Sunday Snoozers
I'll tell ya what, today's "snoozers" really are pretty lame. But you can't say that I didn't warn you.
From October 1967 comes this sleep-inducing image of Casey Junior - or rather, just the top half of Casey Junior, chugging away on its (his?) journey through Story Book Land. But all we really see is that "hedge art" on the hillside. It's pretty nice as hedge art goes! I'm going to do my own version, only it will say MAJOR PEPPERIDGE IS AWESOME. The world needs to know.
Next, from June of 1970 comes this way-too-dark photo of a ceremonial Indian burial on Tom Sawyer Island. It's pretty spooky like this, I suppose, and that circle of nine bison skulls isn't helping any. What's wrong with colorful throw pillows? That's what my mom would have used. To be honest, I appreciate that they resisted the urge to make this a humorous scene, and kept it respectful.
11 comments:
Major-
Is that "light bar" in the background of the second image the lights from the Mark Twain-? Perhaps the Northern Lights...
Thanks, Major.
In the first pic, It's a good thing there are bars on those cages because one of the monkeys is attempting to escape. I wonder if that's the monkey's grandma sitting on the foreground bench, waiting for her grandson in the "monkeys" car.
And we can see about as much of the Small World facade as we can the Casey Jr. train.
I count one (1) trashcan in this pic! (par, for a Sunday Snoozer.)
That's actually an excellent photo of the burial scene. Definitely not a Snoozer. Bright enough to see what's being depicted, but dark enough to give it gravitas and an uneasy eeriness. Plus, it's in focus. And the occasional patch of sunlight looks nice.
Also, we can see the burning settler's cabin back there. And the hind quarters of a rather shiny deer/elk.
Thanks, Major.
Glad to see that Cordelia Knott has joined us in Story Book Land! Not to be confused with Storybookland, or Storybook Land. What a very pretty day in Anaheim. I will be in Anaheim tomorrow, and I hope it is as lovely. Unfortunately, or fortunately, no visits to the Kingdom of Magic are planned. The circle of death scene along the Rivers of America creeped me out years ago, and it still creeps me out. These are the hard facts, but I would rather see shiny boy and fuzzy concrete animals please. The alyssum plantings in the hedge work remind me that I should buy some seeds today. It smells so nice and reminds me of the Main Gate, as marigolds remind me of the Tomorrowland Entrance. Marigold seeds I am good on as I harvested last years crop. That alyssum needs so much sun...so it shall be with the marigolds this year. The hedges need a good trim too...Spring is upon us, the crocuses are up. Happy Sunday to all. Thanks for the snoozers Major.
Love that kiddo hanging on the bars of the “Monkeys” car (not to be confused with the Monkeemobile, which was located over on the Columbia lot). I know I’ve mentioned before one of my concrete memories of my first visit to Disneyland at 2½ was riding in one of those barred cars (I think t was a “Wild Animals” car because I remember it being red) with my grandparents, although I don’t remember defying the safety spiel as brazenly as this. So glad the “hard facts” didn’t extend to smellitizers simulating an actual rail car full of circus animals.
Thanks for making me look for the small world facade, JB - I would have never noticed it otherwise. Just below it, note the hobo walking away from the tracks. I’ll bet he cooks his dinner in a can over a small trash fire and bathes in the canal every other week or so. Ah, the romance and glamour of the heyday of rail travel…
Nanook, I think that may very well be the Twain’s pilot house and a smidgen of the texas in that light-colored bar in the upper right. Zooming way in, it seems partially obscured by a series of horizontal rails which I think may be some sort of view block fencing that we aren’t supposed to notice. Its placement just to the right of the barely-visible flames from the cabin (thanks again, JB!) would seem to reinforce the idea that it’s there to separate scenes…or possibly to prevent the risen undead from stumbling into the fire. CalOSHA is a real stickler about that.
Visual proof of the “hard fact” that Storybook Land was once called Story Book Land.
I wonder what prompted the change, was it to align the garden wording with guide books and tickets?
My ideal job would have been to wash and wax the River animals to keep them shiny, I too could cook my churro stew in a can, sleep in the trees and wash in the River. A perfectly balanced life.
I’ve wondered about the cemetery scene, seems like there could have been other images to portray. I wonder if it was meant to imply a justification of burning the settlers cabin, built too close to the Unfriendly Indians Burial Ground? It does make the UI seem both violent and ominous. You can’t see them, but they can see you!
Thanks Major. Happy Sunday!
JG
Both of these pics are great! I love the hedge with the big blue sky and woman enjoying a nice day at Disneyland on a bench in the Story Book Land image. The tree adds a nice touch too.
The Burial Ground image is a good one too as the objects that make up the tableau are illuminated and stand out. It makes it easier to understand what it is.
No snoozers in this Sunday batch. Thanks, Major.
I will admit that the second pic is a little dead.
Bu, "The circle of death". Now I'm hearing "The Circle Of Life" in my head, but in a creepy minor key (and dreary wording).
At first, I read "alyssum" as "asylum", as in mental asylum. And I was wondering where, in Disneyland, was the mental asylum? Maybe it's the whole park! Certainly, the Alice ride, and Mr. Toad.
Chuck, Ha! When I was a kid in the '50 and early '60s, we lived next to the railroad tracks. There was a grassy field adjoining our property and we kids flew kites in that field. At the far end of the field there was a copse of fir trees where hobos would camp. We called it the hobo jungle. I think I explored it only once and there were no hobos there at the time, just old campsites.
JG rummages through a Frontierland trashcan, "Ooh, a half-eaten churro! I'll skewer it on a stick and roast it over my campfire." The smaller chunks go into your stew, as you noted. Do you use the campfires in the FIV?
K. Martinez, that's what I liked about the burial scene as well; the things that are important can be easily seen.
Stu,... oh my.
It may be a dark photo, but it brings out the white of the bleached cow skulls. Reminds me of one of my favorite Walt Whitman poems:
O Star (the fairest one in sight),
We grant your loftiness the right
To some obscurity of cloud
It will not do to say of night,
Since dark is what brings out your light.
JB: Asylum, alyssum...Copse Corpse...all depends on how you look at it. Literally.
I have no recollection of riding the Mark Twain at night as a kid. The Indian burial ground did seem creepy to me then but I only was aware of what it was from the Mark Twain narration ;
“ on the island is a sacred Indian burial ground. Deceased Braves are placed atop the traditional bed of death. At night , Indian Braves will come to mourn this warrior who brought great honor to their tribe.”
Also when you were on Tom Sawyer Island , signs posted on the metal mesh fencing north of Fort Wilderness read
“WARNING!! Unfriendly Indian Territory. Terms of treaty prohibit entry.”
There was uncertainty regarding the friendly indians as well judging from Mark Twain Riverboat narration ;
“Along the banks is a friendly indian village : they’ll probably let us pass through . They call our steamboat PENELORE - which means “Fire Canoe” because of the smoke bellowing out of our smokestacks. They believe our steamboat is their “ comet of summer” returning ....”
Incidentally the Mark Twain came back up from a rehab and has had extra wood strips added to the railing below the top rail . This is painted white but now covers up some of the vertical post scroll work.... hiding some of her elegance.
Also because of river maintainence, guests exciting Tom Sawyer Island return to the mainland now by actually traveling completely around the river back up the mainland raft landing.
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