Author: jeff noel

Retired Disney Institute Keynote Speaker and Prolific Blogger. Five daily, differently-themed personal blogs (about life's 5 big choices) on five interconnected sites.

Captiva Day 4, mind

Santa sleigh on the top of a roof on a palm tree laden island
Santa and the Noels are heading to Walt Disney World. Photo: From last night’s dinner location, The Crow’s Nest.

We will beat Santa to Walt Disney World.

It’s not a race.

But if it was, we’d win.

A four-hour drive “the back way” to help keep me a more engaged driver. Interstate driving in Florida is tedious for me after 20 minutes.

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This website is about our MIND. To read today’s post about our BODY, click here.

Captiva Day 3, mind

stars at a beach
5am, Dec 23, 2025. 100 meters from the beach.
Bird tracks in beach sand
New Day. New start. New trails to follow.
23-second video: Steps from our room.

The gift of another day.

Never gets old.

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This website is about our MIND. To read today’s post about our BODY, click here.

Captiva Day 2, mind

Honeymoon couple at beach resort at Christmas
Looking straight up the Florida State Tree, on Captiva Island.
Honeymoon couple at beach resort at Christmas
Merry almost Christmas.
Florida beach resort at Christmas
Location context.
Honeymoon couple at beach resort at Christmas
Happy present moment, anytime Santa’s on the Island.

It feels wonderful to be back.

Feels surreal, also, to finally stay on Captiva since fist visiting Sanibel-Captiva in 1988.

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This website is about our MIND. To read today’s post about our BODY, click here.

Captiva Day 1, mind

Christmas gift baskets
Cheryl got a second basket yesterday and off they go to Walt Disney World’s great Cast Members.

Goal today is to depart home by 10:00 AM for Captiva Island.

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This website is about our MIND. To read today’s post about our BODY, click here.

Disney teamwork, mind

Woman sitting on the floor with bags of Christmas goodies
Cheryl is an excellent organizer. Yesterday mid-morning, she created an assembly line so we could make 40 Christmas goodie-bags for Chapin’s team at Disney’s Contemporary Resort.

Disney teamwork has new meaning now that Chapin is a Cast Member.

The things Cheryl and i fuss over is slowly making sense to him in a way that non-Disney Cast members never get first-hand, backstage indoctrination.

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This website is about our MIND. To read today’s post about our BODY, click here.