Cynematik

The reason I’m in Disneyland is to celebrate Joyce’s 50th birthday with her. I’ve been encouraging her to do exactly what she wants to do and got swept up in the excitement of the moment. It is a milestone birthday, they say. Why are the “0″ birthdays so significant? That passage of another decade, I guess. My friend, would say it’s all a result of marketing and advertising, the desire of card and gift companies to make money because we dutiful consumers buy more “special” stuff for those monumental birthdays. So, what could be more appropriate than going to Disneyland for the Big-Five-Oh? Parades, rides, souvenirs, consumerism in the most attractive of packages. Hi-ho, hi-ho.

After an evening of fireworks, the original plan had been to get up early and go to “Early Morning Madness.” Or Magic Morning or some such clever marketing phrase. But, indulgence ruled the day. We slept in at the Disneyland Hotel and finally ambled out to face the world around 10am. Just in time for a leisurely breakfast. A couple of hours later we entered the park and pursued “short-line” rides. We got Fast Passes for SPACE MOUNTAIN and INDIANA JONES and made plans to return later.

There was no line on the COLUMBIA, so we got on that lovely, “nautical vessel” and went for a “sail” around Tom Sawyer Island. It was the first time I’d ever done that and it may have been my favorite part of the whole day. There was a light breeze and we ended up sitting on the very back of the ship … which was quite high so we could see everything from an unobstructed viewpoint. Reminded me of Irvine Park in Chippewa Falls. Not the sailing ship but the woods and water, Native American theme and all of the faux Native American attractions. Not to mention the “natural” forts and such on the island.

A “last-second” dinner at the tail of an evening ended with another fireworks show and, since the park was open until 1am, we were able to stroll around a nearly abandoned Disneyland … the waterway around New Orleans Square and the back alleys of Critter Country were particularly enjoyable. Main Street was virtually deserted. Since Joyce goes to Disneyland with some regularity, she said she loved the late night perambulations best because it was almost like a completely different, and more pleasant, place. At the end of the day, it seemed that she had a good birthday. I hope so. I know I had fun.