Showing posts with label Disney World. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Disney World. Show all posts

Nov 5, 2015

30 Days of Thankfulness - Day 5: Place

When thinking about a place I am thankful for, several places came to mind. One place I have visited three different times now kept coming back to me as I contemplated today's prompt. In Orlando, Florida, a little over 1,400 miles from where I reside is "the happiest place on earth." I am, of course, talking about Disney World.



Disney was never a vacation destination for my family when I was younger. So when the first opportunity arose to go while my daughter was just 8 years old, I was more than a little excited--not only for my daughter, but for myself as well. Mickey Mouse and the gang in addition to the Disney Princesses were the hit of the trip and a princess makeover was on the list of things to do as well.

Thinking this would be a once in a lifetime trip, we also managed to incorporate several off-site shows, Kennedy Space Center, Cocoa Beach, and Universal Studios into the mix. However, just two years later, we would get to go again. That time my daughter was big into the Hannah Montana show and her Miley makeover was definitely included in the experience. In 2013, Disney World would be on our radar once more, and this time, the American Idol Experience was one of the many featured attractions we made sure to take in.



Each visit to Disney World was different and each was memorable. There is definitely something magical about being at Disney and enjoying all the incredible moments and amenities that are unique to that special place. Seeing the castle is one of those highlights that take your breath away. And the end-of-the-night fireworks display at any one of the parks is beyond words and unable to be captured on film as accurately as seeing it in person.



I am so grateful for not only getting to go to Disney World once, but having the opportunity to visit on three separate occasions. None of those trips would have been possible without the planning and knowledge of my cousin, Beth. Beth was employed at Disneyland when she lived in California, and she has researched and gone to quite extensive lengths to put together a package of outstanding travel tips and advice for anyone wanting to go. Her Disney Travel guide is available for a small fee and is well worth the price if you follow her expertise on cost-saving planning.

Oct 18, 2014

October 2014 - 30 Day Photo Challenge - DAY 16:REFLECTIONS

Photo by Deb Rohne.  Copyright 2014.  All Rights Reserved.
Epcot in Disney World at Orlando, FL
Reflecting on our vacation last year, I remembered an image I snapped with my iPhone of the monorail track and the Epcot icon mirrored in the water.  So many great photo ops in the happiest place on earth.
Photo by Deb Rohne.  Copyright 2014.  All Rights Reserved.
This is one of my favorite milestone shots of my daughter.  I took a special picture to commemorate each month of her first year of life.  Being a stay-at-home mom and getting to know all the fun nuances of Photoshop, I enjoyed doing something fun and creative for each picture.  For this seven-month-old photo in 2000, I took a mirror and put it on the floor, and then laid my girl on the mirror...her cute facial expressions did the rest.  Doctoring up the background a bit and adding the text, I had created basically what I was hoping to achieve.
Photo by Deb Rohne.  Copyright 2014.  All Rights Reserved.

This early morning shot of the sky reflecting off the glass-smooth water of Big Round Lake in Hayward, Wisconsin is one of my favorites.  The sunsets are spectacular in this area, but after capturing this shot, it's a toss up as to which time of day is more breathtaking.








Photo by Deb Rohne.  Copyright 2014.  All Rights Reserved.
Kuennen's Quarry is located in Worth County Iowa.  Now a beautiful picnic spot, this former limestone quarry was the resource site for rock that was used to construct Interstate 90.  I am really liking the contrast between the blue sky reflection of this image and the grayish sky reflection of the image above from Hayward.

Oct 13, 2014

October 2014 - 30 Day Photo Challenge - DAY 13:PINK

Photo by Deb Rohne.  Copyright 2014.  All Rights Reserved.
The Magic Kingdom Castle at Disney World in Orlando, Florida
lit up in pink for the Wishes nighttime spectacular fireworks display.

Photo by Deb Rohne.  Copyright 2014.  All Rights Reserved.

Photo by Deb Rohne.  Copyright 2014.  All Rights Reserved.

There are only 72 days until Christmas.  Do you always decorate your tree the same way with the same colors?  Do you have a tree in every room that gets trimmed with a certain theme?  For many years, I never gave it another thought than to just put the same old traditional ornaments on year after year.  Some years we would get a real tree, but we kept an artificial tree on hand in case of laziness.

One year, I had done some website work for a local florist in trade for her coming out to deck my halls in the latest fashion.  There are color trends for every year.  The above pictures for Christmas 2010 show that silver and pink were hot hues for the holidays.

The color of the year for 2014 is radiant orchid.  I'm looking forward to checking out the latest in Christmas tree design with that in mind.

Oct 6, 2014

October 2014 - 30 Day Photo Challenge - DAY 6:EVENING LIGHT

Photo by Deb Rohne.  Copyright 2014.  All Rights Reserved.
Typically, my favorite evening light shots include a brilliant sunset.  Reaching back in the photo archives, I managed to mix it up a bit with some different types of evening lighted shots.

The lighthouse and lift bridge are landmarks found in Duluth, Minnesota.  The moon reflecting off Lake Superior near Grand Marais, Minnesota was taken from the deck of our vacation rental in August of 2009.  The lights of Disney's Boardwalk in Orlando, Florida were a more recent image taken just last summer.

The two pictures captured in Duluth serve as reminders of a great trip to a very scenic destination.  The moon reflecting in Lake Superior is one of my favorite shots from that trip.  I was definitely in the creative zone on that trip capturing some excellent images to accompany the journal I kept for that vacation.

The Disney Boardwalk photo was taken using the panoramic setting on my iPhone...fantastic memories from that trip as well.
Photo by Deb Rohne.  Copyright 2014.  All Rights Reserved.

Photo by Deb Rohne.  Copyright 2014.  All Rights Reserved.

Photo by Deb Rohne.  Copyright 2014.  All Rights Reserved.

Jul 12, 2014

30 Day Photo Challenge - Day 20:HIGH ANGLE SHOT

Lots of favorite places and shots from the archives for today's challenge...

Photo by Deb Rohne.  Copyright 2014.  All Rights Reserved.
August 2010 - North Shore:  Falls at Devil's Kettle - MN
Photo by Deb Rohne.  Copyright 2014.  All Rights Reserved.
Big Treehouse, Marshalltown, IA 2010

Photo by Deb Rohne.  Copyright 2014.  All Rights Reserved.
View from the top of the Big Treehouse

Photo by Deb Rohne.  Copyright 2014.  All Rights Reserved.
Disney World, FL - 2007 - Grand Floridian with my little princess

Photo by Deb Rohne.  Copyright 2014.  All Rights Reserved.
Estes Park - CO - 2009