Author Archives: Elaine-iaK's Travels

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About Elaine-iaK's Travels

As a graduate of Recreation Administration, from San Diego State University, I have made recreation and travels my career and life’s passion. After graduation, I traveled solo for one year throughout the South Pacific, doing travel photography in a wide variety of settings. Upon my return, many of my photographs became the subjects of my newly created line of handcrafted photographic greeting cards, "Exquisite! By, Elaine", a business I have had since 1986. Check them out at: http://ExquisiteCards.fototime.com . In 1983, I began teaming up with my mom, Goldie, teaching arts & crafts to cruise ship passengers, aboard Princess Cruises and Royal Caribbean. In addition, I lectured on travel photography, as well as Australia and New Zealand history, aboard Princess Cruises. In 2004, I formed a new teaching team with my recently retired husband, Bruce, who serves as my "humble assistant" until 2010 when the cruise lines shifted the arts and crafts program to mostly being taught by their own staff. Currently, our favorite mode of travel is by river boat. Along the way, we enjoy poking around small European towns, meeting the people, seeking out interesting photo subjects, and always stopping at every chocolatier to make a purchase. Adding to my chocolate label and wrapper collection is a bonus! And, as a U.S. Masters swimmer, if I can find a pool to get in a swim with the locals, all the better! Cheers! Elaine-iaK ~ Believing in your dreams can be far more rewarding than living by your limitations~ -Karla Peterson

…AND, ANOTHER LITTLE RANDOM ACT OF KINDNESS (Act 35)

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In search of her boyfriend Donald, Daisy Duck visited the Sun City Peachtree bench today!  She missed him by a couple of days, but they’ll catch up with each other soon, I’m sure.  After all, Donald is probably hanging out with the other four “Sensational Six” members:  Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Goofy, and Pluto; and, she would want to miss out on all the action.  She loves being the center of attention, after all, and she gets plenty while starring in animations, merchandising, and theme parks.

Daisy is an interesting duck!  Although she often scolds Donald about his anger issues and hot temper, she has a bad temper as well.  Projecting??? 

Love is always in Daisy’s heart, though.  She loves and cares for Donald as his loyal girlfriend, and she just wants him to be the best duck he can be.  Even with all of his flaws, she has faith in Donald.

When it comes to herself, Daisy is a fashionista and loves to shop.  She’s quite the diva when she shows off her latest outfits (complete with sunglasses).  A typical fashion-forward outfit consists of a pink or purple blouse with puffed short sleeves and a V-neckine, in addition to a matching bow, heeled shoes, and a single bangle on her left wrist.  Daisy doesn’t typically wear pants; however, she can sometimes be seen wearing a skirt or longer dress to cover her tail feathers. 

The television series Quack Pack gave Daisy a more mature wardrobe and hairstyle, because she was cast as a television reporter.  In House of Mouse, she was issued a blue and purple employee uniform, with a blue bow and a long ponytail. 

Daisy’s uniform got tossed when she joined Mickey Mouse in his self-titled animated TV series.  She is back to wearing her trademark pink blouse with a matching bow.  White boots with pink daisy designs were added to complete the ensemble.

When it comes to her personality, Daisy can be a bit eccentric and overbearing to her friends.  She tends to get overly excited and talkative, so Minnie and the others tend to feel suffocated by her presence.

If the attention isn’t focused on her, Daisy gets envious of whoever is in the spotlight.  That happened when Minnie was the star in an ice-skating show.  Daisy just couldn’t keep her envy in check, and she sabotaged Minnie’s show!  Poor mouse; she thought Daisy was her best friend.  With friends like that, who needs enemies?

Daisy finally came to her senses, though, and realized their friendship was more important than being under the spotlight.  She apologized to Minnie for being so selfish, and admitted her shortcomings. 

Good on ya, Daisy Duck, for realizing that it’s not all about you!

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Yesterday’s rock didn’t inspire me to research and write a story; however, Pinocchio deserves to be shared as a random act if kindness:

…AND, ANOTHER LITTLE RANDOM ACT OF KINDNESS (Act 34)

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It’s The Duck, Donald Duck!  Just looking at him makes me smile!  He looks so darn cute in his sailor outfit and bow tie!  (Have you noticed he wears a hat but NO PANTS???)  Love those tail feathers!

What I really love about Donald Fauntleroy Duck’s appearance is his big smile and even bigger yellow feet.  He is just so adorable!

About that personality, though.  He could reign in his hot temper a bit, don’t you think?  He is also quite the bully and humiliates others with his pranks.  Walt Disney said this about Donald: “One of the greatest satisfactions in our work here at the studio is the warm relationship that exists within our cartoon family.  Mickey, Pluto, Goofy, and the whole gang have always been a lot of fun to work with.  But like many large families, we have a problem child.  You’re right, it’s Donald Duck.”

Yeah, Donald isn’t perfect, that’s for sure.  He’s a bit mischievous and ends up making his own “bad luck.”  I guess that’s why we all could relate to him; we all see ourselves at one time or another in Donald Duck!

Donald may have a lot of negative traits, but at his core, Donald is a warm, lovable, friendly, and jovial character.  He is very loving to his nephews, Huey, Dewey, and Louie; and, he treats them like his own children. 

The Duck isn’t as loving to Mickey Mouse, though.  He’s a bit jealous of the mouse’s popularity and leadership skills.  Their relationship is a complicated one, because of it.  Although they are rivals, they are generally good friends.

All that is Donald Duck—the good, the bad, and the ugly—is what made him famous enough to star in over 190 films, more than any other Disney character.  Some of his cartoons were even honored by the Academy Awards!  The Duck also earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, got his footprints cemented at the Chinese Theatre, and is the mascot for the University of Oregon’s sports teams, The Ducks. 

Actually, the list of his fame goes on and on.  There is Donald Duck Orange Juice, other Donald Duck products, and all sorts of commercials starring Donald Duck.  He even has his own hot air balloon.  These are some shots I took of it at the Albuquerque Hot Air Balloon Fiesta, in the late 1980’s:

Did you know that Donald Duck recently celebrated his 87th birthday?  Yep!  His officially recognized birthday is June 9, 1934, the day his debut film, The Wise Little Hen, was released.

Donald may be getting up in years, but he’ll always be a youthful and lovable duck to me!

…AND, ANOTHER LITTLE RANDOM ACT OF KINDNESS (Act 33)

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By the time I returned from the pool, yesterday, the painted rock on our Sun City Peachtree bench had been snagged.  I’m guessing a grandmother (or grandfather) snatched it up for their grand kid.  Curious to know what I missed, I contacted the artist and learned it was Tinker Bell.  Thanks to the artist for e-mailing this photo:

Yay for Disney characters!  Growing up in Long Beach, California, Disneyland was a short distance away.  I have fond memories visiting there with my family, ride ticket books in hand.  My brother and I loved those “E” tickets, so we could bobsled our way around the Matterhorn and scream our lungs out.  Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, however, is one my best friend Laura and I laughed our way through the most.

Back to Tinker Bell, she became famous in the 1953 Disney film, Peter Pan, as Peter’s sidekick on his adventures.  She may appear as a delicate and sweet fairy, but this girl is a badass with some sass!  See, she wants Peter Pan all to herself, so when any other girl poses a threat (especially Wendy Darling), the claws come out, and her temper flares.  Her jealousy and spite get the best of her, I’m afraid.  (I remember girls just like her back in high school!)

Miss Bell is quite the narcissist, too, because she just LOVES admiring herself in the mirror!  She doesn’t like seeing her wide hips, though. 

“Tink” (or, “Miss Bell”), has some special powers.  She is equipped with Pixie Dust, which grants herself and others the ability to fly, so long as they think “wonderful thoughts.” 

Since Miss Bell can fly, she can visit (and admire) her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame any time she likes!  Perhaps she can bring her twin sister Periwinkle with her to admire it, too.

The flying fairy doesn’t talk—at least in a way us humans can understand.  Instead, she speaks in an unintelligible fairy language, and her vocalizations sound like a jingling bell to us.

Tinker Bell brings in the bucks for Disney as one of its most popular characters.  Realizing the gold mine they had with the pretty fairy, they gave her the ability to talk, so she could become a spokesperson for Walt Disney Company.  She eventually got her own franchise, Disney Fairies, which spun off a series of full-length feature films beginning with Tinker Bell, which made a mint in 2008.

For that matter, Tinker Bell is a cash cow (Sorry for the “cow” reference, Tink!) for Disney—just one of many characters that have made Walt Disney Company very profitable since the 1950’s! 

…AND, ANOTHER LITTLE RANDOM ACT OF KINDNESS (Act 31)

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It’s the PIG!  Porky Pig!

The stuttering pig followed this sombrero-wearing parrot with no name, no known history, no cartoon, no nothin’.  His claim to fame is appearing as clip art, which I discovered in a Google search.  He’s a cutie, though, and I’m guessing he has crossed paths with Yosemite Sam in Mexico.

Back to Porky, the pig has been around since 1935, courtesy of Warner Bros. Looney Tunes Cartoons.  He is the oldest continuing Looney Tunes character, due to his popularity.

The plump pig was named after creator, Friz Freleng’s childhood classmates who were nicknamed, “Porky” and “Piggy.” 

Porky’s stutter is his most recognizable trait, and he shared it with his first voice actor, Joe Dougherty, who actually stuttered.  Because Dougherty couldn’t control his stutter, however, production costs became too high as his recording sessions took hours.  Porky’s additional lines were given to Count Cutelli, instead, and then Mel Blanc took over Dougherty’s job in 1937.  He voiced Porky until his death in 1989.

Blanc added an interesting comedic twist to Porky Pig’s stutter.  He had Porky stumbling over a simple word only to substitute a longer word without difficulty. 

Porky’s stutter was featured in a Warner Bros. blooper reel, in 1938, and was shown during the Warner Bros. 50th Anniversary TV Show.  In the short black-and-white film, Porky is doing some carpentry work, pounding nails when he smacks his thumb with the hammer.  Grimacing in pain, he cries “Oh, son of a bi-bi, son of a bi-bi, son of a bi-bi-bi-… gun!  He then turns to the camera and says, “Ha-ha-ha!  You thought I was going to say ‘s-s-son of a bitch’, didn’t ya?!

Well, friends, Th-Th-Th-That’s all folks!

…AND, ANOTHER LITTLE RANDOM ACT OF KINDNESS (Act 30)

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First Sylvester, and now Elmer Fudd.  Poor Bugs Bunny can’t catch a break.  Elmer has made it his mission to hunt the rabbit down, and he’s at it again!  If it isn’t Daffy Duck he’s after, it’s Bugs; but, he always fails.

What usually ends up happening on Elmer’s hunting expeditions is that he ends up either injuring somebody else or himself—but, never Bugs Bunny.  Bugs is too crafty to let Elmer get the best of him.  Besides, if Elmer actually was faced with the prospect of succeeding, he would probably just let Bugs go anyway.  In the cartoon, Rabbit Fire, Bugs tricked Elmer into believing he had suceeded in killing Bugs, but Elmer showed great remorse.  As it turns out, Elmer is actually a vegetarian and just hunts for the sport of it.  (He also happens to be a billionaire and owns a yacht!)

Elmer sure has a way with words, Since his R’s and L’s sound like W’s, he says things like, “Be vewy, vewy quiet.  I’m hunting wabbits!”  His way of pronouncing words has become so popular that Google even includes “Elmer Fudd” as one of the novelty languages it will translate to in its search engine.

Late comedian and actor, Robin Williams, was so fond of Elmer Fudd’s pronunciation that he even sang Bruce Springsteen’s “Fire” in one of his sketches. 

Elmer became so famous that he popped up as a guest star on all sorts of TV shows, cartoons, and movies.  He was also mimicked in others, including TV show The Big Bang Theory.  In that show, there was a recurring character named Barry Kripkethat talked like Elmer Fudd.

Now that we have seen Elmer Fudd, Daffy Duck, and Sylvester, will Bugs Bunny be next to visit the bench?  Stay tuned!

…AND, ANOTHER LITTLE RANDOM ACT OF KINDNESS (Act 29)

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Notice something different about this photo?  Speedy Gonzales didn’t appear on the Sun City Peachtree bench today; he landed in our bird box!

What is a “bird box” you ask?  Below our curbside mailbox is an open box that is attached.  These boxes are meant for newspaper deliveries; however, our local newspaper is now delivered by the U.S. Postal Service.  Instead, the boxes are used for delivery of the Community Buzz, which is Sun City Peachtree’s newsletter.  Birthday and holiday cards also get placed there, as do notices for community events and all sorts of other things.  It’s for everything else that is NOT mail, and that includes bird nests!  Yes, the birds have made quite a habit of building nests in those nice, cozy cubby holes.  We’ve had a couple of those nests ourselves.

Today, Speedy Gonzales appeared in our bird box along with a note.  The thing is, the note was a thanks for help that I didn’t provide the person who signed it.  Hmmm…  Putting two and two together, I made a phone call to the person who I believed signed that note.  No last name was provided; however, Bruce had a hunch based on some observations he had made.

Mystery solved!  The artist shall remain anonymous upon request; so, it’s now our secret.  As it turns out, Speedy was meant for my next-door neighbor; so, I took his photo, and then tucked him with the note back into the Ziploc.  I then placed the package in my neighbor’s box.

As long as these little random acts of kindness keep bringing smiles to our community, I will continue to (hopefully!) bring a smile to you! 

Now, a little bit about Speedy…

The Mexican mouse with the yellow sombrero is an Academy Award winner!  In 1955, the short, Speedy Gonzales took the Oscar for Best Short Subject (cartoons).  In the film, one of my previous subjects, Sylvester, is featured guarding a cheese factory at the American/ Mexican border from a group of starving Mexican mice.  The mice call in Speedy to save them. 

From then on, Sylvester was Speedy’s nemesis in a series of cartoons.  The energetic mouse often called Sylvester “El Gringo Pussygato,” and the cat was always outsmarted and outrun by “The Fastest Mouse In All of Mexico.”

Poor Sylvester.  Between being humiliated (and injured) by mousetraps and accidentally consuming large amounts of Tabasco hot sauce; he had a tough time with the little mouse!

That was until 1999, when Speedy Gonzales went off the air here in the States.  In a 2002 interview, Cartoon Network’s Laurie Goldberg explained, “It hasn’t been on the air for years because of its ethnic stereotypes.”  (She was probably referring to Speedy’s buddies who were depicted as being slow, lazy, and possibly drunk…)

Despite the controversy in the U.S.A., Speedy Gonzales is quite the hero in Latin America.  They love him down there, ethnic stereotypes and all!

…AND, ANOTHER LITTLE RANDOM ACT OF KINDNESS (Act 28)

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Woody Woodpecker is yet another bird to join the hummingbird, toucan, penguin, yellow bird of unknown species, yellow canary, duck, and owl that have all flown (or waddled) onto our Sun City Peachtree bench.

An acorn woodpecker, Woody originated after a real woodpecker had driven producer Walter Lantz and his wife, Gracie, crazy on their honeymoon.  They were staying in a cabin in California, and a noisy woodpecker just outside had kept them awake at night.  When a heavy rain started, the couple learned that the woodpecker had bored holes in the cabin’s roof!  Walter wanted to shoot the bird, but Gracie encouraged him to make a cartoon about the destructive bird instead.  Woody Woodpecker was born.

Woody debuted in 1940 in the short film, Knock Knock alongside Andy Panda and his father.  The woodpecker got his kicks pestering the two pandas, so Andy attempted revenge by trying to sprinkle salt on Woody’s tail in the belief that he would be able to capture the bird.  He succeeded, much to Woody’s surprise, and the woodpecker was hauled off to the funny farm.  In the end, Andy and his dad proved to be even crazier.

A star was born, and Lantz continued to have Woody appear in new films and shorts for Universal.

Have you ever noticed that Woody has a lot in common with Daffy Duck and Bugs Bunny?  That’s because Lantz created the woodpecker as a bit of a hybrid of the two characters.  Woody has the energy, quirkiness, looniness, and demented nature of Daffy; and, he’s a wise guy like Bugs Bunny.  Just to seal the deal, Woody even got Daffy’s and Bug’s voice actor for his first three cartoons!

Woody became so popular, that he was named the official mascot of Universal Studios.  From 1982 until 1996, he had the honor of flying on a Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade balloon.  Two years later, he got a fast and furious ride on the Williams Formula One race car, and then got to do it again the following year. 

Although Woody has seen a lot of fame in all those appearances, he only ranked 46th on TV Guide’s list of the 50 Greatest Cartoon Characters of All Time, in 2002 and 2003.  The following year, he ranked 25th on Animal Planet’s list of The 50 Greatest Movie Animals.

Over the years, as other humans took control of Woody Woodpecker’s appearance and personality, the bird went through several changes. 

Currently, Woody is voiced by Billy West and appears in The New Woody Woodpecker Show on the Fox Kids TV series.  He is now a smart and sympathetic protagonist; however, he does get into a bit of mischief with Wally Walrus, Ms. Meany, and Buzz Buzzard.

Woody may not be the all-time favorite here in the U.S.A., but he ranks #1 for Brazilians.  They love him there!

…AND, ANOTHER LITTLE RANDOM ACT OF KINDNESS (Act 27)

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The Warner Bros. Looney Tunes Cartoon gang is back on the Sun City Peachtree bench!  Today, it’s mean ol’ Yosemite Sam with both guns drawn, ready to face off with his nemesis, Bugs Bunny.  Watch out, Bugs, because the fierce-tempered cowboy is trigger happy and despises rabbits!

It used to be just Elmer Fudd hot on the trail after Bugs Bunny, but he was kind of a softy, according to his creator, Fritz Freleng.  Wanting more a tough guy to antagonize Bugs, he created Yosemite Sam, and named him after Yosemite National Park.

The thing is, Sam isn’t the sharpest tool in the shed.  In fact, he is just plain stupid.  Outsmarted by the rabbit every time, he manages to constantly get himself into painful—or, at least humiliating—situations.  You would think he would learn, but he never does.  He’s been a glutton for punishment in 33 short films, between 1945 and 1964.

Although we think of Yosemite Sam as gun-wielding cowboy, he has had several occupations throughout his career of hunting down Bugs Bunny.  He has been everything from a prison guard to a pirate, and even an Indian chief.  Ha!  He was even an alien! 

Believe it or not, Sam was actually nice in the film, Shishkabugs.  Not only was he NOT the aggressor, but he was a very kind and generous chef for a rude, spoiled king who has Sam enslaved through blackmail.  One day, Sam cooked up the King’s usual array of buffet selections, but the King kicked it away and demanded something new.  Chef Sam chose to make Hasenpfeffer, which calls for cooked rabbit.  Uh-oh!  Watch out, Bugs! 

Well, Bugs was captured by Chef Sam for the King’s soon-to-be meal, but he outsmarted the chef twice and escaped becoming the King’s dinner.  The King blamed Chef Sam, of course, and eventually had his guards arrest him.  Who became the King’s new chef?  Bugs Bunny!  “What’s up, Doc?”

…AND, ANOTHER LITTLE RANDOM ACT OF KINDNESS (Act 26)

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The painted rocks just keep coming here at Sun City Peachtree!  This artist just keeps rollin’ them out!

Today, Mr. Magoo landed on the bench, probably because he couldn’t see where he was going and tripped over it!  The poor old guy is so nearsighted, he could really use a good pair of glasses.  I don’t know why he doesn’t have his eyes examined.  It’s not like he can’t afford it, because the little chap is wealthy, just like his uncle, Tycoon Magoo. 

Poor eyesight runs in the household.  Magoo’s second dog, McBarker can’t see much either.  The talking bulldog also happens to look like his master, so they have a couple of things in common.  (Magoo’s first “dog,” Bowser, was actually a Siamese cat!)

Created in 1949 by UPA animation studio, Jim Backus is the voice of Mr. Quincy Magoo.  Although Magoo episodes were nominated for Best Animated Short Film by the Academy Awards committee three times, and received the award twice, TV Guide ranked Mr. Magoo way down at number 29 on its “50 Greatest Cartoon Characters of All Time” list.  Actually, I would have to agree.  The stubborn old guy doesn’t make my Top Ten either.

After several years on the silver screen, Mister Magoo joined families in their living rooms, on television, in the 1960’s.  UPA had shut down its animation studios in 1959, so the company hired Jack Kinney Productions and Larry Harmon Pictures to take over the animation.  This was all done in a rush, though, so Magoo cartoons looked a bit choppy in the beginning. 

Are you a Rutgers University fan by any chance?  If so, you and Mr. Magoo would get along great! He was a frat boy there and graduated in 1928. Why Rutgers?  His creators wanted him to be “a college alumnus who was still fired up with the old school spirit [and they felt] Rutgers was the embodiment of the ‘old school tie’ in America.”

As ol’ Mr. Magoo was known to shout, “Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Rho—Rutgers, Rutgers, Go – Go – Go!”