June 1, 2013: Andy Dufresne was a tall drink of water...

June 1, 2013. Only three weeks until summer technically starts, however, every school child knows that the last day of school is the first day of summer. So we are now a week into summer. Monday starts 21^st Century summer classes. I will be teaching Geocaching and my wife will be teaching origami. Come on over to LMS Monday morning at 9 AM and join us. There are other classes as well and a summer math camp for those who need it.

On this date in 1937, the great narrator, Morgan Freeman, was born. Among my middle school and high school students, there is the constant question: who would you rather have narrate your life, Morgan Freeman or James Earl Jones? I can’t answer that other than to say that I’d want James Earl Jones for the big moments and Morgan Freeman for the quiet moments. Morgan is part of my absolute, bar none, favorite movie of all times, The Shawshank Redemption, and sure enough, he is the narrator in his role as Red. Well, guess what? Disney thinks that Morgan Freeman is such a good narrator that he is the current narrator of The Hall of Presidents. You know how I feel about The Hall of Presidents. Go on, now, quit dragging your feet, get on in there and what those presidents.

We love Typhoon Lagoon. It’s the water park of choice for us at Walt Disney World and it opened on this date in 1989. Eventually, the opening of Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach helped lead to the closing of River Country but go to YouTube and watch Adam the Woo’s eerie video of a visit to the long dormant park that’s not quite completely dormant. But there’s nothing dormant about Typhoon Lagoon, if you go early you can even surf the wave pool complete with surfing lessons and the greatest picture we have ever had taken at a theme park was taken in the wave pool. Go, and get a photopass on a wristband that you can use to save all your pictures like we did.

Quickies:

1792: Kentucky was admitted as the 15^th state. At one time the flag had 15 stripes but then they pulled back to 13 stripes for the 13 original colonies. But for a while, we were there. When we were on Castaway Cay, there was a sign for Kentucky Cardinal brand something or other. I’ll see if I can find it and post it here.

Bonus: The Flying Dutchman from our cabin.

1880: The first pay telephone was installed. Cell phone have almost killed them but there are three in EPCOT. See if you can find these.

1938: Superman first appears in Action Comics #1. Did you see that someone recently found a cop of Action #1 in poor shape (1.5 out of 10) and sold it for over $100,000? Superman is my favorite hero and he would kick Iron Man’s butt. Sorry.

1926: Andy Griffith was born. If you go to WDW by way of the West Virginia Turnpike and proceed into North Carolina, visit Mount Airy, Andy’s birthplace. They’ve got lots of cool stuff and you deserve a little break from the road.

1926: Norma Jean Mortenson was born. It’s hard to believe that Marilyn Monroe was the same age as Andy Griffith. When you die young, you never age. A lot of people thought that Marilyn was the model for Tinker Bell, she wasn’t, but let’s enjoy Tinker Bell at the end of Wishes any way.

Today is National Go Barefoot Day. Don’t go barefoot in Walt Disney World unless you’re at a pool or in a water park. Just don’t.

Remember, your best excuse is always: waiting on your dreams to come true.