Nothing to See Here...

[tksbaskets]

Yeah you're back and feeling better. So glad. I have to get my Disney fix through the boards now.

TK

 

[Sherry E]

You're back!

I was just thinking about you today, wondering if you were OK, hoping you hadn't fallen somewhere with no one around. I just re-entered the world of TR reading again today (after not having much DIS time of late) and finished up TK's holiday trip. Sad that one's over and ready to get started with yours.

By the way, you were still on page 1. Heck, I'm still on page 1 and I've been done for quite a while.

Ready when you are...

Yay! deej, you're still here! I had a feeling you might be wondering what had happened to me. Thankfully, I only fell twice and made it out alive! But I was still feeling too icky even outside of those episodes. Thank you for hanging in here, even if my TR is years late!

Some of my DIS friends are also Facebook friends (like Marie, Michele, Laurie, etc., etc.), so they knew I had not died because I would pop into Facebook here and there - I even did a not-quite-complete Valentine's Day photo countdown (like my Christmas countdown last year) and I made an attempt at a Mardi Gras countdown, but then I started feeling icky again and I gave up!

But anyone who is not on my FB friends list may have wondered - as you did - if I had fallen somewhere where no one could get to me! ("I've fallen and I can't get up!") I wanted to pop in more - even just on the main DL forum in general - but those darn technical issues with the slow loading pages were driving me nuts. I hope all of that is fixed now. There's work to be done!

I can't believe I was still on Page 1 of the TR forum! I'm sure I was way down at the bottom, but I am shocked that I didn't slip to Page 2. I guess that not as many people have been doing TR's since Halloween and Christmas have been over - those 2 holidays seemed to bring a wealth of TR's for a while. If I had done a TR on the WDW side of the DIS, it would have sunk to Page 30 or something by now - literally! Those WDW TR's move at lightning speed!

You've got a Halloween trip coming this year, right? I was thinking the other day that, even though it seems like Halloween Time is a century away, it will probably get here super-fast! I just have a feeling that this year is going to zoom by!

I tried to follow TK's trip report, but she posts the extra large photos and my PC can't deal with those, as you know. It will literally just freeze up if there are several photos on one page - it even does that to me in my own Christmas Superthread!! So the only way I could view them was by clicking on links in the e-mail notices, which stopped coming after a while.

All I have to say is - and this is probably not the best public service announcement to make - if you ever have any extra antibiotics left over after being sick, hang on to them, even if they expire. You may find that you need them one day down the road. While it is not recommended by doctors to leave any extra pills in the bottle, let alone take expired ones, I did ask my nurse friend to be sure I wasn't going to kill myself if I took a really, really old pill, and she said that it was fine for these particular pills. Some expired medication is a bad idea to take, but the worst that would happen with these ancient antibiotics I had would be that they were not effective. I could deal with pills being useless - I just didn't want to drop dead because I took something expired.

But I was fine...and they even helped me, despite their weakened strength!! So, it was a worthwhile endeavor!

Sherry!!!

Yay!!! I am so thrilled to see you on here!!! You know I am here!!!

Michele! Thank you for hanging in here with me! Of course, you knew I wasn't dead or out of contact because you saw me on Facebook, and I was following along with your Valentine's DLR trip there (I looked at your whole album of pictures), but it's good to know that we're both still here too! Facebook is one thing; trip reports on the DIS are a different story!!

 

[Sherry E]

Yeah you're back and feeling better. So glad. I have to get my Disney fix through the boards now.

TK

Hi, TK! I'm glad you're still here too! I was thinking that I would say, "Who is still here?" and it would be...crickets...crickets...crickets....

Yes, I am back and feeling much, much, much better! As I said on Facebook several days ago, Yay for 150-year-old medication!!

Maybe it's because I started getting back to normal and feeling like I needed a Disneyland fix that I felt an urgency to get this TR rolling again. Actually, now that enough time has passed since the last holiday trip, I am once again feeling like I want a dose of Disneyland at Christmas Time. I enjoyed many things about the last trip - though not all of it, of course, because of the issue with my out-of-state friends - but because I got sick mid-trip I felt like I had much less of a quality experience. I felt short-changed, in a way - not by Disney, but by the whole situation. I wanted more out of it - more pictures taken, more things accomplished, more time with the friends, etc. So now I am anxious to have another holiday trip so I can have another chance to do it up right (though not with the same people)!

 

[kaoden39]

For some reason they didn't all load. There are a few pictures from the Lily Belle didn't post and our Minnie Mouse pictures. So those will be on the trip report but didn't make it to facebook.

 

[Sherry E]

For some reason they didn't all load. There are a few pictures from the Lily Belle didn't post and our Minnie Mouse pictures. So those will be on the trip report but didn't make it to facebook.

It's that darn Timeline, I'll bet! I know that Facebook tries to slowly roll out their format changes to people, in stages and not all at one time, so that they minimize technical glitches and also don't get bombarded with complaints/questions from every single person on Facebook at the same time! And yet...still...there are always technical glitches when they are slowly transitioning everyone into a new format. So I'll bet that the glitches interfered with your photo loading and that's why some of them disappeared.

I definitely notice that I can load photos to Facebook using Chrome much faster/easier than when I have used Explorer or Firefox. It used to take (literally) hours for me to load 20 photos to Facebook, using Explorer, on this stupid PC. Firefox was not much better. But using Chrome seems to work like it should and I can load photos in reasonable periods of time.

 

[kaoden39]

My pictures load quicker with Firefox. For some unforeseen reason my java hangs up on my chrome. But, Facebook definitely doesn't make it easier.


Did you notice the minute amount of Valentines Day decorations? Talk about disappointing.

 

[Sherry E]

My pictures load quicker with Firefox. For some unforeseen reason my java hangs up on my chrome. But, Facebook definitely doesn't make it easier.


Did you notice the minute amount of Valentines Day decorations? Talk about disappointing.

Disneyland doesn't even really decorate for Easter - no giant eggs at the entrance to pose with, or characters dressed in Easter bunny outfits (which would be cute). So I guess it's no surprise that they do so little for Valentine's Day. It seems like there were a few extra things last year, though, from what I recall in Bret's photos. Maybe this year DLR was on a tight budget and couldn't afford to stick some extra hearts here and there!

I guess, when I think about it, it's really a miracle that DLR celebrates Halloween for a whole 'season.' That's really remarkable. The holiday season is the holiday season, and that's major, so it's no shock that DLR treats that time from November to early January as a very special time (and I am sooooo glad they do because it's my favorite time!).

But for them to take Halloween and stretch it out from mid-September to October 31st is unexpected! Isn't it? I am so glad they do make Halloween into a whole season because it's wonderful, but I keep thinking they are going to wake up one day at Team Disney Anaheim and say, "What are we doing, making Halloween into a 6- or 7-week celebration? That's nuts!" I hope they keep building up Halloween Time and not scaling it back! I would hate for Halloween Time to end up like Valentine's Day - with a lone pumpkin thingy on a stick, stuck in a planter or two! That would be one pitiful Halloween celebration, wouldn't it?

​

Anyway, everyone, the TR will finally kick off tomorrow!!! Grab a comfy seat and a cup of coffee and hunker down for:

A heartwarming holiday journey into confusion and mayhem;

A long-awaited reunion (fiasco) with an old friend who is like my family;

An indecisive (but very smart!) 4-year-old, and a frustrating 44-year-old;

Lots of laughter;

Illness;

Tears;

A bloody nose;

2 celebrity sightings (and one of them was in a very popular raunchy buddy comedy from a couple of years ago!);

A coincidental second encounter with a total stranger in California Adventure (while I was by myself), a lady I had previously encountered in Disneyland in December 2010 (while I was by myself)! Is she a guardian angel in disguise?;

A Goofy's Kitchen dinner and breakfast;

An especially 'hands-on' Pluto;

My first foray into solo PhotoPass picture-taking;

The introduction of Aunt Betty;

A return to the heavenly spaghetti and garlic bread that I enjoyed in 2010 (was it still just as heavenly?);

Meeting two new DIS friends;

The continued search for Christmas trees and window displays; and....

A very, very blustery day that caused my hair to stand up on my head (a very attractive look).

Oh, and yes - there was a Peppermint Cone of Death involved but it didn't cause me any trouble this time so it wasn't very noteworthy!!

 

[mariezp]

Yay! Sherry is back! I am so glad you are feeling better and back to thinking about getting your trip report started. I am also very happy to hear you say that you are feeling the urge for another trip to the park. I am too! Since I have been working on my trip report it has been making me realize that we didn't get in nearly as much park time as I would have liked. All the more reason to get back ASAP! Anyway, can't wait to hear the details and see the photos from your report.

 

[kaoden39]

What got me about the Valentines decoration is they were faded and the paint was chipped if you took a close look. Craziness!!

 

[WDWJonasGirl]

I can't wait to hear all about it!!

 

[Sherry E]

Yay! Sherry is back! I am so glad you are feeling better and back to thinking about getting your trip report started. I am also very happy to hear you say that you are feeling the urge for another trip to the park. I am too! Since I have been working on my trip report it has been making me realize that we didn't get in nearly as much park time as I would have liked. All the more reason to get back ASAP! Anyway, can't wait to hear the details and see the photos from your report.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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!

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!!!

What got me about the Valentines decoration is they were faded and the paint was chipped if you took a close look. Craziness!!

Michele - I saw that the heart thingy was run down-looking! I was thinking that I want to go back and look at Bret's TR from last year to see if the Valentine's stuff looked run down then too - I can't recall! Maybe those hearts on a stick took a beating last year and they just trotted them out again for 2012 without touching them up?

I can't wait to hear all about it!!

Yay, Kaitlin! You are still here!! I'm so glad. I am loving your new Bieber signature pictures, in honor of his birthday! Those school photos are cute! My local news show's anchor people were just talking about it being Justin's birthday today, and one of the reporters said, "Now he's old enough to date."

Ummm.....I think he's already been dating, as far as I can tell!

​

Okey dokey!! I have already been putting together the first installment of this long-delayed TR. I have some finishing touches to do on that, and then we will get this show on the road - finally! Woo hoo!!!

 

[Sherry E]

Aunt Betty's Weepy, Wacky, Wonderful Christmas Trip to Disneyland –

Sunday, December 4 – Thursday, December 8, 2011



Introduction and Background Information – Part 1​

Most of you know me as a longtime contributor and moderator on the Disneyland/SoCal forums of DISboards. Many of you have followed along with my previous Disneyland Trip Reports (all of which can be found in this thread) over the last few years. Some of you are on my Facebook friend list and know me away from the DIS. And very few of you – only a handful – have met me in person.

Whether you know me only on the DIS or off of the DIS as well, whether you have met me in person or not, or if, perhaps, this is your first time tuning into one of my Trip Reports and have no idea what to expect, I want you to know a little bit more about who I am and how I came to love Disney and Disneyland. Plus, in order to properly understand why the outcome of the December 2011 DLR trip which I am about to explain affected me as much as it did and had as great of an impact, you kind of have to know me and know a wee bit of my history. To get to the present, I need to first visit the past for a moment. It will all make sense to you after it is laid out, so just try to bear with me!

So…..

I should begin by saying that this year, 2012, is the 40th anniversary of my very first trip to Disneyland!!!! ....At least, I think it is. I know for a fact that I was at Disneyland in April 1972, as that trip yielded the first photographic proof:

​

I was 4 years old in those photos.

But it’s possible that I was at Disneyland earlier than 1972. If I was there, no one took any photos, or they didn’t give me any copies of photos they took! That isn’t a far-fetched thought, to be honest – I know there were other specific Disneyland trips that were made in the years before I turned 15, as well as trips to Knott’s Berry Farm, Busch Gardens, Marineland, Japanese Village and Deer Park, Enchanted Village, the L.A. Zoo, the Griffith Observatory, Sea World, etc., and yet I find almost no pictures from the Disney trips, and NO photos from the trips to other places. ???

In any case, I have been happily and proudly going to Disneyland every single year since 1972 (and usually taking more than one trip each year), with the exception of 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 & 2006.


Those 9 years that I did not visit my favorite place were filled with all kinds of stress and problems and my mind was not on Disneyland. I’ve seen the park and the Resort in general go through many, many changes in the last 40 years. In fact, whenever I would return to Disneyland after there had been many changes made (like, say, my trips in 2000 and in 2007), I always felt a bit like a fish out of water and had to get re-acclimated. I felt like a stranger in a strange land, with some familiar landmarks. Soon, the magic would envelop me again and I was bitten by the bug!



This year will also mark the 20th anniversary of my very first character meal – at Goofy’s Kitchen!!!! I think that my friends and I ate there in Summer of 1992, when we didn’t really know what character meals were about or that we needed to have a camera ready (?), so there are no photos from that. But my first actual photographic evidence of a 1992 Goofy’s Kitchen meal (back when they served breakfast, lunch and dinner, and when breakfast was only about $11.00!!!) included these pictures from December 1992:

I’m sure that those of you who have been following my TR’s for the last few years will recognize Shawn – one of my usual Disneyland companions – in these photos. I am the one in the striped shirt who looks as if she was up all night, on a wild crack binge – which, I assure you, was not the case at all! And the blonde girl – we will call her “M” - is the one you will learn more about – my now infamous “out of state friend” with whom I was reunited this past December 2011.


So, as you can see, 2012 will be a momentous year for me because of these two anniversaries. But even if I were not celebrating my 40th anniversary as a Disneyland visitor or my 20th anniversary as a loyal Goofy’s Kitchen devotee, Disneyland would be no less important to me and no further from my heart.

This brings me to what I wanted to explain about how I became enamored and in awe of Disneyland and all the joy it can bring…



It all started with my grandmother.



You see, I had what we would call an “unhappy childhood” - in many ways. I was miserable at home with my parents, and I hated school because most of the kids were mean to me and treated me badly. So I couldn’t escape the turmoil at home by immersing myself in schoolwork because I didn’t want to go to school, and I couldn’t escape the stress of being at school when I was home because home was even more stressful in many ways. My parents were two people who basically had no business being parents, and they didn’t really want to be parents…which was quite obvious.

I felt very lost and alone for years. The only time I got any kind of ‘break’ from all the sadness was when I went to visit my grandmother, usually on weekends. My grandmother tried to give me a somewhat normal childhood and do the things for me that my parents would not do. She didn’t have any money and she had a lot of health problems, but she tried to spoil me and make me feel special anyway. She loved holidays – all of them – and she passed on her love of holidays to me. She had a greeting card and a small gift ready for every single holiday (no matter how minor the holiday was), and at Easter and Christmas time she went all out with the baskets and stockings. She made sure that I had whichever Barbie or Barbie car/plane/boat that I wanted for my birthday. She threw parties for me. She let me invite friends over to play. She introduced me to Peanuts, Bugs Bunny & Porky Pig, all the main Disney characters, the Muppets, etc. She took me on trips to Washington and Oregon. She did so many things for me, including arranging my first Disneyland trip in 1972.

But even before I ever actually made a trip to Disneyland itself, there were early ‘seeds’ being planted - whether I realized it or not. It was kismet. I think that Disney and I were destined to be intertwined in some way or another forever.

For instance, on some of the weekends when I would visit my grandmother (she lived in a sprawling apartment complex called Park La Brea, which was really more like a small city), we would take a walk across Third Street, past a place called Gardner Park and into the Pan Pacific Auditorium, where we saw the Ice Capades and a couple of other events before it closed down as an entertainment venue (in 1972, I think). We also attended a couple of rummage sales at Pan Pacific.

I remember, as a small child, really finding the design at the entrance to be quite odd!

(These 4 photos are from Google Images)

​

Little did I know that this design would eventually become a prominent part of both California Adventure and Hollywood Studios. (In fact, to this day I have to admit it drives me nuts when people say that the new entrance for DCA is merely “copying” the entrance for DHS. In my opinion, DCA is simply claiming the design that belonged to California in the first place! What happened was that the DHS entrance “copied” the Pan Pacific Auditorium architecture – which is California-originated. California Adventure may be a bit late in the game as far as getting its own California-originated Pan Pacific Auditorium design, but it makes sense that we here in SoCal have a California-based design!)


Anyway, over the years the Pan Pacific Auditorium became a hollowed-out refuge for homeless people and bugs, and it finally met its brutal end when it caught fire in the ‘80s. I could see the fire from my grandmother’s apartment across Third Street. It was a piece of my childhood – one of the happier times in my childhood – burning to the ground.

So I am vaguely comforted when I enter DCA nowadays, because I look up at that familiar color, the flags and the telltale design above the turnstiles, and I remember the Ice Capades and the rummage sales and Saturday afternoons. It reminds me of my grandma. If she were alive, she would find it very interesting that two Disney parks adopted the Pan Pacific design, as she went there even more than I did – well before I was born – and to her, it was just a local neighborhood haunt!

In addition to the new California Adventure entrance, there are also some subtle tips of the hat to the Pan Pacific Auditorium entrance’s design and color in the area around/in Farmers Market and The Grove.

And Pan Pacific Park (or as we used to call it around these parts, “The Hole”) takes up the land where Pan Pacific Auditorium used to sit.

When I would stay at my grandmother’s place for the weekend, one ritual was to visit the Farmers Market on Saturday mornings (way, way before The Grove was built), and another one was to go to church on Sunday mornings.

My grandmother belonged to a beautiful church called The Little Country Church of Hollywood.

(photo from the Country Church of Hollywood website)

​

A tall, thin man with white hair and a booming voice named Thurl Ravenscroft belonged to the congregation of the Country Church, way before I was born.

(from the CCoH website)

He sang there every once in a while, as part of the “Goose Creek Quartet.” Thurl was charismatic - a jovial man with an expressive face. His commanding name, his height and that deep voice all stood out, and he used that voice to make money!

Thurl began coming to church less and less because he was always busy with work for Disney, either providing voices in their animated features or in many of the attractions and rides at Disneyland and Disney World. When he did return to the Church to sing, it was an event!

Thurl’s real claim to fame came from his long-running role of Tony the Tiger in the Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes commercials.

(From Google Images)

But you may be most familiar with this (slightly spookier) version of Thurl Ravenscroft in the Haunted Mansion (photos from Google Images):

​

I was always excited when it was “Thurl Day” or “Goose Creek Quartet Day” at the Little Country Church of Hollywood, because I was anxious to hear stories of the latest voices he did for rides in Disneyland. This was something that made me want to go to Disneyland – I wanted to find the Animatronic figures that Thurl voiced.



Coincidentally, just like what happened with the Pan Pacific Auditorium, the Little Country Church of Hollywood burned to the ground – about 5 or 6 years ago, I think. I was never a very religious person, but, like it or not, that Church was part of my childhood – one of the better parts of it – and there were many wonderful people there.

In fact, it was my grandmother and her lovely church friends who decided to take me on my first Disneyland trip – in 1972, as you already know – after a Sunday service. We were going to ride Pirates of the Caribbean and Haunted Mansion to “find Thurl.”


That’s my grandmother with the dark hair, holding my hand, and the other lady next to me (Martha) was the proprietor of the Country Church and my grandmother’s best friend:

Of course, being only 4 years old, I was scared to death of Pirates and especially the drops in the ride – a fear that took me years to get over – and I ran screaming and crying from the entrance of Haunted Mansion…a fear that took me less time to overcome.

When I finally made my way onto Haunted Mansion in a couple of years, I had to help my poor, unstable grandmother onto one of the Doom Buggies because she had terrible balance and was afraid she was going to fall.


Needless to say, after that first visit to Disneyland in 1972, I was hooked. It began a tradition, and every year my grandmother and her church friends would take me to Disneyland until I started going with my own separate friends. As soon as one trip ended, I was plotting out the next year’s trip!

Since I was so unhappy at home with my parents and in school, these Disneyland trips were my lifeline…they were my light at the end of the tunnel… It was something I looked forward to so I could block out the sadness I felt. It was a haven for me – an escape.

(at Blue Bayou)

I have posted all of these old Disneyland photos – and many more – in the earlier parts of this thread. So if you want to see them, go to the first post on Page 1 and look for the links. I just wanted to toss a few of them in during this “Intro to the Trip Report/Background” section.


I have to admit that I kind of view Disneyland in the same way today, as an adult – it’s still kind of a ray of light for me. When things are going awry and life is very stressful or depressing, I can always think ahead to my next trip and have something to look forward to!



Coming up soon (within the next couple of installments)…my love of Christmas and Disneyland at Christmas time, my love of photography, and my long friendship with “M” (my out of state friend who is like a sister to me, and who was the cause of my crying on a bench in DCA this past December). And then...the report and photos from the trip!

So just hang in there! I know you’re getting impatient and want me to jump ahead to the pictures from the Disneyland 2011 trip, but it was/is important to me to give you some background because it directly influenced and impacted my life and who I am, and especially my friendships and my love of Disneyland today. The past led to the present!

 

[deejdigsdis]

No impatience here... I'm enjoying the background/intro very much. Thank you for sharing.

 

[Sherry E]

No impatience here... I'm enjoying the background/intro very much. Thank you for sharing.

Okay. Thanks, deej. I wasn't sure if you were still out there because I replied to you yesterday and you vanished. Not that I said anything exciting or urgent - I just wasn't sure if you had tuned out or not realized I replied - sometimes posts get lost in the pages in various threads! Good to know you're there.






Oh, by the way, Michele - In your TR, you are using those giant photos that I have enormous trouble with on my PC! Even if I weren't tied up with my own TR that is now 3 months late, I can't post anything in yours because my PC will freeze up. I didn't have trouble viewing your photos on Facebook because they were not as huge, but on the DIS the giant photos freeze up this PC. Arrrrggghhhhh. I hate technical problems.

 

[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.

 

[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]

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!

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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]

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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!

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!!!

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!!