Reminiscing Over Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom

This was the last day of a 6 day trip to Walt Disney World, this day falling on June 12, 2016, and the second time I visited the Magic Kingdom that trip.  My Mom and I choose to make the Magic Kingdom the bookends of our trip, and it was a good way to finish our visit.

The rest of the words from this blog come from what I wrote in the Shutterfly book highlighting the trip I made.  (BTW, I highly recommend Shutterfly, or other similar sites, that turn photos into books.  So worth it.  Treasures, always.  My nieces have actually fallen asleep at bedtime with the books I've made them of past trips, and they remember the trips better because of it.)

"What a wonderfully fun day this was!  Our very last day at Disney World and we wanted to return to the Magic Kingdom.  Taking everything in, including the castle, we wandered down Main Street.  We did so much that day.  First we returned to Columbia Harbour House for lunch.  Mom ate the fish & chips again.  I tried the chicken pot pie with a side of broccoli.

 (not sure how I feel about the finger print scanners)

 

 

 "After this we hopped in line for the Haunted Mansion, which had a decently short line.  The room with the stairs was neat.  And then we road the Mark Twain around beautiful Tom Sawyer Island."

 "The weather predicted that in the afternoon we were going to be slammed by rain fall that would last until evening.  I was worried so many things were going to be canceled.  I kept checking the weather on my phone seeing a huge rain system nearing on the radar, which made me nervous, but I wanted to enjoy each moment.  After the steam boat ride we noticed rope was being set up early for the 3 o'clock parade, Festival of Fantasy.  I got a front row seat right up to the rope.  Mom sat close to the pin store atop a short pillar of bricks.  I loved the parade!  And then we bought too many pins!"

 "We went on the Jungle Cruise, which had a cool dark room scene at the end.  Waited in the long line for Space Mountain, which made us both queasy.  Then we went to Fantasyland to ride Journey of the Little Mermaid."

 

 "For dinner we ate pasta at Pinocchio Village Haus,

watching people load It's a Small World.

"After dinner we causally walked through Fantasyland.  We tried to walk through the castle, but it was blocked for the Electrical Parade, so we took a quaint stroll around the glowing pink castle.  The air pleasant, calm, and still.  No hint of a storm.  A miracle as I watched the storm circle around the park, dark streaks brushing the sky."

 "We didn't get a good view of the electrical parade, but got an amazing view of Celebrate the Magic, a castle light projection show, and Wishes.  Mom returned to the Pandora store while the Electrical parade made its second pass.  This time I got a very good view, enjoying the nostalgia."

"We pulled another all-nighter.  We left the Magic Kingdom around 11:30 pm.  This park is the furthest from the hotel and we still had to wait for the bus, so we got back past midnight.

"Going to bed didn't make sense.  The texi was coming at 3:30 am so we could make it to the airport by 4 am for a 6:15 flight.  We turned on the T.V., never getting under the covers, and packed away cloths and goodies.  We bought so many souvenirs!  It's amazing we were able to pack it all away in our limited luggage space.

"We left the hotel while it was dark, so exhausted by the whirlwind, amazed how quickly it flew by.  Sad to be leaving, but so glad we were finally able to experience Disney World.  We'll miss the Disney magic, but won't miss the humidity.  What an amazing week."

What wonderful memories.

I would love to return one day.

And my Walt Disney World posts are FINALLY finished! :D

Fear of Life

(A Picture My Brother Michael Took)

"The fear of death follows from the fear of life.  A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time."

~Mark Twain

Bauman Rare Books in Las Vegas

So I totally geeked out when I discovered the Bauman Rare Books store at the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas.  I'm the kind of girl who really isn't into jewelry (I honestly don't understand the appeal of Diamonds), and I'm annoyed with shoe stores (whenever I walk into a shoe store and find cute shoes, I kinda freak out.)  But there is something I do drool over: antique books.  I have a nice, small collection including an 8 volume 1882 set of Charles Dickens books, and a 1904 Edger Allen Poe book of tales. 

Benjamin Franklin is my most favorite American Founding Father.  He's brilliant, smart, witty, and invented a musical instrument.  The store had a first edition Poor Richard's Almanack, and I was allowed to hold it!  I was so afraid to touch the book, the binding and pages are delicate, but it was amazing.  It's cool to think that it was likely Franklin who printed the book in his shop.  At least that's what I imagined when I held the book in my hands.  It was so cool. 

A 1632 edition of William Shakespeare's plays.  I turned to Macbeth, because apparently there's a chance I'm descended from King Duncan, one of the main characters in Macbeth, through his third son. Apparently if you have some clan Robertson in you, that line possibly leads to Duncan, or so I've read, but I'm highly skeptical when it comes to all things genealogical.  Regardless, it's one of my favorite plays.  

And I found writing in the margin!  The worker in the shop didn't know there was writing, so it's cool knowing I discovered it.  Honestly when I collect books, finding writing leads me to generally purchase the book.  It humanizes it; gives the book character and history.  You know someone loved the book before you did.   

A first edition of Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn.  A book of controversy!  I personally think it's better then Tom Sawyer.

Seeing this first edition of The Sword in the Stone by T.H. White made me smile.  If the title sounds like a Disney movie, it is.  The Disney Film, about Merlin and King Arthur, where Arther turns into animals and so forth, is based on this book.  And it's the first book in the epic, giant The Once and Future King.  If you haven't read this book, you're missing out.

And finally a typewriter Earnest Hemingway used to write portions of The Dangerous Summer, and the typewriter is still functional.  Really cool.

Oh man, I felt like a kid in a candy store.  It felt like a museum!  I was afraid to breath, but boy was I happy being surrounded by history.