Yes, that's traffic as far as they eye can see. And for no reason, other than the fact there are just too many people trying to go to the Gray exit.

Sad.

Have you ever seen the hidden arrow between the "E" and the "x"? (I filled it in with orange below):

Joe came to Disney in 1933 to design celebrity caricatures for "Mickey's Premiere". He stayed on to create the Character Model Department, ultimately okaying the look and feel of every character to come out of the studio. He personally designed the witch from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs - the first animated feature film. It was released almost seventy years ago.

"Animation Legend" doesn't fit Joe. He was a legend fifty years ago. In the 1990s and 2000s he was a living animation God. Recently books and movies have been made about Walt's "Nine Old Men" - some of the core animators from the 1930s through the 1960s. But there were nine of them. There was only one Joe Grant. And up until very recently he was still going, too, five days a week at the studio (driving himself, no less) coming up with new gags and ideas. He thought up with the story for Lorenzo, which was up for an Academy Award two months ago!

Joe actually left Disney in 1949 after some kind of fight with Walt, but not before coming up with and writing most of Lady and the Tramp. He returned in the 1990s to help on Beauty and the Beast up through to this fall's Chicken Little.

In my several short years at Disney I wouldn't say that I knew Joe well. I helped him pin storyboards and make photocopies, you know, general PA work. I copied more lightbulbs and candles for him and his "Candle Power" idea that never made it anywhere. I'm sure by now is part of the Animation Research Library. It's sad that will never see the light of day. (Excuse the bad pun).

I was always so very in awe of him. Why, I don't know, he was just a friendly old man. Maybe because he knew Walt, but more than that he was one of the few people to defy Walt and not give in. Animator Ub Iwerks left Disney in 1929 but returned in 1940. Roy O. Disney (Walt's brother) reportedly spent almost a year not speaking with his brother, all the while co-running the company with him. Story artist Bill Peet left Disney in 1964, but he was a bit of a rabble-rouser, and he didn't really have time to go back to Walt before Disney passed away in December of 1965.

But Joe - Joe left. Started illustrating books and cards and made a whole new career.

The thing is, Joe always struck me as such a nice guy. I figured probably Walt was being an asshole and Joe took off but didn't make a big deal about it. And then, when invited, jumped at the chance to return to Disney - forty years after leaving! Joe was always grandfatherly to the artists, a kind of resident guru. Some of the recent executives seemed to treat him like an old fogie. I'm sure part of that was because they were idiots, but also I would assume part of their motive was to not validate this animation God that every single one of the artists so revered.

There was one day last January or February after Finding Nemo was huge and the Pixar guys (who also looked up to Joe) had sent him tons of Nemo toys and books and swag. I was in his office dropping off some copies or a book or something. Among the bobbles was a wooden apple from Disneyland. I asked him what it was. Disneyland was opening a new stage show based on Snow White - and this was the invitation to a pre-opening party. I said, trying to hold back my awe as he handed me this wooden apple, "Joe, didn't you work on that movie?"

He laughed, "Yes. And there aren't too many of us left who did."

And now, sadly, there's one fewer.

When I was a few hundred yards away I figured out it was on the east side of the street, and we're on the west side. (Westsiiiide!)

I thought it was the little Morning Glory Diner across the street, but it turns out it was the former Bridgton Lobster Pound - yes, the competition of our family's Naples Lobster Pound. Not that my family owns it anymore, but they did, and well, this place used to be the competition. Now? Just rubble.

Seems someone new bought the place, and had the fire department burn it down - for training. It was pretty scary for a minute there, though ...