I have a lot of old photos. And, for the most part, they are pretty well organized. Quite a few of them are photos of the Happiest Place on Earth. And I am thankful for each and every one of them.

Bear in mind, I am not just talking about IMAGES here. No, I mean those old-fashioned, hold in your hand, tuck in a drawer, slip into an album, printed-on-specially-coated-paper PHOTOGRAPHS. Not that there’s anything wrong with digital images. I have taken tens of thousands of those. But there is a special place in my heart (and collection) for printed photographs.

My collection includes not just the hundreds of photos I have taken over the years. It includes any number that I have purchased at yard sales, flea markets, and estate sales, as well. According to a catchy song written by the Sherman Brothers, taking pictures is “makin’ memories.” And even if they are not my memories, I am still happy to have those pictures.

One I treasure in particular was taken by my dad, just as my mother and I were about to step through the entry gate at the front of Disneyland. It was my very first visit, and one that had been much anticipated. It’s not a great picture of the park, but it is a great picture that captures a moment in time.

Even other people’s photos that don’t capture a great moment can be… cautionary? As in, it was never a good idea to use flash when trying to take photos (capture moments?) of Primeval World.

And then there are the ones that transcend the mundane and let you look at something familiar in a whole new way. Two photos of the fondly remembered Skyway passing through the Matterhorn can be… quite ordinary, or… quite amazing. Anybody (and it seems nearly everybody) has a shot of the approach to the Matterhorn. But someone (not me) thought to take one just as the car was about to head out. What an evocative shot, surrounded by the icy grotto inside the mountain, with a glimpse ahead of the sun-dappled roofs of Fantasyland.

Every time I look at a new photo or share an old one, I am thankful for each and every one of these “little pieces of time.”