500th Post!

The entire nation is celebrating the 500th post on "Gorillas Don't Blog"! A formation of F-15's will be flying over my apartment later today, and there will be a moment of silence on Capitol Hill. But don't call me a hero! I'm just a regular joe like anybody else.

OK, on to the images for today. First up is one I saved for this special occasion, a fantastic view of the old "Christmas Bowl" area in May, 1958. The sign tells us that it is "World Trade Week", whatever that was. Once again, the idea of showcasing the children of the world in their colorful native costumes crops up. You'll also see this in the early Christmas parades (see my posts from last December), and most famously in "It's a Small World" of course. I wouldn't be surprised if this was a theme that Walt personally championed. Anyway, this photo has great color and fantastic 50's flavor. Go ahead, lick your monitor and I think you'll agree!


The second image is of part of Town Square circa 1956 (love that 50's look). There are Christmas decorations on City Hall, no Disney characters to be seen. The Bekins sign is at a crazy angle, maybe it's windier than it appears.


And last but not least is this nice shot of Rainbow Ridge as the Mine Train returns to the loading area. The cars are newly painted a cheerful yellow for the opening of Nature's Wonderland, which opened in May of 1960 (only two months before this picture was taken). The sun on its way down, giving this scene a warm nostalgic glow.


Many thanks to all of you who read this blog regularly, and a special thanks to those of you who take the time to comment. That's half the fun, and it keeps me going when I feel a case of "The Burnouts" coming on! I can't guarantee 500 more posts, but I will keep this blog going for as long as I can.