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This weekend, I'm doing my dining car steward bit off in the southern California high desert out at Joshua Tree. Fires were away from where we are, but it's been a tough couple of weeks for folks in the Southland. Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone who lost loved ones, homes and more. As well...

From a column on October 3rd, you may recall a fine tale by Jean de Lutèce about the backstory for Disneyland Paris Ravenswood Manor. Would it surprise you to know that there is history from Nevada's Comstock Lode that shares many of the same points as that "story"? If you've been reading these Ruminations...

"I met my old lover On the street last night She seemed so glad to see me I just smiled And we talked about some old times And we drank ourselves some beers Still crazy after all these years Still crazy after all these years I'm not the kind of man Who tends to socialize I seem to lean on Old familiar...

Casey At The Bat by Ernest L. Thayer The outlook wasn't brilliant for the Mudville nine that day, The score stood four to two, with but one inning more to play. And then when Cooney died at first, and Barrows did the same, A pall-like silence fell upon the patrons of the game. A straggling few got up...

"The proprieties must be observed at all times." -- Michael Flynn (as played by Barry Fitzgerald), "The Quiet Man" As far as your humble writer is concerned, motion pictures were made to be shown to audiences in real honest to goodness movie theaters. Not cracker box, shoe horned, cinder block multiplexes...

Our faithful readers will recall a recent effort from Dizbiz, a.k.a. Chuck Oberleitner, on the upcoming California recall election . As the clock ticks down and election day draws closer, the media is attempting to whip voters into a frenzy by holding various events. Here in the northern half of the...

It can trace it's roots back almost two hundred years, a people's party celebrating a royal wedding, lasting for more than three weeks, with almost six million of your closest friends consuming almost six million liters of some of the world's finest beer. Okay, I can hear some of you saying, "When do...

Okay, I'm back, and I'll actually have the column promised, sort of. But first... My little soapbox moment last week keeps coming back to haunt me in ways I could never have imagined. Johnny Cash, John Ritter, and then this morning... I've been to see my blood pressure specialist. Leaving her office...

Time to change gears with a different topic. Let's see, no San Francisco, no trains, no Disney, no Nevada, no cranky pants... Okay, so that's a challenge. Trying to go back to the idea of exposing you to something outside the entertainment/animation/theme park world. My problem is that I like what I...

According to Yahoo Maps, it is exactly three hundred and sixty-six point two miles from my front door to Disneyland's front door. And if I'm lucky, that's a trip easily made in less than eight hours. If I'm feeling particularly enthusiastic, I've been known to make it in less than six hours. That's averaging...

Much as this series has been interesting for me to share with you, this particular chapter is not one I have personally experienced. Nor is it one that I am likely to partake of in the future. However, being that I have friends in the "horsey" set, I'm sharing this with you today... "I grew up a-dreamin...

Okay a couple of things before get started on this scholarly (read long) effort today. Don't be misled by all of the railroad aspects of this story. There are a lot of Disney tidbits in it as well. A couple of things of note from the San Francisco Chronicle for August 20, 2003. It looks like Trader Vic...

Now there are folks who will tell you that there is nothing better than a sea cruise. My mom is one of them (although lunch at Club 33 runs a very close second). Travel by ship from one port of call to another with all of the sights to explore along the way. So much so that last fall she and my dad enjoyed...

Well, you know how things don't always go as planned? That's this week for me. So instead of a column, I'm sharing some photo's that should have gone with some of the recent efforts. (I'm not about to dig into the archives just yet...) So being a bit down this week, here I am with Eeyore who certainly...

How about something for the romantic this week? Let's set the WABAC machine back to the days of knights, dragons and damsels in distress, right? No, I am not talking about the high school antics of Dungeons and Dragons, nor will I engage in a descriptive bout of the B&D scene, although it is a bit...

In June of 1973, I graduated from the eighth grade leaving Walnut Creek Intermediate School behind me. Personal mobility wasn't much of a problem as I was already used to riding my bicycle all over the place. While my Disney and railroad interests had not become obsessions just yet, baseball had. Now...

"A dream is a wish your heart makes, When you're fast asleep. In dreams you lose your heartaches. Whatever you wish for, you keep. Have faith in your dreams and someday Your rainbow will come smiling through. No matter how your heart is grieving, If you keep on believing, The dream that you wish will...

Hopefully, sometime in the next month or so, you and yours are off on a no doubt well-deserved vacation. Lots of great places to go and see with all of the things to do. And lots of great places to stay as well. So... let me share some of my favorite lodgings with you! Disney's Grand Californian is my...

Ready for a little red, white and blue today? Well, no pyrotechnics, but here we go! "Off we go into the wild blue yonder, Climbing high into the sun; Here they come zooming to meet our thunder, At 'em boys, Give 'er the gun! (Give 'er the gun now!) Down we dive, spouting our flame from under, Off with...

Ever felt like your brain needed a jump-start? That's me this week trying to come along with a topic. But never fear! The well is not dry just yet. Balky, yes, but not out of ideas...So, bouncing along, here we go. Let me start off with this little gem . Gee, you'd almost think this was someone we all...