Whistle While We Work: January 2016 Bounceback! page 12 10/15

[natebenma]

Behind the Seeds


After getting my breakfast in France, I made my way here:

With Soarin’ closed for refurbishment, this place was almost a ghost town.

I will apologize in advance for this update. There will be lots of pictures and not so much commentary, because as time goes on, I have forgotten a lot of details about this tour.

I love Living with the Land, but I have not been on the attraction for my past 3 trips. We were going to go in June 2015 during the 8th grade class trip after we ate dinner at Sunshine Seasons, but when we got over to the attraction around 8:30, we were informed it was closed for the night, at 8:40 pm

The tour was going to be my rainy day back up plan in August 2014, but remarkably, we didn’t get any the afternoon I was at EPCOT.

But today was an unexpected bonus visit to EPCOT and I was alone, I decided to make this my must-do. The tour is only $20, and if you have an Annual Pass, Disney Visa and maybe even AAA card, you get a discount. With my Disney Visa, the price was $16. I signed up at the desk in between the Soarin’ exit and Sunshine Seasons and the CM told me Stephen was leading the tour and he would be fantastic. He was.


The first room we went to was Biological Control- natural ways to control disease and pests on plants.

Next up was an area where there were displays of projects taking place in conjunction with guest scientists. Here, agents from the USDA were working on some experiments.

We then went into the main greenhouse into the display areas where the Living with the Land vehicles go:

A lot of the growing techniques we saw were growing containers that were stacked to save space and resources

This plant demonstrated a survival tactic. When touched, the leaves shrivel up as if they had died (and then come back once they are left alone for a bit)

We stopped for snacks- Mickey cucumbers grown in the exhibit

These are rows of single tomato plants!!!

Continued in Next Post

 

[natebenma]

Behind the Seeds- Continued from Previous Post


More plants

Aren’t these imprints in the sand adorable?

Next up was the aquaculture area-

Back in the greenhouse

The final section we toured was the tropical plants area.

Then Stephen asked if we wanted to have our picture taken in front of the Mickey tree.

Of course!!!

I thoroughly enjoyed this tour. I just wish I could remember it better!


But spending all that time around growing food has made me hungry-


Next Up: Lunch in the Land of My People

 

[Wood Nymph]

Congratulations to Nate for getting his driver's license. He might not get too much time to use it now that he is at college. But I bet he is glad that he now has the license.

I'm glad that college is good so far. It is always better to start out good then to start out bad.

Your tour looked very interesting. I could never figure out why they raised alligators. There are plenty of them in the nearest wetland.

We have businesses here in Chicago that are using hydroponics to grow fresh produce for area restaurants and stores. They are using old, abandoned factories for their farms. I think they use a little more efficient system than Disney does, though. But it is great to see that the industry can succeed.

 

[rteetz]

Yay for Nate getting his license! I was in those shoes 2.5 years ago.

Also yay for starting classes. I started yesterday as well and things are going smoothly so far. I am sure it will get more difficult as the semester goes on. I hope he is handling everything well.

I have heard so much about the Behind the seeds tour and I have always wanted to do it, one of these days I will. Great report of it!

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Love all the photos from behind the seeds. Looks like something I'd enjoy doing. You and I are at the same stage with our eldest sons- exciting and ever so slightly stressful all at once. Good to hear Nate is enjoying himself. University doesn't start until the end of September here so we have a week or two to go which is just as well given the amount of form- filling still to be done

 

[pas130]

I am so happy to hear Nate's first class went well, and that he's enjoying UNH so far Parallel parking is the worst, I'm glad he passed it the next time around. I've been driving for a loooong time and only mastered parking 5 years ago when forced to because I had no other choice where I work.

Behind the seeds! DH and I did it and loved it. It was a great deal with the AP discount (or even without it actually). I did the ladybug release. The alligators were gone from the Land this past visit, and with all that happened I get it. My favorite part of the tour was the fish feeding frenzy

 

[SarahDisney]

I hope Nate has a great first year at UNH!! Hopefully it will be a fantastic college experience for him. I can't comment on the driver's license thing ... since I still don't have one. My permit expires next summer, though, so this year might be the year ... (probably not).

I don't think we went anywhere near The Land pavillion in January. We skipped Living with the Land (we actually haven't done it in a while). So the ghost town really doesn't surprise me.

Thanks for sharing so many pictures from the tour - it's cool to see some of the backstage and up-close stuff.

 

[annie170]

Congrats to Nate on getting his drivers license. I still have trouble parallel parking and avoid it all costs. My oldest daughter didn't get her license until she was almost 18. She was a bit nervous to drive and we didn't push it. Her two younger sisters, however, were chomping at the bit to get their licenses as soon as they turned sixteen.

Glad to hear things are going well at college, also. It sounds like you're handling this milestone very well.

I've never seen the Land Pavilion that empty! Was Sunshine Seasons even open?

We just booked a trip for this coming January with two of our daughters and their families. One granddaughter turns three in February, so we have to get a trip in while she's still free. That's what I refer to as Disney logic. Hoping for lighter crowds, too.

I haven't been on Living with the Land in quite awhile. That tour looks like a lot of fun and the price doesn't seem that bad. I enjoy anything shared from behind the scenes. That Mickey tree is adorable!

 

[natebenma]

Congratulations to Nate for getting his driver's license. He might not get too much time to use it now that he is at college. But I bet he is glad that he now has the license.

I'm glad that college is good so far. It is always better to start out good then to start out bad.

Your tour looked very interesting. I could never figure out why they raised alligators. There are plenty of them in the nearest wetland.

We have businesses here in Chicago that are using hydroponics to grow fresh produce for area restaurants and stores. They are using old, abandoned factories for their farms. I think they use a little more efficient system than Disney does, though. But it is great to see that the industry can succeed.

I can't even begin to explain the stress in the past few weeks dealing with the license issues. But at least it distracted me from being sad about Nate starting college. He won't be driving until spring, so we have him excluded from our auto insurance. Then when he does start driving again, we will probably have him practice with us to get more experience and confidence. But that is an issue for next year!

I am doing my best refraining from texting him frequently. He has contacted us a few times about his meal plan and buying books. We will see him sometime this weekend because he has asked for a couple of things and we printed out a booklet he needs. He doesn't have any classes on Friday and we are waiting to hear if he wants to come home this weekend or if he wants us to take him to lunch.

I think the alligators are being raised for consumption. If I remember correctly, they don't belong to Disney, they are under the control of either a state or federal program.

Yay for Nate getting his license! I was in those shoes 2.5 years ago.

Also yay for starting classes. I started yesterday as well and things are going smoothly so far. I am sure it will get more difficult as the semester goes on. I hope he is handling everything well.

I have heard so much about the Behind the seeds tour and I have always wanted to do it, one of these days I will. Great report of it!

Hope all is going well for you so far at school.

Behind the Seeds was really worth it for me because it didn't take up a lot of time, it is inexpensive and I love the Living with the Land attraction. Oh, and there is food to sample.

Love all the photos from behind the seeds. Looks like something I'd enjoy doing. You and I are at the same stage with our eldest sons- exciting and ever so slightly stressful all at once. Good to hear Nate is enjoying himself. University doesn't start until the end of September here so we have a week or two to go which is just as well given the amount of form- filling still to be done

I'll be thinking of you in the coming weeks.

 

[natebenma]

I hope Nate has a great first year at UNH!! Hopefully it will be a fantastic college experience for him. I can't comment on the driver's license thing ... since I still don't have one. My permit expires next summer, though, so this year might be the year ... (probably not).

I don't think we went anywhere near The Land pavillion in January. We skipped Living with the Land (we actually haven't done it in a while). So the ghost town really doesn't surprise me.

Thanks for sharing so many pictures from the tour - it's cool to see some of the backstage and up-close stuff.

Nate has inherited his feelings about driving. Neither Mark nor I enjoy driving and he sees the idiotic drivers out on the road.

Since Nate's permit was expiring it really put the pressure on to get this done- we really didn't want to go back to the RMV to retest and start the process all over again.

It was fun being backstage, especially when they allowed pictures!

Congrats to Nate on getting his drivers license. I still have trouble parallel parking and avoid it all costs. My oldest daughter didn't get her license until she was almost 18. She was a bit nervous to drive and we didn't push it. Her two younger sisters, however, were chomping at the bit to get their licenses as soon as they turned sixteen.

Glad to hear things are going well at college, also. It sounds like you're handling this milestone very well.

I've never seen the Land Pavilion that empty! Was Sunshine Seasons even open?

We just booked a trip for this coming January with two of our daughters and their families. One granddaughter turns three in February, so we have to get a trip in while she's still free. That's what I refer to as Disney logic. Hoping for lighter crowds, too.

I haven't been on Living with the Land in quite awhile. That tour looks like a lot of fun and the price doesn't seem that bad. I enjoy anything shared from behind the scenes. That Mickey tree is adorable!

We don't parallel park. At all. Ever.

When I got my license in NH, we didn't have to do that, just back into a space.

Our kids always complain because we tend to park in places where we can pull through and so that means extra walking, but Nate understands now.

Ben will have driver's ed next summer and I don't expect to have the same issues we had with Nate.

It helps in my transition that Nate is so close to home. I visited with my dad on Tuesday, and Nate is about 10 minutes away from there. Tempting, but I managed to avoid driving through campus looking for him!

I think Sunshine Seasons was open for breakfast, but there wasn't much of a reason for people to be there. Many of the boats I saw go by while I was on the tour were empty.

That is exciting news about a big family trip. Do you mind sharing where you will be staying?

 

[ddluvsdisney]

Congrats to Nate on license and UNH! My oldest DS didn't get his license until he was 17 1/2 and we had to force him. I couldn't understand it bc I couldn't wait until I got mine. My youngest DS is another story. He can't wait and already talks about driving school- he just turned 15. Ugh!!! They are so different!!

My DS19 will be starting his second year of college next week. He transferred to UMASS Dartmouth this year. I hope he likes it. He'll be commuting. It's nice to have him back home.

 

[annie170]

I was looking into renting points and getting a suite at Boardwalk Villas, but was vetoed by the kids. Our oldest daughter and her family go every October and stay at POFQ. Considering this trip was rather impromptu, she wanted to keep the cost down and we all agreed on Art of Animation. I've never been there, so I'm looking forward to it. I think the kids will enjoy the theming there. Everyone is able to attend this trip with the exception of our middle daughter and her husband. January is an impossible time for her to take any time off work. I'm still hoping they change their minds and can work something out.

Actually, it's fun to see your grown kids share the love of Disney and pass it on to the next generation.

 

[hill6]

Congrats on Nate getting his license and completing the first week at college.

We did the Behind the Seeds tour in May. Our guide was not the best. She had a language blooper in the first room and let one guy control the tour. We ended up having to leave before the tour ended (we were on it for about 1 hour and 10 Minutes and she said like 15 minutes more). I know the tour was only about 50 minutes long. We ended up meeting dad for lunch (again...but they were also late). I want to do it again with a better guide.

 

[cindianne320]

I hope Nate continues to enjoy college- such a wonderful time, albeit full of changes!

I really want to take my MIL on the Behind the Seeds tour someday! I think she'd really enjoy it!

 

[natebenma]

So we had a good weekend.

Nate came home from school since a lot of his friends were leaving campus as well. Nate doesn't have classes on Fridays and Ben had the day off from school too. Today is a holiday as well for both boys.

We picked him up Friday afternoon and went out to lunch. Getting ready to take him back to campus in a few minutes.

We spent lots of money on things he "needs" at school while he was home.

We went for a hike at a local park yesterday (*where he showed us the trees he has learned about so far) and we saw a bald eagle flying - too quick to take a picture, though.







And of course, I did a couple of loads of college laundry. Happily.





Nate really loves school so far. His classes are interesting (US History, Microbiology, Wildlife Ecology and Dendrology/Tree Identification* ) and a career placement class. He likes his teachers. Likes his roommates. Has made friends with the kids in his dorm and has been playing basketball and Frisbee. He said the food is really good.

This mom's heart is happy!

Congrats to Nate on license and UNH! My oldest DS didn't get his license until he was 17 1/2 and we had to force him. I couldn't understand it bc I couldn't wait until I got mine. My youngest DS is another story. He can't wait and already talks about driving school- he just turned 15. Ugh!!! They are so different!!

My DS19 will be starting his second year of college next week. He transferred to UMASS Dartmouth this year. I hope he likes it. He'll be commuting. It's nice to have him back home.

I am so glad the license thing is over. At one point in May, I just realized that it was going to all come crashing quickly if he didn't get his license before his permit expired. It was going to be a pain if we had to go back to Lawrence to renew his permit at some point after he started at UNH. A few extra gray hairs appeared in the month of August!

How far is your son's commute? Mark and I commuted to UNH when we were there- about 15 minutes from where we lived.

Hope he has a great year!

I was looking into renting points and getting a suite at Boardwalk Villas, but was vetoed by the kids. Our oldest daughter and her family go every October and stay at POFQ. Considering this trip was rather impromptu, she wanted to keep the cost down and we all agreed on Art of Animation. I've never been there, so I'm looking forward to it. I think the kids will enjoy the theming there. Everyone is able to attend this trip with the exception of our middle daughter and her husband. January is an impossible time for her to take any time off work. I'm still hoping they change their minds and can work something out.

Actually, it's fun to see your grown kids share the love of Disney and pass it on to the next generation.

Sounds like a fantastic family vacation. Art of Animation looks like a very fun, very Disney resort. I hear the food court there is amazing. It would be nice if your middle daughter could join for a little bit of the trip, like over a weekend.

Congrats on Nate getting his license and completing the first week at college.

We did the Behind the Seeds tour in May. Our guide was not the best. She had a language blooper in the first room and let one guy control the tour. We ended up having to leave before the tour ended (we were on it for about 1 hour and 10 Minutes and she said like 15 minutes more). I know the tour was only about 50 minutes long. We ended up meeting dad for lunch (again...but they were also late). I want to do it again with a better guide.

Thanks!

UGH, on your BTS tour. The tour leader really can make a difference. We had a similar situation with our docent at the National Archives- she almost forgot to show us the Bill of Rights and there was a young kid on the tour, and his parents, asking questions that were repeats of things she had already said. It was annoying!

I hope Nate continues to enjoy college- such a wonderful time, albeit full of changes!

I really want to take my MIL on the Behind the Seeds tour someday! I think she'd really enjoy it!

It's a great tour- doesn't last too long, doesn't cost too much and you get to munch on cucumbers. And take pictures backstage!

 

[annie170]

Glad to hear you had a nice weekend with Nate. It's such a relief when your child is happy with the school they've chosen and are meeting new people.

Two out of three daughters were really good about doing their laundry at college, but you know, there's always one! I remember those days well.

Nate's classes do sounds interesting. Has he decided on a major?

Hope you're enjoying your Labor Day!

 

[natebenma]

Glad to hear you had a nice weekend with Nate. It's such a relief when your child is happy with the school they've chosen and are meeting new people.

Two out of three daughters were really good about doing their laundry at college, but you know, there's always one! I remember those days well.

Nate's classes do sounds interesting. Has he decided on a major?

Hope you're enjoying your Labor Day!

His major is Wildlife and Conservation Biology. Hopefully a Computer Programming minor.

I am so thrilled he is making friends!

You have a great day!

 

[ddluvsdisney]

So we had a good weekend.

Nate came home from school since a lot of his friends were leaving campus as well. Nate doesn't have classes on Fridays and Ben had the day off from school too. Today is a holiday as well for both boys.

We picked him up Friday afternoon and went out to lunch. Getting ready to take him back to campus in a few minutes.

We spent lots of money on things he "needs" at school while he was home.

We went for a hike at a local park yesterday (*where he showed us the trees he has learned about so far) and we saw a bald eagle flying - too quick to take a picture, though.







And of course, I did a couple of loads of college laundry. Happily.


View attachment 192379


Nate really loves school so far. His classes are interesting (US History, Microbiology, Wildlife Ecology and Dendrology/Tree Identification* ) and a career placement class. He likes his teachers. Likes his roommates. Has made friends with the kids in his dorm and has been playing basketball and Frisbee. He said the food is really good.

This mom's heart is happy!






I am so glad the license thing is over. At one point in May, I just realized that it was going to all come crashing quickly if he didn't get his license before his permit expired. It was going to be a pain if we had to go back to Lawrence to renew his permit at some point after he started at UNH. A few extra gray hairs appeared in the month of August!

How far is your son's commute? Mark and I commuted to UNH when we were there- about 15 minutes from where we lived.

Hope he has a great year!


His commute is about 20-25 min. Not too bad.
Those classes look interesting. What is Nate's major?

 

[Wood Nymph]

Nate really loves school so far. His classes are interesting (US History, Microbiology, Wildlife Ecology and Dendrology/Tree Identification* ) and a career placement class. He likes his teachers. Likes his roommates. Has made friends with the kids in his dorm and has been playing basketball and Frisbee. He said the food is really good.

This mom's heart is happy!

That is really great about Nate. It is hard when kids go off to college so it is always nice when they adjust well to college life.

Your weekend sounds nice. We were away for the weekend, too and saw a bald eagle flying around. It was very cool.

 

[natebenma]

How far is your son's commute? Mark and I commuted to UNH when we were there- about 15 minutes from where we lived.

Hope he has a great year!

His commute is about 20-25 min. Not too bad.
Those classes look interesting. What is Nate's major?

Wildlife and Conservation Biology.

We are hoping he will have time for a Computer Programming minor. The programming/developer profession has served my husband well.

The US History course was a general elective he had to take, but since history is one of his interests, this class is a great addition to his schedule.





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