Tiny Double X

Last week we took a four day trip to Disneyland. Three of those four days my favorite ride, the Mad Tea Party, was down for what cast members called “long overdue maintenance.” The one day it was up and running we made a beeline for the spinning teacups. Noon was still a few hours away, but it was already 98 degrees in the shade. So we were more than a little startled to see the ride’s operator was wearing one of the long Fantasyland overcoats normally reserved for January or February. We asked him about it, and he smiled and said, “No sun on me!” At the time I’d thought that he was either simple minded or just plain crazy. But that evening, as I was spreading aloe vera gel on my bright red neck and arms, I began to wonder if we hadn’t witnessed pure genius.