Beautiful Day at Disney Springs

A Beautiful Day

The Aerophile balloon soars above the Springs Bottling Company, home of Morimoto Asia, in Disney Springs at Walt Disney World in Florida.

As I mentioned in the previous post, Jaylin and I and the Harding Academy Band and Chorus took a trip to Walt Disney World recently. Both the Band and the Chorus performed at Disney Springs, so I got to spend a little time there around their performances.

After all of the recent construction to convert it from Downtown Disney, Disney Springs has become one of our favorite places to hang out when we are in the area. So I did not mind at all that I got to spend some time there on this trip. I did not go in as many of the shops as we usually do when we are there on our summer trips, but that was fine. Disney Springs is now just a nice place to walk around and pass some time.

We got there early in the day, arriving around 9:30 in the morning. That is earlier than we usually get there. But the Aerophile balloon was already soaring in the blue sky. That gave a perfect photo opportunity, which is what you see here above. It was a nearly perfect day. Just right for some performing groups to do their thing.

In Concert

The first group was the Harding Academy Acappella Chorus. They performed on the small stage in between the Boathouse and Jock Lindsey’s Hangar Bar. We actually were not expecting them to perform there. But some of us adults were walking by, and I saw this area and thought, “That is a nice looking stage.” Then I looked over and saw Harding Academy on the sign. That was immediately followed by an effort to alert the band members and parents of where the chorus concert was going to be. I think everyone found it okay.

Aside from having the sun in their eyes and sweating a little from the slight heat that we were not used to back home, the chorus did an exceptional job, just as I knew they would. By the way, if you are looking for Jaylin, he is second from left on the second row. I was quite proud, as I am sure all of the parents were.

It was great to see Kyle Gentry there. Kyle is an artist who lives in the area. He also happens to be a friend of mine from our high school days, and he was also in the Harding Academy Band once upon a time. Kyle came for both performances, and we grabbed some lunch along with some of the other chaperones at Chicken Guy in between. You can see some of his art at his website.

Up next was the band concert. The band performed on the main Disney Springs stage, which is actually where we expected both groups to perform. The band even had a canopy to protect them from the sun, of which we parents and other audience members were slightly jealous. Aside from having to contend with the wind occasionally blowing their sheet music around, the band also did an outstanding job, just as I knew they would.

Check out that trombone player on the end! And also check out the volcano on top of the Rainforest Cafe back behind them. During their second song, smoke started drifting up from the volcano. I leaned over to Kyle and said, “I think the volcano is going to erupt before they finish their concert!” Sure enough…

There she blows! Right during the last song. It was a very fitting end to the concert. Although I am sure Disney did not necessarily plan it that way, it certainly made for a grand finale.

Both groups did an excellent job. And I was a very proud parent, not only of my kid, but of all of the students who work hard to do well.

Of course, we did also ride lots of rides and do fun stuff, too. You can’t go to Walt Disney World without doing that, right? That was a good time with a good group of people, too. No major problems, lots of nice weather. And hopefully some memories that these kids will keep with them for a long, long time. Just like the ones that I have when I was in the same band 30 years go. Good times.

Bible Verse

And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. - Colossians 3:17

About the Photos

It was such a beautiful day that I did not have to do all that much to these photos. The band photos were a little tricky with them being in the shadows while the bright sky was behind them. Even though the chorus was sweating in the sun, they were better lit and easier to photograph. And the first photo with the balloon was really nice on its own, but some increased color saturation helped it along just a little more.

Photo: Each photo is a single Raw exposure, processed in Aurora HDR. Except for the photo of me and Kyle, which was taken with my phone. Read more about photography tips, photo software, camera gear, and more at Steve’s Photography Tips.
Camera: Sony Alpha A7 II
Lens: Sony FE 28-70mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS Lens
Date: March 8, 2019
Location: Disney Springs, Walt Disney World, Florida