From Tallahassee we drove on March 18th to Cary, NC, to visit daughter Rebecca and family, and notably, grand-daughter Penelope; and also to transition from being Disney adults to European tourists. This required much time at our storage unit in Cary, sorting, packing, etc. We did have time for a little fun.
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| Traditional tea at Rebecca's (actually a brunch) |
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| At the Cary REI, trying on a roof-top carrier |
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| Our storage unit, as full as ever, but remarkably well organized... |
We finished our Lake Buena Vista apartment lease on March 15th and drove forthwith to Tallahassee, to visit college friends Susan and Ken for a weekend+. Highlights, as always, included conversations, light and heavy, great conviviality, food, and drink, and a tour of nearby Maclay Gardens state park, where Susan is a master gardener volunteer. She had other horticultural responsibilities that day, so assistant-to-the-master-gardener Ken led our tour.
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A Lego model of an old VW camper, several of which Ken and Susan have owned--like us |
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| On the trail at Maclay Gardens...the camellias were a bit past their prime--which must have been glorious--but the azaleas were in full bloom and reminded us of the many great houses and gardens we have seen in the UK |
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| Last of the camellias |
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| Moss everywhere |
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| Lake Hall |
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| Interpretive display inside the house...originally a cotton plantation, then a vineyard (!!!), then a quail hunting "plantation," then someone's winter residence and garden...the Maclays were descended from the Fleischmanns...of yeast and gin (!!!) fame...then, mid-20th century, donated it to the state |
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| The house |
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| Looking down to the lake |
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| Thus |
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| A Della Robbia, al the way from the Hospital of the Innocents, in Florence |
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| More azaleas |
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| The Black pond |
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| Turtles sunning themselves |
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| A 3 foot long gator nearby... |
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| Pretty place |
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| Us, there, then, near a garden Susan is rehabilitating |
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St. Patrick's Day repas...the dessert was this Guinness Cake...not pictured were the corned beef, the cabbage and onions, the soda bread... a real treat for Vicki and me (although I am only spiritually Irish) |
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| Ken and Susan, 2022 |
So for our last week in Orlando, Vicki wanted to visit each of the four Disney parks, especially for the fireworks, but for other things too...
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At the Fantansmic (or whatever) at Hollywood Studios, the pond before the stage really is afire...Disney must burn as much gasoline and natural gas as a small state...or country |
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| But Mickey appears ("Here I come to save the day!")(wait, no...) |
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| And, with Nothung or the re-forged shards of Narsil, banishes all evil ("Mit diesen zeichen bann ich deinem zauber!") |
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| After his triumph Mickey reappears in his original state, as steamboat pilot; note that Minnie is relegated to C deck... |
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| The color symbolism much in effect (grayscale suggests the historique...or perhaps the mythique...don't know quite how this works with cartoon characters) |
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| Mickey In Majesty |
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| Next day we are in EPCOT, or ECPOT, as I like to say, where the Disney plants and gardens show is in progress |
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| It doesn't take long to discern that Disney gardens are to gardens as Disney art is to art... |
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| Every now and then something non-Disney intrudes |
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| The fireworks/waterworks/luminworks at ECPOT were surprisingly good, however, much improved since November |
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| Thursday night we were back at the Magic Kingdom, for the final extravaganza there |
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| And Friday, we were at the Animal Kingdom, for a last safari; note belayed human on the bridge above the animals; we've crossed scores of bridges like these, in Nepal and New Zealand (way higher and longer), and were never belayed; but, then, a trip to Disney probably costs more than one to Everest or the adventure capital of the world... |
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| Slow-walking cheetah |
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| Crucificado; or possibly Leonardo pose, on the Gorilla Walk's research/education center |
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| How can you get so huge just eating plants? |
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| Doesn't appreciate fat-shaming |
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| As crowded as we've seen it...2 hour line to do the safari truck ride... perhaps 200 yards from the entrance |
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| We've always thought being a Disney designer/procurer would be interesting work |
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| The day's ultimate goal--they don't do fireworks at Animal Kingdom--was to see the baby tiger... |
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| So here are our final shots for this campaign |
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| Mama tiger never very far away |
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| Playing like a kitten... |
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| But don't worry: Vicki, Rebecca, and Penelope already are planning a visit to Disney Paris a couple months from now; and we'll be back to the same apartment in Lake Buena Vista for a month next fall for Mickey's Halloween Party; ne baise pas avec le souris... |
