Disaster Mitigation at Disney World

I bet y'all never knew the exciting, jet-setting ways of the housing policy world. This week finds me in Orlando for the FLASH Annual Meeting. (That'd be Federal Alliance for Safe Homes.) It's a fairly small affair, only around a hundred folks, but they've been showing us a great time. (It doesn't hurt that the main sponsors of this sort of thing are reinsurance firms. And, as one of our hosts explained last night, just one of their executives certainly makes more each year than our entire dinner table of 8 people put together.)

In any case! Yesterday we got to go behind the scenes at Epcot on our way to visit StormStruck! It's a ride/experience in 4-D (!! I'm still trying to figure out what the 5-D thing could have been in Gatlinburg, btw.) that replicates hurricanes and tornadoes to edutain guests about disaster mitigation in their own homes. Things like what's the best kind of roof for wind-resistance (answer: hip!) and that you shouldn't, actually, crack or tape your windows before a storm. It was actually a lot cooler than I thought it would be.

Then we had dinner and fireworks back at the Boardwalk Inn where we're all staying. It's a pretty nice place (I'm sitting on the veranda right now listening to jazz while I catch up on some work).

Later tonight we're being shuttled over to Animal Kingdom for a tour and dinner, then my big plan is to sit in the "quiet" pool (one of three here at the hotel) for awhile to properly vacation this up. (I have, of course, been sitting in a conference room all day, learning about disaster mitigation and preparedness. Really!)

Generally speaking, I am not a big Disney fan, but, oh, are they good at what they do: delicious food, helpful staff and a really great room (with a furnished balconey); I'll be kind of sad to leave tomorrow afternoon.

Happy Late Birthday Laura

Sorry, I am late with this. We were so busy packing, unpacking, and driving-I mean Mort was driving-I slept almost the whole way home that I failed to honor Laura with the traditional birthday photo.
Anyway, here it is. Laura, I love you and hope you had a good birthday pre-party since a bus ride does not seem like the way to celebrate (unless you drank both bottles of wine on the bus- in which case, I hope you found your way back to your apartment). I may
be slow but we will always have the Salt & Pepper Museum.

Birthday time!!

It's Carrie Ann's Birthday! 

Happy Birthday, sister!