Monday, June 30, 2008

I Write A Blog, But...

...My wife, Mrs. Doc, wrote a book.

In a slight detour from the usual "Obsession" stuff, this evening I celebrate my wife! This afternoon, while at work, a lady from the editorial department stuck her head in the door, and gathered everyone from her office around. Once the group was assembled, the lady exclaimed, "Happy Book Day." With that, my wife, the real writer in our family, was presented the 1st copy of her first published book!

Contemplative by Design: Creating Quiet Spaces for Retreats, Workshops, Churches, and Personal Spaces, by Gerrie L. Grimsley and Jane J. Young will be released by Upper Room Books in September 2008. We're still holding out hope that they'll decide to rush advance copies of the book to a conference in North Carolina in mid-July. The project started there and what better place for a release event.

So, yes, this post has nothing to do with Disney, but it has everything to do with family. At this moment, there is no husband who is more proud of, and happy for, his wife.

Congratulations Mrs. Doc! What's next?

Sunday, June 29, 2008

Where In The World

It is that time again for yet another installment of the very popular "Where In The World." But before we take a look at this weeks challenge, let's consider last weeks. Was it in Epcot or elsewhere in The World. Um. An intriguing question that had people looking in two parks. But here is the clue, provided by the other Doc, my good friend Doc Terminus from Passamaquoddy. He wrote:

"His blog is great
Its like a movie
or even a ride."

Last weeks photo was taken placing the camera looking upward flush against the interior courtyard wall of the Great Movie Ride.

Now, to this weeks photo. Take a close look and be illuminated.Coming soon...Charles Dickens The Tale of Two Docs. Okay, not really. But I sure like the title!

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Where In The World

If you guessed that the last Where In The World was a photograph taken inside Imagination, you would be correct. And Ed South from The Blog Wore Tennis Shoes (clever name by the way) was the first to post a comment saying so. Congrats Ed.

Keeping with the theme of surfaces and textures, here is another. Is it in Epcot or not? I am not saying.

Happy hunting!

P.s. I apologize for the intermittent posts this month. It has been an incredibly busy time at work lately. I do not post daily on good months, let alone busy ones, and this has been an especially difficult month. Thanks for dropping by and sticking with the 'ol Doc.

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

For George: An "All It Takes..." Follow-up

Tink is home, and the lights are on!

"All It Takes...

...is a little Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust." Is it any wonder why there is so much magic in Walt Disney World? Why shouldn't there be magic when fairies are present? And in Walt Disney World, they make homes for fairies.

The 2008 Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival wrapped up earlier this month. As part of this years festival, a small part of Future World West was given over to Peter Pan's Never Land Garden. In addition to topiaries of Peter Pan, Captain Hook and our favorite fairie, Tinkerbell, there were scattered throughout the garden, these tiny homes for our magical friends.

Is it possilble to create a little more magic in our homes; enough to tie us over until we find ourselves back in The World? I believe so. Maybe a home in our back gardens for a friend of Tinks. I don't know. Just a thought.

Monday, June 16, 2008

Where In The World

Has it really been one month since the last "Where In The World?" Well, nearly. So what do you say my fellow Mouseketeers? How about a new photo challenge?

But first, let's acknowledge the first person to correctly identify the last photograph. That would be our good friend Doc Terminus, the Honorable Mayor of Passamaquoddy, who said, "That looks like the sky above the Voices of Liberty... " That would be the ceiling in the foyer of the American Adventure. Congrats Doc. No, not me, you.

Now, on to this week's challenge. But not before this little preamble.

I am a big fan of the Imagineering Field Guides and keep them handy for reference and just simple browsing. If I were younger, and knew then what I know now, I would have studied harder, applied myself, and tried to become an Imagineer. Talk about one of the world's neatest jobs! So, stay in school kids. Anyway, I have long admired their attention to detail and more recently have been observing surfaces, surfaces, and character paint whenever I am in the parks. For this weeks photo, let's take a look and see where you would find this surface.

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

All In The Family: Part One

There are some things that I do just some of the time; such as this blog. Then there are some things that I do all of the time; such as think about Disney. Hey, that is why they call it an obsession. Right? But like you there are other things in life that are important. More important in fact. Family comes to mind.

Every now and then I will allude to someone in my family. Not often, but every now and then. I do mention my wife, Mrs. Doc, on a few occasions. But this evening I was feeling particularly nostalgic and was going through some old photographs. I ran across one that has prompted me to want to share a moment in my Disney history that involves my family and has stayed with me all these years. It may be a little long in the telling so please bear with me. It starts, this evening, with a photograph that lives on a bulletin board just over my shoulder here.

In April 1989 my grandfather passed away after an extended illness. My grandmother had not been alone in over fifty years and like most people would in a similar circumstance was having difficulty dealing with the separation. So early the following year I thought it would be nice to take her, along with my children, on a vacation to Walt Disney World. It was quickly becoming my "Happy Place" and I hoped that it could become that for her too. It was my hope. But...

In the years that followed my passion for Walt Disney World gave way to obsession. I became a collector, visit the parks as often as possible, and spend way too much on souvenirs. This did not turn out to be the case for my Nannie (my name for my grandmother) and she never could understand why I was so fascinated with Disney. She never understood the commitment of so much time and money. In today's vernacular she would be among those who did not "get it." My mother, one of my "enablers" would try to explain it, but it made no difference. She simply didn't understand why I couldn't take up a different, say, more grown up hobby. But, there was this trip in 1990 I could hold to.

It happened when we were walking through the turnstiles into the entrance plaza of EPCOT Center. Once in, we all, my grandmother, my two children and I, stopped and looked at Spaceship Earth. After a moment, Nannie turned to me, and with a little tear in her eye said, "I never thought I would live to see this."

In that moment and for that moment, she got it!

I was in my happy place on November 6, 2006. I had just finished my first ride of Expedition Everest and was walking out of the gift shop when my cell phone rang. It was Mrs. Doc. My grandmother died while I was on the mountain. After I regained my composure I left the Animal Kingdom and went over to Epcot. I walked inside the gate and just stood for awhile looking up at Spaceship Earth and thinking back to that day in 1990. She made it.

(My daughter and Nannie, Tomorrowland, 1990)


I hope you don't mind my sharing this with you. Like I said, I was feeling a little nostalgic tonight and wanted to share a little bit about my family with you, my Disney family.

Thursday, June 5, 2008

It's Alive!

I thought I would title this post, "The new phone books are here, the new phone books are here." Simply because it is followed by, "I am somebody!" But I'll save that title for when I am invited to do my first podcast guest spot.

But, it is alive! Google Earth 4.3 that is. And with the 4.3 version we get, Walt Disney World in 3D.

I have just been through Epcot, in near record time.

(Screen print from Google Earth, Walt Disney World in 3D)