Belated Haunted Mansion Anniversary Post

No dear readers; I didn’t forget. It just took me longer than I expected to put together this special vintage panoramic shot of the Haunted Mansion during its construction. While yesterday marked the 50th Anniversary of my FAVORITE (yes, I'll go ahead and say it) Disneyland attraction, construction began almost nine years prior to its opening. Previously, I had combined two images from a November 1962 contact sheet; today, I was able to merge four, providing an incredible view from the original Frontierland Depot all the way over to the trail that would eventually take guests to Splash Mountain. How bout dat for Photoshop magic?!?

Also for today is one of my very favorite shots that I captured of the Mansion at night:



Thanks to all the original Imagineers (especially Marc Davis, Claude Coats, and of course Walt) who put together this unique dark ride experience!

See more Disneyland Haunted Mansion photos at my main website.

A Day at USD

Last week I had the opportunity to visit the University of San Diego campus. Wow…what a view! Perched up on a hill overlooking Mission Bay, these students are living on prime San Diego real estate!



I'm also loving the architecture here, which makes the campus seem like an extension of Balboa Park.



The Immaculata Parish is a beauty, too.



Not surprisingly, there was a wedding photo shoot occurring while we were there.







The sunlight through the stained glass windows made some beautiful reflections.



I smell a donor:



Make you wish you were back at college? Pretend you are by visiting my main website and seeing more of USD.

Walking to Runyon, Pt. 2

I made it to the top just in time, and was able to catch a few sunrise shots, including this HUUUUGE panorama view. Make sure you click on it to see it full-sized.



A few more:





If you know me, then you already know that I love photographing things that have gone to ruin, like this tennis court that has been taken over by the landscape.



HDR helps bring out the many colors visible at this time of day:



Another shot of the tennis court, which was supposedly used by Errol Flynn.



I wouldn't quite call it graffiti, but there are quite a few cool artistic creations that I noted near the Fuller Street entrance:



Words to live by:



You can see more of this artist's work on Instagram @calenblake.



The pink globs are a bit disturbing:



This trip, I discovered the Vista entrance gate to Runyon; always good to have alternatives!



More art/graffiti:



Homer Simpson and Runyon Canyon? Hmmmm…a strange combo to say the least.



I could have gone forward from the Vista Street entrance and done more hiking, but by this time, the peppered bacon at the Chateau was calling my name.



See more Daveland Runyon Canyon photos at my main website.

Spoiled in San Diego

As San Diegans complain about the heat wave we've had, I am sure that tears of sympathy are flowing from those who live in the east and the south during the summer. We have no idea how good we have it here weather-wise, let alone the panorama views we get that include the bay and the ocean. I shot this one a few weeks ago from Point Loma.

See more Daveland San Diego photos at my main website.