Pretty as a Peacock
This peacock was sitting off to the side of a huge flock of flamingos. We waited to see if he would get up but he seemed quite happy to just relax on the grass and be admired. I'd never seen a white one before but he reminded me of a bride all decked out in white. Later we walked a long path and came accross a peahen with two babies. One was white so this one is probably the daddy.

This male silverback gorilla was just sitting around when his young one decided to go running and started tumbling down the hill. Big Daddy ran and headed him off before he could tumble down into the moat.
Then he sat and guarded the area. The young one did check back but stayed out of reach before running back to his mother. This big fellow had such an intelligent look in his eyes.
My guest photographer for this photo taken at Busch Gardens is my inherited daughter, Vanessa. Below is a photo I took of her at the beach the next day.

Perhaps I should have titled this one "Beauty and the Beast"...

I was on my way to the health club this morning, saw this and had to turn around and go back. At first it looked like an ice sculpture but it was moving. When I pulled into the parking lot I saw this double fountain overflowing with soap suds. Two men working on the shrubs and plantings said that it was done by some kids. I thought it looked nice but told them to add some liquid fabric softener and the suds would subside. I don't know if they did and I forgot to look on my way home. It almost makes me wish I had a fountain in the yard.

Just monkeying around. Me, that is, not the Chimps. I've taken a few days off to play and hang out with friends. Spent a day at Busch Gardens where we took lots of photos.
The roller coasters at Busch Gardens are big scarey things that I didn't ride. The water rides were fun but we were totally drenched. Wet clothes are cool on a hot day but uncomfortable wear for walking.
My camera battery died so this photo was taken by my inherited daughter, Vanessa.

This mural is on the outside wall of the Hardware store in yesterday's post as seen from the parking lot. It is the muralist's view of downtown Kissimmee in an earlier time. It's a very large painting and I've tried to photograph it for quite awhile but this is the first time there haven't been cars parked in front of it.

This horse sign and hardware store have been operating in downtown Kissimmee for much longer than I've lived here. The owners changed a few years ago but not much is different inside and the new owners kept the name. In addition to the horse on the sign there is a life sized horse outside the front door. I think they take it in at night but not sure. I need to find an angle to get a good photo of it to post here one day.
I'm off to Busch Gardens today so may have some new photos to post or I may be sick from too many roller coaster rides.

A new bar opened in downtown Kissimmee. It's a spinoff from the 3 Sisters Bar which I featured earlier in the year. Their outside tables seemed to fill with smokers and the non smokers protested so they opened this one across the street. It's basically a bar with pool tables and more outside tables for smokers.. I like the name. It's called The Twisted Sister. Someone has a droll sense of humor.

Spotted this bride and groom downtown Kissimmee yesterday. It looks like the wedding party arrived in a bright yellow Hummer. What fun. The reception was being held at the Spanish restaurant behind them. Nice to see.

I love chandeliers. This one is in the back room at Mimi's Cafe. The front of the restaurant is decorated in a French motif with photos from France. The back room where this amazing and huge beaded fixture hangs is decorated as though it were in New Orleans. There is even a balcony with the musical instruments for a Jazz Band. My friends and I like the menu and the decor here and go for lunch quite often. The item I most often order is the lunch quiche with side salad because it reminds me of my trip to Paris last year. Omelets and quiche in the Paris cafes were almost always served with a nice small salad.

This is the time of year when it doesn't just rain, it storms. Today was calm but last Saturday the rain came down and managed to get in the ridge vents and drip down onto my kitchen counter. I took these photos from the kitchen and the front porch. I know. I'm only supposed to do one photo but since I played hookey a few days, I figure I can sneak in an extra one.
And notice, too, that finally there is someone living in the little house across the street. I haven't met them yet but they seem to be a young couple with a baby and have mowed three times and have been in the house for less than three weeks so they may turn out to be good neighbors.

Took this while sitting in the tire store waiting for my leaking tire to be fixed. They found that my rear brakes were bad so waited some more while that was done. Television was boring and all the magazines were male oriented so I photographed the view. Lots of tires of all sizes and brands. So many choices. It's a good thing they don't come in different colors.

Another image from the Japanese Pavillion at Epcot Center. This and another are at the entrance to a small museum. It is designed to look like a castle with a moat and these mounted warriors guard the entrance. They appear to be bronze statues but this is Disney so they can be made of almost anything.

The Japanese Pavillion at Epcot Center is one of my favorites. The store has so many wonderful items, most too pricey for me, but lovely to see. Outside there are a number of displays and happenings. One woman was making candy birds and sharks that she would put on a stick and give to one of the viewers.
This woman was doing a special street perfomance for a group of children that were sitting in front of her. She was teaching them Japanese and performing for them.

Walking to the ride at the Norwegian Pavillion last weekend this hawk was spotted in a pine tree. He didn't seem to mind that we all stopped to look at him and that he was in the middle of a rather large crowd. He just kept hold of his prey and seemed to enjoy his lunch.

This is the full moon last Sunday night just before the fireworks at Epcot. The sky had clouds drifting by but I caught this one when the moon peeked out from behind them. I wish my camera did more than just a 3X zoom and my next one will.

The Japanese Pavillion at Epcot has this very nicely landscaped pond with rocks and waterfall but the main attraction is the Koi. There were too many to count and they came in all sizes from tiny to huge. Some Epcot visitors were remarking on individual Koi and how they had grown. It seems they know the individual fish and visit regularly. I just find them fun to watch. The Koi were swarming (do fish swarm?) and acting as though it was dinner time. We waited but no one came to feed them. They do not look as though they lack for food.

Two fairy sisters waiting for the Princess Dinner to start at the Norway Pavillion at Epcot. I think I posted awhile back that Norway had one of the best restaurants and now they only do Princess Dinners. I'm sure that the ten or more varieties of pickled herring are no longer on the menu.
I did think these little girls were adorable in their fairy costumes. Many of the children at Disney World attend in costume and it is fun to see.

Belly Dancing Lesson



I had to stop and photograph this cute little girl and the belly dancer at the stage in front of the Moroccan pavillion at Epcot. The music was good and they were having such fun. I wish I'd taken video instead of the stills. I know I'm only supposed to post one photo but I think all three tell a better story.

A new art gallery has opened on Broadway in downtown Kissimmee. I stopped in and met the director, Carl Sheerin, seen in the above photo. It is the Greenfield Gallery and has a very nice selection of original art, posters, and handcrafted jewelry. It is good to see new businesses starting up and hopefully it is a sign that the economy is heading back up.

Since yesterday was the 4th of July I'm posting a few of the photos I took of the fireworks. Kissimme does a very nice fireworks display at the lakefront each year. I didn't want to fight the crowds so I took the photos from my front lawn. I have some crazy neighbors who also joined in and were shooting off some very large ones. Supposed to be illegal to have and use fireworks that are shot into the air but it doesn't seem to stop anyone. There are tents everywhere selling these and it seems the laws are just ignored.

I did go into the antique store in yesterday's post for a short visit and to get out of the rain. Walking to the back of the store I had to walk around this. It was halfway blocking the aisle and definitely caught my attention. I took a few photos and left. I'm not fond of stuffed animal heads and this poor buffalo or bison seemed out of place just sitting on the floor.
I didn't looked to see if it had a price on it but I'm sure someone will buy it. Not me.

It wasn't raining yesterday morning so I ventured out to the farmer's market. When I parked, there were only a few vendors and they were packing up because of some very large black clouds. I went to breakfast at one of the local cafes and when I came out, the rain was back. I took this photo of the front of the antique store. The owners came out in a bit to move some of the items into a more sheltered area. I took refuge under the awning but the rain got heavier so I made a mad dash for my car and came home. All winter we were in a drought and now it just won't stop raining.

Just nonstop rain so my photo for today was taken from one of my kitchen windows. It's my birdbath with the little girl holding out her skirt. The rain doesn't seem to bother her and she doesn't seem to bother the birds. The lizards love to sun themselves on her head but so far run away when I bring out the camera to capture them.
Rain is predicted to some degree for every day this week and through the holiday weekend. Not sure how Kissimmee will celbrate the 4th of July. There is usually a splendid fireworks display.

Empty?


Theme Day: Empty

We are having rain almost every day now. Normal for this time of year and now the grass is very green and growing too quickly. While out doing errands I passed the little fountain near the library and thought it made a nice rainy day photo of an empty street.

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Sorry I missed another day but my wild and crazy weekend was spent traveling to two Il Divo concerts and partying until the wee hours with a lively and fun group of women. I arrived home very late and very tired and didn't post.