging.

Nah. Considering some of the rides I've had on Disney busses, he'd fit right in.

he pondered his situation in life and declared it pretty darned apeeling.

<groan>

he had big fat plans for the day. Stroll the avenues, ride a ride or two, and take in a leisurely fine dining experience.

Although I might trade in fine dining for 50s Prime Time.

waiting interminably long for some grandkids to show up and have a play date

Well, you've got one now, so the wait shouldn't be too much longer.

Of course, there’s always time for a little hibbidy hip with his Little Tatey Flame,

Hey now! Family board!

(And... hibbidy hip.... )

Let’s see what kind of interesting things Tate dredged up among his rich and famous friends for the day, shall we?

Sure!

Love this photo. It looks like he's going "Yes!!!!"
And.... he's missing his right arm! Did you do that on purpose?

The sun shone down on his nicely tanned body, making him a warm, but not hot, potato.

Good thing. Because if he had been... well.... some butter... sour cream... bacon... chives....



No more Mr. Potato Head.

In fact, Mr. O’Patty never had one single drop of rain try to ruin his vacation. Not bad for a week spent in Central Florida.

Nice!

Mickey himself was even there to shoot him a friendly wave.

Are you sure it's a wave he's shooting him?

Some of you aren’t as old as dirt like your humble authoress

Oh, pffffttt... I'm older than you are, little girl.

but I very vividly remember the tinsel draped over my great aunt’s tree,

There ya go. I remember that from my parents' tree.

They say a man in uniform makes all the ladies swoon, but Steppe always seems to get doe-eyed by a man who offers his arm, can make her smile, and is kind and polite. Bo the Coke Man- always there as the man of refreshment and welcome.

Uh, oh. Looks like he's sweeping you off your feet.
Mike better be careful or he's going to lose you.

And, while Steppe was making an idiot of herself with Bo Cardboard, Tate thought to himself

Clearly, this is where all the Elves on Shelves hang out

They can stay there. Thank goodness we don't have that affliction in our home.

before they sneak away and raise gas prices on the pumps before Holiday travel.

Ugh. I see this is a universal truism.... and it's not even Universal!

Further in, Tate became immersed in all the garlands and swags hung all about. He remembers being struck that, everywhere they were, they blended into the color schemes perfectly and complemented rather than clashed.

Huh. You have a much better eye than I do. I didn't notice that very much. Maybe it's because it blended so well. If it'd jarred, maybe then I would've noticed.

He was also reminded that Art Deco is a décor that really floats his little tater boat.

This park takes him back to a simpler time when stars actually knew how to act and to keep their mouths in check- or at least they spouted off in a drier, subtler, more sophisticated way.

They were like Gods. Larger than life.

Not so much anymore.

Like that one. I don't think I saw that sign.

He dreamed of having his own star on the Walk of Fame as Mickey did,

Or Minnie.... as of January 22nd.

Then again, when Once Upon a Toy removes an entire display of all the props and extra body parts for sale, one’s chances get even more dim. Poor Tate was absolutely, 100% devastated when any hope of recovering his arm on that trip was snatched away from him.

No Mr. Potato stuff at their stores now? Huh.

Luckily, Steppe has a few extras laying around at home.

Just how much Mr. Potato stuff do you have???

While Steppe thought it odd, Tate is used to bodiless heads hanging around.

Can totally see that.
Doesn't make it any less creepy, though.

With a light sigh, he wondered what Disney extracted from them in exchange for admission.

Arm and a leg and another leg and a body. You can keep one arm.

At least he wouldn’t melt under the Florida sun like his cousin Olaf might have a few years back because Anna didn’t have the guts to ship him off to a colder place when Elsa snapped out of her little hissy fit.

Heh. Are you referring to my neck of the woods, perchance?

Disney has a way of bringing back the dead with completely implausible plot twists that even a 3-year old can see through,

But the 2-year olds buy it every time.

I mean, Luke living as an immortal Jedi on some God-forsaken island? Puh-leeze.

Hey! Spoiler alert!

Tate next came upon a top-notch entertainment act that he could hardly take his eyes off. (Errr, he could have had he wanted to, but he thought of the children.)

Never trust a toy that can pluck its own eyes out.

Very nice capture! <applaud>

 

[pkondz]

It wasn’t long before he found himself approached by one of those CMs in a collared shirt, you know the ones I’m talking about; we’ve all been accos…. er, invited to take a tour as well at some point during a Disney stay. I’m sure of it. The $100 gift card or a few FiPs ain’t a bad offer, and Tate just couldn’t resist.

I read the rest, but.... when I first read this, I was. "Oh! She took a DVC tour."

One only has to contemplate the 4-hour standby lines for Flights of Passage....

one certainly does. Insane.

The next one was starting in just a few minutes and not very far away either! Here, in fact:

I would love to have a DVC at an ice cream parlour.


My waistline might not love it... but I would.

No, not the ice cream shop, behind it. The (in)famous Tower Hotel.

Well.... that'd be pretty awesome too, actually.

The staff struck him as a bit morose at times and the décor seemed a bit… dusty. “Heh, looks like Steppe’s house,” he thought to himself.

And was that the warm smell of colitas he wondered?

Rising up through the air?

Darn it! I'm sure I read something about the hat and cane... but can't find anything now.

Nice shot!

He began to wonder where all the hundreds of dollars of yearly Maintenance Fees were going when he saw the landscaping, and the general upkeep appeared to be fairly neglected.

Clearly, he's needed. Or his money is. That puts him in a good position for negotiations.

But the further he got into the decrepit old resort, he wondered if this would really be a wise “investment”.

I'm in!

Dang. That's a really good shot.

Odd, thought Tate. Huh. It all started out okay, but it was when the elevator kept ending up in the basement, a thoroughly creepy place, that he decided his money might be better spent on orthodontics for his Little Tater Kids, the remainder of the mortgage on his home, and a new prosthetic right arm.

Well... if the elevator is broken... yeah... better to walk away.

He certainly wasn't keen on finding out if there were mirrors on the ceiling or pink champagne on ice.

You say that like it's a bad thing.
Fine, I suppose the next thing he remembered, he was running for the door.

Where did you take that!?!?!?
Surely not on the ride itself?
Geez! You've really got a good eye.

Ptomaine poisoning wasn't something he wanted to risk on vacation.

Ah. Holding out for salmonella. Smart.

I wonder. A few of those items have names. (like Gateau Chocolate au Rodman)
I wonder if they might be imagineers?

Cute shot!

Ah! So there really is a brown derby. Are all the lights like that?

And there she is! You did say you were going to dine with her.

Steppe was particularly happy to be visiting this lovely venue again as she has gone there before to do a little reminiscing of her own. She knew exactly what drink she’d order in the memory of her lovely grandmother- Lillian’s favorite, an apricot sour.

Awwwww... That's really nice.

Tate steered clear of anything vodka based, as it came just a little too close to cannibalism for his taste,

Now that's clever!

Steppe asked for the sour, and while the waiter was skeptical, he went off to the bar to ask if they had any apricot brandy in the house. It wasn’t long before he came back and said they were using it in a holiday sangria special and that someone would go get some out of a back storeroom just for her. HUZZAH!!!

Really! Nice!!

Impressed.

They slowly sipped their cocktails in utter and complete bliss, sharing easy and happy conversation

Nice little pause in the day to contemplate and reminisce.

while blithely ignoring the noisy table with kids beside them.

Ugh... or try to contemplate and reminisce.

The salad they’d ordered to split was brought to be tossed tableside

Oh? Cool!
I like tableside service like that. I like to watch how they do things.

For reals, The Derby is pretty high on Tatey and Steppe’s most-loved restaurants. Elegant, not too pricey, attentive wait staff, not terribly noisy, but not stuffy and the food is high quality- a collective 4 thumbs up!

Might just have to give it a try.

And since he was at Disney, they weren’t going to be cheap thrills.

True dat.

Steppe spied a very cleverly hidden Mickey in the drinking fountain by the RNRC bathrooms. Check it out next time you’re over that way risking paralysis or persistent nausea.

Hmmmm... I dunno.... maybe? Or just coincidental....

He and Steppe called for their driver who brought the car around in short order.

But of course. One does not dine at the derby with Barbara Stanwyck and take the bus.

Nice wheels, spud!

it did spark a long dinnertime conversation about our upcoming Fall, 2019 trip.

Oh! You're going back next year with the fam! That'll be fun!

Whoa. That looks good.

I'll be back later with contest answers.

 

[pkondz]

I should start charging for this stuff! It might be a more reliable return than the stock market these days.

Although I've never cooked them myself, I'd imagine it's not an easy dish to do well.

Dunno. I actually have a recipe (somewhere) for The Keg's escargot.... and never had the nerve to do it.

It's nice to agree. Youngest works as a waitress in a local restaurant and loves Oysters Rockefeller too. Won't touch the raw ones.

Did you see the story recently where someone died from eating raw oysters? Don't remember the details, sorry.

Does oyster stew count for liking oysters?? If so, great.

Nope.

 

[vamassey1]

Did you see the story recently where someone died from eating raw oysters? Don't remember the details, sorry.

I did see the headline, but didn't read the story.

 

[Steppesister]

Got some work to do here, but there’s this little food party I’m busy with today.

Oh I suppose there’s some “important” game on too, but I’m too busy stuffing my face with Crack Chicken to have noticed.

 

[Poolrat]

My normally cursed football team won the right to be the team that loses to the Patriots in the Super Bowl this year!

And THEY WON!!!!! Mark is losing his mind right now!!! Congrats Eagles and Eagles Fans!!!!

 

[Steppesister]

And THEY WON!!!!! Mark is losing his mind right now!!! Congrats Eagles and Eagles Fans!!!!

I was TOTALLY going to quote that! Lol! That game was nuts!!! And fun to “watch with y’all”!

 

[Poolrat]

Tate trimmed his mustache, grabbed his mouse ears, and hopped in his bag eager to get an early start on his day.

I love a Tate filled update!!!

What a great day!!!

A favorite ride and a nice lunch!

3) Would you order a meal at the Sunset Room? If so, what would you have had (at least 3 items)? (gimme points)

Mignon of Beef
Spring Chicken and
Peach Shortcake

I would stay away from the Rack of Lamb Johnson.....

4) Tate had one more snack at DHS that day. What was it?
a. Mickey bar
b. Popcorn
c. Ice cream cone
d. Cream cheese pretzel

I am thinking Ice Cream Cone by the pictures. But my guess is D the Cream cheese pretzel!

5) Did Steppe buy any souvenirs while at DHS?

I will say No

6) Story time for a point: What is your favorite tradition on Christmas Day or Eve?

My tradition is that I cook Christmas Eve Dinner. And maybe that I also will Not cook a Christmas day dinner.


This time a prepped to pm you .....

 

[MeghanEmily]

Satisfied with his early start, the sweet ride, and a full day of unfettered fun ahead of him, he pondered his situation in life and declared it pretty darned apeeling.

Teehehe

In fact, Mr. O’Patty never had one single drop of rain try to ruin his vacation.

Wow! That's pretty fortunate! Nothing worse than soggy taters.

While Steppe thought it odd, Tate is used to bodiless heads hanging around. With a light sigh, he wondered what Disney extracted from them in exchange for admission.

The $100 gift card or a few FiPs ain’t a bad offer, and Tate just couldn’t resist.

I couldn't resist, either! It's some pretty great incentive they have going now.

The staff struck him as a bit morose at times and the décor seemed a bit… dusty. “Heh, looks like Steppe’s house,” he thought to himself.

Oh this is a cool shot.

Tate steered clear of anything vodka based, as it came just a little too close to cannibalism for his taste, so got a gin and tonic.

Bahaha good call, Tate!

It wasn’t long before he came back and said they were using it in a holiday sangria special and that someone would go get some out of a back storeroom just for her. HUZZAH!!!

Ooh, you were in luck! That sounds excellent!

Such a wonderful salad. This is always all I want to order here.

Tate has no neck to worry about so has no problem; Steppe, on the other hand, rides once and calls it good (enough).

Baha Tate! One of the few benefits of being neck-less I guess.

FoW- I’m going to miss that show.

Me, too! I'll go see the new show and see what it's like. But I really liked FoW and will miss it.

 

[Terra Nova guy]

Letter H Contest Questions:

1) How many times does the word "Hollywood" or parts of it appear in this update?

2)List all of the different types of classic Christmas items in the decorations you can- 1 point for each kind. (example... bows, stars, etc...)

3) Would you order a meal at the Sunset Room? If so, what would you have had (at least 3 items)? (gimme points)

4) Tate had one more snack at DHS that day. What was it?
a. Mickey bar
b. Popcorn
c. Ice cream cone
d. Cream cheese pretzel

5) Did Steppe buy any souvenirs while at DHS?

6) Story time for a point: What is your favorite tradition on Christmas Day or Eve?

7) Your Letter H Mystery Photo... (your answer will be somewhere ON Disney Property and begins with Letter H.

PM imminent for questions 1, 2 & 7

3) Sure I would. The Grape Fruit Maraschino might be interesting since I like maraschino cherries. Both the Mignon of Beef and Rack of Lamb Johnson sound appetizing, although I'm wondering what Mr. Johnson does with the lamb. No vegetables - that's what food eats. For dessert I for sure would go for the Gateau Chocolate, but if I'm being picky (and why not) they've misspelled this item on the menu since they have chosen to write the French word for cake but used English for chocolate. Tea with dessert, please because I don't do coffee.

4) a. Mickey bar

5) yes

6) After Christmas Day presents and brunch with my parents, we all sit and relax after the hectic past 24 hours (or so). We all sit and watch the Disney Parks Parade. It's not often all four of us sit as a family anymore to watch something, with a nearly 18 year old and 10 year old, their tastes don't often cross when it comes to TV. But I love it, just so relaxing. I normally get some sort of holiday flavoured tea, like a chai spice, so drink that while watching, and of course tuck into some of the chocolate from my stocking. I do lament the fact the "parade" (at least those are the long ago memories I had of it when I was younger) has been reduced to a 2 hour commercial with only snippets of the actual parade. But alas, it's more for the family time now.

 

[docsoliday1]

I call foul.
There are 12 Fs on that sign
FOOD
FESTIVAL
FARM
FRESH
GF Little orange square next to Roasted Beet Salad
Feta
Florida
Freak
Florida
Flight
GF = Gluten/Wheat Friendly

The 13th F is in the watermark, so technically, it's not on the sign even though I included it initially.
Food

 

[docsoliday1]

H is for: Hooray for Hollywoodland!!​

The alarm hissed early as it usually does at Disney.

Umm, I realize people have different preferences, but I think you need an alarm clock vs. an alarm snake!

But time’s not for wasting at Disney! Tate trimmed his mustache

And left little plastic hairs EVERYWHERE.

, grabbed his mouse ears, and hopped in his bag eager to get an early start on his day. He’d have grabbed his right arm too, but he traded that in for his 8-day Park Hopper a few months back.

yeah, 8 day park hopper is better than an arm.

traveling, waiting interminably long for some grandkids to show up and have a play date, but occasionally he steps out

Tatey has grandkids or he's waiting for your grandkids? Considering you just had your first, might be a looong wait.

The sun shone down on his nicely tanned body, making him a warm, but not hot, potato. In fact, Mr. O’Patty never had one single drop of rain try to ruin his vacation. Not bad for a week spent in Central Florida. The bus came to a halt in a galaxy far, far away. I’m not sure why they are building Star Wars Land when they already have the “far away” part down pat. Undaunted and appropriately caffeinated, he headed towards the entrance and found the “welcome mat” already laid out for him. Mickey himself was even there to shoot him a friendly wave.


“Hi, Mickey!”

Did the bus jump to lightspeed or was it the typical 5 year journey?
Either I'm looking in the wrong picture or Mickey is invisible.

Tate was excited to experience the 30’s and 40’s flavor of a retro-style Christmas. Some of you aren’t as old as dirt like your humble authoress, but I very vividly remember the tinsel draped over my great aunt’s tree, the silvery glitter of garlands bedecking the doorways, and brightly colored balls that made a simple, yet striking display in her Burbank, California home. Yes, that style persisted well into the early 70s, as they’d not replaced their War Era decorations. Why would they? They were perfectly classy.

Carp....that means I'm OLDER than dirt.
Tinsel = icicles? (i.e. the single strands that go over the branches) I love those (except during cleanup)

damage to his poor little spudly body. Luckily, Steppe has a few extras laying around at home.

You have body parts laying around at home? Hmmm, maybe I don't want to meet you after all. Don't want to be called stumpy or gimpy.

Tate mused, Disney has a way of bringing back the dead with completely implausible plot twists that even a 3-year old can see through, so you never know. I mean, Luke living as an immortal Jedi on some God-forsaken island? Puh-leeze.

Don't get me started on the new SW movies. The graphics and special effects are good, but the storyline is lacking.

Tate next came upon a top-notch entertainment act that he could hardly take his eyes off. (Errr, he could have had he wanted to, but he thought of the children.) A sleight of hand magician was working his craft among the crowd and the murmur of ooohs and aaahhhs lent a sense of drama and intrigue. Each trick was more impressive than the one before, and for his finale he called up a young boy to help demonstrate the ever-amusing appearing-coin-where-there-was-none-before trick. It elicited the appropriate amount of applause and wonder due him. The Sunset Blvd. entertainers never let Tate down.



Continued in next post.....

I almost listed deck of cards, 50 cent pieces and wedding ring in my answers for #2, but decided they weren't Christmas decorations.

 

[docsoliday1]

Letter H Contest Questions:

1) How many times does the word "Hollywood" or parts of it appear in this update?

Sent via PM

2)List all of the different types of classic Christmas items in the decorations you can- 1 point for each kind. (example... bows, stars, etc...)

Sent via PM

3) Would you order a meal at the Sunset Room? If so, what would you have had (at least 3 items)? (gimme points)

Maybe. I wouldn't necessarily go out of my way to go there, but if I did, yes.
I'd order Mignon of beef, Fresh green peas, new carrots, possibly an autumn salad. Not sure about dessert...I'm not a big shortcake fan, very picky when it comes to apple pie (many fall short of my high standards), so maybe the chocolate thingy. If they have hot tea, might have one of those. Just curious regarding the legality or etiquette....if you're not a spring chicken, can you order the spring chicken? I like chicken, but not sure if I'd be allowed to order it.

4) Tate had one more snack at DHS that day. What was it?
a. Mickey bar
b. Popcorn
c. Ice cream cone
d. Cream cheese pretzel

Cream cheese pretzel. Mickey bar and popcorn are all difficult to manage with only one arm. Tatecan get an ice cream cone just about anywhere, but not a cream cheese pretzel.

5) Did Steppe buy any souvenirs while at DHS?

Yes. You had to get something for your loyal subj....err readers.

6) Story time for a point: What is your favorite tradition on Christmas Day or Eve?

Not Christmas day or eve, but I MUST see both How the grinch stole Christmas and Charlie Brown's Christmas before I feel it's Christmas time. I like Frosty the snowman and Rudolph the red nose reindeer also, but they're not mandatory.
Christmas morning - Reading the story of the first Christmas from the Bible.
Christmas evening - Lasagna dinner

7) Your Letter H Mystery Photo... (your answer will be somewhere ON Disney Property and begins with Letter H.

Where is this?

Sent via PM.

PM me your answers to 1, 2, and 7. Posting will deduct points.

Don't want points deducted...that would be Queen being mean to her subjects.

 

[docsoliday1]

You have a snake to wake you up???

Wish I'd read your reply before I replied...we had the same thought.
Great minds...

 

[pkondz]

Wish I'd read your reply before I replied...we had the same thought.
Great minds...

... we ain’t!