Editorial ----

4-20-07

The Mouse Trap at the Happiest Place on Earth
And other love stories

Well, it’s been over a year now since I have written an article for the Springer Connection. A lot of things have happened since then.

For starters, Kimberly and I got married last April at her Mom’s house in Prince George and have since decided to move back to VA once the house sells. Therein is a key to something else that has happened. The bottom has dropped out of the housing market and however the market is where you are, it is much worse here.

Why is the market worse here? Many people have decided to pull out of Florida due to high insurance rates, high taxes, and the ever present fear of hurricane seasons like the ones we had year before last. So, here we sit with a FOR SALE sign in the front yard just like 4,200 other people in this one county alone.

Last Christmas weekend we decided to take Kimberly’s daughter Kelsey, to Walt Disney World for the holiday lights and festivities. That was a big and expensive mistake. The place was so crowded you could not walk from one attraction to the other without being trampled or run over by strollers.

The poor little kids whose parents are dragging them to Disney World were miserable also. I never heard so much screaming and crying in my entire life as I did there at the “Happiest Place On Earth”. I’m here to tell you that the happiest place on earth was the exit from the parking lot at Disney. We were starving to death and the only restaurants that were not booked up solid had a 2.5 hour wait to get in.

The Happiest Place On Earth brought Kimberly to tears. She vowed never to return there. And what did we pay for the pleasure of this misery? With our Florida residents discount, somewhere between $225-$275. We definitely got caught in a mousetrap.

I met a guy named Larry “Little Wolf” Elmore at the local Harley Davidson who is Cherokee and a tribal elder in the local tribe in this area. He and his wife invited Kimberly and I to their gatherings called Moon Ceremonies. It is their version of church. They are some of the nicest people you could ever want to meet. They all hug you as a way of greeting because that is the Cherokee way. We have really enjoyed attending the prayer ceremonies and each gathering winds up with dinner. They are a great bunch of folks and are always asking us to reconsider moving to VA.

I didn’t go to Daytona Bike Week this year. The reason being is that basically it is the same each year. I had enough of it the last couple of years to keep me for a while. However, once I move away from here I will probably long for the convenience of just “riding over to Daytona” as they phrase it around here.

Next month I will be going to Alfred, NY to see my son and his fiancé graduate from college. Now, normally this would be the “Yippee! He finally made it!” moment but, they are both going on to get Phds, so on it goes. But, I am proud of him and just have to be there to see this.

I am glad to hear the Swing Into Spring picnic will go on again this year. I can’t make it but I was hoping everyone would keep this thing going and not let it die out before I get up to VA. Need I remind everyone what a fun time everyone had and how good the food was courtesy of Keith and Janice? I saw people I haven’t seen in a long time. I even reconnected with my dear cousin Susan Chaney whom I’d not seen since she was in high school. So, get your tickets and get out and have some fun.

See you soon-
Jack

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