POTD - Brilliant Brief Bloom

Brilliant Brief Bloom, a photo by DisHippy on Flickr.

A couple of days ago, we had one of our cacti, an Echinopsis, bloom for us. The interesting thing about this flower is that it blooms at night. So the flower opened up after midnight and closed before noon the next day. That's right, this thing only bloomed for less the twelve hours! I've said before that I really think that cacti flowers are the most dramatic and brilliant. To that point, the shorter that a cacti blooms, the more brilliant the bloom, as you can see here. Please let me know what you all think as any suggestions are welcomed and appreciated. Enjoy!

POTD - Glowing Temple

Glowing Temple, a photo by DisHippy on Flickr.

This is another shot from the "Magic By Night" show at the Lantern Festival at Missouri Botanical Garden. It didn't turn out quite the way I wanted but boy do I love that glow. Please let me know what you all think as any suggestions are welcomed and appreciated. Enjoy!

POTD - Blossom At Sunset

Blossom At Sunset, a photo by DisHippy on Flickr.

This past Friday night Jenea and I attended the night show for the Lantern Festival at the Missouri Botanical Gardens. We had a bit of sunset left when we got there and before the lights on the lanterns were turned on. We capitalized on that light and this is one of the results. I was really drawn to the fading light, so I ran a hand held bracket and here we have it. Please let me know what you all think as any suggestions are welcomed and appreciated. Enjoy!

POTD - Crystal Sunset

Crystal Sunset, a photo by DisHippy on Flickr.

I really liked the sky and the semi silhouetted Crystal Palace in this one. I thought it a bit intriguing after I snapped this at how shooting into the sun effected my exposure. Please let me know what you think as any suggestions are welcomed and appreciated. Enjoy!

POTD - A Wide Open Wilderness Welcome

A Wide Open Wilderness Welcome, a photo by DisHippy on Flickr.

I've been planning this Disneyland trip, and in that finding out how expensive the Disneyland hotels actually are. I've been reading trip reports and reviews, and I think the Desert Inn is going to be our home base for the DLR portion of our CA trip. It's the closest to the promenade and the entrances to the parks. Thinking about Disney planning always gets me thinking about past trips. That's exactly why I purposely held some photos back so that when I got in trip planning mode, I would have something to post with it. This was just as I walked into Wilderness Lodge. It wasn't my first time visiting, we stayed there in 2005, but it's is always such a grand sight to walk into that lobby. If anyone out there has any other hotel recommendations for directly around DLR please let me know. Enjoy!

POTD - Gradients And Patterns

Gradients And Patterns, a photo by DisHippy on Flickr.

I've really been thinking about Disney a lot lately since we are starting to plan our California vacation which includes my first trip to Disneyland. That's made me start looking through old WDW photos I haven't posted. A little TLC went a long way with this one and I was able to save it a bit. Please let me know what you all think as any suggestions are welcomed and appreciated. Enjoy!

POTD - No Calm Before This Storm

No Calm Before This Storm, a photo by DisHippy on Flickr.

A couple of nights ago, a friend of mine called me to let me know he wasn't coming by that night because there was a huge storm that just hit him. He lives about 20 minutes from me and advised me I had that much time before the storm was on top of me. So I'm looking outside during this conversation, seeing a lot of lightning and wind, and no rain yet. I quickly get my camera out, switch lenses, grab tripod, and out into the yard I went. This is one of my favorites out of the bunch I was able to capture. Winds blowing, thunder and lightning all around, and I'm in the middle of my backyard with a fisheye lens pointed straight up. Please let me know what you all think as any suggestions are welcomed and appreciated. Enjoy!

POTD - Sassagoula Floatworks

Sassagoula Floatworks, a photo by DisHippy on Flickr.

I really loved all the decor and theming that abounded at Port Orleans French Quarter more than any other aspect. I loved that the pathways were streets in this perfectly themed little neighborhood. Please let me know what you all think as any suggestions are welcomed and appreciated. Enjoy!

POTD - Golden Hour Gerty

Golden Hour Gerty, a photo by DisHippy on Flickr.

This isn't by any means the best shot in the world, but it is Disney and I really liked the way it turned out. I've been thinking about Disney park planning a lot lately. We are planning my first trip to DLR for next year, and that of course gets me wanting to go back to WDW. Please let me know what you all think as any suggestions are welcomed and appreciated. Enjoy!

P.S. - If anyone has any tips or tricks for planning a DLR trip, where to stay, good restaurants, what time of year to go for good weather and crowds, etc., please please please let me know. I'm stressing out over this DLR planning even though it's a long way away, I still don't know when I should plan on going. Good weather and lowish crowds are my main concerns.

Wilderness Totem

Wilderness Totem, a photo by DisHippy on Flickr.

I haven't posted a Disney shot in a long while, and we've been talking more about our impending Disneyland trip. This is definitely a shot I'd like to try again, as I know I can get a much better shot now, but that's the beauty of WDW. Please let me know what you all think as any suggestions are welcomed and appreciated. Enjoy!