First Coast Photo

Sky Watch Friday

2009-06-25T22:00:00.002-05:00

Canada Geese, or perhaps we should just call them Florida geese since they live here year round now for some reason...

SWF athttp://skyley.blogspot.com

Flip-Flopped Foot

2009-06-16T21:53:00.000-05:00

Sky Watch Friday

2009-06-11T21:14:00.002-05:00

Golden hazy summer sunrise at Jacksonville Beach.

Visit Skyley.blogspot.com for all the hundreds of SWF photos each week.

New House = New Neighbors

2009-06-07T21:48:00.002-05:00

Not all new neighbors are welcomed, especially by my wife...

Harmless garter snake, but thankfully we've only seen it once a few weeks ago when it came up on the patio.

Sky Watch Friday

2009-06-04T23:03:00.002-05:00

Delving back into the world of blogging little by little...

Stormy skies...

sometimes lead to double rainbows. :)

Visit http://skyley.blogspot.com for Sky Watch Friday.

Baby Harry the Jaguar

2009-05-11T21:43:00.002-05:00

The Jacksonville Zoo officially introduced their newest baby - a Jaguar born a few months ago and who was named Harry by the donors who bought the naming rights at a zoo fundraiser. Pictures cannot do justice to just how cute he is: just like a normal house kitten only already much bigger and will eventually grow large enough to kill you easily, lol. But for now he's just a kitten doing kitten things - exploring, playing with balls, pulling on trees, climbing things, falling off of things, and being just awkward enough while doing it to elicit a steady stream of , "Awwwww, that's so cute!" from the crowds.

There are many more photos of Harry in his own Flickr set - here.

Jeremiah?

2009-05-09T21:12:00.001-05:00

Probably not. This isn't a Bull Frog. Some type of toad. I know someone who might be able to identify him, though... oh, Mr. FC? Any ideas?

Sky Watch Friday

2009-05-07T19:59:00.002-05:00

Beach volleyball skywatch.

Visit the Skywatch blog for all the many great sky shots each week.

Swine Flu Prevention

2009-05-06T21:56:00.004-05:00

So at work they gave everybody these tiny pink pigs and set out larger pink piggy banks around as part of a program to come up with creative ways to save the company money. Well, with the outbreak of swine flu around the world, one cannot be too careful, so I quarantined ours - just in case. :)

Still Alive and Kicking

2009-04-30T22:05:00.003-05:00

But the computer wasn't! We got moved into the new house and the old iMac promptly died, leaving us computerless more or less for the last two weeks. In addition the hard drive could not be salvaged so we lost everything and I'm still downloading all of my stored photos off of Flickr - time consuming when there are 10,000+ of them! :)

In the meantime a photo of the Asian gardens - new at the Jacksonville Zoo - to help keep us all calm and relaxed.

ABC Wednesday: "L" is for Lighthouse

2009-04-07T20:48:00.003-05:00

The St. Augustine Lighthouse in St. Augustine, Florida.

Visit the ABC Wednesday Blog for all of the illuminating posts each Wednesday.

EPCOT: Part 7 - World Showcase: Canada

2009-04-06T21:21:00.003-05:00

One of the prettier pavilions in the EPCOT World Showcase is the first one you come across if you turn right upon leaving Future World: Canada.

Featuring a beautiful garden, a mountain, waterfall, rapids/creek, Quebecian castle, Yukon lodge, totem poles... all sorts of treats for the eyes.

And for many it would not be Canada without Moosehead lager. I just liked the way the sunlight was shining through it, though I have had it in cheddar cheese soup at the Canadian restaurant "Le Cellier" it is gooooooooooood stuff.

Sky Watch Friday

2009-04-03T00:01:00.000-05:00

French performers balancing on a tall tower of chairs, giant wine bottles, etc. in EPCOT at Disney World in Florida:

Head over to the Skywatch Blog for all the straight up fun.

EPCOT: Part 6 - Water-rise

2009-04-02T19:59:00.005-05:00

EPCOT: Part 5 - Spaceship Earth the Ride

2009-04-01T20:52:00.003-05:00

One of our favorite rides in EPCOT is inside the giant golf ball, Spaceship Earth. A history of communication from the cave men up to modern interactive computers. Slow, relaxing, interesting, informative, and a great way to stretch the back a little (on the way back down) after walking around all day! :)

EPCOT: Part 4 - The Seas with Nemo and Friends: 3

2009-03-31T20:43:00.001-05:00

Some scenes from inside the Seas giant fish tanks:

EPCOT: Part 3 - The Seas with Nemo and Friends: 2

2009-03-30T20:53:00.003-05:00

Inside the Seas pavilion can be found Turtle Talk with Crush, an interactive show featuring a CGI Crush the turtle from Finding Nemo, who talks and interacts with the audience live - very cool technology. He asks questions and fields questions from the crowd and answers them in real time and the mouth moves with his speech, etc. Seamless. And usually pretty funny, too.

The first shot is from the waiting area outside the doors to the show where Mr. Ray's Lagoon houses - what else? - rays and ray relatives in small tanks to keep kids occupied while waiting for Crush.

Everyone's favorite scatter brained blue tang Dory even shows up for some comedic relief and gets squished against the glass by a whale - but she's ok, no damage done (she was already drain bamaged to begin with, ha). :)

EPCOT: Part 2 - The Seas with Nemo and Friends: 1

2009-03-29T20:43:00.001-05:00

Exterior shots of the Seas with Nemo and Friends:

EPCOT: Part 1 - Spaceship Earth

2009-03-28T20:03:00.002-05:00

The first sight upon entering EPCOT - the ubiquitous giant golf ball aka Spaceship Earth.

Sky Watch Friday

2009-03-27T00:01:00.000-05:00

Visit the Skywatch Blog for all the hundreds of great shots each week.

Disney's Hollywood Studios: Part 15 - The Osborne Family Spectacle of DAncing Lights

2009-03-26T20:48:00.003-05:00

For the Christmas season Disney puts up a collection of lights originally owned by a family named Osborne (not those Osbornes!) from Arkansas who put up so many lights and attracted so many viewers that neighbors complained about the traffic and they were forced to stop. Disney stepped in and took them to put up in Hollywood Studios. There are over a million lights. It is awesome. If you love Christmas lights, book a trip now because you must see them in person! And while you can't tell in the photos, they are hooked up to computers and "dance" in sequence to music.

ABC Wednesday: "J" is for Jaguars

2009-03-25T20:15:00.009-05:00

These pretty ladies are named Salsa (the black one) and Onca (the spotted one, after the scientific name for the Jaguar - Pantera Onca):

These gals are two of the various jaguars that live at the Jacksonville Zoo's "Range of the Jaguars Exhibit". Salsa is the only one of them that will go into the water. Onca just hangs around the edge or up on the fallen log watching her sister and wondering what on earth she is doing.

She's hard to see, but here is one of Salsa actually swimming down at the bottom of the pool, where she tries to catch the fish and has already eaten many thousands of dollars worth of exotic, Amazonian fishes. As the keeper standing next to us watching said, "You're a bad girl, Salsa." :)

Visit the ABC Wednesday blog for all the swimmingly good fun!

Disney's Hollywood Studios: Part 14 - DHS at Night

2009-03-24T21:10:00.002-05:00

Some night shots of various buildings or scenes around Hollywood Studios:

Disney's Hollywood Studios: Part 13 - Fantasmic!

2009-03-23T20:27:00.003-05:00

Fantasmic! is our favorite Disney night time stage/fireworks/show spectacular. Housed in a giant outdoor amphitheater that can fill up fast, it pays to arrive early to get seats near the bottom (especially if you want to take pictures - it is dark so the closer you are the faster you can set your shutter speed and the less you'll need to zoom in so you can maximize the widest aperture to get as much light as you can... but enough technical talk!)

The concept is that Mickey is having a dream but the evil witch Maleficent (from Sleeping Beauty) decides to turn his dreams into nightmares, and brings in all of the other Disney villains in to help.

Maleficent then turns herself into the giant dragon (you can see the glowing gold eyes and nostrils near the mountain below).

But have no fear! Mickey realizes it is just a dream and he can control the outcome, finds a magic sword, dispatches the dragon, ends the nightmare and celebrates by becoming Sorcerer Mickey (from Fantasia) and climbs to the top of the mountain to direct fireworks for the finale.

And my favorite Fantasmic photo has to be this one - Mickey shooting sparks from his fingers. Sweet. :)

Disney's Hollywood Studios: Part 12 - Toy Story Pizza Planet

2009-03-22T15:40:00.003-05:00

One of the counter service restaurants at DHS is the Toy Story Pizza Planet - taken straight out of the Toy Story movie and featuring games and quite a few little green aliens - as well as Buzz Lightyear himself.

Disney's Hollywood Studios: Part 11 - Mickey Water Towers

2009-03-21T11:23:00.001-05:00

Sky Watch Friday

2009-03-20T00:01:00.000-05:00

Mostly clear skies looking up and slightly northeast from the Treaty Oak park on the south bank of downtown Jacksonville, FL.

Visit the Skywatch Blog for all the hundreds of great shots each week.

Haven't Disappeared

2009-03-19T21:38:00.004-05:00

Been a few days since I posted anything, but with good reason: my father has been in the hospital and had heart bypass surgery earlier in the week. I am happy to report that he is doing very well and should be home this weekend. Needless to say, blogging hasn't been the highest priority in life lately!

On the bright side he does have a great view of downtown and the river from his current room. :)

Sky Watch Friday

2009-03-13T20:40:00.000-05:00

Spring sprung quickly in Florida last week and it appears the last of our cold weather is gone for the winter and summer will soon be upon us (spring lasts a few weeks and then the summer heat and sun settles in for the next 8 months).

A day at the beach on Saturday found not only a beautiful blue sky and blue ocean, but a nearly full moon hanging low on the horizon (click on the photo to see it full size for a better view of the moon):

Visit the Skywatch blog for all the hundreds of great shots each week.

You Lookin' At Me?

2009-03-12T20:35:00.002-05:00

Brix

2009-03-11T20:30:00.000-05:00

A fairly new bar/pub at Jax Beach named Brix:

ABC Wednesday: "H" is for Hemming Plaza

2009-03-10T20:04:00.001-05:00

ABC Wednesday this week brings us a view of downtown Jacksonville and Hemming Plaza, with the Federal Courthouse on the side (with the blue windows). In the middle we find a fountain and a monument to Jacksonville's soldiers that fought in the American Civil War from 1861-1865. These shots were taken from the 5th floor of a building on the east side of the plaza that houses the Main Branch of the Jacksonville Public Library and the Museum of Contemporary Art (where a photo of our kitten currently hangs on exhibit! See previous posts for more about that. :) )

Visit the ABC Wednesday blog for all the wonderful Wednesday shots each week.

Watch your step

2009-03-09T20:26:00.003-05:00

One peril of the ocean - jellyfish! They sometimes wash up on shore so you have to watch your step even if you aren't heading out into the water.

Just A Day At The Beach

2009-03-08T20:16:00.002-05:00

Saturday saw one of the first truly warm days of spring - high around 77 F degrees, nice breeze, lots of sun, etc. So like many residents of the area we decided to spend a few hours at the beach for the first time in a few months.

Disney's Hollywood Studios: Part 10 - Streets of America

2009-03-07T19:54:00.003-05:00

This section of DHS used to be called Streets of New York but they have since decided to expand the scenery a bit to include San Francisco and Chicago and hence changed the name. Some views:

Sky Watch Friday

2009-03-06T00:01:00.001-05:00

Sunset through the pines of north Florida.

Visit the Skywatch Blog for all the sunny (or otherwise) shots each week.

Disney's Hollywood Studios: Part 9 - Muppet Vision 3D

2009-03-05T21:25:00.003-05:00

One of our favorite attractions at Hollywood Studios - the Muppet Vision 3D show.

It is a comedy show in 3D featuring all your favorite Muppet characters, including a penguin orchestra, which we, of course, love. But the show isn't the only amusing part - the entrance and waiting area can be just as funny if you look around at all the funny comments and signs everywhere...

ABC Wednesday: "G" is for Goofy

2009-03-04T00:01:00.000-05:00

This week's ABC Wednesday is brought to you by the beloved Disney character "Goofy":

Who doesn't like Goofy? Crazy people, that's who. :)

Visit the ABC Wednesday blog to see all sorts of Great shots from lots of non-crazy people. :)

Disney's Hollywood Studios: Part 8 - The Great Movie Ride

2009-03-03T20:26:00.003-05:00

The Great Movie Ride at DHS is housed in a replica of the Chinese Theater and is...

"A Spectacular Journey Into The Movies" - the sign says so!

It is dark and the trams don't stop often, so getting photos is tough, but here are a few from the Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom scene:

And I suppose you can't have a ride about great movies without including Casablanca:

Here's lookin' at you, bloggers.

Disney's Hollywood Studios: Part 7 - Indiana Jones

2009-03-02T22:22:00.005-05:00

The Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular is a stunt show that recreates well known scenes from the I.J. movies with live actors on three different "stages" that roll on or off as required, and include some fiery pyrotechnics.

Disney's Hollywood Studios: Part 6 - Moving Along

2009-03-01T22:04:00.003-05:00

Time to leave Beauty & the Beast and head over to catch Indiana Jones... but first, a reflection, a ship, and a dinosaur:

Disney's Hollywood Studios: Part 5 - Beauty and the Beast Stage Show

2009-02-28T19:50:00.001-05:00

Erin's favorite Disney princess story is Beauty and the Beast - a beautiful brunette who loves to read books... if I were a giant hairy beast it would be our life story!

Here's a great way to avoid being bored while waiting in lines or for shows to start: watch a Disney movie on your iPod! In our case, we were watching Wall-E.

The stage show is a bit like a baby broadway musical with acting, singing, and dancing.

And of course there is a happy ending - it's Disney World! Everything has a happy ending!

And at the end of the show one lucky little girl from the audience is given the enchanted rose as a souvenier.

Sky Watch Friday

2009-02-27T00:01:00.000-05:00

If you are ever in downtown Jacksonville, FL look up and search the skies for... a U-Haul moving truck!?

Yes, they have an office downtown and there is a U-Haul on the roof of the multi-story building...

Visit http://skyley.blogspot.com to see what else in the skies might move you!

Downtown Jacksonville Views: Part 3

2009-02-26T20:19:00.004-05:00

More shots from inside the Main Library:

These last two are from the atrium at the center of the building:

ABC Wednesday: "F" is for Forbus General Store and Family

2009-02-25T00:01:00.000-05:00

ABC Wednesday this week is brought to us by the letter "F" and a 2004 family vacation to Tennessee, where you can find the Forbus General Store - halfway between Davidson and Pall Mall. "Where in tarnation is that!?" you ask? Good question. While the immediate answer may - accurately - be "the middle of nowhere", you can truly find it here, not too far south of the border with Kentucky. You are truly out in the sticks if you find yourself in Forbus. In fact, the main reason to pass through the tiny place is to visit the Sergeant Alvin York State Park - home of American World War I hero Alvin York, immortalized on film in the movie starring Gary Cooper from 1941.

How does one come to find such a small place? Well, marry into a family with relatives that live nearby, of course! My wife has family originally from the hills of Tennessee and so the whole family took a trip to visit a few years ago and we took a side trip one day. :)

Visit ABC Wednesday, where you never know what neck of the woods you might find yourself in - or what sentences might end with a preposition... :)

Downtown Jacksonville Views: Part 2

2009-02-24T00:01:00.001-05:00

Inside the Jacksonville Public Library Main Branch:

Downtown Jacksonville Views: Part 1

2009-02-23T00:01:00.001-05:00

Hemming Plaza as seen from the 5th Floor of the Museum of Contemporary Art. The large blue-windowed building is the Federal Courthouse.

A large sculpture outside the entrance to M.O.C.A.

Looking up Main Street - the tall pointed building is the Bank of America Tower, formerly the Barnett Building, formerly...

Bicycles parked in front of the Main Library.

Main entrance to the Main Library... inside shots coming tomorrow.

On Exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art!

2009-02-22T21:23:00.004-05:00

Ok, so it isn't exactly on par with being shown in New York or Paris, but our local Museum of Contemporary Art held a photo competition of sorts to run in conjunction with an exhibit they are showing called "Why We Look at Animals" - so they got together with the city newspaper and held a photo contest for residents of the city to submit their favorite animal photo they had taken. I received notice last week that my entry was one of 100 that were chosen by the museum curator and newspaper photo editor to be part of the exhibit! They held a reception and opening ceremony this afternoon at the museum that we were able to attend:

Museum goers looking at my photo:

And the proud papa posing next to our kitten Mischa, gorgeous as always, looking quite smashing in her black frame and white border:

No money involved, no prizes, but very, very cool to have one of my photos hanging in a real museum, even if they are all amateur photos from a fun contest through a newspaper. She has a wall tag and everything! Uber cool. :)

Disney's Hollywood Studios: Part 4 - Hollywood Blvd Shots

2009-02-21T21:15:00.000-05:00

Sky Watch Friday

2009-02-20T00:01:00.000-05:00

Caesar says, "Watch the sky!"

Visit the Skywatch blog for all the great shots each week.

Sorcerer Mickey Topiary

2009-02-19T21:14:00.002-05:00

A sorcerer Mickey topiary, using the famous animated brooms to...

Plant more flowers, of course.

ABC Wednesday: "E" is for Everest

2009-02-18T00:01:00.000-05:00

Being a native Floridian with an aversion for cold and any mountain higher than 350 feet - the highest point in Florida is only 345 ft above sea level (actually, I love the mountains) - the below photos are about as close as I am ever likely to get to the real Mount Everest. Instead, I am perfectly happy visiting it while at Disney World, where, in the Animal Kingdom, you can find a very small (relatively speaking) replica of the mountain - which is actually home to a roller coaster - you can "ride" the roller coaster by viewing this Youtube video. :)

Visit the ABC Wednesday blog for all the thrilling posts each week. :)

Disney's Hollywood Studios: Part 3 - Toy Story Mania Interior

2009-02-17T20:09:00.003-05:00

Heading inside the Toy Story Midway Mania ride you first enter a hallway that is intended to make you feel like you have shrunken down to the size of a toy - this is a night light on the wall that should only be a few inches tall to a human but to you toys is ginormous.

Some of the other "giant" toys you'll find inside:

In the far back of the main queue room you find a giant animatronic Mr. Potato Head that is amazing - it moves so smoothly and talks and is programed to interact with the crowd in a way that very nearly makes it seem alive. It is a magnificent effect.

Disney's Hollywood Studios: Part 2 - Toy Story Mania Exterior

2009-02-16T22:21:00.005-05:00

The newest "E Ticket" attraction in Disney World is "Toy Story Mania" in DHS. It is a 3D interactive ride of sort where your cart takes you from station to station to play traditional midway games - but in 3D on a screen in front of you. Pretty neat effects and lots of fun (but warning, the cars spin a bit while moving from station to station and can cause motion sickness problems for some).

Here are some shots of the exterior building and the one across the walkway from it that is tied in. Fans of the Toy Story movies will no doubt see many familiar items and characters.

Yes, the wait time says 50 minutes and, yes, this was the first place we headed as soon as the park opens - the line gets that long in minutes. Wait times later in the day will approach 3 hours in some cases, and almost always 2 or more.

The Big One-Oh-Oh-Oh-Oh-Oh

2009-02-15T13:09:00.003-05:00

Our 1999 Nissan Altima rolled 100,000 miles today on the way home from church. :) (Yes, I pulled over into a parking lot to take the pictures so I would not be moving while photographing.)

Disney's Hollywood Studios: Part 1 - Entrance Area

2009-02-14T17:43:00.002-05:00

A quartet of shots from near the front entrance to Disney's Hollywood Studios (DHS) - formerly MGM Studios.

Front ticket booths:

A drink stand just past the entrance gate:

A view of Hollywood Blvd. from near the front gate:

A more close-up shot of one of the buildings at the corner (it's a gift shop, of course!):

Sky Watch Friday

2009-02-13T00:01:00.000-05:00

Bright morning sun at a nearby park, shining through small decorative openings in the back of a park swing.

Visit the Skywatch Blog for hundreds of weekly sky watchy goodness.

Goodbye, Animal Kingdom

2009-02-12T21:18:00.002-05:00

So I will bring an end to our visit to the Disney Animal Kingdom. Next series we'll move over to Disney's Hollywood Studios (formerly Disney's MGM Studios). But first, it is time for SkyWatch Friday!

ABC Wednesday: "D" is for Dock

2009-02-11T00:01:00.000-05:00

Some shots taken at a public dock in Mandarin, FL just outside of Jacksonville, next to Walter Jones Historic Park.

Visit the ABC Blog for all the dynamic posts this week.

Tiny Waterfall

2009-02-10T23:08:00.005-05:00

Tree of Life

2009-02-09T23:00:00.001-05:00

A few closeups of the carved animals on the Tree of Life from the Animal Kingdom:

Lazy Kangaroos

2009-02-08T22:18:00.004-05:00

Flame Tree Barbecue

2009-02-07T21:53:00.000-05:00

Photos from the Animal Kingdom restaurant "Flame Tree BBQ":

Sky Watch Friday

2009-02-06T00:01:00.000-05:00

Whispy clouds thinly hung over an inlet full of small sailboats near St. Augustine, Florida.

Visit the Skywatch Blog for all the weekly photos.

Ibis

2009-02-05T21:07:00.001-05:00

This Ibis was hanging out at the outdoor dining tables at the Animal Kingdom's "Flame Tree BBQ" restaurant:

ABC Wednesday: "C" is for Concrete Picnic Table

2009-02-04T00:01:00.000-05:00

Bored at lunch at work - pictures of a concrete picnic table outdoors at the office.

Visit the ABC Wednesday Mr. Linky for all the weekly goodness.

Animal Kingdom Bird Show

2009-02-03T20:06:00.003-05:00

Our favorite attraction at Animal Kingdom was by far a bird show - it was quite funny, entertaining, and informative. It is easy to skip these types of shows when they get lost in the hoopla of roller coasters and giant stage shows and parades, but I'd certainly recommend that you do not miss the bird show if you are ever at the Animal Kingdom.

Dinoland USA

2009-02-02T22:36:00.003-05:00

One of the sections of Disney's Animal Kingdom is called Dinoland U.S.A - and quite frankly we find it to be a travesty and a disgrace to the memory of Walt Disney... it is like a cheap county fair, slightly improved and Disney-fied. It is only a slight improvement.

Anyway, there are at least a few photo ops:

Finding Nemo the Musical Stage Show

2009-02-01T20:28:00.003-05:00

It's dark inside, so good pictures are tough, but here are a few that turned out ok...

Concrete Table Edge

2009-01-31T22:16:00.000-05:00

Sky Watch Friday

2009-01-30T00:01:00.000-05:00

All day Tuesday was foggy, but driving home in the afternoon we were lucky to see more than 50 yards away from the car. I snapped this picture for Sky Watch this week - everything beyond that visible range was a single shade of pale grey.

Visit the SkyWatch Blog for all the weekly shots.

Steel Drum Band

2009-01-29T19:39:00.002-05:00

While waiting in line for the Finding Nemo stage show a steel drum band setup nearby to play and I had to wander over and snap some close-ups.

ABC Wednesday: "B" is for Book

2009-01-28T00:01:00.000-05:00

Every day during lunch at work I spend pretty much the same way - while I eat I spend the first 30 minutes studying an industry continuing education program book to prepare for my next exam, and the last 30 minutes reading something fun: generally historical non-fiction, historic fiction, or - more rarely -neither of the previous two.

At the moment I am reading "The Old Patagonian Express" by Paul Theraux, written in the 1970's when Mr. Theraux boarded a train Boston, Massachusetts and continued by train (except where impossible due to there being no train for short stretches) down through Mexico, Central America, into South America, eventually to the literal "end of the line" in the Patagonia of Argentina - the last train station on the line, where you can go no further south by train. If you enjoy travel books, trains, Latin American culture, or just some good old sarcastic whit, I'd recommending picking it up from the library sometime and giving it a read. :)

Visit the ABC Wednesday blog for links to all of this weeks fun.

(The above photo taken using a delay timer on the shutter release with the camera propped up on the table slightly by my wallet.)

A few more views of Mt. Everest

2009-01-27T22:40:00.002-05:00

The Dreaded Yeti

2009-01-26T22:08:00.002-05:00

Eh, he doesn't look so scary... kind of soft and cuddly if you ask me. :)

Around Expedition Everest

2009-01-25T20:58:00.002-05:00

Mount Everest - Sort Of

2009-01-24T21:09:00.002-05:00

Have I taken a trip away from the flatlands of Florida to some high mountain range? Not really...

Star attraction in the Animal Kingdom is the newest Disney roller coaster: Expedition Everest.
You take a train up onto and into the mountain, only to be confronted by the Yeti, who hurls you back down out of his domain - backwards!
They did a great job with the design and exterior and surrounding area - it has a great feel to it.
More shots of the area around the mountain to come.

Sky Watch Friday

2009-01-23T00:01:00.000-05:00

The sun peeking through the trees and past the eye of an angel statue in a cemetery from Fernandina Beach, Florida.

Visit the Skywatch Blog for all the great shots each week.

Animal Kingdom: Alligator Rock Fountain

2009-01-22T16:57:00.003-05:00

This is a neat little fountain - if you look closely you notice the rocks are arranged so as to look like an alligator/crocodile/dinosaur with the water coming out of the mouth.

ABC Wednesday: "A" is for Animal Kingdom

2009-01-21T00:01:00.000-05:00

An easy "A" for me since I've been doing photos from the Animal Kingdom for the past week or so anyway. So rather than continue with what I had been doing here are just four of my favorite photos from around the park. Animal Kingdom opened in 1998 as the fourth major park at the Orlando, FL Walt Disney World Resort. They like to say that it is is "Natazu" (not-a-zoo). It is part zoo, part theme park, however.

Animal Kingdom: Tree of Life Flowers

2009-01-20T18:18:00.001-05:00

A view of the Animal Kingdom "Tree of Life" with flowers fronting it - and fun with apertures.

Narrow aperture:

Wide aperture:

Festival of the Lion King

2009-01-19T19:12:00.002-05:00

A couple of shots from the Festival of the Lion King stage show - half show, half Cirque du Soleil, half broadway. Neat show. Not very well lit so photos are not easy. These were the only two that really even came close to coming out.

Animal Kingdom: Camp Mickey Minnie

2009-01-18T00:01:00.000-05:00

In the outdoors-y Camp Minnie Mickey you can find a lovely creek to hike beside...

And you never know who you might find along side you:

Animal Kingdom: Gorillas

2009-01-17T20:53:00.002-05:00

Next to the safari ride is an area for gorillas. Three of them were out and about the morning we were there, which was great, since our zoo at home normally only lets one out in the large area at a time and even then getting good pictures is difficult.

There is also a pretty little waterfall in the exhibit:

Sky Watch Friday

2009-01-16T00:01:00.000-05:00

Clouds reflected in the glass smooth water of a marina for small recreational boats at the Disney Port Orleans Riverside resort in Orlando, FL.

Visit http://skyley.blogspot.com for all the Sky Watch fun.

Kilimanjaro Safaris: 3

2009-01-15T22:02:00.002-05:00

More animals from the safari ride:

Rhinos:

Cheetahs:

Lions:

Some sort of very tiny deer thing:

Meerkats:

ABC Wednesday: "Z" is for Zoo

2009-01-14T22:22:00.006-05:00

I know... how original... what can I say - it's late... zoo me. :)

All the ABC Wednesday fun can be found at http://wednesdayabc.blogspot.com

Kilimanjaro Safaris: 2

2009-01-13T22:12:00.000-05:00

More safari viewing -

Giraffes:

Some cow/deer thing for which I forget its name. I shall call it Bob for now:

Elephants, or at least his behind:

Big, funny trees full of birds:

And flamingos - only juveniles are normally pink, the adults are more often white, contrary to plastic lawn ornament lore:

More next time...

Kilimanjaro Safaris: 1

2009-01-12T21:06:00.003-05:00

Yesterday's post was of the sign for last film before the safari. What safari? The Kilimanjaro Safari.

This ride takes you on an offroad journey on a bus of sorts:

There are birds:

And big African trees:

And lots of grassland. Look closely, there may be animals out there...

Animal Kingdom

2009-01-11T21:02:00.003-05:00

Thankfully I had plenty of SD cards and did not need to stop:

Animal Kingdom

2009-01-10T20:04:00.000-05:00

A building in the Africa section of Animal Kingdom:

Sky Watch Friday

2009-01-09T00:01:00.000-05:00

A great ball of fire behind those trees...

Visit http://skyley.blogspot.com to see what else is shining this week.

Welcome to Africa

2009-01-08T20:37:00.003-05:00

A giraffe with a blue tongue holding a sign welcoming you to the Africa section of Disney's Animal Kingdom:

ABC Wednesday: "Y" is for Yummy

2009-01-07T00:01:00.000-05:00

Not much yummier than a hot bowl of fondue chocolate and all the various great things to dip in it from The Melting Pot.

Benched

2009-01-06T00:01:00.000-05:00

Benches at Disney's Animal Kingdom park. They are made from recycled materials and are carved in the image of various animals.

Time to Say Goodbye

2009-01-05T00:01:00.000-05:00

Can't be Christmas forever... time to say goodbye to the tree and all the pretty lights. :(

Recovering

2009-01-04T21:08:00.002-05:00

Having been sick for a couple of days, I've spent much of my time like Mischa here: sleeping.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T00:01:00.001-05:00

Some fireworks photos to celebrate the new year, taken at Disney World (since I didn't get out to photograph the live fireworks at midnight downtown tonight):

Happy New Year, ya'll!

ABC Wednesday: "X" is for X-tinct

2008-12-31T00:01:00.000-05:00

So sue me... X is a bad letter. We all know this. Moving on. :)

To see all of the X-citing and hopefully not X-tinct photos for the week visit ABC Wednesday.

More Wilderness Lodge

2008-12-30T00:01:00.000-05:00

The creek where it leaves the back of the Wilderness Lodge:

Waterfall:

Wide angle of the waterfall and back of the resort: