Fun and Games Dept

Mickey!, originally uploaded by iMachias.

Look who we got to see today!

FastPass., originally uploaded by iMachias.

The Cubster has been showing me some tricks to try out when taking photos. Here’s a demonstration of what he’s been showing me. This is my photographic depiction of Disney’s FastPass. One side of the line moves along at a rapid pace, the standby side of the line waits and waits.

Here we are waiting for “Soarin'” at Epcot.

Ominous., originally uploaded by iMachias.

So yesterday we spent the day at the Magic Kingdom. We have it in our head that if you’re going to spend some time at Walt Disney World then you have to spend the first day at the Magic Kingdom and we stayed true to form to our beliefs. Let’s start at the very beginning, a very good place to start.

Even though we stayed true to form by going to the Magic Kingdom first, we mixed it up and went clockwise around the park instead of counterclockwise. This change was nice because it gave a fresh perspective on what we were seeing and experiencing.

The park was fairly crowded. We have made some noteworthy observations based on our time here thus far. First of all, there isn’t nearly as many Disney cast members waiting around to take your photo. Where there would be a dozen or so wanting to take your picture as soon as you entered Main Street; this year we didn’t see any, in fact, we saw maybe only one cast member taking photos of families with Cinderella’s Castle in the background. I found this a little surprising.

Secondly, folks that don’t speak English as their second language are surprisingly chatty in the auditorium based exhibits, i.e. “Carousel of Progress” or “The Hall of Presidents”. While the narration is playing, some folks are opting to discuss various subjects in their mother tongue at full voice. At first I thought there might be some translating going on, which I would be perfectly fine with, but three ladies to our right decided to light up their map of the Magic Kingdom with their cell phones during a surprisingly stirring presentation at “The Hall of Presidents”. I found this to be kind of rude.

All in all the day gave me a giddy feeling and I had a smile on my face the whole time. There isn’t a huge number of new things at Disney this year but many things have been refreshed and exhibits that were closed last year are open this year. We are having a grand time.

Life is good. Especially with ears on.

TTC., originally uploaded by iMachias.

Today has been a very good day. In fact, it has been a magical day.

I’ll write more tomorrow.

Celebrate Today., originally uploaded by iMachias.

We arrived at the House of the Mouse yesterday afternoon slightly ahead of schedule (thanks to traffic moving at around 80 MPH on I-95 and I-4). As per custom we were greeted warmly and enthusiastically here at the Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa. I might try out the “spa” part of the resort this week with a visit to a masseuse. We’ll have to see.

We are approaching this week with a relaxed, less frenetic pace. Our schedule isn’t filled with activities; we are being casual about the whole thing and I think the change of pace is just what we need.

I noticed the banners all say “Celebrate Today”. I’m finding it much easier to do that these days but it’s a beautiful reminder to see.

Relaxed., originally uploaded by iMachias.

We are spending the night at one of the hotels at Savannah / Hilton Head Int’l Airport. Today has been all about driving. We were on the road in Pennsylvania by 8:30; it was cold, windy and rainy all the way to Roanoke, Va. (hi Thom, did you see me waving?) where the sun came out and the temperature reached nearly 60.

The rest of the drive was quite pleasant yet uneventful. I had the opportunity to be a passenger for a little bit and it was quite nice to watch the countryside without having to concentrate on the road. I’m a bit of a control freak so I couldn’t completely relax but I simmered down as the ride went on. I finished up the driving after a pit stop in Charlotte, N.C.

We stopped at a Ruby Tuesday’s along Interstate 26 for supper. The folks down here are much nicer than many in Upstate New York. There are certain elements of southern hospitality that I enjoy.

Selkirk Shores State Park is beautiful all year ’round. Here is a picture of the hiking trail we called “treach”. We used to zoom down this trail on our bikes, with Lake Ontario several feet below us as the trail went along the bluff. We found the trail to be treacherous on bike, hence we called it “treach” for short.

That’s Lake Ontario frozen in the background. The waves could be heard way off in the distance, about 100 feet from the shore.

I received my first package in my new cubicle yesterday. It was a bit of a surprise as it was a beautiful plant from Earl, Tom and Jamie.

I tried to get Tom to look at the camera but he was having none of it.

Make Room., originally uploaded by iMachias.

Finally! The way it’s suppose to look in February here in Central New York. We got about a foot of snow overnight. This will make many happy, including me.