The Oregon McCartys took their first trip to Disneyland for spring break. It really is the happiest place on earth. Alexa and Cooper loved it and already want to go back.
Here are our tips for your first Disney trip. Get a first time button at the City Hall when you first walk in. You can also get a birthday button. It's free!
.
If you don't like lines, go ahead and pay for genie +. It's the new fast pass system. It really helps with impatient kids because the lines are much shorter for the popular rides. There are a few rides this doesn't get you in the fast lane for. At Disneyland, it doesn't work for Rise of the Resistance, the popular new Star Wars ride. The line was typically 90-120 minutes for that ride so we decided to pay the extra $20 each to ride it the first day, the second day only 3/5 of us wanted to pay the extra for it. We were able to ride 15 rides the first day and see the fireworks!
Take all of the photos! If you decide to get genie +, the photo pass is included. The app has the photo pass photographer locations and if there's a short line, jump in it. The Disney photographers are great. They can “add magic” to your photos and put in a little Disney fun on the photos. You can download the photos for 6 weeks after your trip so don't forget to download them before they disappear.
Use mobile ordering! You can find the menus and allergies listed on the app. Order ahead to avoid kid meltdowns. We didn't make any reservations for restaurants during this trip on our Disneyland days. It was easier not to have a set schedule.
We did rope drop. Rope drop is getting through security and the ticket line before the park opens. You get to stand on Main Street in Disneyland or Buena Vista
Street in California Adventure and walk toward the land you want to start in. We went for Indiana Jones Temple of the Forbidden Eye in Adventureland our first day and for Peter Pan and Space Mountain our second day at Disneyland. We went for Cars Land for Radiator Springs Racers at California Adventure but it had already filled up so we headed to Mater's Junkyard Jamboree instead.
We did 3 total Disney days. We took a day off in between which we highly recommend to give your feet a break. On our first off day, we went to the Lego Store and made our own Lego characters. This did require a reservation but was only $12. The kids were able to pick out
and print their Lego person shirt on the front and back and then pick hands, legs, a hat, and an accessory. Cooper made a Pilot and Alexa made a California girl. We then went to brunch at Storyteller's Cafe and had Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, and the Chipmunks dance around every 20 minutes while we had brunch. The kids loved it and they made up special gluten free waffles for our celiac family. Disney was great with allergies. Our other off days, we went to the Long Beach Aquarium, Manhattan Beach, then to Hollywood and met up for dinner with Kathleen, Evan, and Dana McCarty. It was great to catch up with them!
We can't decide if we will go back to Disneyland or try
out Disney World next time!
DATELINE: GULL LAKE XXXVIII
The 38th
annual Gull Lake Invitational is once again scheduled to be
played. With the border with Canada back open, we expect our
Canadian friends back in the field. Because of the
increasing age of the competitors, and several ailments, the
actual amount of single play golf has been drastically
reduced. In the original years, the guys played 72 holes of
singles competition. but co-commissioner Mike Wiacek reports
that Wednesday they're only playing 18 holes with a later
tee time, and there will be more scrambles vs. singles golf
over the three day event. Here's to good weather, good
scores, good times, and keeping your heads down.
SCHEDULED
TEE TIMES
Wednesday,
May 25, 2022
Bedford Valley 10:48 am --- 11:06 am
Thursday,
May 26, 2022
Stonehedge South 9:36 am --- 9:54 am
Stonehedge North 2:51 pm --- 3:09 pm
Friday,
May 27, 2022
Stoatin Brae 9:30 am --- 9:50 am
.
DATELINE: BIG
LOSERS?
In
February, Rick went on a diet and lost over 30 pound in
only 30 days. On a trip to Florida in March, he showed off
his success and shared how he did it with his brothers,
and challenged Kelly and Larry to try it. They both
started their journeys in late March, and as of this
article, in 30 days, Kelly, who started at 290
pounds is now at 256 which is a 34 pound loss. Larry
started at 278.8, and has slimmed down to 242, which is
almost a 37 pound difference.
ED NOTE:
Thank you Rick for sharing your journey with us and for
coaching and cheering for us along the way. It has got us
both close to our goals.
DATELINE: OLIVIA
AND GRAY GO ON A ROADTRIP
ED NOTE: Brad, Valerie,
Olivia, and Gray took a road trip to Niagara Falls,
Pennsylvania, and New York City. Here is Olivia and Gray's
report.
From the desk of Olivia and
Gray...
In
Canada, we loved the big waterfall and the hotel!
Our favorite food was the Beavertail (Nutella on an
elephant ear).
When we
got to New York, we loved the park under the Brooklyn Bridge,
the big rock in Central Park, and riding the subway!
Brooklyn Bridge,
New York City Subway Entrance, Met Our Dad's
Cousins Matt and Tina In New York
.
At Central Park,
Natural History Museum, Times Square
Our
favorite foods were the Nutella bagel from the Bodega down
the street from our air bnb and the burger at Ainslie's
restaurant in Brooklyn. The worst parts were walking
everywhere and driving the long distance back home on the
last day. We can't wait to move there some day.
themccartys
on TikTok and YouTube are not the only McCarty
family sites on social media... Brand new this
year is "Let's Party McCarty" on
YouTube. Created by Alexa McCarty, it goes through
her daily life. Let's Party currently has 28 subscribers and over
1800 views.
themccartys
on Tik Tok has grown it's following to over 5.2 million people. That is an increase of over
200,000 in the past 60 days! In our March issue, we reported that they had
5 million followers. They also have
over 130 million likes. On YouTube, they are currently #16
in the US, and are also in the top 50 in views world wide,
and have over 2.8 million subscribers.
Congrats to Kevin,
Stephanie, Audri and Braxton on this great
feat. If you haven't seen their
posts yet, download the TikTok and YouTube apps and search
for themccartys and follow them. They also
have an on-line store with exclusive McCarty swag.
The link is below...
THE
McCARTYS
VERIFIED
TikTok @ themccartys -
Supporting: American Heart
Association
5,200,000 FOLLOWERS ON TIKTOK
4.4 BILLION VIEWS ON YOUTUBE
This old-school duo is so legit that even the folks at Liquid-Plumr salute its ability to clear clogs. If your sink isn’t clearing as quickly as it could, pour a cup of baking soda down the drain, then follow it with a cup of heated vinegar. Wait about 10 minutes, then flush the drain with a pot of boiling water.
Mop Vinyl Floors With Apple Cider Vinegar
Skip costly commercial vinyl floor cleaners and mix up your own solution by adding 1 cup of apple cider vinegar to a gallon of water. Dirt is no match for the vinegar’s acidity — and it’ll remove that dirt without leaving a soapy film behind (please try harder, soap).
Clean Windows With a Potato...
Spuds are considered healthy
carbs, and for those in the know, they’re also considered a surprisingly effective natural glass cleaner. Now, hear us out: Slice a potato in half, rub it on the surface of your window until the pane is covered with a starchy film, then spritz that film with water and rub it clean with a towel.
...Or Newspaper
(But Not The McCarty Metro)
If you’d rather hang on to your potatoes for culinary purposes (alas, you can’t eat potatoes after using them on your windows), try replacing paper towels with old newspapers in your window-washing regimen. Paired with window cleaner, they’ve got a well-earned reputation as streak-free wipers (thanks to their absorbency and the fact that they don’t leave fibers behind).
Dust Ceiling Fan Blades With a Pillow Case
Don’t consign holey old pillow cases to the great sleepover in the sky; instead, use them to remove hard-to-reach gunk from dirty fan blades. Just cover each blade with a clean case, pinch it together to make contact with the blade’s top and bottom surfaces, then carefully pull the case off of the blade.
Remove Small Grout Stains With a Pencil Eraser
If you’re looking to do away with a single small stain on the surface of your bathroom grout, you can try folding sandpaper into a crease and working it back and forth along the grout line. You might have better luck (and will certainly feel like more of a household magician) attempting the same trick with a humble pink pencil eraser.
Here are some of the recent travel destinations from our
faithful readers
Brad, Valerie, and their girls took a road trip to Niagara
Falls and NYC
Steve, Kelly, Larry, Rick, Dennis, and Mike took a trip
to Florida
Chris, Amanda, Alexa, and Cooper went down to California
on vacation and spent some time at Disneyland
Did you travel recently? Send us your destination and pictures to
mccartymetro@gmail.com
Dear Editor: Congrats on your weight loss so far. Just wondering why you started the diet in the first place?
-Bob
ED NOTE: I know some will say I am losing the weight
because I am hiding some health issues, or some say it's in
preparation of the nuptials of Austin and Kristina, or
others say it's for an upcoming tour with the Cockroaches... But actually, one day I lifted my shirt to check out my abs, and a Cheeto fell out! So there's that!!!
Dear Editor: I went on a
road trip to Florida with my brother in his Chevy Trax. After 13 hours in that matchbox of a car, I can't seem to straighten my legs. Do you have any recommendations? -It's my leg
ED NOTE: Admit it
Leg... You had a great time in the luxury of my Chevy
Trax. Do you know what has 4 wheels and flies? A garbage
truck, which would not give you the spacious leg room of
the luxurious Chevy Trax. Actually, you are lucky that you only need to
stretch your leg. I remember a guy who wasn't in the
safety of the luxurious Chevy Trax and while driving down
to Florida, he lost his left arm and his left leg in a terrible car accident. He’s all
'right' now.
Finally, when is a Chevy Trax not a Chevy Trax? It's
when I turned it into your driveway! Great times Leg!
Dear Editor: I will turn 65 this month and applied for Medicare. Is there anything else I should be aware of?
-Getting Forgetful in... in... well... um...
ED NOTE: You can
try to fool yourself and think you are 18 in Celsius
years, but remember that on May 3, you will actually be
closer to 80 than to 50. So the only advice I can give
would be to grab your beautiful bride's hand and live
life to the fullest.
.
ED NOTE: I appreciate
you stopping by and would like to hear your questions, comments, or editorials.
Just submit them anytime during the month to mccartymetro@gmail.com
for inclusion in our next issue.
For those that do not speak the language, Le' Food is
French for "The Food"! Here you can find some
of our Metro family favorite recipe and tips.
Readers,
email me at mccartymetro@gmail.com
to submit your favorite recipe for inclusion in an
upcoming issue.
This month we have tips submitted by Kelly.
BANANA
BREAD
INGREDIENTS:
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 medium ripe bananas, mashed (1 cup)
1/2 cup canola oil
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped walnuts
DIRECTIONS:
.
Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. In another bowl, combine the eggs, bananas, oil, buttermilk and vanilla; add to flour mixture, stirring just until combined. Fold in nuts. Pour into a greased or parchment-lined 9x5-in. loaf pan. If desired, sprinkle with additional walnuts. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hours. Cool in pan for 15 minutes before removing to a wire rack.
EXTRA TIP...
When baking with bananas, use ones that are ripe (or even overripe) to yield the best flavor. If you have a day or two to spare, place bananas and an apple, avocado, peach or tomato in a brown paper bag and keep on your counter. This will trap the ethylene gas of the fruits and quicken the ripening process. To ripen bananas even faster, place them in their peels on a baking sheet and warm in a 250° oven for 15-20 minutes. Check out this article for more banana ripening tips.
..
You can submit videos by sending it to
me, send me a link, or uploading to YouTube and sending me the
info to mccartymetro@gmail.com
.
Swimming In
The
Secretarial Pool
Brad Savage
and Bob Dantzer of the Cockroaches
play one of their old hits on Twitch TV
Florida Fun
A
short video of the McCarty boys
in Florida
Let's Party
McCarty
Alexa shows
how to make
a home-made pop it.
Please subscribe Lets Party McCarty on YouTube
Domino
Masters
The
McCartys from YouTube and TikTok
shows what it takes to be a Domino Master
Please subscribe to The McCartys on YouTube
.
PLEASE
PRAY FOR OUR METRO FAMILY AND FRIENDS
.
.
.If you know
someone who could use our prayers, please email me at mccartymetro@gmail.com.
.
GONE
BUT NOT FORGOTTEN - THOSE WHO HAVE PASSED AWAY
SINCE THE LAST EDITION
Tim
Considine, 81, actor (My Three Sons, The Mickey Mouse Club, Patton).
Mitchell Ryan, 88, actor (Dark Shadows, Dharma & Greg, Lethal Weapon), heart failure.
Emilio Delgado, 81, actor (Sesame Street, I Will Fight No More Forever, A Case of You), multiple myeloma.
William Hurt, 71, actor (Kiss of the Spider Woman, Broadcast News, The Incredible Hulk), Oscar winner (1986), prostate cancer.
Scott Hall (Razor Ramone), 63, Hall of Fame professional wrestler (WWF, WCW, TNA), complications from hip surgery. Taylor
Hawkins, 50, Hall of Fame musician (Foo Fighters). C. W.
McCall, 93, country singer ("Convoy") and politician, mayor of Ouray, Colorado (1986–1992), lung cancer.
Estelle Harris, 93, actress (Seinfeld, Toy Story, The Suite Life of Zack & Cody).
Gene Shue, 90, basketball player (Fort Wayne/Detroit Pistons, New York Knicks) and coach (Baltimore/Washington Bullets).
Bobby Rydell, 79, singer ("Wild One", "Wildwood Days") and actor (Bye Bye Birdie), pneumonia. Dwayne
Haskins, 24, football player (Washington Redskins, Pittsburgh Steelers), traffic collision.
Gilbert Gottfried, 67, comedian and actor (Aladdin, Cyberchase, Problem Child), ventricular tachycardia. Liz
Sheridan, 93, actress (Seinfeld, ALF, Play the Game). Mike
Bossy, 65, Hall of Fame ice hockey player (New York Islanders), four-time Stanley Cup champion, lung cancer.
.
.
BAD NEWS FROM LAST NIGHT FOR THOSE THAT KNOW MY BROTHER…
He took going to jail really badly, he refused all offers off food and drink, spat and swore at anyone who came near him and he smeared the walls with his own excrement. From now on we’re never playing Monopoly again.
YOUR
DATELINE NEWS WILL RETURN IN
JULY
Please
send your news articles and photos to me at
mccartymetro@gmail.com
for inclusion in that issue
Brad, Valerie, and their girls took a road trip to Niagara
Falls and NYC
