Tradition

There are traditions that seem archaic, while others are fun in so many ways.

Christmas is a prime example. Everyone has certain things they have done for generations in some cases: opening one gift, having children and adults do some sort of talent presentation during a family Christmas program, eating turkey or ham or both.

Traditions make life interesting.

Disneyland was no exception. As long as I remember, Jack would go to the tiny house near the Alice In Wonderland ride and knock on it, and interestingly enough, other children shared that tradition.

In fact, during one visit, we saw the actor Edward Burns wait for his little one to knock on the door. We still have the pictures somewhere, and it was fun to see him and his family momentarily. He's one of those actors, who didn't seem to be wallowed down in fame, although I could tell he preferred to be left alone. People began bothering him for autographs.

For me, I can't imagine how horrible it would be to have to cater to situations like that, when you have a brief moment to share fun times with your own children.

I am a fan, but I prefer to let him and others enjoy their privacy.

What is fun to realize, however, is that everyone has similar traditions. Knocking on that door wasn't just something we enjoyed having our grandchildren do on a visit.

I am a slave to memories and the smile they awaken in me. Those memories evoke something intangible.

It's a combination of sensory things. There is the music, some infectious. There are the warm, comforting scent of an interesting combination of smells: cotton candy, cookies, burgers, churros.

These are things, that I love to wallow in during every trip to LA. Few outside my family circle understand the whole thing. It's about remembering life: past and present, yet future also plays a role.

Rarely is there a time, when I don't think about the next trip. You do that on the last day before returning home. It's a day of crowding all the activities into a few hours, but you realize that Disneyland is only 12 hours away by car.

That is a long distance for some, but for me, it's a trip through a magnificent desert. It's a voyage of sorts, listening to music that reminds me of similar journeys and thinking about times when I spent moments with my family in the land of Mickey and Goofy and friends.