House Hunting, Disney World
and All That Jazz!
by Roberta - September 2001

Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2001
Location: ASMusic

This is check out of the Courtyard day. I'm ready to head over to Disney property and the first of my three Disney hotels: The All Star Music. I leave the room a little after 10 a.m. and settle the bill. With my 2 Marriott gift certificates, the total cost is $50 for a 3- night stay. Cool! Then, with the shirts I bought at DTD yesterday, I walk back to exchange them for a smaller size. I had forgotten that size large at Disney is really size enormous. Mediums will be perfect.

I'm not sure what it is about DTD but I always have trouble finding the bus stops. I end up past PI before I finally stumble across one. I waver between going to MGM or EPCOT and finally decide on EPCOT for lunch. I grab a chicken sandwich at the Electric Umbrella and head out to the porch to watch the fountain. Just as I get outside, the fountain starts playing Standing in Motion… My Song!! I wait until the song ends before I start eating. It's way too hard to eat and grin at the same time.

Each day that I've been at EPCOT near the fountain there has been the sounds of a large bird. First I thought it was a parrot with some really bad emotional problems. By Tuesday I was pretty sure the calls were that of a hawk. But where the heck was it?? I finally asked a CM. Turns out it's a recording they are using to try and scare the birds away. He also mentioned that the covering over the plaza was another bird deterrent. That wasn't always there and I thought it was for shade. Bottom line on the bird noises is that they aren't working. I suspect they are more irritating to the human species than the birds.

I walked over to JINI (Journey into No Imagination) and went into HISTA… always a great time. In addition to being one of my favorite attractions, it has one of my top three pre shows: True Colors.

Then discovering again that I have absolutely no will power, I stopped at the Fountainview Café and have a piece of their strawberry cake. Delicious but, ouch! … $4 for a piece of it.

By now my legs were fading fast and it was nearly time to meet Chris so I wobbled back to the bus to return to the Courtyard. Chris arrived around 2:30 and we droved to the ASMusic. After a short wait to check in, I was able to get right in to my room, 1422. It was just what I wanted, first floor and away from the pool.

After saying good-bye to Chris (the three of us will be spending most of the day together on Thursday) I called Randy's Mobility for my scooter. My feet and back were already screaming Yippee! The person I talked to said someone would be right over and indeed they were about 10 minutes later. The scooter was very nice and only about 6 months old. A few differences from the Walker Medical ones that I used for other trips included the basket in the front being smaller and also the handle bars. The main thing I didn't care for was the key. You couldn't put it on a key chain or, even better, something that you could wear as a bracelet. I continued to hope that losing it wouldn't be a problem. On the positive side, the handlebars and seat are very easy to adjust and WOW it really flies!! I may get stopped for speeding. The total cost from 5 p.m. 9/26 through 3 p.m. 10/3 was $150. A big savings over the Walker Medical prices. Ironically the young man who brought the scooter to my room was originally from my hometown, Brockton, MA.

I am supposed to meet Deb Chambers around 8 p.m. at EPCOT so I decide to rest for 30 minutes and then go. When I finish resting, I call home. It's a little after 5 p.m. My daughter answers and we chat for a minute. She asks when I talked to Cliff (my husband) last and I say Sunday, the day I arrived. My husband has a 20 year old daughter. Monday night she was in a terrible car accident and is on life support. The doctors are not holding out much hope for her survival. My husband is with her out in western Massachusetts.

I tell my daughter that I will call back later as he won't be home for hours. It's quite a drive from our house. I contemplate ending my trip right then and there but decide to talk to him first. I know I can't do anything about what's happened but I feel I should be home. I am pacing the room and finally head off to EPCOT anyway. I am distraught.

The bus comes in about 10 minutes and we are on our way. My fanny pack and camera bag get checked at the gate and I head to WS for supper back at England and more fish and chips. I am sure they put something in that fish that makes it addicting.

After that I head over to Japan to see the drummers. There seems to be more people here today than previously. Still it's not the least bit crowded. The drummers are wonderful. Sometime after I leave Japan and start moving around looking at the various countries, I reach for my distance glasses. That's odd. They are not where they usually are in my fanny pack. I search the other compartments and then my camera bag. They are not anywhere. Ut Oh! Between the news from home and now this, I just want to go back to the hotel. Sorry Deb! I looked for you as I rode back by America but I didn't see you. I really am hoping I just forgot the glasses and they are back in the room.

Finally I return but no glasses. I head up to the lobby and a nice CM calls EPCOT's lost and found. Nothing yet. I will try in the morning. Back to the room and I call home. Cliff has returned and I get the sad story. His daughter was a passenger and was being driven by a woman friend. This woman also had her 2 young children in the car. She missed a turn but tried to make it anyway and the car hit a wall. Evidently they were in a remote area and were not found for over an hour. Everyone was severely injured but Cliff's daughter was hurt the worst. Because her system is so compromised by the fact that she is a brittle diabetic, her body isn't dealing with the massive injuries. The doctors are not hopeful.

Cliff brought something of hers back to the house. Something I just had at home a month ago… a mother cat and 5 newborn kittens. I am amazed at the compassion this man has. That he would even remember those poor animals during such a tragic time fills me with love. He tells me all are doing well and we are both hopeful that we will be able to place this family with the same ease that we had the last time.

I ask him if he would like me to come home now and he says NO! What he wants me to do is be his eyes and go out with the real estate people and see the houses and towns. My heart is heavy but I agree to stay.

Next I call my son and talk to Jen. I tell her what's going on and also ask them to look for the glasses, hoping they might be in their car. Then I try to sleep thinking it will be a long time before I fade into oblivion but sleep comes quickly.

Day 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11