Saturday

Saturday Shorts: Donald Duck ~ Beezy Bear

Disney Donald Duck Cartoon Beezy BearBeezy Bear ~ the fourth classic cartoon in The Donald Duck series - originally released on September 2, 1955. Directed by Jack Hannah. Written by Jon Reeves.
Beekeeper Donald and honey loving brown bear Humphrey clash when Donald catches Humphrey raiding his hives. Donald enlists the help of Park Ranger J. Audobon Woodlore but nothing seems to stop the determined Humphrey.
Humphrey appeared in four classic Donald Duck cartoons and even had his own series in 1955. Breezy Bear was shown on the Mickey Mouse Club in the 1970's.


Thanks for stopping by!

Friday

Foto Friday ~ Let's Have a Parade

Cheers to Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine "Kate" Middleton! 
The wedding was a smash hit! 
Let's have a parade pic in their royal honor!


The Twitter and Facebook royal wedding parties were a blast. Everyone in Orlando at The Grand Floridian Royal Wedding looked elegant on GMA. I haven't partied at 4am in a long time! Not even late late EMH ! Oh wait....... I remember the last time I was up at 4am partying...it was with the WDWRadio box people on Lou Mongello's all night podcast! I have great pics from the box but I'll save those for another day.
I'm turning in my tiara! All the Earl Grey and scones are making me sleepy, sweet dreams:) 




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Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday ~ Ugly but Good

The Ugly but Good is far from being ugly (except maybe the calories) but it sure is good!

If you'd like to know more about Via Napoli and my Ugly but Good dessert, check out my review Taste of Italy in Epcot's World Showcase

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Tuesday

"J " is for .....

or Jiminy Cricket!





Join the letter “J” fun in photography at That Disney Blog the host of the alphabet-themed hop!



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Friday

Happy Earth Day Tree of Life


In honor of Earth Day we're combining a few fun facts with Foto Friday. It was difficult to pick just one Disney image, so I picked a few ;) 
The Tree of Life is our subject because it is the iconic symbol (Sorry Lou, I just can't call it a weenie) of Animal Kingdom. 
It symbolizes the beauty, diversity and grandeur of our animal life on earth. 


When DS, Peter saw the Tree of Life pics I would be using for the blog he did some research and came up a few fun facts. 
The Tree of Life project was started in the late 80’s and opened on April, 22, 1998. 
Happy Birthday Tree of Life! 

The tree is 14 stories high, its leafy canopy spreads 160 feet across. So large that it fits the Tough to be a Bug theater inside that can seat 430 people.

 It took 20 artists to carve the 320 animals into the trunk, branches and the roots. 


The trunk carvings were assembled outside the park with 52 rockwork cages out of which the animal sculptures were carved. The trunk was then cut into a dozen giant parts and flown to an assembly area near the park. There, they joined the segments into pairs. The completed six trunk sections were then transported by crane to the Safari Village area and assembled. 

Disney celebrates Earth Day everyday throughout it's resorts and parks as Walt would've wanted it to. 
"You've probably heard people talk about conservation. Well, conservation isn't just the business of a few people. It's a matter that concerns all of us. It's a science whose principles are written in the oldest code in the world, the laws of nature. The natural resources of our vast continent are not inexhaustible. But if we will use our riches wisely, if we will protect our wildlife and preserve our lakes and streams, these things will last us for generations to come."   Walt Disney, 1950




post signature and Peter who enjoyed the research..and shhh...  learned a thing or two:)  Peter has Learning Disabilities with AS He's currently takings Pre-Vet courses with hopes of becoming a Vet Assistant one day.

Wednesday

Wildlife Wednesday ~ Cool Cats


We chose a pic of a beautiful Asian tiger for our Wildlife Almost Wordless Wednesday. This was taken on an Africa hot afternoon in August with temps and humidity keeping a lot of folks out of the park. A good time to go if you can handle the heat. Animal Kingdom always feels hotter than the other parks because the paths are more narrow and there's no breeze. We usually wait till after the parade to see the tigers. They're more active at the end of the day. This gorgeous Asian tiger is cool in his pond on the Maharajah Jungle Trek

taken with a Nikon D200 and a Nikon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 G ED-IF AF-S VR DX Zoom Nikkor Lens

Not all tigers are as fortunate as this one. Due to habitat loss and poaching among other threats they have all become endangered. The work of Disney’s Wildlife Conservation Fund throughout Asia helps tigers and other endangered species. I like to help in my own little way by making a small contribution to The Disney Wildlife Conservation fund when we’re in the parks. You receive a button (not a pin) as a thank you and it makes a nice souvenir. 


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Tuesday

Welcome to the Orange Magical Blogorail

Welcome to the first stop aboard the new Magical Blogorail Orange.  Enjoy the ride as we introduce ourselves, our blogs and share what inspired us to start our blogs!

Hi, my name is Deb, I'm a boomer mom to 2 wonderful college age boys (1 adopted with special needs from Russia and 1 biological) who have grown up to be Disneyfied young men. I'm a wife to an amazing husband, for 35 yrs! 
Looking back, my earliest Disney experiences were of watching the Mickey Mouse Club on TV. I was a huge fan and even became a card carrying honorary Mouseketeer. Seeing Bambi in the theater for the first time made me cry. I loved my Snow White doll, Davy Crocket hat, Disneyland Viewmaster reels and any Disney books or comic book I could find to read. When The Wonderful World of Color came on TV I sat mesmerized as Tinkerbell and sometimes Walt Disney himself brought us to foreign lands on nature adventures or into space. Seeing The World's Fair exhibits of IASW and Carousel of Progress was very exciting and inspired my interest in technology. It was a magical childhood growing up with Disney:)

When we started a family it was natural to include Disney in our lives with books, toys, and movies. We started traveling to WDW with our first son in 1990. We went twice a year until Peter our 2nd DS joined our family then it would be once a year. When Peter joined us on his very first trip he barely spoke English. I remember he literally fell backward when he saw Genie in the lobby of the Contemporary. Fortunately, Peter wasn't thoroughly traumatized and enjoyed many character meetings.
I was always very active in the online Disney communities starting around 1990 just before our first trip. There I met Deb Wills, Lou Mongello, Pete Werner and many more wonderful Disney friends. We would exchange all sorts of travel and planning information much like we still do today. We'd get together for meets and chat on IRC. The exchange of information was very helpful for all of us. 

We've enjoyed taking DCL cruises on the Magic twice and The Wonder twice. We became DVC members at The Boardwalk Villas in 1997 through a resale. For the past 21 years we've celebrated Peter's citizenship, his Gotcha Day, many birthdays, anniversaries and a wedding in WDW. I've traveled to Walt Disney World with the whole family, DH & I sans kids, myself with both boys, myself and each DS, with extended family, friends, teens, college boys and solo too.
The Grand Floridian,The Yacht Club, Animal Kingdom Lodge, Contemporary, Villas Wilderness Lodge, Beach Club Villas, Saratoga Springs Spa & Resort, Port Orleans, and the Boardwalk Villas are my favorite resorts.





You'll find Focused on the Magic is filled with my photography and an eclectic collection of my foodie driven thoughts in dining reviews and experiences all focused on the magic in Disney. 

Thank you for joining me today. I hope you enjoyed the ride and learned a little bit about me! See ya' real soon! ºoº


Friday

Magic Kingdom ~ Starry Starry Night

Magic Kingdom  Night Photography

 Starry Starry Night at The Magic Kingdom.
Every time I look at this picture I am reminded of just how magical main Street USA can be after dark and especially during Extra Magic Hours.
EMH in the Magic Kingdom is a perfect opportunity to have fun shooting with filters and prime lenses. On this particular night I chose to leave my usual night lens, a Sigma 30mm back at The Wilderness Lodge.  I wanted to take out my old favorite 
Nikon Nikkor 50mm f/1.2 AI-s lens. In this shot I also used a six star Hoya  filter. I've included links because I think these make a good addition to any camera kit. The Nikon lens is a manual focus lens and on my Nikon D200 works as a 76mm which is tight like a portrait lens but very fast in low light.
I just love wandering around The Magic Kingdom at night focusing on the magic;)

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Hope you are having a Disney day!

Thursday

The Most Famous Jungle Cruise Guide

Walt disney World, Jungle Cruise Elephant, Focused on the Magic



Exciting news for us Jungle Cruise fans! Tom Hanks and Tim Allen will be joining their voices for another magical adventure! This time the Disney Jungle Cruise attraction will be the theme for a live action movie, Disney’s Jungle Cruise. According to a studio statement, Disney signed a script deal with Roger S.H. Schulman, who received an Oscar nomination for co-writing Shrek. I wonder if their characters will be cruise guides in the movie?

Tom Hanks and Tim Allen are famously funny but the most famous Jungle Cruise guide has got to be John Lasseter. Can you imagine how magically hysterical a 10 minute tour through the exotic rivers and four continents would be with John Lasseter as your guide? He must've really rocked the boat with laughter.
Here is John Lasseter telling his favorite Jungle Cruise joke




A few of my personal favorites from The Jungle Cruise .................

See that elephant right there, that's the richest elephant in the whole jungle. 
Yeah - it's 'Donald Trunk'.

Hey, we're on the Nile and the Nile is over 4,000 miles. It goes for miles and miles and miles..................and if you don't believe me... you're in de-nile!


For more Jungle Cruise jokes check this out http://www.themedattraction.com/jungle.htm


Do you have a favorite you'd like to share?


Wednesday

Epcot's Italy ~ Venetian Carnival Masks

Carnevale di Venezia Masks Venetian mask Epcot Italy

The Italy Pavilion at Epcot's World Showcase always provides me with fabulous photo opportunities and the Venetian Carnival mask shop, Carnevale di Venezia never disappoints. I really enjoy wandering around that little shop. Usually there's an entertainer outside in the courtyard keeping the family busy while I slip away and explore the shop. The Venetian mask artist, Giorgio Lurcotta can sometimes be seen at work painting his beautiful and mysterious mâché masks
In post processing I used an Adobe Photoshop Elements 9 dry brush to give it the feel of a vintage oil painting. 
Do you enjoy visiting shops in the Italy Pavilion?

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Monday

Magical Moments Monday

This is a magical moment I almost missed out on. 


I'd gotten a late start due to sleeping in. That can happen when you stay out till the wee hours during EMH the night before. When I finally arrived at the Magic Kingdom I was disappointed to have missed opening ceremony. 


As it turned out I arrived on Main Street just as the horse-drawn Main Street Trolley pulled up. The Dapper Dans barbershop quartet hopped off the trolley and burst into perfect harmony. What a magical moment it was as they serenaded me and posed for some pics. 
The Dapper Dans magically transformed my miserable mood into a great one that carried through the rest of the day. 


The Dapper Dans have been performing in The Magic Kingdom since 1971 with nine shows a day seven days a week all over Main Street, USA. At 5pm each day the Dapper Dans, The Main Street Philharmonic and the Magic Kingdom Security Color Guard perform for the Flag Retreat Ceremony at Liberty Square.

Check out http://www.myspace.com/dapperdans

Do you have a magical moment you'd like to share? I'd love to hear about it:)

Saturday

Disney Fan Exposed

Ultimate Blog Party 

This is my first year taking part in this Blog Party with 5minutesformom.com and I am very excited about visiting new blogs and meeting new blogging friends. I signed up the last night of UBP2011. I hesitated until I was able to visit other bloggers and they encouraged me. Better late than not at all!
  
Wow--I've visited a few blogs so far and am looking forward to visiting more today. There are tons of talented and interesting bloggers out there. Please leave a comment and your blog address so that I can get back to your blog. I love adding new blogs to my google reader list. ...I'd love you to follow me and come back later to visit!!
 
Here's a bit too much info about me...

Friday

Breaking Ground on The Shanghai Disney Resort


















The Walt Disney Co. announced today that it has finally broken ground on the biggest  “Magic Kingdom”, The Shanghai Disney Resort in China. The much anticipated and popular board topic is projected to open in 5 years.

Thursday

Disney Pic of the Day ~ Rafiki and Simba

Rafiki lifting young Simba up to present him to the pride is a magical movie moment. They captured it beautifully in this topiary. The pic was taken on a "Flower & Garden Photowalk" I organized last year. We toured the entire festival cameras and guide maps in hand snapping and chatting away. What a great day that was! Thank you ladies for making it such a memorable and magical day!

Wednesday

Goodnight Magic Kingdom ~ Wordless Wednesday

One of my favorite things to do is take pictures during EMHs in the Magic Kingdom in Disney World. On this particular night I was caught in a rain storm while inside the castle. Not such a bad place to be stuck, especially with this view of Main Street, USA.

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