Rachel's Surprise Family Graduation Party

While we were in Brookhaven, Mississippi visiting our grandparents, our Aunt Debbie surprised us with a graduation party for Rachel!

Our cousin's 3-year-old, Ruth Ellen, was excited to see Rachel!

Our Aunt Debbie decorates cakes, and we're usually in Mississippi for my birthday (which is on the same day as my grandfather's), so I've gotten an Aunt Debbie cake almost every year.... I'm not sure, but this might have been Rachel's first!



I actually didn't realize at first that the cakes were school colors - how thoughtful!



The graduates -



I looked outside and saw this little cutie -



And then we were joined by her older sister, Lillie -



After dinner (hamburgers!), it was cake posing time -





Always be ready for pictures, guys!



Meet Emma, Lillie's twin sister -



Though she is quite tall for a 7-year-old, she's not that tall (she's wearing heels that Rachel had outgrown given for dress-up)...



Now meet the fourth daughter, Mary Michael -







Lillie teaching Ruth Ellen to put her hands on her hips -







Emma and Lillie showed us their Barbie Girl dance that they'd be performing at recital on Thursday.  The tongue is a sign of concentration...





Ruth Ellen joined in as a back-up dancer, freestyle!









This was my first shot at child photography, and these girls were full of energy! The low lighting proved to be a challenge, and I had to doctor almost all of these in Photoshop to brighten and reduce the distracting background.







Mary Michael is such a happy baby. She didn't fuss the entire evening!



The string on her dress kept her occupied for a long time!











Ruth Ellen is not camera-shy! In fact, she might be the easiest of the four girls to photograph! I never would've guessed that.



The three big girls scored a sleepover at G.G.'s! Daddy left, and it was time to get ready for bed -









Times are changing. These girls never knew a world without laptop computers and wireless Internet. When Emma and Lillie saw my iPhone, they asked if they could see it and exclaimed, "You have Temple Run!"  There is at least one thing, however that hasn't changed since my childhood.



Band Aids make everything better.

Disney Architect: Peter Dominick, Wilderness Lodge Resort

This is the second part of Peter Dominick, Architectural Storyteller.

Photo Credit: Jeff_B, Jeff Bergman

Dominick’s first Disney project, the Wilderness Lodge Resort, proved that he could transport guests to another time and place through architecture. Disney’s Wilderness Lodge Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. Like the Animal Kingdom Lodge, this resort carries an elaborate theme throughout. Inspired by the Old Faithful Inn at Yellowstone National Park, the resort features man-made geysers that spray water up to 75 feet in the air throughout the day. A hot spring runs through the main lobby into the resort pool.

Photo Credit: janoimagine

Jim Korkis wrote in the January 15, 2011 issue of USA Today that, “The Wilderness Lodge… capture[s] the spirit and sense of place one associates with our National Parks, icons of our American heritage” (p. G3).

Dominick establishes setting with path and proportion. The lodge is sited on an oblique so that it is not approached from the side rather than head-on, which suggests that visitors are traveling to an isolated area.

Photo Credit: DisHippy, Jeff Hamm

The four-story log-framed main lobby is the showpiece of the resort.  Stone layering of the 82-foot stone fireplace is proportionate to the walls of the Grand Canyon.

Photo Credit: Fab05, Dan Huntley

Dominick’s connection with nature allowed him to design imaginative resorts that invite guests to seek adventure. Dominick’s 1) Animal Kingdom Lodge and 2) Wilderness Lodge are architectural storytelling masterpieces. His elaborate artistic details tell stories of ancient times and cultures. I highly recommend that you check in to one of these fabulous resorts and check out his designs. As they say in Africa, “Kwaherini,” which means go-well.

Resources

Demontis, Rita. “Grown-Up Fun; Disney’s Magic CaptivatesKids of All Ages.” Toronto Sun

24 Oct. 2004: T5.

Hill, David. “Architect Peter Dominick, 67, Dies.” Architectural Record (Jan 2009): 36-37.

Korkis, Jim. “The Forgotten Story of the Wilderness Lodge.” USA Today 15 Jan. 2011: G3.

Rebhook, John. “Peter Dominick Left Imprint on Nation.” Rocky Mountain News 2 Jan. 2009: F4.

Smith, Prior. “Into the Wilderness,” The Gazette 29 Oct. 1994: H8.

Wills, Deb. “Step Back in Time.” AllEars Weekly Newsletter 29 March 2011: Issue 601.

Womersley, Steve. Master Architect Series V.Victoria, Australia: Images Publishing: 2003.

Woolridge, Jane. “On Safari… In the States.” The Advertiser 7 July 2001: M33.

Disney Architect: Peter Dominick, Animal Kingdom Lodge

Clemson University requires all students to take a speech class before they graduate, and as an architect student, my speech component was built into my regular architecture curriculum over three semesters.  The spring semester of my freshman year (my first speech class), we were required to give a speech on a famous architect.  Wanting to do an architect who interested me, I did a bit of research and discovered Peter Dominick, the architect behind Disney's Wilderness Lodge and Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge at Walt Disney World and Disney's Grand Californian Resort at Disneyland Resort.


This is part one of two, discussing Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge.

Peter Dominick, Architectural Storyteller

Architect, Peter Dominick’s three-year journey through Africa proved to be very influential in the design of his elaborately themed Disney hotels. Wing Chau, executive vice president of Disney Imagineering reported to Hospitality Design in January 2009 that “Peter’s strong passion for nature and the arts gave him a unique ability to integrate these two elements in his designs” (p. T5). Peter Dominick integrated art and nature to tell a story through architecture. To read into Dominick’s architectural storytelling, I will focus on how Dominick’s mixture of art and nature places visitors in an entirely new environment within 1) Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge Resort and 2) Disney’s Wilderness Lodge Resort.

Photo Credit: kevenkyen

In the Animal Kingdom Lodge, Dominick used theming and proportions to make visitors feel as if they are part of a story. The resort is completely themed. The back-story of the resort is that visitors who arrive at the lodge are stopping at an African kraal, or enclosed savanna, built on top of an extinct volcano.

Wood pillars in the main lobby were designed to resemble sleek animal horns.

Photo Credit: DisHippy, Jeff Hamm

Hundreds of pieces of authentic African artwork dating back to 8500 BC are on display, such as the Igbo Ijele mask, which is 16 feet tall and 8 feet in diameter.

Rita Demontis wrote in the October 24, 2004 Toronto Sun that, “I found a savage beauty about the place and was quite humbled there” (p.T5).

Dominick used size and proportion to make the resort feel realistic. The resort appears small from the front, much like an African lodge. Proportions of the lobby are carefully organized around a double cube with a suspension bridge connecting the two wings of the resort. The horseshoe layout of the guest rooms echoes the shape of a Zulu Kraal.

The resort is designed to revolve around animals and nature. Guest rooms overlook the 33-acre savanna, situated in the middle of the horseshoe. Peek-a-boo cutaways with views of the savanna were placed in hallway corners. Outdoor areas, such as bridges, patios, and the main pool invite guests to journey outside and observe nature.

Photo Credit: ~Life by the Drop~, Jeff Fillmore

Resources

Demontis, Rita. “Grown-Up Fun; Disney’s Magic CaptivatesKids of All Ages.” Toronto Sun

24 Oct. 2004: T5.

Hill, David. “Architect Peter Dominick, 67, Dies.” Architectural Record (Jan 2009): 36-37.

Korkis, Jim. “The Forgotten Story of the Wilderness Lodge.” USA Today 15 Jan. 2011: G3.

Rebhook, John. “Peter Dominick Left Imprint on Nation.” Rocky Mountain News 2 Jan. 2009: F4.

Smith, Prior. “Into the Wilderness,” The Gazette 29 Oct. 1994: H8.

Wills, Deb. “Step Back in Time.” AllEars Weekly Newsletter 29 March 2011: Issue 601.

Womersley, Steve. Master Architect Series V.Victoria, Australia: Images Publishing: 2003.

Woolridge, Jane. “On Safari… In the States.” The Advertiser 7 July 2001: M33.