Sunday, October 25, 2015

Two Unrejected Slides, 1957

Sunday is a good day to share some photos that might not be the cream of the crop; so today I am sharing some previously-rejected slides that have now been UN-rejected. 

Let's start with this late-afternoon shot of Casey Jr. chugging his way through Storybook Land. This one was a bit blurry, but Photoshop's "Smart Sharpen" filter did a surprisingly good job. Much like photos of Knott's Berry Farm, I like the towering eucalyptus trees in the background; these certainly pre-date Disneyland by many years. Are there any left today? The kid in the lower right sports a souvenir pirate hat (possibly embroidered with his name), while the kid to the right wears a yellow Keppy Kap.


"Smart Sharpen" didn't do so much for this one, but I still love the sunny, tranquil view of the old riverfront bandstand, the Mark Twain, and Tom Sawyer Island. Even details like the fencing and the rose bushes make me smile.


8 comments:

TokyoMagic! said...

I like both of these, Major. Thanks for un-rejecting them. Those flowers in the second pic look like they could be the "Disneyland" rose, but I'm assuming that variety hadn't been created yet.

K. Martinez said...

Unrejecting is a good thing and yes, the eucalyptus trees really add to the first image.

TokyoMagic!, I believe the "Disneyland" floribunda rose was introduced in 2004. I remember getting one shortly after that year and it still grows in my garden today along with various other roses.

Nice set today. Thanks Major.

Unknown said...

Ah, the eucalyptus trees of Disneyland... Your lovely shots had me scurrying off to look for imagery of eucalyptus stands still remaining from their days as windbreaks for the old orange groves. It looks like there are only a couple left: the stand, that apparently is still there, pictured in today's shot behind Storybook Land and the iconic stand behind Town Hall. Funny, but I would have thought a few more would have been left, hidden among the various growths of forest-like vegetation in the various lands.

Chuck said...

Major, just curious - why does the UN reject your slides?

TokyoMagic! said...

Thank you, Ken! I was feeling too lazy last night to look that info up. Someone gave me a Disneyland Rose and it did really well for years, but it was planted directly over a gas pipe that had to be replaced a couple years ago, so I had to move it and it didn't survive the move. :-(

Anonymous said...

Neat photos; thanks for posting them. I always love seeing pictures featuring the retaining nets around the fishing pier on Tom Sawyer Island. Sure, it was a little bit like catching fish in a barrel… but as the vast majority of people just tossed the creatures back in with their uncaught aquatic pals, it all evened out! ;)

Major Pepperidge said...

TokyoMagic!, I didn’t know there was a Disneyland rose! I’ll have to look it up to see what it looks like.

K. Martinez, oh, 2004. Pffft! (Joking). When I last went to the Huntington Library, I strolled through the rose garden and was astonished at how many different kinds of roses they had. And I’m sure that is just a tiny fraction of the varieties that are out there.

Patrick Devlin, I am surprised that there are any left at all, especially near Storybook Land, where so much construction has taken place. One of the problems with eucalyptus trees is that there is a psyllid that is killing them, and even trees that don’t have the bugs have a tendency to drop giant branches or fall over. My grandpa used to call them “widow makers”.

Chuck, it’s a long story, let’s just say that Boutros Boutros-Ghali wasn’t a fan of vintage Disneyland slides! He was a real pain in the butt.

TokyoMagic!, you need to buy another one! Maybe they’re easier to find in Orange County?

Anonymous, Disney should have put at least a few monster fish in there, just to surprise the heck out of the kids (and their parents)!

Matthew said...

What I enjoyed about the photo of the "tranquil view of the old riverfront..." is the Mark Twain is out of focus and the tree is a little further in focus, giving the photo a "romanticized" southern feeling. (I once had that feeling, but luckily bromo seltzer took it away.)

Always your pal,
Amazon Belle