In the midst of all the excitement of both boys getting the chance to be on stage, the workers chose a number of those to confront Vader. Not everyone gets the chance. Some children are too timid, and others get the chance to do something else. Jack and Tommy had their turn. I enjoyed every minute of it.And like Jack did in one of our early trips, Tommy fought valiantly, like he did when playing at home with Jack and Pop Pop. He swung his short, green light saber frantically, forcing the Vader character to take a step back and allowing the audience to erupt into laughter and cheers. Like Jack once did, Tommy stole the show, and we enjoyed it so
much, we didn't get a movie clip of it. I was hoping I could persuade both boys to do it again, but they are older now, and I think they each had a little stage fright. It didn't happen, and looking at it now, I recognize the time at Disneyland was about my three grandchildren having fun and not about Pop Pop smiling proudly in the audience as his grandsons performed bravely. But that part--the proud Pop Pop thing--was fun too. I can't imagine what it will be like in the future when each child finds something they choose to express their talents. Tommy loves to draw. Jack loves music and movies. Anna is still a bit too young to set her path, because she loves to draw too, but I am sure she will find something just like each of the boys did in her own time, according to her own terms.
The first step was getting the robe and Jedi weapon, and the Disney people did it very well, completing each step so that the boys listened and paid attention. There was no time for young minds to wander. And everything had a focus that ultimately led to something that young minds could enjoy very much.


It all happened, one step at a time: each sequence building on the next to make even more fun for the boys. After selection, the boys stood briefly in their Jedi robes listening to initial instructions that were important for the show, and then they received their light sabers.




Grandma even got all artsy about this picture, getting a different angle that really looks good. Although initially I was disappointed not to have a video clip of Tommy's battle on stage, the clips sometimes do not work on the blog, and the pictures were all fantastic. 
The light saber fight that Tommy had that afternoon "brought down the house." It is why I put the picture at the top of the blog. People clapped, they cheered, they laughed. Tommy took it very seriously, and just like we practiced in our TV room, Tommy fought valiantly in his green clogs. And because it was one of the memories of that trip I won't ever forget, I added two more pictures of the scene. At the end, the Disney worker actually stepped in to stop the action. The Jedi Master on stage said to Tommy, "Your saber moves are hypnotizing my young padawan." More laughter erupted from the crowd.
Tommy's crocs helped as a padawan walk the path of the Jedi, because they are comfortable, and besides Yoda would have liked this shade of green. For my grandchildren, their shoes have brought me fun memories. Jack had his canvas retro Converse high-tops, and although I had a pair for Tommy too, he didn't like them as much as Jack did. Tommy liked these. As for Anna, when she gets to the stage, she will be wearing a Princess Leia outfit with matching slippers.












There was a short wait. A female worker, who could not have been older than 25, looked like Ebeneezer Scrooge meets Mommy Dearest. I have never met a woman in such a bad mood, not ever, and the park had only been open for an hour. For a brief moment I felt fear, and I wondered if the woman was a reincarnation of my fourth grade teacher. After waiting a short while for an open boat, we finally climbed in and prepared for the ride. The boys--as young Jedi warriors--not only believed that the power of the Force would protect us from this person who obviously embraced the dark side of the bed that morning, but they also may have thought their dedication to the Force would keep all of us dry. Their destiny was on a different path than that of Aunt Lydia.
Jack had not been terribly happy about going on the ride. The boats are a bit rough at times, and the squealing of some girls on the ride in front of us made him uneasy. Jack has still not come to terms with the strange behaviors of teenage girls who believe screaming loudly enough to pierce the human ear is a valuable part of any ride. I was sure that their noise forced dolphins on the California shoreline to stick their heads above the water and chatter in response.


Anna leaned against the rail and watched intently for us to arrive. It was a very warm day in late November in the park, a bit over 90 degrees, so the splashing water felt really good. During the summer, I never really felt the need for a plastic parka to keep water from soaking parts of my clothing, but I did that day in spite of the beautiful weather. And I am sure all of us felt the same way. Most likely it was knowing that we did not have until eight or nine o'clock that night to dry in the heat of a summer day, and even though the weather was great, each adult knew that it would be dark by 5:30 in the afternoon: only a couple of hours later. We knew that we would need the sweatshirts we brought that morning.


But grandma took care of that with a couple of quick pictures of all of us as we turned and weaved our way to the end of the ride and to the spot where we would meet the grouchy Disney worker. At this point the boys were smiling and enjoying the moments with us. They were both glad we rode Mickey's rapids.






















