Sunday, January 27, 2013

Ice on Everything and A Little Disney Magic

This ice stuff is becoming a frequent thing. Last week we had icicles on everything but only a few slick spots on the roads. 



Friday morning we had freezing rain and a solid sheet of ice on everything. This old gal stayed off the roads. We worked from home, one good thing about working for your husband. I rather enjoyed working in my pj's. I was also glad that the local college (that my daughter attends) canceled morning classes. Her last class gets out at 11:30 which was the time they choose to start classes, so she got to stay home too. 
My bird feeders were covered with ice. Seeds on the patio wall were covered with ice, the birds kept trying to get the seeds but couldn't.
I thought it was odd how the seeds froze in my sunflower feeder. 





This morning all the ice was gone from the roadways and I was able to get out to do my regular Saturday bank run and errands. The ice was still in all the trees and grassy areas. The sun was shining making all the trees glisten, it was so pretty.  






**     **     **     **     **     **     **     **     **     **     **     **     **     **



The following photos are from the last leg of our vacation. One of my all time favorite places to visit - Disney World. This was my sixth trip and my husband's second. (He went when he was a teen and hated it, I still don't know how anyone could hate WDW). Hubby knows how much I enjoy it and that I had not been there in the winter season nor ever seen the parks decorated for Christmas. So since we were in the area he indulged me. We spent three nights in a Downtown Disney Hotel. We did a little antique shopping on our way to Orlando and then did a little shopping at Downtown Disney our first day. We  visited the Parks two days





I have heard others talk about the Osborne Family display of lights in Hollywood Studios and read about it on the WDW website.





Osborne Family Dancing Lights  Follow this link to read the history of the light display.


 I have to say that it was the most amazing thing I have ever seen. My husband was amazed too. 
It is in the part of the park that is called "The Streets of America" which has been one of my favorite photo spots every time I have visited. I have several pictures of my kids sitting on the steps of the houses along the New York City Street.


Disney definitely knows how to decorate for Christmas and there was not a shortage of Christmas Trees, 
they were everywhere....
Magic Kingdom - Entrance
Magic Kingdom 
Contemporary Hotel 

Animal Kingdom - Entrance
Animal Kingdom - Camp Minnie Mickey
Animal Kingdom - Camp Minnie Mickey











Epcot - American Adventure
Hollywood Studios - Entrance
Hollywood Studios Light-post
Everything was decorated in classic Disney style. 
It was great to be able to see it all, 
though the parks were the most crowded I have ever seen them. 




I managed to get some photos early in the morning with few people in the back ground. I also learned how to be very quick and get my shots in between the people. 




This is the biggest wreath I think I have ever seen. 



Magic Kingdom Train Station.
A few people in the park. today....

Magic Kingdom - City Hall 
     and
Italy Pavilion - Epcot.
















Even Downtown Disney was decorated. 
The first two days of our trip the temperatures were around 68, a bit cloudy and a little foggy in the mornings. It was fun seeing Christmas decorations while wearing short sleeves, sandals and capris. Our second day in the parks the temperature dropped and was only in the 40s with a fine mist of rain off and on all day. 


The weather didn't stop us. We stayed in the parks all day. I had to see Cinderella's Castle lit up at night. I am in such awe of the castle. It is so beautiful. At night the lights shining on the castle change color making the entire castle take on that color.

The color change is always pretty but with the castle decorated with Christmas lights it was even more magical. 

In the "pink" shot, the rain looks more like snow.







I can't complete this post without sharing a few of the bird shots from Animal Kingdom. 


The Flamingo was casting a lovely reflection in the water.  


And of course I don't know what kind of birds most of what we saw are, I still enjoyed watching them. They are so colorful and different from the little birds I see at home.
Since this post is getting rather lengthy I will stop here and save the remaining photos for my next post.




Linked With:

14 comments:

  1. Wooo! What a fascinating collection of photos! I have never been to Disneyland, nor ever will, so I depend on these photos to get an idea of the place! The lights are stunning - especially the colour changing ones! And those last two bird photos totally intrigue me! No idea what they are, but they're beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I have no idea what those birds are either, but wow...they're definitely colorful!! If you find out what they are, do let us know.

    Excellent Disney photos. But that ice storm you can keep in your part of the country. I am enjoying the near 80 degrees down here in the South.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love those little icicles hanging on the brick.

    ReplyDelete
  4. love the crested pigeon and the mandarin ducks. so colorful! poor birds at home with their frozen in ice seeds... :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. The freezing rain scares me, glad you could work from home! Loved the Disney world photos, it is a fun place to visit. The Christmas lights are awesome and I loved the birds. Great post. Have a happy week ahead.

    ReplyDelete
  6. wish i could work from home when it's icy...nothing i dislike more than getting out on ice. there is no defensive driving on ice!! magic kingdom is beautiful dressing in Christmas attire!! such wonderful memories for you!!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Interesting post!! Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River,Canada.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Disney is a wonderland to visit especially at Christmas time.
    Love the birds but not the freezing temps.

    ReplyDelete
  9. those birds really look gorgeous. A flamingo and a crane I cansee. The others I don´t know. But so beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  10. The lighted Disney photos are stunning! So pretty!!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Ice storms offer a unique crystalline type of art. If we could only look at it and enjoy its artistry without having to drive anywhere in it! WDW looks wonderful at night and with its neon magic all over - I hadn't been since the mod-80s, and the wonder of looking at the Disney magic at night seems such lure...hopefully sooner than later!

    ReplyDelete
  12. What a fun vacation! We had freezing rain here yesterday, but it was too wet for me to get out and take pictures. We're still drizzly.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Great post and wonderful images!!!

    ReplyDelete
  14. wow- what a fun packed post here for all of us to enjoy- sorry I am so late in getting over to your blog! Cheers!

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you take a moment to leave a message or two. I love hearing what you think of my posts!