Return to Disney World 1977
Tuesday, September 9th, 2008
Over a decade before I had ever even heard the expression ‘The Happiest Place on Earth’ when I first visited Disneyland in 1988, I had determined that the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World was in fact the happiest place on Earth. Words cannot adequately express the nostalgic chunk of memory firmly rooted in my brain when it comes to my second visit to Disney World in the early Summer of 1977. At the age of five, my mind was made up: this was my kind of place. Read the rest of this entry »
There was no end to the fun to be had in St. Petersburg during my all-expense paid (by my parents) trip in the Summer of 1977 when I was a mere five years old. The Odyssey hotel, the wax museum, the pool, Ira and Mildred’s house, the Kapok Tree, Disney World, the seagulls, my gal Mary, and especially the white sands of the beach and refreshing salt water of the ocean were all ingredients for one of the most memorable trips of my life. 
One of the best and most memorable vacations that I ever took came during the Summer of 1977. As an impressionable lad of five, I’m quite convinced that it was this trip that solidified my love of Florida, Disney World, and vacations in general. Although I can’t be 100%certain of the dates of this trip, two photos from it were given by my parents to my Grandma Range. She dated the back of each photo as June 6, 1977. Although each photo was likely taken on a different day of the trip (one was at Disney and the other was out to eat at the Kapok Tree with Ira and Mildred), I have no reason to doubt that this was a valid date during the trip. 
The black 1949 Hudson (seen at left at a car show from 1977) that Dad owned was probably the sharpest and most unique of all of the old cars that he collected while I was growing up. At the time of its purchase during the Summer of 1976, we already owned one Hudson, a 
On Wednesday, May 25, 1977, a significant milestone occurred in my life: I graduated pre-school from Hope Nursery School. Mrs. Painter and Mrs. Groeber signed off on my certificate, certifying that I was now ready to enter the real world…or at least kindergarten. I bid farewell to my teachers and my friends, namely Jason, my best friend who I loved to tattle on. And I prepared myself for my last Summer of freedom before the perils of real school would begin in the Fall. Life was good and I was off to a rip-roaring start.