Security on Facebook - Friends Lists and How to Use Them

For the past year or so, Facebook has hit the news about loses in their security. I am here to help set the record straight once and for all. I want to present some basic instruction on how to set your security so that you share with only those with whom you want to share.

The thing that inspired this writing is t...

Enchanted Art Brings the Disney Dream to Life!

To say that the Disney Dream, the first of two large cruise ships built for Disney Cruise Lines in the 21st century, is technologically advanced is like saying Mickey is just an animated mouse! Every Disney fan knows that Mickey Mouse stands for so much more and so is the new technologies you will find on the Dream....

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Part One

Click here to read Part Two

For fans of the seven Harry Potter novels and eight movies from the mind of JK Rowling, the magical world is almost as real as everyday life. To have the opportunity to...

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Part Two

Click here to read Part One

Another ride that should not be missed in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter is Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. As you make your way through the corrido...

The New Disney Dream Does Not Feel Very Big or Crowded!

Having been aboard Disney Cruise Line's first two ships for nine cruises in the past seven years, our first concern about cruising aboard the new larger Disney Dream was that it will feel crowded, loosing the intimate feel of the smaller ships. We had cruised on the Royal Caribbean Mariner of the Sea that frequently felt too big...

Vibe; The New DCL Teen Hot Spot

Traditionally, when one thinks of a cruise, images of the QE2 come to mind. A place where children of any age are discouraged. Then when the name Disney is added to the mix, images of young children frolicking with cartoon characters. Many cruise lines have added what they call 'teen lounges' but are nothing short of a dismal a...

Getting to and Paying for Your Florida Cruise

Our family travels a lot for the average person. People frequently ask us for advice on how they could travel more. When they ask seriously, they should be prepared for a conversation that may last hours. One day on our November 13th cruise, we met a great family from Houston sitting at the table next to us for High Tea in Palo...

Running the 2011 Disney Wine and Dine Half Marathon

The Decision

In January 2011, I made the decision to train for something huge in my life. For years, I have wished I had followed up on my college running activity and ran a marathon. When he told me of the Catalina Marathon, good friend Ray painted a picture that was hard to turn away from. I committed to run the marathon wit...

Mickey's Not-so-scary Halloween Party at Disney World

On Friday, September 30, 2011, we attended the Mickey's Not-so-scary Halloween Party at Magic Kingdom at the Disne...

Marvel Cave lives up to its name, NO Disappointment!

Silver Dollar City has one of the most interesting beginnings of many places in the Ozarks. In 1894, this booming attraction started as a tour of a very impressive cave, one that you will never forget!

At that time, people were allowed to roam freely throughout the cave for up to six hours at a time with only a candle, timed to burn...

Changing the front wheel bearing on a 2007 Dodge Durango

The front left wheel bearing has been going out on our 2007 Dodge Durango (2 wheel drive). After asking a couple places how much they would charge to do it I called Autozone for a price on the part I needed. It was about $100 cheaper at $189. Three weeks later when I actually placed my order for the part it was only $139....

It came! It came! It came! The coolest Disney Mickey Watch!

Anyone who follows our site much will quickly realize that we are pretty big Disney fans... this fits right in!

So, 2 weeks ago today I ordered what looked like the COOLEST mickey watch I have ever seen. I got it at culala.com. It was only $15.

It arrived in exactly 2 weeks well packaged and looks awesome....

Val at the Skills USA competition

On April 19, 2011, Our son Val Bailey represented Eureka Springs High School with several of his class mates at the Skills USA state competition for Arkansas in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Here are some of the videos and images from that competition....

Oklahoma Aquarium

On Thursday, March 24, 2011 during spring break, we took an early morning drive to Tulsa, Oklahoma (really Jenks) to visit the Oklahoma Aquarium. We had marked it on a previous trip to Tulsa on the GPS with the intention of returning.

From the outside, the aquarium appeared to be a large, clean...

Feeding the Red Ear Sliders in the turtle tank

As we entered the Oklahoma Aquarium, all eight galleries are situated along a huge central corridor. Some to the left, some to the right but it is easy to see everything in any order! We started our visit at the feeding tank for the red ear sliders in the Fishes of Oklahoma gallery, third gallery on the left....

Paddlefish - Fishes of Oklahoma Exhibit

Scientific name: Polydon spathula (Many teeth and Spoon shaped)

These odd looking native Oklahoma fish grow to 25 or 35 inches, normally, but the state record iss 55 inches at 134 pounds. This record holder was caught at...

Shovelnose Sturgeon - Fishes of Oklahoma Exhibit

Scientific name: Scaphirhynchus platorynchus (Shovel-nosed and having a broad and flat nose)

Another peculiar beast of the Oklahoma waterways, the Shovelnose Sturgeon only grows to 10 or 20 inches, however, the state record is 29 inches at almost 3 pounds.

The Shovelnose Sturgeon is slow growing, an...

Alligator Snapping Turtle - Fishes of Oklahoma Exhibit

Scientific name: Macroclemys temminckii (Temminki's large turtle)

Normally growing up to 26 inches, the Alligator Snapping Turtle is the largest freshwater turtle in the world. Adults can attain weights of over 250 pounds. Alligator Snapping Turtles gain about one pound per year. This means a 250-pound turtle woul...

Channel Catfish - Fishes of Oklahoma Exhibit

Scientific name: Ictalurus punctatus (catfish and spotted)

This commonly fished bottom feeder grows to 10 to 20 inches in length and weigh from 2 to 15 pounds. The state record is over a yard long at more than 35 pounds. It was caught in...

Blue Catfish - Fishes of Oklahoma Exhibit

I wish I could have gotten a better picture of this huge fish, every time I checked on him, he was quite shy. There are many myths about Blue Cats that live in the deepest water near dams the size of a small car. I don't know about that, but I would not have wanted to come across this one on a scuba dive. Coming out of dark mirky water would give a...

Alligator Gar - Fishes of Oklahoma Exhibit

Having lived near Alligators (some very large) for the past decade, I did not know what to expect from viewing Oklahoma's Alligator Gar. Some species of Gar get pretty big, and this was not exception!

This handsome fellow has a double row of teeth on his upper bill, which is not found on any other species of Gar....

Mammals of Oklahoma - Hayes Family Ozark Stream Exhibit

In the back of the Fishes of Oklahoma exhibit, you will find the Hayes Family Ozark Stream, an exhibit of beavers, raccoons and otters. These mammals offer an entertaining time of feeding for everyone to enjoy. Check the schedule before you start your visit to the Oklahoma Aquarium to catch it.

We showed up a few...

Largemouth Bass - Fishes of Oklahoma Exhibit

Scientific Name: Micropterus salmoides (having short wings and trout-like body)

Size: 10-20 inches and 2-12 pounds.

Largemouth Bass are the most sought after game fish in Oklahoma, and they are the species most commonly stocked in farm ponds.

State Record
Length: 28 inches...

Striped Bass - Fishes of Oklahoma Exhibit

Scientific Name: Morone saxatilis (foolish among rocks)

Size: 12-25 inches and 10-30 pounds.

Female Striped Bass may produce up to five million eggs. The eggs are semi-bouyant and require a moving, unobstructed river during incubation. When the water is still, eggs sink into the silt and the embryos...

American Bullfrog - Fishes of Oklahoma Exhibit

Scientific Name: Rana catesbeiana (Frog in honor of Mark Catesby)

Size: 12-14 inches with state record of 18 inches!

The Bullfrog is the largest frog in North America.

Albino Red Ear Slider - Fishes of Oklahoma Exhibit

While you visit the Oklahoma Aquarium, don't miss seeing the Albino Red Ear Slider. This is a rarity in nature and it is doubtful that it would survive in the wild because its lack of color would make it visible ot predators.

Lesser Siren - Fishes of Oklahoma Exhibit

Scientific Name: Siren intermedia (Mythical sea nymph / in between)

This salamander can grow up to 14 inches with a current maximum size of 24 inches.

The lesser Siren gets its name from its ability to communicate with audible clicking sounds, and is believed to be the most primitive salamander in the world....

Red Spined Star - Biodiversity Exhibit

Scientific Name: Protoreaster linckii (First star / partaining to Johann Heinrich Linck)

This was one of the most interesting things in the exhibits. Having visited a lot of aquariums around the world I do not remember ever seeing one of these, certainly not so clearly. It was dazzling! The white and red were so vivid it really did n...

Australian Sea Apple - Biodiversity Exhibit

In the same tank as the Red Spined Star is the Australian Sea Apple. Again, this is an ultra colorful creature found around Australia and points immediately north. These are usually harmless but they may secrete toxins when they are stressed or if they die.

Eureka Victorian Classic 10k Run

Many of you know, I started training for a Marathon back in January of this year. It is going to be a 15 month torture of which I am in the third month. As a part of the training I ran the Victorian Classic 10k in Eureka Springs, Arkansas Saturday, March 12, 2011. Ironically, it was run the same day and started at the same second as the marathon I...

New Cellphone Case

Every once in a while I stare longingly at my log mill and say, 'Oh, having a log mill is so cool... too bad I could not make everything with wood. What if you could make a cell phone case from wood?'

Oh wait, you can!

Getting to Your Cruise.

Planning a nice cruise vacation involves an investment in time and money. We are not talking about a short cruise that cost a couple hundred dollars, but one that goes to destinations that will educate, inspire and build a lifetime of memories. Much like building a fine home, an investment of a few more dollars can make a differ...

The Duck Walk at The Peabody in Orlando - International Driv

Unless you know the story, the Duck Walk sounds like an awfully mundane experience... here is the legend from the back of the napkin at the bar:

How did the tradition of the ducks in The Peabody fountain begin?

Back in the 1930's Frank Schutt, General Manager of The Peabody, and a friend, Chip Barwic...

The New Disney Dream Arrives in Port Canaveral

More pictures at the bottom of this page

Two days before our departure on the Panama Cruise and the Disney Wonder's last embarkation from Florida, the brand new Disney Dream arrived in Port Canaveral. This third ship in the Disney Cru...

Special Don't Miss Experiences on the Disney Wonder

Although I have traveled on a number of Disney Cruises (this is our 9th), I am merely second fiddle to my wife's knowledge of the ships and what to do. Over the years, we have tried to experience every opportunity aboard at least once in a while, if not on a regular basis. There are a few things that we always recommend for trav...

New Features on the Wonder

There are three new features on the Disney Wonder that are worth mentioning. Whether is has been a while since traveling on her or you have never been there, Disney Cruise Line is always seeking to improve the onboard experience. The three things that have caught my attention are the Outlook Cafe, the new kids (tweens) area called the Edge and the...

Day One and Two

On day one of our cruise, we boarded the Disney Wonder and enjoyed a great buffet in the Beach Blanket cafe on Deck 9 aft. When you first arrive on the ship, you walk in and are introduced on Deck 3, walk through the grand entr...

Day three of our Panama Canal Disney Wonder cruise in January 2011, we were scheduled for a day at sea while traveling to Aruba. Nothing different has happened except the fact that we are a little ahead of where we were supposed to be due to the cancellation of Castaway Cay the day before.

In a casual conversation waiting for the ele...

Day Four.2 and Five.

At around 3:00 pm we were in view of Aruba. This was one day early due to the fact that we missed our stop at Castaway Cay a few days prior.

Docked by 4:00 we ventured into the port area for a walk. Unfortunately most of the shops were closed, but we did meet a local artist...

Day Six and the Panama Canal Crossing on Day Seven! Part 1

If you have been following along with the story of our Panama cruise aboard the Disney Wonder, you already know that I can occasionally be a bit extreme (I have also heard silly, insane, stubborn and just plain stupid, too). After the 12 mile hike in Aruba, I used day six to rest, but not a lot.

If you have not s...

The Gatun Locks and the Panama Canal Crossing! Part 2

The Panama canal was first put into service in 1914 by the US Government and operated by the US military. Originally this was to be forever but, like anything, times change and at midnight, December 31, 1999 the control of the canal was turned over to the people of Panama.

The development of the locks and canal is...

Lago Gatun and the Panama Canal Crossing! Part 3 -

The Gatun Lake was, for many years, the largest man made lake on earth. It covers 165 square miles and once complete it took seven years to fill. It is the catch basin for numerous streams and rivers (including the Changris) and the nearly twelve feet (just under four meters) of rain that fall annually. In fact, December of 201...

The Gaillard (Culebra) Cut, Panama Canal! Part 4

Once past Gatun Lake, the shores will close in and you will be in the Chagres river. This river serves as the largest tributary into the lake and canal. It's use as part of the canal was planned as far back as 1876 when France started the first attempt at the canal under the management of Count Ferdinand de Lesseps, a french bus...

Miraflores and Pedro Miguel Locks, Panama Canal! Part 5

Shortly after passing under the Freedom bridge, the Pedro Miguel lock comes into view. It is a single lock that takes ships from the level of the Culebra cut down to the level of Miraflores lake. At first, unless there is already a ship ahead, you will only be able to decipher the lock with binoculars.

Also visibl...

Day Nine in Puntarenas, Costa Rica

Having heard of Costa Rica and the tropical rain forests there for many years from friends, our stop in Puntarenas was highly anticipated. Arriving at the port was a bit tricky according to the captain as we had to arrive with high tide about 3:30 in the morning. The Disney Wonder was scheduled to dock nearly four hours before t...

Day Eight, Ten and Eleven at Sea and Tips for Traveling to Foreign Ports Problem Free

The three sea days that followed the Panama Canal crossing and a stop at Puntarenas, Costa Rica were peaceful and uneventful. A slight cloud cover on day eight kept the sun at bay, but after the Costa Rican stop, we faced blue skies that stretched a...

Day Twelve in Manzanillo, Mexico

Having visited a few ports and cities in Mexico, I had some idea of what to expect for our stop on day 12. Manzanillo, Mexico resembled Cozumel and Costa Maya in architecture and environment with the exception of a line of mountains that act as a backdrop for the city and the two enormous bays adjacent. At each end, there is no...

Day Thirteen and Whale Watching in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

To say this was a great day would be an extreme understatement. Many times since the middle of January 18, 2011 we have said, "that was the BEST EXCURSION EVER!" To express the magnitude of the experience we had in Banderas Bay would require volumes of text that would likely still fall short.

To be so clo...

Day Fourteen Cabo San Lucas

To say Cabo San Lucas is a nice port does not create the right kind of description. It falls too short.

From the looks of the clean and secure city, it could easily be said that 'Cabo San Lucas is a nice US or French Riviera port' but that too would be a lie. Cabo San Lucas is located on the Pacific Coast of Mexi...

Lightning Strikes Local Tree

We have had a few lightning strikes around us on top of our ridge. From time to time I find my self out looking for fires started by a near strike.

We did not hear this one, it was about a mile from our house and I do not know exactly when it happened... but it is impressive!

The lightening struck this poor tree and it...

George Bailey Gets a New Bed

Getting up in years, our pet George, a cocker spaniel of 11 years, is having a hard time getting off the couch where his bed used to reside.  Frequently he would fall at the end of his dismount from the couch.

With this in mind, I have designed a bed for George seen here. I had three pieces of oak from the log mill.  They were 1 inch...

Adam Gets a New Seat

So the challenge with 4 of us living in under 800 square feet is finding a place for everything. In the 100 square foot loft the ceiling ranges from 9 feet to just over 1 foot. Val's bed is on the higher side and he has room to sit up and read, listen to music, write or whatever else he does up there. Adam has no place to sit comfortably without cr...

Getting Ready for Pouring Cement

We have spent several days preparing for the big pour of 40 yards of cement for the footings of the Earth Shelter House walls, the post footings and a much smaller footing for a decorative wall that will be built along the front of the property.

Since it is just footings, we have decided not to employ a cement team to finish this pr...

Brunch at Palo’s on the Disney Magic

On the Disney ships Magic and Wonder there is an adults-only fine-dining restaurant experience that we always find unforgettable. Palo’s is a reservations only restaurant that serves some of the finest food I have ever had with the finest service I have ever had.

Before this trip, our Palo’s experience on the Magic...

New Disney Show Villains Tonight

For any of you about to cruise on the magic, the new show Villains tonight is out and amazingly fantastic, we were on the 7 night western Caribbean cruise last week and on 3/23 and got a preview of it, the big wigs from Disney called it a soft opening  or the final dress rehearsal before the main premier this week, but let me say the show did not d...

More Snow in North West Arkansas

It has not stopped yet.  The warm weather gave us hop but we awoke this morning at our normal 6:00 AM to a dusting of show on the ground.

Currently it is 10:00 AM and it is still falling.  KSPR Weather promises that is should stop soon, though!

Arkansas Snow, January 28, 2010

Thursday, January 28, 2010 was the one year anniversary of the great 2009 ice storm and we were once again in for a big'un'.

Val, at the age of 14, drives himself and Adam to and from the bus stop every day.  It is only a mile and it is good level road.  

After school as he drove...

Video of the footings

Today we dug for a couple hours and did not get far.  We keep running in to veins of very hard rock.  This slows my progress a lot!

I drive the back hoe, Val takes the removed dirt with Onslo, the smaller tractor.  To keep things cleaner, I dump the back hoe right into the front end loader on the other t...

PTO Generator installation complete

In preparation for the inevitable power outage we will eventually have, we invested in a PTO generator for the property.  It is a generator that hooks to the back of the tractor.  When researching generators, we discovered that we could easily spend $10,000 on a generator big enough to keep us running if needed.

With a little researc...

Salzburg Natural History Museum

Easily, the most impressive part of the museum was the Reptile Zoo.  I have been to many museums, zoos and exhibits, but this exceeds any I have ever seen.  There are over 50 terraria housing about 200 animals.  These exhibits are designed so well that you can come within inches of the specimens and study every detail of movement, markings and more...

Salzburg Natural History Museum

Today, we arrived at opening time at the museum.  To do this we had to leave very early in the morning, before the sun was up.  Cruised the Autobahn at a high rate of speed and found a surprisingly close parking place less than a block away from the front door!

Now this museum is not small... it is 5 large floors of fantastic exhibit...

Salzburg Natural History Museum

On the second floor, the space exhibit we fascinating to look at!  It is the first time that I have ever seen a space exhibit outside of the USA, and it was apparent, too.

Now don't get me wrong, all the exhibits I have seen in the USA are good, but there is a definite bias shown in the display.  Whether by design...

Hohensalzburg Fortress

The Hohensalzburg Fortress is perched high on the peak of Festungsberg. The castle served as a refuge for the Archbishops when ever they felt threatened. The best way to get to the fortress is by taking the funicular. You can walk up the mountain if you wish but the funicular is quick, inexpensive and very comfortable. The ride takes less than a mi...

Neuschwanstein

Next we headed to Neuschwanstein, It was a glorious scenic drive up the mountains. It is quite a walk up a steep hill to the castle but in the royal fantasy they offer horse drawn carriage rides up and down the mountain. I had to do this, there is just something so fairy tale about riding up to the castle in a horse drawn carriage. we squeezed in,...

Salt Mine

Today we headed to Salzburg Austria to the Salt Mines of Halein. It seems 250 million years ago slat deposits were formed by the sea and over the course of the formation of the alps enclosed then in rock and the Durrnberg Salt Mountain was formed. We took a tour of a former working salt mine. After purchasing our tickets and adorning our white jump...

Germany - The Alps

Today we went into the Alps in on a castle day.  The Alps were very impressive how the foot hills have trees and the peaks are barren because it is too high for anything to grow. This is the first day we ran into real snow that was several feet deep, the higher we went the more snow there was (logically). It was a clear day and absolutely...

Space Shuttle Launch

After many months of hard working on the house. We decided that after school let out we were going to take the boys on a  vacation. To keep it a surprise we didn't tell them.

The kids got out of school Thursday, so Friday morning we went to Kansas city on the rouse of going to one of out favorite restaurants The Rain Fores...