Abandom Hope All Ye Who Enter Here

because there's a ton of pictures today!

Some are good shots, but a lot are memory shots of a damned near perfect day at Disneyland.  If the mood strikes you, all the photos on this blog are clickable for a larger version.

The weather was just sublime, a tad warm, but almost always a breeze to keep us cool.  We had decided beforehand that we would walk all we could, but avoid standing as much as possible.  It's strange how I can walk comfortably, but standing for more than five minutes seems to disagree with my body.

We started at the gate, where I presented an old one person two day commemorative passport I had in the collection. It originally had the ticket stub on the far right.

The Castmember at the gate looked at it and said "I'll have to call someone about this".  I said fine, since this was pretty much what I was expecting.

You see, main gate passes to Disneyland never expire, something I know, but many Castmembers do not.  So a "Lead" (supervisor) comes over and says he has to ask someone else, but do I want the ticket back?  I said I would like the larger part back after the transaction is complete.  After a few minutes, someone else shows up, they scratch their heads for a minute or two and say they'll be right back.  After about ten minutes yet another Castmember (presumably higher up) show us and informs me that they really aren't supposed to do this (meaning giving me two one day tickets rather than a one person two day ticket).  That said, they decided to make an exception in this case.  He hands me my larger part of my original ticket and two one day passes.

Cool, my friend Misty and I have just entered the park for a mere $22 total, saving ourselves $152!  The day is off to a good start.

Usually, I wait till I'm under the railroad bridge before I even think of taking pictures, but this view caught my eye.  Truthfully, it's my favorite shot of the day.  I considered leaving it for last, but this is such a long post, I figured it would be best to keep everything in order.

I do love the train station, 

and I have to admit, 

in the hundreds of times I've been to Disneyland, 

I've never spotted this view.

I was telling Misty how, 

no matter how often I come to the park, 

there's always something new to shoot.  

She said that's because every time I come, 

I bring new eyes.

I like that idea.

 I love that first view of Main Street 

as you walk under the berm, 

it just clicks with something in my head, 

and I'm taken to a good place.

They have a slew of new hats for the kiddies.

I meant to get a shot of the hats,

but when I spied the reflection, 

I decided I liked this scene more.

Having been to Disneyland so many times, 

I like to look at the details.

They've Cars-ified the monorail!

More details.

The Alice in Wonderland ride

has hundreds of unique details.

Another favorite is the StoryBook Land Canal Boats.

Each is themed to one of the animated favorites.

They're intensely detailed,
every one a beauty in its' own right.

Not a great shot,

but I always like the beginning of the journey.

Into the Mouth of the Beast,

Monstro the Whale.

And out the other side,

entering one of the most beautiful spots 

in all of Disneyland.

This is where Toad Hall sat for years.

They felt it needed to be updated, so they took it out

and replaced it with Agrabah.

There was quite a fuss, 

so they eventually brought Toad Hall back,

but in a new location.  

Unfortunately I didn't get a very good shot.

Still, I'm happy its been restored.

The beautiful Cinderella's Castle.

If you look closely,

you can see the pumpkin coach 

on the road going up to the castle.

They've also added Prince Eric's city from

the Little Mermaid.

Gepetto's Village.

This is one of my favorite parts of this attraction.

Just around sunset, 

I saw the dying sunlight on the castle.

We hustled over to see what shots we could get. 

Not the best of shots but the roses caught my eye

Then I noticed the reflection.

I like the castle in this shot, 

the roses not so much.

This one is a bit better, 

but neither is exactly right.

Maybe next time.

All day I was alternating 

using my iPhone 4s and my Canon sx40.  

I found that in the dark rides, 

the iPhone was vastly superior.

I was really impressed with this shot.

I shot this using my iPhone 

and the amazing ProCamera app.

Remember, this was taken in the dark
from a moving boat

(Please, click to enlarge).

All I did was manipulate for size 

and a bit of sharpening.

Next we go over to Downtown Disney.

The Lego Store 

has mounted this most impressive display.

It might not show, 

but this dragon is close to life size.

Now we're in the stores.

If I had a yard, 

this would have come home with me.

Also this.  

It stands about fifteen inches tall, 

and the boys are bobbleheads.

Too cute.

Now it was getting dark.

All day long we kept seeing these hats.

I believe they're from the new Cars Land.

I asked this fella if he would pose for a shot, 

and he was happy to oblige.

Bad shot, but good for the memory.

After all, who wears a tire on their head?

Next time I'll take a day time shot.

This was taken with my iPhone!

Fantasyland at night.

I've tried for years to get shots of fireworks, 

always with minimal success.

But once again, my sx40 came through.

And one final yee haw.

The perfect end to a perfect day.

Next time I go to the park,
I'm going to shoot even more.

I'll be bringing my new eyes with me.

Remember

It's Never Too Late

To Live Happily Ever After,

because

Annette

If you are of an age (like me) where the Mickey Mouse Club was an integral part of your early life, Annette Funicello is a name that needs no introduction.

She burst on the American scene at the tender age of twelve, quickly gaining popularity as America's favorite Mouseketeer.  She went on to star in a number of Disney films, had a successful singing career and went on to star in a number of popular beach films.

All of us who love Disney have always held her dear to our hearts, and when she divulged in 1992 that she was suffering from multiple sclerosis, it was a blow to everyone.

With her announcement, the Walt Disney Company resolved to do something special for her.  The decision was made to craft a walking cane to help her get around.  My talented friend Kevin Kidney (a huge Annette fan) was tapped to create the piece.

The cane included numerous tiny reminders of her career embedded into the cane itself (Mouseketeer ears, ballet slippers, etc).  When the presentation was made, Kevin got to meet her and this picture was taken (this was October 21, 1992).

I thought this was so cool, I asked Kevin for a copy of his photo and he kindly obliged.  Today I found it in among my many treasures, and I wanted to share it with all of you.

Kevin has gone on to become a star in his own right, creating (along with his partner Jody Daily) some of the most wonderful Disney collectables imaginable.  If you'd like to see some of their work, click here.

I keep thinking I've found all my treasures, but every day something wonderful like this pops up.

More This and That

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Another day spent working on the house. We found a huge box filled with old family pictures.

Is this the cutest baby you've ever seen?
Unfortunately, it has some damage,
still, I think it's an adorable shot.

He grew into this.
One of my favorite pictures of Terry,
I thought it was lost forever.
This was taken on the Chicken of the Sea
when it was still in Fantasyland.
Now it's gone forever.

Playing with the phone,
I took a couple of pictures of the big case.
The light was poor, so they're pretty noisy.
Still, they'll serve as good memory shots.

Mickey painting Mickey,
seeing Walt.
Thank you Norman Rockwell.

My version of Neverland.

That's it for tonight.

Back Home Again

And by that I mean back in Cholula Red.

What an amazing five days . . .

The first night, we attended an incredible Mary Blair event. If you've never heard of her, well, you should, and you can read a bit about her here. I'm also including a link that talks about the event here. To see a sampling of her artwork, click here.

It was the perfect venue to see so many old friends who I've greatly missed over the last six years. One special note, I had the honor of being introduced to Tyrus Wong, whose work I've greatly admired for most of my life. Rightly inducted as a Disney Legend in 2001, his artwork is beyond compare. If you're a fan of those amazing forest scenes in Bambi, you have Tyrus Wong to thank. As a special note, this last Monday, October 25, was his 101st birthday. I had the pleasure of shaking his hand, a special honor for me and an occasion I wanted to remember here.

The next day, we went to Disneyland, where we had lunch at Club 33. Then we got to watch the new parade, Soundsationsal. Our friends Kevin and Jody are the designers of the parade, and Jody came to visit us at the park and show us all the extra touches they included. That was a real treat. Then we spent the rest of the day in the park, and I was too tired at the end of the day.

The next day we were completely wrung out, so we lounged a bit, ate lunch at Damon's, a Glendale favorite, then visited the original Apple Store. That evening was spent visiting with Howard and Annie, our hosts for this little jaunt (Paula had previous plans, but we did get some time with her).

Sunday we had plans to go and see Kevin and Jody's new home in Anaheim. Just as we arrived, we got a phone call, and they were still at the Muzeo in downtown Anaheim, attending the opening of the Queen's Gallery, a Steampunk exhibition. Knowing my penchant for photography, they thought we should come down before visiting the house, and were we ever glad we did! It was a delight and I will be posting some of those shots in the coming days.

After that, all of us headed out to lunch (ever had a 50/50 milkshake? YUM!). Next was a short tour of historic Anaheim, including a visit to the tree that was the inspiration for the Swiss Family Robinson tree house in Disneyland. What a trip to see the same beautiful roots, actually connected to the earth. A strange sort of deja vu, quite special.

Then we headed to the new house. Actually a beautiful 1800s Victorian, completely restored. We spent the rest of the afternoon catching up, and making plans to never again let such a long time pass between visits.

Then it was back to Glendale, and early Monday morning we were off on our way home. We drove up 101, including stops at Andersen's Split Pea Soup, and another at the Madonna Inn. Then it was home at 5:00pm.

I have literally thousands of pictures from both the Canon and the new iPhone 4s, but most of them will need a bit of work, or at least resizing. Hopefully they'll be up in a day or ten.

A note about all the links on this post. They all lead to a variety of really interesting web sites, so you might want to make sure to click each one.

It's good to be back. I had a great time, but I sure missed Terry. And now I have a bit of room, so we can get rid of even more more.

And sooner or later,
we'll get back on the road.

Joan, Hank and Walt

.
I've written before of the power of music to transform.

It can change your environment, transport you back in time or send your imagination soaring.

This morning, it's cold and drippy outside. We're staying "home" today (in the rig as opposed to the house), and listening to music and reading (on my Kindle of course).

And listening to Joan Baez.

Has there ever been another voice like hers? Clean as ice and clear as a mountain stream, she always affects me.

What really gets me is that her music choices are so intrinsically tied into my life.

She makes me feel idealistic, young and hopeful. I've just gotten Very Early Joan, which I can highly recommend, a wonderful compilation. Her voice is still young and true, she never hits a wrong note.

It makes me hopeful, and I can use all the hopeful I can get these days.
__________

While I'm talking music, I just have to bring up Hank Williams again. I know I've written about Hank before (more than once), but the older I get, the more I appreciate him. I hear everyone talk about the tin pan alley greats (the Gershwins, Rodgers and Hart, Irving Berlin, and of course my special favorite Cole Porter), but most critics seem to relegate Hank to the country music category.

Hogwash I say. Has there been any songwriter who has touched so deeply on the human condition?

I don't think so.

Last night, we watched an expanded American Master's episode on Hank called Hank Williams-Honky Tonk Blues. These PBS segments are always well produced and informative and this was no exception. After watching it, once again, I caught myself looking up information about Hank on the internet.

I've read a lot about him over the years, but I found something I had never heard.

A bit of history here. As many people know, Hank was kicked out of the Grand Ole Opry in 1952, due to his alcoholism. When you hear the whole story of Hank Williams, this is just a footnote, but obviously one that needed to be rectified.

After all, has any other songwriter contributed so much to country music, before or since? Obviously not. So once again the internet stepped in with online petitions that urged the Opry to finally re-instate him.

As of October 31, 2010, the Opry finally relented (and none too soon I might add).

Upon his reinstatement, a representative of the Grand Ole Opry released the following statement.

"Hank Williams was the reason the Grand Ole Opry exists. Without him, this organization operates on false pretenses, and we are ashamed to have managed this American Institution without giving Hank his due. I speak on behalf on all of us at the Opry when I say: 'We've made a monumental mistake, and we are sorry to the entire Williams Family'""

Pretty cool, huh?
__________

Now on to something else. Today is the 109th anniversary of the birth of Walt Disney. There isn't much I can add to all that has been written about him, except that he has been responsible for some of the fondest memories of my life.

For that I will always be grateful.

Thank You, Walt Disney.
__________

In honor of Walt
and all these other fine artists,
I thought I'd do just a bit
of my kind of art.

Today is dark
and gray and gloomy
This is what I see out my window.

I play with it a bit
to make it more to my liking.

Then soften it a bit
to make me think
of how inviting it could be.
I would rather look at this view
than the real one.

One more,

completely unreal,
but beautiful in my eye.

As you can see,
this was no day to go out shooting,
so this is the best I could do.

Maybe tomorrow will be better
(I'm always hopeful).

#502 and a Little Disney

.
Wow, I just realized that a few days ago, I posted my 500th entry to this blog and I didn't even notice! Guess that goes to show how out of it I've been lately.

I spent most of today going through books (again) and I have to say, it seems endless. We have an appointment tomorrow to bring in another dozen boxes to the book store, so it had to be done.

After I reached my "quota" for the day, I walked around the house and took a few pictures. Today, some of the pieces hung on the walls caught my eye, so here we go. (And please remember that the house has been unoccupied for quite a while, so a lot of these pieces are really dusty and decorated with cobwebs.)

This is a street sign from Disneyland. They used to make these up for special occasions, affixing them to the lamp posts along Main Street. This one was for Donald Duck's 50th Birthday (obviously) and they would show up later at shows and sales.

It was one of the first
"official" Disneyland pieces
we ever bought.

This next piece is a small porcelain ornament made by the Walt Disney Classics Collection. I can't believe there was a time when we actually wanted figurines of Tinkerbell, they used to be quite rare.

Now she seems to be everywhere, and often, she doesn't even look like herself.

That said, the pieces from the WDCC have always been spot on and this piece in particular, is quite charming. As sold, you were supposed to hang her from a special ornament stand. Never one to be told how to display my collection, I liked the idea of putting her in a lantern, just like Captain Hook had done in the film.

We found this coach lamp
at a thrift store and hung her up.
She has lived in a corner of the house
ever since.
Complete with cobwebs.

Back in the day, we collected so much paper and artwork that finally, out of desperation, we started a small matting and framing business, just so we could conserve our own pieces. Much like photography, it changed the way I looked at a lot of things. I started framing a lot of pieces that weren't originally intended to be "art".

This is one of those pieces. It's actually a small standee that would have been displayed on the counter at a movie theater. I've always loved Elliott (from Pete's Dragon) so this piece was a natural for me. It's mounted "floating" from the background, so he sort of appears to be flying.

I took it to L.A. on one of our trips
and Ken Anderson
(who created Elliott)
was kind enough to sign it for me.

He was a dear man
and is sorely missed.

This next piece is quite special. There is a special lady named Stacia Martin. She is so multi-talented, I don't even know how to begin to describe her. Chances are if you've ever watched any of the special features on a Disney DVD, you've heard her speak.

One of her many talents is that she can do Disney quick sketch.

Now lots of people can draw Disney characters, but few of them can do so at the drop of a hat (most need model sheets and a bit of time). That said, there are a very few talented individuals who can just whip out almost any character and have it be perfect, or on-model as they say in the trade. Believe me, drawing these characters correctly is a lot harder than you think.

Stacia is one of those people.

One of the major characters
we collected was Pluto
(we have hundreds).
So of course, Stacia drew us a Pluto.
To make it extra special,
she signed it to our dogs
(at the time, Nancy, a mutt
and Charles, Carmen and David,
all rescue bassets).
Then she signed it from Pluto.

This still hangs in the dining room
where they used to sleep.

Cool, huh?

This next piece is one of the first pieces
of "serious" animation art
that we ever bought.
I've always loved the 1934 short
Two Gun Mickey.

Here's another early piece,
featuring Timothy Q. Mouse
from Dumbo.

These next pieces are quite special to me, and I will most likely keep them.

We used to belong to a group called the Mouse Club, where we became quite active. This was around 1990 and, at that time, the Disney Company wasn't quite so sure what to make of all these people who collected Disney. I had fallen in love with the Little Mermaid, and wanted very badly to get some of the newer animators to come speak at one of our conventions. The two I was most interested in were Andreas Deja and Glen Keane. At this time, they had never appeared at any collectors conventions, so I was a bit stumped as to how to approach them.

Fortunately, Andreas showed up at a show and sale. Afraid but determined, I went and introduced myself to him and asked if he would be interested in speaking at one of our events. He was just as kind and gracious as could be, and gave me his phone number so we could make further arrangements.

Several days later, I called him and did a phone interview for our newsletter. When we were almost done, I told him I was also interested in meeting Glen Keane, and did he by any chance know of the best way to approach him? He said "Sure, let me go down the hall and ask." A moment later, he came back and said that Glen would be expecting my call.

Boy, these are great memories. Long story short, they both agreed to come speak for us,and the following pieces are drawings they did for me.

Andreas had animated Mickey for the Prince and the Pauper. He would become the go-to guy for animating Mickey.

This next piece has very special memories for me.
At the time, Disney was working on
Beauty and the Beast.
The design of the Beast
was a closely guarded secret.
One day in the mail, this showed up,
and I was one of the first "outsiders"
to see the design.

Both Andreas and Glen came to our next convention and what a great time we had. As I mentioned, Glen was the head animator for the Beast and Andreas for Gaston. For their talk, the company allowed them to bring a rough cut of the "Be Our Guest" sequence from the film.

Everyone who saw it jumped up and was just amazed at the energy of the piece, it was so electric. We all now knew that the Little Mermaid was no fluke, Disney animation was now back on top (after a long dry spell)

Wow, I must sound like an old lady
reliving her memories . . .
Which is exactly what I am!

More to come later.