The Magic Kingdom

Today is Saturday, June 6, 2009. It is pretty cloudy this morning. Rain is predicted. We had an unusual thunderstorm Wednesday evening. The thunder just roared and roard constantly. At first, we thought it was a plane going over but it never passed by. Then the lightning started. Some "fireworks" display it was. And the rain poured down for about 15 minutes and then a few minutes of soft rain. Then a dead stop. Very different.
We had a wonderful trip to Disneyland. We left here on Tuesday, after Decoration Day (Memorial Day). My mother always called it Decoration Day. The young people from her church would gather on that day, ride on a hay wagon to the cemetery, and decorate all the graves, especially those who had served in the military.
Our drive to Anaheim was very pleasant. Not much traffic. We pulled out of our driveway about 6:15 AM. The day was sunny. We listened to the radio sometimes and just talked most of the time. I tried to read outloud but it made me a little woozy. I wonder, will I ever be able to read again? That sure makes the hours go by quickly.
We got to our motel about 1:30 and were fortunate enough to be able to check into a room. This time we stayed at the Fairfield Inn which is north of the park, right behind McDonalds, Mimi's and Millie's eating places. It sits back off the road. I think it is where the Grand Hotel used to be. We were on the fifth floor. Our son and his family and their friends had rooms on the 8th floor. We had a nice king size bed and a little fridge, also a couch and a desk table and chair. Of course, there was a TV with a remote. Motel (hotel) stays are quite nice nowadays.
Cell phones are sure convenient. We had already communicated with the group over at Disneyland. They had gone to the park on Monday and were eager for us to join them. Bless their hearts!!
We had a quick lunch at McDonalds and headed over to Disneyland. I walked most of the way with the wheelchair as my walker. I did quite well. At the street crossing into Disneyland, Glen told me to get in the chair. I was obedient. I knew he wanted to "push me around."
That was the beginning of fun times. We were there Tuesday afternoon, Wednesday, and Thursday. It is great fun being there with family (or by ourselves). More fun with family. We like our children's friends, too, and they seem to accept us. There were seven children of varying ages. The oldest was 11 and the youngest just over a year old, 3 little girls and 4 little boys.
Myfavorite rides anymore are AstroBlasters, Toy Story, and Soarin' Over California. I like the Story Book Canal and the Disney Railroad, too. Oh, and I musn't forget It's A Small World. That has been refurbished since we were last there. Lots of new lighting and a few new dolls representing movies that Disney has made. It seemed like most of the dolls had new sparkly costumes. The song, of course, is very special to me. We used it with our students in India and Pakistan. They loved it, especially the part "There's so much that we share, that it's time we're aware, It's a small world after all." We all cried the last time we sang it, as we headed back to our home in the United States.
I like the Toy Story ride. I stayed in the wheelchair once. They had a special contraption to strap you in. We got an offer to go the second time and we did. It used to be that wheel chair people (plus their party) got very special treatment. They've sort of altered that some. Now you can take 6 people with you and in some lines you just have to wait in line. Once you get to the front, there is a special line for you. That's okay with me. Most of the time there is so much to look at - Everything is so detailed. And they are so clever about weaving the lines back and forth. That always amazed me.
A favorite part of my trip to Disneyland is always the Animation Studio. A cartoonist takes you step by step through a drawing of a Disney character. I introduced it to our granddaughter and she was delighted. After the first one she wanted to go again. I could spend my whole day in there drawing. She wanted to go back the next day, too.
The Jedi training is a fun part of the day. Our grandson got to do that on Wednesday morning just before lunch. I'm not sure if he was as excited as his parents about it but it was fun to watch.
This time we had a new experience. Face painting. Wow! They do elaborate face paintings. So colorful. Too bad it doesn't last longer. By the end of the day, the paintings were almost gone. Of course, what could you expect after they all played in the water over at Bug's Land.
The San Andraes Milk Shake stand was closed again. Only twice in all the times we have been there has that thing been opened. I often wonder why. They make the best milkshakes ever.
A visit to the Tortilla Factory and the San Francisco Bread Store is always a highlight for me. Fascinating to see how they are made.
Each evening we went out of the park to eat. And this time we tried Captain Kidd's Buffet. It is the most economical place in town and everyone pretty much liked it. The watchful parents would not let the children eat all the desserts they wanted. "Poor little children." I loved the ribs. I could eat way too many of those.
Fireworks we watched from our windows at the hotel. Couldn't see them all clearly but Glen and I have seen them several times from the park. They are spectacular. Even from the hotel they are pretty classy.
It was hard for me to leave on Friday morning. The rest of the group decided to stay an extra day. But we headed for home about 7:30 AM. Bad traffic through LA but we made good time anyway. Got home about 4:30. We had guests coming - more family - from Escondido. They arrived about 7:30 in the evening. Here for a cousin's wedding.
The weekend was great, too. Let's see? When will we go to Disneyland again. With season's passes we can make lots of choices. It truly is The Magic Kingdom.
That's all for today.