Inauguration

I love to watch the Inaugurations of U S Presidents. The peaceful transfer of power in The United States of America is one of the things I love most about my country.
It's also a pretty historic day.

photography by Barry Robinson from Pentagram Papers 14

Winter Respite

I can't say for certain it is the "happiest place on earth," but we sure had fun!

Our last day at DisneyWorld, I made reservations for breakfast inside the Magic Kingdom before it opened to the public. It was great fun to be there with almost no people.

Here is my daughter walking down a deserted Main Street.



Our "Character Breakfast" included visits from Winnie-ther-Pooh, Piglet, Eyore . . .

. . . and my favorite, Tigger.

RIDES at the Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios.

This is pretty much what it feels to be on the spinning Tea Cups ride with a girl who really likes to go around fast!

I got her ok to post her pictures here, but only if she was not very recognizable! This is what she looked like to me as she was spinning us around!

Part of the line decorations at our newest fav ride -- Toy Story Mania.

AND ANIMALS

Disney's Animal Kingdom has a wonderful area on ecology, conservation and care of the earth. That's a real manatee swimming behind the glass.

And a petting zoo with about ten breeds of sheep.


We went to Epcot too, but the rain and a seagull attack (Really! My daughter has the worst luck with seagulls wanting her food) distracted me from taking any photos that day!

Despite the seagull, we had a wonderful time and would love to go again with the "boys" next winter.

Creativity

I think maybe, sometimes it's not a bad thing to be exposed to lots and lots of creative ideas and not be able to do any of them. I am on a wonderful trip in a warm climate. I am reading the artful blogs that inspire me because I have computer access. But I don't have any supplies. And I don't have a way to get photos to my blog. So I am really excited about the time I will be able to put some of these ideas into reality. And I am writing this down because next week when I am home I want to remember the excitement about creating, instead of the 40 degree drop in temperature. Have I mentioned that this is a wonderful trip in a really warm climate?

A Family Tradition

I grew up in the suburbs of Los Angeles. My parents were pretty young, 25 and 28 when my younger brother was born . . . a year before Disneyland was built.

When my brother was almost three and Disneyland was two, we started going and it was a family love affair. It probably still looked like this our first visit, tho I don't remember. 1955. Even today, I think my mom would stay overnight on Tom Sawyer's Island if she could! My sister spent a honeymoon at the Disneyland Hotel. I can't count the number of times I've been. Even my husband has a history with the place -- in high school, he and his dad used to go to hear the big bands play.

One summer weekday, two moms and 6 kids -- we got there when they opened and stayed til the park closed at midnight. I think my sister and brother went on absolutely every ride! My mom still talks about staying all day!

When I was in 8th grade, a friend and I ditched school on a January Thursday. My mom dropped us off at the entrance and said, "Have fun girls." We did! The park was almost deserted, and we had so much fun running around. I'm pretty sure we rode the Matterhorn twice in a row because there was no line. We ate tuna fish sandwiches at the Starkist restaurant shaped like a pirate ship. I've lost track of the friend, but my memories of her and that fun day are still there.

I'm not going to go on, but I could. Disneyland is a very visual, pictographic experience and I have a very visual, pictographic memory!

Tomorrow my daughter and I take off for Florida and Disneyworld. We've already gotten multi-day passes and are so looking forward to our trip. My kids love the Disney parks too. Plus we know a shot of green grass, palm trees, mini-golf will make the rest of January, February, and March a lot easier to take.

Until I return ~ Marilee

Happy New Year

The back of this postcard is blank . . .

. . . but the postcard I showed in yesterday's post had this great greeting:

Who is Miss Nettie?
Is she a young woman? Or older? A teacher? A shopgirl?
The card has no postage or cancellation, so the writer must have given it to her.
Is it from a sweetheart or a friend? A man or a woman?
Does she read this card and treasure it?

Who is H. V. W.? Is he a man who wants to be her beau?
Is she a young person who admires Nettie?
Is the writer a teacher? A student? A friend of the family?
Did they hand the card to her with great emotion or are they just a friend?
Does the H stand for Harold, or Henry? Helene or Henrietta?

What story would you tell about Miss Nettie and H. V. W. ?