Where in the World is Karen Funk Blocher?

Home, actually.  And it's late, and I don't feel like writing a long entry tonight.

Despite the large man's efforts on her behalf, Tuffy was extremely glad to see us.  She yelped and jumped and wriggled and licked, and didn't return to mooching mode for at least an hour.

Yes, Sarah, we were at Disneyland.  Here's a key to the photos of the last couple of days:

 

 

 

 

From the "Look at This" File: 


1. Blurry Pixie Power. Tinker Bell near a castle turret during the fireworks Sunday night. We just couldn't get close enough to do better, especially since the camera was giving us trouble, particularly with night shots.  Tink is the blur on the right.

2. The Long Walk Back. Part of a gardeny but dismayingly long walk between the Annabella Inn and the Disneyland entrance plaza (via Downtown Disney).  Our best guess is that it was a mile each way - over and back, twice a day, for a total of four miles, excluding all the walking we did in the parks themselves.  By Monday, we were so footsore that we paid $10 in parking to avoid the second Monday commute.




3. Rehabilitated, singing tikis.  The Enchanted Tiki Room looks better than it has in years.  There was a time when some of the ancillary charcters (mostly the tikis) no longer moved, but they're back in the chorus now, keeping time with drum and voice. "Ooh!  Ah!"






4.  Golden Gate monorail bridge at CA.  The fake Golden Gate Bridge spans the entrance to California Adventure.  The monorail crosses it.  I had forgotten this fact until we got on the monorail on Monday.

 

5.  John Hench vision of modern living.  Part of imagineer John Hench's concept drawing for the last act of the long-defunct (at Disneyland, anyway) Carousel of Progress attraction.  This was on display at the Disney Gallery above Pirates of the Caribbean.  John and I bought a print of it.

 

One Last Summer Day, Somewhere Else

1. Oh you kid.  This baby goat was at the temporarily-reopened Big Thunder Ranch.  It closes again soon to become a Santa's reindeer attraction instead.

2.  Another kind of kid.  This little boy wandered fearlessly through the goat enclosure.  It was not clear to me whether just anyone could enter the enclosure itself, or whether the little boy, his mother and the older man with the cane had some special connection to the attraction which allowed them to be there.

 

3.  The Haunted Mansion.  Can you spot what's new in this famous facade?  Hint:  look between the columns in the larger picture.  I'll try to show it more clearly later.




4. The Foyer.  The foyer of the Haunted Mansion, in which the Ghost Host (Paul Frees)  introduces himself, was never meant to be this well-lit.




5.  Stitch greets a fan.  Stitch noticed I was wearing a Stitch pin on my lanyard.  I responded by pointing out another one on my hat!

 
 Is it 2:36 AM already?  I've gotta go to bed!

Karen