A collection of photography and exploration focusing on Upstate South Carolina and beyond.
My last Saturday before heading back to work after Winter Break, and I decided to do some geocaching and photography in Fairfield County. I had new GPS units to test drive, I had specific locations I wanted to photograph, and I wanted to take some time to swing by my parent’s house. I had ambitious goals for what I wanted to see and do, perhaps too ambitious. It turned out to be a day of mixed results – delight and frustration, discovery and missed opportunities.
This being our 20th anniversary, we decided to take two trips – a short one on the actual anniversary, and one a bit later in January. For the short trip we booked a stay at one of the Disney resorts, Coronado Springs, and a day in the Magic Kingdom.
Coronado Springs is located near the Animal Kingdom in Disney World. There is plenty to do on site, with an elaborate swimming area, a lake for boating and kayaking (for a price), and lots of shopping and restaurants.
We arrive about 4:00 pm and got settled. Our rooms weren’t especially spectacular, but the convenience to Disney is what you’re paying for. We had afternoon drinks at the Laguna Bar, and a nice anniversary dinner at the Maya Grill, both on site. While the meal was excellent, it was a bit noisy.
Since we were staying at a Disney place, we could take advantage of extended park hours and transportation to the park. Each park has extended hours one day a week, and by a stroke of luck the Magic Kingdom had those hours available during our visit. If we wanted, we could stay there from 7:00 am to 3:00 am, a total of 20 hours. We came close.
Twenty years ago today Laura and I got married. Christmas was on a Saturday, as was New Year’s, so we did the untraditional and got married on a Tuesday night. It was a small wedding, with my brother Stephen officiating, my brother Houston as best man, and Laura’s sister Amy as maid of honor. We … Read More “20 Years of Wedded Bliss” »
We’ve got to come up with a better name for this. We tried recreating the rum punch from Riverside Grill in Vero Beach, and this is our own variation thereof… Ingredients: 1 oz coconut rum 1/2 oz banana rum or banana liqueur 1 oz light rum 3 oz pineapple juice 1 dash of Grenadine for … Read More “Wright-Taylor Rum Punch” »
Today the plan was to head up toward the Sebastian area, have lunch, and visit the Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge. We headed north on US 1, stopped at Hale’s Groves for some citrus, then stopped at Rock City Gardens to look at the plants. Lunch was at the Sand Bar at Captain Hiram’s. It … Read More “More Florida Wildlife Encounters” »
I do feel just a bit guilty. As the northern part of the country is suffering through a blizzard, we have 80 degree weather here in Florida on Christmas Day. It was actually a bit too hot for my tastes. We got up early to see what Santa had left under the tree. Since my … Read More “Christmas Day Paddling and Wildlife” »
It’s hard to believe that it’s already Christmas Eve. The year has been a busy one, and it seems like it has flown past. So this Christmas Eve we find ourselves doing some last-minute wrapping, tracking Santa on NORAD, and watching Ghost Hunters and the Dragnet Christmas Story on Hulu.com. So a quick update that … Read More “Holiday Update” »
Saturday night was our annual Taylor Family Christmas gathering. Several were not able to make it this year, so we only had 3/4 of our family present. Even so there were still 28 of us present. This year Mom made a big pot of “grandma soup” and Dad bought some barbecue. Not exactly standard Christmas … Read More “Family Gatherings and Family Bibles” »
The number of libraries, museums, and other organizations that are putting their historic photos on Flickr is growing. Add to that number the New York Public Library. As it turns out, these organizations are part of a larger Flickr endeavor called The Commons. This includes the Smithsonian, Library of Congress, Brooklyn Museum, and Eastman House, … Read More “The Commons” »
Tuesday evening we got together with our friends Karen and Herman and tried out Pomegranate on Main. We were in the mood for something different by tasty, and this certainly fit the bill. I only had my cell phone here, so the photos don’t do the place justice. Atmosphere POM is located just across the … Read More “Pomegranate on Main” »
