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Crystal Arcade Pumpkins

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The Crystal Arcade pumpkins are one of my favorite clusters on Main Street. I think it has a lot to do with the way the orange hue of the pumpkins pops against the bluish green of the Crystal Arcade. In the morning, the sun really gives them a nice glow. You could probably spend half a day or more discovering all of the pumpkins on Main Street. I love how expressive they are.

For inspiration, I decided to have a Harvest Pumpkin Ale from Samuel Adams while I worked on this picture. It was really good, if you’re into that sort of thing. I happen to really enjoy good beer, which is one of the many reasons I’m excited for our move to San Diego. There are a ton of craft breweries down there. The apartment/cottage/house hunt has been pretty brutal though. There seems to be a lot of places to choose from but it’s a draining process. Especially with all the scammers out there that get your hopes up with an exciting listing. What’s up with that? They should all be turned into pumpkins and put on Main Street.

Halloween Time Begins at Disneyland

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I love when Halloween Time begins at Disneyland. Pumpkins line Main Street window displays and rooftops. Artists create pumpkin masterpieces at Big Thunder Ranch. Haunted Mansion Holiday and Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy return. The vibrant yellows and oranges found in the flora and decor help Disneyland take on a different atmosphere that is cozy and inviting. Halloween Time at Disneyland also signifies that Christmas is right around the corner and that may just be my favorite time of year at Disneyland.

What do you think? What’s your favorite time of year at Disneyland?

Carthay Circle Restaurant Night

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The view of Carthay Circle Restaurant from Hollywood Land is unexpected and unique. The way the tower lines up and peeks over the balcony is seamless. The tiled walkway glistens from the delicate glow of the light fixtures hanging above. The reddish hue almost seems to convey a red carpet premiere as it guides you to the entrance. I frequently find myself pausing here to take in the rich and often peaceful atmosphere. It’s no surprise that Buena Vista Street continues to maintain its charm.

The last time Michaela and I paid a visit to Carthay, we hunkered down in the lounge shortly before park closing. It was a cool evening, so we shared one of their coffee drinks which came with a rather fragrant cinnamon stick. It was a great way to conclude a trip to Disney California Adventure, especially since we didn’t make it to the restaurant for a meal. I even snuck in a ride on the elevator just because.

Fall on the Frontier

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Summer heat is still holding on but the arrival of autumn is imminent. The light is changing. Leaves are beginning to fall. It always seems to be a time of transition that extends beyond the weather. I welcome it with open arms.

Fall on the frontier is such a charming setting at Disneyland. It harkens to harvests and simpler times. As I moseyed around the Frontierland shops last fall, I found myself enamored with these fallen leaves. Their color. Their arrangement. Everything about them.

Naturally, I had a heyday taking photos of them. Standing wouldn’t do. It wasn’t the right perspective so I experimented with squatting and kneeling until finally I found myself nearly prostrate. A couple on a nearby bench seemed to find it quite entertaining and I didn’t mind. I rather enjoy making people smile. As I was on the ground, passersby would make their way around without disturbing the leaves. It was a very light crowd day, so there weren’t many to begin with. That is, until a small group of people came trampling through like wildebeests on a stampede mere inches in front of me.

I was in frustrated disbelief.

It was only a moment before I burst into laughter, joined by the couple on the bench. What else can you do in that situation? The leaves were broken and rearranged into a sloppy mess. The lesson for today — Don’t be a stampeding wildebeest. Take your time and enjoy the little things. Like autumn leaves and photographers doing all manner of strange things to capture them.

California Screamin’ Sunset

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Internet Fail

Sorry to not post the past couple of days. We were without internet. Can you imagine such a primitive thing?? I actually had this picture done Sunday morning and just didn’t have a way to transfer its bits and bytes into the wide web of the world. It was crazy how many times I found myself going for the computer only to realize it was pointless.

California Screamin’ Sunset

One of my favorite sunsets is a California Screamin’ sunset. Its placement in Disney California Adventure was really well thought out to have the Western horizon as its backdrop. There’s just something so California about looking into the array of colors above Paradise Pier to see the silhouette of arms lifted high from a roller coaster train. A second-hand thrill is not a bad alternative, especially if you’re too busy taking pictures to actually ride anything.

Paradise indeed.

Beware of Hitchhiking Ghosts

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I’m a big believer in finishing strong and I couldn’t imagine a better way to end our Haunted Mansion series than with the hitchhiking ghosts. Phineas, Ezra and Gus comprise one of the biggest takeaway moments—if not the biggest—from the attraction. Are the hitchhiking ghosts really a little matter the ghost host forgot to mention?

I don’t think so.

I remember being so freaked out as a kid, thinking I needed to look over my shoulder because one of these “playful spooks” was going to tag along. They never actually did, of course, but the idea of it was haunting just the same. It sort of still is, isn’t it? The mirrors that follow and have them magically appear in your doom buggy do wonders to reinforce it.

No matter how many times I ride The Haunted Mansion, the reveal of the hitchhiking ghosts is always so epic and always too fleeting. You go from “Ah, there you are…” to “…there they were” in a few thrilling moments. Capturing a halfway decent picture of them certainly isn’t an easy task. Shooting something that moves in lowlight from a moving vehicle is kind of like trying to catch the bouquet at a wedding. You flail about wildly in hopes of capturing something good but the odds are just not in your favor. Not that I’ve ever done that or anything…

You may notice that I haven’t included the full resolution image for this one. We don’t share many on-ride shots because we’ve been hoarding them away for a special project but we wanted to do something special to end our series. The uploaded image is still high-definition so that it will work for most people to use as a desktop background. Just remember that if you share it to please give attribution and a link back to our site so that people can find us! This image will also be available in our shop (starting tomorrow) along with the other Haunted Mansion shots from this series for a limited time. Did I mention we now offer FREE SHIPPING? Sorry to yell but free=exciting.

Return From the Moldering Sanctum

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Doom buggies. Their appearance has always seemed coffin-like to me. They are the carriages that carry you into the boundless realm of the supernatural, the moldering sanctum of the spirit world within the Haunted Mansion.  Once you board, you are at the mercy of your host, your… ghost host.

One of my favorite parts of the experience is the way the doom buggies jerk too and fro as though they have a mind of their own. Challenging for taking pictures. Brilliant for enhancing the haunted part of the Haunted Mansion. It elevates the attraction from something you can observe as a passerby by bridging the gap to make you feel a part of it. Not so different from the way the darts shoot at you in Indiana Jones Adventure or the way errant cannonballs splash water on you in Pirates of the Caribbean.

In The Haunted Mansion, that extra step is what breaks down the barrier of comfort just enough for you to wonder if a hitchhiking ghost will really follow you home…

Tomorrow’s post will be the 13th and last of our Haunted Mansion series celebrating its 45th anniversary. We hope you’ve enjoyed it as much as we have!

Haunted Mansion Gargoyle

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The Haunted Mansion gargoyle candelabra is my favorite lighting fixture of the attraction. Not just for its unique character but for the menacing way the lot of them look down upon you as your tour really gets under way. While the queue outside and even the Haunted Mansion foyer have elements that evoke a creepy atmosphere, the gargoyle is the first that is truly disquieting. Before you notice that the portrait room is a chamber that has no windows or doors and before the room undergoes its metamorphosis to reveal the stories of the stretching portraits, you see the gargoyles, looking down at you in decidedly candid nefarious anticipation. Statues they may be, but their lack of movement can only suggest their willingness to wait.