Nothing to See Here...

[Sherry E]

Your Mainstreet USA pictures brought a big smile to my face. I loved them all.

I think the bell ringers at DCA are great. Can't wait to see BVS in person. I'm glad I have the next best thing - YOU showing me!

I'm on pins and needles for the celebrity sighting!!

Thank you, TK!

The Bell Ringers are particularly fitting for the holiday season, I think. And they are so good at staying in character, too (which some people seem to appreciate and some don't). The same goes for Molly the Messenger - she has her whole 'in character' lingo and speech, and some of the guests totally don't seem to get it. It's all part of the theme, people. It's all part of the theme.

One more post for tonight is coming up after I post this reply!

I would LOVE to see this display. Where is it? Is it up during the rest of the year?

Cristy -

The sewing machine display is there year-round, and its color scheme changes with the seasons, so during Halloween Time it has the appropriate orange touches and that sort of thing.

The Santa thing is taken down until November.

Most of the displays have certain pieces that are kept up all year (like maybe a white shelf or something like that), but the decorations, colors and props that are used are replaced for the seasons.

Alongside the Market house on Main Street there is an area with a bunch of tables. That little side area has a few interesting window displays (like the sewing machine, and the window where that Santa sign would be). Also, near the Disney Showcase store on Main Street are some fun displays. The Candy Palace and Gibson Girl Ice Cream usually have some fun treat-oriented displays.

I love the big tree on Main Street! It's so gorgeous.

The Jack Mickey is darling as re the holiday vinylmations. Joshua collects them. He has a shelf on his wall where he displays them. He'd love those.

Merry Kiss Miss gave me a great idea for next year's holiday neighbor gift. I need to copy that picture and bookmark it.

Your photos have inspired me. Our next trip, while far away, will be in Dec 2014. I need some Disneyland Christmas. This year won't work or it won't work as soon as I need it to. A trip would be last minute if it happens in 2013. Do I dare say 712 days until Disneyland?

Welcome back, Jenny!

I wondered where you had disappeared to! Were you out there during the New Orleans Square Mask-a-Palooza photos (for a good dose of Disneyland Christmas and Disneyland Mardi Gras)? I hope you didn't miss that! There seemed to be more masks than ever before. I think I set the bar high for myself with that little photo project, but I saw it through!

I thought that Merry Kiss Miss was so cute!

Well, you know, December 2014 sounds very far away in calendar days, but at the rate time seems to be racing by...it could appear to get here faster than you think! It's far, but it will be here before you know it!

Okay, I've got my 'celebrity sighting TR post' coming right up and that will be it for tonight. I'll be back with more tomorrow!

 

[Sherry E]

Here is the THIRD installment for today!!!

Candlelight and Cannonballs! Aunt Betty’s Do-Over Christmas Trip

(Sun., 12/9/12 – Wed., 12/12/12)



Day 3 - Tuesday, December 11, 2012 – Part 4​

Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock
Jingle bells swing and jingle bells ring
Snowing and blowing up bushels of fun
Now the jingle hop has begun…






In the last TR installment, I left Disneyland in search of the peppermint bark samples and interesting photo opportunities that could be found in California Adventure, only to stumble upon the very merry Buena Vista Street Bell Ringers entertaining a small crowd with Yuletide songs.

The Bell Ringers continued to jingle out some tunes for us…

At that moment I turned and walked over to a flower bed or bench or something like that, to check the time on my phone. I don’t wear a watch so my only source of checking time is my phone. I had to turn on the phone and wait for it to start before I could see the time display. I didn’t want to be rude and check the time right in front of the Bell Ringers (they were watching the audience), making it look as though I was bored, which is why I walked away.

I silently debated on what I was going to do next as I just kind of took in the surroundings.

I looked up and saw a man with long hair, in a white shirt. Having spent a fair amount of time around long-haired guys in bands back in the ‘80s, I think I am programmed to automatically take notice if I see a male with long hair – maybe because I think it could be someone I know, someone I knew, or someone I know OF.

This man was sort of walking in my general direction from somewhere on Buena Vista Street. He paused to let a boy in a blue shirt catch up to him. I caught sight of the man’s handsome face and said to myself, “He’s really hot!”

But wait! I recognized him! He was not someone that I knew - but he was someone I sure knew OF!

It was Gavin Rossdale, lead singer of the rock band Bush (they were very big in the ‘90s, with hit songs such as “Glycerine” and “Machinehead”). Gavin was/is kind of an ‘alternative rock version’ of the late Michael Hutchence of INXS (who I loved), with the same sort of mop of tousled hair and smoldering charisma…which is probably why I’ve always liked him.

While I would love to post the picture of Gavin Rossdale from the cover of Rolling Stone magazine a long time ago, I think the below photo that I found on the Internet (which looks to be a publicity photo taken at a charity event) is more DIS-appropriate…

Gavin married Gwen Stefani – an even bigger rock star than he is – a long time ago, and they have two very hip, attractive children. Gwen and Gavin met when No Doubt was touring with/opening for Bush back in the ‘90s. They dated. They broke up. They got back together. They got married. Most people who are fans of really cool rock couples think that Gwen and Gavin are perfect together – perfectly matched; age appropriate; equally beautiful; both in the music business, etc.

G&G have been spotted at Disneyland a lot over the years. In fact, I remember seeing a press photo of them sitting in a teacup taken by (I think) a Disneyland photographer.

But, more recently, there have been rumors that Gwen and Gavin’s marriage is on the rocks. No one wants it to be true because they are so perfect together and, of course, because they have two kids. Whether or not they are having problems is anyone’s guess but if they are, they still seem to do things as a family with their kids.




I couldn’t help but stare at Gavin. If anyone remembers, I saw Holly Madison (a regular Disneyland visitor) and Zach Galifianakis (of “The Hangover” movies) at DLR in December 2011 – Holly was in Disneyland, and Zach I spotted at the Grand Californian. However, seeing Gavin was more interesting to me, personally, than either Holly or Zach had been!

Fortunately I had my giant sunglasses on, so I could be reasonably low-key while watching Gavin.

It’s funny – living where I live I have seen a lot of celebrities out and about, doing daily things, and some of them have been big names (Nicolas Cage, Lisa Marie Presley, Val Kilmer, Tyra Banks, Drew Barrymore, Kid Rock, Renee Zellweger, Meg Ryan, etc., etc.). But I have never been anywhere where someone I was personally a fan of just happened to show up. So now I was in a position where someone I actually liked was just a few feet away from me and it was hard not to stare! Lol.

I think you just never expect to see famous people in the middle of a place like Disneyland, so it catches you off guard when it happens! I’m not the sort of girl who is going to go up and ask for an autograph or bother a celebrity when they are with people. I’m not even going to ask for a picture – unless I see other people taking pictures first, in which case I may do it. I think that they want to enjoy their day like everyone else, and if they stop to humor one fan then they will most likely be stopping to humor many fans. I don’t want to contribute to that.

I think I was so wrapped up in creepily watching Gavin from afar that I didn’t even realize who he was with at first! He walked right past me, towards Oswald’s, and I quickly snapped this covert photo…

That’s Gavin in the white shirt…

Gavin and the boy in the blue shirt (who was Gavin’s & Gwen’s son, Kingston) stood sort of between Oswald’s and where the Bell Ringers were still performing. I began to snap out of my fog and I muttered to myself, “I wonder where Gwen is. Maybe he brought his son without her…”

Seemingly out of nowhere, a nanny-ish person appeared with a stroller and stood near Gavin and Kingston. I think that the child in the stroller was their other son, Zuma.

And then, there she was! Gwen Stefani – rock star extraordinaire – emerged from doors that said “First Aid,” which were tucked sort of in back of Oswald’s. She went straight to the stroller and bent down to do something. I couldn’t see what she did – maybe she got a Band-Aid or something?

She walked – or, should I say, she strutted very purposefully, as any super cool rocker chick should do – back inside the building for some reason. Gwen was wearing gray pants, a cap of some kind, a black tank top, flat shoes, sunglasses – and her lips were crimson red, as I would expect from her (she is a cosmetics spokesperson, after all)! I observed that she was skinny – which does not quite come across on camera – and her arms were bony, which also does not come across. She was much shorter than I expected her to be – mainly because she is always wearing really high heels onstage.

I later realized that Gwen had passed by me too when I first spied Gavin, but she was way ahead of Gavin which is why I didn’t realize who it was. Take a look at this photo again…

There she is!

While Gwen was inside the First Aid building for the second time, Gavin brought Kingston over to a trash can near me and was helping him throw something away. They resumed standing out in front of Oswald’s, with Gavin tossing the occasional glance to the Bell Ringers. Gavin was literally just standing there, talking to no one, for what seemed like a while. IF I were ever going to approach him and say that I was a fan…THAT would have been the time. No one else was approaching him. No one else even seemed to notice Gwen when she was outside. She is a major rock star and I was looking around, searching for some sign of recognition in anyone’s face.

I have heard in the past that Gavin is actually pretty friendly and talkative, while Gwen is supposedly a little more aloof and standoffish. So if I had determined that IF I was going to walk up to either of them, he would have been the one.

But…I couldn’t do it. I even had a clear shot where I could have zoomed in and gotten a good photo of Gavin from the front, and I chickened out – because he looked right at me! I had begun to lift the camera to get a photo…and he casually just turned in my direction and stared…

…And so I quickly took a picture of a wreath, so as not to look too suspicious! Lol.

(Never mind the fact that his sultry stare would have probably made my knees a little weak if I hadn’t shifted focus …)

Nice wreath…

And yet another ‘I’m trying to look like I’m not staring at Gavin’ picture…

How many shots of this same wreath can I get while trying to look like I’m not staring at Gavin? Lol.

Finally, Gwen reappeared. She walked over to Gavin to say something, and then began walking towards the Bell Ringers. For a split second I seriously thought she was going to perform with them! Lol. Wouldn’t that have been great – if a huge rock star just joined in on the Bell Ringers’ set out of the blue?

Instead, Gwen motioned to a man I hadn’t seen earlier – an older, fatherly man with a second stroller who had just materialized out of nowhere?? – to signal him, and he, Gwen, the nanny, Gavin and the kids all marched to the California Adventure exit, Disneyland-bound. Gwen was leading the charge across the Esplanade like a tour guide. She definitely appeared to be the one calling the shots, while Gavin was following along in the back.

After they cleared out I noticed a police guy (wearing shorts and a t-shirt that said “Police”) with a dog standing near the Bell Ringers. I hadn’t seen him earlier either, but he appeared out of the mist. I suppose he had been there to be sure that Gwen and company were not bothered.

Bye bye, Gavin! (If you look very, very closely, up ahead of Gavin you can see the older man with the stroller…and Gwen in the shadows, walking through the turnstile!)…

After my A-list celebrity couple sighting I got on Facebook and posted about it – only to see a status update from Laurie/DizNee Luver that said she had also seen Gwen in DCA! Lol. Laurie and her husband Mike saw Gwen and Kingston riding Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree in Cars Land – Mike got an EXCELLENT shot of Gwen on the ride, which Laurie posted in her TR…it’s a perfect close-up.

How funny and coincidental that Laurie and I would both see Gwen in DCA, in two totally different locations? One difference is that she just saw Gwen at first, while I spotted Gavin before I spotted anyone else. I saw him before I even realized that Gwen was with him! Lol. Laurie said that Gavin was not with Gwen at the MJJ ride.


(What is also interesting to note is that Laurie later saw Gwen again, but she was with the whole group coming out of the Pirates of the Caribbean exit, and with all kinds of security guys. Those security guys had not been there with them when I saw them in DCA, nor when Laurie saw them in DCA. Somehow the security joined them in Disneyland – I wonder if Gwen had started to get recognized and bothered?)





I stayed in DCA for quite a while longer. I went into Elias & Company and Trolley Treats briefly (trying to look for more possible gift card purchases).

I even watched some of the DLR survey takers at work at the DCA entrance, trying to see if they were targeting a certain demographic (like young teenagers, middle-aged women, elderly men, etc.). I have often suspected that the Disney survey folks have a certain demographic to fill on most days, and that’s why they single out specific folks and not others. Sometimes they seem to zero in on Hispanic females. Sometimes they zero in on Caucasian men. This time I noticed that they were most definitely approaching Asian men who were not with children. That must have been the demographic they needed to fill on that day.


I had wasted so much time standing around and basically doing nothing in DCA that I abandoned my plan to get a Ghirardelli peppermint bark sample and take photos in Hollywood.

I decided to go back to Disneyland and continue my pictures.

Haunted Mansion Holiday – I didn’t get on the ride at that point, but I took some photos!

Jack Skellington & Sally were out for a meet…

Ahhh…New Orleans Square…It seems like only yesterday I was photographing Mardi Gras masks. Wait! It WAS only yesterday! Well, I came back!

What can I say? I guess I like close-up pictures of creepy mask faces and moon-headed dudes!

Notice his crescent moon-shaped head –which is a reference to the “Crescent City,” which is one of the nicknames for New Orleans. Again, gotta love those fantastic details!

​

Up next, in Part 5 of Day 3 – More photo fun in Disneyland!

 

[tksbaskets]

Sweet that you sighted Gwen and her man. I think he is mighty fine walking away too. I would have stared at the wreath for some time as well. Good plan

You've had a full day already. Looking forward to more

 

[Sherry E]

Sweet that you sighted Gwen and her man. I think he is mighty fine walking away too. I would have stared at the wreath for some time as well. Good plan

You've had a full day already. Looking forward to more

TK -

I seemed to have a full day just standing around DCA, observing people (the survey takers too, because I was really curious about that)!

You know, someone asked me how Gwen and Gavin seemed together in person, and if it appeared that there was any tension or disconnect between them (because the person didn't want the rumors of marital trouble to be true). As you can see in the two different photos I managed to get of them above, Gwen is walking way ahead of Gavin in both cases. In the first one she is leading the pack to Oswald's. In the second, she is going through the turnstiles and Gavin is nowhere near her.

I didn't think much of any of it at first. I'm not married and I don't have kids, but I just kind of assumed that when you've been married for a long time and you go somewhere such as Disneyland with a group of people, you probably end up walking ahead of or behind your spouse. I just assumed that married couples don't walk side by side, chatting, if they are in scenarios such as that.

I could be wrong. All of you folks out there who have been married for a while and have kids can tell me - when you are at DLR or anywhere with a lot of activity, do you march way ahead of your spouse or do you walk with him/her?

For the record, when Gwen was going in and out of the First Aid doors I didn't see a whole lot of interaction between her and Gavin - just a brief exchange. But, as Liza/funatdisney later said, "They probably just didn't need to say anything," which makes a lot of sense. When you're used to each other you don't need to talk all the time.

So I don't know if the 'body language' meant that G&G are having trouble and just kind of going through the motions or if they, as Liza said, just didn't need to talk to each other (or walk close together).

Again, not being married or having kids I only have assumptions about how couples interact after being together for a long time but I could be way off base!

Whatever the case, I hope that G&G stay together!

 

[mvf-m11c]

You did quite a lot of updates to your TR after I was busy all weekend at an Anime Convention in Sacramento. I do have a lot to cover during these updates.

Very nice pictures from the CP that Monday. Glad that you had a great time at the CP.

The Sleeping Beauty Castle at night are very nice. I see that you took some pictures of the castle with the trees in the pictures. It does make it very interesting to see the castle with the lights in a different direction than just seeing it without anything in front of it.

Very nice update from that night.

I still have to read your next day so I will come back to it later.

 

[tksbaskets]

Well, after 25 years of marriage I can honestly say the DH and I don't walk side by side very often at the parks. More often than not one of us is ahead or behind. We do look back every once and a while to make sure we haven't lost each other.

Most often we have a 'plan' at the parks and crowds make it almost impossible to walk side-by-side. We always have a 'meet up spot' picked.

TK

 

[rentayenta]

Gavin? *swoon* He's gorgeous.


We once saw Cindy Crawford in DCA. DH's reaction was similar to yours though he stood there, shocked, mouth agape, totally still in his tracks. Until I nudged him in the ribs.

 

[PHXscuba]

BUT, I would say that for maybe the last 2 years or so I have been hearing of quite a few people getting free room upgrades to park view at the PPH - and some of them have even been upgraded to Concierge if they had more people in their group. I think a couple of families were even upgraded to suites for free! (I've never gotten a suite or concierge.)

Oh please oh please oh please oh please. I promise on my little Disney heart to take lots of fabulous photos and share them right here on the DIS if I were blessed with a great view or a Concierge. If they put us in a suite I would probably faint, THEN put up some pictures!! If they have trouble finding connecting rooms for us ...

PHXscuba

 

[Sherry E]

You did quite a lot of updates to your TR after I was busy all weekend at an Anime Convention in Sacramento. I do have a lot to cover during these updates.

Very nice pictures from the CP that Monday. Glad that you had a great time at the CP.

The Sleeping Beauty Castle at night are very nice. I see that you took some pictures of the castle with the trees in the pictures. It does make it very interesting to see the castle with the lights in a different direction than just seeing it without anything in front of it.

Very nice update from that night.

I still have to read your next day so I will come back to it later.

Thank you, Bret.

I can't believe it's already been a year since the last Anime Convention - I remember that you mentioned it last year!

Interestingly, I hadn't thought about getting a Castle picture through the trees in advance. It never crossed my mind. All I thought about was getting some halfway decent nighttime Castle pictures for myself, since I didn't really have any. I never thought about trees! When I got to the location and saw that the icicle lights were turned on, I just took the pictures without even really thinking.

Then, the next day, it suddenly hit me - "Oh yeah, that's right! Bret got some really good 'Castle through the trees' pictures quite a while back!" I remember that I commented on one of them, and so did Liza - but it may have been in the Christmas Superthread and not in your TR thread. I can't recall.

So I wanted to make a point of mentioning that the 'Castle through the trees' was something you had done when I posted the photo in the TR - it is really important to me to give people credit for interesting and different photo ideas, or for photo ideas/subjects that I take notice of. It is a big pet peeve of mine when people don't get credit for things. Perhaps a lurker may see an interesting photo that someone took (which could be a unique angle, an 'off the beaten path' subject or some other less common perspective), and then they don't tell the photographer that they like and appreciate that particular photo (which every photographer wants to hear) - but they borrow the interesting idea and take their own photos of the same thing to post on the DIS, without saying where they got the idea.

The way I see it - if we like a photo enough to be inspired by it, or to try to replicate it on our own, we should give credit to the person who came up with the good idea in the first place! It doesn't hurt - and it can only make someone feel good if they know that they have taken photos that left an impression on other folks in some way!

So that's why you may notice I will always say things like "deejdigsdis was the first to take this picture," or "Mariezp was the first one I became aware of to take that picture," etc. Call me crazy - I think people should get credit for coming up with interesting photo ideas/angles/subjects/perspectives, especially when we see so many similar photos of the same common subjects all of the time! It's wonderful when someone comes up with a fresh spin on a familiar subject!

Well, after 25 years of marriage I can honestly say the DH and I don't walk side by side very often at the parks. More often than not one of us is ahead or behind. We do look back every once and a while to make sure we haven't lost each other.

Most often we have a 'plan' at the parks and crowds make it almost impossible to walk side-by-side. We always have a 'meet up spot' picked.

TK

TK -

You pretty much confirmed what I thought. I think that after folks have been married for a while, there isn't that need to talk constantly and be within 2 inches of each other at all times - especially with kids or other family members around. Couples get used to each other, so there isn't that need to be 'on' all the time. I guess that's why I didn't really think much of the fact that Gwen and Gavin weren't interacting too much in DCA. They've been married for over 10 years, and they were together off and on for 6 or 7 years prior to getting married. So we are talking about a couple who has been together in some capacity since 1995, and married since 2002. I think they're past the 'talking constantly and walking side by side' stage!

Frankly, I am shocked that any marriages in the music business last at all, for more than a year or two. I am even more shocked about that than relationships in the movie business, because the musicians are constantly 'on the road,' in buses, in new towns every other night, in hotels, meeting new people on a constant basis, having adoring fans and followers at their beck and call, etc. Even if you are a hot guy in a rock band who is married to an even bigger rock star than you are - and she could dump you in a minute - you still get tempted.

The only thing I really thought when I saw Gwen walking (with purpose) way ahead of Gavin and leading the group across the Esplanade was, "Yep. She is the one in charge of what they're doing for the day. She is the one saying, 'Let's ride this or that.' Gavin is just going wherever she leads in the parks. Mom wears the pants in that family!"

Gavin? *swoon* He's gorgeous.


We once saw Cindy Crawford in DCA. DH's reaction was similar to yours though he stood there, shocked, mouth agape, totally still in his tracks. Until I nudged him in the ribs.

Jenny -

Gavin is quite handsome!

Cindy Crawford does look great as she ages - I've got to hand it to her! Plus, she has maintained a good image and has not been out throwing cell phones at people or doing drugs in nightclubs or participating in other nefarious 'supermodel behavior.' I think that leading a seemingly 'decent' life and being a seemingly decent person has helped her to retain her beauty.

Oh please oh please oh please oh please. I promise on my little Disney heart to take lots of fabulous photos and share them right here on the DIS if I were blessed with a great view or a Concierge. If they put us in a suite I would probably faint, THEN put up some pictures!! If they have trouble finding connecting rooms for us ...

PHXscuba

Good luck, PHX!

I hope you get some sort of an upgrade. Be sure to tell the PPH front desk person that you want to be notified if a room opens up early - that will probably help the chances of getting into a better room than if you were to just go to the room at the official check-in time of 3 p.m. or 4 p.m.

If you end up on a higher floor - like, say, floor 9 and above - you will probably get the daily/nightly chocolates. If you end up on floor 5 or 6, the chocolates seem to be scarce!

 

[mvf-m11c]

Thank you, Bret.

I can't believe it'as already been a year since the last Anime Convention - I remember that you mentioned it last year!

Interestingly, I hadn't thought about getting a Castle picture through the trees in advance. It never crossed my mind. All I thought about was getting some halfway decent nighttime Castle pictures for myself, since I didn't really have any. I never thought about trees! When I got to the location and saw that the icicle lights were turned on, I just took the pictures without even really thinking.

Then, the next day, it suddenly hit me - "Oh yeah, that's right! Bret got some really good 'Castle through the trees' pictures quite a while back!" I remember that I commented on one of them, and so did Liza - but it may have been in the Christmas Superthread and not in your TR thread. I can't recall.

So I wanted to make a point of mentioning that the 'Castle through the trees' was something you had done when I posted the photo in the TR - it is really important to me to give people credit for interesting and different photo ideas, or for photo ideas/subjects that I take notice of. It is a big pet peeve of mine when people don't get credit for things. Perhaps a lurker may see an interesting photo that someone took (which could be a unique angle, an 'off the beaten path' subject or some other less common perspective), and then they don't tell the photographer that they like and appreciate that particular photo (which every photographer wants to hear) - but they borrow the interesting idea and take their own photos of the same thing to post on the DIS, without saying where they got the idea.

The way I see it - if we like a photo enough to be inspired by it, or to try to replicate it on our own, we should give credit to the person who came up with the good idea in the first place! It doesn't hurt - and it can only make someone feel good if they know that they have taken photos that left an impression on other folks in some way!

So that's why you may notice I will always say things like "deejdigsdis was the first to take this picture," or "Mariezp was the first one I became aware of to take that picture," etc. Call me crazy - I think people should get credit for coming up with interesting photo ideas/angles/subjects/perspectives, especially when we see so many similar photos the same common subjects all of the time! It's wonderful when someone comes up with a fresh spin on a familiar subject!

There are two Anime Conventions in Sacramento which the first one is in January which I have done this past weekend and Labor Day weekend. These events are fun to attend and exhausting to go to with all the people that you have to deal with. Luckily this isn't SoCal where there are way more people and would be busier.

At least you got some very nice photos of SB Castle through the trees during your trip. I didn't get any pictures of the trees with SB Castle this year and I am glad that you were able to get some pictures of the castle with the trees in them.

Absolutely. I always give credit to other DISers on the threads that show us great pictures or tell us where the spot to take the picture was at. That what makes it so fun taking pictures at the Disney parks to go scavenging for specific things to look at and take pictures of.

You are right about that. I always try to remember when I write my trip reports and see where I got this picture from. I always try to include every DISers that I looked at previous trip reports and give them credit.

 

[Sherry E]

There are two Anime Conventions in Sacramento which the first one is in January which I have done this past weekend and Labor Day weekend. These events are fun to attend and exhausting to go to with all the people that you have to deal with. Luckily this isn't SoCal where there are way more people and would be busier.

At least you got some very nice photos of SB Castle through the trees during your trip. I didn't get any pictures of the trees with SB Castle this year and I am glad that you were able to get some pictures of the castle with the trees in them.

Absolutely. I always give credit to other DISers on the threads that show us great pictures or tell us where the spot to take the picture was at. That what makes it so fun taking pictures at the Disney parks to go scavenging for specific things to look at and take pictures of.

You are right about that. I always try to remember when I write my trip reports and see where I got this picture from. I always try to include every DISers that I looked at previous trip reports and give them credit.

Bret -

You're always very good about giving credit to people who came up with interesting photo ideas - like a fresh take on something that inspired you to try a similar photo - or people who found things to take pictures of that you hadn't thought of before. Or if someone started a trend in pictures - like deej and the light fixtures - you always make a point of mentioning it. If someone helped you to take better pictures of something, you will mention them (like PiO and your fireworks pictures). It's a very kind, thoughtful thing to do that is so simple - and it probably makes people happy to know that their photos are being appreciated - but I think a lot of people don't give credit where credit is due.

I'm sure that I'm not the only one who appreciates that from you!

​

Okay, I've got 2 more installments of the TR coming right up. I almost thought I could get a third done, but I had to stop the third to do something else. At least I can get 2 done right now.

After these next 2 posts, I've got another round of Candlelight photos ahead, and then Day 4 will be my Surf's Up with Mickey opinions/reviews.

 

[Sherry E]

Here is the FIRST installment for today!!!

Candlelight and Cannonballs! Aunt Betty’s Do-Over Christmas Trip

(Sun., 12/9/12 – Wed., 12/12/12)



Day 3 - Tuesday, December 11, 2012 – Part 5​

Sleigh bells ring, are you listening,
In the lane, snow is glistening
A beautiful sight,
We're happy tonight,
Walking in a winter wonderland.






In the last TR installment I basically stood in California Adventure and stared at rock stars Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale for a while, looked in some shops, observed the survey takers at work at the DCA entrance and then went back to Disneyland to take more photos. It wasn’t quite as productive as the previous day, but that was okay.

Leaving New Orleans Square…

I don’t recall taking these photos!

I guess I went back through Adventureland and took a few more tiki, etc., pictures – I don’t remember doing so, though! Lol.

I do, however, recall going into Fantasyland, near the Castle!

Just over yonder from the Castle…

Up next, in Part 6 of Day 3 – More Disneyland photo fun!

 

[Sherry E]

Here is the SECOND installment for today!!!

Candlelight and Cannonballs! Aunt Betty’s Do-Over Christmas Trip

(Sun., 12/9/12 – Wed., 12/12/12)



Day 3 - Tuesday, December 11, 2012 – Part 6​

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas
Just like the ones I used to know
Where the treetops glisten
And children listen
To hear sleigh bells in the snow.






In the last TR installment I made my way to a few spots in Disneyland to take more photos.

More from ‘round the Castle area…

You all know how much I love a photo of an empty path! (Sharp-eyed readers will notice that I’ve been taking more photos of such paths over the last couple of DLR trips – apparently it is a new ‘theme’ I have picked up.) I’m not entirely sure why I love empty path pictures. I think that it may have to do with the illusion of the unknown. Even if, in reality, I know where the path is leading, in a photo there is a bit of mystery and surprise at the other end of that path!

I must admit – it has taken me years to get one single photo of this particular bridge. Years! I’ve walked on it. I’ve known it was there. I just never made the time to take a photo of it. (Deejdigsdis took one of the all-time best photos of this bridge when a family of ducks was waddling along to its destination.) I figured it was about time I got at least a couple of shots.

The last time I took some pictures of this little Snow White area was back in the late ‘80s or early ‘90s, as I recall. Of course it has changed a bit in appearance since then due to sun, water and the passage of time – and if I had the incentive to do so at the moment I would dig up the old picture and post it side by side with this one below, so you could see the visible differences. But I don’t have the incentive to do it right now. Maybe at the end of the report I will post the side-by-side comparisons, just for kicks.

Peter Pan was hanging out at the Wishing Well…

Onward…

Pixie Hollow…

In the China Closet on Main Street, the Mickey nutcrackers were abundant (minus the Santa Mickey version)…

Up next, in Part 7 of Day 3 – a bit more of this and that at Disneyland, and another dose of Candlelight!

 

[Sherry E]

I don't think I'll be able to get a third installment posted tonight, although I already have some of it put together. It will have to wait until tomorrow. But at least I got two installments posted today^^!

By the way, folks - we're not only in the home stretch of this thread in general, but also in the home stretch of this particular trip report too. I have the last part of Day 3 to put up (with the CP) tomorrow, which will be one or two posts at most, and then there is almost nothing from Day 4 at all, really (just a small handful of pictures from Surf's Up and maybe a few extra random pictures).

So we are almost done here. Stick with me, guys! Now is not the time to fade out, when we're so close to the end!

 

[tksbaskets]

So glad your time warp took you through Adventureland again! I loved the pictures of the masks especially the one grinning with teeth.

I really like your second thumper picture with the castle in the background. I have to admit that I like the pictures of the Mickey soldiers.

I'm a bit sad that your trip has almost come to an end...

 

[guineapiggie]

I agree with the others, I am also a bit sad to be coming to the end of your trip report. For a newbie, I really enjoyed reading your trip report and all your adventures and misadventures .

Love seeing the pics of the Nutcracker Mickey's.

Are you gonna make another trip out to DLand in the spring?

One thing with reading this trip report, it got me to try the Ghirardelli peppermint bark chocolates and I am hooked on it . Since I wasn't able to make it out to Disney again before the year ended, I ended up making a trek down to the Ghirardelli ice cream shop in downtown San Diego, to get my fix (and now that is almost gone too )

 

[PlutoRocks]

Awesome updates!! I'm so glad that you got this "do-over" trip and were really able to relax and do your own thing throughout the parks. The pictures are really amazing - many of them have made me take a second look and realize I never saw that perspective before but I will when I go back

Are you still working a plan for the year of holidays trip report?

I'm here reading - even if I don't get time to post very often.

 

[Sherry E]

So glad your time warp took you through Adventureland again! I loved the pictures of the masks especially the one grinning with teeth.

I really like your second thumper picture with the castle in the background. I have to admit that I like the pictures of the Mickey soldiers.

I'm a bit sad that your trip has almost come to an end...

TK -

Time warp is right! It's weird when you stumble upon a group of photos that you don't remember! I don't remember that second set of Adventureland pictures or the Mark Twain pics. I keep thinking, "How did those get in there?"

Yes, I love the creepy tiki/mask guy with the teeth too! Not that I would want that hanging on my wall, but he is fun to look at in Disneyland!

Those Mickey soldier nutcrackers are so cool!

The little statuettes by the Castle are cute, but I like them when the Christmas decorations can be seen in the background.

I can't believe the TR is going to end in the next few posts, and then the thread itself will end in another several pages. It will be sad for me to say goodbye to it - this thread has been in my life for so long!

I agree with the others, I am also a bit sad to be coming to the end of your trip report. For a newbie, I really enjoyed reading your trip report and all your adventures and misadventures .

Love seeing the pics of the Nutcracker Mickey's.

Are you gonna make another trip out to DLand in the spring?

One thing with reading this trip report, it got me to try the Ghirardelli peppermint bark chocolates and I am hooked on it . Since I wasn't able to make it out to Disney again before the year ended, I ended up making a trek down to the Ghirardelli ice cream shop in downtown San Diego, to get my fix (and now that is almost gone too )

guineapiggie -

You are not kidding about the misadventures! There have definitely been some of those along the way.

Those nutcrackers are great - if this were the '90s and I were in my serious collecting phase, I probably would have bought each and every one of those nutcrackers and put them on display somewhere. But, alas, now I just look at them and admire them.

Yay! You tried the peppermint bark! I'm so glad I had an influence! I am assuming they give out the samples of it at the shop in San Diego? Do you mean the San Diego location is almost gone, or the supply you bought is almost gone?

As for whether or not I'm going back to DLR in the spring, I don't have anything planned. Ideally, there are a bunch of times I'd like to go through the year but it's easier said than done. I had to miss Halloween Time in 2012 so I would definitely like to make a point of going in September or October this year for that, but the Christmas/holiday trips are always my priority, of course.

If Catalina Express once again offers a free birthday round-trip boat ride to Catalina Island (as they did in 2012 and 2011), I will take advantage of that once again. If I do another Catalina birthday trip, I will add a photo report/trip report for that to my existing Catalina trip report thread in the California trip reports section (see the blue link at the bottom of my signature below), just to put something else in it. I'd like to have at least two reports in that one thread.

As for future Disneyland TR threads, I'm just not sure. I would have to play it by ear. Sometimes I might be gung ho on doing a TR one week and then the next week my mood has changed. It's a lot to take on and it requires a lot of time, so sometimes it could be better to not even get started.

Thank you so much for the kind words, and for joining in here in the final stage of the thread. I really do appreciate it!

Awesome updates!! I'm so glad that you got this "do-over" trip and were really able to relax and do your own thing throughout the parks. The pictures are really amazing - many of them have made me take a second look and realize I never saw that perspective before but I will when I go back

Are you still working a plan for the year of holidays trip report?

I'm here reading - even if I don't get time to post very often.

Thank you, Dawn!

As always, I appreciate the kind words, compliments and kind thoughts! And I appreciate that you've hung in with this thread through the last few reports (going back to the June Cars Land preview, if I recall correctly).

I wish I could commit to the year of holidays TR. I think it's a good idea. I would love to make it happen. I'd at least like to be at DLR on a few of the 'fun' holidays but it may be too lofty of a goal to pull off this year (and St. Patrick's Day is only 2 weeks ahead of Easter). If I were going to do it, Valentine's Day would be the first holiday in the mix. So if something miraculously happens with that and I can swing it, I will happily go. The holiday season will always be #1, of course, so I will always do some kind of holiday visit to DLR - whether it is one day or several days, I'll be there to see my favorite Paradise Pier Hotel tree!

Also, as mentioned to guineapiggie above, if I end up going to Catalina again on my birthday in July, I will add a photo report to my existing Catalina TR thread.

What you said about going back to take a second look or seeing a new perspective of certain things in the parks is something I'm glad to have accomplished. If I have somehow inspired anyone to notice things more or go back and take a second look at something, or pay close attention to details, etc., then I feel the TR has been worthwhile. I like the trip reports that show me something I haven't seen before, or that make me want to go back and take a closer look at certain things - so if I have been able to achieve that in any small way for the readers then I think that's awesome!

Coincidentally, I had been thinking ahead to what my final post will be for this TR - not for the thread, necessarily, but just for the TR. Last time, in the December 2011 TR, I ended it with an update of the Aftermath, and how things are today with my friends. In the case of this current December 2012 TR, I think I know what my final post will be...something a little different, perhaps, and yet it will kind of touch on the spirit of 'going back and taking a second look' or noticing the little things.

 

[guineapiggie]

If you don't make it out to Disneyland, I hope you make it back out to Catalina Island. I love it out there. Haven't been there in a few years, but when I was out there with my husband, we had a good time. That green shack on the pier sells some really good seafood (shrimp and crab meat).

Naw, the Ghirardelli store is still here in San Diego . I was just talking about my supply of peppermint bark. When I got my sample at Disneyland, I went and bought a bag, and finished it off in a few days. I then went to the Ghirardelli here in San Diego and bought 3 more bags (1 for a Christmas gift and 2 bags for myself) and I have almost finished both bags. Yeah, I'm a chocaholic . Until next year I suppose.

When I go to Hong Kong at the end of this month, I am hoping to make a trek out to the Disneyland there. It will depend if I have time. It's smaller than the one here, but it is cheaper to get in. After currency change, adult tix are about $50 for the park.

 

[Sherry E]

If you don't make it out to Disneyland, I hope you make it back out to Catalina Island. I love it out there. Haven't been there in a few years, but when I was out there with my husband, we had a good time. That green shack on the pier sells some really good seafood (shrimp and crab meat).

Naw, the Ghirardelli store is still here in San Diego . I was just talking about my supply of peppermint bark. When I got my sample at Disneyland, I went and bought a bag, and finished it off in a few days. I then went to the Ghirardelli here in San Diego and bought 3 more bags (1 for a Christmas gift and 2 bags for myself) and I have almost finished both bags. Yeah, I'm a chocaholic . Until next year I suppose.

When I go to Hong Kong at the end of this month, I am hoping to make a trek out to the Disneyland there. It will depend if I have time. It's smaller than the one here, but it is cheaper to get in. After currency change, adult tix are about $50 for the park.

guineapiggie -

The seafood place on the Green Pleasure Pier is Rosie's! I love just sitting on that pier, watching the boats and the sea life in the water below. Catalina is, of course, a totally different kind of trip than a Disneyland trip but it's a great place to go nonetheless!

Catalina Express gave free birthday boat trips to people in 2012 and 2011. I didn't take advantage of the offer in 2011, for a variety of reasons, but I was not going to skip it last year because I missed Catalina soooo much!

When I went to Catalina last year, one of the salespeople in the Bay of the Seven Moons shop told me that either the Avalon City Council or the Chamber of Commerce (or an entity along those lines) wanted Catalina Express to continue the free birthday boat ride indefinitely, for the foreseeable future. Needless to say, this promo brought them a lot of business and attracted a lot of people to the Island who would not have gone there otherwise.

The trouble is that for as much new business as the free boat ride has brought to the Island, a lot of the vendors who also participated in the free birthday offerings (giving away free meals, free ice cream, free coffee, free gifts, etc.) took a big financial hit and if the offer IS continued again this year beyond April 30th (which is when the current offer expires), those vendors don't want to participate. BUT, the City Council wants some vendors to get on board and participate so that people know they can get a couple of freebies when they get to Avalon.

So, the last I heard, that was still being sorted out and no one was really sure if the offer would be continued this year or not. I think I will find out in March if it has been extended yet again - and if so, sign me up for my birthday in July! It's a Sunday in the summer, so there will be longer hours (which I prefer) and I can take a late boat back to Long Beach.

Ghirardelli gives out samples of pumpkin chocolate during the Halloween season - at least the one in California Adventure does! I didn't get there for Halloween Time in 2012 but they confirmed that they were giving it out. And in June, when I was there for the Cars Land preview, they were giving out the most wonderful chocolate caramel samples, which were so soft and creamy! Yum!

I can't say I blame you - when you get hold of some really good chocolate, it's hard to have just a tiny bit of it! Some chocolate tastes weird or just not that good, so it's easy to leave it alone. Ghirardelli's stuff is hard to pass by!

I hope that you get to go to Hong Kong Disneyland! How exciting! That is somewhere I am sure I will not be going at any point in my life (I haven't even been to WDW yet, so that would come first), but I love seeing photos of all of the international Disney parks! And $50 is a steal!

​

I've got another couple of TR installments coming up shortly - the last 2 segments of Day 3. I am just putting the finishing touches on the second of the two posts, and making sure I didn't leave anything out.

After that, in the next couple of days there will only be one installment from Day 4 and then a wrap-up post.

So we are looking at only 4 more total posts for this December 2012 TR, two of which will be coming up in the next hour or so. The end is in sight!