Christmas 2012 Visit To The Mission Inn With Family

Christmas is not as much about opening our presents as opening our hearts.  ~Janice Maeditere

Lights Anyone? The Mission Inn (12/10/2012)

A visit to the Riverside Mission Inn with family December 2012
Click for the full sized 1200 x 1600 px image

A visit to the Riverside Mission Inn with family December 2012
One could wonder around for hours in this amazing building

Did You Know? - The property began as a small, cottage hotel called the "Glenwood Hotel" built by civil engineer Christopher Columbus Miller in 1876. In 1902, Miller's son Frank changed the name to the "Mission Inn" and started building, in a variety of styles, until he died in 1935.

Miller's vision for the eclectic structure was drawn from many historical design periods, revivals, influences, and styles. Some are Spanish Gothic architecture, Mission Revival Style architecture, Moorish Revival architecture, Spanish Colonial style architecture, Spanish Colonial Revival Style architecture, Renaissance Revival architecture, and Mediterranean Revival Style architecture.

With one section over another, addition upon addition, the result is a complicated and intricately built structure, comparable to the Winchester House. It contains narrow passageways, exterior arcades, a medieval-style clock, a five-story rotunda, numerous patios and windows, missing gargoyles, castle towers, minarets, a Cloister Wing (with catacombs), flying buttresses, Mediterranean domes and a pedestrian skybridge among many other features.

A visit to the Riverside Mission Inn with family December 2012
The flat walls were perfect for decorations

A visit to the Riverside Mission Inn with family December 2012
Many of the characters hanging off the balconies were animated

A visit to the Riverside Mission Inn with family December 2012

A visit to the Riverside Mission Inn with family December 2012
Wave back!

Through The Front And A Quick Tour Inside

A visit to the Riverside Mission Inn with family December 2012
The entrance was ablaze with lights

A visit to the Riverside Mission Inn with family December 2012
Soldiers guard the front door

Did You Know? - A gift to the community from the owners of The Mission Inn Hotel & Spa, Duane and Kelly Roberts, Festival of Lights hosts one of the largest collections of lights in the nation. Due to popular demand, The Mission Inn Hotel & Spa has extended the dates of Festival of Lights for 2012, continuing through an extra week in January 2013.

A visit to the Riverside Mission Inn with family December 2012
Simply... Wow!

Did You Know? - Allow yourself to be swept away by more than 3.6 million+ brilliant lights transforming Riverside's historic hotel into pure magic. The annual festival begins the day after Thanksgiving, on Friday, November 23rd with a celebratory lighting ceremony featuring a full fireworks display, and continues through Saturday, January 5th. 

A visit to the Riverside Mission Inn with family December 2012
Everything was so beautiful it made us want to decorate out outside but alas....

A visit to the Riverside Mission Inn with family December 2012

A visit to the Riverside Mission Inn with family December 2012
Elf pirates???

A visit to the Riverside Mission Inn with family December 2012
The trees were stunning

A visit to the Riverside Mission Inn with family December 2012
The photographer did pretty well considering....

A visit to the Riverside Mission Inn with family December 2012
Decorations were in every corner of the hotel

A visit to the Riverside Mission Inn with family December 2012
Mantels were full

Did You Know? - Fireplace mantel or mantelpiece, also known as a chimneypiece, originated in medieval times as a hood that projected over a grate to catch the smoke. The term has evolved to include the decorative framework around the fireplace, and can include elaborate designs extending to the ceiling.

Mantelpiece is now the general term for the jambs, mantel shelf, and external accessories of a fireplace. For many centuries, the chimneypiece was the most ornamental and most artistic feature of a room, but as fireplaces have become smaller, and modern methods of heating have been introduced, its artistic as well as its practical significance has lessened.

Up to the twelfth century, fires were simply made in the middle of a home by a hypocaust, or with braziers, or by fires on the hearth with smoke vented out the lantern in the roof. As time went on, the placement of fireplaces moved to the wall, incorporating chimneys to vent the smoke. This permitted the design of a very elaborate, rich, architectural focal point for a grand room.

The earliest known chimneypiece is in the Kings House at Southampton, with Norman shafts in the joints carrying a segmental arch, which is attributed to the first half of the twelfth century. At a later date, in consequence of the greater width of the fireplace, flat or segmental arches were thrown across and constructed with archivolt, sometimes joggled, with the thrust of the arch being resisted by bars of iron at the back.

A visit to the Riverside Mission Inn with family December 2012
Someone was brave.... Decorating the cactus

Did Someone Say Carriage Ride???

A visit to the Riverside Mission Inn with family December 2012
This looks interesting...

Did You Know? - A carriage is a wheeled vehicle for people, usually horse-drawn; litters (palanquins) and sedan chairs are excluded, since they are wheelless vehicles. The carriage is especially designed for private passenger use and for comfort or elegance, though some are also used to transport goods. It may be light, smart and fast or heavy, large and comfortable.

Carriages normally have suspension using leaf springs, elliptical springs (in the 19th century) or leather strapping. A public passenger vehicle would not usually be called a carriage – terms for such include stagecoach, charabanc and omnibus. Working vehicles such as the (four-wheeled) wagon and (two-wheeled) cart share important parts of the history of the carriage, as is the fast (two-wheeled) chariot.

A visit to the Riverside Mission Inn with family December 2012
A little romance perhaps???

A visit to the Riverside Mission Inn with family December 2012
While our carriage was coming, we examined the window fronts

A visit to the Riverside Mission Inn with family December 2012
"Ookie ookie.... I see our carriage!"

A visit to the Riverside Mission Inn with family December 2012
HE she comes

A visit to the Riverside Mission Inn with family December 2012
All aboard....


Thanks to Bob for the great picture


We are all lit up.... More ways than one! (Thanks Bob)


Guess who rode up top? (Thanks Bob)


Lovers (Thanks Bob)


Dr. Nick taking it all in (Thanks Bob)

A visit to the Riverside Mission Inn with family December 2012
Must have picture

A visit to the Riverside Mission Inn with family December 2012
Romance is in the air

A visit to the Riverside Mission Inn with family December 2012

A visit to the Riverside Mission Inn with family December 2012
.... or as Nick says "Get a room!"

A visit to the Riverside Mission Inn with family December 2012
Perfect!

A visit to the Riverside Mission Inn with family December 2012
We are right out in the middle of traffic

A visit to the Riverside Mission Inn with family December 2012
Smile.... You are on candid camera

A visit to the Riverside Mission Inn with family December 2012
Last time we saw this many teeth was in a dentists office

A visit to the Riverside Mission Inn with family December 2012
Beep beep!

A visit to the Riverside Mission Inn with family December 2012
"Ah... Can we go around again??"

A visit to the Riverside Mission Inn with family December 2012
Sue visits the baby!

A visit to the Riverside Mission Inn with family December 2012

A visit to the Riverside Mission Inn with family December 2012
"Just like Flower... Loves her head to be scratched"

A Short Walk Before Dinner??

A visit to the Riverside Mission Inn with family December 2012
A look down the walk revealed a rather large tree

A visit to the Riverside Mission Inn with family December 2012
B-r-r-r-r-r-r

A visit to the Riverside Mission Inn with family December 2012
Nick, Bob, Jon, and Paul tried skating....

A visit to the Riverside Mission Inn with family December 2012
Spellbound by what they were seeing....

A visit to the Riverside Mission Inn with family December 2012
Interesting tree

A visit to the Riverside Mission Inn with family December 2012
Looks like a load of "Hidden Mickey's"

A visit to the Riverside Mission Inn with family December 2012
It was in the high 50's and a bit of fog

A visit to the Riverside Mission Inn with family December 2012
The street had several art galleries and museums on it

One More Pass Through The Hotel Before Dinner

A visit to the Riverside Mission Inn with family December 2012
A staff of 50 people work six weeks to cover the building in lights"

A visit to the Riverside Mission Inn with family December 2012
The palms looked great

Did You Know? - Of its seasonal functions, the Festival of Lights is well known for its nearly three million Christmas lights, and over 400 animated figures. Although the Festival lasts all throughout the holiday season, the day after Thanksgiving is the lighting ceremony.

On this day city officials and the owner of the hotel, Duane Roberts, give speeches before fireworks light up the sky and nearly 65,000 people attend annually to view the unique hotel and its holiday decorations. During the festival of lights, decorations including musical angels, carolers on the balconies, and a Santa Claus climbing the chimney are featured.

A visit to the Riverside Mission Inn with family December 2012

A visit to the Riverside Mission Inn with family December 2012
Someone had to wrap each of these palms... Wow!

A visit to the Riverside Mission Inn with family December 2012
Inside there are many displays to visit

A visit to the Riverside Mission Inn with family December 2012
Here come the choo choo

A visit to the Riverside Mission Inn with family December 2012

A visit to the Riverside Mission Inn with family December 2012
Each with a theme

A visit to the Riverside Mission Inn with family December 2012
From different countries

Dinner Time

A visit to the Riverside Mission Inn with family December 2012
Looks interesting

A visit to the Riverside Mission Inn with family December 2012
On our way in!

A visit to the Riverside Mission Inn with family December 2012

A visit to the Riverside Mission Inn with family December 2012

A visit to the Riverside Mission Inn with family December 2012
What? A Marshmallow Chocolate Doohickey???


Someone is happy (Thanks Bob)

A visit to the Riverside Mission Inn with family December 2012
Robin had to look it up on the phone

A visit to the Riverside Mission Inn with family December 2012
Bob was not too sure about this...

A visit to the Riverside Mission Inn with family December 2012
All smiles....

A visit to the Riverside Mission Inn with family December 2012

A visit to the Riverside Mission Inn with family December 2012
"Get a room!!"

A visit to the Riverside Mission Inn with family December 2012
Bob casts the famous "Stink Eye"

Did You Know? - The Hawaiian pidgin term for a hard, scornful glare.

I not doin' anykine when some lolo turn an give me stink eye cuz he like beef. (English translation: I wasn't doing anything when some fool turned and gave me a hard look because he wanted to fight.)

A visit to the Riverside Mission Inn with family December 2012
Oh No... Do we have to go????

A visit to the Riverside Mission Inn with family December 2012
See you Saturday at the play

A visit to the Riverside Mission Inn with family December 2012

A visit to the Riverside Mission Inn with family December 2012

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