Thanks for posting
Sherry, and
"Happy St. Patrick's Day" to you as well!!!
Love the pics, especially where you added the shamrocks---so pretty!
As for the
Paradise Pier Hotel tree(which I used to
love--sob, sob), not so much any more, because of those tacky/cluttery decorations(BOO/HISS!!!)
Thank you,
Cheshirecatty!
I had fun with adding the shamrocks of varying sizes, though it was very difficult to get my computer to cooperate long enough to be able to work with them. (The new PC is still waiting to be hooked up and loaded with what I need.)
You know, that Paradise Pier Hotel tree still frustrates me. That was a case (pre-2013) in which the actual lights on the tree were the "star" of the show. The jewel-toned ornaments kind of served to complement the lights, but they were more subtle and there was nothing clunky and obtrusive interfering with the tree's beauty. Even the presents that were under the tree didn't take away from the impact of the beautiful lights too much.
In 2013, however, all of that stuff that was suddenly added to the tree -- the faux sea grass, the starfish and seahorse ornaments, as well as the giant surfboards and seashells underneath the tree -- not only made it look totally cluttered and served to diminish a bit of the beauty of the glowing blue-green lights, but it also (visually) cut down some of the length of the tree. Did you notice that? I'm sure that if we were to measure the tree from top to bottom it would be the same length that it has always been, but the clutter around the bottom of it and all of the oceanic accessories hanging from the branches made it appear less towering than it used to appear.
If the decorators wanted to add a few new knick-knacks on or around the PPH tree, I think the 'less is more' approach would have been more effective. Again, the blue-green lights are the star of the show, and it's best to just let them shine as much as possible.
Then again, I don't know if you noticed but the lights on the Grand Californian Hotel tree were different in 2013 as well, and some of the ornaments were new or different (though not as glaringly obvious as the ones on the PPH tree!). Pre-2013 the lights always had a rather warm, golden-yellow kind of glow -- more of a muted, subtle glow than a 'bright, shining' glow, if that makes any kind of sense at all. They were very fitting with the dim, elegant lighting of the GCH lobby/hearth environment.
Last year I noticed right away that the GCH lights were brighter, shinier and less subtle. They were
less yellow-gold and
more white. They had been changed between 2012 and 2013.
Who knows what changes are in store for this year's hotel decorations (or the parks' decorations, for that matter)?
happy st patty's day all my friends
Happy St, Patrick's Day to you too,
Jade
!
Happy St. Patty's day! Sherry so glad you're OK. The Shamrock Shake is funny.
Thank you,
TK!
This quake started out with quite a boom, because it was so close and it was very shallow (like the horrible Northridge quake of 1994). I heard things falling on the floor in my upstairs neighbor's apartment. One unsettling thing is that there have been other quakes in the 3.0-ish range in areas not that far from today's epicenter, but today's quake was a 4.4. Ideally, we don't want the quakes in a general, overall vicinity getting
bigger, as that could mean trouble is a-brewin'. The hope is that they get smaller.
The other unsettling thing is that the usual Cal Tech folks who speak to the press after quakes didn't seem to know which fault this activity is happening on. Unknown faults are never a good thing (the Northridge quake happened on a fault that was previously unknown until it erupted). At least when they know about faults they can study them and see how active they have been over the decades/centuries. When a new fault pops up that was previously unknown, it is a wild card until they can study it.
Anyway, I like the name "The Shamrock Shake." Very clever -- I don't know who first called it that, but props to them!
On a Hallmark Channel Countdown to Christmas-related note -- The Hallmark Channel had their "up fronts" last week, and they apparently announced all kinds of programming extending through the end of 2014 and into 2015. They are going to have new series as well, including a series based on the
Mrs. Miracle story, but without the Mrs. Miracle from the 2 movies.
While I do occasionally watch some of Hallmark's 'other' movies (in other words, the ones involving Valentine's Day, romance, Ireland or weddings), clearly I am most interested in what's in store for this year's Countdown to Christmas and the 12 new movies coming our way (or 13, if they do a baker's dozen like they did last year).
The only thing that the up fronts revealed pertaining to the Countdown is that the viewership of the Christmas movies had a significant increase in 2013, up from what it was in 2012, although the Countdown has apparently been pulling in solid ratings every year. Last year they had their biggest audience yet, and that pretty much lasted all through the holiday season -- or at least, for every weekend that new movies debuted.
I would like to think that
we helped contribute to the increase in Hallmark's holiday movie ratings/viewers in some way! It may not seem like it, but when there is discussion about the Countdown and people pick up on it, word spreads and more people tune in. I think we talked about the Countdown last year more than we ever had in the past -- even before it began, as well as after it was over -- and I know that at least a few new people from the Superthread tuned in because we had been talking about it, so the buzz about it likely spread into other places on the Internet. (You're welcome for that, Hallmark Channel!
)
Oh -- one other thing. One new movie coming up on November 15th is
Northpole -- that is the first-ever movie from the Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Cards combined. All I know about it is that it stars Tiffani Amber Thiessen as a mom who has -- of course -- lost her Christmas spirit, and by the end of the movie she finds it again, as well as saves Christmas for the town (which I am guessing is called "Northpole")! It's not exactly a new plot in any way -- we've certainly seen many versions of the "lost her Christmas spirit" story in the past. And yet, it is strangely comforting somehow, and I am so looking forward to it!
I seem to not care at all if Hallmark keeps churning out versions of the same holiday stories. I will watch the new movies when I can. I will watch the old ones when I can too. I will watch the ones that have somehow escaped me in previous years! Whatever they include in the Countdown, I can't wait for November 1st to arrive!
Bonding time with mom 
I'm booking our trip this month for Christmas season and I'm so excited. I followed this board all last year while planning our October trip so I'm so excited to be apart of it this year!
yes it's crazy crowded but we love it!
