Florida, Epcot, Animal Kingdom and friends.

A view of one of the hundreds of spectacular Disney gardens at Epcot apart from similar ones at the Magic Kingdom and in fact all the entertainment parks. Yay! Spring has sprung in the Southern USA. It is warm. Shorts and golf shirt!

A view across part of EPCOT with floating flower pots.

A view of the entrance geodesic sphere, the signature of EPCOT with a photo opportunity for children defending a soccer goal against Goofy with Donald on defence!

More spectacular flower beds at EPCOT.

This fountain is connected to recordings of classical music and the various spouts react to the different chords and runs, etc. It is quite spectacular.

Close-up of a Flamingo with some luminescent colouring. They make sure that they get sufficient cratine for the pink colouring.

This artificial Baobab has a trunk made up of the many animlas and birds and fish found in Africa. You can go down below ground to the roots which are also all renditions of African animals. Just wonderous for the imagination. It is just enormous. Difficult to show the size as one cannot get near it. I am about 50m from the base.

I was able to get close to these Flamingoes as well as they are used to people and do not react. Just as well as there were 10's of thousands of people. I had forgotten that Spring break had started and the waves of Americans would be visiting over the next weeks as each state and school district has a coreagraphed (sp) succession of weeks so that not everyone has a break at the same time. Of course there were also thousands of  'snow birds' retired people who were visiting from the cold Northern States and Canada.

The Morrocco building at the Disney Animal Kingdom Park. There is a lot of indigenous African architecture and memorabilia which is available for purchase.

Massive live Baobab tree almost ready to burst into leaf. This is in the animal Kingdom itself.

Had to have the seriously endangered Black Rhino in my blog. They have a few and this is one of the places that we humans might be able to save it even if not in the wild. We will save it only if the South African government, bless their cotton socks, and the governments of China, Mynamar, Thailand, Taiwan, Vietnam, etc, get together and determine once and for all that Rhino horn and ivory are useless for mankind's sexual prowess. The trade must be banned with horrific consequences if people are caught and governments are held accountable. All very well to track and capture or kill poachers, but it has to be stopped at the root and then these cartels will cease to exist.

American vultures and a Pelican in the wildlife park as we drove by in a truck.

View of a Hippo sleeping below the surface. They automatically surface every 6 to 8 minutes to breathe.

A number of very large Nile Crocodiles.

African fresh-water fish are bred here to preserve them. There are thousands in these massive pools with a glass wall such as this so that you can see them all.

One of 5 young male Forest Gorillas that are in the enormous jungle enclosure where a captive  group are bred and preserved. They breed very well and so can be spread out to other facilities where genetic diversity can be maintained to save these majestic beings.

South African wines, there are four shelves of them, in the Africa section of the Animal Kingdom.

Another view, with zoom, of the spectacular sculpted artificail Baobab with all the creatures that make up the trunk, branches and roots. Truly wonderous.

Skyler, Jmaes and Hunter Froud at Starbucks in Stuart, Florida. We were able to meet as they live in California, but Skyler is at college in Jackson Florida and the family came down for Spring Break and the Boat Show. So good to see James, who I have known for over 30 years since he was in Grade 8 at Westerford, and meet the boys. What a coincidence that they were driving through Stuart while I am here.

Julian (Julio) Laumeier  (SACS '89) and Jody his girlfriend, after dinner when we went to a club where the music was of the 60's and all decades right up to 2013. They were essentially a Country Band, but boy could they rock the place. It was good for the soul. all my old favourites from school and varsity days, which brought back memories, and some favourites of '80's, 90's and the 21st century as well. Thanks to Julian for his generosity in letting me stay at his home in Stuart, Florida. The journey continues.