Had a wonderful stay at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort

Our Home is on the Market

Our home is on Zillow now at this web site:  http://postlets.com/s/412-westchester-dr-cocoa-fl-32926/12669867

Our last All Hallow's Eve here

We created a spooky front porch for Halloween with my old Sony 27"tv tuned to static with the subwoofer blasting and a mannequin hidden at the far end of the porch to startle unsuspecting Trick or Treaters.

I saw this today...

We never thought we'd see gas drop below $3 again. Sometimes it's nice to be wrong !

The "new" shade pavilion

Beetles and ants bored and ate thru some of the pine logs that framed the shade pavilion and one corner collapsed a few months ago. So it was time to rebuild it and it's now finished.
The concrete pillars will outlast the rest of the deck and they blend in better with the "Roman Pool" theme.

The new Foyer

Freshly painted and redesigned, the entry foyer welcomes with warmth and a touch of whimsy.

Passing of a Good Friend

The vet said Hercules had a month to live two months ago, (kidney disease) so he beat the insurance companies, but he started losing weight several days ago and then he stopped eating and drinking entirely.

He disappeared off into the neighborhood, and wound up reuniting us with a neighbor we hadn't spoken to in years.  It was one of those miracles of serendipity.  That was a special gift he gave us on what turned out to be his last day on Earth.

Early this morning, the vet told me Hercules had a bone tumor in his jaw and he would never eat or drink again.  I was certain I could get him to eat, so I took him home and tried for several hours.  He wouldn't touch milk, water, or gravy, so he and I just laid out watching the trees blow in the breeze by the pool in the back yard. Occasionally he would squeak to me that his jaw hurt.  Finally I put water on his tongue with a medicine dropper, so he could drink without moving his mouth, and he didn't even try to lick it up.  So I figure that means he made the judgement call for himself.  He climbed right into the cat carrier, again showing me that he knew what he was doing.

We had our "Soylent Green" appointment today.  He got two injections that were a bit painful at first.  I stayed with him petting him and telling him what a good boy he has always been for 15 minutes, so he would feel me by him through the last possible moment of any brain activity.  I believe cats probably get the tunnel of light just like humans do.  (I've asked a half dozen folks who died in a motorcycle accident or on an operating table and were revived, and they all got the tunnel of light with relatives waiting at the other end.)  So I gave him the best possible sendoff I could give him.

I prayed a Luminous Rosary for Hercules, my unconditional best friend for the last 17 years, for him to help me to make the coming years count and reach my goals and become the best person I can be.

Harambe Nights Concert

At Disney's Animal Kingdom

Magic Kingdom view

From the balcony of our Bay Lake Tower room.

Lunch in Beast's Castle

Be Our Guest Restaurant

Rock Your Disney Side 24-hour Party

Starts now in the Magic Kingdom!

Cuddling lizards

These anoles have been locked in this position with eyes closed for quite a while. I only woke them up when I got the camera close enough for this shot. I didn't know lizards cuddled...

Panorama of our yard

Here is a view of our yard looking down from he tree fort.

Dinner at Markham's in Golden Oak

We had a wonderful Tables in Wonderland dinner tonight at Markham's restaurant in the Golden Oak Country Club. This is a tribute to Walt in the restaurant. And yes, that is his real hat!

Epcot Summer Concerts

Here's one song to share from one of the summer concerts going on at Epcot

http://youtu.be/--VLkjys6O4

Atlas V launch

Another successful launch of a spy satellite!

Mannequin Lamp

I created this mannequin lamp after getting the idea a few weeks ago.

Coral Castle

We are visiting the Coral Castle in Homestead, FL

Our new dock (dry)

My current building/landscaping project is a "dock" turning the shed into a boathouse and completing the landscaping of that corner of the yard.

New Coasters at Fun Spot Orlando

We spent the afternoon/evening yesterday checking out the new
Freedom Flyer suspended coaster and White Lightning woodie. They are short rides but still a lot of fun!

Cisco likes pizza!

Chip offered him a piece of crust off his plate and Cisco opted instead for a larger slice!

Our new tree Yeti

Hiding among the oak trees

Superb Owl on Super Bowl Sunday

This Superb Owl visited our back yard this Sunday right before the Big Game.

Warm weather in Antarctica

Saw penguins in Antarctica for my birthday. (At Sea World with my friend Gayle).

My first chicken pot pie

Curry chicken and mushroom pot pie. Chip said it was the best pot pie he has ever had!

Be Our Guest Restaurant

Having lunch with Belle today in New Fantasyland. Croque Monsiuer sandwich with Pomme Frites.

Buzzard brunch

In the front yard today.