I apologize guys if I'm boring you all with these vintage pics I keep finding... but my kids have all already seen them, and I have to share them with someone
My grandparents came to the US from Norway in 1955, the year
Disneyland opened. My mother and her sister are fraternal twins, and for whatever reason, just because they are twins, my grandmother felt the need to have them dress alike for many, many years... perhaps it was to "prove" they were twins even though they didn't look alike? I have no real clue, and neither does my mom. Anyway - growing up, they were treated to a trip to Disneyland every year for their birthday, and then on other "special" occasions. A couple of times in those years, I'm told, they even got to meet Walt Disney himself. There's supposed to be a picture of the twins with Walt somewhere, on one of his many visits to the park to monitor guest satisfaction, and dream up new stuff - but so far I haven't come across it. If I do, naturally I'll post it. I found these other pics in a box tonight though.
Here are my mother (the blond), aunt and grandmother in 1955 mere months after the park opened to the public at the end of their visit to the park. Back then, as in so many other parts of life, people didn't dress as casually as we do these days, even for a day of fun at the Happiest Place on Earth.
Here they are in probably about 1960.
I don't know if my mom's hair smelled like cheese or what, but Minnie sure seems more interested in her hair than in actually posing for the picture!
And finally, here was one such "special occasion" that called for an extra visit to Disneyland in 1966. My great-grandparents came across the pond to attend their grand-daughters' high school graduation. Where else would you take visitors not just from out-of-town, but out-of-the-country? Walt Disney's Magic Kingdom, of course - Disneyland! I'm told this was definitely one place they BOTH wanted to see. There are so many pics of them in other locations (San Diego Zoo, Knott's Berry Farm, etc, etc) - but it was Disneyland that they most wanted to experience. It sure does have that kind of pull on folks, doesn't it? We understand that, don't we guys?
Here the great-grands are with my grandmother in front of Monsanto's House of the Future. It was a cross-shaped building (think of the Red Cross' cross - even all around) entirely made out of plastic sitting on top of a central core for the utilities (kind of like the Treehouse Villas at WDW, except made out of plastic). It was located on an interesting little patch of ground between the entry to Tomorrowland and Fantasyland, directly in northeast of the hub, in front of the Matterhorn Bobsleds. When they went to tear it down in 1967 for the all NEW Tomorrowland, the wrecking ball bounced right off of it. They had to cut it apart and haul it out of there with cranes.
That spot later became a lovely garden area, that in the mid-'90's became "Triton's Gardens" with a designated meet & greet location for Ariel. Today that location is Pixie Hollow - a neat walk-thru garden where as you enter and wind your way through the gardens, you of course "shrink" in size so you can meet Tinker Bell and her other Pixie friends. Same concept as at WDW in Toontown Fair - but DL's Pixie Hollow is entirely outdoors. It's beautiful at nighttime when the hollow is all lit up with lots of pretty twinkling and colored lights.
And then finally another pic with the old Captain Hook's Chicken of the Sea restaurant that used to occupy part of Fantasyland pre-1983.
Again - I hope I'm not boring you. But I'm sure having fun going back and finding some of these treasures, and enjoying sharing my finds with you all.
Keep em coming.
) road trip over there at the clubhouse (thanks, Aaron). So if you guys are interested, pop on over so you can fill up the comments with movie quotes! 
Of course uploading pics, and finding the time to write the text are two different things... as we all know, don't we Don?
