Happiest Kid on Earth

   Sean donned my sunglasses and we were off...

...to the Magic Kingdom!

So true...

   Kelley, Sean, and Grandma rode the teacups

   While I braved the wild yeti on the Matterhorn

We rode It's a Small World (holiday edition)

And Haunted Mansion (holiday edition)

And went on an undersea voyage in a submarine to find Nemo

And sang and danced with some pirates!

Can't wait until little nephew Aaron is big enough to join us...

The most captivating owl of the bunch

   Meet the Eurasian eagle owl. He's large, he's in charge, and he has 1,001 different expressions... Most of which look charmingly disapproving. It's the look that says, "Don't even think about messing with me."
   Owls are remarkably patient, and when Joni and I started photographing this guy we began to feel foolish... after over a minute, no motion. The joke's on us: we were photographing a taxidermy specimen, right?! Then suddenly, his head turned, which surprised us. We had ourselves convinced that he must be stuffed.

   These are how I KNOW that Archimedes in Disney's "The Sword and the Stone" was modeled after a Eurasian eagle owl:

Despite the vigorous shake, his legs are perfectly still & in focus. Amazing strength and steadiness in those talons! I'd hate to be his prey!

"Good day, sir." (Pause) "I said GOOD DAY, SIR!"

   Actually, Disney is famous for bringing live animals into the studios for the animators to observe and draw from life, to make their characters more authentic. Like this classic image of Frank Thomas with a deer:

We're Not in Kansas Anymore!

   Bright blue sky and rows and rows of palm trees as we drive into Disneyland...