Ryan

Ryan at Uncle Manny and Aunt Holly's
Posted by Hello

Brianna

Brianna and Opal at Uncle Manny and Aunt Holly's.
Posted by Hello

June 1st - A Family Fun Day

Thanks to Holly and her co-worker Joanell, all the Redlands Costaleses had a Great Day at the Happiest Place on Earth. Pam, Brianna, Ryan, and I began the day at Disney’s California Adventure. (Opal was safe but bored in the Disney Kennel. Poor, Opal didn’t even touch her food or chew on her dog treat.) First, we all went on “Soarin’ Over California”. I’ve been having problems with motion sickness so I was prepared with some medicine. And Pam had to take a motion sickness pill after the ride. While Brianna and Ryan rode on the “California Screamin’ ” roller coaster, Pam and I went to view the “Golden Dream” attraction a semi-documentary hosted by Whoopi Goldberg as Califia the mythical Amazon that ruled California. After Brianna and Ryan rode “Tower of Terror” , we all went to Disneyland.
.
After getting a locker on “Main Street”, we walked to “Tomorrowland”. We rode “Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters” than took the Disneyland Railroad to “New Orleans Square“. Not liking the crowds or selection at the French Market Restaurant or Café Orleans. We walked to “Critter Country” to eat at the Hungry Bear Restaurant, an excellent value with huge portions. While in “Critter Country”, we went on "The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh”. When we returned to “New Orleans Square”, we rode the “Haunted Mansion” and “Pirates of the Caribbean” attractions.
.
The first glitch of day happened when we lost our “Fast Pass” tickets to “Splash Mountain”. So, checking our map, we detoured to “Frontierland”. Most of the rides had very reasonable lines. In “Frontierland”, we rode “Big Thunder Mountain Railroad”. I found it a bit jerky, but everyone loved it. Pam said it is one of her favorite attractions.
.
From there we had a short walk to “Fantasyland”. We rode several of the attractions - “Pinocchio’s Daring Adventure”, “Mr Toad’s Wild Ride” (one of my favorite attractions), and finally “it’s a small world”. On to “Mickey’s Toontown” to ride “Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin” (one of Brianna‘s favorite attractions), the long wait in winding airless halls frustrated Ryan . Back to Disneyland Railroad and a ride to “Tomorrowland” and a stroll the “Plaza Inn” restaurant at the hub of Disneyland.
.
From dinner it was a short walk to “Adventureland” to do some souvenir shopping. We were killing time to use our “Fast Pass” tickets for “Indiana Jones Adventure”. The last attraction of the day the “Jungle Cruise”. Unfortunately, the fireworks began as we were adrift. After exiting the ride and as we approached “Main Street” we couldn’t stop to watch the fireworks as we were ushered to keep the sidewalk clear.
.
Back to our “Main Street” locker and some final shopping. We rested and all had ice cream cones at the “Gibson Girl Ice Cream Parlor”. Pam searched for a 50th Anniversary fridge magnet but couldn’t find one. Our final ride of course was the Trams back to the “Second Largest Parking Structure in the US”. (Don’t even have any idea who has the First Largest.) We had entered California Adventure at about 10:30 and were in our car at about 10. A long but fun day. ;-) GC
.
Edited - June 13 to add more detail. Ryan told me I missed a few things. ;-) GC

Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (No Spoilers)

Episode III - Revenge of the Sith premiered May 19th and Brianna, Ryan, and I saw it on Sunday afternoon on May 22nd.
.
So, was all the hype right. Yes!!!!! Lucas has crafted an epic tale of Good vs. Evil. The best movies tell their story so easily that you are sucked into the story. We all know that Anakin will fall into temptation and reject Good. But the story of why and how he became Evil is still complying.
.
I never thought of Star War series as just science fiction. The Series is a space melodrama with the opening sequence imitating the Swashbuckler movies of the 40’s. Lucas has elements of several film genres Western (the barroom scene of Han and Guido), the Samurai (the Kabuki make-up of Queen Amidala), and Fantasy (exotic people and locales). ;-) GC