Disney...

I am beyond exhausted, but wanted to get this post up. I think I'll skip most of the commentary, keeping it to a minimum, and share a plethora of images instead. I will say that we had a great time at Epcot and the Magic Kingdom yesterday. We got some complimentary tickets and really enjoyed ourselves despite the heat, the blisters and the occasional long line and ride malfunction.

Above: Max and Azalea up front and to the back (going from left to right) Sheila, Cynthia and me.

We were lucky that they were having their annual flower show. They had many beautiful specimens in all manner of configurations. Not only were they lovely to look at, but many of the flowers were lovely to smell as well!

The gardeners had cleverly sculpted living topiaries of Tinkerbell and friends.

I love the entrance to this building in "Norway". It's all carved in intricate patterns that conjured images of Vikings in my head.

In Mexico, they had artisans from Mexico painting the hand-carved wooden sculptures. I fell in love with these types of figures while I was in Tucson. I love the stranger ones.

The Castle in the Magic Kingdom with roses. If you look closely, you'll be able to see Steve and Azalea.
Above is a close-up of the castle. Inside Cinderella's castle there are some intricate mosaics depicting her life.

I loved all the plants. These roses were particularly in fine order. Their gardens gave me some really great ideas. Of course, I don't have the budget that Disney does and can't afford a team of gardeners nor the vast quantities of rare and exotic plants, but they definitely gave me some good ideas.

One of the great things about the park, is that there's all kinds of native wildlife that has found a way to sneak in, like the white egret perched on top of the concession stand.

In the morning, we parked near Epcot. We had popped in while we were there and then headed over to the Magic Kingdom. In our memories, we had thought that Epcot was slightly cheesy and a little boring and that the Magic Kingdom was where it was at. It seems nowadays that Epcot has had a major facelift and the roles are reversed. After seeing what we could in the Magic Kingdom, we headed back over to Epcot for dinner and to squeeze in a ride or two and the fireworks.

The above photo was snapped at sunset. All the futuristic buildings look so magical at that time of day. The reflective surfaces mirror the burnt oranges, pale pinks, and streaks of amethyst. The structures of steel and glass become enormous colored gemstones.

The fireworks were simply awesome.

After the dramatic firework show, we strolled back to the car. As we went, we took in the sights of the lit up countries. We saw tired cast members retiring for the evening, speaking their native tongues. I really like that they bring in people from all over the world to represent their countries. It gives an amazing feel of authenticity.

We had a great day. It was a long and exhausting, but definitely good. Although there were a few minor hitches here and there, the trip was amazingly smooth. We managed to squeeze in a lot and everyone was leaving with tired smiles spread contently across their faces.