Today I have a trio of images from 1961...
I guess I'll start with the worst of the bunch and work my way up! Somewhere in this busy, dark photo is a group of fierce headhunters, brandishing spears and shields and probably a peashooter. Most of the slides that I have of these guys tends to be dark... I guess it was on a side of the river that received little direct sunlight.
Next is a familiar sight showing the southern tip of Tom Sawyer Island, with the mill half hidden by lush foliage. Then you've got the distant Matterhorn, and the Mark Twain reflecting nicely in the river. Say, what's that heading our way?
Why, it's a canoe! I have a few similar images in my collection, and I always like them. I dub this one "postcard worthy".
You know, I've looked at umpteen photos of the Old Mill and saw it in person myself many times, and yet I never noticed the crooked pipe coming out of the chimney until today. It's good for me now and again to be subtly reminded that there's always undiscovered beauty, always new things to learn right there in front of us in the everyday and the familiar.
ReplyDeleteLife lessons, courtesy Gorillas Don't Blog. Thanks again, Major.
Chuck, I first noticed that crooked pipe back when I was collecting Disneyland postcards… at first I thought it was something behind the mill sticking up, or maybe it was some junk that had gotten on the negative. Oh wait, it's *supposed* to be there! It's such a funny little detail.
ReplyDeleteI do like the bright sky peeking through the foliage of the Jungle Cruise scene.
ReplyDeleteWhat I love about old photos of the Rivers of America and Rivers of the World (Jungle Cruise) is that the foliage seems to go right up into the water. It had a natural overgrown look. Nowadays you can clearly see the concrete/clay shoreline with the foliage neatly tucked away from the water. It which doesn't look as natural or realistic IMO.
I meant "It doesn't look as natural or realistic". Man, I've got to get into the habit of proof reading before I post.
ReplyDeleteKen - wait...are you saying those AREN'T natural bodies of water??!! Brain...recalibrating...
ReplyDeleteSeriously, you've just hit on something that has been lurking uneasily in the back of my mind for 20 years but never quite formed itself into a coherent thought. I knew that SOMETHING didn't look right about the waterways when I started coming back to the Park as an adult after a 17-year absence, and that's it.
And now that I'm thinking about it, I can remember that being a major bone of contention when I went to Busch Gardens Tampa in '79 and rode their Jungle Cruise equivalent - the concrete banks were as obvious as the concrete gutters of the street I live on (although, to be honest, our street doesn't have any plane wreckage, live tigers, or cast members with spears jumping out of a native hut to scream jibberish at us, to my profound and utter disappointment).
Just a couple of observations: I wonder if the natives are positioned in the stand of Eucalyptus trees that are so prominent behind Town Hall? I'm going to have to look up next time there, which will be Thursday!! (Arrgh, just checked and Jungle Cruise is under refurb.)
ReplyDeleteIt's nice to see both the Mark Twain and Columbia out plying the waters at the same time. Since I visit the park on low attendance days it seems like one of the two is always parked at Fowler's Harbor. The park says they'll both be running Thursday!
And I'll second the lack of water's edge foliage. I think I'd been noticing subliminally but until you guys said something I wouldn't have been able to put a finger on it. I'll be bringing a bag of "Super-Gro" on Thursday for all of our benefits.
Reminds me of that time I was on a fancy dinner cruise and the local college crew team overtook us rowed all the way around us. Showoffs! ;)
ReplyDeleteI always enjoy when I get more than one "land" in a photo...you think you're down in Dixie, and the next thing you know you are seeing a fairytale castle and a snow-covered mountain.... :-)
ReplyDeletenice pictures today! the crooked little pipe is charming