Mom meeting my friends

I then found her in the office reading through everyone’s comments and Tweets on the computer, shaking her head and grinning. She wouldn’t stop saying how wonderful all of you were. How she felt like she knows everyone of you. And not just those of you she met at Main Street Cinema like Rachel, Louella, Bobby, Hastin, but those of you who shared yourselves online. So we had breakfast, while reading your accounts of this journey we all took.

After spending a couple of hours, breakfasting and going through Tweets and comments, Mom asked to see the stuff I filmed. I warned her I’m the worst interviewer in the history of amateur documentary filmmaking and my camerawork is a disaster. But she insisted I show her. Mom admitted the footage was tough to watch (she didn’t especially enjoy seeing her crazy hair on camera). But she said she loved my work. Even when I told her she didn’t have to say that, she told me over and over that she did. And if this is what I love doing then I can’t stop now. I have to keep going until I’m doing what I dream. And then we laughcried for another hour or so, pouring through even more Tweets and comments.

Later, I disappeared into the kitchen to wash the dishes. But she stopped me and said to leave them alone and relax, because she wanted to go see Grandpa’s stuff. Right then and there. I asked her if she was sure, and she grabbed the key to Grandpa’s old apartment above the garage. I followed her upstairs with my laptop and pointed out Grandpa’s filing cabinets, which included everything I had shared with all of you. I also pulled out Grandpa’s old record player that Vivian had fixed with binder clips and a rubber band and laid the 1964 World’s Fair record beside it.

Mom said she just needed some time alone. I told her I understood. But I let her know that if she had any questions, she could ask me or read the amazing conclusions you all reached on my blog. Just as I was about to leave her to it, she said she missed Grandpa. So much. And now it’s time she open up to him.

Mom’s up there right now, doing just that. I traded her a couple of grilled cheese sandwiches and lemonade to borrow my laptop back for a bit. I had to write all of you to thank you.

I’m welling up with tears just thinking about how far we’ve come together. I mean, I can barely fathom the idea that two months ago I didn’t know any of you. And now…

Let me just say that it has not always been easy growing up in such a small family. I think I’ve secretly been searching for ways to expand it. And now I have.

Andrew asked early this morning: “What’s next?” Well, Mom and I have got a lot to talk about, so there’s that. I also have finals starting tomorrow. Bleh. And lastly, I have a film to complete, right? That’s what I set out to do from the beginning, and because of you, I can do that. So, in the next week or two, I hope to show you what I’m working on. Because this is your story, just as much as it’s Mom’s, Grandpa’s, and mine.

Even though I have more to share, you all must know – right now – that you all have forever changed my life and the future of my family. You have made tomorrow great, big, beautiful, and awesome, and I love, love, love you dearly for that. You all will be in my heart always.

-Amelia

And you know what the oddest thing about this situation is? That I had no doubt in the world you all would be able to connect with her in a way I couldn’t do alone. I read your comments over and over and over and realized that all she had to do was read just one sentence of any comment, and you would change her heart. And that’s what you did. I know this because Mom and I just talked over the phone.  She’s going to go to Anaheim tonight!  She is still a bit uncertain what this is all about, but I believe she’s finally ready to listen. And you made that happen in a way that I feel only family could.

So, since you are family, I wanted to share with you. Because Mom has such a tiny window of time, she plans to head straight from her conference to Main Street Cinema in Disneyland to view “the message.” She expects to be there sometime between 9:00 and 9:30pm. She just purchased her ticket to Disneyland, but she will need a ticket from the Lily Belle to trigger “the message.” Can I count on some of you to meet her at the Main Street Cinema with one of those tickets? Maybe you even join her to help her understand the meaning of everything that has happened.

I know you will all be wonderful to Mom. She’ll be a little out of her element, and she could use all the warm welcomes from friendly optimists she can get. Together, I believe you will be able to convince her what Grandpa was up to and that it was all to build a better future.  For her.  And for all of us.

Thank you. I will never forget what you did for me and my family. Our family.

I need your help. After seeing the amazing things that all of my Twitter friends discovered today at Disneyland, I really think I need to convince Mom to go to Anaheim.  She needs to see it for herself.  I’ve tried calling, texting, and emailing her since before she left, and she hasn’t answered back. Since I’ve been unsuccessful so far, I now believe that I can’t do this alone. Can you all please tell her for me, from your heart, in your words, why everything we’ve found is important? Not just important to us. But to her. Hopefully we can get her to find time to make the trek down to Anaheim before she flies back on Saturday night. Every so often, I’ll email her the link to this post, hoping hoping hoping that she’ll open it. Fingers crossed.

You have no idea how much this will mean to me.

<3

And Mom, if you’re reading this…

There is something YOU have to know. It is important to me to learn more about Grandpa. I also want to share this discovery with you. When I try to share with you what I have learned about Grandpa, I feel sad and confused when you don’t give me the time and space to share. I hope you will hear me out, and I promise to give you the space to respond, or not if you choose. He will always be part of my life, and I thank you for respecting that. If it is important to you that I not talk about him in this way, please tell me.

But FIRST, I need one thing from you. I need you to travel down to Anaheim to go to Disneyland. My friends have uncovered something that will make everything I’ve been trying to tell you clear. So please, please, please. Trust me on this, and get back to me. And if you have any uncertainty, I ask you to read what my dear friends have to say below.

I love you.

-Amelia (with help from my friend Geren…a lot of help)

Wallace’s latest masterpiece.

On August 1, Wallace made his first public appearance at Disneyland to announce the creation of a new work of art. A piece that reveals a project of Walt’s that never saw the light of day and celebrated other great minds that inspired him – Edison Square.

As far as most people know, Walt intended Edison Square to be another land, just off of Main Street, centering on the influence of electricity on America. Along with this seemingly pleasant American neighborhood, three depictions on Wallace’s piece call attention to three separate locations throughout Disneyland.

An illustration of the Mark Twain Riverboat in Disneyland has the following caption: CATCH THE VIEW FROM THE WHEELHOUSE.

An illustration of the PeopleMover track in Tomorrowland has the following caption: BEST ENJOYED FROM ABOVE.

And…

An illustration of a phonograph has the following caption: LOOK BEYOND THE LAMP.

Some of you who made it to Disneyland hopped onto the Mark Twain Riverboat and asked to ride in the wheelhouse. Upon completing the cruise, you then received a certificate, stamped with a specific time and date – 12:00PM SATURDAY, MAY 21, 1932 – the day Amelia Earhart completed her transatlantic flight.

Next, the shapes surrounding the image on the upper right corner of the page reminded a number of you of the Astro Orbiter in Tomorrowland. For those who rode the Astro Orbiter and looked onto the track of the PeopleMover, you found three shapes painted onto the track of the People Mover – a large circle, a large diamond, and another large circle.

Last and certainly not least, most everyone who saw Wallace speak on August 1 were treated to a quick visit to Walt’s Apartment. Wallace depicted the phonograph inside the Main Street apartment on the lower right corner of his Edison Square piece. Once inside, some of you looked beyond just the lamp and noticed a wax phonograph cylinder package with the image of the Eiffel Tower.

Unfortunately, some of you fellow Optimists spent much of the day searching for more clues. Trying to figure out what any of your findings meant. And finding nothing more. Many of you left discouraged, frustrated, confused.

Then this arrived in some of your mailboxes.

A number of you discovered that the link Wallace included – disneycartography.com/es – leads to an animated depiction of Edison Square made by Wallace’s assistant. It’s kind of adorable, if you ask me. BUT… like many things Wallace, there’s more to this depiction of Edison Square than one might first notice.

Each circular frame on the Edison Square map has some sort of arrow that points to one of three specific buildings on the assistant’s depiction of Edison Square. And if you click on one of 3 specific symbols that are somewhat hidden on the corresponding buildings (An anchor, a ringed planet, and a phonograph), you unlock 3 puzzles. The only way to solve the puzzles is to use what some of you discovered in Disneyland – Amelia Earhart’s birthday on the gift certificate; the painted circle, diamond, and circle on the PeopleMover track; and the image of the Eiffel Tower on the wax cylinder package in Walt’s Apartment.

Solving the puzzles unlock animated scenes that reveal what seems to be previously unknown attractions meant for Edison Square. And they look to be inspired by possible society members!

There was one other recent event worth noting that I haven’t yet covered. Wallace hosted a live chat, where he attempted to answer many of your questions. And he confirmed a few things:

• Wallace is a recruiter whose “mission” is to find people “dedicated to building a better tomorrow.”
• A group of “artists, engineers, futurists” worked on and held special demonstrations of top secret technologies.
• He didn’t know my Grandpa but was aware of him.
• His favorite color is sky blue.

Then Wallace patched legendary Imagineer Bob Gurr into the conversation who confirmed the existence of the secret society! Then his connection was abruptly lost and Wallace left the chat.

Anyway, I know there’s a lot for you all to be proud of. AND a lot to look forward to. Especially with everything that many of you are about to experience down in Anaheim, CA. Thinking about those things are good for me. I welcome the distraction.

I wanted Mom to see this so she could understand that Grandpa WAS thinking of her. Maybe even had something planned for her. But this is what happened when I tried to show her:

*Sigh* But this “project” means too much to me. And promising to stay away from Grandpa’s things, and more importantly his life is just something I can’t do. Before I left, though, I did one last thing, just so Mom doesn’t forget that Grandpa loved her. That I love her. And that I’m here for her. No matter what.

Remember those empty frames that Mom had up on our living room wall? This is what they look like now:

I just hope she sees them before she leaves for her conference.  Fingers crossed.

]]> http://storyorbit.fans/a-final-attempt/feed 52 http://storyorbit.fans/telling-it-all http://storyorbit.fans/telling-it-all#comments Thu, 08 Aug 2013 02:19:02 +0000 Amelia http://storyorbit.fans/?p=722 Continue reading →]]> I asked Mom to meet me for pizza after class today, and she was happy to.  It’s a favorite place of ours. And as Megan Tweeted, no one had to do dishes! (Always a plus in my book.)

Anyway, for a while now, I’ve been agonizing over the best way to share everything with Mom. Of course when I finally sat down with her, I blurted everything out. All at once. Just bleh: Michael Lott, Wallace, Walt Disney and his Haunts, Edison Square, The Society, and how I really think they all somehow link back to Grandpa.

Mom stopped me. Leaned across the table. And she said she didn’t know how many times she had to tell me that she doesn’t know anything. Not. A. Thing. And that hearing about Grandpa honestly makes her angry now. Angry that he never talked to her about what he was up to. That he hardly talked to her at all. That everything he did was for work. And that he had the nerve to call it top secret.

I told her I believe that his work WAS top secret, but that he was thinking about her all along. And that I’m not the only one who thinks this.

She gave me a look. Asked me who else I had shared this with. So I told her about all of you, explaining that I didn’t know who to go to with the questions I had about Grandpa. I didn’t know how to make sense of it all. So, I just put it out there in the universe. And the internet universe was good to me, introducing me to good people. Really kind, generous people.

I thought she was angry before. That was nothing. And she didn’t get loud or anything. It was all in the way she said: You promised to leave Grandpa to me. That was personal.  How could you share that with other people? Then she said she couldn’t do this right now. It’s her day off and she has too many things to take care of. She doesn’t have the time.

When I got home, after work, I saw a note from her that she had taken another nurse’s shift tonight. But I haven’t given up. Just the opposite. I’m determined to see this through the end. I want her to know her father. And I still have one more thing I have to show her.

Mom couldn’t believe how mean the people were on the soap opera she was watching. She said everyone seemed like they were out to hurt each other. And I told her that’s why I liked the story Grandpa used to tell. Because it was never about those things you see in soap operas. That’s when we started to discuss his bedtime story. Trying to recall everything that happened. In bits and pieces. Then putting it all together. And this is what we remember:

• There is a little girl named Tamara.
• She lives and works on a farm with her mother and father.
• Tamara talks to them constantly about her wish to explore the world one day.
• One night during a particularly heavy storm, a mysterious visitor knocks on their door.
• Tamara’s mother and father invite the visitor inside for a hot meal and coffee.
• Before the storm ends, her parents share a private conversation with the visitor, and then he leaves.
• That night Tamara has the most amazing dream, with dinosaurs and robots and lights that always glow.
• And every night, the same dream continues from where she had left off.
• And the dream world grows larger and lusher.
• But when she wakes up that first morning, she discovers that her parents can no longer speak.
• They don’t seem alarmed by it. They just continue on as if all were normal.
• And every morning, she finds a new note with the same message from her mother and father: Together, we will make tomorrow beautiful.
• When she returns to the dream world, she tells her new friends her problem. That she needs to find a cure for her parents.
• Tamara’s friends tell her about a king and queen who created the dream world in which they live. That the king and queen will have the answer to her problem.
• Her friends say the king and queen live on the farthest edge of the dream world in a kingdom in the clouds.
• With all of her new friends, Tamara sets out on a quest to find the king and queen.
• She searches all of dream world for them, with interesting new challenges popping up along the way, until she reaches the cloud kingdom.
• But the kingdom is empty.
• Just as she is about to give up, she remembers her parents. She realizes that they were the only ones who could have created this.
• Tamara wakes up.
• She races to tell them what she knows – that they had created the dream world.
• Once again able to speak, they tell Tamara they made it all…for her. But only she could build upon this world they created.
• So Tamara returns to the dream world with her parents. And they continue to build upon it. Together.

I have to say, I had such an awesome time recalling this story with Mom. And she seemed to enjoy herself too. Smiling. Laughing. Often quick to finish my sentences. There’s just something about Grandpa’s story. I’m finally getting the sense that she’s open to facing the other stories in Grandpa’s life. The ones that grow more and more real every day. So, I’m going to start sharing it all with her. First chance I get. Tomorrow.

Grandpa and Mom!

Of course, I’ve happened upon came across other stuff. Tons of it. Newspapers. Science magazines. Books. Grandpa had turned his apartment into a small maze with all of it! I also found some family things, scattered throughout his place. Some birthday and Father’s Day cards that Mom had made for Grandpa. A couple of letters Grandma had sent to him. I even found one of Mom’s science reports, which she had aced. Of course. (Go, Mom!)

But this is the kind of stuff I’ve recently come across. And I’ll be honest, I was pretty sure that I’d found everything I could, regarding Grandpa’s mysterious past. Reading through recent comments, though, Derek compelled me to give one last look. This forced me to revisit things I’d already searched through. Like a random folder I had found a while back, which had slides of Mom and Grandma and Grandpa.

Another random folder. Or is it?

I had set this folder aside to focus on the more puzzling items I had discovered. But when I returned to scan those slides, I noticed a small piece of paper I had somehow missed the first time. I unfolded it and saw this:

At first glance, it’s nothing huge. I mean, I feel like we’ve seen or heard of nearly everything mentioned here – a message from the society, talk of “the City,” the “future,” “tomorrow.” And yes, that darned symbol that keeps popping up when we least expect it to.

What boggles my mind, though, is the last bullet point – Tanya, my mom’s name. With an asterisk! And why had Grandpa lumped this note in with family slides. Yes, he was messy (thanks again, Grandpa, for that lovely gene), but unlike me, there was an order to his disorder. A system to his chaos. But Grandpa wasn’t perfect. Maybe it was an accident. Could it have been?

And because these are just too cute NOT to share – here are some of my favorite pics from the slides I scanned in!

Grandma & Grandpa

Grandpa & Mom!

Mom, being adorable.

Look at that smile!

Mom!

Since our last recap, Mom agreed to sit down for an interview with me.  It was so much fun! She talked about Grandpa being like a big kid in many ways, always dreaming, telling stories, not worrying one bit about responsibilities. Mom and I shared a moment when we realized that the same bedtime story Grandpa used to tell her as a kid was the same story he used to tell me! We enjoyed recalling some interesting details together about this dream world Grandpa dreamt up.

Then the following day, this happened:

Yeah. Wallace released his latest work of art – a map of Walt’s Haunts – and friends from around Southern California immediately set out to investigate. First stop: Chili John’s.

Folks who ordered their chili with “a side of pinto beans to go” got a free can of chili. If they were hungry, it might’ve been a bit disappointing. But if they had an appetite for knowledge, I’m sure they walked away very satisfied, because inside the can was a message from the society – a note about “recruiting tactics.” And apparently there was more than one message, as by my count, people reported finding five different notes!  It sounds like this society was recruiting only the best and the brightest in many disciplines from around the globe.  I wonder: have these cans been there since the 60’s? (If so, probably a good thing there was no chili inside!)

The Carousel at Griffith Park in Los Angeles also appeared on the map.

Walt used to take his own daughters there before he started creating carousels of his own. The map of Walt’s Haunts also included a picture of a horse with a ribbon, and on that ribbon were the words: RIDE THE LAST DARK HORSE.  Our fellow optimists found a dark horse near the center of the carousel, which had a leather belt stamped with seemingly random letters. If you wrapped this belt around the pole, the letters on the belt lined up to spell out this message:

SOCIETY MEMBERS – WE EACH PLAY A ROLE IN BUILDING TOMORROW – REMEMBER OUR GOAL TO FORGE A BRIGHTER PATH FOR THE FUTURE & KEEP THE WORLD GOING ROUND

It seems to be a reminder for members of the society, to keep them on the right path, so to speak. I wonder if the Carousel was a place where they met regularly?  Maybe this was the real reason that Walt was on the bench that day?

Which takes us to our next stop on Wallace’s map: Le Grand Courtyard.  After being led into Club 33 (!!), some of you discovered glassware, each with its own set of initials.

Debra was the first to post whom the initials belong to:

AME = Amelia Mary Earhart
JGV = Jules Gabriel Verne
SLC = Samuel Leghorns Clemens (Mark Twain)
TAE = Thomas Alva Edison
AGE = August Gustav Eiffel
HGW = H.G. Wells
NT = Nicola Tesla
And last but not least, WED = Walter Elias Disney

Ricky first posted on the blog that he believed these were all members of the rumored secret society that we all have been discussing.  It looks like this society had some pretty illustrious roots!

The next destination on Walt’s Haunts brought many of you to Walt’s Barn at the Carolwood Pacific Historical Society.

Along with the “Red Barn” where Walt tinkered with model trains and came up with big ideas, many of you visited the “Combine Car” and found a poster of the Santa Fe & Disneyland Railroad. A note on Wallace’s map revealed a “flash photo opportunity inside.” And when you took a flash photo of the poster inside, “New Orleans Square” and a telegraph sign magically appeared on the poster.

Upon seeing that, a number of you trekked back to Disneyland to record the telegraph message at New Orleans Square, and Ricky deciphered it:

“Welcome society members of 1966 and our new inductee RDB.”

Is RDB referring to Ray Bradbury?  Was he part of this society as well?  Before this was all discovered, I didn’t even realize he knew Walt Disney!  Can you imagine hanging out with that group of brilliant minds?

And then yesterday!  The last stop on Wallace’s map – the Bench.

What an incredible journey from meeting Wallace (I’m so jealous!) to going into Walt’s apartment.  We are still tracking down what it all means, but I feel like we are getting closer to understanding that something very big was going on.   And it wasn’t just Walt and the Imagineers – it seems like they were part of some society that stretched across the globe.  For quite some time.  But how can we confirm that?  What was it they were all working on?  And how in the world did grandpa fit in?  It’s almost like we need to find someone who had an inside scoop.

This is so much fun to uncover with all of you, my fellow optimists.  I feel like we are on the verge of putting it all together.

I keep thinking of that as I’ve been watching all of you for the past week.  You all are amazing at working together.  And today was a perfect example.

As all of you know, we have been eagerly awaiting the final location on Wallace’s Walt’s Haunts map – the Bench!

The bench where it all began!

I was so excited to see where this iconic bench would lead today. I will let my fellow optimists share their journey.  I know Grandpa would be so proud of everything we are discovering – together.

I, for one, am doing cartwheels!

]]> http://storyorbit.fans/it-all-started-with-a-bench/feed 79 http://storyorbit.fans/on-the-right-track http://storyorbit.fans/on-the-right-track#comments Wed, 31 Jul 2013 02:41:12 +0000 Amelia http://storyorbit.fans/?p=564 Continue reading →]]> I’ve mentioned Grandpa’s apartment above the family garage before. He spent a lot of time up there, his fingers clacking away on his typewriter. And it was more than just a living space for him. It was a sanctuary where he got to do what he loved most, writing stories.

Seeing Wallace’s latest map compelled me to do some research on Walt over the weekend. And I discovered he had a similar sanctuary of his own – Carolwood Barn. In that barn, he worked on miniature trains and his own personal miniature railroad – the Carolwood Pacific Railroad. He also hung out with friends and came up with new ideas for projects. Many even refer to Carolwood Barn as the birthplace of Walt Disney Imagineering. Pretty awesome, right?

great photo, @JeremiahDaws!

Which is probably why many of you quickly made plans to visit that historic “Red Barn” as well as an original Disneyland “Combine Car” at the Carolwood Pacific Historical Society. The first chance to visit came this past Sunday, when it opened for a few hours. And the tracks you found there led far from Carolwood Barn.

After reading up on Walt Disney over the weekend, it seems he had a similar appreciation for carousels. He also enjoyed taking his daughters to Griffith Park, out in Los Angeles, to ride the merry-go-round, which inspired him to create a theme park of his own. And we all know what happened after that.

As if that weren’t enough, many of you recently decided to check out this carousel after it showed up on Wallace’s map of Walt’s Haunts. Some of you discovered a special horse as well, with an intriguing clue. A clue that makes me question whether or not the carousel was used to do more than entertain and amuse. In your own words and pictures, here’s how all of you found it.

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