Candlelight & Cannonballs! (MANY MARDI GRAS MASK PICS!) Dec. 2012- Start Pg.235/#3524

[mvf-m11c]

Its nice to hear from you again Sherry and glad that you are feeling better. I would like to read more, but I have to get ready for my trip tomorrow. Maybe when I am on the road or waiting for the fireworks on Saturday night, I will read your posts. I will definitely be looking forward to reading your TR.

[Sherry E]

Originally Posted by kaoden39

Sherry, when I started I was putting the smaller pictures in it but Laurie couldn't see them as well. I am in a pickle either way. I'm sorry.

Michele -

No problem. Deejdigsdis and Bret already changed the size of their TR photos for my benefit (which I really appreciated but felt guilty about). I certainly don't want anyone else doing that too! As long as you have Laurie following along, that's what's important.

I have to get through my own TR now, anyway, for anyone who is actually interested in reading it (which doesn't seem to be too many people). I waited 3 months do it so if I stop to focus on anything else, I won't be able to get through it.

As Mariezp once told me, I should at least do the TR for myself, just to have it for my own 'records,' if not for anyone else's entertainment. (Of course, she and I also commiserated on how it feels lousy when it seems like no one is paying attention to our TR's when we do them, but it's good to chronicle the trips in some way for our own benefit.)

I am just letting anyone out there (who may be lurking) know that if you want me to follow along with your TR's and occasionally post in them, I am happy to do it but I can't when there are giant photos! If there were just one giant photo per page, it would not be so bad - but I think it's the collection of them on a page that locks/freezes up my old PC when the pages are trying to load! Large photos are fine - I think Laurie uses a large size in her TR's - but it's the jumbo size that I have a lot of trouble with. So, please, don't be offended or feel bad if I don't pop into a TR and comment!

I remember, back when I was using that same jumbo size of photo in my own TR (in the beginning, in 2008), another DIS'er in another thread commented on it to me. He was having trouble with the photos because the size of his screen was smaller, and he had to scroll over to see the whole photo. I don't think he had the same issue with his PC freezing up, but he had a harder time viewing the really big pictures.

So I just went down one size in photos when I loaded pictures. I don't choose the "Medium" option, whatever that is. I just use what Photobucket calls "Large" for the actual pictures that will be in Trip Reports (but I have posted single jumbo-sized photos in the Picture of the Day thread, though), although I have a feeling that some of my recent PhotoPass photos may have accidentally loaded in the jumbo size, which will give me a lot of trouble when it's time to post them in this TR!

Originally Posted by mvf-m11c

Its nice to hear from you again Sherry and glad that you are feeling better. I would like to read more, but I have to get ready for my trip tomorrow. Maybe when I am on the road or waiting for the fireworks on Saturday night, I will read your posts. I will definitely be looking forward to reading your TR.

Helllllllllllooooooo, Bret! Thank you for tuning in, and for the kind words. Yes, I feel much, much, much better.

I knew your DLR trip was about to start and I figured that you wouldn't be able to really read anything here for a while. I considered waiting a bit longer to start the TR so that you'd be back, but I have waited 3 months to get going with it so I have to do it when I am in the mood and on a roll or I will never finish it!

I'll have more posted today and certainly by tomorrow, but you can always catch up whenever you have time, after the trip is over. Have a wonderful visit to DLR, Bret!

[mariezp]

Originally Posted by Sherry E

Hi, Marie!!

It seems - operative word being "seems" - that the DIS' problems with slow-loading pages are fixed, from what I can tell, so all I have to deal with then is my usual PC issues. But the combo of both those things together would have sent me into a tizzy. Add to that the fact that I was feeling sick for so long...I just couldn't get a TR going. The timing wasn't right.

I hear you about timing! It takes specific timing as well as a certain mood to delve into working on these trip reports... at least for some of us. Some folks seem to come back "raring to go" but I know I have to work through a little of my Disneyland Post-Partum Blues before I can go back to reliving what I am so sad about just having left behind.

Originally Posted by Sherry E

Yes, I do feel like getting back to the Disneyland, sooner than later. When I was at the peak of illness, the last thing I wanted to do was go back there! Now that I am mostly better, I am in that mode of wanting to go back.

But when will I get back? My Christmas trips are always my first priority, with Halloween Time being a close second. I have a Superthread for each of those holidays and I have to keep up to date with the changing details and information, after all, so that the facts that I give out are relevant and current! Part of what we are expected to do as moderators is give out useful/helpful information and conduct discussions about certain things. Those 2 holidays are my 'things,' so I have to stay on top of what's happening!

We were worried about you there for awhile but we know it is a sure sign that you are back to your old self when you are voicing interest in future trips. Be sure to keep a Thanksgiving trip in mind while you are at it. We are very lucky to have you (and the others) as a moderator. You always do an excellent job of keeping us updated and filled to the brim with all things Disney.

Originally Posted by Sherry E

This year is a wild card in terms of holiday and Halloween decor & offerings because of all the new stuff opening in California Adventure. Disneyland may decide to go bigger and better than ever before with both Halloween Time and the holiday season...or they could scale it all back and cut out some things so that people can focus on Cars Land, Buena Vista Street, etc. New Orleans Square is a big mystery every year - little things keep disappearing from their holiday decor. And ToonTown? After seeing those "new," hideous Christmas trees they put in place of the old trees, I am crossing my fingers that they come to their senses this year and reinstate the old trees.

It will be interesting to see what Disney does in regards to the holiday experience after putting so much effort out this year on Carsland. I am looking forward to having more to do over in CA but I do still hope they make an added effort to spruce the place up a bit with holiday decorations. Can you imagine how beautiful the new entry plaza would be in Christmas lights and garland ala Disney-style? Now that they will have an actual city street like setting I could see it having almost as much potential as DL's Main Street.
I will also be hoping that back over at Disneyland they get back on track and stop scaling back on the holiday atmosphere, such as you mention in NOS. And, YES! Give us our non plastic tress back in Toontown. Enough with being cheap! It shouldn't take a rocket scientist to realize that the seasonal offerings draw in huge numbers. Give us what we want! More, more, more not less, less, less or tacky, tacky, tacky.

Originally Posted by Sherry E

One thing I am fairly sure about is that Cars Land will not have Christmas decor this year. I am positive that DLR will want to keep that land clean and undecorated in its first year so that people can really see it in its original state. That's what happened with ToonTown when it opened - from what I can recall, ToonTown did not have any signs of Christmas in the year it debuted (1993). I don't think it even had anything Christmasy in 1994 - and if it did, it was not much. It took a while before that land became decorated and I think that's what will happen with Cars Land as well.

I think you may be right. After all it would be a shame for people seeing Carsland their very first time to not be able to take in the full affects of all those neon signs in their shining glory. Not sure if Christmas decorations would ever blend in there quite properly. Toontown, on the other hand, really shines when it is draped in it's holiday decorations.

Originally Posted by Sherry E

But I actually feel like going back to DLR before Fall - not in the peak of Summer, mind you. That's too much heat for me. I'd love to go in the next few weeks, while the weather is still cool and pleasant enough, and then I'd love to go again right when Cars Land and Buena Vista Street open. Whether or not that will happen is up in the air, but we'll see.

I imagine there are quite a few of us around here who would be willing to go back to the park just about any time if we only had the opportunity! I am with you though. I would have to think twice before going mid summer. I do not like heat. I know makes no sense, right? I live in Texas after all... you would think I would be used to it by now. Good luck to you making it back before fall!

Originally Posted by Sherry E

I skipped doing a LOT of stuff that I would normally do, and that includes rampant photo-taking. That's one of my biggest regrets about this past trip, because I love taking photos sooooo much, for both a creative outlet and memory preservation purposes, as well as cathartic/therapeutic purposes for myself. So it actually really bugs me that I didn't get more of that done. I am so happy when I can just run around DL, DCA or the hotels on my own, snapping away. I just adore doing that. It brings me great joy. But I only got to do a little of it in December and I wish I could go back and remove all the not-so-great parts of the trip and replace them with more photo-taking!!!

Here's hoping your next trip provides a lot more photo taking opportunities. Although, I am beginning to wonder if there would ever be enough time to "do it all". You would think 2 weeks would be enough for anyone but I can tell you that even I come home feeling like I never get it all done. Always missed a ride, a special snack, a souvenir or maybe a certain photo. Oh well. Disney should be happy to know that it is the master in providing many reasons which keep us coming back for more!

Originally Posted by Sherry E

Anyway, I am glad you're hanging in here with me! As I've said before, I didn't even take half of the photos in December 2011 that I took in December 2010 so the photos are not really the big draw this time. It's more the overall progression of the trip and the story that is the key!

You are more than welcome dear friend! Looks like I will be here til you or I one are all Disneyed out! Like that is ever gonna happen! Not only do I stay around because we have become friends but also because you do such a great job of pouring your heart and soul into your report. You are indeed a tough act to follow!!!

Originally Posted by Sherry E

As Mariezp once told me, I should at least do the TR for myself, just to have it for my own 'records,' if not for anyone else's entertainment. (Of course, she and I also commiserated on how it feels lousy when it seems like no one is paying attention to our TR's when we do them, but it's good to chronicle the trips in some way for our own benefit.)

I still think that it is excellent to do a report for your own documentation but it is still always way better when you have people chime in and join in with you along your journey.


You know I did some checking and I have been right here with you since the beginning of your report which you started back in 2008. I was post #9. You have been such a great source of inspiration for many of us, no doubt, but I gotta tell you that I think you have really out done yourself on this latest installment. First off, I love the latest title. Talk about intriguing. Who can't resist hanging around to find out what's up with Aunt Betty? But I think the best part is how this latest trip report begins with such an up close and personal in-depth introduction. I do not at all like the fact that you had an unhappy childhood (thank heavens for your grandmother!) but knowing you had Disneyland as your escape/refuge absolutely does explain your close relationship/connection to Disneyland and on a level that a lot of people never have even had to imagine. I am so glad you did have it to brighten your childhood a little.... and even now to brighten your days as an adult. I think most of us can agree that we all feel a deep gratitude to Walt for his vision. I for one am so grateful he shared it with us all.

40 years of Disneyland trips and 20th years of Goofy’s Kitchen! That is quite impressive! I would love to say someday that I have been going to the park for 40 years. I have already requested that I be "wheeled in" when I can't walk anymore.

Loved your historical account of the Pan Pacific Auditorium. How crazy is it that both it and The Little Country Church of Hollywood both burned? Wonder if there were ever any other churches out there somewhere that ever had a “Thurl Day”? That had to of been a treat! Love all the early years photos you selected. So far you are off to a great start! Now hurry up and get to that Wacky Aunt Betty!

[deejdigsdis]

It looks like I somehow missed that big reply to me on the last page. I think your TR started hopping again and I didn't go back far enough to see it. I don't know...

I had been thinking about bumping your TR to see if anyone could reassure me that you indeed hadn't fallen somewhere. I knew you were FB friends with some DIS'ers and I figured if I asked the quesiton it could be answered by someone, but then I figured if something was seriously wrong, or if you hadn't even shown up on FB at all, someone would mention something. (I also thought of "I've fallen and I can't get up" when I originally mentioned my concern!)

I agree with Marie...at least do the TR for yourself. Do you ever go back and read about past trips? I do that once in a while. I've definitely had moments of wondering if I am just "typing" to mid-air (is that even a saying???) -- as evidenced by lack of comments while I am posting a TR. I think my number of comments to number of views ratio is something like 1 to 100. TRs are a lot of work and it can be discouraging if there aren't many comments going on. But, I also know that you know that lots of people are reading along and enjoying in the shadows. So even if there are just a few of us saying "Bring it on!" --- you know there are so many more who are thinking it...and ready to meet Aunt Betty!

And yes...an October trip is on the horizon. My family of 5, my sis CB Jamboree, our older sis and her adult son, and our younger brother and his wife and 4 children are planning to go in October. We would love for our parents to join us. It will depend on what's going on with our dad cancer-wise. He is doing great/feeling great right now. The cancer is still not showing up on a CAT scan, which is not what was expected. He has a blood clot (formed from bleeding cancer cells) once again, but this time instead of surgery, the doctor will insert a needle into the blood clot in his lung and give it some sort of electric shock and break it apart. That will happen on Tuesday.

I loved all your old pictures, by the way. I think of Thurl when Grim Grinning Ghosts is playing as I'm driving. (The Disney Parks CD pretty much lives in the CD player in the car.) DS6 always wants to hear that song, or Pirates or Indiana Jones.

OK...ready when you are for more...

[Sherry E]

Well, for corn's sake! (Anyone who used to watch "I Love Lucy," as I know deejdigsdis did, will remember that Fred Mertz used to say that a lot!)

I have NO idea what is happening with the DIS or with technology. I just popped on to the DIS for a minute, to type something in Marie's TR before I forgot. But I was going to sign off right away because my Internet has been crashing for the last couple of hours and I've had to reboot my PC about 8 times today - it seems to get worse when I go online. I wanted to give it a rest, and I thought that no one had posted anything here in my TR so I could sign off.

So just the very second when I was about to leave the TR section and log out, I glanced down the page to see that deej had posted something in my TR! Huh? When did this happen? Her post was not there yesterday when I looked.

I opened deej's post only to see that Marie had also posted something yesterday! Huh? When did that happen? It looks like it was early! I got absolutely NO e-mail notifications of either of your posts, and I checked my TR several times yesterday - into late evening - and this morning, and there was nothing new here (at least, nothing that was showing).

So now I am annoyed because I have to give this darn PC from hades a rest - I am so afraid it's just going to give out entirely - and I will have to wait to reply to specific things or to post another installment. If I had gotten the proper e-mail alerts yesterday, as I should have, I could have popped over and replied to both Marie and deej! My Internet was not acting wacky yesterday and I could have replied! For corn's sake! I did not even see the posts when I looked at the TR! It's like they were invisible only to me! Lol. It looked as if nobody had replied at all since my last post.


Oh, one thing I will say is that I considered going into my closet and digging out a box of my grandmother's old photos to see if I could find anything she may have taken of Thurl. Of course, she was at the Little Country Church and knew him way before I was even born, and the Church folks were always having lunches or banquets or parties. She had tons of photos, just loosely scattered in boxes. So I would have to go through them and see if I can find anything with a (much younger) Thurl at a Church outing, or maybe something with him in the Goose Creek Quartet. And then I'd have to see if my scanner is even working after the crash last year.

So I may not get into the closet for a while to do that, but I considered it!!!

Okay, time to let this PC rest. I am so mad that I didn't see these messages here before or know they were here. Grrrrr.

Bear with me, folks. I am going to try to come back later tonight and reply, but if not tonight then tomorrow, after the PC has had a good night's rest - there are definitely a couple of things Marie and deej said that I wanted to reply to!


Thank you so much, Marie and deej, for hanging in here. The number of views I have includes you two and the repeated visits from the followers I have. I only wish I had 160,000 separate people viewing, but that's not the case!

I am glad I have intrigued everyone with Aunt Betty - I'm afraid the actual Aunt Betty story will be anti-climactic, but I've got you curious!!

[tksbaskets]

The suspense is excruciating! Who is Aunt Betty?? What did she do?? Will I think of Aunt Betty like I think of Sherry when I see scarves and ice cream cones whilst at DL??

Inquiring minds want to know.

[Sherry E]

Originally Posted by tksbaskets

The suspense is excruciating! Who is Aunt Betty?? What did she do?? Will I think of Aunt Betty like I think of Sherry when I see scarves and ice cream cones whilst at DL??

Inquiring minds want to know.

Muahahahaha! I love to leave my audience in suspense! No, Aunt Betty has nothing to with scarves, evil chairs or ice cream cones (of death). That much I will say. But you may think of her the next time you take a photo - there's a clue!

TK, at least I got ONE installment up so far (see the previous page with the vintage stuff)! I have to get points for that! One installment is better than NO installments!

[tksbaskets]

I loved your first installment. Your Grandma Rocked!! You intrigued me with the set up for the TR too. You know how to tease your followers in a good way

[Sherry E]

Okay, as I mentioned here last night, something went awry with getting e-mail notifications, so I had no clue that Marie and Deej had posted anything here 2 days ago. In fact, I even came to this thread and checked it 2 nights ago and yesterday morning - and saw nothing new! The last post I saw in the thread was my own! But, from reading Deej's comments it appears that she saw Marie's post above hers - so why couldn't I see either of them? Technology is so perplexing!

All of a sudden, last night - in the middle of my Internet going haywire (I think the modem signal has been weak lately and that may have to do with the Internet's crazy behavior) - I happened to see that Deej and Marie had both posted on Saturday at some point. I have no clue why those posts did not show up when I looked in this thread yesterday morning, and it makes me wonder how many other posts disappear into the cyber-mist in any thread on any given day, but luckily they appeared and now I am back to reply to a few things!

Originally Posted by mariezp

I hear you about timing! It takes specific timing as well as a certain mood to delve into working on these trip reports... at least for some of us. Some folks seem to come back "raring to go" but I know I have to work through a little of my Disneyland Post-Partum Blues before I can go back to reliving what I am so sad about just having left behind.

Marie - It's definitely about timing and being in the right mood to hunker down and start a TR, much less carry it through. Sometimes you feel inspired; sometimes you don't feel inspired but you feel like you have to forge ahead!

In my case, it's largely my technical issues on this PC that ruin my 'gung ho' attitude about starting a TR. I know I am going to encounter a lot of annoying hurdles along the way and have to reboot 900 times. And then, sometimes I am just not in the mood to do anything with the TR and I have to wait until I get inspired. Also, scheduling! I hope no one takes offense at this, but I think you will understand where I am coming from - who has the time to do these reports? I don't have kids, and I haven't even been working much, for the most part, but I am doing all kinds of other things to try to make money - or just things that need to be taken care of at home - and I don't have the time! How is it that all of you wonderful people with kids and spouses and full-time jobs have time to knock out these great TR's when I can't even find the time! I am in awe of all of you! I am clearly not maximizing my time the right way because I feel inferior to you all in your TR efforts!!


We were worried about you there for awhile but we know it is a sure sign that you are back to your old self when you are voicing interest in future trips. Be sure to keep a Thanksgiving trip in mind while you are at it. We are very lucky to have you (and the others) as a moderator. You always do an excellent job of keeping us updated and filled to the brim with all things Disney.


Thanks for the vote of confidence, Marie! I'm sure a lot of folks think that all the mods are supposed to do is sit in the shadows and delete things when they need to be deleted, stop arguments, or move threads to other sections. But it actually entails much more than that - compiling and dispensing information, answering questions, referring people to the right place to find certain info, leading discussions, etc.

I have thought about a Thanksgiving trip - I remembered that your trip would be during that time frame, and there may be another DIS'er who ends up at DLR on 11/26 too. It would be nice to actually have a Thanksgiving dinner again, for a change - I don't need a Thanksgiving meal or have one as a rule, so for a change it would be nice to do it - at Disneyland! If I could get to Anaheim and back on random days with no problem, I would definitely do it.

It will be interesting to see what Disney does in regards to the holiday experience after putting so much effort out this year on Carsland. I am looking forward to having more to do over in CA but I do still hope they make an added effort to spruce the place up a bit with holiday decorations. Can you imagine how beautiful the new entry plaza would be in Christmas lights and garland ala Disney-style? Now that they will have an actual city street like setting I could see it having almost as much potential as DL's Main Street.
I will also be hoping that back over at Disneyland they get back on track and stop scaling back on the holiday atmosphere, such as you mention in NOS. And, YES! Give us our non plastic tress back in Toontown. Enough with being cheap! It shouldn't take a rocket scientist to realize that the seasonal offerings draw in huge numbers. Give us what we want! More, more, more not less, less, less or tacky, tacky, tacky.


I think you may be right. After all it would be a shame for people seeing Carsland their very first time to not be able to take in the full affects of all those neon signs in their shining glory. Not sure if Christmas decorations would ever blend in there quite properly. Toontown, on the other hand, really shines when it is draped in it's holiday decorations.

Oh, those ToonTown trees were just awful. I didn't get any photos of them on this past December trip (then again, I skipped getting photos of a lot of things, as you know), but I went back there to see them in person and they were just as awful then as they were in the photos I had previously seen! Please, Disney, bring back the old ToonTown trees - at the very least, just bring back the main big tree with the giant colored ornaments, and leave the ugly plastic trees at Mickey's & Minnie's houses.

I am very curious to see the future possibilities of Buena Vista Street's holiday decor. It could be wonderful, but I just have a feeling that DLR is going to hold back on decorating BVS or Cars Land for a while, so that people can see the details without interference. In the future, I could see them trying to do a 'clever' and 'wacky' type of holiday theme for Cars Land. Right now there may not be any decorations they have which would fit that theme, but if they can give the Toons their decor, and the Bugs their own decor, and the Mardi Gras-inspired stuff in NOS, I am certain that someone is creative enough to come up with some holiday decorations for the Cars...but we may not see those decorations for a couple of years.

I imagine there are quite a few of us around here who would be willing to go back to the park just about any time if we only had the opportunity! I am with you though. I would have to think twice before going mid summer. I do not like heat. I know makes no sense, right? I live in Texas after all... you would think I would be used to it by now. Good luck to you making it back before fall!

Well, keep in mind that I think it is too hot when other people would not think it's too hot! I have a really low tolerance for any kind of heat and do not want to go out at times when other people think it's not that hot! I used to do Summer trips to DLR - all through the 1980’s and into the '90s - and it was really too much for me even then. So now it's just not even on the radar. I am all about the Fall and Winter (a California winter, that is!) I am interested in going right when Cars Land opens and all the DCA changes are complete – just to be part of the opening madness – but if it is too hot for me when that happens, I will pass.

But wow – I expect a full-throttle media/PR blitz this year before June because Disney wants to really hype the ‘new’ California Adventure, and this will all be the culmination of the billion dollar makeover. I wonder when the TV commercials will start? What do you think? Will they start in May?

Here's hoping your next trip provides a lot more photo taking opportunities. Although, I am beginning to wonder if there would ever be enough time to "do it all". You would think 2 weeks would be enough for anyone but I can tell you that even I come home feeling like I never get it all done. Always missed a ride, a special snack, a souvenir or maybe a certain photo. Oh well. Disney should be happy to know that it is the master in providing many reasons which keep us coming back for more!

Yes, I would think that 2 weeks at DLR would be plenty of time to do everything you want and more, and then do it all again another few times!

The thing is, for me – and not everyone is of this same mind set – the photo-taking is actually a big priority for me. I wander around, taking photos of random flowers and fountains and all kinds of wacky stuff in my neighborhood, in daily life! I always keep my eyes peeled for things to take photos of!

So at DLR, I would happily wander around by myself for hours or days on end, just taking photos and not getting on any rides (that’s what I did in December 2010 – I spent 2 entire days and part of another day by myself, just taking photos). Many people could not conceive of such a thing, and they would have to get rides in and maybe some shopping or whatever, and just kind of snap some photos as they went along. But I would actually put my photo missions before anything else if it is a solo day for me and no friends are with me.

That’s why it pains me so that I didn’t make more time for photo-taking on this past DLR trip – because I may never have 4 nights and 5 days to spend there again. (I just have no clue. Things are too unpredictable with my money situation!) That would have been a prime chance to go off on a photo journey, BUT I got sick about 2-1/2 days into the trip, and I devoted time to my out-of-state friends, sacrificing my precious photo time to be with her/them…which turned out to be a mistake, as everyone will learn!



You are more than welcome dear friend! Looks like I will be here til you or I one are all Disneyed out! Like that is ever gonna happen! Not only do I stay around because we have become friends but also because you do such a great job of pouring your heart and soul into your report. You are indeed a tough act to follow!!!

I still think that it is excellent to do a report for your own documentation but it is still always way better when you have people chime in and join in with you along your journey.

You know I did some checking and I have been right here with you since the beginning of your report which you started back in 2008. I was post #9. You have been such a great source of inspiration for many of us, no doubt, but I gotta tell you that I think you have really out done yourself on this latest installment. First off, I love the latest title. Talk about intriguing. Who can't resist hanging around to find out what's up with Aunt Betty? But I think the best part is how this latest trip report begins with such an up close and personal in-depth introduction. I do not at all like the fact that you had an unhappy childhood (thank heavens for your grandmother!) but knowing you had Disneyland as your escape/refuge absolutely does explain your close relationship/connection to Disneyland and on a level that a lot of people never have even had to imagine. I am so glad you did have it to brighten your childhood a little.... and even now to brighten your days as an adult. I think most of us can agree that we all feel a deep gratitude to Walt for his vision. I for one am so grateful he shared it with us all.


Thanks for the very kind words, Marie!

Yes, you have been here in this TR since the beginning! A lot of other people have come and gone, but you’re still here! Thank you!

I get the feeling that there may be some lurkers out there who think, “Sherry has so many ‘views’ of her TR – she doesn’t need any extra help or support on the TR. She doesn’t need any new posts.”

But what I am always saying is that this TR has been around for 4 years – and it took forever to even get to page 100 of it! I decided a long time ago that I wanted to keep all the TR’s in one thread because it would be easier to find them that way. (And anyone on this specific side of the DIS can do the same thing with their TR’s!) It wasn’t because I was thinking about how many views I would have. Many of the SAME people have been viewing and posting here for years, and all of those views are counted. By no means does it mean that I’ve had 160,000 separate people viewing – and I certainly have not had that many people commenting! You can see that only a few people are commenting!

My TR has been a very slow-growing process. And when it gets to page 250, roughly, I will have to close it and start a new thread – the mods are supposed to close any threads when they get to page 250 (or within a few pages beyond it). Then I will be back to zero comments and zero views!

Actually, when you think about it, Bret (mvf-m11c)’s TR thread (which also contains many TR’s) has done much better than mine, because he started his thread much, much later than I began mine, and his number of views has grown dramatically in a much shorter period of time than mine. So even though he is at 100,000 views right now, he got to that point much faster than my TR did, in a much shorter period of time.

Yes, thank heavens for my grandmother! She really gave my childhood some brightness and joy! Again, she did not have any money, but she tried to do things for me that ‘normal’ kids would like. Lots of birthday presents. Wonderful, fun-filled Easter baskets that she would hide around the apartment (and it’s much more fun to hunt for hidden baskets than it is to hunt for hidden eggs!). Christmas stockings stuffed will all kinds of mini-toys and treasures. Stuffed animals and little pieces of jewelry for Valentine’s Day. Stuffed animals for Halloween. Little knick-knacks (and usually some money!) for St. Patrick’s Day. A Hallmark card for every holiday. And, of course, the trips to Disneyland – even after she stopped accompanying me on the DL trips, she funded the DL trips I took with friends for several years, until I started working. She even bought me my very first Mickey Mouse watch at the Emporium when I was a child (which I no longer have because it was accidentally thrown out), and that must have triggered my insane watch obsession back in the ‘90s! Lol.

I wanted to start my TR with all of this background stuff/lore this time around – which, obviously, I don’t do with every TR – because, of course, there was a direct Disney connection in Thurl Ravenscroft, and there was the Pan Pacific Auditorium segment, which plays a prominent role in the entrance to DCA today.

Mainly, though, I wanted to show that Disneyland can be much more to people than just a place to meet Mickey Mouse – because I have a feeling there are many, many people out here on the DIS who had unhappy, stress-filled childhoods too, and who may have found some solace and relief in their trips to Disneyland, as I did, but they feel silly admitting to it. Lots of people dismiss DLR as “just an overpriced theme park.” To many, it’s little more than a place to ride fun rides, buy expensive souvenirs and show their kids a great time. But everyone has to realize that Disneyland has been much more than that to more than a few of us in our lives – and that it was literally the thing that got me through very rough times as a child!



40 years of Disneyland trips and 20th years of Goofy’s Kitchen! That is quite impressive! I would love to say someday that I have been going to the park for 40 years. I have already requested that I be "wheeled in" when I can't walk anymore.

Yep! It’s hard to believe that I am celebrating 40 years of going to Disneyland – and that I have somehow made it there every year, whether it’s just for one day or multiple nights, with the exception of the 9 years I mentioned that I had to skip.

Ironically, out of the handful of years that I missed going to Disneyland, a couple of them I skipped because my grandmother passed away and there was a LOT of stuff that needed to be taken care of after that (selling things, business matters, etc.). Then I had to move to a new place immediately after all of that (actually, sort of during it), and moving is stressful as it is. Plus, I was dating a guy for a few years who had NO interest in Disneyland. So 1996-1999 were not prime years for me to be at DL, sadly. And from 2002-2006, I was just broke and couldn’t go. Plain and simple!! Lol. Finally, a client gave me some free tickets to DL in 2007 and it reignited my love for it, and I remembered why I had grown so attached to Disneyland in the first place, and how much it had meant to me as a child!

And 20 years of Goofy’s Kitchen! There was a time – in the early Goofy’s days, when it was inexpensive – that my friends and I ate there 2 or 3 times per trip. We would stay at the Disneyland Hotel for a couple of nights and we would eat 2 or 3 breakfasts at Goofy’s over time frame. Breakfast was about $11.00. Lunch was maybe $13.00 or so. And dinner was a whopping $15.00-ish, then $17.00, etc. Eventually, it just got too expensive.

So this last December 2011 trip was the first time in years and years and years that I ate at Goofy’s twice in the same trip (if not for Laurie treating me to breakfast on the last day, I am not sure I could have afforded 2 character meals)! Back in 2007, Shawn and I ate at the Critter Breakfast as well as at Goofy’s Kitchen in one trip, though.


Loved your historical account of the Pan Pacific Auditorium. How crazy is it that both it and The Little Country Church of Hollywood both burned? Wonder if there were ever any other churches out there somewhere that ever had a “Thurl Day”? That had to of been a treat! Love all the early years photos you selected. So far you are off to a great start! Now hurry up and get to that Wacky Aunt Betty!

Marie – all replies are in red above^^.

Yes, isn’t it weird that both Pan Pacific and the Little Country Church burnt to the ground? I could see the Pan Pacific fire as it happened – that was scary and sad.

I have lots of old photos of myself on the beautiful, flower-filled grounds of the Country Church as a child, but I eventually hope to rummage through my grandmother’s boxes of old pictures and see if I can find anything with a younger Thurl Ravenscroft at the Church or one of the Church functions!

If I recall, Thurl may have lived somewhere in Orange County, I think. The Goose Creek Quartet stuff was exclusive to the Country Church. He was at the Church a lot for a while – you couldn’t miss him walking in, he was so tall! – but as he began to get more voice roles, either in Disney movies, at Disneyland or with some other company, he stopped attending services as much. And then I think he and his wife moved down to Orange County – or maybe they had already lived there – and he was attending a church down there. It’s a 45-minute drive between O.C. and L.A. without traffic, so he may have gotten tired of the drive! Lol.

So to answer your hypothetical question, I’m sure there is at least one Orange County church somewhere that can say that Thurl was a member. But he definitely had a special place in his heart for the Little Country Church of Hollywood, and it was because of Thurl’s voice work that my grandmother and her friends decided to take me on my first trip to Disneyland – so we could hear his voice work on the rides!

Originally Posted by deejdigsdis

It looks like I somehow missed that big reply to me on the last page. I think your TR started hopping again and I didn't go back far enough to see it. I don't know...

I had been thinking about bumping your TR to see if anyone could reassure me that you indeed hadn't fallen somewhere. I knew you were FB friends with some DIS'ers and I figured if I asked the quesiton it could be answered by someone, but then I figured if something was seriously wrong, or if you hadn't even shown up on FB at all, someone would mention something. (I also thought of "I've fallen and I can't get up" when I originally mentioned my concern!)

I agree with Marie...at least do the TR for yourself. Do you ever go back and read about past trips? I do that once in a while. I've definitely had moments of wondering if I am just "typing" to mid-air (is that even a saying???) -- as evidenced by lack of comments while I am posting a TR. I think my number of comments to number of views ratio is something like 1 to 100. TRs are a lot of work and it can be discouraging if there aren't many comments going on. But, I also know that you know that lots of people are reading along and enjoying in the shadows. So even if there are just a few of us saying "Bring it on!" --- you know there are so many more who are thinking it...and ready to meet Aunt Betty!

And yes...an October trip is on the horizon. My family of 5, my sis CB Jamboree, our older sis and her adult son, and our younger brother and his wife and 4 children are planning to go in October. We would love for our parents to join us. It will depend on what's going on with our dad cancer-wise. He is doing great/feeling great right now. The cancer is still not showing up on a CAT scan, which is not what was expected. He has a blood clot (formed from bleeding cancer cells) once again, but this time instead of surgery, the doctor will insert a needle into the blood clot in his lung and give it some sort of electric shock and break it apart. That will happen on Tuesday.

I loved all your old pictures, by the way. I think of Thurl when Grim Grinning Ghosts is playing as I'm driving. (The Disney Parks CD pretty much lives in the CD player in the car.) DS6 always wants to hear that song, or Pirates or Indiana Jones.

OK...ready when you are for more...

Deej –

I know that often happens – even if a TR is not really hoppin’, but it simply moves from one page to the next, often times I think people miss things on the previous page! I’m not only talking about this thread – I have seen it happen in other people’s threads, too! So I know that a lot of responses and posts can get lost in the shuffle!

Anyway, I am very glad that you’re still here, along for the ride, waiting to find out who in the [heck] Aunt Betty is and where she came from! (Or as Marie said, “What’s up with Aunt Betty?” Lol.) I swear, it is going to be the most anti-climactic, lackluster story ever, but I am enjoying that Aunt Betty is taking on a certain mystique! Lol. I should take out some billboards that say nothing but “Who is Aunt Betty?” or “What’s up with Aunt Betty?” and start a whole media frenzy. That would be fun.

Hopefully, if I ever disappear from Facebook too, and no one there or here has heard from me in a really long time, someone will question it! I’d hate to think that I’d go missing and no one noticed!

I have not yet really gone back and read about past trips of mine, unless I was trying to find something specific for reference. Unfortunately, I used the hugely-sized photos for the 2008 TR’s, and for most of the ‘vintage’ DL photos (1972-2001) that I posted in early 2009, so I can’t go back into those pages easily because, as you know, my PC locks up and will not tolerate the multiple huge photos on each page without locking up. Eventually I will want to go back to the beginning and re-read them. I have until about page 250 on this TR before it’s time to close up shop and start a new one, so I will try to pack as many TR’s as I can into this thread before it bids farewell!

I do agree that just for historical purposes, it’s good to have a record of what happened that we can refer back to when our memories start to fade!

Don’t you hate that ‘Am I talking to myself’ feeling when you are doing a TR and it’s…crickets…crickets…crickets? No one is saying anything, or they just pop in and say, Great TR!” and sign off, never to be seen again!! Oh boy, I know that feeling!

The funny thing is, we know that many more people lurk than actually come out of hiding and say something. So, chances are, for all of our individual TR efforts, there are probably lots and lots of people reading and very few making themselves known (like you said, the 1 to 100 ratio, although many of the view counts are the same people viewing over and over again!). And I know that many people actually prefer to be silent – they want to just quietly read along and not have to get involved in a discussion. I can totally understand that angle too. But even though we logically know all of this, it never feels good to have almost no replies!

There are probably times when we are posting things and wondering, “Who exactly IS out there, reading along? Are they all from the DLR side of the board, or are there some WDW people who wandered over here too? And are they not speaking up because they have nothing good to say? What do I have to do to get people to talk?” Lol. It can be frustrating, indeed. Also, too, I think that more people tend to speak up for ‘new’ TR’s – like from TR writers who have not done a dozen of them, and maybe this is only their first or second TR. I think they get sick of seeing me in the TR section, even if I don’t go to DLR more than once or twice in a year, and they want to read TR’s from new people. I can understand that too.

And then I also think there is a bit of Trip Report fatigue in general – when you have read a bunch of them, after a while it can be easy to burn out, no matter who the TR writer is. It happens to me – I get into reading/following several TR’s and then I just hit a wall. I suddenly don’t want to read anymore or look at anymore photos for a while. I need to get over the burn out and then come back to the TR’s down the road, with a fresh perspective. So I can only imagine that lots of people have the TR fatigue.

Your poor dad – even though it sounds like he is doing much better than expected right now. Your family has had so many health scares in the last couple of years. How much can anyone take? I am crossing my fingers and hoping that your parents will be able to go along on the big family DLR trip in October – and what a bonanza of a trip that will be, based on the number of people you said will be going.

Do you have any idea when in October you plan to go to DLR (just in case I happen to be there at any point during that time!)? Was your last Halloween trip – the one in which you went to the Halloween Party with your sister, correct? – in October 2010? It wasn’t in 2009, was it?

I have to get that Disney Parks CD that you mentioned at some point! I have an old, old boxed set (with cassettes, I think!) of the Disney Parks songs, but the selection has been updated since then.

I love the Thurl ghost head in Haunted Mansion. I have not seen that version of the ride in so long – I am so used to the pumpkin heads singing during the Haunted Mansion Holiday version of it. I love HMH, of course (The Impostor version!), but just for kicks, I am curious to ride the original version again. I grew up with that version and I can’t believe that I have not been on it in years and years and years! Not that I would give up my holiday DLR trips or my Halloween DLR trips by a longshot, but I would like to ride the original HM again soo.

I will have to see if I can dig up an old Thurl photo from church in my grandmother’s boxes of pictures. She must have some in there, although they could have been before his hair turned white – I’m not sure. I can’t recall when he first started attending that church.

Anyway, Deej, thanks again, so much, for continuing to be one of my loyal followers here!!

Originally Posted by tksbaskets

I loved your first installment. Your Grandma Rocked!! You intrigued me with the set up for the TR too. You know how to tease your followers in a good way

Thank you so much, TK! I was pleased with myself that I managed to crank one installment out. Now I have to hustle on the second one!

My grandma was a special lady, indeed – oh, I know she was a pain in the butt to many people (including me!), and they were pains in the butt to her as well (I was one of them!), but everyone agreed that she was a good person who would literally give her last dollar to someone if they needed it. Had it not been for her and all that she tried to provide me with, I’m not sure which direction my life would have taken. I mean, I’m not in the greatest place in my life at the moment, but I think I turned out to be a much better person than I would have turned out to be if not for my grandmother!

I hope the rest of the TR is worth the long…long…long wait!!!

[mvf-m11c]

I really enjoy reading your opening information and background about your history. 40 years you have been going to DL and all of them are memorable. It's been awhile since I have seen your pictures from the old days and they are all very nice to see what DL looked like before I was born. Nice opening post.

I can't wait to read your TR from a few months ago.

[kaoden39]

Sherry, I love all of the nostalgic photos. It makes me remember my first visit to Disneyland. There is something about that first visit.

[PHXscuba]

Sherry, I just wanted you to know that I'm around here lurking too. I don't post much on the Trip Reports section, mainly because yours is one of the few TR I read. But I'm here every few days seeing what you wrote.

I think my longstanding "relationship" with Disneyland is also family-driven. My father has been visiting DL since the late 1950s and even saw Walt once (outside the Treehouse)! He started taking us when we were small and Disneyland is one of the biggest connections I have with him despite our difficulties and his general Grumpy-ness.

I am looking forward to your TR and more pictures since I had to miss the 2011 Christmas season. There better be some peppermint pictures I am currently hoping to go again in spring 2013.

PHXscuba

[Sherry E]

Originally Posted by mvf-m11c

I really enjoy reading your opening information and background about your history. 40 years you have been going to DL and all of them are memorable. It's been awhile since I have seen your pictures from the old days and they are all very nice to see what DL looked like before I was born. Nice opening post.

I can't wait to read your TR from a few months ago.

Hi, Bret!

Thank you for the kind words. The old pictures are fun for me to see as well, whenever anyone else posts them. I like seeing the ones from DL before I was even born!

Forty years of going to DL means that I'm darn OLD! But yes, they have been very memorable years and trips, and very important to my life in general.

It sounds so horribly distant - the "few months ago" that I waited to do this TR (when everyone else is usually quick to start theirs after their trips). Heck, I am usually quick to start my TR's after my trips. I hate waiting. But...every now and then we can take our time and just get to it when we can.

Originally Posted by kaoden39

Sherry, I love all of the nostalgic photos. It makes me remember my first visit to Disneyland. There is something about that first visit.

Hi, Michele!

Thank you. Yes, I love any and all nostalgic photos too. I wish that more folks could find photos from their very first trips to DL. I think that a lot of people can find pictures from when they visited DL as kids, but it seems like a lot of people don't have pictures from their very first trips handy and ready to post. And, as you said, there is something about that first visit...

Michele, please don't hesitate to come join us/me in the Christmas Superthread as the year progresses. I have some updating of the first page & first 3 posts to do, but a lot of the information and details I have there are applicable to every year's holiday season and won't change too much.

We had a grand time in the Superthread last year with "Theme Weeks" (where we focused on a different aspect of the DLR holiday season in photos each Monday, and everyone posted the photos they had from that theme)! It was an excellent way to kind of showcase all the holiday highlights and show people things that they had missed on previous trips or that they should make a point to see/do on their next trip!

I started the Theme Weeks in late August and kept them going all the way to the official season start date in November, and I expect to do it again this year. Theme Weeks picked up a lot of steam and became extremely popular, because everyone had a chance to really display their photos within a certain context. This year, hopefully Laurie will contribute to Theme Weeks too (since she now has a plethora of DLR holiday photos of her own to share)!

Originally Posted by PHXscuba

Sherry, I just wanted you to know that I'm around here lurking too. I don't post much on the Trip Reports section, mainly because yours is one of the few TR I read. But I'm here every few days seeing what you wrote.

I think my longstanding "relationship" with Disneyland is also family-driven. My father has been visiting DL since the late 1950s and even saw Walt once (outside the Treehouse)! He started taking us when we were small and Disneyland is one of the biggest connections I have with him despite our difficulties and his general Grumpy-ness.

I am looking forward to your TR and more pictures since I had to miss the 2011 Christmas season. There better be some peppermint pictures I am currently hoping to go again in spring 2013.

PHXscuba

PHX!

I am so happy to see you here again, my peppermint-lovin' friend!!

First of all, I am very honored and happy that mine is one of the few TR's that you read/follow along with. (Now I really have to get hustlin' on moving this TR along, before I lose the few followers I have, and before next Christmas rolls around!)

Thank you very much for letting me know you are still out there, lurking! Even if the lurkers don't speak up all the time, it is nice to know who is hanging 'round every so often, so even an occasional pop-in hello is nice!

I haven't actually been on the DIS myself a whole lot lately, so I can't recall the last time I saw you post anywhere. I know I kind of figured out that you must not have made a holiday DLR trip in 2011 because you didn't say anything about it on the Christmas Superthread. You know, you missed the hideous new Christmas trees in ToonTown. Otherwise, things were probably more or less the same as when you visited DLR for the holidays in 2010.

Sadly, I did not get any new pepperminty photos on this last trip in December. I ate peppermint ice cream in a chocolate-covered cone with red and green sprinkles, but no photos. Believe me, I wish I could go back to December 4, 2011 and just redo most of the trip. Well, the first day was really great. I will even go so far as to say the second day was pretty good too. It's the third day when everything went downhill! By then I was getting sick and my friends upset me. So I feel like my third and fourth days at DLR were almost a waste and I wish I could do them over. My fifth day was nice because I got to have breakfast with fellow DIS'ers Laurie (DizNee Luver), Molly (bumbershoot) and Liza (funatdisney) - all of whom are great ladies - but I was already sick by that point so I was struggling!

Anyway, the bottom line is that, because of the chaos going on with my out of state friends (which will be explained in this TR), and because of the fact that I got sick, I skipped taking a LOT of pictures. Compared to my epic 2010 adventure - and you remember all the photos I got from that outing - I really let myself down in the photo department in 2011. Yes, I still have photos to post - but it just won't be the bonanza that it was in 2010.

I love hearing the old stories of people whose parents went to Disneyland in the '50s and saw Walt walking (standing) around, such as your dad! Who knew at that time that the guy standing in front of the Treehouse was such a visionary and genius, way ahead of his time, and was going to become a legend and an icon?

I bet that a lot of people have family connections in their relationships with Disneyland, whether they identify them or not. Like in your situation, despite your difficulties, that is one place where you and your dad could connect! So DL will always remind you of happy times with dad! I would imagine that many people probably had great times with family at DL and so there will always be a soft spot in their hearts for Disneyland. Others, like myself, were able to use DL as an escape from family troubles.

Any way you slice it, I think that there are much deeper emotional ties to DL that many people have, and it goes far, far beyond Disneyland simply being a fun place to hop on some rides!!

Okay, since you have all been so patient, I am going to go out of sequence a bit in this TR. I still have to post my second installment/Intro, Part 2 (I was having too many technical issues yesterday to do it), BUT....I will now skip way ahead and post some teaser photos from later installments to come!!

So here is just a sampling of what is to come in future installments - and I won't offer any explanations, descriptions or captions right now because those will come when I post them in their proper places later on!! These are just to give you something to look at in the meantime...

Okey dokey - those are your teaser photos for now!!! It's something to see until I can get installment #2 up. There's lots more scenic stuff, window displays, ornaments, etc. coming up in later installments. I didn't want to give everything away now, of course.



Oh, and...by the way...you have just met Aunt Betty.

[DizNee Luver]

NICE!! Love the teaser!! I'm here & have been.....just been quiet & non-commital as I pop in here when I have a couple free minutes. Looking forward to seeing what you did prior to the arrival of 2 awesome gals......lol

[deejdigsdis]

Great teaser photos! Ah, great to see my old friend...the Candy Cane Plate! And what in the world is Pluto doing to you?!? That is such a funny picture! I think I'm still a little lost about Aunt Betty...are YOU Aunt Betty? Is that what your friend's little boy called you, maybe? Do explain...

I can so relate to the idea of Disneyland having a deeper, much-more-than-fun-rides, stemming-from-childhood meaning. When I was growing up, my dad had a stressful job that he didn't enjoy. We went to Disneyland almost every summer for 3 days. While we were there, my dad was much more carefree and relaxed than he was at home. Going to Disneyland meant good times with our family all together, leaving the cares of the world outside when we walked under the tunnel. I have 2 older brothers (<----------------) that decided to cut ties with the rest of our family, and each other, during the past decade. I can walk into the shop in Adventureland and see my brother posing for a picture in the 70s...wrestling one of the snakes for sale. I can ride Autopia and remember a time that I rode with my brother. He told me how he wanted us to pose for a picture taken by the family member riding in front of us. I thought we were being silly, making innocent hand gestures. Later he told me what we were signing. I can remember the last time I was at Disneyland with all of my family together (1996) and the fun times we had chatting while in line for Indiana Jones for the very first time, trying to decode the messages with the decoder card, compliments of (was it AT&T?). And when it was time to say goodbye and go our separate ways after that trip was over (all 6 kids had left the nest by this time)..."inappropriate hand gesture on Autopia" brother kept his sunglasses on to hide the tears because he wasn't ready for it to end. So Disneyland represents a time when my family was whole. I can't go to Disneyland and not think of happier times. I'm so glad my dad came home one day in 1964 and asked my mom how she would like to go to Anaheim for their vacation!

Enough about that! I'm so excited you got this long-awaited TR started. Can't wait for more.