Ru Paul + Glinda!

Time to pick up the brushes again, as World of Wonder has asked me to do a piece for their upcoming exhibit on RuPaul, who is about to launch the new reality show "Drag Race" (think Project Runway + Drag Queens). When I read that one of RuPaul’s favorite movies was “The Wizard of Oz,” this concept just seemed like a natural. Now that I have the piece "sketched" on my computer, it is time to put the paint on the canvas. This one will be 30" x 36." Stay tuned for the updates! To see more of my art, visit my regular website.

Classic B&W, June 1957, Pt. 6

I hate to use the word "precious," but I can think of no better way to describe today's two images from the Pack Mule attraction. These little boys look like something out of "Our Gang." I've included the detail of the boy on the left's T-Shirt, promoting Camp Fox. br />


Not-so-precious is this little girl, giving dad the stink-eye for taking a photo of her while she is trying to ride the durn mule. Love the kid on the right, showing how tough he is by holding is hands in the air while riding his mule; today, kids do the same thing on Space Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain.



See more vintage Disneyland Pack Mule attraction photos at my main website.

Classic B&W, June 1957, Pt. 5

We’re still lingering in Frontierland today, starting with this oft-taken shot of the Mark Twain rounding the corner of the Rivers of America as it approaches the dock. Probably one of the most taken shots in the park. View #2 is most likely taken from the Treehouse on Tom Sawyer Island:



In the closeup, we can the Skyway (pre-Matterhorn) and the corner of Rainbow Ridge, everyone’s favorite mining town.



Finishing up today with 2 more Tom Sawyer Island views:



This detailed view shows the Skyway pylon as well as a portion of the Chicken of the Sea Pirate ship. Fantasyland is not as far away as it seems!





For my fellow signage geeks, here’s a closeup of the sign for The Old Mill:



See more vintage & current Frontierland photos at my regular website.

Classic B&W, June 1957, Pt. 4

Let’s move over to Frontierland for the weekend, beginning with a nice image of the Indian Village. The berm looks positively barren in the background and the canoes don’t seem to be getting a lot of action on this particular day. I have included a close-up of the ticket booth. One of the Indians appears to be making time with the ticket-taker!



The Gullywhumper Keelboat is coming around the corner, right near the Fishing Dock of Tom Sawyer Island.



This shot, most likely taken from the Mark Twain, features the other Keelboat, the Bertha Mae, as well as a glimpse of the Fowler’s Harbor area and the tunnel for the Disneyland Railroad.



Waaaaaaay off in the yonder in this detailed view, you can see the Disneyland Hotel, before the Monorail swooped in and helped guests go back and forth between the park and the hotel; no towers to see here folks!



See more vintage & current Frontierland photos at my regular website.

Classic B&W, June 1957, Pt. 3

Let's ride the Disneyland Skyway, shall we? Shot #1 makes you feel like you are actually in the cart, reading the warning. Hey you ignoramus! Sit down and quit rocking the cabin! Our first views from the Skyway show the Moonliner in front of the Rocket to the Moon attraction as well as the Tomorrowland Art Corner. Care to buy an animation cel for a song? In shot 2, we are soaring over the area that would eventually become The Matterhorn. In June 1957, this mound of dirt from the earth removed to create the castle moat was known as Holiday Hill.



Once in Fantasyland, we can see Storybook Land and the tip of the Fantasyland Train Station on the right.





Our last Skyway shot is over the top of Mr. Toad and King Arthur’s Carrousel.



See more vintage Skyway photos at my regular website.

Palm Springs

Even though I live only a few hours away, Palm Springs has not been high on my travel radar. For some reason, its charms pretty much escape me, and whenever I get in the car for a trip, chances are it’s to LA, and not the Desert. However, on my most recent trip, I did manage to shoot a few things that I thought looked cool and might warrant a repeat trip!





Dipping into my library of vintage images, I came up with these two of the Chi Chi, taken in October 1964, approximately one year before this hip social club closed.





For more Daveland Palm Springs photos, visit my main website.

Classic B&W, June 1957, Pt. 2

Here at Daveland, today is Autopia day. How’d you like to be a kid driving an Autopia car back in 1957...with no track to guide you! How cool is that?!? Little kids were smarter back then, so no track was needed! I also included a detail shot of the Autopia cars lined up waiting to be put to use and the lone cast member out on the track doing whatever he’s doing.



Back over in Fantasyland, the really little tots could enjoy the Midget Autopia! Not only were little tots smarter back then, they were also politically incorrect. In the background we can see Casey Junior chugging through Storybook Land.





See more vintage & current Autopia photos at my regular website.

Classic B&W, June 1957, Pt. 1

Unable to leave the land of black and white, I present to you another series of images devoid of color; this time, they are from June 1957. The first shot shows the family hanging out at Sleeping Beauty Castle, probably checking out the swans below. Shot #2 is the backside of the castle, with an unidentified princess waving to her subjects below. Other than the guy taking the photo, nobody seems to notice this poor lass. Anyone know who she is or supposed to be?





And the back of the castle as it looks today:



See more vintage & current Sleeping Beauty Castle photos at my regular website.

Disneyland in Glorious B&W, Pt. 11

For fans of this series, today is a sad day, as it is the last one in what has probably been my favorite collection of images to date. This first image was taken at the Kodak exhibit on Main Street, on the east side of the street. Before Audio-Animatronics became the thing, Main Street had a number of "dummy" figures, as has been seen in other posts that feature the Wizard of Bras and the Emporium interior. These next two are probably some of my favorite images from this batch; I really love the posed nature of this lady talking on the phone in the Market House. I love even more that these phones are still there. Comparing with a present day shot, it would appear that the exact same phone is still being used for the old fashioned party line.







And the very last one for this series features Vesey Walker in Town Square, leading the Disneyland band in a spirited tune. Notice the Disneyland News on the bottom left-hand side of the photo.



A few more from my Saturday trip to the park, featuring Billy Hill & The Hillbillies at the Golden Horseshoe:





Interesting to see just how little has changed design-wise in over 50 years at the saloon, other than the wallpaper:





And I'll finish up this post with a few pics of the Columbia and the museum below deck, which is still drawing attention from guests approximately 50 years after its debut.












See more vintage & current Disneyland photos at my regular website.

Disneyland in Glorious B&W, 1955, Pt. 10 & Park Update

Although the Tahitian Terrace concept was still about 7 years away, even in 1955 there was somewhat of a Tiki/Hawaiian theme to the Pavillion Terrance Restaurant that provided guests with a view of the Jungle Cruise. Back on Main Street, it’s Frontierland-meets-Main Street when a sherrif asks a Keystone Kop for the time. Note the Intimate Apparel shop in the background, aka "The Wizard of Bras."





Now a few photos from trip over the weekend which was prompted by the release of Olszewski’s Dumbo sculpture. This guy continues to amaze me with his artistry and the way that he captures so much detail in such a tiny scale (Z scale).







And in his series of miniature gallery lightboxes, here’s his take on the Enchanted Tiki Room:



As soon as I waded through the release line at Disneyana for Dumbo, I rushed over to the castle to get a few shots. That Diorama is just too cool not to check out again; and yes, I had missed some details the first time around. The "flickering" candles in the chandelier:



A few of the goons:





This detail shot is just another example of the fantastic use of color & lighting to create the mood of each diorama:



Speaking of details; with all the times that I have visited the park, you would think that there is very little that I haven’t seen. However, as I was waiting for the Columbia to come to the dock, I noticed the descriptive signs for the flags flying overhead. Disneyland may not be a museum, but I do love the edutainment portion of the park.






I guess even audio-animatronic figures need a bathbroom break, as the shaman has apparently left for a little while. Quite a few of the figures in Pirates of the Caribbean were also missing during my ride on Saturday.



Lunch was at Rancho del Zocala; I really love the decor in here, especially the stained glass. This is detailing at a level that you would rarely see at a restaurant such as this.





I am also happy to report that small world is just as obnoxious as I remember it; however, I must admit that it sure does look fantastic. Everything is in working order and it looks better than it has in years. Got a kick out of my friends calling the new boats The Rubbermaid Boats.







That’s it for today. See more vintage & current Disneyland photos at my regular website.