When Magic Collides

The plan was to do Downtown Disney this morning and Disney-MGM Studios this afternoon. However at breakfast the discussion leads us to believe that no one really wants to do Downtown Disney, so the morning is easing going and relaxing. Just an easy way to start the day. Which is going to be a problem when I get back to work next week.

But we will not be denied Disney-MGM Studios.

Our first goal is to arrive in time to catch the Stars and Motorcars Parade. We do. It's a great parade. More accessible than the Magic Kingdom parade. We're right there on the street. And the characters walking the street before the parade help keep Kyle entertained. Because the parade is more accessible, I think we all enjoy this one more than the one in the Magic Kingdom, but it is not quite the spectacle of the parade in Magic Kingdom. That spectacle would be hard to top.

But as soon as the parade is over, the first question is "Where is Lightning McQueen?" Momma has done her homework and carts us off to the location where in 1/2 an hour Lightning will appear. And promptly at 4:00, here come Lightning and Mater. They make a U-Turn and Lightning stops directly in front of where we are standing. And Kyle is off! His hero is here! For the next 15 to 20 minutes, Kyle will not be separated from the car. Bribery will not pry him loose. He knows where he needs to be and that is with Lightning.

Our magic is beginning to collide. I cannot believe he is so attached to that car.

Pretty much anything else we do at this point is anti-climactic. The ride in the Star Wars Flight Sim is no fun. The ride thru the backlot is probably boring. The magic of the day, in fact possibly the whole trip to this point was found with the connection to Lightning McQueen.

Dad goes off to ride the Aerosmith Roller Coaster.

But the final of the day is the Fantasmic light and sound show held in the amphitheater. This show is spectacular. The ultimate in the marriage of light, sound, sight, special effects, and drama. It is an incredible show. Should you get the chance to see this show you should attend.

And it is at this show that our magic collides. Kyles magic and my magic. No major epiphany here. Just some hope that the magic will continue. In Fantasmic we're both taken back by the special effects and the show itself. It's exciting. It's new. It's different. Nothing we've ever seen before. And though I can't imagine "Life is a Highway" having the same singabilty as "Zippity-Do-Dah", time changes things. And maybe it will. And when Kyle sings it, it will have the same meaning for him.

If I want Zippity to survive and the magic it holds for me, I must carry that message to Kyle and his generation.

If that particular magic can not carry the message, then I must allow room for new magic. Or more precisely that I must allow room for new symbols for the magic because I don't think the magic changes. The magic is telling us we can be whatever our heart desires.

If that message is delivered, no matter if it is a Cricket or a Car carrying the message, I don't have to worry.

Return to the Magic Kingdom

Today provides early hours in the Magic Kingdom. For those staying at Disney resorts and hotels, early admission means you get to enter the park 1 hour before anyone else. Not a bad deal till you see how many people actually qualify for early admission.


OK. So were not there when the park opens. Be we're there early and we are off!

Today the front section of the Magic Kingdom is filled with characters. We've not seen many characters yet, but today they are out with abundance.

Chip and Dale meet us at the front gate. Inside we find Daisy Duck and Pluto. Since we already have Pluto's autograph, we hit the line for Daisy. Autographs and pictures secure we head just around the corner to Pinocchio. Further in to the park we run across Tigger and Pooh. That's just to mention a few of the ones we see today.

There is an aggressive plan laid out for the day and it begins with a run thru It's a Small World. Small World is supposed to be boring and flat as an exhibit goes. Kyle thinks it's so boring he wants to do it twice. We do. The line is short.
And we hit a few other rides and look for more characters to harvest for autographs. The Dumbo ride is a hit. We also do Mickey's PhilharMagic, a 3D presentation. I love these things. Kyle is not so crazy about them. Soon it's time for lunch and given that it is hot and we've been at it for 3 to 4 hours, we decide to head back to the hotel for some rest.
But we will not rest long. Tonight we are guests of Cinderella in the ball room at her castle. Rumor has it that the castle was built to be the home of Walt Disney and his family, but was never used for that purpose.
We meet Cinderella and have our picture taken with her before heading off to dinner. At dinner we party with the Fairy Godmother and a few of her mice. Then it's off to do the park and rides. Don is off to do Thunder Mountain. Kyle, Stacie, and Janie hit the Jungle Cruise. I wander around looking for some photo ops for me and my camera. The final ride of the evening for Don, Janie, and Kyle is Splash Mountain. Not sure Kyle wants to try that one again anytime soon. We beat a hasty retreat after that one heading back to the hotel where we catch the fireworks at Cindy's place from the beach at our hotel.
It's late and it's been a long day. We'll sleep tonight I bet.

To Inifinity and Beyond!

While the magic of Disney is technology applied, travel to space is technology derived from magic.


Disney produced (and continues to produce) programming. TV programs. Movies. And as a student in elementary school I loved any movie a teacher was wiling to show as an educational experience. What a break. But my favorite was one produced by Disney on space travel.

I can't remember the name but I can remember at least one space ship they depicted and thinking even then what a clever design and being impressed with, what I know now, was innovative thinking.

So for me Disney and space are intertwined. Could't think of a better complement to a 'Destination Disney' trip than a run over to Kennedy Space Center to check out what is happening there.

Our initial hope was that the shuttle, recently damaged by hail, would be repaired and sitting on the pad awaiting launch. No such luck. It was tucked safely away in the VAB (Vehicle Assembly Building) and not viewable.

Kennedy after the constant bombardment of Disney World is boring. Or almost so. Very quiet. But lots of displays. It's a much slower experience. But when we are done, we agree that we'll all know where things are happening the next time we see a launch on TV. And maybe, the grandson and I will figure out how to catch the actual launch one day. Up close and personal.

Kennedy is transforming. There will be a 'ride' soon call the Shuttle Launch Experience. And the new Saturn V complex gives you insight to a moon launch. An impressive display. It is becoming more Disney like.
We catch dinner in Titusville at a restaurant called Dixie Crossroads. We get lost on the way back to Disney world.

But we manage to get back just in time to see the fireworks at Cinderella's Castle from across the lake. In some ways it is better than the fireworks seen from in front of the castle. It too is wonderful, even better from a visual standpoint than being there. But I do miss audio track that goes with the show. It completes the whole experience.

We're back. No longer boring. We're here for the Disney experience.

Disney? Kennedy? Your choice. Most of us wold choose Disney everytime. I won't make a judgement now as to which one is correct. i just hope they develop a synergy to drive each other, as they have in the past. Here is where innovation will take place.

Breakfast with the Stars

My early memories of Disney are the characters and the 'Mickey Mouse Club' program. I used to sing the song for the TV show "M--I--C--K--KEY--Y--M--O--U--S--E. I'm sure it was one of my favorite programs.

What has stuck with me from that time are the characters. Mickey Mouse. Minnie Mouse. Donald Duck (I used to do a fair impesonation of Donald.) Goofy. And on an on. They probably stuck with me because of cartoons and the like.

Today, Disney has changed.

I don't sense any particular connection in Kyle to most of these characters. He know who the characters are for sure, but he doesn't seem terribly excited about seeing them. In fact, when asked about it later in the day, he declared the breakfast 'boring' since there wasn't much to do there.

But he does enjoy attention provided by the characters as evidenced by the pictures.

Kyle relates more to Buzz Lightyear and characters more of this generation. Things change I guess. He's also more excited about riding up front in the monorail than any Disney character you can throw at him.

But I must wonder about some things. I remember on a trip to New York planning a worship service with my college room mate and another friend. We were very much into creative worship in those days. And my room mate suggested we use the song "Zippity-Do-Dah" for the worship service. "Why?" I asked. "Because no one can sing that song without smiling."

I wonder what happened to songs like that? Do kids still sing them? Have we lost that? What's replacing it?

For me, I don't know.

Perhaps the answer is in a place like Epcot, dedicated more to the future than the past. We visited. I really liked the place. New ideas. New things. Technology applied.

Disney is techhnology applied. It is the technology that enables all the magic.

I just hope that a five year old sees more magic than technology.

The Show

He's been in training as a baseball fan for 5 years. Chosen first in the draft, he has been attending baseball games since age one preparing for his big moment. Well on Monday night it happened. He was called up from AAA Durham to The Show. Kyle Nichols made his major league debut at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg Flordia.

Tropicana field is home to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

Great seats and a great game were the beginnings of his major league career. There are still some rough edges to work out. Like he's not always sure which team to cheer for. A home run is a home run after all. And it took a while to get the gear in place. A fan is not a fan without one of those big fingers to wave in the air.

But in the end his efforts were enough to sustain the Devil Rays to a victory over the NY Yankees. But not enough to keep him in the show. He's being sent back down to AAA Durham for a period of further training.

Of course any fan in training must relax before his big debut. So the morning was spent at Animal Kingdom.

There he experienced "A Bugs Life", a water ride, lunch at the Rainforest Cafe, and a safari through the heart of Africa.

In all honesty, we'd been told this was not a great park to visit and not to plan much time there. Wrong. We really enjoyed the park. Wish we'd had more time there.

Magic and Dreams

We're about to leave for the morning when Kyle and I step out into the hall. A housekeeper is there and looks at Kyle and says "Good morning friend. I have a gift for you." And at that moment a chance encounter is transformed into magic. She pulls out a kit grabs a couple of towels, and with skilled hands transforms those towels into an elephant for Kyle. It is truly amazing. She announces "That is not my room but you are my friend." Our day begins with the magic of the place.

And at least one dream is fulfilled. More years ago that I care to count, I ran a Howard Johnson motel. It so happens that it was the oldest operating HOJO in the world. At about the same time, Disney had a hotel on the property at Disney World which is now called "The Contemporary Resort." The hotel was operated by the Howard Johnson company, listed in the directory as the Lake Buena Vista, FL Howard Johnson.

It had always been my dream to spend time at the hotel. I just thought the idea was neat....a hotel with a monorail running through it. Today my dream came true. On my return from Magic Kingdom the monorail I was riding stopped briefly at the Contemporary. My dream of 25+ years finally came true.
But this is not the only magic of the day. Magic is found in a 5 year old who has discovered his ride. Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin. And I'm his partner for this ride. We go and shoot the soldier's of Zurg who are out to take over the world. Maybe the real magic for me is in being his riding partner for this ride.
We discover there is no magic in space mountain for the young one, but there is plenty of magic to spread around.

There is magic in a parade of characters that brings light, sound, and movement together on a stage of the street. And there is magic in the most incredible show of light, fireworks, and sound I've ever seen in front of Cinderella's Castle. It is truly incredible.

There is magic in the air.

Priceless

The day starts early. Still packing to do. things to finish massaging into place before heading off to Florida to visit the House of the Mouse.

We breeze thru security at the airport and the late take off arrives only 10 minutes late in Orlando. The bus drops us at the front door of the Polynesian Resort and we're here.

Kyle loves his first plane ride. Running commentary on take off. "There's a house. Hello house!" "I see cars. They're getting smaller." "It's a map." And, about 20 minutes in to the trip "It's a good thing there is not a a bon on the wing." That one is a long story. Check out Nightmare at 20,000 Feet and know that Kyle refers to the creature on the wing as 'bon' and you'll probably figure it out. No problem flying for him.

I'm off to pick up a rental car. Everyone else hits the pool and explores the hotel grounds. You can see Cinderella's Castle, Space Mountain, and the Contemporary Resort as well as the Floridian. Beautiful beaches surround the place. There really is some magic here.

I wonder what Walt would really think about this place.

The event of the evening is the 'Spirit of Aloha' Luau. It's is good entertainment. The food is good. The weather is nice. And it's a good way to celebrtate Stacie's birthday. But things are not cheap.

Dinner with the family at a Disney resort with all the souvenirs and extras: about $350.

The image of one five year old falling asleep in his mother's arms in the middle of the show because he can't hold his eyes open any more: Priceless.

Destination Disney

Well, it's time for new adventure, so Pops is on the road again.

It's not really a photo adventure, though many photos will be snapped as memories of the trip. No, this is the grandchild's first exposure to the wonderful world of Walt Disney World. As it happens, it is Pops' first exposure to the same place. Two different sets of eyes, two different perspectives, wonder what the outcome will be?

Everyone is going on this one. Pops, Mama Jane, mommie, daddy, and of course the grand urchin.

Hopefully we'll be able to post photos and commentary on the trip. Destination Disney is our theme.

Stay tuned to see what two sets of eyes can see for the first time. We might all have some fun with that.

Sense of Place

No picture today. The camera will not work and I can't figure out why. I think it may have to do with the fact that, in an attempt to travel light, I pulled out an old lens that this not been used in months. In any event it does not look like I'll be snapping a picture today.

Man is it cold. The seminar wound up about noon and I walked up to a small shopping center called Gaithersburg Square to grab a bite of lunch. It the wind. It would be cold without the wind, but the wind makes it bitter. I just checked and the temperature is 36F with a windchill of 27F. I didn't come with clothes for this kind of weather. Head and hands are suffering most while I'm out walking. It's that danged wind.

Today's seesions were again from Richard Day in the morning on photographing birds. The trend seems to be planting flowers and other plants that will attract birds of certain types. I did become convinced of one thing...I'm never going tot get pictures of those cardinals around the house unless I'm in a blind. Not sure it's worth it. I don' t see myself as a bird photographer, but then Janie wants a bird house tree. Things might change.

The closing session was the highlight of the weekend for me. It was Jim Clark's Capturing a Sense of Place. This approach is bascially creating a emotion in your photography...connecting yourself to a place. It becomes your passion. And thus, your connection to the place is found in the pictures you show, thus connecting others to the place. This presentation wthout a doubt set off the weekend for me. It really should have been the keynote for Friday night I think. It would have set the tone for the weekend ratherly nicely.

After we dismissed, as I mentioned earlier, I walked to the shopping center. Went to the Borders and bought a copy of Aldo Leopold's Sand County Almanac at Jim Clark's suggestion. He said it was where he was 'at.' Since I like his approach, I decided to give it a try. I really like Jim's approach to photography. It's a mix of pictures and story telling. If you've not done so, you should read his story/essay called The Story of the Mason Jar.

When I started writing this, my mouse died. Replaced the battery to no avail. So I looked out the window and saw a CompuUSA within walking distance the other direction from the shopping center. Got there in the midst of a store closing sale. What a zoo. Did get 10% off my new mouse though.

Tomorrow, back on the train. It's been a good weekend.

Let's Shoot

The picture is from my window looking into the parking lot. They still have snow laying around here, which explains why they were so thrilled with the warmer weather when I arrived yesterday. The bellman was raving about it when I checked in. We've seen virtually no snow in NC, and they can't seem to get rid of it here.

Nothing fancy in terms of photos today or this weekend at all. This is not a shooting weekend. We're basically in class all weekend long.

The whole reason I'm here is to get some inspiration. My shooting is virtually non-existant right now, at least in terms of outdoor photography, and I need a quick kick in the seat of the pants to get me out doing some shooting again.

This is not a bad place to do it.

I've deliberately avoided most of the more technical sessions, those being run by Tim Grey. Couple of reasons. One, Tim is the Photoshop guru and will be dealing with 'darkroom' stuff. That's staying inside and working with the computer. Not our shooting. Contrary to my goals for the weekend.

Second, Tim is dealing with workflow issues. I'm trying to implement workflows from Dan Krogh. Don't want to cloud the issues.

Instead I listen to Jim Clark and Richard Day most of the day. Jim talks about compostion and Richard about photographing birds and butterflies in your own back yard. In addition, Richard challenges us with a mini 'workshop' to set some goals for our photography. Jim concludes the day telling us how to get published. That put a damper on the day. Not terribly encouraging if you wan to do this in a part time fashion.

The final session of the day is the conference paticipant 'show.' I didn't know this was going to happen but probably wouldn't have participated even had I brought photos to show. However, this was more encouraging. There was some really incredible work here. But there was some average work here. I can do that average work. I just need to get out and shoot more.

Let's shoot!

NANPA Road Show

It was time for some inspiration.

Oh, I toyed with the idea of going and getting some training on how to do DAM (Digital Asset Management...basically organizing all those pictures you take) I in the end opted for inspiration.

It's nice to be:

• Away from the office for a cuople of days
• Taking a not too demanding trip
• Being around other photographers, hearing their stories, and seeing their pictures.

All of this inspires me. It gives me some fresh ideas. It make me want to get out and shoot some pictures!

No POTD (Picture of the Day) today. I never took the camera out of the bag.

I did ride business class on the train. Well worth the additional $20 per leg of the trip. More room. Reclining seats. Leg rest. Foot rest. Quieter car. Free soft drinks, coffee, and/or tea. And I could actually read on the train. What a treat.

More tomorrow from NANPA.

Last Day, Last Post from China

I've not been able to keep up with this as I had hoped, but you hopefully get a bit of the taste of China.

Some highpoints:

• Dinner with the group. Food not as strange as Monday night, but still new
• The flag ceremony at Tianamen square.
• Strange lights floating in the air.
• Shopping and bargaining on Silk Street
• Chinese 'Hot Pot' meal
• Smog beyond belief

In about 30 minutes (13:00 Beijing time) I leave for the airport. It's Friday here ans 13:00 Beijing time is 1:00 Friday morning in Durham. I'll be home about 10:00 Friday night Durham time. You do the math.

I'll see you on the other side of the Pacific....from where I am now.

More on Physics and Beijing

Not only can two vehicles occupy the same space, a vehicle and a person can occupy the same space. It's incredible. And again, Beijing defies the laws of physics. (See rush hour post below.)

Beijing Rush Hour

Here is a quick snap of what the road looks like as I walk to work in the morning. Keep in mind, 20 million people. Lots of bicycles.

LIttle Red on the Great Wall of China

Thought we'd do a little PR for the Little Red Foundation. Wore my walk tshirt up there. Here it is...Little Red on the Great Wall of China.

The Great Wall

Sunday we hired a private guide and headed for the Great Wall and other places.

Once you get past the cable car to the top of the wall and the tobaggan run to the bottom of the wall, it is a truly amazing and beautiful place.

This is the Mutianyu section of the wall. Our guide suggested, no insisted, we head here, because it is a more natural area with fewer vendors.

Beijing: Arrival

This picture was taken from our hotel. Tenth floor window. It's late afternoon Beijing time and the air is pretty clear. Beijing has a lot of construction ongoing in preparation for the 2008 Olympic games.

As things go, it's a good day to arrive in Beijing.

Defying the Laws of Physics

I never new two vehicles could occupy the same place at the same time till I reached Beijing. Here they routinely do it.

The driving is absolutely crazy. I would never drive here.

Beijing: I'm Here

My apologies to those of you expecting pictures here. I should have brought my laptop.

Our schedule has been demanding and changes have kept me pretty busy with the work side of this trip, but some quick notes on the trip so far.

Thirteen and a half hours in a plane. I thought the US constitution protected you from cruel and unusual punishment. Evidently not. The good news is I had an empty seat beside me. the bad news is it didn't help much. The first 8 hours were OK. The last 5.5 were tough. Sleep would help but who can sleep on these things. It's a tough trip.

Sunday. We hired a private guide who was indeed wonderful. For a total of 1600 RMB, which is about $200, 5 of us shared the guide and a van with a driver. If I ever do this again, Christine will be on my list of people to contact.

She took us to the Great Wall of China, pictures to follow I hope. Then to Beijing and to the Lotus Market where we ate lunch, then to the DrumTower and for a pedicab ride that took us to the residential sections of Beijing. We even got to go into a home for a brief visit. Most folks live in one or two small rooms. Very different from what we are used to. VERY different.

Mostly the town is dirty. But there are 20 million people in Beijing. Lots of construction going on getting ready for the 2008 Olympics. And HOT. Humidity is lower but man o man. It will probably hit 100F today if not higher. And talk about your basic pollution porbelms...they got em. While writing this I'm sitting onthe 19th floor looking out a window and should be able to see the mountains easily. I bet I can't see much more than a mile.

Our hotel is very western. I eat eggs for breakfast with bacon, sausage, or ham, waffles, cereal, and fruit. Best watermelon I've had in a while. I keep stuffing it in. Room is very comfortable. Much more than expected.

Chinese food. It's everywhere. And it's not all that different from what we experience in the US. Last night they took us out for duck, which is evidently the BBQ of the Chinese. The General Manager ordered lots of food. I ate little. The duck was good, but the frog, sea cucmbers and a couple of other undescribable dishes were passed. A taste of each, but I don't think I returned to any of them except the duck.

But the regular Chinese food we've had is very much similar to what I eat at home. I've asked folks, since we have a Chinese restaurnat on every corner, do they have American restaurants on every corner. The answer always comes back KFC, McDonald's, and Pizza Hut.

Time is growing short. We're probably going to Tianemen Square (forgive the spelling...nothing with me to check it) to see the flag lowering ceremony.

Was hoping to get some pictures up today, but left the cable to download at the hotel. Will try again tomorrow morning Beijing time.

In short, things are good here. Dreading the plane ride back, but will want a burger when I get there.

And before I forget, the office is only a two minute walk from the Beijing WalMart. Geez!

Beijing

I was to be in Beijing right now but plans change. My trip to Beijing has been postponed until 16JUN. Continue watching here. I hope to be able to make updates once I get to Beijing.