The Big Four O.

October 1, 1971 Walt Disney World opens. These really are festive times, from Oktoberfest to the start of Epcot's International Food & Wine Festival, and 40 years since Disney World opened. Walt would be proud of his legacy. We can't begin to imagine how exciting it must've been to be there day one.  Presently, I'd like to think this is our way of paying tribute to this celebratory milestone, taking photos of our first experience and sharing our memories for others to enjoy too. Sock Monkey shows us how time has elapsed from simple conception to a dream come true. Isn't this part of Walt Disney's dream, for us to imagine the impossible? We're surely want to mark our legacy.

Oktoberfest.

Prost! It's Oktoberfest and where else would we be but at the Germany Pavilion in Epcot getting an early taste of the annual celebration. The festival has been held since 1810 celebrating the royal marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese. Now in modern times it is better known for lederhosen, music, bratwurst, and last but not least, beer! Sock Monkey feasted on an array of traditional German dishes, but what he enjoyed most was dancing to the live music playing inside during dinner.

Luxor, Jr.

Eight ball, softball, golf ball, soccer ball, bowling ball, however you want to interpret it to be, it will always be the bouncy ball from Pixar. I still remember watching the short film, with the now infamous Pixar lamp, aka Luxor Jr., right before Toy Story 2 in 1999. Back then I thought it was the coolest animation I'd ever seen. Now 12 years later, during Epcot's Flower and Garden Festival, Toy Story 3 was featured as the centerpiece attraction. And here is Sock Monkey with his favorite ball, ready to bounce and play with it like Luxor, Jr.

All Star Sports.

It's Downtown Disney Tuesday. What is Sock Monkey up to now? He's earning his mouse ears. Tennis, baseball, and basketball, our family has played it all. Without a doubt this family is Team Disney, and where else could you shop for sports gear created with your favorite characters in mind? That of course would be at Team Mickey Athletic Club in the Marketplace. We had some fun tossing a ball or two around. Sock Monkey was caught double dribbling.

Sans Dreamfinder.

I don't remember the original attraction, but my husband remembers the ride with Dreamfinder. I can only recall Dr. Nigel Channing. Having been revamped twice already, the current installment is the third version of Journey into Imagination or that title with Figment. Figment and the song have apparently been a few of the things that haven't been changed much. I've been told the older version was better and twice as long. I do like going through all the 5 senses, well at least 3 while you're on the ride. And of course there's that song, Sock Monkey couldn't stop singing, "One little spark, of inspiration. Is a the heart, of all creation... A dream come true with just that spark, in me and you. Imagination. Imagination." Where is Figment in this picture?

Its bananas, B.A.N.A.N.A.S.

Banana cream pie, banana split, banana nut bread, banana pudding, banana smoothie, banana flambe, banana loaf cake, banana pancakes, banana milk shake, banana bran muffin, bananas everything! Sock Monkey felt he hit the jackpot and was going "BANANAS!" He thought of all the different recipes he could whip up when he saw the bananas that were growing in Living with the Land. If all this talk of food is getting you hungry, wait till you see next week's pictures in celebration of Epcot's International Food & Wine Festival. We've personally never been, but I'll be posting many pics of the food Sock Monkey had dined on during this trip. Share your favorite food moments at Disney World.

Madd Sock Monkey.

Thought it was pretty cool to take a picture of Sock Monkey with something a little more his size. This is one of several miniature setups that are displayed within a building in Epcot. You can see where Doctor Sock Monkey conducts his experiments inside his research lab. Can anyone tell me where he is? I've forgotten where we took this picture. Please help.

Fall Equinox.

Today is the Fall Equinox, which means same length of day and night across the Earth. We say goodbye to Summer and hello to Fall. An appropriate way to celebrate this day is a photo of Sock Monkey with Sonny Eclipse at Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe in Tomorrowland. The food here and portion size is fairly priced for Disney dining. We enjoyed our meal and a few minutes of entertainment with the alien lounge singer playing away on his piano. Sock Monkey requested a few Sinatra tunes, but I don't think Mr. Eclipse deviates from his set list. Come back later to see which other famous Walt Disney World pianist Sock Monkey took a picture with.

Hello, anyone there?

Remember this phone, you do if you've seen the Carousel of Progress show. And this is what Walt Disney meant by progress. Who uses these hand-cranked phones anymore, especially when you have cell phones that aren't stuck to the wall and smart phones that let you surf the web and go shopping. Surprisingly, this one still works! When you lift the ear piece, hanging on the left, you hear Mickey and friends chatting away on the phone line. This phone is located at the Chapeau Hat Shoppe on Main St, USA in Magic Kingdom. This is Sock Monkey having a conversation with his new lady friends. Wait till you see what he's going to be doing next week.

Progress.

It's a slow attraction, but yet there is advancement, some spinning motion and robotics. Where are we? We are at the Carousel of Progress in Magic Kingdom. It's a good twenty minute show for cooling off and possibly taking a nap. I personally enjoy the animatronics and the catchy tune of  the song "Great big beautiful tomorrow." As for Sock Monkey, I think he liked it too. A good history lesson of where we've been, where we are, and maybe it needs a little updating now, but where the future will be. Overall, the Carousel of Progress makes you appreciate the development of electricity, advances in home appliances, and improvement in entertainment through the years. "Tomorrow is just a dream away."

Friend or foe.

Br'er Fox and Sock Monkey together at Splash Mountain in Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World. Is Br'er Fox a friend or foe? Br'er Fox is holding a sharp metal object in his hand and clearly he doesn't look as if he's going to chop down a tree, foe of course. If it wasn't for the Laughing Place or the sing along at the end of the attraction, I'd think Br'er Rabbit may have never made it to the end of the story, but he's one smart cottontail. "Pppplease...not the briar patch!"

"The happiest cruise..."

"that ever sailed." Sock Monkey agrees that this attraction does live up to its hype as a happy cruise. We're finally at the start of our boat tour around the world. You can't resist the cute faces and contagiously gleeful singing that occurs during this ride. "It's a Small World after all."

Swim away.

Faster, faster, swim faster Sock Monkey before Monstro swallows you up. Okay so this is only a picture on the wall. We stopped in for a bite to eat inside Pinocchio Village Haus at Magic Kingdom. This was one of the many Pinocchio themed creations that we saw while dining there. I thought this was a good attempt at adding to the artwork by placing Sock Monkey into the painting. Look at him blend in with the other fishes.

Let's call it a night.

After a long day of walking in the parks, filling up with Disney treats, and getting on our favorite rides, it was a matter of time that the night would end. Here we are in the lobby area of the Contemporary Resort and Sock Monkey has passed out on the comfy sofas. They just couldn't wait to go up to our rooms and sleep. I'd have to agree with Sock Monkey and company that it was a pretty sweet spot to snuggle into and snooze. Our stay at Bay Lake Tower was truly magical!

Home cooked meal.

It is moments like this that we appreciated the kitchen, to be able to sit down to a nice home cooked meal. This is the result of Sock Monkey's preparations from an earlier photo. Yummy! He sighed a breathe of relief and knew breakfast was a hit when our dear niece was opening up for more helpings. Sock Monkey surely knows his way to our hearts...through our stomach.  

V.I.P.

Very important primate. One of the loftier perks offered during our stay is access to the private Top of the World Lounge at Bay Lake Tower. We headed up there one night to see the fireworks display at Magic Kingdom. It was pretty astounding as the rooftop lounge simultaneously plays the music heard inside the park during Wishes Nighttime Spectacular. Sock Monkey and family enjoyed it very much! It was a different experience being so high up and watching the fireworks show at eye level. (Below you can see the lounge enclosed in the circular area, with additional outside viewing area from each of the wings.)

Nap time.

"Play it again, Sock Monkey." The master bedroom of the 2 bedroom villa is decorated with a piano like headboard and contemporary Disney art. There's a king size bed complete with a fleece blanket full of hidden Mickey's and a master bathroom with a stand up shower and jaccuzzi bathtub. The Bay Lake Tower DVC room had me at master bathroom. It was the jet propelling tub that had me at hello. We made use of it with plenty of bubble baths, and by the way, there was an overflow of bubbles that could've potential filled the whole bathroom. Sock Monkey missed it because he was too busy sleeping.

Chef Sock Monkey.

Not only can Sock Monkey stand and look pretty, but he can also help with the cooking. Here he is assisting the men in the house with my favorite meal of the day, breakfast. It was really great to have a kitchen to use during vacation. It helped us save on dining that would've been spent in the parks, and you know if you've been there, how pricey Disney dining can get. Again, we were really happy to be able to utilize the kitchen in our villa at Bay Lake Tower during our stay, especially knowing that our meals were made with love.

Welcome to BLT.

We were invited to vacation on my in-law's DVC points and it was ...amazing! Here we are in Bay Lake Tower at Disney's Contemporary Resort. Sock Monkey made himself real comfortable during our stay. We were booked in the 2 bedroom villa and it was more than enough room for a family of four adults, a teenager, and a two year old. For a change, we spent a lot of time in the room and not in the parks. It felt odd, but we were truly just relaxing in the room and taking in all the perks of being on property at Walt Disney World. This was our common room area, aka living room, kitchen, and dining room, and Sock Monkey is seen here standing on the pullout sofa bed. You can get a general sense of how much space the 2 bedroom villa offers, very contemporary and yet very Disney. More to come of our home away from home.

Where is Sock Monkey?

Can you find Sock Monkey hidden here at the World of Disney in Downtown Disney Marketplace?

Zen.

Sock Monkey is at the Japan pavilion in Epcot. He wants to have a backyard that's just as calm and peaceful as it is here. If we had an area like this back home, it'd be a great place for a little light reading, like The Tao of Pooh or The Te of Piglet. "It is very hard to be brave," said Piglet, sniffling slightly, "when you're only a very small animal." Rabbit, who had begun to write very busily, looked up and said: " It is because you are a very small animal that you will be useful in the adventure before us." - Benjamin Hoff

Touch your language.

Se habla espanol. Parlez-vous francais? English is my second language, monkey business is my first. Sock Monkey is on Spaceship Earth and in each time machine you're asked to pick a language to hear the narration in. Considering we've been there so many times and pretty much know what will be said, we choose a foreign language here and there just to learn a new word or two. What's your language of choice?