Tusker House at Disney's Animal Kingdom
Tall Tower
A stone tower serves as part of the facade for the Tusker House Restaurant in the Africa section of Disney’s Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World. This was a scene from the 2019 Band and Chorus Disney Trip.
I did not eat at the Tusker House during that 2019 trip. In fact, I have actually only eaten there once or twice. The main time was for Donald’s Safari Breakfast, which was a character buffet featuring appearances by Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Pluto, and Goofy. And there was food, too. And it was good.
But my strongest memory of that character breakfast was just how cold it was when we were there early that morning. The temperature was around 42 degrees, so we walked quickly from the park entrance all the way back to Africa, happy to be moving to keep warm. It did warm up later in the day, however. But the morning started off pretty cold.
So now, every time we walk by the Tusker House restaurant, that is what I remember. That breakfast on that cold morning. Even if it is hot outside, I still remember that. Isn’t it funny how memories work sometimes?
See more photos from this trip on the 2019 Band and Chorus Disney Trip page.
Memories
Memories are interesting things. Sometimes you forget something until some random thing jars that memory and brings it back for you. Sometimes we associate a memory with something, even though there is not much of anything connecting them.
For me, smells bring back certain memories, which is an interesting phenomenon. There are a couple of smells around our property that remind me of things. One grass (or probably weed) smell reminds me of our house in Nashville. We lived there when I was 5 and 6 years old. I have some memories of living there, but I wouldn’t think I would remember smells. However, there were fields behind our house and across the street from our house, and apparently at least one of those fields had the same stuff growing in it that we have in one of our horse pastures. Interesting.
Similarly, another grass smell around our house reminds me of the place that we used to go for our church camp every summer. I will be cutting grass with the tractor, and all of a sudden I will smell a smell and immediately think, “Camp Tahokdah!” That is pretty weird. So then I tell Laura and she probably thinks I am weird, too.
So maybe associating a restaurant facade with a cold December morning isn’t any more weird than that.
Bible Verse
Do not remember the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you, Lord, are good. - Psalm 25:7
About the Photo
On the surface, there really isn’t all that much special about this photo. I even considered not sharing it here. But I do like how the sky turned out, and I like how the color of the tower stands out from the color of the sky. Plus, as I mentioned above, it brings back some Tusker House memories for me. So here it is, in case it brings back some memories for you, too.
Photo: A single Raw exposure, processed in Aurora HDR. 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 9, 2019
Location: Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Walt Disney World, Florida
