Yesterday I took the day off and the entire clan went to Disneyland before the blackout dates start on our season pass. No matter how many times we've been – and we go a lot – it never ceases to amaze me how many people they can cram in that park! After a late start, we arrived around 11am, took the horse carriage down Main Street (a Mallory favorite), and proceeded over to Frontierland to climb Tarzan's tree house (previously the "Swiss Family Robinson House"). Mallory then joined me on Splash Mountain, which included a doosey of a downhill that didn't agree with her. While I think she really loved the ride, she was a bit scared. We then conquered Thunder Mountain, Autopia (where you drive the cards around the track), and of course hit the petting zoo (a real secret even within Disneyland – when you're sick of the crowds, you can escape to the petting zoo where the humans are sparse; of course you get to smell the ripe aroma of goats).

Stacey and I debated the merits of Disney's recent transition of older rides to newer themes, such as the Robinson's house to Disney's more recent Tarzan animated movie. In fact, Pirates of the Carribean was closed while undergoing a major facelift that will make the ride more like the upcoming movie of same name starring Johnny Depp. This act alone generated a front page news story in yesterday's LA Times. I guess if you're over 30 grew up with the old rides you become a little attached to childhood memories…kinda like your old grade school closing and gettting bull-dozed.