WDW 2008 - We Like Trains

Magic Kingdom



















Animal Kingdom















OK. Not officially a train. But it's the Thunder Mountain Railroad engine. I think it counts.

WDW - Animal Kingdom and Lodge

This is the first time we've been to the Animal Kingdom or the Animal Kingdom Lodge. Like the Kingdom... LOVED the lodge.

Expedition Everest












We saw the vine woman! She's on stilts and moves ever so slowly...




















Animal Kingdom Lodge - looking over the pool area. We had a reservation for a dinner buffet at Boma. So delish... they were kind enough to email some of the recipes for dishes we liked most.






























This is the lobby area. We (I, that is), decided we have to save all our pennies in order to be able to stay here a few days.


































Detail of the chandeliers.















In amongst all the artful "inspired by" were many original pieces of African art.

WDW 2008 - Dumbo and The Teacups

Two of our most favoritest places in the Kingdom.




































The view from Dumbo.

WDW 2008 - Port Orleans Riverside, Contemporary Resort

A new resort for us this time... Port Orleans Riverside. Very charming and peaceful (for WDW) atmosphere. You can take a boat from here to Downtown Disney, but we never had the time!










































On day four it was back to our favorite resort so far, the Contemporary. Mostly because of the monorail going through the hotel, the size of the room & bathroom layout, and because we can walk to the Magic Kingdom.

































The mural in the Contemporary.



















The view from our window. Yup, it's zoomed a bit. In the real view you can see the parking lot and construction. But it is the cat's PJs to see the fireworks from your room...






























Chef Mickey's. Start twirling your napkins.

Winter 2007-2008

An exceptional winter.

Mississippi Houseboat

My book group took a weekend excursion on the Mississippi on a houseboat, courtesy of the planning and piloting of a member and her friend who loves being on the river. We had to have a book, of course... and that book was The River Queen.

Houseboats in a row.

Home away from home. Very cozy, with electricity and a real live bathroom. 

Close quarters, but comfy nonetheless.

Our main activities were kayaking, eating, reading, eating,

talking, eating, admiring the views as we toodled up and down the river,

and eating.

The food... many thanks to the book club members, all of whom it seems are quite accomplished cooks. My contribution was an appetizer of hot spiced pecans, and a Red Velvet Cake, a redux of a club meeting for Getting Mother's Body.

The views... the houseboat as we traveled up and down the river or were anchored on a beach, from the kayaks... lazily paddling through the back byways and collecting monkeypods, riding along with or struggling against the current of the Mississippi.

Though it looks idyllic... there were a few "inconveniences" ~ 

the unexpected and unseasonable heat wave, the flies, the no-see-ums. 

Just a little reminder.

Unexpected Landing

Sometimes in the summer we are graced with the appearance of hot air balloons. This one appeared amongst the neighborhood houses on a rapid and must have been untimely descent.

It came down in a cornfield behind our neighborhood. We walked up, and others in the neighborhood drove to the nearest dead end street out of curiousity. The corn was too high to see more than the balloon, but nothing seemed to be happening.. just an unexpected landing. Within a few minutes a pickup truck with the company's logo drove up. We didn't stay to see what would happen, as the mosquitos were out in droves.

Iris Folding

My first attempts at iris-folding cards for graduating seniors and a birthday. The papers I used for the last two were thin glossy paper from a book of Japanese print giftwrap papers. The top one was origami paper. The addition of a thin gold line at the edges of the folds helped to define the pattern of the iris. I cut the frame shapes on the Craft Robo, though that would have been pretty easy with an x-acto. But these fancy gadgets have to earn their keep somehow...