In just six days, the wife and I leave for two and a half weeks at Walt
Disney World.  So what, other than buying mosquito repellant and
packing, did we do today?  We went to a local amusement park, of course!
Chattanooga's own "Lake Winnepesaukah" is exactly that sort of amusement
park that inspired Walt Disney to build something very different at his
Disneyland.  But, that's where the company picnic was being held, and
since we got time off and free admission, we decided to ignore the
better judgement that had kept us away from the place the past eleven
years we've been here and go.
It was a very educational afternoon.
It is all too easy to list the differences between this park and Disney,
as you might imagine.  No theming, carny booths, trash and dirt,
questionable safety practices, poor crowd management--all of the things
Disney is famous for, done wrong.  I hope these fresh memories will help
me overlook any small lapses at WDW this month.
I also learned why I haven't been on a Ferris wheel since I was six.
The first time I screamed all the way around--this time I managed to
keep quiet, but my head seemed to be orbiting faster than my stomach,
and I vowed there would not be a third time.  Still can't figure why, as
I've ridden everything Disney has to offer (except the Astro Orbiter)
without a twinge.  Go figure!
Even at this small park, there were a couple of gems.  A grand
merry-go-round built in 1916 with a herd of obviously wooden horses with
many a coat of paint, tame catfish in the lake two to three feet in
length, a wooden roller coaster in excellent repair, and a train
circling the lake made by the same Wichita manufacturer who built DL's
Casey Jr. locos.
The staff, if not exactly up to Disney CM standards, was friendly and
willing to talk about the equipment.  The train's engineer in
particular, had his dog with him.  This young mutt flopped in the shade
at the station during loading, but at the first blast of the whistle
took off ahead of the train as if it couldn't find it's way without her
leadership.  Once, when the dog chased a squirrel up a tree, the
engineer slowed the train to wait for her--I don't think I'm likely to
see that at WDW!
As with my January trip, I will be posting daily reports from the park.
We still aren't certain how these will be transmitted, but we'll do our
best to keep you all posted on new developments and rediscoveries.
Please don't hesitate to send us questions.  We'll try to read this
conference and netmail, but email to  is probably
a better idea.
I wish you could all join us.  If you're lucky enough you *can* be there
between 12 and 30 September, give our hotel a call at 407-396-4488 and
we'll do lunch!
()_()
 (_)  Bruce (5 days, 1 hour, 16 min., but who's counting?) Metcalf
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