As promised, here is one of the pixie houses at Pixie Hollow, one of the display areas at Epcot's Flower and Garden Festival. To give an idea of the scale, this house is about 12 inches 31 cm. high.

Pixies and Fairies
This was another display at Epcot's Flower and Garden Festival. It was Pixie Hollow and was a small area with trees, grass, fairies, and little pixie houses which I will post photos of in the next few days. Just wanted to show the entrance sign and the lovely little fairy on display. This was a pleasant place to sit and watch the faces of the little children oooohhhing and aaahhhhing when they spotted all the little hidden spaces.

This Pelican was an unusual sight at Epcot. The Pelican is quite common on both the East and West Coasts but not here in the middle. He was very content near the boat dock at the lake near the Italy Pavillions. I wonder if he stayed to watch the nightly fireworks?

Another butterfly from the Epcot Flower & Garden Festival. I think it's a Monarch but not sure. This is a short post because I have jury duty today so it was early to bed and very early to rise.

The Butterfly Garden at Epcot's Flower and Garden Festival was delightful. My first photo was of this huge caterpillar. I think he metamorphosizes into a monarch but he looks as though he might be related to these striped ones. There were more of these than any other. I'll post some of the others in the next few days.

There were storms in the area a week or so ago but they just passed over my area without leaving rain, which we need. They did cause quite a bit of havoc to the east with tornados and high winds. I looked out my window in the evening and to the East the sky was pink. I went out with the camera to try to capture the colors but no sucess. But looking West , this sunset is what I did manage to get. The clouds were unusual and just reflected the most vibrant reds and oranges.
The smaller one below was just a little more to the south and from a different angle.

Palm Tree Head!! Went to Downtown Disney last Sunday to see if the Virgin Megastore had lowered the prices. They are closing next month. From the parking lot this is the view we had of one of their large promotional signs for a Keyshia Cole but instead of her face we are greeted with a great body topped by a palm treee. I just had to take the photos and share them with all of you. Here's a link to her website so you can see her face if you want: Keyshia Cole

More Epcot Flower Festival topiaries. These are the dancing Ostriches. Very big and very funny. Below is a closeup of one of them.

This is Minnie in topiary at Epcot. These aren't true topiary. They aren't grown to shape but are wire frames filled with living plants. There are some that are year round and may be done in the traditional way but since there is no way to get close to them, I'm not sure. Very nice to look at however they achieve it and the park is a delight at this time of year.

Last week I went to Epcot for the Flower and Garden Festival and had a request to show some photos. This is at the entrance by the Epcot's landmark Spaceship Earth's Geodesic Sphere. I call it the big golf ball and there is a nice ride inside. The line are long during the day but late at night on the way to the exit I usually find that you can just go right in. It's a relaxing way to end the day.. And rest your feet before the walk to the parking lot.
The Festival is all over with so much to see. The top photo is of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves and loads of children and families taking photos. There are topiaries of Disney characters and specialty areas set up in odd corners with interesting things to see. I enjoyed the butterfly building and the little fairy village. I'll do photos of them another day. Below is Cinderellas coach sitting in a pumpkin patch.

I went back to Downtown Disney and the Mary Poppins Balloon was launched. The basket is a big ring and the riders stand. It didn't look like too many were going up in it and I didn't have time this trip.. next time I think I'll go out just to do the ride and take some photos. Looks like fun.

It's Howdy Doody Time! I saw this cookie jar in a shop and do not know if it's new or vintage but it reminds me of early black and white television in the USA. Howdy Doody was a popular children's program and it was telecast live so anything could happen. It was hosted by Buffalo Bob and had a clown called Clarabelle. They were real but most of the other characters were puppets.
Besides Howdy, there was grouchy Mr. Bluster and Princess Winterspring Summerfall, and more. Click here for a link to more information.
Here's a link to a Youtube video with the theme song. Click Here!
Please comment and add any other memories of this program if you can.

This is the old power company building. It's been empty for about two years now and the city still hasn't decided what to do with it.
One suggestion was to turn it into a brewery/restaurant. These had been very popular awhile back but I think they've lost their charm and there wasn't a lot of interest. Whatever they do with it, I hope they don't tear it down. I like the brick facing and there is a nice mural of a paddle boat painted on the side. I did a post on that mural in March.

Meet Betty. This is a bronze statue of Betty Sprinkle. It sits on a bench in the small bandstand area downtown where the Farmer's Market and other events are held. She was a very active community member, worked tirelessly for the benefit of the merchants downtown. She had a decorating studio and was an interesting character. She was tiny, always dressed up and wore a hat. This statue is just one of the many tributes to Betty that can be found around town.

I'm still finding outdoor tables and chairs at restaurants and cafes in downtown Kissimmee but this lively little set is on display in front of my favorite antique store. It is a children's table & chair set and the whimsey of the bright lime green just shouts out to all who pass by. It won't be there long. I'm certain that someone won't be able to resist buying it for their favorite child or grandchild.

April 15th: Tax Day!

This is the entrance to my Tax preparer's office. I went there yesterday to pick up my return and found out that I owe, I owe, and off to the IRS my money will go. More money that is. I thought the amounts taken out during the year would have been more than enough but it wasn't. So a check has been written with a heavy heart and it and the return have been put in an envelope, addressed, stamped, and will be mailed before the midnight deadline tonight.

Lately there are way too many empty homes in our area. People need to move and cannot sell their homes. It is a sad time for them but would be a good time for buying. Here is a mini-mansion located on a nice street in downtown Kissimmee for sale. Would be nice to see a family move in and not have it turned into offices.
Sorry this posting is so late today. I went to Epcot yesterday afternoon to see the Flower & Garden exhibits and got home very late.. and forgot.

Live, Love, and Eat... these words of wisdom were found on the outside of Wolfgang Pucks's eatery at Downtown Disney last week. Went to lunch with a neighbor and had yummy sushi and then drove to the other end to Disney's Marketplace to have dessert at Girardelli's Chocolate shop. Hmmmm.. delicious.

Happy Easter

Found these bunnies in the window at Lanier's Antique store yesterday while searching for a subject for today's post. Hope all my reader's and fellow bloggers have a wonderful day today.

This is the main branch of the Osceola County Library system. It is the Hart Memorial Branch here in Kissimmee. There are a number of branches throughout the county. This one is located just on the other side of the Railroad Tracks and a block from the Kissimmee Train Station I posted yesterday.

After Hurricane Charley a few years ago the roof on this branch was damaged causing the interior to need extensive repairs. It was closed for many months and the lovely red tile roof was replaced with ordinary shingles. The round section in the front was glass block and now is solid walls.

Here is a link to our Library system and if you click on the links at the bottom of the page there are photos of the library. The first photo of the (H)art Memorial Library shows the way the exterior looked before the hurricane.

When I first moved to Kissimmmee the library was in a storefront downtown and was a branch of the Orange County (Orlando) library. The county paid a fee to belong and one of the benefits was being able to use the big downtown Orlando branch. We cannot do that now unless we go to Orlando and pay an individual fee.

This is our Kissimmee train station. View is from the north.
"The Kissimmee Amtrak station is a train station in Kissimmee, Florida, served by Amtrak, . Kissimmee station was originally built as an Atlantic Coast Line Depot in 1910. The station was restored in 1976, but suffered some damage to the canopy during the 2004 Atlantic hurricane season.

Kissimmee Station is located across from a small Greyhound bus stop on the corner of Dakin Avenue and Thurman Street. It's one platform crosses Dakin Avenue and runs as far west as Monument Avenue. The section of this platform between Monument and Dakin Avenues once ran along a former segment of Thurman Street which is now a parking garage. The station is projected to be a station stop on the proposed SunRail system, which proposes a second platform and track.": from Wikipedia

Here's an update on our little street that is being redone. Yesterday the cement mixer was pouring for some of the sidewalks. Just out of range of the photo were three or four trucks from the local telephone company. I think they were either fixing or relaying some underground phone lines.
Still no bricks being laid but I'll keep checking and posting progress reports.

It isn't always sunny in Kissimmee. I drove to the lakefront just when a storm front was moving through. We need the rain and it's a nice change to have a gloomy overcast day. There weren't any people fishing off the pier which is rare. This weather is a good excuse to stay in and just relax and read a good book or good blog.

This is a commercial building at Celebration, a community just west of Kissimmee. It was planned and developed by Disney and is lovely to look at and a nice place to visit. It has an old fashioned downtown with shops and restaurants and a lake to walk around. The homes all have front porches with the garages in the back so no cars are seen, the apartments and townhouses are nice to look at as well. Very Disney, although they have had some problems and Disney is no longer named on any of the signs.

This section of offices have a unique design and I like the architecture. The buildings appear empty to me although the parking lots in the back are usually filled with cars. The style reminds me of a cartoon metropolis you might find in a stylized movie set.

This is an older photo I just found of my visiting flock of turkeys. I haven't seen them in quite awhile but they were fun to see when they would parade past my house.
I'm hoping they are happy somewhere in a field or forest.

This group of table and chairs is a bit more posh than the other outdoor ones but they sit outside a fancy new cigar store. I haven't been in but one day they had the old wooden bench & worktable outside. No one was there but I was told that they roll the cigars the way they do in the Cuban section of Tampa and in Cuba. Cigars aren't my thing and I gave up cigarettes over five years ago so I won't be a customer but I hope they do well.

More outdoor seating in downtown Kissimmee. These are outside the little bakery and coffee shop in the new buildings. Almost all of the stores in this new complex have outdoor as well as indoor seating. I'm not sure how it will be in the middle of summer but right now the weather is comfortable and sitting outside is very nice. Very Parisian..

Here's another Gator from an attraction that has been closed for years.. This sits in front of what used to be the Jungleland Zoo on Highway 192 on the west side of Kissimmee. The Gator Motel is still operational but the zoo just didn't survive.

More Yellow!

After yesterday I am seeing yellow everywhere. I drove to Downtown Disney to have lunch with my inherited daughter, her husband and another couple. As I drove into the parking lot this was the first thing to catch my eye. It is new and is a tethered balloon ride. It has a large gondola and for a fee it will rise up into the air and give the occupants a view of the area.
I didn't see it lift so don't believe it has opened to the public yet. Looks like fun and I may give it a try.

I've posted more Paris photos to my CollageMaven's Haven blog.

April Theme: Yellow

Today is the first of April (Happy April Fool's Day!!) and the theme for the City Daily Photo blogs is "Yellow."
While grocery shopping I found some cooked stone crab claws in the seafood department and bought some. I mixed up the yummy mustard sauce that is so good with them and decided to make it my theme photo. Parts of the claws are yellow as is the mustard sauce. Hope you enjoy the photo as much as I enjoyed my lunch.

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants