I even have pictures online of the last time I went, but I'll spare Y'all of that.

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The T1 Trust, PRR T1 Class 4-4-4-4 #5550, 1 of America's First HST's

Enjoy your vacation :-)

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#resist

Hi friends. We moved on to the Space Coast and spent yesterday at the Kennedy Space Center. They put on a heck of a show there. Totally worth it!!!

We've been throwing our niece in the ocean whenever we get the chance. She loves it. Turns out she was probably a mermaid in a prior life. Too bad the kid lives in Phoenix!!!

Hi friends. We moved on to the Space Coast and spent yesterday at the Kennedy Space Center. They put on a heck of a show there. Totally worth it!!!

We've been throwing our niece in the ocean whenever we get the chance. She loves it. Turns out she was probably a mermaid in a prior life. Too bad the kid lives in Phoenix!!!

I took my niece to swim in the lake near my uncle's a couple of weeks ago. She is a little older than your niece though, but she'd never swum in a lake in her life and was very excited.

We were both very city about the whole thing and I had a freak out when the fish kept ramming at my feet.

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Reality Internet Personality

Hi friends. We moved on to the Space Coast and spent yesterday at the Kennedy Space Center. They put on a heck of a show there. Totally worth it!!!

We've been throwing our niece in the ocean whenever we get the chance. She loves it. Turns out she was probably a mermaid in a prior life. Too bad the kid lives in Phoenix!!!

Well keep Her out of any warm lakes, some have deadly amoebas(Brain-Eating Amoeba Thrives in Warm, Fresh Water) that go to the brain and start eating away at the human brain and once that happens there's no cure.

The brain-eating amoeba that killed three people this summer is an organism that thrives in warm fresh water and can be found in lakes, rivers, hot springs and soil, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

An image of Trophozoites of N. fowleri in
brain tissue, stained. Click to enlarge this image.
CDC

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The T1 Trust, PRR T1 Class 4-4-4-4 #5550, 1 of America's First HST's

That sounds so scary. We never go swim in a lake though because there's none in our surroundings. We always go to the swimming pool. We have an outside and an inside one.

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rOZZ
Music
Pictures

Oh Vic, don't be such a party pooper! Getting up each day in the morning is a challenge to be surmounted, but it's what we do, we iz human beings :-)

Julie & ES99, you carry on ....

I'm not a party pooper Chris, It was a word of caution to the wise and to My friends, as that has killed 3 people who've swam in waters like that, a man made pool or the ocean is safer as is a cooler lake or where one has a man made lake with cold water, like at Lake Mead...

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The T1 Trust, PRR T1 Class 4-4-4-4 #5550, 1 of America's First HST's

I have always thought of Dizknee land/world/park to be a rather childish sort of place and knot some where i would choose to go,
But with this kind of view. it may be bear able.
Though i will not say which of the bears.
Or what could be done.

Disney is, in fact, for the young. I was taken to Disneyland in Los Angeles as a child and it was a great trip. Disney as an adult is a little less exciting.

Eric and I were unable to have children of our own. While this situation has its inherent sad aspects, it does result in us having the time and a little extra cash to spoil our nieces and nephews rotten. When each niece or nephew turns 13, we send him or her a guide book covering the USA and associated territories. We let the child choose a trip anywhere he or she wants to go and do whatever activities he or she would like to do. The 13 year old is basically in charge of planning all the activities. We just make the reservations and pay the bills.

Our only rules for the trip are:

1. The niece or nephew cannot pick the same place an older one has gone before. (Hey, it's a big country - this is hardly as limiting as it might sound!!!!)
2. We reserve the right to veto any activity we feel might be dangerous or that might not be appropriate for a 13 year old (Yes, Auntie Angela is an over-protective worry-wart.)
3. We reserve the right to insert educational activities into the trip, should they arise ...and surprise, surprise... they ALWAYS do! (Yes, Auntie Angela is basically an educator and frankly so is Uncle Eric. There really is no getting around that aspect of both of our personalities.)
4. No "Daisy Duke shorts" or exposed navels unless one is poolside or beach-side (Ok, ok... so Auntie Angela is also a prude. Now you all know.)

This was our sixth trip in this series of adventures. We have 12 nieces and nephews right now and #13 is due to be born in September, so we will be taking a few more of these trips in the next decade or so.

Truth be told, these trips are often a bit of a stretch for us. They often involve places and activities we probably would not choose on our own, but we want to share in whatever the niece or nephew is passionate about at 13. We always end up learning quite a bit about unfamiliar subjects from our 13 year old "family experts".

Our oldest niece (now in college) was (still is) a country music fan. When she turned 13 she picked Nashville and Gatlinburg Tennessee for her trip, and Eric and I learned a whole lot about country music.

The second oldest (now studying to be an auto mechanic) was (still is) a NASCAR fan. He picked seeing a NASCAR race at night at a track called "Bristol", so back we went the next year to Tennessee!!! We ended up doing additional things in the Knoxville area, and Eric and I learned a whole lot about racing from our little family expert.

We were a little worried for a while that we might never get to see anything outside of Tennessee, but the next year we were in for a surprise. The third oldest (now a senior in high school) was (still is) a budding little marine biologist, and she picked Miami and the Florida Keys. That trip has been my personal favorite so far.

Number four and number five, a pair of cousins, (both still in high school now) happened to turn 13 in the same year. We offered them separate one week trips to separate places if they chose, or a two week trip if they emailed each other and coordinated a single trip for us. Not being stupid, they went for the two week deal. They decided they wanted to go to Hawaii. Our niece (#4) liked the idea of beach life and shopping, so she chose a week on Oahu. Our nephew (#5) was (still is) interested in volcanoes, so after Oahu we spent a week on the big island of Hawaii.

Number 6, as you know, is a Disney fan, but she was also interested in space exploration. Consequently she chose Orlando and also to the Space Coast for her trip.

Number 7 turns 13 next summer. She is already an accomplished thespian and even though we haven't sent her the USA guidebook yet, she has already told us that she wants to go to New York and see Broadway plays. I am actually quite excited about that possibility... (Eric is considerably less excited.) Of course our niece may change her mind. A year is a long time when you are that young. We try not to influence the kids in their choices, one way or the other. We really want the choice of our destination to be theirs and theirs alone.

Anyway, long story short, that is why at ages 46 and 49, Eric and I ended up twirling around in over-sized teacups at Disney World. A fun time was had by all, but my friends, there is no place like home!

You guys really do something wonderful for your nieces and nephews. You and Eric really sound like you're wonderful people. Maybe one day someone can repay all the kindness you show to others by taking you two out for a change! ;-)

My 1st trip to the house of the Mouse was with My Brother and His Wife Kathy, My 2nd and 3rd trips to Disneyland in Anaheim were with Kathy and Her 2 grown Daughters, Who are My Nieces, both are sweet, unmarried and unlikely to have any children, well actually the Younger one can cook with the best of them and then some, Her older Sister dates guys and after a bit drops them like a hot rock, but then in South Carlina she was abused as a child by some Man, so She will never have Children... Right now Kathy is putting off going to Disneyland again until She has retired from Nursing, She's 62 now, So It maybe another 4 or 5 years before She goes again, maybe. If wanted to go down there I could but I'd have to do that all by Myself and that's no fun at all.

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The T1 Trust, PRR T1 Class 4-4-4-4 #5550, 1 of America's First HST's

Angela, you and Eric sound like the Aunt and Uncle from Heaven. If your young thesbian is into classics have them check out this or this. New plays each year of course, but these links will give you the general drift. (Lots of neat stuff for old folks to do in each town as well.)

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If it had been me at thirteen, we would probably have gone on a long walk. 7 days at 10+ miles a day.

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BOINC WIKI

I walked almost that far round trip to get to school and back every day before I was 10 years old and by Myself too.

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The T1 Trust, PRR T1 Class 4-4-4-4 #5550, 1 of America's First HST's

If it had been me at thirteen, we would probably have gone on a long walk. 7 days at 10+ miles a day.

LOL! I live in fear of a trip like that.

Actually, I most fear some niece picking a Dude Ranch in the middle of Montana. I have had some very bad horse experiences and I have no intention of ever getting on one of those unruly beasts again!!!

If it had been me at thirteen, we would probably have gone on a long walk. 7 days at 10+ miles a day.

LOL! I live in fear of a trip like that.

Actually, I most fear some niece picking a Dude Ranch in the middle of Montana. I have had some very bad horse experiences and I have no intention of ever getting on one of those unruly beasts again!!!

I rode a horse when I was 16 with no training, but I was also a halfway decent archer at age 12, lots of Gunsmoke and Robin Hood type movies I guess.

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The T1 Trust, PRR T1 Class 4-4-4-4 #5550, 1 of America's First HST's

If it had been me at thirteen, we would probably have gone on a long walk. 7 days at 10+ miles a day.

LOL! I live in fear of a trip like that.

Actually, I most fear some niece picking a Dude Ranch in the middle of Montana. I have had some very bad horse experiences and I have no intention of ever getting on one of those unruly beasts again!!!

I hear they have some of those in Arizona and New Mexico, too. Lots of options for exploring that may not involve horses.

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Donald
Infernal Optimist / Submariner, retired

I hear they have some of those in Arizona and New Mexico, too. Lots of options for exploring that may not involve horses.

Hey! I don't want my sweet and innocent nieces exploring "dudes" at a dude ranch either!!!

If it had been me at thirteen, we would probably have gone on a long walk. 7 days at 10+ miles a day.

LOL! I live in fear of a trip like that.

Actually, I most fear some niece picking a Dude Ranch in the middle of Montana. I have had some very bad horse experiences and I have no intention of ever getting on one of those unruly beasts again!!!

I rode a horse when I was 16 with no training, but I was also a halfway decent archer at age 12, lots of Gunsmoke and Robin Hood type movies I guess.

I once road a horse when I was young and it died two weeks later. It was a young horse though. Still don't know if it was my fault. I don't think so...

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rOZZ
Music
Pictures

I hear they have some of those in Arizona and New Mexico, too. Lots of options for exploring that may not involve horses.

Hey! I don't want my sweet and innocent nieces exploring "dudes" at a dude ranch either!!!

I was thinking more along the lines of canyon hikes and pueblos and Native American arts and crafts. I know we are talking about 13-yos.

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Donald
Infernal Optimist / Submariner, retired

If it had been me at thirteen, we would probably have gone on a long walk. 7 days at 10+ miles a day.

LOL! I live in fear of a trip like that.

Actually, I most fear some niece picking a Dude Ranch in the middle of Montana. I have had some very bad horse experiences and I have no intention of ever getting on one of those unruly beasts again!!!

I rode a horse when I was 16 with no training, but I was also a halfway decent archer at age 12, lots of Gunsmoke and Robin Hood type movies I guess.

I once road a horse when I was young and it died two weeks later. It was a young horse though. Still don't know if it was my fault. I don't think so...

Well of course it wasn't your fault! You fulfilled the horse's last wish of giving such a wonderful person a ride, and it died very happy. :-D