One of my job perks is getting to see Disneyland park before guests arrive. I take a morning stroll through the resort once a week, usually on Mondays, in an effort to keep the photographic archive current and quietly make art.

It’s a privilege to watch sunrise at the Matterhorn. Ducklings waddle between waterways on thoroughfares normally bustling with tourists.

Colorful flowers blossom in Mickey’s Toontown.

Royal Street in New Orleans Square is often soaked from a night of steam cleaning and plant care.

Leaves sway with the breeze at Tarzan’s Treehouse and create a quiet soundtrack.

I can’t look at the iconic arches of Sleeping Beauty Castle from King Arthur Carrousel without seeing Walt Disney walking through them in my mind’s eye, inspecting his original Magic Kingdom on a morning not unlike this one, and feeling a very real connection.

There’s peace and beauty at Disneyland park in the morning, whether the sky is gloomy or bright. Add the smell of eggs Benedict with breakfast potatoes and fresh, piping hot coffee from Carnation Café and … okay … enough writing … it’s breakfast time.