Knitting in Transit

I am officially a graduate of the Disney Institute and I've got the mouse ears to prove it. D arrived today and I reluctantly checked out of the Contemporary Resort and in to a hotel more in line with my checking account. The next three days will be nothing but fun. It will be even more fun if the Twins can repeat the game last night and sweep the White Sox. Go Twins!

Today our Disney Institute field experience took us to the Animal Kingdom. After breakfast we went on the Asian Jungle Safari Trek. We saw these ginormous bats. And some hidden Mickeys. Can you find the hidden Mickey? Here's a hint. How about in this picture? (check out his earring.) Then it was back to the classroom where there were lots of treats waiting for us. I certainly haven't gone hungry while I've been here. Tomorrow is the last day of the Institute and then I'll be staying for fun and games.

Who knew I was such a sap? So far, we've gotten to spend a fair amount of time in the park during the Disney Institute, and each time I am fairly beside myself with glee. I just spontaneously smile and think, "EEEE! I'm at Disney World! Look! It looks like a frontier village here...and now it looks like colonial America...and listen! Listen to the happy music! And oh my gosh...there are little Mickey Mouse ears all over my couch!" For the most part, I'm a great big dork about it and I can't believe it's taken me 20 years to come back here. Even when it rained cats and dogs just as our daily sessions were over and I had to buy an $8 poncho to stay dry.

I know...there has been a dearth of postings lately on my little blog. I have a good excuse, really. I'M GOING TO DISNEY WORLD! As such, I've been busy all week trying to get done all sorts of things that need to get before one leaves work for a week. The first part of the week I'll actually be working. I'll be at the Disney Institute on Quality Service . Then, D is joining me for the rest of the week and we're just going to have fun, wear some mouse ears, do the World Showcase bar crawl at Epcot , and celebrate my birthday at the Happiest Place on Earth. Yup...I'll turn (older than I would like to be) at Disney World! Woo- hoo ! Oh, and we're going to do some geocaching in Orlando. D is way ahead of me and found a travel bug near his place that we are going to put in a cache in Orlando. Wish us luck! I don't know when I'll post again, so here are some cool clouds from the other morning.

What is wrong with me? I long to feel productive, yet do nothing; I carry knitting projects around with me, yet they go untouched; I envy what other people have accomplished, yet my needles remain still. What is the problem? I'm busy discovering new hobbies! Like Geocaching ! D and I went camping at Father Hennepin State Park for part of the weekend (the rain sent us back to St. Paul and an evening of Yahtzee). The Minnesota State Parks have had a geocaching challenge this summer, with caches hidden in all 72 state parks and recreation areas. Father Hennepin happened to be one of 16 "demo parks" where you could borrow a GPS Tracker for free. After breakfast and an mid-morning game of Poker, we headed up to the Ranger Station to get a GPS. And we were off! I thought it was a lot of fun...a perfect activity that combines things I like: being outdoors, getting some exercise, and a puzzle-like activity. For D, there was the technology. Of course, it did start to...

This picture is for Sara B. since she wasn't at the Hops Harvest and missed this cute moment from her nephew.

Sunday afternoon, our friends Patrick and Marcy held their First Ever Hops Harvest at their lovely home in the lovely neighborhood we share. I walk past their place every now and then on the way home and have watched the hops grow all summer long. Finally, it was time to harvest! Patrick, George, David, Andrew and a few others clipped the hops from the arbor... and a whole bunch of us (including a lot of people I don't know) plucked the hops from the vines. Look at all those hops! Mmmm...you know what hops mean. Beer is just around the corner! The afternoon included chili and cornbread, which was delicious, as well as a variety of beer that George homebrewed. I enjoyed the Double Chocolate Stout and the cherry beer I tried. Mmmm...there were many comments from people that George should come over more often...with more beer. I was ready to leave, but could not find David anywhere. Back in the garage several people were playing this game. Has anyone ever seen this? Know where I can g...