Thanks Ivoryhut!!

So, I promised myself that I was going to turn off all computers this afternoon.  I’ve been way too “plugged in” the last few days.  But, I did get my kitchen cleaned, some laundry folded, my daughter’s science project photographed, and…well, that’s it, but I need to take baby steps back out of this addiction.  😉  Well, and then it was time for lunch, so “what’s wrong with a little internetting whilst sustenating” I thought.  I happened to have my e-mail window open, and *click*…I’ve got mail!!!  So, of course I ran right on over to check it out.  It happened to be from our good cyber-friend Ivoryhut…she sent along this little piece of loveliness.  You know me…

“Disneyworld and an Idol named Cookie…they forever go together, they’re a classic combination…”

Check it out! 

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/special/americanIdol/index?id=AmericanIdolExperiencePage&CMP=BAC-AmericanIdolNewsUpdtToDW&bhcp=1

Perspective

I realized this morning I should have given a bit more info so you could truly appreciate the mosaic shot that I posted last night.   There are several mosaics on the wall inside Cinderella’s Castle.  The shot I posted yesterday is a tiny close-up of one piece of one of the scenes.  Here are two of the mosaics in their entirety:

Here is what Wikipedia has to say about these mosaics:

Inside the Castle’s archway, a series of five mosaic murals tells the story of Cinderella. Designed by Imagineer Dorothea Redmond and crafted and set in place by a team of six artists led by mosaicist Hanns-Joachim Scharff, the 15 by 10 foot (4.6×3 m), ornate panels are shaped in a Gothic arch. The murals took 22 months to complete, and contain just over 300,000 pieces of Italian glass and rough smalti (glass made specifically for mosaics traditionally used by Italian craftsmen) in over 500 colors. Many of the hand-cut tiles are fused with sterling silver and 14 carat (58%) gold, and some are as small as the head of a tack. If you look closely at these ornate murals, you will notice that each of Cinderella’s wicked stepsisters appears with a little added color – one sister’s face is clearly “red with anger,” while the other sister is a little “green with envy,” as they watch Cinderella try on the glass slipper.

Note:  Other sources claim it took more than two years, and over one million tiles.  Can’t find a “straight from Disney” answer.  Will keep looking.

They are incredible pieces of art, and my photos do them no justice at all.  The play of the light on the gold is quite stunning in person.  Just another one of those amazing details that make Disney Disney.

Flora, Fauna, and Merry-weather…

We were fortunate enough to visit Disney during the Flower and Garden Festival at Epcot.  (Zan would say we were UN-fortunate, because I went all-out-camera-crazy that day.)  The gardens and displays are magnificent, and the scent of the roses are all-encompassing.  Lovely.

I also took a “whole lotta” flower and animal photos over at Animal Kingdom.  It was a treat to visit there on a 67 degree day, as I had the energy to look around.  Anytime I’ve been there previously it’s been in the 90’s and swelteringly jungle-like.

So enjoy a few of my favorites, and check out flickr if you want to see more.  😉

 

Fireworks Night…

Okay, so I took the girls to the fireworks, leaving Zan and Baby Boy home.  We thought getting there two hours before the parade, (three hours before the fireworks,) would give us plenty of time to shop a bit, grab some ice cream, and find a perfect location from which to view the show.  Well, as we walked into the park, we noticed that many of the curbside spots were already taken.  There was NO WAY I was going to sit on a curb for two hours waiting, especially with my six year old in tow.  So we did do a bit of shopping, and grabbed our ice cream, then headed out to locate a spot about an hour and ten minutes before parade time.  As you will already guess, there were no curbside spots…so we settled for an area against a fence, with a close-up view of the castle a bit to our left.

It turned out to be a very good spot, despite the fact that hoardes of people were walking by us, running over our toes from time to time with their strollers and wheelchairs because they were too busy looking at the castle, yelling at their children, or rushing to get out before the street was blockaded.

The girls handled the wait extremely good naturedly, until twenty minutes before the parade……….

“Mom, what would someone do if they had to go to the bathroom right now?”

“Someone would have to hold it.”

Two minutes later….

“Mom, how would someone find the bathroom in this crowd and get back here without losing their spot?”

“Someone wouldn’t.  They would leave this spot and lose it after sitting here for an hour, and someone wouldn’t be able to find a good spot again in this crowd.”

Three minutes later….

“Mom….”

“Is someone about to pee their pants?”

Tears….”Yes…I’m sorry!!!!!”

So, after asking a kind lady sitting next to us to fend off the masses, leaving our sweatshirts as insurance of our return, the three of us huddled close together and shoved as fast as we could to the bathroom.  After nearly being trampled, and being stopped dead in a throng of frustrated people, after having words with a few extremely inconsiderate people bullying my girls, we made our way back to our sanctuary, and the nice people who held our spot, just in time for the start of the parade. 

I took about 350 photos of fireworks, most of which were blurry duds as I couldn’t use the little tripod I had bought for the occasion.  But here is a small sampling of the few that came out mediocre. 

For the record, you MUST see the Wishes Fireworks show in Magic Kingdom if you go.  But be prepared…no fireworks show thereafter will ever compare.

(And you may want to come dressed in armor—and don’t forget the port-a-potty.)