London Calling

Yeah, so that was a cheap ploy to ride the wave of the 2012 Olympics, but really, a day at EPCOT does include a visit to the United Kingdom, along with a few other countries.  So yeah, it's a stretch, but when you have your own blog, you can take certain liberties.  And Heather rocks her UK ears at a gold medal level.

Funny how everyone always look so fresh and rested at the onset of a day at a Disney park.

Imagine the kids' disappointment when the phone boxes in the United Kingdom weren't blue, nor were they bigger on the inside.  Take a bow if you get the reference.

Heather gives the thumbs up before we take off on Mission Space

Cue the obligatory Spaceship Earth family portrait

He wasn't actually back in Rome, but at the Italy pavilion, Andrew felt like he was back at his old stomping grounds.  Without the gelato.

 Andrew is such a gangsta.  Here he is hanging with his homies.  An intimidating trio.

To say that Heather earned her ears traveling around the world would be an understatement as evidenced by stops in.....

Canada

Mexico

Germany

 And Italy

Damn she's adorable

In training in case the Hunger Games ever comes calling under a new administration, Heather does her best Katniss.  Or Hawkeye for the Avengers fans among us.  (And who isn't?)

Bumpa would have been proud to see his kin and grandkin tossing the cabers

Embracing their Scottish heritage, my kinsmen held their own at the Highland Games.  They put on Brave faces.

Rocking the sombreros and ponchos, mis hijos earned their colors

Post lunch, it's siesta time for Andrew

My priceless China collection

And finally, me and my liebchen in Germany. Without the wienerschnitzel and sauerkraut.

No Sweat!

Picture this: a quiet Sunday morning in a peaceful Pawtucketville neighborhood.  You take a break from your morning coffee, wander out to grab the paper, and you see this sight coming at you down your street:

Exactly.

The E Streeters returned to the Lowell/Dracut State forest today for some bear-free wandering in muggy conditions!  So muggy, in fact, that sweat would be plentiful for this excursion.  For most humans, that is.

A worrisome start when a monster hawk sat perched atop a light fixture, watching us run beneath him.

With a well-timed call-in from Scott to provide us with life-saving trailblazing directions, we head into the thick of the forest.  But first, let's pause for a quick line-up shot, giving Tommy the opportunity to finally look up to his brother. 

Nothing like stopping a pair of lovebirds out for a morning hike to ask them to take a group picture of five sweaty men and one dry machine.  Note to Tommy:  when we accidentally wear the same shirt - an MCC classic - we should probably not stand next to one another for the group pic.

Afterwards, back at the cars, we can only stare in amazement, not just at the amount of sweat that has drenched all of us, but at the amazing lack of a single bead of sweat on Carlos!  How does he do it?!?

A fabulous July run, notching yet another great outing into the Lowell/Dracut forest.  Trailblazing at its best.  What course did we run?  How did we choose our trails?  Say it with me, E Streeters:  "It doesn't matter."

Running All Over the World, Take 2

An early bell means another chance to hit the streets of EPCOT before the crowds and log a quality father-son run through a few different countries.

Like the United Kingdom, before the Olympics come to town.  Or any other humans, for that matter.

And Canada, my Canada

With the park all to ourselves, we even had a chance to go Under the Sea.  By the way, I found Nemo.

Weaving our way around Spaceship Earth, we didn't have to contend with any lines or crowds!

Got another chance to sport some Middlesex gear as part of MCC Global!

Apparently you need to pump your right fist when running in front of EPCOT's dancing fountains

Andrew winds his way over to Mexico and Norway.  Minutes later he'd be crushed to find out the restaurants hadn't opened yet.

But he drowned his sorrows quickly by fantasizing about getting this Chevy convertible for his next set of wheels.

And finally, with his brethren in Norway, as the Lord of the Rings soundtrack played overhead.  I think Andrew actually hurt himself striking this pose.

Time to go get the girls and see EPCOT for reals!

Animal Kingdom Come!

Our day at Disney's Animal Kingdom afforded Andrew the opportunity to show the contintent of Africa his dance moves. Luckily, I was there to catch it all on film.  Really, there's no captions needed.  His moves speak for themselves.

Andrew wore his Boston Marathon 2012 gear for the day.  Apparently you're only allowed to wear those shirts when the temperature hits the sweltering 90s. (See April blog entry for more details)

Daddy's little gorilla shows off her impressive arm span

The early morning safari provided us with some unprecedented access to the animals, but I figured multiple wildlife pictures would drive readers of this blog away, so I'll stick to family shots.  With one exception - this fella:

The animal Andrew most closely resembles when he's awoken early.  Or doesn't eat his meals on time. 

My three favorite animals

 The Two Towers

 Back at the hotel, it's smooch time with my sweetie

 One of Disney's great mysteries: why does the Dolphin hotel have a fish as its centerpiece?

And finally, after a long day of dancing in the hot African sun, Andrew calls it a day. Pay no attention to the bunny in the right-hand corner, he's just keeping an eye on things.

EPCOT De Nuit

A day to catch our breath means an unforgettable afternoon of a Disney double feature - Brave and the Avengers - I mean, how cool is that seeing those two flicks at DisneyWorld?  So anyways, it was time for a nice dinner out at the restaurant of Heather's choice, Les Chefs de France at EPCOT!  Bring on the butchered French dialogue, except, of course, for Heather, who speaks it fluently after taking it for a couple of semesters at Lowell High!

Complete with French lemonade

Andrew had some degree of difficulty opening his bottle

The Four Fantastique waiting for dinner

Heather spent the night chatting with our French waitress

Afterwards, Heather was sporting the Ratatouille chef's hat with style

Not to mention looking beautiful in her beret (you'll see lots of hats shots to come)

Heather can have her hats - Andrew will take the French bakery
One in a series of fountain shots with my favorite three people.  This one's in Morocco.  Take note of Jack's Happy Anniversary pin - this night marked the 21st anniversary of our first date!
With a camel as their backdrop, Andrew and Heather sport the local headware.  And as ANY fan of the Doctor knows - fezes are cool.

A quick stop in Japan, complete with the setting sun

And finally, the two lovebirds in front of the Arch of Eternal Love.  Okay, I made that name up.  But it worked for the anniversary theme