Hello everyone and welcome to week eight.  Since Theresa and I were preparing for our upcoming vacation, we kind of laid low this week.  We spent most of the time getting caught up on things at home and didn't venture out too much.  But, as always, the photo bug in me kept nagging to go out and capture at least a few images before weeks end.  The result was a short solo trek to Disney's Magic Kingdom to try a few things that were dancing in my head.

I love to people watch and there is no better place to do this then Disney.  You are presented with folks from all over the globe and of all ages.  I wanted to bring a longer lens (my 70-200 in this case) and capture some candid/tender moments that I always seem to witness in the parks.  The first one was a father carrying his young son.  It was later in the afternoon and the boy had obviously had a long day.  What caught my attention was, as tired as he may have been, he still was carrying his toy sword and shield which made me think "Even warriors get tired"

As I was waiting for dusk, I ventured over to the carousel in Fantasyland and watched several families pose for photos in front of the "Sword Stone".  I wanted to capture some of the children's faces as they attempted to pull the sword from the stone.  I happened to overhear a father tell his kids that the sword was indeed real and that it can be pulled from the stone by the right person.  Sensing a good opportunity, I grabbed my camera and took aim.  I never would have guessed the outcome.  The daughter made her attempt obviously to no avail, so next up was her younger brother. 

As much as he tried, he wasn't able to pull out the sword (go figure).  Here was the kicker for me.  I expected some laughing, maybe some teasing, or even complaining.

Instead, they both banded together and made as best an attempt as brother and sister could possibly do.  Now THAT is a tender moment!

As I made my way towards the back of the park, I caught a glimpse at the que time for the Haunted Mansion.  It read "13" minutes.  I've heard that they do this, but this was the first time I had ever witnessed it.

The sun finally went down and I was able to pursue the image that had been dancing in my head.  A few months ago, I took a photo while riding on the Dumbo ride.  What struck me was the colors and I wanted to expand on that.  This time I took the shot from the ground and, using a long shutter speed, blurred the ride itself.  Even though a wider lens would have been better (I don't own one), I was happy with the outcome.  I will post a different perspective of the same shot on my flickr 365 day challenge album.

It was time to head to the parking lot BEFORE the parade/fireworks to avoid the teaming millions heading to the park exit.  I stopped to nose around a bit at the Polynesian Resort and have my obligatory Dole Whip, when I noticed that the audio from the "Wishes" fireworks show was being broadcast outside the resort.  Having my long lens and tripod with me, I was also able to grab a few shots of the show (See my flickr album) as well as a distance shot of Cinderella Castle.

Another highlight of my week was reconnecting with a childhood friend and classmate who was visiting Epcot.  I'm not sure when the last time we saw each other, but it had to be in the early '80s.  I enjoyed getting "caught up" and walking Epcots food and wine.  Good times!!

Well thats it for this week.  Brief, but fun and productive.  More fun and adventures await, but not till next week.

-Tom