{PHOTO} Kayak Or Ginormous Banana?

You be the judge.

{PHOTO} Mad Tea Party: Spinning Into Oblivion

I don't know when it happened.

When I was little, I could spin & spin & spin & spin & spin until I just couldn't see straight and thought it was the best thing ever. Now, well, just writing spin that many times made my stomach do a lil' kickflip.

One year spinning like a top was awesome and the next year I went on one spin ride at the fair and was sick for two days. Cruel, cruel inner ear - why have you forsaken me?

Alas, this means no more riding Disney's Mad Tea Party - but watching it is definitely still fun.

{PHOTOS} Chasing Shadows In The New York Public Library

{PHOTO} Sometimes, Words Get In The Way

I keep a running list of places I think would be great for taking pictures. I have every intention of going and even make detailed plans to get there. Sometimes, though, I just decide to veer off the road I am driving on to find a random nook or cranny and see if there's a photo opportunity waiting to happen.

Manatee Cove Park in Merritt Island, FL was one of those places and it did not disappoint.

I was driving home from work and wanted to avoid traffic, so I took a turn onto an off road. I saw the sign for the park, noticed it wasn't too long from sunset, and decided to swing on through to check it out. I got there pretty early for sunset, so I had extra time to kill.

I was alone with my camera, enjoying the quiet of it all. The water + the breeze + the quiet all added up to a peaceful moment - and then a man came out of the woods, directly to my right and quite unexpectedly, to which my heart decided it wanted to sprint far far away from it's current location, my chest. He looked just as surprised as me and even said "Woah, I didn't know anyone was out here". I informed him he scared me straight outta my Chuck's and he explained there was a special fishing spot nearby but you had to sneak through a secret pathway to get there. He also let me know there were several other folks there and they would probably be popping through soon - so be prepared. Luckily, none of them surprised me like he did and I managed to snag some great sunset shots.

Now, I will let the pictures speak for themselves because sometimes, words just get in the way.

Now, which one is your favorite?

{PHOTO} Rose & Crown In Moonlight

This is one of my most favorite places in Walt Disney World's Epcot - the Rose & Crown Pub in England.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend (it's rainy here in FL). If you're lucky enough to be in Epcot this weekend & get to stop at the Rose & Crown Pub, drink a pint of Guinness for me!

{PHOTO} Wee Bit Cheeky, Eh?

Tying into the random and awesome things spotted while walking around New York City (like this amazing graffiti roll-up door), I wanted to share two more examples of what you'd miss if you're too busy looking up and staring at the skyscrapers (don't worry - I did it too).

Wee bit cheeky, eh?

Nothing is safe from being stickered to a frenzy

{PHOTOS} The Legend Itself: Katz's Delicatessen

It's the place of legend. Every tour bus/book/guide tells you THIS is the place to eat and experience the real NYC. That place is - Katz's Delicatessen. I didn't believe the hype. I thought "Eh, what's so big about a deli?" and being from Florida - of course I had absolutely no clue what a BIG deal this place really is. It was packed, frenetic, warm, loud, and DELISH.

I was not disappointed at all.

They give you a ticket when you walk in and, repeatedly, tell you to hold onto that ticket. You go to the counters/stations to order what you want. I'll be honest, I was THAT person driving everyone crazy because 1) I had no idea what I was doing and 2) all I wanted was a Spinach Knish. I'd never had a Knish before and today was going to be the day I would try one. There wasn't a big neon sign telling me "Knish's Cooked Here!" so, I was left to ask the guys behind the counter. Luckily, they had no problem helping me out, marked my ticket with my order, and pointed me along my merry way to the sodas and french fries.

There's a section where you can wait to be served on the far wall but we sat down in the middle seats, squeezed ourselves in, and tucked in for some grubbage.

Turns out, we weren't far from the scene where they filmed "Where Harry Met Sally". I've never seen the movie but, come on, who hasn't seen the scene where Meg Ryan "fakes it"?

The food was great, the scenery entertaining, and it was nice to have somewhere to come in from the cold weather outside (early December = 45 degrees = COLD for this Florida gal). Hubby and I really had a lot of fun.

{PHOTO} Sitting In The Park Enjoying The Fall Foliage

Sitting In The Park

This is one of those pictures that immediately evokes a memory. Every time I look at this, I think of how I took this out of the need to do SOMETHING while my husband and I waited, on this bench's twin, until the company we rented the apartment from could come save us from being locked out. After grabbing some grub we ended up just sitting here.

Waiting..........and waiting.......and waiting some more.

I also think of how we were just sitting there and heard a noise behind us  - which I immediately assumed it was some massive creature. Turns out, it was a homeless person crawling among the bushes picking up trash.  Nothing to worry about - like the mountain lion I had imagined in my head.

My brain always goes to crazy scenarios.

{PHOTO} NYC Crosswalk: A Foray Into Black and White

NYC 5th Avenue Crosswalk

"As we drew near New York I was at first amused, and then somewhat staggered, by the cautious and grisly tales that went around. You would have thought we were to land upon a cannibal island. You must speak to no one in the streets, as they would not leave 'til you were rooked and beaten. You must enter a hotel lobby with military precautions; for the least you had to apprehend was to awake the next morning without money and baggage, or necessary raiment, a lone forked radish in a bed; and if the worst befell, you would instantly and mysteriously disappear from the ranks of mankind." - Robert Lewis Stevenson 

A foray into black and white, not my usual medium. Despite being taken in 2010, this picture looks like it could be any decade. My eye always goes straight to the guy in the long coat walking across the crosswalk. Too bad there weren't any random cars from the 40's or 50's driving by to really complete the retro tone.