Holiday at the Mansion, Pt. 1

Welcome to the Haunted Mansion, Jack Skellington-style. We all have our opinions on the Holiday makeover; I prefer the regular version, but this annual dressed-up version is still a fun change.



This would have been cooler if the pumpkin was throwing up seeds! Too much? Perhaps. I like things a little funky, though.





WHAT?!? Zero days? So little time for shopping.



Inside the foyer, plenty of little touches to show that the Mansion is slightly different. Who but Tim Burton would think of combining Halloween and Christmas?









This time, I managed to get all four "portraits" in the elevator:









and the "after" versions (not necessarily in the same order):









Let the digital effects begin:









The hanging skeleton is still in the attic…



albeit via a digital effect:



I think that's enough for one day, don't you?

More Jack, Oogie, and Hattie at my main website.

Lunch at Carthay

When you're doing a VIP Day at Disneyland, lunch has to be at some place special, too. The Blue Bayou has been the previous standby, but this time, I chose Carthay Circle on Buena Vista Street in DCA. Although most of my coworkers are familiar with the Parks, most said they never would have noticed that the building had a restaurant inside. They just assumed it was like that Abe Lincoln place on Main Street! As if that were a bad thing…



Oh light fixtures…bestill my heart.





The soup appetizer was tasty…



and so was the pasta entrée; just wish there had been more of it. Probably just as well. No need to lapse into a food coma with such a big day ahead at the Park.



No, Matt was not examining his hands after committing a crime. He was just seeing what a mess they were after he inhaled the wings. Total food porn.



Thumbs up to the waiter who made our lunch an experience. He took the time to describe everything and to make our meal fun. Kudos!



Turns out I have the exact same buffet in my house; without the granite/marble countertop.



The 60th glitter was visible just outside the window.



I probably won't post again until later on Friday, so to all my readers, hope you have a fantastic Thanksgiving and have much to be thankful for.

More Carthay Circle photos at my main website.

Vintage Nerd Alert

Nerds. You have to love 'em. Especially vintage nerds. Today's post hails from April 1963, and our first image shows Papa Nerd, the man who gave us the child featured in the rest of the shots you will see here. You can see by the uncomfortable gaze and awkward pose that this man was once a nerd, too. For all we know, his nerd-dom could have continued into adulthood. Chances are, it did.

And here we have the star of today's post, the ultimate vintage nerd. Glasses…check. Embarrassing clothing…check. Military-style haircut…check. Jeans rolled up by mama…check. This kid has it in spades.



The shot shown here is why I bought this set in the first place.



How about these Monsanto House of the Future panels? Timex, Sylvania, Crane, and Bell Systems. This little nerd was obviously in future-career heaven!



Back to Central Plaza for another uncomfortable photograph. Stiff posture with belly sticking out…check! The day must have been getting hotter as the sweater has now disappeared.



The Snow White Wishing Well was a mere two years old at the time this photo was taken.



Back on Main Street, the Omnibus cruises by Coke Corner.



Here come three more nerds…and they love red, too!



More vintage (and current!) Disneyland goodness at my main website.

Panic on POTC!

It began like most journeys through the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction at Disneyland. Except this time we had a VIP Tour Guide. And we entered through the exit. And we immediately got onto the attraction. Other than that it was the same. We got in our boat and sailed through the Blue Bayou, passing the Restaurant at the beginning of their lunch rush.



Everyone sang "Yo Ho" as we viewed the vignettes of the grotto.



Worst case of heartburn. He must have eaten at Goofy's Kitchen.



The Wicked Wench:



How many of you notice these heads popping up with the canon fire?



Poor Carlos. It's bad enough that he has a wife badly in need of dental work, but now he wishes he had paid attention in swim class.



Plenty of characters along the way to see, such as this Jack Sparrow animatronic at the Costurera:



and the onlookers for the wench auction.



Sorry, no Red Headed Wench shots this time; I was on the wrong side of the boat for that.



Always great to see this guy. "Here kitty, kitty…"



sounds like my next door neighbors at 3am. For realz.



Once known as the Hairy Legged Pirate, this guy has obviously fell victim to manscaping by Imaginears.



The attraction was coming to a close as we approached the jail. A skeleton…



3 nasty dudes…



another three trying to get out…



The chair and rafters overhead should have warned me that there was trouble up ahead.



When I saw the lady in the boat ahead of me stand up, I assumed she was a cast member. Then I saw what she was wearing and knew that she wasn't. Then I figured she was looking for a quick photo opportunity as she perilously straddled the boat and the "shore."



Wrong on all counts. She was having a panic attack, as she told everyone in the boats who cared to listen as they passed her by. Why she would choose to exit the boat just as it was about to take her to dry land is beyond my comprehension.



You won't find her on the map at the end, but she should be on there.



Hard to tell what you might find at the Park these days.

Get your Disneyland photo fix at my main website.