Scenes From Mus Mundi, 1

Our Disney passes gave us entry to the parks on weekdays, excluding holidays and holiday black-outs, and, over the course of our 4 months here, despite Flu A in February, we probably averaged two or more parks a week, including nearby Disney Springs. Rebecca and Penelope visited again in late January. Below and in the next post are a variety of scenes from our time here. Ne baise pas avec le souris!

At the Tower of Terror

Tron

Troning together

Destroying evil emperor Zurg

Can't get enough Tron

Artsy-fartsy at the Festival of the Arts

Guarding the Galaxy

Steam-boating, a last time...among the rides to soon disappear, making way for
new-fangled attractions

Also Tom Sawyer's Island, which we visited for the last time in December

Already deconstructing Something Mountain

A last look at the Fighting Termeraire

Now at Animal Kingdom...the white flamingo obviously not taking
his iron oxide supplements

Awaiting the macaw airshow

Massing for attack

Seriously impressive

Posing with Big Bird

Another of the areas soon to disappear...but note the festive seasonal decor

One of the reasons we like Animal Kingdom is all the Asian stuff, 
reminding us of some of our earlier adventures

Nice kitty...

Landscaping in all the parks in impressive, and probably
most impressive at Animal Kingdom

Monkey business

OK, so they're apes, not monkeys (monkeys have tails)

Tampa RV Show

We visited the Tampa RV show way back in 2011, enjoyed it, and wanted to go again (when in the neighborhood). Our interest this time was less in RVs themselves than in the assorted accessories and accoutrements, since we are in the process of building our own RV. More anon. It seemed to us there were far fewer class A's this time than in 2011, and way, way more Class B's...perhaps reflecting a) the downsizing impetus of the boomer generation, but also b) the van-life impetus of their children and grand-children. Whatever.

We spent most of our time in giant halls like this, looking at the accoutrements

For example, these inflatable kayaks...guaranteed against alligator bites

Other interesting things available among the RV accoutrements;
this is Florida, where everything is politicized

Our interests focused on items like this RV van/life fridge

Actually there wasn't much of interest at the RV show, so I can now
offer an update on our own little RV "build": above is the Silver Sleeper, 
our 2024 Toyota Sienna mini van, now lifted 3.5 inches (for Forest Service
roads, not rock-crawling); accoutrements and appliances now purchased
and ready to be installed include a Joolco portable toilet, a Bluetti power
station (lithium battery, inverter, numerous inlets/outlets); a BougeRV
fridge/freezer, a Dometic water pump/faucet, a sink/water supply console,
a 4 inch memory foam mattress...and more to come...

Vicki's current design; note eraser completely worn away

Platforms for "day" mode; cushions to be cut and covered with 
fabric; platforms to be adjusted for height, level...

Platforms for "bed" mode

The sink/water console; the carpentry is a work in progress, Vicki
often remarking she'd wished I'd taken shop in high school and not
Latin IV; I was briefly a dues-paying member of the carpenters' union
for one of my summer jobs; also a teamster for another job, but that's
another story; long before Florida was a Free state...

Self-portrait while practicing my carpentry skills in the nearby Winn-Dixie
parking lot; note work table, saw, square, clamps; and the camper itself

Dali Museum, St. Petersburg (USA), 2

Continuing our visit to St. Pete's Dali museum...

Retrospective Bust of a Woman, 1969; another copy
of the one we saw at MoMA last fall; the original dates
from 1933; Dali apparently thought the American 
expression "bust" was hilarious; also "drawers," on which
he did many a visual pun 

Unusual dorsal view, etc.; note reference to Millett's
Angelus...

Archaeological Reminiscence of Millett's "Angelus," 1934; classic
Surrealist Dali, all kinds of allusions, reverence for Millett...

Telephone in a Dish with Three Grilled Sardines at the End of September,
1939

The Average Bureaucrat, 1930

Profanation of the Host, 1929

The Font, 1930; all kinds of Surrealist-shock stuff
going on here

Girl with Curls, 1926

Portrait of my Sister, 1923

View of Portdogue, 1918-19; Cubist, no?

View of Cadaques from Playa Poal, 1920; finding his voice...it
would be a few more years...

Self-Portrait, 1921

Portdogue, again, 1923

Homage to Crick and Watson, 1963 (omitting the longer title);
now into his "scientific" period

A few specimens of his jewelry...Persistence of Memory, 1949

Tristan and Isolde, 1963; as we saw at the castle in
Pubol, Dali was a bit of a Wagner fan

Saint Helena of Port Lligat, 1956; he never tired of painting Gala

The Broken Bridge and the Dream, 1945

Slave Market with Disappearing Bust of Voltaire, 1940; another
double-image deal, emphasizing the irrationalist view of things...
a good place to end; and exit through the gift shoppe