Disney Bound and on the lookout for Kevin Boyle

Our clan will be departing our little island in the bay later this week and heading south to the Walt Disney Resort in Orlando, Florida.

Arrangements have been made to make sure that all the pets currently residing at our zoo on West 12th Road, one dog, four cats, 2 turtles, 2 Guinea pigs, one rabbit and two (currently missing) white rats will be fed and cared for.  

We will be staying on property in a Villa at Kidani Village in the resort's Animal Kingdom.  I guess you could say we are leaving one zoo to vacation at another.

Thankfully, the myriad facial scars from my recent skin cancer surgery have healed to the point where I am no longer fearful of my visage causing mouse ear wearing youngsters to start crying and complaining to their parents about an old white haired zombie scaring the bejesus out of them! 

I know what you are thinking.  C'mon Pete, you're 64 years old, your daughters are grown up.  Why go to Disney World?  

Truth be told I grew up a big fan of the original Mickey Mouse Club back in the 1950's.  Every week night from 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm I would sit in front of the old black and white box and watch Jimmie Dodd, Annette Funicello, Cubby O'Brien and the rest of the Mouseketeers.  Wednesday was my favorite show because Wednesday was "Anything Can Happen" day!  I always looked forward to the latest "Spin and Marty" and "Hardy Boys" episodes also!

I was only five years old when Walt Disney announced the opening of his original Park in Anaheim, California in 1955 but I made sure that visiting Disneyland was the #1 item on my young bucket list.

Fourteen years later, thanks to a decision by United States Marine Corps to park my butt in the Mojave Desert for several months, I was able to cross that item off my bucket list.  

I used to spend the few weekend liberties I received on long bus trips to Anaheim where I stayed at a Motel 6 directly across from the Disneyland Park for  $18 a night.  Of course that was with a military discount. 

A buddy of mine worked in the base public affairs office and he kept me supplied with Magic Kingdom Club Books which covered my entrance to the park and admittance to all the attractions.

Two enlistments and five years later Uncle Sam and I parted on honorable terms and I returned to New York.

Like many of you, Disney was only a distant thought in my mind as I started a career and then later a family.

Then in 2002, when my daughters Amy and Victoria were 7 and 6 years old respectively, we spent a week at Florida's Disney World Resort at the Polynesian Village.  I was hooked again.  So much so that we joined Disney's Vacation Club which allows us to stay at any of the myriad of on-property Disney resorts anytime we visit.  We have been back several times since and each visit has has been nothing less than exceptional.

So yes...I'm 64, my beautiful wife Grace ("She Who Must Be Obeyed") is 30 and Amy and Vicki are now 19 and 18 years old.  We are all just as excited about this pending trip as we have been on each previous occasion. 

Truth be told I am looking forward to visiting Disney when I am 74 and Grace is still 30 and Amy and Vicki are 29 and 28.

Due diligence requires that I also advise you that there is another reason for visiting Disney at this time.  

A little birdy told me that Kevin Boyle was overheard stating that he had taken a job at Disney World as a Disney character.  

It was alleged that he had been overheard  remarking..."Can't beat this job.  I get to walk around the park all day, nobody knows who I am and I don't have to speak to anyone!"

I will keep my eyes peeled when I visit Splash Mountain to see if I spot Mickey Mouse holding up a STOP FEMA NOW sign. 

You never know.

P.S.

The site will be dormant for the next week as I will not be dealing with anything even remotely involving FEMA, Build It Back, Biggert-Waters, Elevation Certificates, New Bulkheads, Street Raisings, etc.

In the interim, as my friend Goofy always advises...Hang Loose!