The Terrible Catsafterme

It was with bittersweet sadness that we attended the traditional farewell brunch at the 15th International Sons of the Desert convention held in Augusta, Georga on Sunday, July 16, 2006 – as it also is bittersweet making this last posting of the trip that began here nearly six months ago! It’s always a bit emotional saying goodbye to our friends for another two years. Of course, most of my best friends are folks I would see within a year during my February 2007 California trip. Read the rest of this entry »

The answer of course: our Myrtle Beach trip from the Summer of 2006, and the activities of Wednesday, August 2 and Thursday, August 3. 

After the brain-smashing evening at the Pavilion and Haunted House, we were ready to kick back the next morning with some relaxing swimming time. This was only interrupted by the cornhole tournament where Ashleigh finally secured her victory – and thus her trophy. You can read more about that here… Read the rest of this entry »

Continuing with our incredible tour of the Disney tours – as begun here:

Following our walking tour of Dave’s work area, we continued along our interweaving path through the Disney buildings. We next came upon the building in which models are crafted for film and animatronic characters. There was one lone worker in there, toiling away at some project, sawdust flying every which way. Dave asked if it would be okay if we looked around and he said “Sure. No problem.” So we spent the next fifteen minutes or so gaping at the marvels of the Disney imagineers. Above left is me posing with some head models for the animatronics in The Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland. Read the rest of this entry »

After our long day in the hot, tepid weather at Stone Mountain, retiring to the hotel restaurant with our pals Jimmy and Dave really hit the spot. Ashleigh had won a $75 gift certificate to the eatery at the banquet the night before, a result of our scavenger hunt victory. She and I splurged on some fine food and dessert, including my steak that looked like the United States of America, and was almost as big (above left). While we were eating, Ed Greim strolled through the restaurant chatting with the diners. Read the rest of this entry »

One of the most interesting things I saw during my California trip was the Walt Disney Studios – and it was virtually the first item on the docket. After Jimmy and I killed a couple of hours in Santa Monica, we headed to Burbank to find the Walt Disney Studios and meet our friend David Rodriguez for lunch. When we drove up to the gate, I immediately recognized the surroundings as seen in several Disney documentaries, as well as in the 1941 Disney feature The Reluctant Dragon. David works as a colorist for the studios and had given the front guard our names as visiting guests. Read the rest of this entry »