November 2005: Pee Wee and Other Big Adventures

Hello again. I hope all is well with you. October’s Update was pretty long, so there has been a conscious effort to streamline this month’s edition. Enjoy!

PEEWEE'S BIG ADVENTURE
The first day of November found us at the Arclight Theater for a screening of Peewee’s Big Adventure because it featured an informal Q&A with star Paul Ruebens. He shared funny stories about writing the first screenplay [literally by-the-book] and working with Tim Burton, and how he landed on the stolen bike concept. None of which will I recount here in the interest of time, but I will tell you that we met Diane Salinger who played waitress Simone at the Dinosaur-themed truck stop.

BOOKSOUP
November 3rd we were at BookSoup to meet and participate in a Q&A with the Style Channel’s Brini Maxwell. Her Guide to Gracious Living is a great little book dedicated to helping you “add style to your life; and life to your style.“ Brini is a big fan of Mid-Century design and she especially enjoys Palm Springs for its abundance of now-classic architecture http://www.brinimaxwell.com/

DAYS OF OUR LIVES 40th ANNIVERSARY Our friend Linda Kirwin invited me to this event and boy, was it a blast walking the party and bumping into Bo, Hope, Abe, Roman, Maggie, Alice, Victor, Tony, Stefano, Dr. Marlena Evans and the other residents of Salem.

Also cool was that the shindig was held at the Hollywood Palladium, which opened back in 1940 with Frank Sinatra and the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra. Since then it has hosted everything from the Emmy Awards to Nirvana. Click here for more information www.hollywoodpalladium.com/

PALM SPRINGS
The following week, we headed to Palm Springs [which has a street named after Ole Blue Eyes.] Daryl and I stopped at the Visitors Center and picked up a self-guided tour of the Mid-Century architecture that Brini Maxwell referenced. We enjoyed seeing the Rat Pack era homes and even toured one that was on the market for $1.4 Million. Then we swung by the honeymoon house of Elvis and Priscilla’s and the swinging motel, the Orbit In. You can explore the golf courses and awesome natural beauty of Palm Springs at its official website: http://www.palm-springs.org/album.htm

CABAZON
During that same trip, we stopped in Cabazon to have breakfast at the Wheel Inn--the desert restaurant Simone worked at in Peewee’s Big Adventure. In sticking with the prehistoric theme of the giant dinosaurs outside the diner, all the waitresses wore sabre-tooth tiger-print dresses. Only in America.

OAK GLEN
About 40 minutes later, my Uncle Carl was guiding us through the mountainous apple country of Oak Glen. Because of the winding roads, fall leaves and quaint stands around every turn I felt like we were back in Western North Carolina. The three of us sampled dumplings, scones, strudel and lots of shops. We came home with fresh cider and a bag of “Arkansas Black” apples that were the size and color of plums. I’ve attached a picture Daryl took at the Los Rios Rancho to give you an idea of how beautiful it was that day. And here’s some general information and more pictures of Oak Glen: http://www.oakglen.net/index.html

THANKSGIVING
The following week, we were invited to Thanksgiving dinner with our friends Rob and Shawn. A great meal was followed by a friendly game of Penny Rummy/Michigan Rummy and the movie White Christmas.

THE DROWSY CHAPERONE
This month, we also got to see a new musical at the Ahmanson called The Drowsy Chaperone. The script, staging, music, and the performances were all top-notch. It’s headed to Broadway, and if you get the chance, treat yourself to this funny and truly delightful show starring Sutton Foster, who won a Tony for Thoroughly Modern Millie. You can click on this link for a few pictures and some of the great reviews: http://www.taperahmanson.com/show.asp?id=314

VISITORS
Our friend Ryan Giannetta drove up from Anaheim on the 13th and we did a mini-Disney heritage tour taking him to the site of the Hyperion Studios, the site of the garage where Walt and Roy started out, and the Disney family plot at Forest Lawn cemetery. It only seemed fitting that we ended up at the El Capitan to see Chicken Little in Digital 3-D.

STAR SIGHTINGS
Besides Peewee Herman, Brini Maxwell and the casts of The Drowsy Chaperone and Days of Our Lives, there really were no sightings this month.

So December looks to be a busy month between us traveling and friends visiting. I’ll return in early January with all the details. Until then, Daryl and I wish you Seasons Greetings, Merry Christmas and a peaceful, yet prosperous New Year.

James & Daryl