Well friends, believe it or not, it was only a few days ago that I remembered that May 12th would be GDB's 14th Anniversary, so I was kind of unprepared. I guess the 5,000th post got all of my attention back in March.
Just over 14 years ago I saw an article on BoingBoing about a website that featured vintage Disneyland photos. That turned out to be Matterhorn1959's "Stuff From The Park" blog, which had been going for 5 or 6 months, unbeknownst to me. I'd already been collecting vintage Disneyland slides, and thought that it would be fun to share scans of them with other interested folks instead of leaving them in boxes, where they would rarely see the light of day. I had no idea how to do a blog, and didn't really know much about scanning slides either, so there was a learning curve.
I'd already planned to do a "best of Mr. X's Instamatics" post for another day, but the photos are so nice that I decided to move it to today. I guess it's sort of a cheat, but something tells me you guys will be able to handle it.
First up: how about this beautiful photo of the "New Tomorrowland"? Fantastico. The tomato-red Peoplemover! The crazy Swiss mountain climbers! Everything looks so new and shiny. Well, maybe not the climbers.
Looking back on the blog's early days, I feel bad that I didn't respond to comments the way I do now. It seems rude. What was I thinking? I don't really remember, maybe I looked at other blogs and didn't see those people responding to their comments. But I learned, eventually.
Now for another great photo, with the rotating model of a Telstar satellite above the Circarama Theatre, with the Clock of the World for flavor.
The best thing about GDB is not really what I do, but what you, the junior gorillas, do! The friendly community that has somehow evolved is something that I would have never expected, and it is 90% of the reason I'm still going.
Mr. X took this postcard-worthy photo of Ken-L-Land. Heck, I would have stayed there myself. A free can of dog food? So much the better.
It's interesting for me to go back and read some of the older comments, especially from people who used to participate enthusiastically, only to go away forever. They said they were just going to the store to get cigarettes. I guess their interest in Vintage Disneyland only went so far. Go on, get outta here (tears streaming down my face)!
I don't have any other photos of the Monorail that are like this one. For one thing, it's the "Mark I", three-car red, which might be my favorite. "Li'l Stubby"! And seeing it go around the Matterhorn like this is so cool.
Lucky for me I have managed to acquire a lot more slides over the years, and have had the good fortune to have help from so many GDB readers, who have shared their own postcards, guidebooks, and personal photos. If I share two guest posts a week (a regular occurence), that adds up to over 100 posts in a year, and it helps so much to keep the blog going.
I thought that this was the Phantom of the Opera, but some say it's Mr. Hyde. Either way, it's neat to see him lurking outside the Main Street Cinema. Lurkily.
I'm also very appreciative to those of you who continue to leave fun and interesting comments, and even do research that I either didn't have time to do, or was too lazy to do!
This is a cool, nautical version of the first image, I'd say.
Oh man, look at the colors! All those Mark VII vehicles, and the Mark III Monorail, as well as the Christmas star on top of the Matterhorn.
I just noticed that the Matterhorn is featured five times today. Which is OK with me! Love this beautiful shot with the Mark II Monorail going 'round the mountain.
And finally, here's a really wonderful photo showing the Tomorrowland Skyway terminal. This isn't dated (none of these Instamatics are), but I would guess that this was probably 1967. The Peoplemover might not even be operating at this point, and the Skyway might not be either. There's the Carousel of Progress building to the right, which would open on July 2, 1967. Who needs a souvenir hat?
And that's it for today's 14 Anniversary post! I hope you didn't mind revisiting some golden oldies. There is still some good stuff to come, so keep checking in as we start year #15! Thanks, everybody.
Happy Anniversary to You! (cha-cha-cha)
ReplyDeleteWe scanned & emailed to You -- (cha-cha-cha)
A fun Disneyland parade** for You, Major!
We'll celebrate with YOU! (cha-cha-cha)
HAPPY 14th ANNIVERSARY, MAJOR!
** to be shared with all the junior gorillas on future GDB posts!
Happy anniversary!!!!! Some pretty spectacular TOMORROWLAND-LOVING IMAGES today!!! The PeopleMover car I own is in the 1987 color scheme .... but underneath it was once PeopleMover RED train #12 , car B. I wonder if she appears in your image sets today.
ReplyDeleteMajor: image 4 is actually a Monorail Mark II - four car train ..... so it’s “Big Stubby”.
ReplyDeleteWoo-hoo! Lucky fourteen! The blog’s all grown up and ready for high school!
ReplyDeleteToday’s shots all have such great perspective and composition. Lots of wow and vroom. Random detail that jumped out in the first picture is the lady in the bumblebee-striped dress. Probably a corporate spy for Bumblebee Tuna, reconnoitering in the Chicken of the Sea Pirate Ship.
Some beautiful scans today to mark the milestone, I love all the reds!
ReplyDeleteMy dog's better than your dog. My dog's better than yours. My dogs better, 'cause he eats Ken-L-Ration, my dog's better than yours!
ReplyDeleteAwwwww, the Phantom (Mr. Hyde?) fell asleep while standing up!
Check out that black fungus growing on the the Motor Boats!
Happy 14th anniversary, Major! Gee, that means it was 12 years ago that I first came across your blog. And my life has been much richer, ever since! Thank you, Major!
Happy animaversary, Major! Fourteen. Holy smokes! That means the blog'll start talking back, acting moody and sullen and spending most of its time sequestered in its room, listening to music, playing video games and talking online with its friends, only to emerge sulkily at meal times. Get ready for a bumpy ride...
ReplyDeleteSo...many...COLORS! Man, do I miss that Tomorrowland.
I love that the motor boats are named after less-well-known characters like Faline and Leper Colony (I may not be reading that last one right).
Congratulations again, Major. Thanks for bringing us all together and making the time spent worthwhile.
Congrats on the milestone, Major! These photos really make me wish I had gotten to see Tomorrowland at its peak.
ReplyDelete[Cue Fred and Barney] "Happy anniversary, Happy anniversary, Happy anniversary, Haaaaaaaaaaaaapy anniversary!!!"
ReplyDeleteTodays pics have a wonderful kid's toy plastic feel to them! The bright colors, the smooth tectures. It's like Christmas morning! Thanks, Major!
Happy Anniversary Major.
ReplyDeleteAfter moving away from California 16 years ago it left a big gap as I was previously 7 miles from the park and was an annual passholder. Suddenly being too far away to visit often I started consuming Disneyland in a more 2D form with books, videos until I stumbled across your blog. Thank you for all your years of hard work! You keep us former locals going with our daily visits to the park(s) and more.
In today's pics you've got Monorail Red, Monorail Blue and Monorail Gold. Love it!
ReplyDeleteIt looks like Mr. X's motor boat is going to just clip Faline and collide into Leprechaun.
Congrats on your milestone, Major. Love the instamatics too. Thanks, Major and Mr. X
Woot woot woot! Happy 14th! Wow, can it really be that many years?
ReplyDeleteAwesome picture choices today - that first one is a real grabber: dynamic, bright, clear - it practically drags me into the scene. I wish it would for reals.
All of them are great today, as they usually are.
Thank you so much, Major, for what you do every day to bring us all joy!
Well done Major. Happy 14th! Great set of pictures today. A lot to get into. That red Mark ll pic sure is a beaut.
ReplyDeleteTokyo, our dogs loved Gaines Burgers. A crumbly red substance that was hard to identify.
Like Chuck said, thanks for bringing this motley crew together. I've learned more in the past several years from the post and comments than I probably need to know. And thankful of it.
Thanks Major and Mr.X. and everyone.
Happy anniversary, Major! Your blog is such a big contribution to documenting Disneyland's history.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations, Major! Thanks for chugging along, and I am continually amazed of how long and consistently you have kept up this site.
ReplyDeleteYou've got the red PeopleMover, Monorail, Skyway buckets and Autopia cars all in today's shots! Great post, and I look forward to more fun ones in the future.
You did put one burning question on my mind, though - what ever happened to Chiana?
GREAT scans today! Thanks for your continued efforts to make this blog happen! Many of my favorites are here today and I'll be back later when I can take more time.
ReplyDeleteDz
Major, congratulations on a "major" milestone. I've been a reader for 12 years and a poster for maybe 10. Indeed, the main reason I comment so much, apart from saying thanks to you for all the work, is that you respond to comments. Not many of the bloggers do that, and it helps create the community we are all enjoying. I have a lot of friends here, and some that have slipped away over the years are greatly missed, Chiana, Thufer, and others. The great feature here is that everyone has something relevant to contribute; past memories, insider details, deep research, professional knowledge, fashion insights, GDB has it all.
ReplyDeleteReally enjoying these special photos, I do miss Disneyland so much. The motorboat photo shows the World On The Move, I can count five different forms of locomotion; boats, cars, PeopleMover, monorail and just over the rail at the left, the support pylon of a Skyway bucket. All that's missing is a bobsled. The original monorail is my favorite too, with the Cadillac taillights. What a detail.
These images of a happy past were a great help to me in difficult times, and a never-ending source of enjoyment now that my personal clouds have parted and the sun has returned. Really can't say thanks enough to you, and all the Junior Gorillas.
JG
Major, you commented: The friendly community that has somehow evolved is something that I would have never expected, and it is 90% of the reason I'm still going.
ReplyDeleteWhat's the other 10% of the reason?? Just curious. :)
So very thankful for all your hard work. GDB is a continual source of fun and adventure!
Thank you Major, and Mr. X, for today's great post! Like Dz said, "I'll be back later when I can take more time."
Wow. Happy Anniversary Major. Looking forward to year 15!
ReplyDeleteHappy Anniversary. So many Tomorrowland images, I'm ecstatic.
ReplyDeleteHappy, happy, joy, joy! Fourteen years, wow. Since I only stumbled on GDB a couple of years ago, I have, I confess found your blog an indispensable read with my morning coffee. Great pics today, as always. Every one of them a postcard in the waiting. I look forward to all the comments as well, and I feel like I know all of you personally. Major, Major he's our man, he knows every thing 'bout Disneyland!
ReplyDeleteHappy Anniversary Gorillas Don't Blog and congratulations Major Pepperidge! It seems like only yesterday when I was working at USC, reading your blog, Matterhorn's, and Daveland's. You three kids remain the "gold standard" and part of my morning routine for all these years! Of course at that time my blog name really was Amazon Belle. It seems only fitting that you should have so many photos of the Matterhorn (5 of them) since it was his site that kinda started all this (Thanks PJ!).
ReplyDeleteLove all the earlier comments about the colors. Just want to point out the blue and yellow bobsled emerging from the top of the lift on the Tomorrowland track. Coming out of the dark mountain into the sunlight and getting that view overlooking Disneyland was spectacular. I only wish they didn't enclose the mountain in 1978.
Here's to many, MANY, more years of bringing both the magic and happiness of Disneyland to our computers!
Always your pal,
Amazon Belle
Major-
ReplyDeleteGeez - I slept right past the dawning of your 14th Anniversary and have landed farther down the list. So, let's see - traditionally the 14th anniversary is 'ivory'; and in modern times it's 'gold jewelry'. Well, wouldn't you know it, I just finished cleaning house and gave-away both my ivory and gold jewelry collections-! What are the odds-? (And to think I had a 'gold-trimmed ivory miniature' of "Li'l Stubby" that would've made the perfect gift to Mark the occasion-!). Get it-? "mark" the occasion-!
That monorail image really is truly unique for so many reasons. And is that possibly a tiny corner of a bobsled peaking through a grotto-?
'Thanks' seems so trite a word for all the work you do, including creating a great on-line community of folks. I've seen so many great images and learned so much great information - insider, and otherwise - is it any wonder this blog is a daily "must see"-?
Again, THANKS Major, and I look forward to more great posts.
As sometimes happens, Blogger says I can't leave a comment that is larger than 4,096 characters, so I have to break it up into two!
ReplyDeleteLou and Sue, thank you!
Mike Cozart, I didn’t know you owned a Peoplemover car! Incredible.
Mike Cozart, I admit that I never learned to count past 3.
Melissa, now that this blog is 14, we have started smoking cigarettes behind the liquor store. It’s even more fun than I could have imagine!
D ticket, I’m glad you liked these!
TokyoMagic!, I don’t even have a dog, so the joke’s on you! The “black fungus” is probably a result of my not being very good at scanning negatives, which is always a challenge. So you didn’t find GDB until it had been going for 2 years? Better late than never! ;-)
Chuck, teenagers are cool, especially when they are rude to everyone, so I am going to start working on that immediately. It would have been fun if they’d really delved into obscure Disney character names. “Tilly the Tiger”! Of course the idea would have been lost on 99.999999% of the guests.
Pegleg Pete, it would be pretty hard to top the Tomorrowland from these pictures.
stu29573, so funny, why does that “Happy Anniversary…” song from The Flintstones stick in my memory after decades? But it does. I think those basic colors used on Skyway gondolas, Motorboats, and Peoplemover cars all add to that toylike feeling.
Alonzo, as a kid in a Navy family, we often moved far away from Disneyland, so I know just how you feel! I would devour magazines and anything else I could find to get my fix. Thanks for the nice comment.
K. Martinez, I always thought that the terms “Monorail Gold” and “Monorail Blue” (etc) are more a WDW thing, but could be wrong of course? It’s a good thing those motor boats were on rails, just imagine the trouble guests could have gotten into if they could go wherever they wanted!
Tom, I know, I do the math to realize how old I was when I started the blog, it’s kind of depressing! I could have probably picked 10 more Instamatics from Mr. X, but these were my favorites.
DrGoat, I never saw a Gaines Burger in real life, but remember the commercials.Your description sounds pretty much exactly as I remember them. I always think it’s funny that they make dog food and cat food into forms that look good to humans.
ReplyDeleteJason Schultz, thank you, and thanks for all your contributions!
Andrew, you have been a great addition to “the usual suspects”, I’m glad you found GDB. And it’s no secret that old Tomorrowland is my favorite, so that’s why today’s photos lean more toward it. As for Chiana… I wish I knew where she went. Hope she’s OK!
dzacher, thank you!
JG, at some point I must have gone back and looked at old blog posts where people left comments (and sometimes even asked questions) and I didn’t respond. Maybe work was much busier then (it is very possible), or else I just wasn’t being a good blogger. But I’m glad I finally wised up! And I’m glad that these photos helped you through a tough time, it’s amazing to me to think that this blog can really make a difference. The main thing I try to do is be open to other people’s ideas and make them feel welcome.
Lou and Sue, probably some mild form of OCD? There’s no reason I have to post every day, except that I feel driven to do so.
Anon, thank you!
MRaymond, hooray!
Jonathan, maybe you’re already done so, but you can go back and read all 14 years if you want to. Now that Photobucket seems to have restored the old photos (finally). Thanks!
Matthew, I don’t know if you remember, but I met you at the first D-23 show, when I was a guest of Matterhorn1959. I wish I had an ivory and gold collection! I learned in Art History class that items made of ivory and gold are referred to as “chryselephantine”, which is definitely a good word to use in daily conversation. I knew that I had a lot of Matterhonr photos today, but they were so nice, how could I not post them?
Nanook, you’ve learned an important lesson: never go to sleep! Ivory is creepy anyway, I’d rather have live elephants, walruses, sperm whales, and so on. Let them keep their teeth and tusks! That may be a bobsled, but it’s too indistinct. I’m going to say that it is, anyway. Thank you for all of your input and contributions over the years. Do you happen to remember when you discovered GDB?
Major-
ReplyDeleteI'm embarrassed to say I didn't discover GDB until around 2011.
I'm late to the party, but happy anniversary! You've done an amazing job for the past 14 years, and I'll echo what Alonzo P. Hawk said--having moved away from SoCal 14 years ago, this is the main place I come to get my daily Disneyland dose!
ReplyDeleteGot a really late start on things today! But as is always part of my routine I have checked in :) Love the photos today - so colorful. I wish Disneyland was still that colorful, especially Tomorrowland! I confess that whenever there is a photo of a crowd of people from the 50's or 60's that I scan to see if my mom, dad, brother or I are in them. That would be so neat to stumble across something like that someday. Lots of the older photos really do bring back the memories. Thanks for sticking with this for 14 years and here's to many more :)
ReplyDeleteNanook, better late than never!
ReplyDeleteSteve DeGaetano, hey, it’s not even noon. In California, anyway. I’m very glad that you keep on checking in!
Irene, thank you, and thanks for sharing so many of Bruce’s wonderful photos. Because I am being stingy with them, we’ll keep seeing more of them for months to come. I think that Disneyland is colorful, but the way that they use color makes a big difference. I would love to find a photo of myself in any of these vintage photos, but I would also love it if somebody on the blog found themselves (or a family member) in the photos!
Congrats, and thanks for all the desktop/screensaver images.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to guess the fellow outside Main Street Cinema is sporting a generic "Mr. Hyde" mask -- crafted in-house or bought off the shelf somewhere? It's only vaguely like John Barrymore's version nowhere near the apelike makeup Frederic March wore.
Visited for the first time in decades last year (WDW had seduced me). Something that almost shocked me about the Monorail was how, within seconds of leaving Tomorrowland, I was outside the park and cruising above real-world traffic. As a kid I never really thought of the real world pressing in so close around the park. It was mind-bending enough in those early days to realize the heavy foliage left of the main gate contained the Jungle Cruise.
Congratulations on the anniversary! Today's pictures are some beauts, so much color and movement, though some even look like they could be tiny models. Though I'm not a regular commenter, I am a frequent visitor and I appreciate the history and the humorous captions from you and everyone else. Real Infotainment!
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteYes, there are many people who seemed to add comments all the time but now we never hear from them. Well, people do change and so do their tastes and hobbies. Our current crew is so much fun and I've been reading long enough to get a sense of people's personalities.
14 years is a LONG TIME considering lots of people start blogs with good intentions and then give it up. You need to get an award for just hanging in there for all those years!
Thank you for all you do.
Best,
Sunday Night
Of course I remember meeting you Major! Who would ever forget that? You and Patrick and Dave were all together if I recall. Chryselephantine... it has such a nice ring to it. Thanks Nanook for that additional insight. : )
ReplyDeleteAlways your pal,
DBenson, it’s funny, I had a whole conversation with a friend about the Phantom/Mr. Hyde thing. I agree that it doesn’t look like Frederic March’s Hyde, but it really doesn’t look anything like the Barrymore version either! I don’t know if Don Post made a “Hyde” mask, but the one in the photo bears a strong resemblance the Chaney’s Phantom. It’s a mystery! I’ve always loved that the Monorail was almost like two rides - the “in park” part, and the part that ran along part of Harbor Blvd. I’m sure that, as a WDW regular, it was a true brain blaster to see how the city of Anaheim is right on top of the park! That makes it even more impressive when you’re in the park and they’ve managed to keep so much of the outside world not visible.
ReplyDeleteKathy!, thank you for taking the time to comment today, I am very glad to know that there are people out there enjoying the blog, even if I don’t ordinarily hear from them.
Sunday Night, I’m sure the loss of some commenters is a combination of things. They lose interest, they pass away, they just get busy with their family life, or they feel like they have nothing of interest to say. And you ain’t kiddin’, 14 years IS a long time!
Matthew, I don’t think Dave was at that particular dinner, but were you also at the “Knott’s Preserved” event? That was the great “meeting of bloggers”!
Regarding the Phantom or Mr. Hyde mask issue - I just conferred with my husband - who purchased the Phantom version from Universal Studios in 1978 (it's currently buried in a box, in our basement crawl space). I don't know if Universal carried the same masks that Disneyland did, but my husband said his Phantom mask does not look like today's posted one. He said that's Mr. Hyde. We (my husband and I) wouldn't have even had this conversation if he had purchased the really really cool mask (my favorite) - the Frankenstein Monster mask! His brother purchased that one, in 1978. He has a really cool brother!
ReplyDeleteBy the way, did you notice that cute little blond girl in the first picture, on the left, walking away from us? That's a future Alice in Wonderland. What a doll!
Sue
Major: I indeed have a actual PeopleMover car bought from Disney. I also have two Autopia cars, a Rocket Jet and one of the three blast tail cones to the vertical Rocket Jet Tower. For one of Jason’s GURR-Tinni party’s we are gonna bring the PeopleMover car up from San Diego where she’s kept since I haven’t the room here in OC at the present. Its chassis sits on a platform hidden under its body and has industrial cart swivel wheels making it easy to maneuver around. About once every two months it’s completely washed with a Fiberglass boat type cleaner and the doors and canopy lift are oiled and runner door gaskets are rubbed with armor-all.
ReplyDeleteThe day I picked up the PeopleMover from Disney at one of their many unmarked warehouses ( it had some Space Mountain rockets and lots of Walt Disney World 1971 Toad cars ( in pretty bad shape) and a few other PeopleMover cars ( this was 2004) also sitting in the warehouse was the original Disneyland Main Street Cinema Marquee!! For those of you that remember for Disneyland’s 50th a new marquee was built. Anyway , the property control manager saw I was impressed to see it and said “if you want while we have the fork-lift out we can load it onto your truck and you can have with paperwork..,”
We had a trailer hooked up to the truck for the PeopleMover .... and the truck ( my dad’s) had a 5th wheel hitch .... so that would have been a problem ... but I was all “yes!! I’d love to have that!!” And my dad replied “ hell no!!” “ it wouldn’t fit well in the truck and where the hell are you gonna keep it!!? Or get it out of the truck??
I was already pushing it getting to store the PeopleMover at my parents house. Oh well, that’s one of those “ it got away stories”
On a side note I am also the only person to have original PeopleMover coupler-bumper covers : Disney doesn’t even have any.
Hey Major!
ReplyDeleteI am so glad I dropped in today to see your anniversary post! You might remember me as one of the ones who went to go "grab cigarettes"... I posted way back when as Hannah_x_2 and PsychosocialDisney back when I had a blog.
Through the years I still drop by periodically even though I don't comment anymore. If I'm completely honest, GDB has been my happy place for years. It helped me get through a rough time in my life in 2011 when I first started my Disney History "phase" (turns out it's not a phase!). Since then I lurk a lot. I still read the comments from the GDB community and love them for it. Sometimes I'll go months without checking the blog and then when my mental health takes a nose-dive I find myself coming right back and immersing myself in these photos and commentary.
I don't want to talk too much about myself but I just wanted you to know how much you're appreciated and how much you have helped me without even knowing.
Happy 14th!
Am picking my jaw up off the floor now, Mike! Wow!!
ReplyDeletePsySocDisney, glad to see you back. It has been a while.
ReplyDeleteJust stumbled on your 7-year anniversary post by complete accident.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite tidbits: "I'm on my last box of images. It's a BIG box, probably over 1000 slides (500 of which are Mark Twain and castle shots), but they won't last forever - keep in mind that I have already scanned a portion of them. When it's all done, your pal Major Pepperidge will retire to his secret island lair and learn to play the ukelele."
And Andrea's comment below: "Love your blog and I wish you had 7 more years of pictures to share!"
If we had only known then what we know now...you could have saved a bundle on your investment in that ukelele.
Chuck, he can sell that ukulele. My dad has a few thousand more pictures/slides to share.
ReplyDeleteLou and Sue, I also don’t know if Universal sold the same masks as Disneyland. Don Post manufactured rubber monster masks for decades - still do as far as I know - and Disneyland sold those. I wouldn’t be too surprised if Universal Studios sold those too. Is your husband’s mask still in good shape? Sometimes those old latex masks just crumbled after they oxidized. My brother has a bunch of old monster masks, he used to think he wanted to be a makeup effects artist. I think he would have been good at it if he’d actually pursued it.
ReplyDeleteMike Cozart, WOW WOW WOW! Incredible. What an amazing story too - talk about the right place and the right time. Talk about the ultimate Disneyland collectibles! AND you have TWO Autopia cars and a Rocket Jet? It’s like Richard Kraft all over, ha ha. I wish I could have seen that warehouse you described… wonder what happened to all that other stuff. I hope it didn’t go to some landfill - just thinking about it gives me a pain. And I love that your dad said, “No!”, but that you got it anyway. Thank you for sharing your amazing tale!
Hello Hannah_x_2/PsychosocialDisney! I do remember you. I am happy to know that GDB is a happy place for you - it’s OK, you don’t have to visit every day. It’s not going on your permanent record. I mostly lurk on everything - I barely visit Facebook, but lurk on a few pages that I like (the Vintage L.A. page, for instance). I hope that you are doing well, and thank you so much for taking the time to comment today! Maybe say “hello” once in a while, ha ha!
Lou and Sue, I KNOW! So jealous.
Chuck, I’d love to hear from more of those “old timers” (PsychosocialDisney, I’m not calling you “old”).
Chuck, at the time I really did only have 1000 slides (or so); since then I have acquired many more, and thanks to the generosity of so many GDB regulars, I’ve been able to augment posts with their contributions, either family photos, or their own personal collections. It’s been great! I never did learn to play the ukelele, but there is time. My niece taught herself a few songs by watching YouTube tutorials, her favorite was the theme to “Adventure Time”. PS, I used to know a guy who collected ukeleles, the variety was astonishing. I could see the appeal! He was an excellent player too.
Lou and Sue, it’s an embarrassment of riches! I can’t keep up (and that’s a pretty nice “problem” to have).
Dr. Goat, I've never had a dog, but I definitely remember the commercials for Gaines Burgers! We always had cats and there was some kind of "moist, but not wet" pieces of kibble that came in a foil pouch for cats called, Tender Vittles. I'm not sure if they still make that or not.
ReplyDeleteMajor, yep, I didn't find your blog until you were two years into it, but I think I told you at that time, that I went back and read every post up to that point, in the course of just a few days. I know there are readers who are doing that now, but I can't imagine how long it would take to read through 14 years worth of posts! And I know I've also told you this before, but you are the main one who inspired me to start my own blog. And I should thank you for that, too!
As for spotting ourselves or family members in your photos, I think it was maybe during the first or second year that I was following your blog, that you posted a photo and I swore that my mom was in it. It was even taken during the same month and year that my mom and dad had visited the park (several years before I was born). I showed the candid shot to my mom and she was pretty surprised. While she couldn't say for sure that it was her, she admitted that she couldn't say that it wasn't her! Unfortunately, I'll never know 100%, because every pic that my dad took that day at the park, was of his mother, who was visiting them here in CA, for her very first time. So I have no family pics of my mom from that trip, to compare her wardrobe, hair, etc!
You blog fourteen years and what do you get?
ReplyDeleteAnother post older and forty comments.
St. Peter, don’t you call me like you’re callin’hogs;
I owe my soul to Gorillas Don’t Blog.
DBenson, as somebody whose only previous reference was WDW, I was also floored at how close Disneyland is built to “civilization.” I mean, our bus dropped us of at Howard Johnson’s and we just... walked across the street. It was so weird! But good! (I still check out the webcam footage from the HoJo’s roof occasionally.)
TokyoMagic!, I would think that if somebody was to really READ the whole blog, comments included, it would take a pretty darn long time. With over 5000 posts, even if they looked at 100 posts a day, it would take 50 days! I am flattered and honored to think that GDB inspired you to do your own excellent blog, and I am glad that you still post monthly. I remember exactly which photo you are referring to, the one with your mom and grandma… maybe! I wish we knew for sure, your sighting is the closest I think anyone has come to spotting a relative.
ReplyDeleteMelissa, that is one of Tennessee Ernie Tuxedo’s best songs. Whenever I see photos of WDW from a high elevation (the top of the Contemporary for instance), I am always astonished at the sea of trees that goes all the way to the horizon. It’s amazing!
Happy anniversary to GDB!
ReplyDeleteThis blog is my local bar these days, where I get to see how all the regulars are doing. Thanks to the Major and all of the junior gorillas.
Major:
ReplyDeleteEverything in the warehouse was auctioned off. Including the damaged road cars. My dad and I were there to get the PeopleMover I bought and I did NOT get to take the Main Street Cinema sign ... despite it being offered for free. It would not have fit into the truck bed with the 5th wheel hitch - and it probably would have been incredibly expensive to store it. I wonder if somebody else got to take the marquee as Disney never auctioned it.
Road cars = Toad cars
ReplyDeleteAww someone remembers me! Hi Chuck!
ReplyDeleteMajor, I'll try to make it a point to comment here and there :) I just go by my plain old name now. Thanks again!
-Celeste
Congratulations on an incredible milestone! Those instamatics are fantastic. I can never get too much of the Matterhorn! Thank you so much for keeping this blog going, Major. It really is an absolute bright spot in my life.
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry I missed your anniversary post....but I just got back from buying a bottle of wine, not cigs. You know, at my old job, I would get to work an hour early, just to peruse your blog and Davelandweb. It was a great way to start my day. You guys inspired me to blog and although I don't blog like I used to (maybe twice a year) I'm glad it's there for posterity. Your blog always makes me smile and even though I don't frequent it as much as I'd like, it's good to know it's still there.
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