Christmastime at Disneyland

Christmas-time at the Magic Kingdom is... well, magical. It's sparkly and glittery and festive. There are holiday treats available only during the holidays, many of the cast members dress in Christmas attire and there are "special guests!' We spent a few days exploring the park with Janne and Adam just a week and a half before Christmas.

Many of the rides are decked out for Christmas. The Haunted Mansion and It's a Small World undergo some major decor changes but even rides like Storybook Land (my favorite ride!) have Christmasy touches added to them. We loved the signs on the light posts, the evergreen garland strung across door frames, the red bows, and the many wreaths illustrating Christmas spirit at Disneyland.

Some decor was plainly visible during the day... and then changed at night. For example, It's a Small World and Sleeping Beauty's Castle during the day....

... transformed into this at night!

It wasn't just the kids we heard oohhhhing and aahhhhing when the lights went on!

Big Thunder Ranch hosted some very special "guests" from Thanksgiving through Christmas Eve. They were resting while we were there- preparing for a long trip they would soon be making!

Downtown Disney was every bit as festive and glittery as the park itself with their own humongous Christmas tree and kiosk stations where kids could write letters to Santa or make a card for their parents. And, of course, Santa made daily appearances. But my favorite part was the Christmas tree display. Off to the side of the giant tree were seventeen much smaller (only seven or eight feet tall!) trees decorated by employees of Downtown Disney stores and restaurants. Ornaments and tree decor reflected the business- for example, ESPN Store's tree had sports ball ornaments while the Disney Store used Mickey ornaments. Gifts and gift cards adorned the trees as well. The trees were then given to military families from the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit.

Disneyland puts on world-class parades that entertain children of all ages... and the Christmas Parade did not disappoint! We sipped hot cocoa and munched on gingerbread as we watched our favorite Disney characters dance and entertain us.

And finally, at the end of the parade, Santa made an appearance. 

Christmas at Disneyland is very secular (with the exception of traditional carolers singing Christmas hymns)- but it is still nice to hear cast members (Disneyland employees for those who don't know) wish us a "Merry Christmas!" not "Happy Holidays" and to have them refer to the CHRISTMAS trees, ornaments, gifts, stockings, etc. There is only one place  in the park that refers to Hanukkah- a door on Main Street where "Dr. Benjamin Silverstein" practices general medicine (he has a menorah in the window). People from many countries, ethnicities and cultures come to Disneyland- and still Disneyland celebrates Christmas.

70 and 76/100... camels and a commodore

For many Arizona motorists traveling on I-10 to the Los Angeles area, Quartzsite (AZ) is the place you fill up the gas tank with less expensive Arizona gas before crossing the Colorado River and entering California. Our family has filled up there for decades; occasionally we hit up the McDonald's for a snack but we are in and out of town in under 15 minutes. Until two weeks ago when we stopped to visit a couple of local "tourist spots."

We noticed long ago that there are many camel references in the town. Although we thought it odd, it wasn't until this trip that we learned the real story. 

In 1856, Secretary of War Jefferson Davis (yes, the one who would later become President of the South) decided to use camels to transport freight and people across the desert western states. Davis imported over 70 camels for the surveying project conducted by the U.S. Army.  Hadji Ali, a Syrian, signed on as a camel driver for the U.S. Army in 1856, becoming the first (or one of the first- records are sketchy) camel driver employed by the U.S. Army.  Hadji's American bosses quickly "renamed" him Hi Jolly because it was easier for them to pronounce. 

The Civil War interrupted the camel experiment and both funding and a voice in Washington were lost. Some of the camels were sold, others just abandoned. Hi Jolly kept a few of the abandoned camels to start a freight line between Yuma and Tucson but the operation failed. He then went back to work for the U.S. Army as a packer and scout at Ft. McDowell near Phoenix. He eventually became an American citizen in 1880, taking the name Philip Tedro. In his later years, Hi Jolly settled near Quartzsite and tried his hand at prospecting.

Although Hi Jolly has been dead for over 100 years (he died in 1902), he is still the most well-known, celebrated citizen of the small community of Quartzsite. Local legend claims he went into the desert searching for a wild camel (remember, the abandoned camels had been roaming the desert for over 40 years by this time) and his body was found with one arm wrapped around a dead camel. Every year, "camelmania" (called Hi Jolly Daze) grips the town with camel races, a camel parade and the gathering of what they hope will become the world's largest collection of camel artifacts and memorabilia.

In 1935, the Arizona Dept. of Transportation erected this monument to Hi Jolly and buried him along with the ashes of the last government camel in it. It is located in the very small community cemetery in Quartzsite.

Not far from the cemetery, in a gray-blue building showing its age is the Quartzsite Yacht Club. I was intrigued with the idea of a yacht club in the middle of the desert thinking they were waiting for California to fall in the ocean making western Arizona beach-front property. The real story, however, is a bit different.

Al Madden, a California investor was spending a lot of time in Quartzsite in the 1970's and bought the local beer bar ("The Jigsaw"), a run-down establishment quickly going in the hole. Al had a quick wit,  a lot of imagination and great business-sense. He spruced it up a very little bit, changed the name to "The Yacht Club" with the motto "Welcome aboard - long time, no sea!" Al sold memberships in The Yacht Club (just like the ritzy yacht clubs) to any qualified visitors (aka anyone with $10!). His place became an almost instant success and he became a commodore. Today memberships go for $25 and there are over 7,000 members from every state in the U.S. and many countries all over the world. Some members have used their membership cards to be admitted to exclusive yacht clubs all over the world! Scam or solution- you decide.

I had planned to have a snack, talk to the locals, even buy a membership. But despite the prominent "No Smoking" sign on the door, the place REEKED of smoke with a huge cloud hovering just below the ceiling. We turned right around and left.

Thumb Up or Down: Hi Jolly's Tomb- Up! 

                                         Quartzsite Yacht Club- DOWN!

Miles Round-Trip: 303.4 miles

Miles to Date: 1,159.3 miles

Date of This Trip: December 13, 2011

just a bit of CHRISTmas...

What candy says Christmas to you? For me, it's a red- and white-striped candy cane. Each year I buy several boxes; some hang on our Christmas tree and others are available for munching.

There are quite a few legends and urban myths surrounding the origin of candy canes and all the ones I read  have been deemed "false" by Snopes.com, my go-to myth-buster website. But still, I see symbolism in this sweet confection. It is shaped like a shepherd's hook, reminding me of the Good Shepherd, Jesus, who knows His sheep by name. The white stripes remind me of His virgin birth and purity; the red ones of the blood He shed for the sins of the world. Its strong peppermint flavor reminds me of the spices the Wise Men brought to honor the Messiah. A candy cane is hard reminding me that Jesus is my Rock, my firm foundation. 

Yep, I see much more than just a simple sugary treat; I see another way to keep CHRIST in CHRISTmas.

38, 62 ,30, 12, 14/100... food, families and funk

I am a list-maker. And once something is on my list, I feel compelled to complete the task so I can cross it off my list. This trait has helped me be more organized and complete things on time. It has also, at times, created some stress for me. Last weekend, just 2 weeks before Christmas, we headed to Flagstaff to knock off several things on my list of 100 things. I'm not sure which of the two categories this trip falls in... time will tell.

First up was a stop at a local DDD (Guy Fieri's Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives) place called Matt's Big Breakfast (#38 on the list) in downtown Phoenix. The building may be small and nondescript but the food was delicious with large servings and bold combinations. At 9:30 on a weekday, we waited a little over 30 minutes for counter service; there are only eight tables. The wait on the weekends is even longer- but worth it. I'm sure we'll go back... on a weekday!

Friendly service + great food + reasonable prices = Matt's Big Breakfast

After an uneventful drive up to Flagstaff, we stopped at Riordan Mansion State Historic Park (#62). The Riordans are credited with developing Flagstaff and we enjoyed learning about this prominent family.

The three bottom pictures are almost a panoramic shot of the mansion while the top one shows the front gate.

In a nutshell, the Riordan brothers came to Flagstaff and built up a lumber business, the main employer of the town. Because of the number of people they employed, other businesses were born- general store, feed store, schools, etc. The oldest brother then left the business and moved east leaving the two younger brothers to run the lumber business. They married sisters and built the Riordan Mansion- really, two complete houses (quite large by the standard of the day) connected with a huge "family room" where the two families came every night to "play" together. There are 40 rooms comprising over 13,000 square feet!

(L)- The inglenook ("corner by the fireplace") in the entryway

(R)- One of many fireplaces- this one is in the library

The inside of the mansion is decorated for Christmas during December including a gigantic 12-15 foot tall (and 10 feet wide!) Christmas tree with homemade decorations (courtesy of local schoolchildren). Unfortunately, photography is allowed in only a few rooms and the gigantic "family room" is not one of them. I enjoyed the attention to details in restoring and furnishing the mansion. Our tour guide regaled us with lots of family stories making the house "come alive."

The long icicles hanging from the roof accentuated the gingerbread house likeness of the Riordan Mansion!

After our tour we headed to Salsa Brava (#30), another DDD place, for dinner. While the restaurant has the look and feel of any other big Mexican food restaurant, the service is personal and the food is fresh and unique. And I love the story behind the restaurant as much as the food itself. John Conley, a young man with an interest in cooking, worked at a Mexican food restaurant (where Salsa Brava is located now) while he pursued a degree in Restaurant and Hotel Management at Northern Arizona University. During his senior year, the owner of the restaurant decided to close up shop and sell the property. John quit school and, with the help of his parents, bought the restaurant, closed it down to remodel it and train his staff. It reopened, bigger and better than before, and was an overnight success. The recipes are uniquely his and come from his travels around Mexico. We will definitely be back when we're in Flagstaff!

I had the "special"- Yucatan Carnitas. Mmmmm Mmmmm Good!!!

The next morning for breakfast we tried a restaurant listed in the original "100 Things" article in the Arizona Republic- Biff's Bagels (#12). This eatery is named after the family dog and originally opened in Prescott. Biff passed away in 1995 but remained an important part of the restaurant even when it relocated to Flagstaff in 2000.

Biff's carries an eclectic bevy of bagels (from spinach to asiagio) and shmears (from tomato basil to green chili and cheddar) and the ones we tried were good- but not "gotta drive to Flagstaff for bagels or else" good. What really impressed me about Biff's was their love for dogs... their dog, their customer's dogs, homeless dogs, ALL dogs. The walls are adorned with framed photos of customer's canine companions who have passed away. It is a living memorial to all the pooches who became part of someone's family and are now missed by them.

Next up was a stop at Arcosanti (#14) near Cordes Junction on the way back to the Valley of the Sun (and warmer weather!). Started in 1970, the experimental town calls itself "an urban laboratory." Its goal is to blend architecture and ecology in creating an urban community with minimal impact on the environment- a concept developed by Italian architect Paolo Soleri.

Arcosanti- a 25-acre urban living project built on a 4,060-acre land preserve in the high desert.

Funding for the project comes from donations, workshop fees and selling bronze and ceramic wind bells designed by Paolo Soleri. The bells sell for about $30 for a very small one to over $4000 for a larger one.

This apse is constructed of sections of concrete cast on top of sand. It provides optimal lighting and shade as the seasons change. This one is used by workshop students to cast bells.

The buildings are constructed of concrete. This one has a music room (with a piano and other instruments), a lounge-type area and living quarters. Most of the living quarters are designed for several people to share although very small single person "studio apartments" are available.

The vaults are a colorful meeting area and like the apses, provide optimal light and shade changing with the seasons.

Some of the buildings are beginning to show their age (40+ years) with visible cracks and rust. I found the "urban laboratory" a bit depressing- perhaps it was just the name or maybe because it lacked individuality. And the futuristic, communal living aspect was reminiscent of sci-fi movies like Logan's Run. But the idea of linear cities where people work, live and play in the same community is intriguing. I was glad I finally explored it- and would like to see another arcology community before dismissing the idea altogether. 

Thumb Up or Down: Up!

Miles Round-Trip: 415.3

Miles To Date: 855.9

Date of This Trip: December 9-10, 2011

20/100... Mystery Christmas Tree

The Arizona Republic ran a story on the front page on November 29, 2011 about the Mystery Christmas Tree just north of Sunset Point Rest Area on I-17. According to the article, people who wished to remain anonymous trimmed the juniper tree in Christmas splendor every year during Thanksgiving weekend for the past three decades. Until this year. We checked it out for ourselves today on our way to Flagstaff.

The tree has also been decked out with American flags on the 4th of July and with yellow ribbons showing support for US troops deployed overseas. We saw remnants of these today- but no glittering Christmas ornamentation.

No one knows why the tree wasn't decorated this year. Or what, if anything, happened to the Christmas elves who surprised and delighted motorists for more than 30 years. But I think the Christmas cheer they humbly spread, seeking neither recognition nor thanks, should be an example for us.

Thumb Up or Down: Neither, since it wasn't decorated

Miles Round Trip: see next entry

Miles to Date: see next entry

Date of This Trip: December 9, 2012

another bit of CHRISTmas

Target has them on sale in August. HOA's regulate them. We love them. We hate them. We think we have a strategy for keeping them untangled until we unpack them the following year. Yep, I'm talking about Christmas lights.

The people in our neighborhood tend to put up Christmas lights- some a lot, others just a few. Taking a drive through the neighborhood to see the lights is a favorite Christmastime tradition.

The reflection of the lights in the lake doubles the impact.

Another kind of Christmas lights are luminarias or candles placed in sand-filled paper bags. A great place to see a lot of luminarias (over 8000!) is at the Desert Botanical Gardens during Las Noches De Las Luminarias. 

Luminarias line rooftops, walkways and walls.

The tradition began in the 16th century in Mexico (including what is now the US Southwest) when people would light bonfires along the roads to guide villagers to Midnight Mass on the final night of Las Posadas, a festive celebration with a re-enactment of Mary and Joseph's search for lodging in Bethlehem. 

As we check out the beauty of the lights during the Christmas season, we can remember the true light- Jesus said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." (John 8:12) ... yet another way to keep CHRIST in CHRISTMAS!

a little bit of CHRISTmas

It's that time of year when we decorate our homes for the Christmas season. I like to order a fresh wreath from the Worcester Wreath Company in Harrington, Maine. Morrell Worcester has donated and delivered thousands of wreaths for the gravestones at Arlington Cemetery every year since 1992. You can read more about this story here. I like to support companies that make their products here in the US- being patriotic is a bonus.

My wreath arrived last week and as I carefully took it out of the box and hung it on the door, I wondered why we hang wreaths at Christmas-time. Are they just festive-looking and fun or is there some deeper symbolism?

The ring-shape, with no beginning and no end, is symbolic of eternal life. Fresh evergreens symbolize growth and life. Holly branches have thorns, like Christ's crown of thorns when He was crucified. And the red berries and bows represent Christ's blood that was shed for our sins. 

Christmas wreaths... another way to keep CHRIST in CHRISTMAS!