We Are To Disneyland For Sue's 50th Christmas Eve (Page One)
We are off to Disneyland and this is Sue's 50th year of going to Disneyland on Christmas Eve. When she first moved to Rossmoor and 1963, the family did not know anyone so Dad said "We are going to Disneyland today which was Christmas Eve 1963"... The tradition was started!
Ratchet forward 50 years.... First stop before Disneyland is the Rainforest Cafe
Bob and NIck look at the menu... NIck knows it by heart
Nice hot tea to start the day
Paul wore his fur coat thinking it might be cold outside
Watch the pancakes and everyones bacon disappear
We did have to stop at Catal on the way in and drop off Christmas presents for Valerie and "The Big Guy"
Perfect timing... Inside the gate at 11:00 and our tour starts at Noon!
Get get signed in and get our audio gear checked out for
the three hours of walking on the tour!
We are wired up and ready to go
Sue has our special badges
A Motley Crew for sure
We are off to see the wizard...
Van Gogh went to Disneyland.... How do we know???
It was a spectacular day... 75 degrees with a gentle breeze
The City Hall look great
Did You Know? - Main Street USA itself is a representation of what life was like in the early 1900's. It is based on Walt's home town of Marceline, Missouri. But what most people don't know is that the City Hall building is not a representation from Marceline, but almost an exact replica of the City Hall building that can be found in Colorado Springs, Co.
California means it is always green
Everything is decorated
This here is red
The train stations was very busy
Did You Know? - Each year, these trains travel about 20,000 miles circling Disneyland Park
Funny loaded with sound and badges... It's getting close to departure
No so much with the fat boy.... Resting before the walk
Greens and reds on the park bench
We have new digital audio this year...
Boys will be boys
Sound check 1 - 2 - 3.... 1 - 2- 3
Who is who??? Paul we know is Goofy!
Our guide was fantastic... Karli was well versed in the lore of Disneyland
We headed to California Adventure to visit their tree and candy store
Karli keep us organized
The California Adventure tree had its own story
We spotted a train under the tree
Nick... The handsome devil
The ornaments are all hand made
Around and around it goes
A long way to the top
Some of us eat our candy real fast... and then giggle
Putt putt put
Walt's Apartment always has a light of some type in the window
Karli knows the story well
The Disneyland tree has 70,000 light on it
Everywhere one can decorate is indeed decorated
We thought of Herb... Perhaps a relative??
The Matterhorn was beautiful against the blue sky
Dressed for the occasion
The snow is melting making the waterfall quite noisy
Snow on the castle
Karli explains the lighting on the castle
"...and here we are in Adventure Land"
"Hey Mom... I'm scared of the alligators!"
"Nick... Hate to tell you this but the alligators are scared of you!!"
This way out... But our tour goes in here
See the wild animals??
The snakes are having a feast...
Don't look... They are not wearing their shorts
Did You Know? - Adventureland is one of the "themed lands" at the many Disneyland-style theme parks run by the Walt Disney Company around the world. It is themed to resemble the remote jungles in Africa, Asia, South America, and the South Pacific. "To create a land that would make this dream reality", said Walt Disney, "we pictured ourselves far from civilization, in the remote jungles of Asia and Africa."
Adventureland provides a 1950s view of exotic adventure, capitalizing on the post-war Tiki craze. Lush vegetation resembles jungles while elements of the "other" surround the visitor. Tribal performance masks, conga drums, non-American totem poles, exotic animal statues, and architecture of Pacific influence make for a confined area wherein industry and technology take a back seat to uncharted nature.
Noted art historian David T. Doris explains Adventureland as, "a pastiche of imaginary colonial spaces, conflated within the green and foliate milieu of 'the Jungle.'"
Living in harmony
Hippo-Pot-A-Mus
"Come on in"
Santa in the jungle??
He is called "Little Squirt" for a reason
They are real... NOT
Hey... We have been walking for two hours so far
To Louisiana for a short visit
Even the angles are decorated
"Don't be scared... It's Disneyland"
What time is it?
Let's go for a ride
Skeletons everywhere
Next stop... It's A Small World
We made it...
The pansies were fantastic
Did You Know? - The common names "pansy" and "violet" are often used interchangeably. When a distinction is made, plants considered to be pansies have four petals pointing upwards, and only one pointing down. Violets have three petals pointing up and two pointing down. Thus Viola cornuta is commonly referred to as a pansy.
The name pansy is derived from the French word pensée "thought", and was imported into Late Middle English as a name of viola in the mid 15th century, as the flower was regarded as a symbol of remembrance. The name "love in idleness" was meant to imply the image of a lover who has little or no other employment than to think of his beloved one. The name "heart’s-ease" came from the woman St. Euphrasia, whose name in Greek signifies cheerfulness of mind. The woman, who refused marriage and took the veil, was considered a pattern of humility, hence the name "humble violet".
Modern horticulturalists tend to use the term "pansy" for those multi-coloured large-flowered hybrids that are grown for bedding purposes every year, while "viola" is usually reserved for smaller, more delicate annuals and perennials.
In Scandinavia, Scotland, and German-speaking countries, the pansy (or its wild parent Viola tricolor) is or was known as the "stepmother"; the name was accompanied by an aitiological tale about a selfish stepmother, told to children while the teller plucked off corresponding parts of the blossom to fit the plot. In Italy the pansy is known as flammola (little flame), and in Hungary it is known as árvácska (small orphan).
In Israel, the pansy is known as "Amnon and Tamar", after the biblical characters (II Samuel 13). In The United States, pansies have been colloquially referred to as "football flowers" because of the Milwaukee "Football" or soccer decorations that use white chrysanthemums and black pansies to create a soccer ball (no flower gets quite as black as a pansy).[citation needed] In some countries of Spanish language, the pansy is known as "Pensamiento" or "Trinitaria".
Tick-Tock
Hang on... It's a wild ride
Carri looks scared... It's OK... ONly 10,000 little kids inside
We is about to we swallowed
Did You Know? - "Children of the World" was the working title of the attraction. Its tentative soundtrack featured the national anthems of the countries represented throughout the ride all playing all at once, which resulted in a cacophonous noise.
Walt showed a scale model of the attraction to his staff songwriters Robert B. Sherman and Richard M. Sherman, saying, "I need one song that can be easily translated into many languages and be played as a round."
The Sherman Brothers then wrote "It's a small world (after all)" in the wake of the Cuban Missile Crisis, which influenced the song's message of peace and brotherhood. When they first presented it to Walt, they played it as a slow ballad.
Walt requested something more cheerful, so they sped up the tempo and sang in counterpoint. Walt was so delighted with the final result that he renamed the attraction "it's a small world" after the Sherman Brothers' song.
It is argued that this song is the single most performed and most translated piece of music on Earth. The song can be heard worldwide on musical devices ranging from keyboard demos to ice cream trucks.
Very bright and cheery inside
Amazing
Paul was not on the list.... A good thing!
The music, colors, and action were fantastic
Paul looks into a mirror
Fleas Naughty-Dog
Let's to go Hawaii
We are getting into the mood
No! Merry Christmas
Dance dance dance...
Viewing The Parade, Dinner, And Fireworks!
We have front row seats
....
But we were late!
Tah Dah
The squirrels showed up
Here's Rocky
The dancers were fresh as we are at the beginning of the parade
The tree was on the move
I think we know him
Here comes Santa Claus
Here comes Santa Claus
Right down Santa Claus Lzne
"I read the list... Paul has been a good boy!"
The real bvoss shows up (Courtesy of Dod Duda)
Great music!!
You cannot keep a dancer down
Go Minnie Go!
Dang... Who is teaching whom?
The Bears came to visit
The sun begins to set over the Rivers OF America
A visit to the pirates is a must
We are beginning to drag.... Been walking four hours
Bob 'splains about pirates
Did You Know? - The English "pirate" is derived from the Latin term pirata and that from Greek "πειρατής" (peiratēs), "brigand", in turn from "πειράομαι" (peiráomai), "I attempt", from "πεῖρα" (peîra), "attempt, experience". The word is also cognate to peril.
He has been on a diet too long....
Smile... Yoiu be on Candid Camera
Did You Know? - Candid Camera is an American hidden camera/practical joke reality television series created and produced by Allen Funt, which initially began on radio as Candid Microphone June 28, 1947. After a series of theatrical film shorts, also titled Candid Microphone, Funt's concept came to television on August 10, 1948. Its last original broadcast was on May 5, 2004.
The format has appeared on U.S. TV networks and in syndication (first-run) in each succeeding decade, as either a regular show or a series of specials. Funt himself hosted or co-hosted almost all of the TV versions until a 1993 stroke from which he never recovered. His son Peter Funt, who had co-hosted the specials with his father since 1987, became the producer and host.
Scary!!!
Departing the park pre-dinner
The kids are heading to Whittier right after dinner
Greg attempts to levitate Carri
Our waiter saw Carri rise 6 inches out of her chair
Nice wrist movement Bob
Greg checks with his bookie
"Hello, Planet Earth... This is Nick!"
Fun with friends
They gots the giggles
He must have told a story
Look out... We are coming through
Time for a ride before the fireworks
What a ride
In line for the next takeoff
9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 Blastoff
Nice suit
The night was warm (for December)
The castle was lit
We had a blast
"Come on guys... Get ready to blast your way out"
The pointsettias were beautiful
The fireworks starts
Eek! A gigantic mouse
The sky lit up
Like daylight
Boom... Boom... Boom...
Raining fireworks
The castle changes colors coordinated with the fireworks
Up up and away
The snow is falling but it is not wet???
Colored snow.. A Disneyland speciality
Magnificant ending to a perfect day
The snow is blowing
Ice has formed on the castle
The tree was beautiful.. We are heading to Catal
Valerie was on duty
Thank You Disneyland for providing a beautiful, safe, and happy place to celebrate the Christmas holiday. For over half a century we have celebrated with you and we plan to continue as long as we can!