A little lovely daylight from Magic Kingdom

I love late afternoon light, as it has a lovely warmth and casts some nicer shadows for depth and reflection. ; Here's a few snaps from just before and after the Pixelmania meet on Tom Sawyer Island, where the light played nice:

 

Very nice Justin! ; The sun during the meet there was REALLY nice for a few moments. ; I see it got really nice again.

 

Thanks! ; The light really was awesome during the Sawyer meet - and right after it ended - the sunlight was in and out, but when it was out, it played off the cloud cover.

Thanks Pixie on the stairway shot - that was over at Pirata Y El Perico, waiting for the next Pixelmania meeting - I grabbed a bite to eat at Pecos Bill's as I had driven in that morning and went right to the park for the Sawyer meeting - I just brought it over to Pirata's seating area which was empty since the restaurant was closed. ; The sunlight was streaming through the open courtyard area, and I had to put down my sandwich for that shot! ;

 

these are all great!
I made the Pirata y el perrico my wallpaper for this week.

thats one of our hangouts too to eat. noone is ever there! and there is a seldom used restroom hidden back there too!

 

Thanks Craig...Shhhh on the restroom! ; I like those 'secret' restrooms in the parks, especially when it's crowded, as you know you can always find empty stalls in those ones few folks seem to know about. ;

I actually like to eat there most of the time, even when i get my food at Pecos Bill...just a little walk through to the back of the crowded Pecos Bills at lunch mob time, and there's plenty of open tables.

 

Thank you Jeff.

 

I always feel I'm fairly lucky to live close enough to go to Disney every few months...but you've really got it good, where you can pop in just for an afternoon! ; I'm jealous. ; Thanks for the compliment.

I'm looking forward to being back there, in just a bit over 1 week!!

 

Yes.

Except that the "secret" spots at DL are long gone.

Hey, I want my footnotes back!

 

Secret spots are my raison d'etre. ; I have found them all over the 4 parks - and especially on the really busy days I retreat to them often just for a little break from the crowds and noise. ; I have unfortunately had a few of my spots get 'lost' similar to Roger - Disney found these quiet areas and decided to stick a character meet and greet there or something. ; But there are still so many lovely spots to take a break, do some peoplewatching, get out of the constant stream of people, and just relax for a bit. ; I'll be hitting some of those spots in about a week.

Tim, give Rog his footnotes back! ; He's going to start going through withdrawal soon! ;

 

The staircase reminds me of the formerly hidden back staircase in NOS, located just past the entrance to the Club which shall not be named. ; Shaded, yet no one really used to go back there, mainly because there is nothing else there, just some themed back courtyard.

Of course, now, it's a meet and greet area.

 

Some of my favorite secret spots became 'smoking' spots over the past few years, as they made concerted efforts to move the smokers farther and farther from where people walk around. ; Though I don't smoke, I can stand it if there are only one or two smokers there, as I've always had smokers in my family growing up...so some of them remain my spots...but a few others are so crowded with smokers now that I've had to relocate.

For a while, my favorite chillout spot in MK was a Pocahontas meet & greet spot, but fortunately she is no longer as popular and they stopped it. ; I'm sure it will eventually be used again, but for now, it's dead empty, shaded, quiet all times of the year, and has a quick-service food spot just a few dozen yards away, so it's a wonderful spot to take a break! ; Pirata Y El Perico is always another great spot, as is Aunt Polly's on Tom Sawyer (though that music piped in during Pixelmania was a tad obnoxiously loud!!). ; Tomorrowland Terrace is great, though they've tried to steal it during Wishes lately by making it a 'private viewing area'...it's been my viewing area for years! ; In Epcot, I've got my spots in Future world east and west, my France spot, my Japan spot, my Morocco spot, and my China spot. ; And some of the eateries when the season isn't too busy are great hangout spots, like Norway's bakery seating area and Morocco's cafe. ; Animal Kingdom is the best - I've got a dozen spots where I can chill and sometimes not see another person for half an hour or more, even when crowded...I'm not revealing those ones for fear they'll stick Rafiki or Pumba there for kiddie meets!

 

Loosely, it means 'reason for being' or 'reason for living'. ; Originally French I presume, though I don't actually speak french. ; I just occasionally borrow some of their words and phrases that are occasionally used in English as well (hors d'ouevres, c'est la vie, raison d'etre, sacre bleu). ; I always liked these ones! ; I was one of those nerdy kids who read dictionaries to learn new words, so I can be a smidgeon verbose, with pains to be perspicuous when attainable. ; ;