More summer!

Went to the beach yesterday for the first time in ages. Drove down Highway 84 through the beautiful redwoods to the coast, then drove south on 1 until we found the sun.

Getting a lot of sun lately. Spent last weekend in shorts and a t-shirt at Disneyland. I was pretty impressed! The old attractions (Pirates of the Caribbean, the Disneyland Railroad, Space Mountain, the Jungle Cruise) were as fun as ever, and the new stuff was awesome.

What impressed me the most was in California Adventure, which I didn't want to even bother with at first. Most of the attractions there have sort of a carnival feel, nothing that overwhelms you with glitz or branding. Yet the roller coaster had so much unexpected punch! And there was something special about the ride that spins you around on a swing (or maybe it was just the way the ride operator talked ... "Aw wight, Bumbobees! Weady, set, go!!"). The "Soaring Over California" attraction was definitely something else, though. The seats glide through the air, while fans and little spritzes of scent give you the distinct feeling that you're flying over the forests, fields, and oceans shown on the most amazing screen I've ever seen. It was bowl-shaped, so even when I looked straight down, there was no indication that I was in a theater; I saw the tops of trees, waves, whatever was being projected ahead of me. Then there were the fireworks. Really, really well orchestrated with music and themes to match attractions at the park. I didn't expect much out of this trip, but it turned out to be almost worth the $70/ticket.

It was great to see Jarrett, too, and that made the whole trip worthwhile. It reminded me of the time we went to Alcatraz and saw another side of Matthew (the criminal side!!). Jarrett led us all around the park, filling us on in all kinds of details about park history, guiding us to the things we wanted to see, and getting us lots of discounts. :) It was really wonderful.

I'd like to thank you for reading my blog. And I'd like to thank my legs for always supporting me. And my arms for always being by my side. And my fingers and toes--I've always been able to count on them. (Lines from our guide on the Jungle Cruise, always campy, and always fun.)