Welcome Home

Aside from the plane ride home, our trip to Disney World last week was smooth sailing all the way. We got in right on time, grabbed our luggage and our little rental car, drove out to the resort, got a room in our favorite building with our favorite view, and were even able to check in four hours early. We had a nice lunch on the patio at the resort cafe, exchanged our jeans for shorts and our tennis shoes for sandals, and walked right over to Epcot to scope out the offerings at the Food and Wine Festival, where we enjoyed a roving dinner munching on things like scallops from New Zealand, shrimp on the barbie from Australia, chicken souvlaki from Greece, and lobster rolls from Maine.

The next two days were just as fortuitous. The promised thunderstorms never materialized, we met up with some old friends from church who are seasonal employees at Disney and spend a wonderful day eating and visiting with them. We were able to see our favorite singing group (The Voices of LIberty) at Epcot just before we left, and even pick up a toy for our grandson - his first Disney souvenir.

It was a whirlwind trip, but a good one.

We've been Disney fans since our first time at the parks, way back in 1989. In 1995, we became members of their Vacation Club, and so when we enter any of the resorts at Disney, we're always greeted with the words "Welcome Home!" The Vacation Club properties are spacious and homelike, and Disney really wants is members to feel comfortable. When we're in Orlando, we prefer to stay in the Old Key West Resort.  It's some distance from the parks, the accommodations are much larger than any of the other properties, and it has a lovely, relaxed, Old Florida feeling. Since we were there last year, the property has been renovated with hardwood floors, granite countertops in the kitchen, new furniture and window coverings, and flat screen TV's. Wireless internet is now available in every guest area, so your social network needn't suffer while you're on vacation.

Welcome Home, indeed.

We've been to Disney so many times, we really don't even spend much time in the parks anymore. We enjoy renting a boat and putting around Lake Buena Vista, taking the shuttle over to Downtown Disney and seeing a movie, or just sitting on our little balcony watching the ducks in the river that runs beside it.

We spent a little time talking about the fact that our Disney Vacation Club might

become our main Florida Vacation Home, since we may be selling our house in Naples this winter. We thought we could probably live with that - it won't be quite the same, of course, as having a whole house to ourselves.  But during the cold Michigan winters, a place of refuge in a warm climate can be a very welcome home.

And we're grateful for it.

How about you? Do you have a home away from home? If you don't, where is your dream refuge from the cold winters of your everyday life?

A Moment of Silence

Silence was in short supply on our trip home from Orlando Wednesday night. The plane was late and overcrowded, and naturally there were lots of small children. It wasn't long until I was desperate for Tinkerbell's wand so I could whisk them all off to Never-Never Land. Sitting directly behind us were twins about 18 months old who took turns screaming for the entire two hour flight.  Their three-year old sibling joined in whenever she was forced to sit in her own seat with her seat belt fastened.   As if in sympathy, at least half a dozen other little ones occasionally chimed into the chorus.  Even my husband's expensive noise canceling headphones weren't enough to drown out the cacophony.

I wanted to be patient and sympathetic. Before long, we'll have a little traveler of our own in the family, and one day he might be just as loud and obnoxious on a plane trip as the trio behind me was last night. But I was tired too, it was late, I had watched all the TV shows on my iPad and my eyes felt too strained to read. By the time we drove home in the cold, blustery rain, I was done in and could easily have thrown a good hissy fit of my own.

I've been flying for a long time but not long enough to have experienced airplane travel in its heyday, as depicted on the new TV show Pan Am.  According to my husband, who has been flying since he was a toddler, traveling on a jet plane was once very much like the elegant, relaxing experience that show reflects. Apart from the blatant sexism and the despicable objectification of women, (which could be the subject of another post entirely) flying seemed to be a very nice experience. The stewardess' were practically beauty queens, passengers were treated like royalty, and libations flowed freely. The cabins were spacious and comfortable, and the travelers comfort and convenience was paramount.

In return, I imagine passengers held themselves to a higher standard as well. One of my friends traveled extensively with her four children back in the 1960's, and recalls that preparing for an airplane trip was something like dressing for church. "We all got new outfits for the plane ride," she said, which included jackets and ties for the boys. "People often dressed up to fly back then - it was a big occasion!"

What a change. Planes are packed to the gills with people lugging their huge carry-ons, totes, and computers aboard. They've dressed as casually and comfortably as possible so they won't set off any alarms going through security. Besides, it's miserable enough to be stuffed into a tiny seat with only six inches of leg room- who needs panty hose and neckties? Garbled announcements are repeated on the loudspeaker, urging everyone to move out of the aisle and take their seats as soon as possible so the plane can push back from the gate and be considered "on time" for departure.

No wonder children cry. I feel like crying too.

So I propose a moment of silence, to help my eardrums recover from the din last night, and in memory of the days when flying was something to celebrate.

**For travel stories with a much more positive spin, read Traveling Light, Colleen Freisen's delightful accounts of her exotic journeys. She's recently spent some time in an ashram in India, which makes my recent travel experiences simply pale in comparison.**

Rolling in Ecstasy

“You do not need to leave your room. Remain sitting at your table and listen. Do not even listen, simply wait, be quiet, still and solitary. The world will freely offer itself to you to be unmasked, it has no choice, it will roll in ecstasy at your feet.” —Franz Kafka. I can only imagine the blog traffic that will come my way thanks to the title of this post. But it's such a brilliant observation, I felt it warranted some extra exposure.

It's not easy to be still in our 21st century world. There's a constant barrage of information, coming at us from cell towers and internet and television and radio. There are so many demands on our time, and even though we have conveniences that ostensibly make everyday living so much easier, they all require some degree of attention which can distract us from our own thoughts.

The other day, Andi wrote about coloring, and the way performing a quiet, somewhat mindless physical activity allowed her mind to freely roam through its own fields and pastures, happening upon all sorts of lovely thoughts springing up like wildflowers along the way. I get the same reaction when I go walking. My body moves by rote, and being outdoors with the wind in my hair and warm sun on my face releases my imagination from the stranglehold of everyday life so that ideas offer themselves for "unmasking," as Kafka says, and "roll in ecstasy" at my feet.

We pay so little attention to our innermost thoughts, pushing them away in favor of all those other demands. When we finally allow ourselves to notice them, it's like the sloppy display of gratitude you get from your dogs when you've been gone too long. They jump and wriggle and yelp and roll in ecstasy at your feet.

So find some time to be still today, whatever stillness means to you. Invite your deepest thoughts to come out of hiding, and let the world offer itself to you for unmasking.

See what ecstasy you might find rolling at your feet.

Time for a Little Magic

We're packing our bags and heading south on Sunday (and yes, we will both be taking our favorite electronics!) Time to pay a visit to the Mouse - or more accurately, to the party he's throwing known as the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival. It's something of a family tradition each year, to wander around the World Showcase, sampling food and wines from over 100 countries.  Usually our son and daughter in law go along, but this year that isn't possible (for a very good and happy reason).  We're hoping next year our little grandson might make his first Disney visit for this event.

That would be truly magical :)

See you when I return.

It's Time to Have "The Talk"

It's time to have The Talk with my husband. Not the diet talk.

Not the money talk.

Not even the sex talk.

It's even more delicate than all of those put together.

I never thought this day would come. Clearly, what was once a pleasant diversion has become a serious addiction. I'm afraid if he doesn't confront this issue soon, serious problems will develop in our relationship.

My husband is addicted to his electronics.

It started three years ago when got his first Blackberry. At first the easy accessibility of email and internet was little more than a lark. But within months, he was constantly checking for mail or scanning his "favorites" list for new updates. Then he discovered the convenience of using alarms as reminders for everything from taking medication to taking out the trash. Even more alluring was the ability to set different sounds for each alarm, and before long a near constant barrage of bleeps, tweets, and song snippets echoed through the house.

In the past 12 months things have escalated beyond all control. Sadly, I have to take responsibility for this myself. Last year for his birthday I bought him an iPad and since then he has become a virtual slave to Apple. From the moment he wakes to the moment he goes to sleep, the iPad (or Patty as I not-so-affectionately call her) is his faithful companion. The lure of social networks, streaming video and radio, and international shopping abilities all within the confines Patty's sleek chrome package has been too much for him. He is completely and utterly besotted.

As is Patty were not enough, last month the Droid joined his harem. The super fast, super fine Galaxy S phone replaced his old Blackberry, offering ever so many new options in speed, ease of control, and, yes, sound effects. So now Droid joins Patty at the breakfast and bedside tables, providing him with every possible element in the electronics spectrum.

The only thing he doesn't do yet (electronically speaking) is blogging. Should he start a blog, monetize it, advertise, and start counting clicks, it would be impossible to part him from his electronics.

I am at my wit's end. There's no way I can compete with the lightning speed and multiple functionality of these devices. Not to mention their attractive designs, supreme intelligence, and ease of handling. I'm beginning to feel completely useless and outdated.

My biggest fear? That somehow, someway, they'll come up with a computer that can cook. If that happens, just roll me over and call me done.

So Talk we must. "Honey," I'll say...

On second thought, maybe I should just send him an e-mail.

At least that way I'll be sure to get his attention.