On this 8th day of November, 2016, the United States stands poised to select the next president of this country. We stand at a crossroads, one between selecting a person that many believe to be a criminal, or selecting a person that many believe is a racist, sexist individual that will lead this country into greater despair.
My friends, I do not know which person will be the better president, and at this point I can only guess at who will win the election. However, I started thinking about that incredible attraction in the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World, the Hall of Presidents, and that gave me pause. Ponder with me for a few moments on three key things that I’ve realized about this great country of ours.
This is not the first time our country has faced fear and uncertainty.
Believe it or not, but our country has been more divided before — the Civil War is proof of that division.
The president that adheres to these words from the Hall of Presidents production will be a great leader:
“Our hopes should be their hopes, our fears should be their fears.”
In this time of fear, uncertainty, and the unknown, take a moment, my friends, and watch the YouTube video of the Hall of Presidents. Watch it, remember it, and relish in the simple truths that this show teaches us — that together, we are Americans, and we can tackle any challenge as long as we do it together.
The East Building is the location of special events, such as the Escher and Da Vinci exhibits.
Museum of Art – Escher and Da Vinci Exhibits.
By Mike Ellis.
{Editor’s Note: Yesterday we looked at the Permanent Collection at the West Building of the Museum. Today we are taking at look at the special exhibit they have as well.}
Over at the North Carolina Museum of Art, the East Building is home to two exhibits that are just about finished with their run here in North Carolina. The Worlds of M. C. Escher and the Leonardo Da Vinci Codex Leicester exhibits have been here at the museum since the end of October, but they are finishing up this month. In fact, the Da Vinci exhibit ends this Sunday, January 17, 2016, and the M. C. Escher exhibit ends on Sunday, January 24, 2016.
My wife Cindy and I had some free time yesterday, so we decided to take in the exhibit. Tickets can be purchased at the Museum of Art website, or directly at the museum. Pricing is listed below:
Those prices include seeing both exhibits under one ticket. For Cindy and I, it took about two hours to see it all, so I think that is well worth the cost!
Leonardo Da Vinci’s Codex Leicester and the Creative Mind
Photography rules for Da Vinci’s Codex Leicester were that you could take photographs as long as no flash was used. The room was darkened, with very subtle lighting, and in the room were individual pillars containing the actual pages of the Codex, along with a translation below the pages talking about what those pages referred to. First, though, some information was on the wall that talked about the exhibit in general.
In reading this information, I feel like I gained nearly as much information from this as I did from the pages themselves, and I was struck with the knowledge that the Codex Leicester is the only one of his manuscripts that exists in North America.
“Above the plains of Italy, where flocks of birds are flying today, fishes were once moving in large schools.”
This digital copy of the Codex Leicester allows you to translate, paraphrase, reverse the image, and more so you can learn more about the Codex.
Leonardo Da Vinci artist background.
I enjoyed the Codex Leicester, even if most of it was over my head, so to speak. One thing that really strikes me is that at the Museum we are looking at a manuscript that is 500 years old! The Leonardo Da Vinci Codex Leicester is here at the North Carolina Museum of Art until Sunday, January 17, 2016, and is on loan by Bill Gates. If you have the opportunity to do so, I urge you to check it out!
The Worlds of M. C. Escher — Nature, Science, and Imagination
Other than this sign, photography was not allowed in the exhibit.
I wish that photography had been allowed — there were so many great pieces on display, more than 130 of them! To look at some of the ones you can see here, go check out the gallery at the M. C. Escher Gallery. Better yet, if you have the opportunity, go check it out! Remember, the M. C. Escher exhibit is at the Museum until Sunday, January 24, 2016.
The Escher and Da Vinci exhibits are a really great reason to go check out the North Carolina Museum of Art, but if you do visit, I think you’ll find that the permanent collection and the Museum Park are great reasons to visit, even when those exhibits have moved on to other locations.
If you make it out to the Museum, please stop by and let me know what you think of it, and thanks for stopping by today!
Disney Magic is found in seeing Mickey & Minnie riding Dumbo with special guests!
Disney Magic. The stuff of legends, Disney Magic is, quite likely, the biggest reason why so many people come back to Walt Disney World and Disneyland each and every year. It is found in so many different ways, that I thought the best way to share what it means to me is to show you with my photos. I hope you enjoy!
…can be found in the joy of the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party…
The joy on Sophie’s face is a site to see!
…is having your picture taken with your cousin and Snow White!
The picture of Snow White was taken on September 30, 2011, the day before the 40th Birthday of Walt Disney World!
…is being first in line to see Clarabelle Cow and Horace Horsecollar!
…is the joy of seeing your favorite character, Donald Duck, and dancing with him!
…is telling Princess Jasmine a secret, and being able to chat for 5 minutes with no one waiting to see her.
…is celebrating your 7th birthday with your best friend.
…is seeing your niece proposed to in front of her Castle by her Prince.
Disney Magic is the reason I have this blog, the reason I help families plan trips to Walt Disney World, and the reason why we love going to Walt Disney World and Disneyland so much. For me, no two words have more meaning at Disney than that. What do you think of it? Let me know in the comments, and thanks!
