A Land and Sea Adventure

As you may remember, I mentioned earlier that I traveled not too long ago and, for subscribers to my newsletter, I also mentioned that I’d be blogging about my journey. At the very end of January we spent 3 days at Disney World (yes – again) followed by a 7-night Disney cruise.

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Disney World Again?

Photo by P. Rickrode

I often hear, “You’re going to Disney World again? Didn’t you just go last year (or in June, or January, etc.)?” My response is always the same, “Yes, we did and yes we’re going again.” You want to know why? I’ll tell you. It’s fun!! I love Disney World. We always know we’re going to have an excellent experience, good food, clean rooms, quiet pools (we know the ones to visit), free transportation and much more. It’s money well spent (in our opinion).

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A Clean Bill of Health

Today I return to the hospital for my final outpatient surgery. What? Another surgery? Relax. Breathe. Everything’s fine. This one’s a good one. This is the one I was hoping for, the one that might not have happened for a year or more. This is the one I’ve been hoping for since last October. This one symbolizes the end of my battle with cancer.

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Don’t Let A Hurricane Stop You

As some of you may know, I was in Orlando when Hurricane Irma came a knockin’ at Florida’s door. Yes, I knew it was going to hit somewhere in Florida. Yes, I knew people were starting to evacuate. Yes, I knew it probably wasn’t a good idea to fly INTO a hurricane. Yes, I went anyway. Hey – it’s Disney and I’m an addict.

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What Would You Do?

I subscribe to a lot of Disney related websites, blogs, newsletters, etc., because, hey, I am a Disney geek. That’s right, I love all things Disney. Well, almost all things. I’m not a fan of Dole whips.

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Be Still My Heart

By now it’s no secret that I’m a Disney freak. Yes, that’s right, I love all things Disney. I never get tired of visiting the parks, reading the blog sites, flipping through the glossy magazines, watching the movies, wearing the t-shirts, all of it.

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Poetry, Photography and Leaves of Grass

So April is national poetry month. I’m a little behind the ball, but still snuck in just under the wire. I’ve never really been into poetry, but I do like some stuff. Since I’m a fan of Walt Whitman, I will incorporate a piece from his Leaves of Grass in honor of national poetry month. Here’s my rendition with photograph visuals to help you understand the meaning of Walt’s words (yeah right):

Electric Water Pageant. Seven Seas Lagoon – Walt Disney World. 2009

“I hear America singing, the varied carols I hear

Fire dancer – Polynesian Resort – Walt Disney World – 2011

Those of mechanics, each one singing his as it should be blithe and strong

 

German Pavilion – Epcot – Walt Disney World – 2012

The carpenter singing his as he measures his plank or beam

Tea House at Vikingsholm Castle – Emerald Bay – South Lake Tahoe – 2011

The mason singing his as he makes ready for work, or leaves off work

Jungle Parade – Animal Kingdom Park – Walt Disney World – 2009

The boatman singing what belongs to him in his boat,

Captain Jack Sparrow – Magic Kingdom Park – Walt Disney World – 2012

the deckhand singing on the steamboat deck,

Meerkat – Animal Kingdom Park – Walt Disney World – 2012

The shoemaker singing as he sits on his bench,

Disney’s Hollywood Studios – Walt Disney World – 2010

the hatter singing as he stands,

Brer Fox and friends – Critter Country – Disneyland 2010

The wood-cutter’s song,

Draft horse topiary – It’s A Small World – Disneyland – 2012

the ploughboy’s on his way in the morning,

New Orleans Square – Disneyland – 2010

or at noon intermission

Cinderella Castle – Magic Kingdom – Walt Disney World – 2009

or at sundown

Critter Country – Disneyland – 2010

The delicious singing of the mother,

Momma and baby – Animal Kingdom Park – Walt Disney World – 2012

or of the young wife at work,

Me and my washboard – Hoop Dee Doo Revue – Fort Wilderness – Walt Disney World – 2009

or of the girl sewing or washing,

Roy Disney and Minnie Mouse – Main St. USA – Magic Kingdom Park – Walt Disney World – 2009

Each singing what belongs to him or her and to none else,

Me at the Not So Scary Halloween Party – Magic Kingdom Park – Walt Disney World – 2012

The day what belongs to the day —

A scene from Mary Poppins – The Great Movie Ride – Disney’s Hollywood Studios Park – Walt Disney World – 2009

at night the party of young fellows,

My sweetie pie after his first ride on Expedition Everest – Animal Kingdom Park – Walt Disney World – 2012

robust, friendly,

Donald Duck bronze – Mickey’s Philharmonic – Magic Kingdom Park – Walt Disney World – 2009

Singing with open mouths their strong melodious songs.”

So as you can see, sometimes I find poetry inspiring.

What about you – do you “get” poetry? Are you a fan? Who can you relate to?

Word of the Day: Jejune

Fun fact about me: With the exception of Alaska (which I shall rectify this fall), I have been in every State west of the Mississippi river. (And almost all of them east of as well.)

Original post by Jansen Schmidt April 2014. Original photos by P. Rickrode and C. Rickrode.

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Get Your Game On

Take It or Leave It
Image courtesy Google Images

New year – new game. Last year you enjoyed learning a little more about me through a game called What Haven’t I. This year I’m going to ask you to determine whether or not I would accept or decline the totally random selection of things I list in a game I’m calling Take It or Leave It. That’s right, all you have to do is guess whether I would, well, take it, or leave it.

Image courtesy Google Images

My amazing powers of deductive reasoning led me to that awesome title and description.

The rules are simple, just post your guesses in the comments section below. I will post the choices on Monday and my responses on Thursday. The person with the most guesses is my winner, but you must re-post in the comments section in order to claim your prize. Unclaimed prizes will be forfeited after one week from posting the answers.

Good luck and have fun.

Image courtesy Google Images

Here we go with the very first installment of Take It or Leave It.

1 – Sing karaoke at a biker bar
2 – Skydiving
3 – Deep sea diving
4 – Bungee jumping
5 – Spelunking
6 – Parasailing
7 – Ride a bucking bull (a live one, not a mechanical one)
8 – Surfing
9 – Ride the Tower of Terror at Disneyland
10 – Eat a bug

Word of the day: Wittol
Fun fact about me: I used to change my own oil in my car.

Original post by Jansen Schmidt, January 2014. Images courtesy Google Images

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50 Years of It’s A Small World

That’s right folks, this year marks the 50th anniversary of Walt Disney’s contribution to the 1964 world’s fair – his “little boat ride,” sponsored by Pepsi to benefit Unicef.

Disneyland’s It’s A Small World at Christmas. Photo courtesy Disney Parks Blog

“When we completed ‘It’s a Small World’ for presentation at the New York World’s Fair, we felt that we had accomplished what we’d set out to do. We wanted to foster a better understanding among the nations of the world by showing the dress, the customs, the language, the music, and a little of the culture of our neighbors around the world – – and we wanted to show it to be a very happy one. And I think it’s safe to say that having fun has universal appeal.” -Walt Disney

Who would have thought that this delightful little one minute boat ride, complete with animated dolls and a musical ditty in multiple languages would have survived the test of time? Did you know that when Mr. Disney had the ride dismantled and moved to its permanent home in Fantasyland at Disneyland in Anaheim, California he called upon dignitaries from more than 50 different countries to help fill the water canal for his “little boat ride?” That’s right, 50 children from 50 different countries brought water from their native countries to pour into the canal that carries millions of people annually through the magical small world of animated dolls.

Now imagine if Walt wanted to complete this project today and asked 50 little kids to bring water to California. Can you just see them trying to explain to the TSA officers at various airports around the world, “Yes, it is only water that I’m trying to bring on board with me. I’m taking it to Mr. Disney to pour into a canal for a new exhibit that’s opening in Disneyland. No, I’m not going to make explosives with it. It’s sacred water, symbolizing the united bond between all countries around the world.” Yeah right. That’ll work.

But, I digress. It’s A Small World was not Walt’s first exhibit to be featured at a world’s fair. In 1958, in conjunction with General Electric, Walt debuted his “Progressland” attraction; a revolving theater that sent audiences on an historical musical journey through the evolution of electricity. That very same attraction still exists in the form of The Carousel of Progress at the Magic Kingdom park in Disney World Florida.

Spaceship Earth at Epcot – Disney World – Florida. Photo courtesy Google Images.

Also appearing at the 1964 world’s fair were the magic skyway attraction, an aerial ride narrated by Walt himself that toured Earth’s past from the dawn of time through the age of the dinosaurs, culminating in a glimpse of Walt’s vision for a futuristic space city. Does this sound familiar to you Disney buffs? That’s right, a similar time travel attraction exists in the form of Spaceship Earth at Epcot at Disney World. And a similar time-travel experience can be had riding the Disneyland railroad around the park. The skyway ride at Disneyland, however, no longer exists for various reason, all of which are too discouraging for me to mention here. Suffice it to say, the sky buckets were a popular attraction for amorous lovers and bratty “camel-like” kids, if you know what I’m saying.

Abraham Lincoln, from Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln attraction at Disneyland. Photo courtesy Wikipedia

And last, but not least, one of my all-time favorite attractions also got its start at the 1964 world’s fair; Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln. I love this show and the similar show at Disney World – The Hall of Presidents. Very inspiring narrative and ingenious use of audio-animatronics, the first ever of its kind. If you haven’t seen Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln and have a few minutes to spare, or if you have seen it and just need to see it again, here’s a link:

So that’s my Disney history lesson and tribute to a family-favorite Disney ride (well one of mine, the hubs isn’t so keen on it), It’s A Small Word. I hope you’ve enjoyed the ride.

So, how about you, are you a Disney nut? Do you like to ride It’s A Small World? What’s your favorite Disney attraction? Come on, spill it. I’m dying to know.

Word of the day: Vermeil

Fun fact about me: My favorite Disney ride is the Peter Pan flight.

Original post by Jansen Schmidt January 2014. Photos courtesy Disney Parks blog, Google Images and Wikipedia. Video courtesy YouTube.

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” . . . There Is More To Be Done, Than Can Ever Be Done . . .”

Pop quiz – what are those lyrics from?

I used to think I knew the song. I heard it all the time and always hummed along. But, it wasn’t until about 3 weeks ago, that I actually listened to the words. Really listened. I almost cried when I finally comprehended their meaning. Somehow, all these years, I’ve never really listened to the lyrics enough to fully appreciate the message in the song. It was always just a catchy tune from a great movie.

If you’re still stumped, here’s a bit more:

From the moment we arrive on the planet, and blinking, step into the sun,
There’s more to seen than can ever be seen, more to do than can ever be done.

There’s far too much to take in here, more to find than can ever be found,
But the sun rolling high through the sapphire sky, keeps great and small on the endless round.

Photo courtesy of Google Images.

Got it yet?

How about now:

It’s the Circle of Life
And it moves us all
Through despair and hope
Through faith and love
Till we find our place
On the path unwinding
In the Circle
The Circle of Life

Ah, yes. The Circle of Life. An amazing song by Sir Elton John. I heard that song a lot over the past couple of weeks. As you might have guessed (or already knew), I recently spent about 14 days at Disney World and I’ve got to say, there is more to be done than can ever be done at such a wonderous place. Besides the theme parks, there are two water parks, miniature golf, regular golf, a Nascar driving experience, bowling, movie theaters, dozens of restaurants, water sports, live theater performances and the list just goes on and on.

House of Blues Gospel Choir. Disney World 2013.
Original photo by P. Rickrode

This trip, my husband and I experienced two new forms of cuisine – Cuban and Norwegian. Both were fantastic!  I had my first ever experience with chicken and waffles at the House of Blues Gospel Brunch. Chicken and waffles? OMG. Delicious!

“Try the grey stuff. It’s delicious!” Be Our Guest restaurant – Disney World (Fantasyland) 2013.
Original photo by P. Rickrode

We ate in the new Beast’s castle in the new Fantasyland at the Magic Kingdom park and partook of “the grey stuff.” Yes, it really is a menu item and yes, it really is delicious. But, don’t ask the wait staff to reveal the recipe as they are under strict orders not to reveal the secret or risk angering his majesty – The Beast.

Try it. It’s delicious! Don’t believe me? Ask the dishes.

I also enjoyed my first ever water slide. I know, I know. You’re all thinking, “how could crazy Jansen, who’s crashed a snow mobile and eaten alligator, never glided down a water slide?” Well, I’ll tell you. I didn’t learn to swim until I was a teen-ager and after that, I never really became very proficient at it. And, I’m not crazy about having my head under water. It’s kind of one of my phobias. I always avoided water sports and activities. But, not any more. I am the water slide queen!

Me at Typhoon Lagoon. Disney World 2013.
Original photo by C. Rickrode

I even took the plunge down the Humunga Kowabunga, a near vertical 5-story drop in the dark. Now that’s living my friends! Check out this link for all the 4-1-1. And to heighten your reading experience, scroll to the bottom first and click on the audio link. It’ll get you in the mood.

http://disney-pal.com/WaterParks/humunga_kowabunga.htm

Here’s how it would look if you were take the plunge:

We also experienced an up close and personal pirate adverture, complete with cake and other delicious snacks. Who knew pirates liked cake?

My new pirate friend. Disney World (Contemporary Resort) 2013.
Original photo by C. Rickrode

Yummy cake. Pirates & Pals Fireworks Voyage. Disney World 2013.
Original photo by P. Rickrode

So if’n you’re planning a trip to “The World” and are wondering if you can see it all in a week – the answer is NO! In order to fully enjoy yourself, you must stay at least 10 days. You really need to take the time to enjoy the details of your surroundings and the engineering wonders of the Disney imagineers. Trust me, you won’t regret staying the extra few days.

So, how was the end of your summer? Do anything fun? Try anything new? See anything that you’ve never seen before? I’d love to hear about it.

Word of the Day:  Jussive

Fun fact about me:  My three biggest toes are all the same length. (That might not be fun. That might be creepy.)

Original post by Jansen Schmidt 2013. Original photos by Rickrode family. Stock photos courtesy Google Images. Video links courtesy YouTube.com.

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