I Kinda Like the Disney Theme Parks

(All of these pictures are thumbnails and can be clicked for a larger size.)

That was the issue that had a big spread about Disneyland and I claimed that issue as my personal treasure and it remained that way for years. (Ya know, I still have it.) I would be embarrassed to guess how many hours I poured through that magazine studying the artist's overview of the park, the photos of Tomorrowland, the Matterhorn Mountain with the Skyway going through it.

There were also pictures showing the aerialist, Tiny Kline, who dressed as Tinkerbell and flew on a highwire from the Matterhorn toward Sleeping Beauty's Castle each summer night after the fireworks.

Disney was just building its first modern Audio Animatronics attraction (The Enchanted Tiki Room) at the time the magazine came out and there were photos of a woman building and painting the parrots which would soon sing and joke and amaze the crowds in Adventureland.

What else was in that issue of National Geographic? Well, Disney was planning on building New Orleans Square and they showed drawings of what it would eventually look like.

And this particular issue of National Geographic published the first photograph of Disney's secret apartment above the firehouse on Main Street.

In short, it was a pretty fine issue to read over and over again and dream of all sorts of things. This thing was my private fantasy world before I hit puberty and found other things to fantasize about.

Luckily I lived in Central Florida and had access to Walt Disney World. That satisfied my craving for many years and it's where I discovered one of my favorite buildings of all time, WDW's Haunted Mansion. (Here is a photo of it with one extra spook added.) Apparently it is modeled after some grand home near Pennsylvania's Delaware River. And you can see a pic of that house as well as a ton of information about the Disney Haunted Mansions at this wonderful website, doombuggies.com.

In truth, it's not just the architecture of the Haunted Mansion that I like; the whole "scene" speaks to me. I'm into ghosts, hauntings, creaky old homes, the fascination with what might go on after one dies... actually, the whole Victorian era fascination with spiritualism... really enjoy all of that.

These Disney creations happen to include that stuff plus they have a sense of humor. And a big sense of atmosphere. So anyway the HM has always spoken to me. Can't imagine a trip the park without it. (Of course, there was a time that I couldn't imagine a pizza without pepperoni. And that has changed. We shall see about the Haunted Mansion.)

In high school, I thought that I should be an architect and design attractions for Disney. It was a disgrace to me in the mid 70s that there was no Dinosaur attraction at WDW. So I drew the floor plans and one outside elevation of the entrance. It was much like the Pirates of the Carribbean, as I recall. A boat ride. Except there were lots of rocks and boulders. I sent the plans to Disney World asking them to get busy on it. They responded by sending me a brochure about Family Vacation Packages to Walt Disney World.

Eventually, when I turned 16, I got a job at WDW and I worked there for a year in Fantasyland Foods. That was great and all and I loved exploring the tunnel system under the Magic Kingdom. I would sneak friends down there thinking they would be as captivated by it as I was but they would complain that I killed the "magic" for them. Actually, I believe it was Mark who said that back when we were in high school.

Last December, when I was home in Florida for a bit, Mark flew me over WDW in his plane and I snapped this picture of the Magic Kingdom.

So anyway, when I was in 11th and 12th grade, I took some classes in drafting and architecture and learned that I didn't have what it took to be an architect, so I assumed that I couldn't be an Imagineer for Disney.

About this time, I got into the high school play and my course for the next decade or so was clearly laid out in front of me. I would be a star of the stage and screen! (I'll let ya know when it happens.)

And the years ticked by and all this time, I lived on the east coast and felt like I needed to get to Disneyland and finally see the place.

Well, now, I live in L.A., I've got my annual pass and I can go any dang time I want to.

I took this picture of my dinner at the Big Thunder Bar B Q because I was amused by the shape of the tortilla chip. (Incidentally, the chip didn't come with my dinner. I had to give the hostess a pleading look and a smile before she gave it to me. Thank you, Hostess.)

Most of the photos on this page were taken by my digital camera. I was impressed at the way it handled the nighttime shots and so it seemed like the thing to do to put them on the Web and let fine people like yourself look at them. So my pal Mindy and I went there one weekday this summer and met her friend Gary at Splash Mountain. (Not by coincidence, mind you; it's those wonderful cell phones that enabled it to happen.)

This shot of the moon behind the Matterhorn wouldn't have happened if Gary didn't get my attention and say, "Don. Look."

About a minute after I took the picture, the Monorail winded its way past and I should have re-taken the photo with that added detail. But was I prepared? No.

At Walt Disney World in Florida, naturally, everything is bigger because they had room to build it to gargantuan proportions. Their Mad Tea Cup attraction has many more tea cups than the one at Disneyland... but look at this picture. Look how charming this scene is with the colored lanterns and twinkle lights and the Monorail track snaking alongside the Matterhorn. An equivalent scene at WDW can't touch this.

It's my plan to get to the parks in Japan and in France to see how they compare with these two. We'll see how long it takes to make that happen.

Well, I guess this is enough. You probably have an idea now that Disneyland and Walt Disney World have had a long-term effect on me ever since I was a child. Hell, this website, (as well as my apartment) I refer to as "Donacoland".

Guess where that came from....

OK, actually, my friend JoAnn started calling my apartment "Donacoland". But that's beside the point. Get off my back.

I've got a bunch more Disney pics at my Yahoo! Photo Album. (I got to go to Club 33 and naturally, the camera came with me. Also there are some pics from California Adventure, their new park next to Disneyland.)

And here are some Disney related links:

Disneyland, their official site

MousePlanet, if only Disney management would pay attention to these folks

Doom Buggies, all about the Disney Haunted Mansions