Greetings from Florida!  We had a fun week this time around starting with an evening at Disney.  We started off by going to Disney's Hollywood studios, not to ride anything, but to photograph the now unobstructed Chinese theater.  Earlier this year Disney took down the giant "Sorcerers Hat" that sat in front of the theater for years.  This was a very popular move until they constructed a giant stage in place of the hat.  The stage was used this summer for some "Frozen" themed show, but when I noticed on a vlog I watch on youtube that the stage was taken down, I had to set out to shoot the unobstructed theater.

Disney's Chinese TheaterThe Chinese theater with the new green area in front of it

I wanted to do this before Disney builds another stage (I'm sure they will for the holidays).  In the mean time, you can now see the theater all the way from the entrance to the park,

Hollywood Studios Sans HatThe new view from the parks entrance

After our photo trip, we walked over to Epcot.  The "Food and Wine Festival" is still going on (It runs till mid November) and for some reason it was very crowded that night.

Food/Wine Greek BoothBooth for Greece on a crowded night at Food/Wine

Ireland - Food and WineBooth for Ireland at Food and Wine Festival Hawaiian SamplingKalua Pork slider from the Hawaii booth PatagoniaGrilled beef skewer and beef empanada

This was our third trip to the "Food and Wine Festival" and as annual pass holders, we were each rewarded with a commemorative wine glass.

Commemorative Food and Wine GlassDisney annual pass holders get a commemorative glass on their third visit to Food and Wine festival

Despite the crowds, it was a fun evening.

Friday we set out to the Gulf Coast to spend a couple nights in the town of Indian Shores.  It's about a two hour drive, it's right on the beach, and is about midway between St. Pete Beach and Clearwater Beach.  We love the Gulf coast (Indian Shores in particular).  The ocean tends to be calmer, its quiet, and laid back.  Plus they have some of the most spectacular sunsets I've ever seen!  With the beach right across the street, an award winning restaurant right next door, and a cool little coffee shop within walking distance, our location was perfect!  

Indian Shores Coffee CompanyCool little coffee shop. They have "Open Mic Night" every Friday

I snapped a bunch of photos there this weekend and I'll be sharing some of them on my flickr page in "My Flickr 365 Day Challenge" album.  My favorite shot though was one I did with my wife.  We've been wanting to take a "nice" photo together for a while now and I seized the moment when we went to the beach for sunset.  I brought my tripod and my remote shutter release, but the real fun was trying to compose the shot.  Self portraits are always difficult and time consuming (for me at least).  We managed to get the shot in just a few takes and we're pleased with the result.

Tom & Theresa - October 17 2015Taken at Indian Shores Beach

Well it's back to the "grind" of work, but the weekends just a few days away!  New adventures await!

-Tom

Gulf SunsetGulf sunsets never fail to amaze