I stayed at Disney’s Yacht Club one year while attending a conference at Walt Disney World. It was the first and only time I’ve stayed there – but hopefully, not the last! While I was there, I took a fair amount of pictures and didn’t realize until I got this one on my computer screen…
Fairly early on while walking on the Pangani Trail in Disney’s Animal Kingdom, if you are paying attention to details, you will encounter a rather strange warning. A boulder on the side of the path urges us to “Beware Of Buffalo!”. The first time I saw it, I froze in my tracks and looked around…
I was really delighted the year Disney decided to feature Peter Pan for the Flower and Garden Festival front entrance topiary display. Peter looked dashing as ever, taking over Hook’s pirate ship, while Tinkerbell looked on from above. That line from the crow’s nest leading up to her is a string of lights that sparkled…
Can you all stand yet another shot of the “Swolphin” from Mexico? I believe it was winter time when this shot was taken, which makes the presence of clouds a bit unusual. There used to be an event called “MouseMeet” during the first week of December each year, and a group of us decided to…
You can tell how old this picture is by the fact that Spaceship Earth is still adorned with the “EPCOT” sign, along with the glove and wand. While taking pictures of the twirling Tinkerbell topiary in the World Showcase Plaza, I realized that there was a unique photo opportunity – geosphere, monorail and Tink, all…
I’ve only been a Florida resident for about 4 and a half years, so I’m still fairly impressed with how big the sky seems and how populated it can become with fabulous cloud formations. I spied this amazing scene one day while strolling around the World Showcase in EPCOT. One cloud has taken on the…
I attended a conference one year at the Walt Disney World Dolphin. I was excited as it was the first time I’d ever stayed there. Naturally, I ran around the whole Internet telling everyone who would listen that I was staying at the Dolphin for a whole week. Well, unbeknownst to me, the daughter of…
It may very well be that the topiaries I’ve photographed the most have been Snow White and her vertically-challenged BFFs. I sometimes find them anywhere but where they are supposed to be – randomly placed in the front of EPCOT, or gracing the lawn by The Brown Derby in Disney’s Hollywood Studios. This time, she’s…
It’s twilight in the Magic Kingdom. You’ve staked out a place in the hub from which you will watch the parade. Others have had the same idea, and the hub is filling quickly. Cast Members are coming around with jump ropes, hula hoops, and impossibly large beach balls to keep the children entertained while they…
The Italy section of the World Showcase in EPCOT is largely comprised of replicated architectural elements of the Piazza San Marco in Venice. One of the Byzantine columns has always fascinated me. This is San Teodoro, a one-time patron saint of Venice. He actually wasn’t from Italy – probably, he was a soldier who hailed…
At Disney’s Animal Kingdom, both the Pangani Forest Trail and the Maharajah Jungle Trek offer the opportunity to observe a variety of colorful birds at fairly close range. Disney even provides identification cards with pictures of the birds and the name of the species. The biggest challenge I’ve ever had with regard to these birds…
The theme for the 2005 EPCOT International Flower and Garden Festival was fun – there were 50 “hidden Mickeys” scattered throughout the park, and it was our mission as guests to find each and every one of them. Well, I didn’t find ALL of them – I think I ended up with 46, which is…
As this is my first blog entry I’ll start with a short introduction. I am a twenty-two year old soon-to-be graduate of Northwestern University. Like most males in their twenties I love friends, sports and movies. However, unlike most males in their twenties, I also love Disney, especially Walt Disney World and the Disney’s motion…
During the Happiest Celebration On Earth in 2005, all of the Disney theme parks across the world celebrated the 50th anniversary of the opening of the original Disneyland park in Anaheim, California. The Magic Kingdom dressed up Cinderella’s Castle in golden figurines representing many of the most beloved Disney characters to grace the movie screens…
Have you ever taken a photo at Walt Disney World and then when you looked at it on a bigger screen, you found a “surprise”? Sometimes it gives me a good laugh! For instance, this photo was taken circa December 2006. It looked great on the little screen of my PowerShot G5. But when I…
Quite a few of the Disney resorts have boat service to the parks and attractions. You can get to the Magic Kingdom by boat from the Wilderness Lodge as well as from the Contemporary, Polynesian and Grand Floridian resorts. Downtown Disney is accessible by boat from the Port Orleans resorts, Old Key West and Saratoga…
While shopping at IL BEL CRISTALLO, the perfume and crystal shop in the Italy section of EPCOT’s World Showcase, I happened to glance out one of the open doors at the right moment to witness this sweet little tableau. I was quite taken with the tenderness of the harlequin CM and with the look of…
At night, Spaceship Earth is colorfully lit and makes a wonderful backdrop for the fountain show. When I took this photo in 2005, the “giant Mickey hand” was still attached to Spaceship Earth at Walt Disney World’s EPCOT theme park. The hand, along with the wand and the word “Epcot” was first installed for the…
In Florida, retention ponds are necessary due to the need for water management. However, just because they are functional, that does not mean they cannot also be beautiful! One of the great things about the environment at Disney World is that these retention ponds are cleverly disguised as landscaping features, and this gives us many…
Let’s see, what fun things do I know about Donald Duck? Well, he first appeared in one of the Silly Sympthonies shorts, called The Wise Little Hen. Then there’s the whole birthday controversy – is it the date that he debuted in The Wise Little Hen – 06-09-1934? Or is it the date given in…
