Birthday Fun
Today we're gonna be celebrating our friend JG's birthday! Happy Birthday, Julio Garza*! I hope you have a fun day full of Spaghettios and Mountain Dew (or whatever you like).
Sue B. kindly provided this vintage photo of somebody else's birthday... that young girl with the lace collar and velvet dress is sitting with... Grandma? I don't think that's her mother, but I could be mistaken. That wonderful kitchen is a spotless as a hospital OR. On the table is a cake with the most interesting candle arrangement I've ever seen. First of all, they are bits and pieces of full-size table candles. And they are arrayed in a manner that makes no sense to me. It's Lovecraftian!
Somehow the candles made me think of this cave in Mexico, filled with giant selenite crystals.
And because of JG's love of pylons, Sue wanted to re-share these scans (from September, 1971) that heavily feature the most pylony pylons that ever pyloned... the examples that support the Alweg Monorail at Disneyland!
MORE PYLONS!
So far, I have leeched off of Sue for this entire post, so I decided I should contribute by sharing this leftuggie from May, 1960. In the foreground, a young boy enjoys an ice cream cone (from the Carnation Ice Cream Parlor, of course). Strawberry ice cream, good choice. And there's a trashcan, another one of JG's passions!
Thanks as always to Lou and Sue for all their help.
*His name isn't actually Julio Garza
27 comments:
Major-
Candles positioned at "rakish" angles. Perhaps their placement was intentional - trying to distract us form the odd-looking cake - with a cinched waistline-!
Happy Birthday JG-!
Thanks to Sue and The Major.
Ha! JG, in case you’re wondering why I (we) included that first image — its because that cake is decorated with mini pylons. We’re not insinuating you’re a girl. Honest.
Happy Birthday, JG!
I hope your day is full of lots and lots of happiness! (I’m full of lots and lots of cake — from all these fun birthday parties.)
Sue
Oh, yeah, I almost forgot....
Pylons.
—Sue ;o)
Happy Birthday JG, Many Happy Returns of the Day! (Someone had to say it, since you can't say it about yourself :-D ) Another June birthday!
I'm with you, Major. Those candles! They're so heavy that they have squashed the cake! Still, "A" for creativity, if you don't have any of those small birthday candles. I guess that's toasted coconut on the sides of the cake. Like the photo from 2 days ago, this one also looks like an Eastern European setting. Except, again, there aren't any beets on the table. In fact, there isn't much of anything here. Don't they know that, in the future, people (us) will want to study this kitchen for old-timey oddities? Looks like this was in the winter, judging by the bare trees and gloomy sky.
Sue, you really know how to pick 'em! Thanks.
That cave is weirdly awe-inspiring. Hey, wait a minute, I thought Selenites were sentient insectoid creatures that live on the Moon and raise giant caterpillars for food?!
There is a slight discoloration on JG's pylon. Looks like there used to be an attraction poster there. I wonder who absconded with it? Major? Mike? JG? I don't remember that vertical streak on the film (on the right) from last time.
The streak is in the Monorail picture, too. I don't feel like counting trashcans here... (three?)
That strawberry ice cream does look especially good. Haha, the little boy in the red sweater is crying because he wants to take the horsey home with him, "But I love him! And I'll give him grass and water every day! [sniffle]"
Happy BD, JG. And thanks again to Sue , Lou, and Major.
I'm having a major deja vu moment with the cake in that first pic. I feel like I've seen someone do that with candles before. Maybe I was that little girl, in another life, or that grandma....or the cake! I think grandma is telling the little girl, "Now, when the New Matterhorn re-opens in 1978, it will have ice crystals that look just like this!" The little girl happened to be a Matterhorn fan, so she got a cake with ice crystals on it. It's a good thing she wasn't a fan of Tomorrowland '98, or else she would have gotten a cake with......oh, I guess I can't use that word here on a family blog.
JB, those lines in the pylon photos are actually a giant laser. Everyday at noon, the Crystal Cathedral (just down the road in Garden Grove), used to send a huge laser beam up into the sky. And today, we know that they were doing this, in a desperate attempt to make contact with a spaceship that hides within in the "tail" of the Hale Bopp comet.
The little redheaded boy in the last pic is upset, because his sister is whispering to him, "Grandma and Grandpa just told me that if you don't start behaving, they're going to tie you to this hitching post, and leave you here while we go and enjoy the rest of our day in the park." Of course, it's a lie. Grandma and Grandpa are actually considering taking the little boy over to the DL personnel department, to see about getting him a job operating the deep fryers over at Tomorrowland Terrace.
Happy birthday, JB! And thank you Lou, Sue, and the Major, too!
Ooops, I meant happy birthday, JG!!!!
Happy Birthday JG. Hope you have lovely celebrations today, and these photos are a tremendous start: especially another creepy European party. "Regular Size" candles on a birthday cake...especially those half burnt down only say one thing: "lazy". Probably where they are reparation was still in place after the war, and there were no cute tiny candles available: HOWEVER, these candles could have been melted down, reformed into smaller ones, and used on this cake. I am just saying. I love the pythons and the pylons. The Anaheim Pythons. Sounds like an infestation and a sports team at the same time. I'm surprised in the shennanigan era that water snakes were not put into the Rivers of America. Possibly, they were. It seems that more would make it's way into that river, and I don't need to re-tell the story of the leeches and the pharmacist on Main Street. Legendary, but possible true...someone knows. Pylons, attraction posters, and a gaggle of servicemen there on the left. A typical day at Disneyland. Well...the Pylons survive, and I'll take it. Since selling tickets is kind of obsolete now, why even have a plaza with giant hideous horsey ticket booths? Scan a QR code, pay up, and come on in. Or perhaps wear some VR goggles and never leave your sofa? Options options options. I wouldn't mind me some vintage Disneyland VR goggles...I think Chuck had that idea, and I like it. Calgon, take me away! Happy B-Day again JG! Thanks Lou and Sue for the photos and the Strawberry Ice Cream.
Happy Birthday, JG!
Pylons! Pylons! Pylons!
Forgive me if I "pile on" the discussion (yuk, yuk).
I want to go tell that little girl that that's a beautiful cake, because I'm pretty sure she was involved in the decorating. She looks very proud! Nice find, Sue!
I would say more, but I have to get back to watching my favorite comedy show, "Monty Pylon."
Have a great one!
Happy birthday, Jeff Goldblum! Oh, wait...were you still trying to keep that secret?
That may be a "ring cake," with the candles stuck in the hole in the middle. That would explain the crazy angles that they are leaning in (although not why they were used in the first place).
Thanks for pointing out the khaki-clad group in the second pylon picture, Bu. The resolution isn't good enough for me to tell what flavor of Servicemen they are, but the color, era, and location suggests "Marines." Either that or it's a Barney Fife fan club.
That may not be strawberry ice cream. Beet ice cream is that color, too.
Thanks, errybody, for giving JG a great start to his special day!
Thank you everyone, one and all!
Maybe the best birthday ever?
I feel sorry for Mom in the first picture. Looks like money was hard come by for the family and her expression looks like she tried her best to make a special day for her (grand?)daughter but isn’t sure it worked? I’m sure those candles were all they had. The baby doesn’t mind, when you’re a kid, everything is just how it should be.
Clearly we have only the best pylons here! Monty Pylon? I love it! Monorail Gold FTW!
There are two trash cans in the ice cream photo!
Chuck & Major, I’ve had beet ice cream, it’s pretty good with goat cheese, tastes like dirt & goat cheese. I’d rather have strawberry.
Thank you Major, Sue, JB, Tokyo, Bu, Chuck, Anon, and everyone!
Julio Garza aka JG
Nanook! Didn’t mean to leave you unmentioned! TYVM!
JG
Should have planted the Monorail pylons right in the middle of Main Street and used JG's favorite pavement for the street itself. I would say they can have that idea for free, but combining two good things doesn't always make a great idea. Happy birthday JG (and JB, whose post I forgot to comment on)!
Happy birthday, Judy Garland, I mean John Garfield... er, Johannes Gutenberg! Jean-Luc Godard? Jacob Grimm? Happy borthday to our one and only JG!
That cake is defying ALL the laws of physics!
The Pylons were the scariest sci-fi-villains.
DARN IT! That was me again, Stu29573.
Pylons never looked better. That's a lot to pile onto the birthday cake though! Happy Birthday JG! And thanks for the photos Lou and Sue and Major. Pausing
at the parking lot pic, those cars look pretty old to me now. But they sure didn't back then. KS
Happy Birthday JG! Wishing you all the best for a great day!
The candles on/in the cake definitely look like they were inspired by the Mexican cave.
Thanks to Lou & Sue & Major for the pictures today.
-DW
Nanook, it IS an odd-looking cake, but as I’ve learned, cakes can look odd and still be delicious. The candles are some sort of modern art statement.
Sue, the pylons on the cake aren’t even that “mini”! ;-) Thank you as always, Sue.
Sue, PYLONS!
JB, it seems pretty clear that they made the cake and forgot that they would need candles. UNLESS… the little girl just wanted to make a cake with grandma, and it wasn’t anybody’s birthday? Kids do that sort of thing! And grandma, wanting to make the thing complete, took out some leftover candles? It’s possible. I’m making up a whole Hallmark Movie. Toasted coconut, yarg. Ruins a perfectly good cake. You’re right, the kitchen is so neat and tidy that it is almost like a set from Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey”. I forgot that the Moon creatures were called “Selenites”, but you’re right, it’s the same word. I see the discoloration on the pylon, it almost looks like it was oval? Or at least the top was arched? Not sure what that would have been. I like strawberry ice cream a lot, and back in the old days, my mom and dad liked to make home-made ice cream, usually peach, but sometimes strawberry. We tried chocolate once and it didn’t turn out as good as we’d hoped. Now I want ice cream!
TokyoMagic!, here’s a handy tip: if you don’t have candles for a cake, and don’t even have a few sparklers laying around, use cigarettes! Festive, and smelly! One for each kid, that’s how I do it. You can’t really blow them out, so the kids just smoke them down to the filter. Maybe make half of them menthol just in case. I knew that the Crystal Cathedral had to have another use, and a “deadly laser weapon” makes perfect sense. Grandma and Grandpa have noticed their red-headed grandchild’s skinny arms, and realized that he could reach under the Carrousel of into the Dumbo mechanism with no problem. “We could make a fortune, and only feed him gruel and mice!”.
TokyoMagic!, ooooh, now you’ve done it.
Bu, maybe with bigger candles you can make bigger wishes? “I want world peace and a Koenigsegg supercar”. At some point I owned a candle making kit, probably given to me by my grandparents. I played around with it, and it was OK, but I never really enjoyed it that much to be honest. Is there a professional sports team called “The Pythons”? It seems like such a good name. Walt had water moccasins put into the Rivers of America (more “hard facts”), but Joe Fowler convinced him that it might cause problems. I never thought about it, but CAN people buy tickets from a ticket booth if it happens to be a slow day (if there is such a thing as a slow day anymore)?
Anonymous (Stu?), yes, see my comment to JB, I was thinking that maybe the girl wanted to make a cake with Grandma. Which is pretty cute. My sister liked to make lemon bars or brownies with our Grandma. And then I’d get to eat them, having done nothing to contribute!
Chuck, as long as it’s Jeff Goldblum and not Brundlefly. Ring cakes, eh? Less cake, is how I see it! Sorry, bundt cakes, but I’m on to you. I would join a Barney Fife fan club, but I am probably not cool enough. I’ll bet somebody out there has made beet ice cream!
JG, I hope you are doing something fun today! I don’t know, I look at that kitchen, and think how many people would kill to have a house with a kitchen like that, they seem pretty lucky to me. I guess it’s all relative. My mom has a cupboard with many partially-used candles because they are “still too good to throw away”. Not that we ever entertain anymore. I guess they come in handy when the power goes out, which happens several times a year these days. Mmmm, dirt and goat cheese, two great tastes. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
JG, why are you saying “The Yak Vetoed Meatloaf” to Nanook?
Andrew, I have to admit that I like that pavement too. Maybe even more than slurry. I’ve actually read comments on message boards wondering why the Monorail doesn’t cross over Main Street. Hmmm, I wonder why?
Melissa, I’ve met JG, and I am reasonably sure that he is not Judy Garland. Nothing against the youngest Gumm sister! The Pylons were scary, but they didn’t move around very much.
Stu29573, I KNEW IT!
KS, for the last few years I’ve made birthday cakes for my brother (now that my mom can’t do it). It’s sort of fun. Not that he ever makes one for me! I used to think that cars of that era looked kind of boxy after the beauties of the 50s, but now I think they look great.
DW, maybe the Grandma had a dream about those caves, which hadn’t even been discovered yet! She also dreamed about Fabio, who hadn’t been born yet.
Happy birthday JG!
It seems like the monorail wouldn't need pylons so close together, considering the beams are reinforced concrete. Was it something they did because they liked the look, or because the technology was new and they wanted to be certain there was enough support through earthquakes?
More like 2001: A Spice Odyssey!
(I'll show myself out.)
"and only feed him gruel and mice!”
Reading about all the child labor makes me wonder if there is a population of feral kids living in Disneyland; like the feral cats. Of course, they don't stay kids forever. Now I'm wondering if there is a population of C.H.U.D.s living in Disneyland. They would help keep the AED and Killer Swan numbers down to a manageable level. Although, there would still be the occasional missing guest.
Melissa, nobody remembers that sequel.
Andrew, I took a picture of that pavement specifically to send to JG. Glad we are all looking out for him. If only we could still take a picture of his eponymous rocks... :-(
Major, if they ran the Monorail across Main Street, they'd have to redesign it so that it looked like the Wuppertaler Schwebebahn so it would match the era. Ahhh, who am I kidding? Across the Esplanade, they're running Mark VII monorails across the Hyperion Bridge in the 1920s. Consistent theming? Never heard of it...
JB, there was a sequel to Spice World?
Dean Finder, yes, my guess is that they wanted to be absolutely sure that the track was stable and strong. Over-engineered is better than under-engineered!
Melissa, please take a slice of cake as you are leaving! ;-)
JB, I love the idea of “Road Warrior”-type kids living in the shadows of Disneyland. “Hey, somebody took my churro!”. It was one of those kids! Maybe they are even meddling kids?? C.H.U.D.s get a bad rap, they can be trained to do your bidding.
Chuck, JG’s eponymous rocks? There are rocks called “JG”?? I realize that the Wuppertaler Schwebebahn has been around for a darn long time, but even so. Not exactly the sort of thing you might have seen in Kansas! Have you watched the incredible film footage (easily found on YouTube) taken from The Wuppertaler (etc) in 1902, upscaled to 60 fps? It really is amazing.
Andrew, thank you! You remembered one of my favorite things.
KS, DW, Chuck, Melissa, Stu, thanks!
Dean Finder, thank you! I think the pylons spacing at the front of the Park might be partly aesthetic, since there are definitely greater single spans elsewhere, but this is all rank speculation on my part. WED may have wanted the pylons closer for a certain "feel" at the entry. Each of those beam segments are custom made and the reinforcing inside could certainly vary.
JB, on my last visit, a kid was cutting up in line and his mother was scolding him. I used the "Dad Voice" to tell him to stop or he would be sent to the dungeon below the Castle to make churros for the rest of his life. His mother laughed and laughed.
JG
@ JG-
"I used the "Dad Voice" to tell him to stop or he would be sent to the dungeon below the Castle to make churros for the rest of his life. His mother laughed and laughed".
And then his mother dragged the kid off to the dungeon where he was never heard from again. Man, this Churro is good-!
Nanook, best churros ever...
JG
Grandma and Grandpa have noticed their red-headed grandchild’s skinny arms, and realized that he could reach under the Carousel or into the Dumbo mechanism with no problem.
Major, now I am imagining that kid scooching along the ground underneath the Carousel platform, just like that carny did in Alfred Hitchcock's Strangers On A Train!
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