Bats Day

Bats Day at Disneyland is one of the many yearly traditions I partake in. It's pretty much on the same scale as Christmas and my birthday. That said, I was very happy to have "celebrated" it this year with a few good friends and some happy haunts.

In an effort to make this post bicycle-related, I happened upon this "poster" in New Orleans Square at about midnight, just before wandering over to Main Street, U.S.A., for some ice cream and a few moments in the cinema:



If you're unaware of how Cycles Brion came to be, here's an excerpt from the history of Olivia Brion, suffragette and inspiration behind Brion bicycles and interestingly, Heron Lake Winery (no, I don't digress; take in your your history lesson):

Ancestry of Olivia Brion: How Cycles Brion Came to Be

During the high Middle Ages, three vineyards at the edge of the city of Bordeaux achieved fame for the exquisite quality of their red wines: Haut-Brion just north of the Pessac road, Laville Haut-Brion a quarter-mile to the south, and, between them, Basse-Brion. For fifteen generations these vineyards were lovingly cared for by the two branches of the Brion family– until the 1870s when the terrible advent of Phylloxera threatened to end forever this tradition of greatness.

The Haut-Brions dug in their heels: they mortgaged their chateaux to the hilt, tore out all their precious (but dying) vines, and replanted with the new American rootstock. Slowly they were able to restore their vineyards and winemaking.

Comte Pierre Gilles-Gascon de Blanquefort de la Basse-Brion [...] changed his name to Peter Brion and moved to Paris, where he invested the £200 in the new technology of bicycle making. His "farthing-penny" design did not sell well, and the disconsolate Peter declined into days of absinthe at the Lapin Agile. His daughter Mercedes took over the business and created a woman-friendly design with herself as model. This was a runaway success and restored the family fortune, paving the way for the even more brilliant success of Olivia Brion in the next generation.

Well, would you look at that; you learned something today, as did I. Let's pat ourselves on the backs, shall we?

Anyway, Bats Day. I really liked my outfit this year:



And these were just a few fun photos in general (I stayed until far after closing, when there were absolutely no crowds);







Silly, but whatever. It's possible that more will surface, with crowds donned in all sorts of expressive attire.

I mentioned some time ago that I'd eventually make a point to bicycle to Disneyland one of these days... perhaps this summer. Oh, bicycle fever. We all could stand to "suffer" from it - just a little bit.

Time to fall into bed. Every cyclist must have their sleep.