Hat on Top, Coat Below
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More Animals and Fireworks But Not Simultaneously
December 8, 2021
One month minus one day ago, when we got back to the condo after our day of park and resort hopping, I saw something I’d hoped not to: signs of exercise induced vasculitis, also known as “Disney rash” on my legs in the form of red splotches from ankle to knee. I’ve gotten it before when exercising more than usual in warm conditions. I elevated my feet for a while that night and slathered on anti-itch creme, and my legs looked and felt better in the morning, but since we still had many days of lots of walking in the heat ahead of us, I asked that our first stop of this new day be CVS, where I got these super stylish compression socks, since I knew they help many people with the “rash”. (If you want to see what my legs looked like before the socks, both in the evening and the next morning after some treatment but before the special socks, click here.) There was a time when I’d have worried about what other people thought about my dork-tastic white knee socks with shorts look, but I’m older and wiser now and figure it’s their problem if it bothers them.
Socks in place, our next stop was Animal Kingdom, to see what we could see on a non-rainy day. One answer to that question was KiteTails, a show on the lagoon featuring jet skis and kites that was new since our last visit. It’s not a long show, or one with much of a story, but it’s fun to watch (and the jet skis are surprisingly quiet). We also rode Expedition Everest and saw the bird show and decided not to wait for the Safari because the line was too long and watched the siamang sisters in Asia and took the train to the petting zoo and animal care area, where we did a drawing class thing that wasn’t there the last time we visited.
After Animal Kingdom, we returned to the condo to change for another fancy dinner, this one at California Grill at the Contemporary. If I’d had a choice, I wouldn’t have put the fancy dinners at the top of hotels on back to back days, but one takes what one can get. I decided to skip the compression socks with my dinner outfit and was happy to see my legs hadn’t gotten noticeably worse during the day. We didn’t get as lucky with our seats at dinner as we had the night before, ending up near the middle of the restaurant rather than next to the window, but that’s okay; we could still see the sunset.
After dinner, we browsed the shops in the hotel then staked out a spot to watch the Magic Kingdom fireworks from a patio at the end of the hotel. Back in the day, I remember being able to watch them from an outside space at the top of the hotel next to the restaurant we’d just eaten at, but that area is now used for an upcharge event. We got to the less exalted space in time to grab a couple of the ten or so seats, so that was nice.
It was nice to be able to have a short walk to the car after the fireworks rather than the long trek out to the park’s parking lot (though I understand the trams are coming back at some point). Then back to the condo to sleep before another day of WDW. Or half day, maybe, by many people’s standards, since we are not great at getting to the parks in the morning.
On this date in 2020: Holiday Cheer in Decor Form
2019: Mystery Furniture
2018: It All Began with a God Named Thor
2017: Response Required by Law
2016: In the Land of the Mouse
2015: Work, Dress, Boots, Sport, Sandals, Other
2014: It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Something
2013: No entry
2012: Photo of the Week
2011: That Narrows It Down
2010: Making a List
2009: Audrey in Flying Clothes
2008: Public Service Announcement
2007: No entry
2006: I Take It Back
2005: Wild Knitting
2004: My First Quilt
2003: Weekly Report Card
2002: No entry
