|
|
| Christa Grant's
Trip Report August / September 05 |
|
Day 4 – Part
3 Move over Tom Hanks: There’s
a New Man in Town!
Tonight’s Hoop Dee Doo Revue show was 2yrs in the
making. It was hard to believe the show had actually arrived!
It had been two years since we selected a date for the show by
throwing darts at our calendar. It was amazing to me how that
random date turned out to be perfect for our crew. And now we’re
here. Somebody pinch me.
Ow
We drove to Fort Wilderness Campground and took a bus to Pioneer Hall for the
show. The boys were excited to have their first bus ride of the trip. I was
excited to see them excited. I need a life.
We arrive at Pioneer Hall and things are buzzing with activity! We bypassed
the picture line since between all of our cameras; I figured having 1000 pictures
was sufficient. We had a little time before dinner so we wandered down to the
waterfront. We were all flooded with memories. When my family came to WDW during
my childhood, we always stayed at Fort Wilderness in our beloved trailer. May
that trailer rest in peace. Sniff We all hadn’t been in Disney
together for at least 15+ years.
We slowly walked down one of the many pathways. We tried petting a horse and
got bitten.
Not
by the horse mind you, but by its owner.
No
matter – I was immune to any negativity tonight since I
was lost in nostalgia. I showed everyone the infamous lawn mower
tree. They were suitably interested, but then it happened.
We walked inside the Trading Post and there it was, in all its shining glory:
the checkerboard. Insert dramatic music It was still there after all
these years. ToT sis and I used to run to the Trading Post, buy a snack, and
play checkers together while Dapper Dad and Fanlover set up our trailer. Today,
the boys and Cocoa bil sat down and started to play a game. Grab me a tissue.
I need to buy stock in Kleenex.
It was now just after 7pm, so it was time to make our way back to the show.
We were seated quickly and were not disappointed with our table. As you look
towards the stage, we were on the left – very close to the stage stairs.
The room hadn’t really changed in 20yrs ago. Goofy Guy and I were placing
bets on whom, if anyone, at our table would be asked to participate in the
show. We thought that Dapper Dad could be asked, or one of the boys. I’m
glad we didn’t put money on our bets – we both would have lost.
Our waiter arrived and offered to take our drink order. He went through the
options with us but he neglected to say sangrias! Have they discontinued offering
sangrias? Before I could cry in my soup, Goofy Guy asked him about it and sure
enough, they were still available. Our waiter said something about not being
able to list it anymore, but if the customer asked, they can have it. It sounded
strange to me, but I didn’t care. I was getting my sangria! Cocoa bil
gave his order for a beer. I was just about to order next, when our waiter
asked Cocoa bil for ID. We were all a little startled because, you see, Cocoa
bil is 38.
He stumbled for his wallet but he realized the only form of “ID” he
had, was his hotel card and that didn’t have his birth date on it. Here
he was, sitting with his wife and children, just a couple years shy of his
40th b-day, and he was being refused beer. Oh if his students could see him
now! Rather than fight the waiter, he changed his order to lemonade. Talk about
one extreme to the other! Goofy Guy
and I were able to have sangrias since we strangely had ID with us. It’s
strange how we brought our driver’s licenses since we didn’t even
have a car in Florida! So let this
be a lesson to y’all. If you’re under 80, you’d better bring
ID if you want alcohol at the Hoop Dee Doo!
The show was as wonderful as we remembered. We were laughing so hard we had
tears in our eyes. Our table location turned out to be wonderful. When the
actors came to and from the stage, one of them would usually stop at our table
to say hello. Splashboy and Boomer got a lot of attention from the ladies.
I’m sure I caught them flirting.
The food was pretty good and plentiful. Dapper dad enjoyed it too, but said
it wasn’t quite as good as he remembered from our trips 15+yrs ago. We
all agreed. We devoured the ribs quickly however and before we knew it, a new
pot was sitting on our table. Cocoa bil and Goofy guy were in heaven. This
second bucket seemed to be better than the first. More napkins please.
Just after dessert was served, one of the actresses came down to our table
again. I thought that this was it! She was going to ask Dapper dad or one of
the boys to join her on stage. Well colour me stupid! She was looking directly
at Cocoa bil! I must confess that I was a little worried. Cocoa bil is a little
shy so I didn’t know how this was going to play out. He didn’t
even have any beer in him to help calm his nerves.
Before we knew it, he had gone back stage with the actors. We were all full
of anticipation as we waited for Cocoa bil to make his acting debut. Well,
almost all of us. Boomer realized that he didn’t need to share his strawberry
shortcake with his absent dad, so he decided to take advantage of the situation.
Breathe, Boomer, breathe!
And then it was time. Cocoa bil was now on centre stage, playing
the best darn Indian we had ever seen. He didn’t bashfully
move across the stage – no sir. He put his whole body
into the role. I thought he might pull something. I think I
even forgot he was my brother-in-law for a minute. Move over
Tom Hanks, Cocoa bil’s the new man in town. I don’t
think any of us had laughed so much before in our lives.
I wish we videotaped his triumphant acting debut, but we did manage to snap
a million pictures. Just when I thought it was over, Cocoa bil did something
that I never thought would be possible. Had I not seen it with my own eyes,
I would have thought you were crazy. In front of all those people, he had a
temper tantrum.
I should know, I’ve seen a temper tantrum or two this trip.
Davie Crocket was dying. Cocoa bil, also known as the Indian, was terribly
upset and wasn’t afraid to show it. He sprawled out on the ground stomping
his legs and fists while crying like I’ve never seen him before. He really
flung himself into the role. Who IS this guy and what did he do with my mild-mannered
Cocoa bil?? I need to find him an agent.
Before we knew it, our magical Hoop Dee Doo dinner had drawn to a close. Cocoa
bil was given a certificate in honour of his magnificent acting debut. ToT
sis said that she was going to make a scrapbook upon their return home and
this certificate was definitely finding a home inside it. Before we knew it,
we looked around and noticed that we were the very last people still sitting
at our table! Do you think they’d notice if we stayed for the next show?
Our plan was to go down to the beach to watch the water parade. We had a few
minutes before the parade was set to begin, so we decided to walk the 100 loop
at the Fort Wilderness campground. The trailers on this loop were mammoth,
beautiful homes. If we still had our little trailer, it would have been dwarfed.
Ah, but if those walls could talk, they’d have some wonderful family
memories to share.
I
read somewhere that campers often decorate their trailers in
Fort Wilderness beautifully at Christmastime. I’d like
to come back to see. Of course, I’ll make any excuse to
come back to Disney!
Someone could mention
a new garbage can in the Magic Kingdom and I’d have to plan
a trip to see it.
We went back into the Trading Post where Cocoa bil and the boys
resumed their checker game. The rest of us sat outside soaking
in the atmosphere. Life doesn’t
get any better than this. Well, maybe it does. It was time to make our way
down to the water and find a lounge chair. It was a beautiful night with lots
of stars in the sky, a light breeze and a perfect temperature. Splashboy was
having fun pointing out the big and little dippers to us. I guess life really
can get better. Just then, the parade began. I was pleased to see the entire
parade. Last year, half of the floats weren’t working. The boys loved
it, not to mention Cocoa bil. It was a perfect ending to a magical night.
We got back to the hotel and Dapper dad and Fanlover went to their new room.
You know, the one we should be able to see through concrete. After the night
we had, it didn’t really bother us. We knew they’d likely be back
in their old room tomorrow. I walked into our hotel room and started getting
ready for bed. But for some reason, I felt a little unsettled. What was wrong?
For
some unexplainable reason, I stuck my head out the door. I immediately
felt better. Walking down the hall was Cocoa bil with his refillable
mug full of hot chocolate. I guess I couldn’t fall asleep
without knowing Cocoa bil got his nightly fill of hot chocolate.
The balance was back in the universe. It was no beer, but it
still did the trick. Pleasant dreams everyone. Tomorrow we had
phone calls with Goofy, glow in the dark ice cubes and date night.
Day 5 - Part 1...
|
Recommend
this page to a friend
Visit our
Message Boards |
|
|
