The photo seen above (with the wildly inappropriate dedication) was acquired long before, when my friend Bob picked me up her signed photos at one of the Hollywood Collector Shows in the late 1990′s. And I had actually had the opportunity to meet her at one of the same shows on October 1, 2005. At that time, she was charging $10 to have a photo taken with her, whereas all of the others at the show were free. Because of this, I declined the offer – only to regret it come Saturday, March 14, 2010.

I had bitten the bullet and decided to pay her to get a picture with to go along with my autograph. This time she was charging $15. It is alluded to that some of this money is going to PETA, with whom she is heavily involved. But the extra money wasn’t the issue. It was the long line. Denise and I stood in this line and waited and waited – only to be told that she was going to lunch. The after roaming around the collector show for a while, meeting up with my friend Dave Chasteen, and then re-entering the line, we waited some more. We watched as she stopped to talk to old friends. We waited while she chatted with new fans. We just waited.

Denise and Willie Aames wait

Almost there…but then the guy with the Dork City sweatshirt stops by

I guess maybe this was a sign that she was a friendly person, but by the time I got up there, I really was in no mood for friendliness. I just wanted my picture with this little devil. And so that’s what I got. I guess I was lucky. She could have spewed forth green vomit into my general direction instead.

I finally get my time with the little devil

This concludes the celebrities of the March Chicago collector show. Return to the original posting here…

We would exchange many barbs throughout our year in History together. It seemed that no matter how many times we might have rearranged seats throughout the year, we always sat near each other. Fortunately, the teasing and poking fun always stayed good-natured. I think the essence of our association might easily be summed up by what Angie wrote on the back of her 11th grade picture:

Brad – You’re a shit! But you make me laugh hysterically and history is boring as hell – so thanks! I know you’re a really sweet guy (cough!) Just kidding. Hope you’ll always rag on me – I won’t rag on you – cause that’s gross! – Angie

Meanwhile in math class, Jennifer Grimes was a short, cute, and peppy girl who generally took the teasing more than dished it out. It so happens that my friend and partner in crime Jeff Flinn was also in the class, and probably due to mild crushes form both of us, we took to calling her by the nickname Mopp, referencing her bob haircut (seen below in her Senior picture). I might add that her hair actually in no way resembled a mop. In fact, on one occasion Jennifer and her Mom came into Kroger where I was working and Jennifer identified me as the boy who referred to her as ‘Mopp.’ Her Mom’s response was brilliant…”That guy’s making fun of your hair!” True, mullets had probably already gone out of fashion.

To compound the impact of the nickname, Jennifer’s friend and project partner’s name was Jennifer Moss. Therefore, it made it all the more humorous to refer to them as “Mopp and Moss.” They proudly proclaimed the project they did together as a Mopp and Moss Production. A big M and a big O with little ‘ss’ and ‘pp’. How very clever.

It was at the Beavercreek High School reunion in the late Summer of 2005 that I first ran into both Jennifer and Angie again. As I said, I never knew that they were friends, but they had become the best of them, living in the same area around Mason, Ohio. When Jennifer first caught my eyes, the first thing she said with a huge smile “so…do you want to call me Mopp??” Both Jennifer and Angie were the life of the party – and I think I hung out with them and their husbands more than anyone else that night.

Angie and Brad Grimm. Coincidentally, Brad went to school with my sister. Such a cougar Angie is…

Rick and Jennifer Hunt – showing us what results too many beers will yield

I lost touch with both of them for a while after than and although I tried, I didn’t reconnect until they first joined Facebook a couple of years ago. We still never had the opportunity to meet up, so it was a special treat that I was able to help convince them to show up at the 20-year reunion on Saturday, July 17, 2010, even though they hadn’t planned on it. Same old girls. Same old fun. Once again I enjoyed socializing with them and their husbands, mostly at the bar at the Holiday Inn after the official reunion had ended. They are all such fun people that I hope that we really can get together again sometime before we’re another five years older.

Return to the reunion here… (under construction)

Continue to the next reunion… (under construction)

After her stint with the Mickey Mouse Show, Karen completely retired from show business. In 1983, Karen was in an automobile accident that rendered her paralyzed form the waist down, a fact of which I was blissfully unaware when I met her and gathered her signature on the above photo and a picture with her. I’m glad I didn’t ask her to stand up and pose.

With Karen Pendleton today

Sharon Baird had a face that I never forgot. She had a cute look about her, while not being particularly pretty, that just screamed the 1950′s. Sharon was probably the most experienced performer of all of the Mouseketeers who came onto the show. She had previously worked on The Colgate Comedy Hour with Eddie Cantor, and danced with Dean Martin in the film Artists and Models. Her specialty was tap dancing and she too starred in all three seasons of The Mickey Mouse Show.

The unmistakable face of Sharon

Sharon kept a foot in show business until the 1990′s, even working with Sid & Marty Krofft as a ‘live puppet’ in Saturday morning shows such as H.R. Pufnstuf and Land of the Lost – as well as some low budget films and live stage appearances with comedian Gallagher.

With Sharon Baird today

It was a thrill to add all of these Mouseketeers to my list of celebrity encounters and I as I grow older, I’m sure I will come to appreciate it even more.

Celebs of the Spring 2010 Hollywood Show will continue…

I still had four days left over on my Disney pass from my last visit when I purchased a seven day pass and only used two (then one at Disneyland earlier this year). For Erin and the kids, I got four day passes that were not Park Hoppers, the plan being to spend one day at each park. Magic Kingdom was the one we chose to visit first on Tuesday, July 6, 2010.

By the time we caught our bus and got to the park, we entered the gates at about 11:30am. We stopped quickly at Guest Relations to try and get the handicap pass that my friend Adam had gotten at Disneyland, but it didn’t pan out. We would have to wait in the lines like normal guests. Erin also bought an autograph book for Chloe.

Getting ready to enter the gates of the Magic Kingdom

On Main Street, in front of Cinderella Castle

We opted to break (my) tradition and begin our day in Tomorrowland, thinking that the crowds may have begun here and since it was getting close to noon, they might be moving toward the other side of the park by now. We started our ride journey off with the Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor, an animated stand up comedy routine where the cartoon ‘actors’ interact with the audience. I had seen this for the first time during my last visit, and ironically this was the attraction I had last seen at Magic Kingdom. As usual, there was one member of the crowd who was the butt on several jokes. Erin later spotted him at the pool at our hotel.

Chloe and I are ready to enter Tomorrowland, ride our first ride, and destroy Chloe’s flip-flop

We didn’t start out the day too well, when it came to Chloe’s shoes. While in line for the Laugh Floor, one of her flip-flops broke, rendering her either barefooted or sliding the footwear along as she walked. We got through the next attraction and then stopped at Mickey’s Star Traders, where Erin bought her a new pair. Crisis averted.

Next up, we hit Stitch’s Great Escape! – another that I had seen for the first time during my last visit. This had replaced the much superior (and scarier) Extra TERRORestrial Alien Encounter. But this one had the added benefit of having Chloe seated next to me. As you may recall, Chloe has a tendency to be terrified of any scary ride. But although this one was a bit of a nail-biter, she liked it. I couldn’t resist getting a photo of her waiting in anticipation to see what happened on this ride. I got yelled at for taking the picture. Oh well.

A bit of trepidation on Stitch’s Great Escape

We grabbed a FastPass for Space Mountain, which we never used, and then grabbed a seat on the Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress- still churning away after all these years. While the attraction is a bit in need of some refurbishment, I am always so relieved to see this one up and running. After all, it’s had a long journey since it began its life at the 1964-65 World’s Fair. Nate in particular enjoyed this one a lot as well.

One of my favorites since childhood, the Carousel of Progress

The Tomorrowland Transit Authorityride was always one that beckoned, and generally had no wait whatsoever. Although there was no line, it took a few minutes to board as the ride had temporarily been stopped. It’s always a nice, peaceful ride around Tomorrowland, but this time the nostalgic music from If You Had Wings and the older version of the Carousel of Progress was sorely missed.

Me and Nate, exploring Tomorrowland

Erin and Chloe enjoying the ride on the Tomorrowland Transit Authority

Although our FastPasses for Space Mountain weren’t good until much later in the day, we decided to go ahead and ride it anyway and just bear the relatively long line. It ended up being only about 45 minutes, which was made more bearable by the new interactive video games that you can play while in the tube portion of the line. Chloe naturally wouldn’t ride this ride, so I waited with her while Erin and Nate rode. Then once they returned, Nate and I were able to get right back on. Obviously this was working out well for him!

But I must add that I was gravely disappointed in this ride at the Magic Kingdom. After riding the same refurbished indoor rollercoaster at Disneyland and Disneyland Paris several times since I was last at Walt Disney World, this version seemed in desperate need of being updated with the smoother track and stimulating music that plays in the other version.

Nate and Erin, careening through Space Mountain

It was just after 3pm when we entered the gates of Adventureland. I took Nate and Chloe up in the Swiss Family Treehouse, while Erin took care of business elsewhere – then we all reconvened to get on the tried-and-true Pirates of the Caribbean, unchanged since my last visit. Chloe had a bit of nervousness on this one and almost bailed out just before we boarded the boats, but she got along just fine. The pirates looked great as always and Chloe had fun locating the three Johnny Depp animatronics.

Getting ready to enter Adventureland

Nate and Chloe in the Swiss Family Treehouse

There are my favorite pirates, once again

We picked up a FastPass for the Jungle Cruise and then caught the next show of The Enchanted Tiki Room (Under New Management), a more formal and entertaining show than its classic counterpart Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room at Disneyland. We couldn’t hold out much longer after this show and decided to grab an early dinner at the Pecos Bill Cafe while we waited for our FastPass time to come around for the Jungle Cruise. Oddly enough, we ended up on the Ucyali Lolly, the same boat that I had last rode in 2007. It was a one in fifteen shot.

Enchanted Erin and Tiki Brad

Our group aboard the Ucyali Lolly

The bathing elephants along the Jungle Cruise

Picking up FastPasses for Splash Mountain, we then lined up for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad in Frontierland. Nate and I rode first while Erin waited with Chloe. This time however, it wasn’t a simple matter of just re-boarding. They gave us a FastPass, so Erin and I had to wait in a relatively short line to ride again. She almost declined riding, but I insisted that she got to see this since it had been closed when we visited Disneyland.

Heading to the top of Big Thunder Mountain

It was around 6:30 when we caught the Country Bear Jamboree show. We hit it at the exact right time to walk right on in and see this classic show, which is no longer at Disneyland. This attraction too is in desperate need of refurbishment. Even if they change nothing else, the sound system is absolutely horrible.

The only real ‘new’ attraction for me at Magic Kingdom was The Hall of Presidents. Not only was President Obama now speaking, but a short speech from George Washington was added, and an entirely film with narration from Morgan Freeman has replaced the old version. Royal Dano’s voice, which was originally heard in Disneyland’s Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln, has been re-instated to the show. We had about a 15-minute wait for the next show, so I explored more of the Presidential memorabilia on display than I ever had before. The refurbished Hall of Presidents looked fantastic and Nate was particularly impressed.

Getting ready to enjoy the updated Hall of Presidents

With my old pal Jimmy Carter, whose city we had just stayed in two days earlier

Chloe had been dreading the moment of the Haunted Mansion. All through the line, she had refused to get on the ride despite our pleas and coaxes. We told her that we would see about someone waiting with her when we got to the load queue. She made it through the stretching room okay but still didn’t want to board the ride. As we got to the point of no return, Erin asked the operator where they might wait and was told that it was too late, they had to board. This sent Chloe running backward down the conveyor belt as Erin grabbed her and got her into the Doom Buggy. This was unbeknownst to Nate and me, as we had already boarded. It wasn’t until we were traveling down the hall of the mirrors and the hitchhiking ghosts had boarded with us that we saw Erin and Chloe delightedly observing our ghost passengers. Although she wouldn’t admit, she clearly enjoyed the ride (even after the frequent Doom Buggy stops along the way, including once in the graveyard).

We passed from Liberty Square into Fantasyland a little bit after 8pm, wanting to make sure that we were able to ride one of Erin’s favorites it’s a small world. Unlike the refurbishment that took place at Disneyland last year, the ‘classic’ Disney characters have not yet been added to the ride at the Magic Kingdom. In all likelihood these may be added soon, so this may have been my last ride-through of the original ride.

Chloe tries to remove that blasted sword, much as Ashleigh and Briana did here

Giving it my all, the sword not budging. A life metaphor.

Outside our ride

After we finished the ride, we split up for a bit. Tried as we did, we couldn’t convince Chloe to ride my very favorite ride Splash Mountain. She was afraid of the drop in the darkness that occurs on the inside portion of the ride. Since we had four FastPasses, Nate and I headed off to ride it twice, stopping for a Coke along the way as we maneuvered the Electrical Light Parade going on – while Erin took Chloe over to Mickey’s Toon Town Fair to see Mickey’s and Minnie’s Country Houses, the Walt Disney World Railroad, and the Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin. Nate and I got on and off Splash Mountain so quickly, that we used the extra two FastPasses and rode it again and had a literal walk-on. During the second ride, sitting in the rear of the log, I caught the ball cap of a man who was sitting in the front of the log as we went down the biggest hill.

On Splash Mountain, just a split second before I caught that gentleman’s hat

We all met up again in Tomorrowland a little before 10pm in front of the Tomorrowland Transit Authority, which we rode for the second time. This time as the people-mover passed through Space Mountain, we got to see the ride – which had inexplicably been shut down – with all of the lights on. It’s not a pretty track, looking very rickety and metallic. Fortunately, the darkness and special effects make the ride seem much cooler when it’s operating.

Chloe had liked Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin so well that she wanted to ride it again, so we all boarded after just a five minute wait. I rode along with Chloe and beat her score 100,800 to 6900. But up in front of us, Erin had topped my score with 127,000 vs. Nate’s 81,900.

Chloe and I team up to destroy the universe or something

Having skipped virtually every ride in Fantasyland, we headed back over there after Buzz Lightyear. The area was so desolate at this hour that within the next 90 minutes we were able to hit every dark ride there. We began with The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, followed by Peter Pan’s Flight, and then we all saw the great 3-D animated musical Mickey’s PhilharMagic.

Hook and Peter go head to head in Peter Pan’s Flight. Note the rare view of the unsightly ceiling of the ride.

This group seems to always be up for a 3D adventure

I can’t remember the last time that I had been on the Prince Charming Regal Carousel, but with no lines in Fantasyland, this was the time to do it. And still having a half hour to spare, Nate and I got on Snow White’s Scary Adventures while Erin took Chloe on Dumbo the Flying Elephant (which will soon be relocated). Speaking of updates to the park, Mickey’s Toon Town Fair will soon be demolished, making way for a larger Fantasyland and new dark ride called The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Adventure.

Chloe upon horse

Nate and I seemed to just go round and round

One of the scary sights of Snow White’s Scary Adventures

When an elephant has low self-esteem about his ears, climb inside him

And with that, our very, very full and fun twelve-hour day at Magic Kingdom came to a close. We trudged our way back toward the entrance, passing through the castle, Chloe getting a picture with a Chip and Dale statue, Erin and I re-living our Disney statue pose, and then making our way down beautiful Main Street, gorgeously illuminated at night. We caught our bus for the seemingly never-ending bus ride back to the Pop Century resort.

Chloe plays a prank on Chip or Dale

A somewhat darker pose than the one at Disneyland seen here

We’d need a good night’s sleep considering we still had three more days of Disney World to look forward to.

Disney World will continue…

With the Yankee Clipper

Elsewhere in the cemetery was the grave of Vince Guaraldi. In recent years, I have become enamored with the music of Guaraldi. You may know him best as the jazz pianist who wrote and performed the music for all of the Peanuts TV specials from their earliest days until his passing in 1976.

The next time you hear Peanuts Christmas music, think of this gentleman

And finally at Holy Cross, it took as a while, but we also located the grave of John Chapman, a  Civil War soldier and Congressional Medal of Honor recipient. This is Bob’s newest initiative – which I have opted out of because of the sheer number of recipients. It doesn’t stop me from paying my respects when we visit though.

Look what I found at Holy Cross

We quickly moved over to the next cemetery in town, the Hills of Eternity – a Jewish cemetery also in Colma. Although Wyatt Earp was not Jewish, his wife was and she had him laid to rest here. Earp, of course, was a frontier lawman who was most famous for his participation with Doc Holliday in the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral.

Finger Fight at the O.K. Jewish graveyard

After this, we loaded ourselves in the car and begin the long journey eastward toward Nevada, passing through Erin’s former city Benicia, (where her sister Kerry and her Mom and Stepdad still reside), and near Sacramento where we would be returning the next day. We attempted to stop in the town of Soda Springs around 2:30pm that afternoon in hopes of eating at the Royal Gorge Rainbow Lodge. Unfortunately they were closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The place offered a nice view though of the South Yuba River. We continued on through the Donner Pass, the route traveled by the famous cannibalistic party.

A nice view in Soda Springs

As we continued east, we soon began to travel along the north shore of Lake Tahoe. As the lake made its apperance, it struck me as one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen. I immediately texted Erin to tell her that she was right when she said I was foolish to have this area at my disposal and only want to visit the Hard Rock.

Bob and I stopped at one of the scenic rest stops around Incline Village on the Nevada side of the lake. I took a walk down to the rocky shore to breathe in the crystal clear mountain air and admire the deep blue waters – which represented a perfect reflection of the sky. The clear waters reached depths of up to 1645 feet in the 22 miles-long, 12 miles-wide lake. How clear was it? In some areas you could see something 75 feet below the surface. Absolutely gorgeous and a place I’d love to come back and visit for a longer duration.

Overlooking the amazing Lake Tahoe

By this time we were only about 45 minutes away from Carson City, Nevada. As we neared the city, it really struck me how desolate the state of Nevada was. I had seen the deserts on the road to Las Vegas several times, but I was now seeing that it was really like this almost everywhere – except for the few small districts where cities had popped up. In this case, it was Carson City, which was located in mammoth valley.

Carson City is the United States’ smallest metropolitan city. It was odd when we entered it to see a short strip of hotels, businesses, and restaurants, and smack dab in the middle of it all was the State Capitol building. This, of course, was the reason that we were here.

The Capitol was built between 1869 and 1871. At one time, it housed all branches of the state government, but in 1937 the Supreme Court moved to an adjacent building, and then in 1971 the Nevada Legislature moved to a building next door. Today it only serves to house the office of the Governor and a museum of state history. The Capitol was small enough that it only took us about 20 minutes to check it out.

My first State Capitol visit of the year, thirteenth total. Fortunately I wouldn’t have to stay on this unlucky number for very long.

Historic plaque outside the capitol

Judging others in the old Supreme Court

Hooray for the Assembly Chambers

The Senate Chambers has been converted into a museum

With the painting of Henry G. Blasdel, Nevada’s first official Governor

Outside the office of current Governor Jim Gibbons

With a statue in Capitol lobby of Sarah Winnemucca, defender of human rights, and first Native American woman to secure a copyright and publish in the English language

With the newer Nevada State Legislature building next door

After we were done, we went across the street for a 5pm dinner at the Firkin & Fox pub and restaurant. I had some disappointing bangers, beans, and mash. We left Carson City at about 5:45 and headed to Reno. It took us just about 45 minutes to get there.

Enjoying some british cuisine in the Firkin & Fox

The first thing that struck me about Reno, known as ‘The Biggest Little City i the World’, was that it was nearly abandoned. It looked like a wanna-be Las Vegas with just a few major casinos and several that had closed up shop. In juxtaposition to the thriving activity and night life of Vegas, this looked like an abandoned ghost town. Of course, it depends on your perspective on whether this is preferable or not, but I found it kind of sad.

The desolate scenery of Reno. This is located right in front of the impressive sign seen at the top of the posting.

Bob and I went to the local Walgreens and stocked up on loads of snacks and junk food to bring along with us to the convention. Then we headed to our lodging, the Grand Sierra Resort. There actually was a good number of people here in our hotel, and it was very nice, very cheap, and there was lots to do. But after dismissing the notion of seeing a movie, all Bob and I could come up with was to visit the Grand Sierra Bowl for a humiliating evening of bowling.

Now even though I had just bowled less than two weeks earlier, you must remember that it had been at least seven or eight years before that when I had last partook in this frustrating sport. Although I had a couple of great frames near the beginning, Bob didn’t have to worry. I felt like my form was decent but my aim was pathetic. Conversely, Bob looked to have no consistent form but his aimed with dead-on accuracy almost every time. He beat me in the first game 129 to 93. And the second game was even worse when I lost 152 to 88. In the end, I was only appeased in my sorrowful loss by a milkshake from the Johnny Rockets located in the casino.

The neon glow of the Grand Sierra Bowl

Bob’s questionable form and deadly aim

My acceptable form and crummy aim

The boys and their neon balls and shoes

Getting the after-bowling shakes

I’ve never been much of a gambler, but I think I lost more money here than an any casino ever. I started out just putting $5 on number 12 in roulette at Erin’s request. When I lost that, I tried to win it back by dropping another $15 in roulette. I broke even in the first spin and then lost the next two. The Ultimate Poker slot machine didn’t do much better for me as I lost another $10 in that. I did, however, play quite a long stretch on the first $5 I had put in there. So in total, $30 down the drain. I made a Facebook plea for each of my friends to send me six cents to recoup the loss.

Losing $30

Bob and I turned in relatively early – at least by Reno standards – a little bit after 10pm that night. We’d have to get an early start to make it back to see a few more things and make it back to Sacramento but the time the convention would be commencing.

The Northern California road trip will conclude in the next posting…