dinosaurs, dinosaurs, dinosaurs!

I had not consciously planned an afternoon with ancient creatures, but what a treat from my subconscious mind!
I had arrived at Downtown Disney in search of a cool place to pass some time during the humid afternoon. The cinema had a film starting at the right time, one I had not yet seen, so in I went. "The Croods" was such a fabulous story!!! I had not expected to be so touched, but I was, ending up sobbing in the darkness as the end credits rolled and all the families there made their way out. Fortunately, I was sitting off to the side and way down front, so no one really noticed me sobbing. I think.
Anyway, I had a chance to read the end credits and found out that John Cleese had helped write the story. Very nice! I do so love his sense of humor and several of the bits in the movie had struck me as rather British-veined. I guess that was because they were! I especially liked the Belt on the boy, the Belt that would, at key moments, dramatically say: "da da DAH!!!" Very funny!
But the part that got me choked up was near the end. The teenaged daughter had been at odds with her dad the whole time, fighting him about going outside the cave, fighting him about seeking new things, fighting him about ... well, the usual stuff that teens fight about with parents. Then, just when they seem to be working things out, he dies. And there she is, on the cliff, blowing into a conch shell in mourning, being joined by her family all doing the same death keen.
Very poignant scene. Really got to me.
So, like I said, I stayed in the cinema, reading most of the credits and watching the extra little animated bits and getting myself under control. It helped greatly that everyone else had left, so I didn't feel self-conscious about crying at an animated movie. It also helped that someone I really liked had a hand in writing the story.

So, afterward, I had hoped to ride the hot-air balloon. Be a Character in Flight with the lovely, talented Tinkerbell! Alas, 'twas not to be. Storm warnings had grounded the balloon for the rest of the afternoon and evening.
No floating amidst the clouds with my favorite fairy on this day.
I had a Wetzel dog while I wandered about, taking pictures of the tethered balloon. That was a VERY good hot dog! I highly recommend it! Juicy, flavorful, and wrapped in pretzel dough! I didn't even bother putting mustard on it and it was GOOD.
I then meandered about the area, taking in the sights, people watching. You know, the usual things one does when simply passing time. I bopped into the LEGO store, too, which is a definitely fun place. You can even play with some of the toys while you're there!

Eventually, though, I decided to have an early dinner at T-Rex. Beat the crowd, you know? Because this place isn't your ordinary eatery. Oh, no! It's practically a museum, filled with animatronic entertainment!

As I dined, I sat beside the beast at the top of this post, a beast which would graze and roar and sometimes look right at me! The ocean scene lay to my other side while dining. Isn't it so very lovely?

This was not my first time in this so-called Prehistoric Family Adventure, but it was my first time eating there. The bird and I had roamed among the beasts on our visit to Orlando two - or was it three? - years earlier. On that visit, suppertime was in full swing and the place had a VERY long line of waiting diners. No way we were going to add to that line! How lovely to have finally had the chance to sink my teeth into the Pangaea Pasta while sipping a Raptor Rita and being serenaded by a triceratops. Fabulous fun for kids of all ages - including 55!