Morning

Last evening I treated myself to dinner with Betty and John Barger who live nearby. About sixteen years ago Betty had just lost her father, and she decided to honor his memory by doing something for someone else. Betty had never had a dog, but she devoted herself to raising a puppy for Canine Companions for Independence. That puppy was a banana loving, diving-for-rocks, beautiful, whimsical little golden retriever named Dana who became my hearing dog. I brought a fat packet of photos, and we celebrated Dana's life and the long friendship we've enjoyed because of her. Since her start with Dana, Betty has helped to raise 15 other assistance dogs, most of them for Southeastern Guide Dogs here in Florida. She and John were accompanied by her latest trainee, a leggy charmer named Mack.

During dinner, I spotted George DeVilbiss at a neighboring table and I was so excited that I had to rush over for a hug. Northern Virginia just isn't the same since he moved north. We still feel he's ours. Walking home in the dark, I found NVRC Board member Scott Bally, traded stories about things back home, and got another hug. Scott has had a packed week already, and here he'll be doing several workshops and a presentation at the research symposium.

This morning Galaxy and I had a terrific walk around the resort. The beautiful paved paths are a pleasure for walkers and runners. The weather is perfect, and watching the sunrise as you tread the loop is the ideal way to start the day. This is especially true if you approach the building near the conference center, spot a familiar face on a bench, and get that first-of-the-morning hug from Joe Gordon. Nirvana, I tell you.

Walking with Galaxy always adds to the experience. Everybody says "hi" and "good morning" and often shares a little story about a dog left at home. Many times during our walk, Galaxy would suddenly become very alert. Following her eye gaze, I learned that along with the lizards and waterfowl there's a pretty healthy population of fluffy gray bunnies chomping away at the green foliage.

Disney has cleverly designed the Coronado Springs resort to have all the basics so you can part with your money in one location. There are three villages, all around the lake (Lago Dorado). Each village has its own swimming pool, laundry and bus stop. The villages have different themes and architecture as well as some variations in landscaping. You can recognize the Ranchos village by its cactus. My area, Cabanas, has the nicest stretch of sand nearby, with hammocks that beckon every time I pass them.

There's a gift shop, an arcade, a place to rent boats and bikes, a health club, and a beauty salon. There's also a Dig Site with yet another pool, bar and grill, arcade, playground, and volleyball court.

The building with the front desk connects to the building with dining options, and that building connects to the convention center. The dining options are a place called Pepper Market with a bunch of theme stations such as a bakery, Italian food, Mexican food that you can select from. There's also La Tienda, a sort of convenience store that serves a limited selection of prepackaged food like salads and sandwiches. Then there's Maya Grill. Both Pepper Market and Maya Grill are acoustic nightmares with all their hard surfaces. Adjacent to Pepper Market is a bar called Francisco's Lounge.

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(c)2006 by Northern Virginia Resource Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Persons (NVRC), 3951 Pender Drive, Suite 130, Fairfax, VA 22030; www.nvrc.org Items in this newsletter are provided for information purposes only; NVRC does not endorse products or services. You do not need permission to share this information, but please be sure to credit NVRC