After the Himalayan roller coaster yesterday, Dave decided he didn't needed to be shaken or dropped any more. I was still game for physical abuse, and quite enjoyed being dropped 13 stories at the Hollywood Tower Hotel. I followed that up with the crown jewel of Disney roller coasters, a fake limousine that streaks through utter blackness with hard rock pounding in your ears. Truly fine. 
We needed something sweet and simple after that--a 30-minute musical summary of Beauty and the Beast. I cannot see Belle without remembering Sophia's anguished gasps of betrayal, at her third birthday party, when she was given a "Belle" dress, rather than the "Cinderella" dress she asked for. I now know my princesses, too!
We ran into the Eberts, later that morning, trying to find their way to Beauty and the Beast. That's Mia, beneath the white drape. Ezra had acquired one of those nifty fan-sprayers to survive the (more refreshing than yesterday) 97-degree heat. Annelise slipped into the stroller in Ezra's absence--there is a heirarchy in who gets the treasured stroller seats. And, amid all the diversions of a Disney theme park, Sophia was amusing herself with a bit of blue ribbon!
"Up" is the latest Disney feature cartoon, and Dave and I felt privileged to pose with its stars.
The highlights of our day were three shows about stunt work and special effects. We first attended the Indian Jones Stunt Show, at which "extras" were chosen from the audience, dressed up as Arabs, and told they represented all the citizens of Cairo.
Stunt look-alikes for Harrison Ford and his leading lady then shot, whipped, leapt, and flew their way through a Nazi/Arab intrigue. Of course, there was lots of fire to add drama.
We then toured the Disney backlot, where we saw car-size airplanes which could be easily photographed for airliner dramas, the Herbie volkswagen, and a mock red rock desert scene which was doused in flames and then flooded with 70,000 gallons of water while we watched.
Finally, we saw the "Lights, Motors, Action" stunt show, in which car and motorcycle chases, gunmen leaping from tall buildings, break-aways on jet skis, and even a man in flames were separately filmed before our eyes, and then combined into one wild, terrorist escape scene which we viewed on overhead monitors. That was a must-see!
One of the getaway cars had the front and back reversed, so the driver looked like he was driving backwards, but in fact was facing straight ahead!
The motorcyclist revved up to 60 mph, then slid for 30 feet and hit a wall. 
Of course, a terrorist scene needs a man on fire....
who gets doused out....
in the midst of more fire and chaos.
Wild Animal Kingdom is filled with creatures, real and imagined. Dave's very favorite ride, in all the Disney parks, was "It's a Bug's Life," a 3-D adventure in which we became "honorary insects" and were introduced to bigger than life stinkbugs (who stank), leafcutters (who bared their teeth and roared) and termites and cockroaches whom we could feel dashing out beneath our seats (truly innovative technology). To reach this dark fantasy, we traipsed round and round the Tree of Life, the huge centerpiece of the park, which is carved with hundreds of animals.
We thought of Michael on our Himalayan adventure--a roller coaster ride to find the yeti among the far-away snowy peaks. This may be as close as we'll get to his real Nepalese experience!
And we weren't adverse to a bit of glitz--the Circle of Life spectacular. The huge hall was divided into four parts. We were the "warthogs," and cheered for our mascot, as well as the great Simba.
I thought of Jonny and Jenny as Dave and I wandered along the Maharaja Trail, with its faux Indian ruins and real tigers (in contrast to the real ruins and faux tigers I found in India). 
My very favorite ride was the "safari" past sleepy but real African wildlife, and even a boabab tree which, though made of concrete and paint, made me wistful for Ethiopia.
St. Augustine also has treasures from the late 1800s. Henry Flagler, pioneer of modern Florida, got rich as a partner of John D. Rockefeller in Standard Oil. He built resorts down the east coast of Florida in St. Augustine, Palm Beach, and Miami. Dave and I toured a museum (above) filled with his collections, from huge carved wooden bears to crystal and porcelain from all over Europe.
