Epcot

Monday morning we headed to Epcot.

Once again I enjoyed the street performers so much. The JAMMitors drumming on their trash cans were very entertaining.

Michael was anxious to see Living With the Land. I always enjoy that ride and seeing the vegetation growing above ground. Michael wants to have that kind of garden when they build their new home. It will be interesting to see how he does it. 

The Mickey Mouse pumpkin was formed by putting a small pumpkin in a Mickey mold (see previous photo, upper right) and it grows to fit the space.

 There were lots of quotes on the walls as we were waiting in line. This one was my favorite.

We covered the land. Then we were on to discover The Seas.

  
We definitely found Nemo--lots of them!!

I enjoyed reading how a person can avoid a shark bite. My advice is to not ever go in the water!!

This was a colorful ride.

We were walking around the Showcase Plaza area which had lots of arts and crafts for sale and saw something in the sky. This is definitely a way to get people to look up and think of Jesus.

We visited each of the countries bordering the water. 

 There were lots of beautiful sights to see.

 

We even saw beautiful Mary Poppins walk by.

Michael had his heart set on eating fish and chips. He waited a while in the long line, but finally made it to the front of the line and enjoyed every bite of his lunch.

Oh look! There's Goofy!

Halfway through the countries, Lynn and I shared a flatbread. Glen was still on the prowl for some food that sounded good to him.

 

Michael loves Mickey Mouse ice cream bars and ate one or two almost every day. 

In case the jackets and wind don't help tell the temperature story--we were in Orlando in a cold spell and we were cold most of the time we were there.

All of a sudden Michael grabbed Lynn and they were dancing in the middle of the street. They were adorable and it was fun to snap some photos of them enjoying themselves so much for a few minutes. It's as though the millions of people faded into the background for a bit.

 

 

Poor Glen was not finding anything that looked appealing to eat in any of those countries. He ended up eating the granola bars we had brought along with us for his lunch.

The grass-covered buildings were unique.

Why there's Donald Duck enjoying himself in the country of Mexico.

Now this is more like it!! Glen found his favorite treat. Popcorn!

I always had my eye out for an alligator the whole time I was in Florida and I found one up close.

We had another big day of lots of walking. 

We had another park day scheduled the following day.

The Sabbath In Orlando

Our Sabbath Day started with us going to church with Ron and Melinda Green. They are friends of the Maughans who live in their ward in Escondido, California in the summer and live in this home in Florida in the winter.

The Greens had invited us to dinner at their house after church. We were impressed with the beauty of their lovely home.

As you stepped into the front door of their home, the dining room was off to the left.

Straight ahead were large windows which looked out to their enclosed, screen-covered pool. It gave the feeling that the pool area was all a part of the house. It was impressive. Beyond the pool you can see the lake. 

At the far end of the pool there is an area with a double lounge chair and speakers overhead. The Greens told us that is where they like to sit and listen to general conference and look out over the beautiful scenery of the lake.

They have been in the process of renovating their home. The kitchen was being disassembled with new cupboards, new tile and new counter tops going in the next day.

This is the view of the lake from the master bedroom with a door access to the swimming pool.

After the house tour, we changed our clothes, went out to their dock and boarded the pontoon boat their friend Tom was letting them use. We took a leisurely ride around the lake looking at all the beautiful lake-front homes.

 We could see the Orlando Temple from the lake.

We saw some fishermen.

We arrived back at Ron and Melinda's home.

Michael got ready to help get us secured to the dock.

Then it was time to prepare dinner. They went all out on the meal serving crab legs, steak, baked potatoes, salad and rolls. They invited their friends Tom and Terri over to eat with us. 

We were so appreciative to be there with the Greens that day so we didn't have to go out to eat on Sunday. It was relaxing--so much so that after dinner I kept falling asleep while the friends visited with each other. I wish I had gone into their media room and settled into one of the recliners there and taken a substantial nap.

We decided to let the friends visit for a while, thanked the Greens for their hospitality and then took a walk around the neighborhood and walked to the temple.

I was thrilled there was a family there enjoying the temple grounds, because we were able to get a photo taken with the four of us.

 Notice the photo-bombing bald eagle perched on Angel Moroni's arm.

Back at our rental property, we walked around looking at the amenities that were offered.

It had been a beautiful day. It had also been a relaxing day where we didn't push ourselves. 

We were resting up for another day at an amusement park the next day.