Visit the kelpforest....

Used our passes to go to Disneyland one last time before they block us out for most of the summer. We were waiting for my brother to arrive so we poked around Downtown Disney (the shopping area outside the park) until he did. Sackboy really liked the Lego store.

Downtown Disney
Anaheim CA
Canon EOS 1000D
21 June 2010

( +? )

Went to Dismalland for Avalon's B-day. We've never bought any of these balloons because not only are they hella expensive for something that's going to be lying on the floor by the next morning when all the helium leaks out ($14 for one of these), but I think they loose their effect singly. They look much better in a big bunch. Oh, and the sea-turtle killing thing, that too.

Bubbles
Anaheim CA
Canon EOS 1000D
21 August 2009

( Record Catch... )

(Mostly written yesterday afternoon)

We hadn't been to Dismalland in a while, not since we'd gone with (Uncle) Doug, and I was convinced we need to go a few more times before the passes get blocked out for the summer (unless you get the most expensive passes, Saturdays, most school holiday breaks, and all of July and half of August are blocked out). We'd spent some time at CA Adventure, then went over to Tomorrowland where one of us expressed a desire to take in Innoventions - which I haven't been on since it was America Sings, what 15 years ago? - but it had just closed. The line for Star Tours was out the door - which it never is, at least the times we usually go, so we decided to make our way over to New Orleans Square. Indiana Jones, also a 45-minute wait. Ick. I suppose we're spoiled. So Avalon charged up the Tarzan's fake tree (also renamed about ten years ago, because no one remembers Swiss Family Robinson, do they?). You don't realize how tall that treehouse is until you climb to the top and you're up higher than any other surrounding building. The kids had gone on ahead of me, and I was coming down to the second highest "room" (where Tarzan's gorilla mom is playing with him as a child), and I felt the tree swaying a bit. I looked ahead of me and there were several larger-sized people on the walkway ahead of me, and thought maybe (being larger-szied myself) I should wait until they moved on a bit before I joined them; I also looked around to see if someone was jumping on the structure. At the same time, I was thinking "Hmm, you don't usually feel this thing moving around..." - it may look like a tree, but it's concrete and it's pretty solid.

After we descended, we noticed lots of people exiting Pirates, which seemed a little odd, but we continued on our merry way to the Haunted Mansion, an Angus requirement. It still had a small line, just the front walkway, but the door was open and it seemed to be temporary. We joined it and it was then I started hearing people on their cell phones talking about an earthquake. Huh, we hadn't felt anything, I thought. I told the kids we'd give them until we finished the oatmeal cookies I'd brought as a snack (which were pretty big). Alas, we finished and no movement, and it was getting late on a school night. runsamuck wasn't feeling well, and hadn't wanted us to stay too late, so I stated we should probably hit the shop I wanted to visit and then head home. Much protest was heard, but I reminded them we can always come back later. As we walked over to the HM store (dispite my distaste for most Disney merchandising, I'm pretty hypocritical when it comes to this outlet), we heard someone asking why the HM was closed of one of the train conductor cast members. He responded that all the rides were closed, and it's standard procedure after an earthquake, just to inspect everything and make sure everything's safe. I called home and runsamuck told me they had definitely felt it - he had just lain down in bed, and suddenly felt dizzy, but looked up to see the lamp pulls swinging.

I bought a T-shirt for runsamuck - anniversary's coming up - and I asked the salesperson if she'd felt anything - she said no, she'd been walking somewhere at the time. While waiting for the tram to the parking lot, I had to calm Gareth down; he is a worrier, that one, and had worked himself into tears thinking THE BIG ONE is imminent. Lots of hugs all around and I assured him it's not going to be immediately, and the best thing we can do is be prepared. On the drive home, it finally dawned on me that we had felt the temblor; it had been while we were up in the treehouse. Funny, it was subtle enough, and sort of what you might expect to feel while up in a tree (even a fake one), that I didn't recognize that's really what it was.

Yeeks, just another one - 3:49 pm - a sharp jar, like someone dropped the building an inch or two. The person in the cube next to me and I are the only ones who felt it here...

Stopped to get a bite to eat at the Hungry Bear Cafe, and on the balcony overlooking "Rivers of America," this kitty comes wandering around the tables. I have never, ever seen a cat at Dismalland, other than cartoon ones. Very pretty and friendly too, looked well taken care of. S/he got a lot of attention.

Kitty at Dismalland
Anaheim CA
Casio EX-Z80A
8 March 2009

Well, I'm stuck for awhile until I figure out how to download stuff from my "other" new camera. I bought an SDHC card for it, but didn't realize my card reader is incompatible with it (I generally don't use the camera software to download stuff). AND while we were at Dismalland here, I was in the restroom, stood up to button my pants, and my new little camera fell out of my pocket RIGHT INTO THE TOILET!! Goddammit! It's been in a bag of rice for a couple of weeks and the electronics seem ok, but a little liquid seems to have gotten inside the lens and left a film. Ick. I'm going to have to have it serviced, I guess. And I'd only had it for about a month. This leads me to another rant about the makers of women's pants, but I guess that's another post. >:(

Getting in the car to head to Dismalland to take the kids minds off recent happenings; I love it when the clouds are so textured...

Sky
Huntington Beach CA
Casio EX-Z80A
22 February 2009

( +1 from Dismalland... )

We had recently watched The Golden Compass, and Angus was enamoured with the idea of dæmons, or animals connected to you that represent your soul. One of Gareth's friends told him there was a little cave in the kid's activity area called The Redwood Creek Challenge Trail (supposed to be the redwoods, with tire swings, rope bridges, and hollow logs, but of course all the trees, rocks, and caves are made of fiberglass), where the you can put your hand and it will tell you your spirit animal. It lights up, changes colors and then an animated animal runs on the screen. So they all had to try in several times in a row, and of course they got different animals each time. Angus declared that was ok, because children's dæmons are changeable.

California Adventure
Dismalland, Anaheim CA
Sharp VE-CG30
11 January 2009

( I was kind of hoping I'd be a salmon... )

So a week or two ago, Doug called to see if we wanted to go to the Mouse Place, and I told him we couldn't because the passes had expired the week before. He declared that was a perfect time for him to renew them (as what's become his traditional gift), and then we could watch the tradtional Dismal Xmas Show, which they only do the first or second weekends of December, with an orchestra and various choral groups from local schools and churches. I guess the kids can handle at least one performance of the Story, and we hadn't been to the Drive-Thru Nativity yet. So we met at the ticket windows (Doug was actually standing there buying them when we walked up), and handed one to each of us, me and the kids, that is. He also bought our parking and we will get runsamuck's pass later ourselves. Which comes out to about even for paying him back the difference between the cheapest passes (which is what we did last year).

( some blurry pictures from last year... )

Went to Dismalland with my brother; he was showing off his new camera which does a very good job taking pictures in low light. Mine is not so good, being nearly 6 years old, and the few I took before my batteries died were blurry. So I decided just to play around with what I got in Picnik. Viola! Blurry Main St. becomes reflections in the water.

Main St. Dismalland
Anaheim CA
Sharp VE-CG30
07 December 2008

( original... )

Where candy corn comes from?

California Adventure
Dismalland, Anaheim CA
Sharp VE-CG30
28 September 2008

( Requisite Family shot... )

Zeppelin ride
California Adventure, Disneyland
Anaheim CA
Sharp VE-CG30
24 August 2008

( +2 )