Wings and Waves Air Show 2010

Yesterday, Susan sent me an IM about an air show this weekend. I was surprised, since I usually know about these things months in advance, but not this time. She sent me a link to the Wings and Waves Air Show at Daytona Beach.

We tried to get an early start, but as usual, things didn’t work out as well as we planned. The show was scheduled to start at 11:00, so we figured that leaving by 8:00 would give us plenty of time to drive up, find a decent parking spot, and still have time to carry our chairs, umbrella, and snacks to the beach. Andrew was awake and playing on Google Earth before 7:00, but we were still trying to get a few more winks. We didn’t do too bad; we were on the road by 9:00.

Once off the interstate, the traffic started to build. As we crawled along, we found ourselves in a lane that was merging ahead. To avoid the squeeze point, we jumped out of line and into the Bank of America drive thru to grab some cash, then entered traffic again from the intersection – this time, in the correct lane.

We arrived at the beach at 10:45. By the time we paid to park and gathered our stuff, the show was just getting underway. The show started with Cheryl Stearns parachuting down to the beach with the American flag as two planes encircled her with their smoke billowing.

We quickly walked to the beach and set up camp. The tide was in, so there wasn't much room between the boardwalk and the water, so we were packed in tight, but we were practically at show center and had a PA speaker right behind us. As far as I'm concerned, we had the best seats in the house.

The show started with a rescue demonstration from the U.S. Coast Guard. They tossed a mannequin into the surf, then a swimmer jumped in and rescued him.

The show continued with one great performance after another. I enjoyed each of them, but the one I really came to see was the F-22 Raptor. Although performing at air shows for years, I had yet to witness one first hand. The F-22 pilot put on an amazing show, doing things that jets just shouldn't be able to do. Thanks to its thrust vectoring system, the F-22 can go from high speed to low speed and reverse course quickly and easily. It can also turn circles in a horizontal plane while descending, enabling it to acquire targets in any direction.

I was impressed by Mike Goulian's performance. He is a well known pilot, primarily known for his competition in the the Red Bull Air Race series. His aerobatics were incredibly crisp and sharp.

One of the more moving moments was provided by the Heritage Flight. The Heritage Flight is a formation of old and new Air Force planes. For this show, it consisted of a P-51 Mustang, an F-16 Viper, and an F-22 Raptor.

Meanwhile, Andrew was busy having fun in his own way. The beach is such a perfect location for an air show for families. Andrew splashed in the water, played in the "orange" sand, and even went for a ride on the ferris wheel.

The most surprising and pleasing performance was the Snowbirds. Years ago, the Snowbirds performed at Seafair in Seattle, WA, in lieu of the usual Blue Angels, who were not scheduled due to the FAA shutting down the show over the lake for safety reasons. After years of watching the Blues rip across the sky at low altitude, the Snowbirds' artistic show left many feeling unsatisfied. This year, however, I had no expectations. I sat back and watched the performance with new eyes. The formations were tight and changed frequently from nine planes, to groups of seven, four, and two. The artistry was beautiful to watch as it slowly evolved across the sky. I was very impressed with their performance and hope to see them again.

Click the link to view the Slide Show of all performers.

Commander Owners Group Fly-in

Wow, what a great weekend. Susan and I finally returned from our long weekend retreat to Jekyll Island, Georgia. The primary focus of the trip was to meet Commander aircraft owners, but we also had our own agenda - we were celebrating our 16th anniversary.

The planning started months ago, when the Commander Owners Group (COG) finalized the date for the fly-in. Since it was so close, I knew for sure that I wanted to go. The first concern was Andrew. We thought about taking him, but then thought it would be nice to have a weekend free of parental responsibilities. Luckily, Aunt Cathy and Uncle Dave accepted when we asked if they could watch Andrew for the weekend. Our plan was coming together: leave home Thursday after work, spend the night at the C&D B&B, take Friday off school and work, and drive to Georgia early enough to make it before the afternoon barbecue at the airport.

About a week ago, the plans changed for the better. Our friend Pat called to see if we were going to the fly-in. I told her yes, that we planned to drive up Friday morning. She asked if we'd like to fly up in her Commander. Absolutely!! I told her that we planned to drop off Andrew in Sanford, though. She talked it over with her husband, Kiko, and said they'd pick us up at the Sanford airport at 8:30AM.

Thursday night, we drove to the B&B. Cathy and Dave had meatloaf and mashed potatoes waiting for us. Andrew fell asleep in the car, as usual, so he missed dinner. Luckily he had a snack in the car on the way. Susan carried him into the house and lied him down on the couch for the night.

The next morning, we woke up early - but not as early as we would have had we been driving to Georgia - and got ready to go. We drove to the airport with Dave and Andrew so we wouldn't have to leave the car at the airport all weekend. We were almost out of gas, so we left Dave a $20 bill and hoped he'd have enough gas to make it to a gas station after we left.

We arrived at StarPort, on the north side of the airport, a little early. The place was very nice, which is pretty common for General Aviation fixed based operators (FBOs) at large airports that service business jet traffic. We were delighted to find an old NASCAR-themed pinball machine sitting in the corner. Better yet, it didn't require any quarters. The game was very confusing and spent a lot of time counting down from 20 as it searched for all of its balls.

By 8:40, we started wondering about our ride. They hadn't arrived yet and we started to think that maybe they were leaving Melbourne at 8:30 rather than Sanford. A minute later, they pulled up on the ramp. Kiko came in to file a flight plan as we carried our stuff to the plane. We loaded the plane, then said our good-byes to Dave and Andrew.

The flight to Jekyll Island was more exciting than expected. The weather was unusually cloudy. As we climbed to the northeast, air traffic control (ATC) routed us around traffic and eventually had us flying due west. Finally they turned us back to the northeast and gave us clearance to our final altitude, which put us right in the midst of the puffy clouds. The windshield beaded with tiny water drops each time we passed through a cloud. Once out of Florida, the weather cleared and it was smooth sailing directly to Jekyll Island.

We arrived at Jekyll Island airport around 10:30. The flight line was already gleaming with shiny Commanders. We were lucky to get the last parking spot on the ramp. As we climbed out, other owners came up to great us and help secure the plane. I was happy to see a few familiar faces from other events we've attended together.

By now we were all getting pretty hungry. Sid gave us a ride to the Jekyll Island Club Hotel in his six seat Red Bug (an electric car, similar in size to a golf cart). Our room at the hotel was not ready for us yet, but we were able to check in and store our bags behind the counter. We had lunch at the cafe with Pat and Kiko. After lunch, the front desk called us to let us know our room was ready, so we grabbed our luggage and the room keys and found our room in the Annex. Up to this point, I was feeling a bit like Pat and Kiko's kids who were finally given free reign to go exploring on our own.

After settling in, we walked back to the airport to see what was happening. We met more owners and walked the flight line, taking pictures of each plane. Afterwards, we caught a ride back to the hotel to get our name tags and relax before dinner. While picking up the tags, we met the Looses from Texas.

The COG planned a barbecue cookout under a large, white tent for our first dinner together. When we arrived, the grill was pumping out smoke and the aroma of chicken and pork. As we sat and waited, we were tortured by the smell. Oh, but it was well worth the wait. The members knocked off the chicken in a flash, and the pulled pork went quickly, too. We sat with the Millers from New Jersey, the Hopkins' from New York, and the Bunns from Maryland. I also finally got to meet Dave Kalbach from Pennsylvania. I've talked with him several times over the past two years about my experiences becoming a flight instructor.

After dinner, those of us staying at the hotel found rides back. Once there, many stopped at the poolside bar to continue catching up with each other. And somehow, several of the women ended up in the pool. We called it quits around 11:00.

The COG plan for Saturday morning was seminars in the white tent, starting at 9:30. We decided to take advantage of the free breakfast, then rented a pair of bikes to continue our exploration of the island. We stopped at the flight line tent for a few minutes, then continued on along the bike trail circling the island. The trail wound its way along the river, through old growth oaks draped with Spanish moss. It was very pleasant and relaxing. When we rounded the corner at the north end, we turned into a headwind and the going got a little tougher. Turning south, we left the cover of the trees and were exposed to the direct sunlight. We quickly got hot and were looking for places to refill our water bottles. One place we passed was the Jekyll Island Club Beach Pavilion, the site of the COG dinner yet to come. From our vantage point, we were not impressed. It seemed run down and not at all attractive. We decided to skip getting dressed up later and just wear shorts instead.

Back at the Club, we rode around the historic area and took pictures of the beautiful, old cottages. The grounds were fantastic. The area was closed to motor vehicles and was criss-crossed with wide trails for riding or walking. As you might expect, many wedding ceremonies are held there. There were two or three setting up as we rode around.

While riding around, I heard the sound of airplanes. I looked up and saw six Commander fly low over the Club to the north, then return and fly over to the east. I found out later that they were asked by the couple to make the sign of the cross over the wedding party.

At 6:00 we caught a van to the Beach Pavilion. To our surprise, it was much nicer than we anticipated. The open patio was covered with linen covered tables with nice centerpieces and there was a room to the side where the catered dinner was being arranged. Dinner included shrimp and crab leg appetizers, followed up with salads and vegetables and another fish that I didn't have room to try.

After dinner, an FAA representative gave a talk about owner performed maintenance. He went through the Federal Regulations Section 43 with PowerPoint slides. I imagine the wives were about to fall asleep by the time he wrapped up his talk. He did make a comment that I found interesting and must pursue before my CFI certificate expires next summer.

Finally it was time for the awards and door prizes. The president of the COG passed out awards for best panel, best paint, and best interior for the various Commander models. Of course, the plane had to be present to be judged, so our plane didn't win anything. ;-) Dave Kalbach of New Horizons brought gifts from his vendors and passed them out as door prizes. We won a very nice clock that looks like an altimeter. (We gave it to Andrew. He now goes to bed at 8 thousand feet and wakes up at 6 thousand 600 feet.) Mark Breimeister, an onion seller, won a tow bar. Bill Hopkins told him that he could use it to pick onions. Greg Walker won a very nice set of headphones, to which Mark quickly offered to trade for a finely made tow bar. The offer was kindly refused. David Loose handed Commander COG to Pat, who was unfamiliar with its meaning. Commander COG is a stuffed animal dressed like a pilot, complete with logbook. He is handed from member to member and must fly along on all flights and have his logbook maintained. I'm looking forward to getting my turn with the Commander.

The next morning, we ate with Pat and Kiko. The discussion covered ideas and plans for Commander COG. Some ideas included buying him cute little outfits and a little suitcase. Pat had already found a tiny Jekyll Island sticker to affix to the suitcase. After eating, we said good-bye to all the other members that were still eating. I'm especially going to miss the Fergusons from England.

After breakfast, we caught a ride to the airport to begin our journey back to Sanford. Our first stop was actually to the north for gas, then back south along the coast towards Daytona Beach, then finally across to Sanford.

Along the way, we experienced a near emergency. It wasn't our emergency, thankfully. Another pilot was reporting low oil pressure and was trying to get back to St. Augustine. He was ten miles out at 1000 feet, flying over the marshy inter-coastal waterway. He was handed off to the tower, so we couldn't follow the progress, but shortly afterwards, we saw a low-flying plane land at St. Augustine, so I think everything turned out fine.

Back at Sanford, we were joyfully welcomed by Andrew. It was so nice to see him again. This was our first time away from him - other than when he was in the hospital his first month - for more than a few hours. He had a great time with Cathy and Dave, but was disappointed that he didn't get to go out in the boat.

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Interesting stories we heard while at the fly-in:

• Ken Andrews' plans to turn a farm field into a residential airpark, complete with two highly manicured and lighted grass runways
• Jim Richards' modification kits for various Commander models, including engine replacements, fuel extenders, and tail plane enhancements
• Pete Sattig's unfortunate muffler destruction and subsequent forced landing
• The man from Seattle (forgot his name) who is working on wing strength improvements for the 112 models
• The Ferguson's tales of getting their pilot licenses in England and the cost of flying over there
• Don Hoover's description of the best pizza place in Akron, OH, and his shock that I'd never heard of it, let alone ate there

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Description from Rob Rother of Scotland:

For those of you who couldn't make it the setting was magnificent. Mature trees were draped in green lichen and surrounded by well planted gardens. We strolled or rode around in electric cars just soaking it up, gently cooking in the sunshine and humidity. The buildings were indulgent and comfortable. Beer and wine flowed and in the evening we told lies under the stars to the sound of the surf.

This is a place where special moments happen. People start their married lives in the gardens and on the lawns and beaches. The COG obliged a couple who were marrying and it was a major hit. A fly-past and return. Sid, Pete and I joined Rich and his wife Lynne for dinner on the pier and met up with one of the couples. Enthusiastic !!! Commanders in the wedding photos. It added to their memories and I was pleased that the guys were able to give something back like this.

Some moments you just had to witness. The planes are all lined up getting polished and prepared for judging in the concours d'elegance. Two rowdies rolled up and liberally dusted the windshields with smoke and oil from their smoke systems. Some folk will do anything to get an advantage!

If the COG returns to Jekyll Island don't miss it second time round !

Next year, the fly-in will by in Sedona, Arizona. Oh, how we'd love to go again!

First Fishing Trip

Today, we were invited to Wabasso Causeway Park to celebrate a birthday and do some fishing. Andrew had never really fished before. I say "really" because that thing he did in Snohomish, Washington doesn't count as fishing in my book.

When we lived in Bothell, we used to go to a fall festival in Snohomish. It was a great festival, held on a farm, with corn fields, pumpkin patches, and lots of fun things for the kids to do. They even had a fishing hole. The fishing hole was actually a large pool full of small trout. The kids were given a bamboo pole with a short string and a hook on the end. The parents put a tiny egg on the hook, then the kids dipped the line in the water. A moment later, one of the thousands of trout would grab the hook. Like magic, your kid just caught a fish! The kids loved it, but that's not fishing.

Back to today's story. Andrew was very excited about going fishing today. We stopped at Dick's Sporting Goods last night to find a fishing rod for him. Of course, he wanted me to get one for myself, too. We found a nice two pack complete with two rods and reels and an assortment of hooks, lures, and bobbers. Andrew was so excited about them that he wanted to open them in the car! Somehow, we convinced him that that wasn't a good idea. At home, he opened the package and was soon pulling the little plastic sinker - the thing that keeps the line from being lost in the reel - around the living room and reeling it back in.

This morning, Andrew's excitement ramped up another notch. Sometimes we pretend that our bed is a boat, bouncing along in the ocean. This morning, Andrew was on the boat with his fishing rod. Before long, he had the rod buried in blankets, completely hidden from view. Then he pulled the little sinker out the bottom of the covers, across the floor, and into the bathroom. I pretended it was a bug and tried to step on it. Meanwhile Andrew, completely hidden under the blankets, secretly reeled it in across the floor and into the bed.

After breakfast, we were on our way south. Andrew played with the rods in the car the entire way. Luckily, they are short, and in two pieces, so they didn't interfere with my driving. We arrived at the park and quickly set up both rods. I tied on a lure and bobber for Andrew and a plain hook and bobber for myself. I gave Andrew a quick casting lesson and set him loose. The birthday boy's parents had raw shrimp available for bait. I ripped the head off one and skewered it onto my hook. A couple minutes later, I had a small catfish on my line.

Andrew was very excited, but I could that tell he was also a bit jealous. He was ready to catch a fish of his own. Before long, he started getting frustrated by his inability to cast out far enough into the river. He was convinced that my rod was better. I showed him that his could cast far, too. Then he decided that the lure was the problem. I removed his lure and replaced it with a plain hook. Based on my own prior luck, I put a shrimp head on Andrew's hook and cast it out for him. Within minutes, Andrew had a small catfish of his own!

Andrew is quite the little competitive bugger. I'm convinced that he wanted to beat dad and catch another fish. After a couple nibbles and lost shrimp heads, he had another catfish on the line. He brought it all the way to the shore before it slipped away. No problem. Before long, he had his second fish on the line. This time, he successfully landed it and officially took the title of the best fisherman.

We had a great time at the river. I'm curious to see how long it is before he asks to go fishing again.

After cake, we had another amazing moment. A dolphin entered our little cove in search of lunch. It came along the shore, no more than 50 feet out. We could see it twist and turn as fish jumped out of the water in an effort to escape being eaten. As one fish jumped, the dolphin followed it, completely leaving the water, before diving back into the water in hot pursuit. Awesome! Unfortunately, I didn't capture that moment on 'film'.

Kennedy Space Center

This weekend was Salute to Brevard Residents Weekend. It was get into Kennedy Space Center (KSC) for free day. And better yet, the deal allowed us to bring guests, so we invited Aunt Cathy and Uncle Dave.

We got off to a bit of a late start, as usual. And wouldn’t you know, the car was nearly out of gas. By 8:30, we were on the highway. Cathy called and reported that they were on their way, too, and it sounded like they’d arrive first. When we arrived, we called her. Apparently there was a wrong turn taken and they were still out on the interstate, a few exits south of where they should have been. It appeared we’d have some time to kill.

While we waited, Susan took care of “purchasing” the tickets. Meanwhile, Andrew and I shopped at the little kiosk outside the main gate. There were many toys to tempt the little ones, and Andrew found something he wanted. It was only $4, so we asked mommy for some cash. She pulled out her purse and Andrew bought a small Saturn V rocket with a bent over nose.

Cathy & David arrived and we entered the Space Center. Our first stop was the IMAX theater, where we saw a 3D presentation about the Hubble Space Telescope. It was an amazing story. The telescope was crippled with a distorted mirror, but was fixed by a applying a “contact lens” by Shuttle astronauts. Later, it had better cameras installed. I think we all left the theater astounded by the images, the size of the universe, and the ability of NASA to keep the telescope working so well for so long.

Next up was the bus tour. Our first stop was the 3-story tower near the crawler road, one mile from Launchpad 39-A. Dave and Susan bought souvenir drinks shaped like the space shuttle, and I immediately spilled ours all over the table. Good thing the refills were free.

Next stop was the Apollo/Saturn V Center. Along the way, we passed the Vehicle Assembly Building, which is in the top 4 largest buildings, by volume, in the world.

Once inside the center, we watched a short video about the Apollo program, then moved into an exact replica of the control room as it was the day of the Apollo 9 mission. There, we experienced the final 2 minutes of the launch countdown. When the count reached zero, the building literally shock and glowed from the simulated liftoff three miles away.

The Saturn V rocket display was incredible. The rocket is over 350 feet tall. It is hard to get a feel for how tall that it if it is vertical. In this case, the rocket is situated horizontally in a huge building. It just goes on and on and on.

The center also features a short film about the first lunar landing. The exhibit featured a bit of a surprise, so I won’t spoil it here. You’ll just have to come see it for yourself.

We skipped the International Space Center bus stop and returned to KSC. It was getting a little late and we were getting hungry, but we had to try out the Exploration Space attraction. Susan and I tried it on our last visit in 2008, but Dave & Cathy volunteered to take Andrew to the play area, so they missed out. This year, Andrew is tall enough, so we all got to go for a ride.

Finally, Andrew went to the play area with Dave & Cathy, while Susan and I walked through the Rocket Garden. The main attraction there is the Saturn I rocket, which looks like a Saturn V with a few missing stages in the middle.

Susan, being the responsible one that she is, thought ahead about dinner. She brought some coupons that she printed from restaurant.com. Unfortunately, she discovered that the coupon for the restaurant where we were planning to eat was blacked out on weekends. Luckily she had more than one. We ended up at a small family place with a few patrons. The food was pretty good, and by the time we left, the place was completely full. So, even though our first choice didn't work out, we still made a good choice.

Miniature Golf Outing

Andrew wasn't feeling good today, so we decided to take it easy. After breakfast, he was supposed to do his homework, but he said he wasn't feeling good. He had been coughing occasionally for over two weeks, so Susan decided to find a local pediatrician. We found one about 10 minutes from here and made an appointment.

After the appointment, we went to the pharmacy to fill Andrew's prescription, then to the grocery store, then back to the resort to work on homework. After that, we just hung around the place.

After dinner, we decided to get out of the condo and have some fun. We went to Pirate's Cove Adventure Golf. This was Andrew's first time playing "miniature" golf. He told us that he liked"mini" golf, because he had played it on the computer, but "miniature" golf was much harder, he thought.

The course had 36 holes on two courses. We chose the easy course and had a great time. Andrew got a hole-in-one on the 18th hole, and was surprised that his ball was not in the cup. He didn't know that it was piped back to the checkout counter. He had so much fun that we decided to play the other, harder course. Even though it was harder, we still had a lot of fun. On one hole, Andrew accidentally hit a rock and his ball went into the water. Surprisingly, there was a secret passage that brought the ball back onto the course, right next to the hole. How sneaky was that!

In the end, Andrew decided that he likes both "mini" and "miniature" golf. He wants to go again very soon.

Disney's Magic Kingdom

Day 4 of our major Disney park tour. We saved the oldest and best for last. We walked in to see the fireworks the night we bought our annual passes, but we didn't see much more than Main Street, U.S.A.

We got a bit of a late start. Andrew needed to finish his homework before we could leave the condo. By the time we got in the car, it was time to eat again, so I decided to stop at the McDonald's outside the park. Turns out that their meals were about the same price as those in the park, so we skipped it and headed for the Transportation and Ticket Center to park. From there, we caught the express monorail to the Magic Kingdom.

We started our day by catching the Walt Disney World Railroad. This authentic steam powered train pulled us around the entire park. We eventually got off the train at Frontierland. Here we rode two great rides - Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Then we crossed the river to Tom Sawyer Island.

Tom Sawyer Island was fantastic. Andrew had a great time running around the island, exploring the many trails. At the fort, he shot a fake rifle at the roller coaster on Thunder Mountain and the passing Liberty Square Riverboat; a large steam paddle wheel boat. He was bit afraid of Tom Sawyer's cave, but eventually came to enjoy running through it.

After a quick taco salad lunch, we ventured into Adventureland. Here we rode The Magic Carpets of Aladdin and climbed the Swiss Family Treehouse. I wanted to ride the Pirates of the Caribbean and the Jungle Cruise, but Andrew was ready to try out Space Mountain.

So off we went to Tomorrowland. On the way, we stopped in front of Cinderella's Castle to take some pictures. Then we rode the Tomorrowland Transit Authority. We wanted to ride the Astro Orbiter, but the line was not moving. Then we rode Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin.

Finally it was time for Space Mountain. Andrew was a little nervous, as one would expect, but he wanted to go anyway. The line was only 10 minutes, so in we went. The ride was as herky-jerky quirky as I remembered, with turns and quick drops coming unexpectedly. Andrew loved it!

Next came the Tomorrowland Speedway. Susan and Andrew drove one car and I drove separately. When we got out of the cars, Andrew started saying how much he did not like that ride and that he would never ride it again, unless he could drive alone. He was upset that he couldn't push the pedal and that you don't need to steer; therefore there's nothing to do but sit there.

By now, the sun was set and the park was beginning to shut down. We quickly walked to Mickey's Toontown Fair and rode The Barnstormer at Goofy's Wiseacre Farm. Then it was back to Space Mountain for one last ride.

We were told earlier that Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is great after dark, so we wanted to ride it one more time. Unfortunately, it is on the opposite side of the park and the Main Street Electrical Parade was about to begin. We quickly weaved through the crowds and were soon back in Frontierland. The recommendation was correct; we had a great time.

We were all pretty hungry, but the crowd was impenetrable. There was no way to find an open restaurant. Andrew had a great idea. He suggested we ride the train! This allowed us to get all the way back to the main gate without fighting through the crowd. Turns out we caught the next to last train for the evening. Once outside, we caught the monorail to Disney's Polynesian Resort for a snack and to view the fireworks.

In the end, Andrew's favorite ride was actually three: Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and Space Mountain.

Disney's Epcot Center

Our third Disney park this week was Epcot Center. We were there for half a day a couple weeks ago, after Andrew got out of school, so this wasn't a first visit for any of us. Even so, we found a lot of new attractions to attend and Andrew came away with a new favorite.

The biggest attraction for me was the new hang gliding simulator called Soarin'. As soon as we entered the park, we walked straight to The Land to get our FASTPASS for priority seating later in the day. But instead, we decided to get in line and wait the posted 30 minutes. Boy was it worth the wait! Without giving too many details, it looked and felt like riding an open ski lift chair, but without the cable. We rose and fell over a variety of beautiful California landscapes. It was so cool, we decided to get a FASTPASS for later.

Then it was back to Spaceship Earth. This is Andrew's third favorite attraction at Epcot (I'll talk about his other favorites later). Andrew likes this because it is slow and it takes pictures of the passengers and uses them later in a funny way.

Other attractions included Universe of Energy, Mission: Space, Test Track, and The Seas with Nemo & Friends. I liked Mission: Space the best; this was Andrew's second favorite. Andrew thinks Test Track is the best, no doubt, because it is f a s t. Susan enjoyed the dolphin demonstration at the Nemo aquarium, while Andrew and I went downstairs to play in Bruce's Sub Room.

The most bizarre attraction, by far, was Captain EO. This is a 3D movie with bonus tactile features, created in 1986, starring, of all people, Michael Jackson. To me, it was just a cleaned up Thriller video, shot in outer space. Weird. But, the 3D effects were pretty good, so I'm told. My glassed seemed to have a problem.

Outside Imagination!, Andrew was fascinated by the leaping fountains. Jets of water leaped from one pad to another, crossing the path in several places. Andrew decided to stand in front of one of the pads and ended up getting soaked.

At dusk, we decided to find something to eat at World Showcase. Susan wanted veggies, so we stopped in China. For dessert, we had Apple Strudel in Germany. Finally, we watched the awesome fireworks show from the shoreline near Italy.

This turned out to be our longest park day so far; nearly 10 hours. Andrew didn't last quite that long. I ended up carrying him through most of the park and back to the car.