Taken back to our Disneyland plants

Bird of paradise flower

While visiting a local nursery (a place where plants are sold), I was taken back to the many times that we visited Disneyland. One of the beauties of that place is its great landscaping with all of the wonderful flowers and plants.

The nursery had those cool shrubs that spiral around and can be cut into shapes like there were at the It's a Small World ride. It also had white gardenias (a staple of the Los Angeles landscape), the herbs that grow in the Storybook Land ride, and bird of paradise that lined the sidewalk each walk we took from the parking ramp to the park entrance.

Do you remember the distinctive fragrance that filled the Disneyland night, especially in Downtown Disney as we neared the exit gates or the trams? That was midnight jasmine, which blooms in the evening.

Two years today we were at Disneyland

Two years today we went to Disneyland in Southern California. As I'm certain you remember, we lived outside of Los Angeles until your mother moved you to Minnesota, and usually went to the theme park once a month (and sometimes almost every weekend!).

We had year-round passes so that we could park for free and get in on any day of the year. Usually we started at Disneyland and then when it got crowded after lunch went over the California Adventure.

In 2010, by far your favorite part of the park was Fantasyland with all of the kiddie cool rides. In fact, the photo I've included with this post shows us in Fantasyland while we were waiting to get on the It’s a Small World ride. You're explaining to someone how old you (It was your latest thing at the time!).

Here's a whole bunch of photos from our visit to the park that weekend.