Christmas Visit To Disneyland

Christmas is a time when you get homesick - even when you're home.  ~Carol Nelson

Disneyland And Theo Joined Us Late In The Day

We headed for Disneyland early to enjoy the day.  We began with breakfast at Catal and then headed to the park.

Decorating done, time to go to Disneyland!
It was 55 outside went we arrived... Catal was warm and cozy

Catal for breakfast
Champagne warmed us up

Breakfast at Catal
Yes indeedy-doo

Decorating done, time to go to Disneyland!
Time to visit

Decorating done, time to go to Disneyland!
Welcome to the Magic of Disney

Decorating done, time to go to Disneyland!
We got there and it was pretty quiet considering

Decorating done, time to go to Disneyland!
The trees were turning colors

Did you know? - A green leaf is green because of the presence of a pigment known as chlorophyll. When they are abundant in the leaf's cells, as they are during the growing season, the chlorophylls' green color dominates and masks out the colors of any other pigments that may be present in the leaf. Thus the leaves of summer are characteristically green.

Leaf turing colors
In this leaf, the veins are still green while the other tissue is turning red. This produces a fractal-like pattern

Chlorophyll has a vital function: that of capturing solar rays and utilizing the resulting energy in the manufacture of the plant's food—simple sugars which are produced from water and carbon dioxide. These sugars are the basis of the plant's nourishment—the sole source of the carbohydrates needed for growth and development. In their food-manufacturing process, the chlorophylls themselves break down and thus are being continually "used up." During the growing season, however, the plant replenishes the chlorophyll so that the supply remains high and the leaves stay green. A pile of autumn leaves.

In late summer, as daylight hours shorten and temperatures cool, the veins that carry fluids into and out of the leaf are gradually closed off as a layer of special cork cells forms at the base of each leaf. As this cork layer develops, water and mineral intake into the leaf is reduced, slowly at first, and then more rapidly. It is during this time that the chlorophyll begins to decrease.

Often the veins will still be green after the tissues between them have almost completely changed color.

Decorating done, time to go to Disneyland!
We always walk through New Orleans

Decorating done, time to go to Disneyland!
Love the attention to detail

Decorating done, time to go to Disneyland!
We jumped the Disneyland Train

Decorating done, time to go to Disneyland!
Rivers of America

Did you know? - The Rivers of America is an artificial river found in the Frontierland district of the Magic Kingdom-classed Disney theme parks around the world. The first river was built in Disneyland when the park opened in 1955. It surrounds Tom Sawyer Island, which can be reached by rafts traveling from the Frontierland mainland. Additionally, there are other water-based vehicles which are found on the river. The sights along the Rivers include a Native American tribe, a burning cabin (though the cabin at Disneyland hasn't been burning for years), and various animatronic wildlife.

Decorating done, time to go to Disneyland!
In the forest

Decorating done, time to go to Disneyland!
It was a clear and cld day

Decorating done, time to go to Disneyland!
The train station was all decked out

Decorating done, time to go to Disneyland!
We had to ride the steamboat

Did you know? - Passengers wait for the 28-foot-high (8.5 m), 105-foot-long (32 m) riverboat, which departs every 25 minutes, from inside a sheltered area located in the Frontierland section of the park. The waiting area is made to resemble a real riverboat loading area, with cargo deliveries sharing space on the dock. Historic United States flags are displayed at the attraction's entrance.

Upon boarding the 150-ton riverboat, passengers are free to move about the vessel's three levels. The lower deck's bow has chairs, which are the only seating on board. The upper deck provides a vantage point for viewing landmarks throughout the voyage.

The wheelhouse, where the riverboat's pilot is stationed, is also located on the upper deck. The lower level of the wheelhouse features a sleeping area and a sink to maintain the illusion of this being the captain's living quarters. At the pilot's discretion, a small number of passengers may be given permission to ride in the wheelhouse for the voyage, after which they are presented with souvenir Pilot Certificates.

Decorating done, time to go to Disneyland!

Did you know? - Disneyland's opening day brought further problems for the ‘’Mark Twain’’. Actress Irene Dunne, star of the movie Showboat, had trouble breaking a bottle of water (from many major American rivers) across the vessel's bow for its christening on Dateline Disney. During the riverboat's first official voyage, when the crowd moved to one side of the boat to view a passing scene of an Indian encampment or other sight, the boat would list from the side and water poured over the deck, as no one had determined the Mark Twain's maximum safe passenger capacity.

Decorating done, time to go to Disneyland!
Ducks were busy

Decorating done, time to go to Disneyland!
Mike Fink is somewhere around

Decorating done, time to go to Disneyland!
Injuns

Decorating done, time to go to Disneyland!
Oops!

Got To See The Golden Horseshoe

Decorating done, time to go to Disneyland!

Decorating done, time to go to Disneyland!
A must see....Funny

Decorating done, time to go to Disneyland!
Trees were many colors this day!

Decorating done, time to go to Disneyland!
Hello there!

Decorating done, time to go to Disneyland!
In is new Christmas shirt

Santa Is Nearby, We Know Because....

Decorating done, time to go to Disneyland!
Reindeer

Did you know? - The reindeer (Rangifer tarandus), also known as the caribou in North America, is a deer from the Arctic and Subarctic, including both resident and migratory populations. While overall widespread and numerous, some of its subspecies are rare and one (or two, depending on taxonomy) has already gone extinct.

The reindeer varies considerably in colour and size, and both genders grow antlers, though these are larger in the males and there are a few populations where females lack them completely.

Hunting of wild reindeer and herding of semi-domesticated reindeer (for meat, hides, antlers, milk and transportation) are important to several Arctic and Subarctic people.[6] Even far outside its range, the reindeer is well known due to the myth, probably originating in early 19th century America, in which Santa Claus's sleigh is pulled by flying reindeer, a popular secular element of Christmas. In actual Lapland, reindeer would pull a pulk.

Decorating done, time to go to Disneyland!
His antlers look pretty disarranged

Did you know? - Reindeer are ruminants, having a four-chambered stomach. They mainly eat lichens in winter, especially reindeer moss. However, they also eat the leaves of willows and birches, as well as sedges and grasses. There is some evidence to suggest that on occasion, they will also feed on lemmings, arctic char, and bird eggs. Reindeer herded by the Chukchis have been known to devour mushrooms enthusiastically in late summer.

Decorating done, time to go to Disneyland!

Did you know? - In the Santa Claus myth, Santa Claus's sleigh is pulled by flying reindeer. These were first named in the 1823 poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas", where they are called Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Dunder, and Blixem. Dunder was later changed to Donder and—in other works—Donner (in German, "thunder"), and Blixem was later changed to Bliksem, then Blitzen (German for "lightning"). Some consider Rudolph as part of the group as well, though he was not part of the original named work referenced previously. Rudolph was added by Robert L. May in 1939 as "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer".

Decorating done, time to go to Disneyland!
Checking out Santa

Decorating done, time to go to Disneyland!

Decorating done, time to go to Disneyland!
Need a ride?

We Love Storybook Land

Decorating done, time to go to Disneyland!
We had a whale of a time

Decorating done, time to go to Disneyland!

Decorating done, time to go to Disneyland!

Decorating done, time to go to Disneyland!

Decorating done, time to go to Disneyland!

Decorating done, time to go to Disneyland!

Decorating done, time to go to Disneyland!

Decorating done, time to go to Disneyland!

Decorating done, time to go to Disneyland!

Decorating done, time to go to Disneyland!

We Walked Round For Hours

Decorating done, time to go to Disneyland!

Decorating done, time to go to Disneyland!

Decorating done, time to go to Disneyland!

Decorating done, time to go to Disneyland!

Awaiting Theos Arrival

Decorating done, time to go to Disneyland!

Decorating done, time to go to Disneyland!

Decorating done, time to go to Disneyland!

Decorating done, time to go to Disneyland!
Just about on time

Decorating done, time to go to Disneyland!
We hear noises and....

Like Magic, Theo Appears

Decorating done, time to go to Disneyland!

Decorating done, time to go to Disneyland!

Decorating done, time to go to Disneyland!
He has learned a new trick

Decorating done, time to go to Disneyland!

Decorating done, time to go to Disneyland!

Decorating done, time to go to Disneyland!

Decorating done, time to go to Disneyland!

Decorating done, time to go to Disneyland!

Decorating done, time to go to Disneyland!
Michele, Theo and Franklin

Decorating done, time to go to Disneyland!

Decorating done, time to go to Disneyland!

Decorating done, time to go to Disneyland!
We tried to get on but Theo had a different idea

Decorating done, time to go to Disneyland!

Decorating done, time to go to Disneyland!

Submarines, Good Idea

Did you know? - The original Submarine Voyage attraction was built as part of the "new" Tomorrowland in 1959, and closed on September 9, 1998. At that time, Disneyland's president, Paul Pressler, promised the press and Disneyland fans that the attraction would re-open with a new theme by 2003.[citation needed] One of the first attempts to resurrect the subs was banked on the success of the 2001 Disney animated film, Atlantis: The Lost Empire. But when Atlantis failed at the box office, instead of creating a ride at the location based on the film, an "Atlantis" themed photo spot was put in front of the lagoon.

However, the attraction remained untouched. Later, the entire lagoon became a scenic viewpoint. The submarines were stored inside the show building without maintenance. Pressler left, and the attraction's announced 2003 return date passed without action.[citation needed] When Matt Ouimet became the President of Disneyland Resort in 2003, there was new activity in the Submarine Lagoon. Neptune, one of the original eight submarines in the fleet, was moored at the old Submarine Voyage station dock for inspection by Walt Disney Imagineering in 2004.

The submarines were being tested to see if new animated show scenes would be visible from the portholes. Rumors spread quickly over the Internet, saying that an attraction based on the Disney/Pixar animated film Finding Nemo was going to finally replace Submarine Voyage. After months of speculation, on July 15, 2005, two days before the 50th Anniversary of Disneyland, the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage was officially announced. ~Wikipedia

Decorating done, time to go to Disneyland!

Decorating done, time to go to Disneyland!

Decorating done, time to go to Disneyland!

Decorating done, time to go to Disneyland!

Decorating done, time to go to Disneyland!

Decorating done, time to go to Disneyland!

Getting Cold So We Left And Passed By The Candy Store For Candy

Decorating done, time to go to Disneyland!

Off To Torrance To Dance To Geo Vallie

Geo Vallie at Torrance

Christmas home

Proceed to 11/30/2010 Huntington Gardens and Library!