Neverland Ranch Pictures

Those lazy, crazy days of summer

June always starts off with a lot of celebrations here in the Valley. Graduations plus Old Santa Ynez Day launch the summertime for us and away we go.

This year Old Santa Ynez Day was a stand-out. Mike Carricaburu and his committee surpassed themselves in assembling vendors with tantalizing merchandise. One booth actually had real jellyfish that light up in the dark as they appear in the ocean!

Photographer Phillip Gerlach’s photos, Gerry Dunn’s realistic drawings and the beautiful gourd creations by Tammy at Fat Pony Design were some of the other highlights.

The parade was a delight with beloved local people expressing their joie de vivre. Helmut and Doris Holzheu were the grand marshals driven in an antique extension top carriage by John Crockett, drawn by Annie and Honey, two mules owned by Otis Calef. There was Fred Chamberlin with his “ménage de trois” — driving three in hand. Riding shotgun was Rocco Roberts with a wagon bed full of his grandkids, Lisa, Aidan, Lily, Lonnie and Lane LaSalle.

“We are in the parade to advertise the Chamberlin Ranch,” said Fred, joking that “we do weddings, parties, funerals, bar mitzvahs, circumcisions and high colonics.”

Then along came Else Wolff driving her pair of miniature horses; The Bermans brought those charmers Deanie and Pearl, with Steve driving, and Emily rode her new red mule Ruby. Then we heard quite a commotion and it was Royal, the official parade turkey, scolding the tractors for being too noisy. Royal and her owner, Coleen Hefley, ended up in the parade just a short distance in front of a local animal rescue group with a wolf on a leash. Oh! Oh! But no worries, Royal took it all in stride, after all, he has his own autobiography for sale at the Book Loft. 

 Art Lacerte may have had the cutest of all carriages —  a wine red and black Gentleman’s Jack Trap from the 1800s, with a rear compartment for the Beagles.  He drove his geriatric Morgan mare who has such nice manners. Lisa Walters, the Valley’s contestant for America’s Favorite Trail Horse Competition rode by. Then came Linda Marchi  from the miniature donkey farm diving Hanna to a fine little surrey that they had purchased from Michael Jackson’s Neverland Valley Ranch. Daughter Hannah led a flower bedecked Blaze Star.

 Next, Curt Taylor’s Traveling Interactive Farm marched along with various miniature animals plus a beautiful black ewe with her little lambs. They will come to your party. Hayley and Paige Taylor, Juisa and Taylor Blair accompanied them.  Brent and Jeff’s Flooring had a truck load of McClurg grandkids. Vern and Kay McWilliams had a wagon full of senior folks from Buellton. He once took them through the drive-thru at McDonalds! Hitched to the wagon were Thelma and Louise but luckily they didn’t drive over the cliff.

Larry Nimmer's Recent visit ( June 17, 2011) to Neverland Ranch (Pics)

Yesterday, I was guest of Sébastien Brassard Simard at Neverland Ranch for a tour and lunch. Sebastien is a MJ fan from Quebec and he (along with his guest, me) was invited by Tom Barrack, the owner of the Ranch. Barrack reached out to Sebastian, after receiving communications from him. In this photo, Sebastien and I are below Michael's "Giving Tree". I found the estate to be well maintained with some things restored to their old glory. Part of the interior decorative gate has been reinstalled, many of the statues are back on the grounds, the train station is beautiful, and there were some animals in the zoo. Apparently the staff are giving some sick animals a home. I have a few more photos posted on the "Being Mike-like" group page. I offer my thanks to Tom Barrack, and the kind staff at Neverland Ranch. Some of the staff have worked their for years and had fond memories of Michael... they were very Mike-like... gracious, modest, effective and kind. And thanks to Sebastien, it was fun seeing Neverland through his eyes and hanging with him. His parents left him when he was a year old and he was raised on Michael Jackson music and stories. He learned English to understand Michael's words and he has made a study of Neverland. In fact, the ranch manager said that he should give tours of Neverland as he knew about everything, and it's exact location.

Michael Jackson, Backdoor to Neverland, Exposing the King of Pop's Secret Mindsets

Michael Jackson Master of Illusion

Paparazzi, and our obsession with celebrity

Sideways in Neverland, Life in the Santa Ynez Valley, California

Jet