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October 31st

Happy Halloween!

Blizzard Beach/Backyard Barbecue

Our weather has been perfect so far! No humidity and highs in the lower 80's Today, we never saw a cloud in the sky. When I woke up, I opened the patio door and there were 5 hot air balloons just taking flight. What a sight. One was so close, I could have talked to the people flying it.

We had another pancake dinner when the kids finally woke up. We brought our own non-stick pan on the plane with us. We actually bought this pan to take down here. It gets quite a workout. They have plenty of pans in our room, but they are all tough to make pancakes or grilled cheese in.

We met the gang at the entrance to Blizzard Beach before 10:00 when the gates opened. At the rope drop we found the best spot on the beach and settled in. This was my morning to relax and take it easy. I stayed at the camp while the kids and Deb went on some slides and water rides.

After plenty of fun in the sun, we decided to give up our great spot and return to our rooms to prepare for our dinner show.

We drove to the front lot at Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort and hopped on a bus to River Country and Pioneer Hall. We were a bit early for Mickey's Back Yard Barbecue so we let the girls feed the goats, sheep and donkey's at the petting farm. We said hello to Minnie Moo while we were there. The baby goats we saw in August were almost full grown now! After we washed the goat goo off our hands, we paid a visit to the Official Stables and see all the horses. They were getting some of the big ones ready for tonight's Haunted Hayride beginning at Pioneer Hall.

We finally got back in line with the family and waited until they let us in. A cowboy and cowgirl came to the fence and rang a big dinner triangle while they shouted "Dinner is served!!" Then, they let us in. The food was good, and there was tons of it! Roasted chicken, ribs, hot dogs, corn on the cob, potato salad, tossed salad, baked beans, corn bread, coleslaw, peanuts and cake galore! They had 3 different types of wine, beer and coolers full of pop as well as coffee and teas. Two, huge American flag marble cakes were put out for dessert. All the food was terrific. Deb would have preferred fried chicken, and she opted for a hot dog. I thought the ribs and chicken were great.

The show started soon after we were seated. Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Chip and Dale would be joining us in dancing and whoopin it up. The had a line dance instructor who taught us a few basic steps, then led the crowd in some dancing. During all this dancing, they had a show with a cowboy doing tricks with whips and lasso. The kids loved it. I tried my hand at the line dancing but, I ran into troubles and soon dropped out. They announced our 13th anniversary and we joined another couple with Mickey and Minnie in a slow dance. The country band was outstanding! We had a blast! Deb was a little disappointed about her food choices, but I loved it. The kids wore themselves out dancing and playing with the characters. Everyone enjoyed themselves and we agreed we would do this again!