Canadian Buffoon's DISmeet vacation - 09/14 - Bowled Over

[juniorbugman]

So I hope that you enjoyed reading the Art of Racing in the Rain because they are making it into a movie. Patrick Dempsey (of Grays Anatomy fame) so loved the book when he read it that he bought the rights to it and is currently filming the movie at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park (formerly known as Mosport) outside of Toronto.

Patrick Dempsey is in Bowmanville this weekend for the Mobil 1 Sports Car Grand Prix and for the shooting of his new movie, The Art of Racing in The Rain.
“The little bit of racing that we have in it, we have some archival footage in it, and this stuff at the track, so we’re trying to be as true to life as possible,” said Dempsey, who acts as the film’s producer.
Canada’s largest sports car race of the year, happening from July 5 to 8 at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, is being used as a backdrop for various scenes in the movie.
“Certainly the book is so beloved and so moving that we are a week out from racing, and hopefully we’ll have a release date out soon,” said Dempsey.
The producers of the film say there is nothing quite like shooting scenes in a true environment, because the energy, the sets, and the drivers are real.
The Art of Racing in the Rain is expected to be released sometime in 2019.

 

[pkondz]

So I hope that you enjoyed reading the Art of Racing in the Rain because they are making it into a movie. Patrick Dempsey (of Grays Anatomy fame) so loved the book when he read it that he bought the rights to it and is currently filming the movie at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park (formerly known as Mosport) outside of Toronto.

Really!
Well, that's one that I gotta see.

 

[franandaj]

Dang you got in another update before I had a chance to reply. Your TR was next on my list!

Now that race weekend
is officially in the books,
there's absolutely nothing
left to do in Los Angeles.
Zip. Nada. Nil.

You are 100% correct. Nothing at all to do here.

Some sort of...
theme park.

Actually there are quite a few in the area and if you count San Diego area even more.

But I'm here now, and...
what is that???
I pointed it out to Liesa.
I mean, she used to work here.

Yeah but I believe that's when DCA was still a parking lot.

We looked at the ground,
then we looked up
and passed underneath this:

I pass underneath that every day. Well at least days when I leave my house.

Are you sure it can't wait, because...

"COFFEE!!!!"


So anyway, I thought we might
stop in case anyone wanted
a coffee or something.

I need coffee before i even enter the park!

The tiny castle:

Oh hush, it's a perfectly fine castle, not that towering monstrosity.

Libations in hand, we headed
to the best ride in Disney.
Some of you may disagree.
You may think Guardians,
or Radiator Springs Racers
is better. Or perhaps you're an
old school Peter Pan or Pirates fan.

Well, you're wrong.
HM is the best ride.

Well I'll give you that Haunted Mansion is the best ride, but half the year it has the Nightmare Before Christmas overlay which has become tiring for me.

I know we did Pirates next...
and since it's far superior
to the MK version,
I put my camera away and
just enjoyed it.

That's right it was still open when you were here. I have yet to see the new version with the new Red Head.

For whatever reason,
possibly because none of us
had done it?
(I certainly hadn't.)
We decided to take a spin
on the Mark Twain.

I need to do that!

I did take one more photo.
I got a kick out of this:

If only just for that.

You disembark.
Is this a throwback
to when ships were all
wood construction?
Or when dogs ruled
the seas?

You see this is a pet peeve of mine. You disembark from a ship, but Disney has been coined a new term "debark" which sounds stupid to me.

They announced that the ride was down.
Again.
And as far as I know...
it stayed down for the rest of the day.

Always a problem when a ride undergoes a refurb.

I didn't want to go, since I'd seen what
the beavers had been up to,
but my male ego couldn't let the ladies
show me up.

Oh come on, it's Disney, you're safe!

At one point, the train
passes an indoor diorama.
I took photos... and none
turned out.
I'd need my better camera,
my fast lens and a high ISO.)

I'm still trying to master it!

Dang, that's some mighty
fine fried chicken!

Yes it is and I need to have some again soon.

 

[franandaj]

Shout outs later.
Off to the beach with
Mom, Dad and my sister.

Must have been a long trip. How many beaches are near the Peg?

I'd hoped to get another
update up before I leave
on a much needed vacation
but I highly doubt
that's gonna happen.

Surprise!

I skedaddle early
Monday morning
and doubt I'll be on
much if at all
until I get back
about 10 days later.

Where ya goin'?

If memory serves...
Who am I kidding,
I have no clue what we did
when we got there.
I think we went to the Hyperion next.
But maybe we did something else first?

No we didn't do anything else, we barely made it to the show before the doors opened.

They even pumped fumes
from sliced onions into the air
to make your eyes water!

Being a man, I'm quite sure
that the story had nothing
to do with the waterworks.

I noticed that at least Liesa and Alison
also were affected.
So you can ask them.

Onions, right?

Pssshaaaw! I can't watch that show without bursting out into tears, that's why I brought extra napkins from lunch.

Fun ride!
While I absolutely do not
want them to touch TOT
in DHS...
This one was really good.

I agree with you. I really like TOT at DHS, but this one was kind of meh. The whole part where your car moves out into the hallway wasn't possible with the amount of land that they had available, but I really like this storyline for this incarnation of the ride.

But the ladies
(only Alison and Liesa.
Kari skipped it in favour
of RSR.)
seemed to be pretty pumped.

Of course we were! Didn't we get Steppenwolf

Kari was on an unbeaten streak,
but she'd never ridden with the
rest of us before.
We brought her back down to Earth.

Yeah... we lost.

Fran has a theory that the heavier car wins. Notice we had an empty seat....

Coming up:
Back to the road trip!
(You forgot, didn't you?)

Nope, but I did forget where you left off other than Key Lime Pie.

And... did you see it?
Did you see both of them?

Yes, I did. My favorite breakfast and I hope he escaped in the breakout!

 

[SoccerDogWithEars]

Ok. So I got on my laptop today and thought it was time to actually reply. And figured, "eh, I can probably squeeze replies to two posts." Only to login and see a NEW post. So here are 3 posts of replies all in one. (Don't say I never do anything for you)

So.... which one do you pick?

Crap. I don't remember what this pertained to. Oh well, next quote.

It may sound a bit stressful,
but actually, we were having fun.
There was a lot of laughing.

This is my mom and I when we travel together. Generally complete insanity inside the car but we're laughing too.

Here's the recipe:

Ok, I read it. Recognized about 3 things. I don't do mixed drinks. We always just stick to beer and wine. The last time I went to the ABC store I felt really bold and adventurous....to come home and realize I'd bought 3 different types of the same liqueur


This looks delicious. I love seafood boils. The only problem is, my husband may or may not have a slight allergy to shellfish, so........not really something I can order a lot.

Alison suggested we order
the "famous" strawberry rhubarb cake.

Ok, what exactly is a rhubarb? To be honest I've never had one/seen one.

I'm sure for you, it's the
equivalent of watching
paint drying.

Not for me!

If you ever want to see
an Indy race, the purchase
of a paddock pass is a fun
(if moderately pricey) investment.

Yes!!!!! I may have told you this story when you were here, but just in case I didn't:
We decided to splurge on the Bronze Badge when we went to the 100th Indy 500. It was a bit of a steep cost, but we remembered sadly standing outside the fence looking longingly inside the last 500 we went to when we didn't have the badge. So our first day at the track we flash our spiffy pins, walk into the garage area, and notice an older, no longer active driver with a small crowd around him (clearly very memorable, as I have no idea who it was.) Mom and I are kind of off to the side and a golf cart pulls up behind us. Mario Andretti gets off. I'm smacking her, she's smacking my dad, and we sort of quietly sidle up, and I ask for a selfie.

You can watch mechanics
working on the cars
if you're so inclined.

This was Joe's favorite part. Funnily enough, we watched one crew member out in the hot sun doing nothing but replacing the right rear tire. He'd literally put one on, wait a second, take it off and put the one beside him on, then repeat with the tire he'd just removed. We joked that he must have been the backup crew member called in that day. Fast forward to race day, and guess which tire comes off the car. Don't think he's a crew member anymore.

This one belongs to another
favourite driver.
(James Hinchcliffe)

HINCH!!!!!!!! He's my mom's favorite, and definitely in my top 10.

I'll admit....
it was really cool!
Highlight for me.

Sounds cool! And you know that little boy will remember that for years.

This is Josef Newgarden's car.

Definitely in my top 5. Such a cutie

I did spot my favourite driver.
(Who unfortunately, due to age
I believe, isn't doing as well now
on a less well-funded team
(i.e. less competitive.))

I'll admit, I go back and forth with TK. I used to really like him, then I felt he got kind of arrogant. I don't dislike him the way I do Will Power or Sato. And man, gotta hate a sport where 40 is essentially too old.

I had joined several others
seated on the grass and was
quite content to watch as the
Firestone Tire mascot fired
T-shirts into the crowd.

Stupid Firehawk Back when Indy raced in Richmond we'd go, and there was one race where he consistently ignored our sides of the stand. The guy behind us said "I'm not playing anymore" and sat down. We have very strong feelings of dislike towards him.

Just out of curiosity?
How many of you just
actually shuddered?

Not me!!!!!

And I couldn't figure out what I was looking at!

Even I know it was Grizzly Peak. But we spent a lot of time in California Adventure when we went in 2016.

I love this saying. I have a shirt with it on there.

Are you sure it can't wait, because...

"COFFEE!!!!"

I have definitely had my share of Disney mornings like this. Coffees an easy fix. It was the one morning I was fixating on a cheese danish that proved to be problematic...

The tiny castle:

It is small, isn't it? I remember walking in after preparing Joe that it was much smaller, and he asks "Does it get bigger when we get closer?"

I'm an amazingly generous
human being and probably
deserve saint-hood.

You really are. I don't share Dole Whips. Not even with Joe. He can get his own.

HM is the best ride.

No. Absolutely not.

I know we did Pirates next...
and since it's far superior
to the MK version,
I put my camera away and
just enjoyed it.

Joe enjoyed the DL version so much I think we rode it 6 times? I think I napped on the last one.

Having never done this before,
I was pleasantly surprised
at how much I enjoyed
sitting back and watching
the scenery glide by.

We didn't do the Riverboat, but we did do the canoes and still comment on how it was one of our favorite experiences.

I have a few photos like this. Generally either Joe or my dad are the culprit. Mom knows better and just stays out of our way.

I'd had one in MK and hadn't
been impressed.
So I passed on it and left it
to them.

But I've since learned that the
DL versions are far superior.

Meh. We're not churro fans. Had one at DL because it seemed like the thing to do, and I think we did end up throwing some of it away.

Afterwards, with full tummies,
what better way to digest
than to go on a very herky jerky
Indiana Jones Adventure?

Oh man. I almost died on that ride. I was on the outside, and I remember feeling like I was literally going to fly out of the vehicle. I thought it was just me and the fact I prefer inside seats, until Joe reached out and put his arm around my shoulders to anchor me in.

And... did you see it?

I had this time!!!!

And if you have no idea
what I'm talking about...
Consider yourselves lucky.

Ugh. I despised that show. And my ex-boyfriend liked it. I think I generally read if he wanted to watch it.

I think we went to the Hyperion next.

We were lucky and were there the very last weekend Aladdin was playing. We caught it on our first day and absolutely loved it. Talked about wanting to see it on its last showing. At park opening, the line to get a showing assigned (because there were so many people) wrapped from the theatre, around the Hollywood studios area, back to the entrance of the park and started to double around. We decided once was enough.

Yeah... we lost.

I think we lost every time we rode.

Did you really redneck ride photo?

We found a spot and claimed it
for our own.

Erg. Bad memories. We shuffled to I think four different places trying to get a decent view, and then right before the parade started had a guy with a kid on his shoulders on one side, and then an iPad photographer on the other. I watched through about 4 square inches of space. I told Joe I'd love to go back and actually see the parade.

Back to the road trip!
(You forgot, didn't you?)

Nope! Not gonna lie, anxiously awaiting when you get to NC.

And... did you see it?
Did you see both of them?

Only saw one this time.

 

[Chrystmasangel]

Welcome back!

Thanks. Nice to have time to be back.

Will the online classes be a bit easier?
Or will the fact that they're online
make them more difficult?

Online classes are easier. The only hard part is the quizzes/exams are timed and there's no instructor there if you run out of time to say "OK, take a few more minutes" like they tend to do in the actual classes on campus. Once your out of time, your out. I do get a 25% online time increase due to my limitations of using computers during flares from my RA, so that makes it a bit easier for me. Overall, though, they are just reading, doing online homework, quizzes, and exams. Easy Peasy.

Any ideas on where else
you'd like to go other than Disney?

The kids want to spend a day or two at universal, but having issues justifying $1000/$1600 for 6 one day/two day park to park tickets cause we have to be able to ride Hogwarts Express. Then my daughter asked if we could go to the beach for a couple of days, so was thinking about going to Daytona for 2-3 days. The first time we took the kids south, we took them to the Ponce Inlet Lighthouse. She keeps seeing pictures from it, but can't remember it (she was 7 then) and wants to go back. Then my son keeps hinting about doing the Pirates Dinner Adventure in Orlando. We did Midevil Times Dinner show on that same trip when they were little, but again, he doesn't remember it (he was 5)and so when he saw the pictures, he went searching online and found the Pirate themed one he wants to go to. If I can pull myself from Disney, we may do a week at Disney, then a week at Daytona and drive back into Orlando for Universal/dinner show. The price we save on the hotel alone not staying at Disney that 2nd week and eating food there, we can probably almost pay for the other things they want to do. Oh, we were considering the Space Center too. The kids have never been there and I have not been there for about 16 years. We were also considering a land and sea package with Disney. My husband and kids have never been on a cruise. I have, but it's been 24 years ago on a tiny cruise ship called "The Dolphin" with a cruise line called "Dolphin Cruise line"

 

[pkondz]

Shout outs are going to have to wait
until I get back.
I might be able to check in from the road.
But kinda doubting it.

Be nice to each other while I'm gone.

See you on the flip side!

 

[MHSweb79]

Just got caught up, it’s been awhile since my last visit. I know Pkondz is away for a bit, but I am having hand surgery this week and probably won’t be keyboarding for a few weeks.

We used our AP’s for a quick trip to the World the week before Toy Story land opened. Booking semi-last minute really makes getting good FP’s a challenge! Also, I sprained my hamstring BADLY (or goodly, depending on how you look at it) 4 days before our flight, which made things a bit dicey.

My most memorable moment was when we got up super early to make it to the front of the crowd on an EMH morning at MK so Bill could get on Mine Train, since of course no amount of refreshing could get him a FP. We were to meet at Peter Pan so I ambled (no sashaying with a pulled hamstring, that would be something John Cleese would have to try) over to PhilharMagic. I headed in and the CM at the entrance asked me if I was sure I really wanted to go in, instead of riding something else. I explained that I was killing time and yes, I was sure. He said something into his walkie and led me in to get my oprey glasses. I was completely alone! The doors opened and I went to choose my seat. Goofy kept telling me to move all the way to the end but I said, dang, this time I’M going to be a middleplopper and so I was. It was pretty cool having the theater to myself! Also cool (or weird) was that while Goofy is telling to to find your seat, there are fake crowd noises as well. I know I wasn’t making them!

When I got out Bill was standing there waiting for me at the exit. Mine Train was down so we got up early just so I could have my private showing! He had asked to go in but the show had already started and they couldn’t disturb the audience. Lol

Someday we’ll get to Disneyland. DD went with the HS band many years ago and has wanted to go back ever since. She also loves Cars and can’t wait to see Radiator Springs. No cheap flights from Providence, though, like we can get to Orlando so it’ll have to wait I guess.

 

[Pluto0809]

Not that Adventure Time.

Tried watching that one once. I don't think I'll ever be the same again.

Frozen Alive,
a tale of horror and survival...

Ugh, another one we missed while out there.

Guardians.

I'm sensing a theme here. This one was in the transition process when we were there. All we saw was a lovely brown scrim around the whole ride.

She came back looking like this:

I laugh but I would have probably done the same thing. When we first moved to GA from PA we used to laugh at the people wearing coats in 70 degree weather. But the longer we live here, the thinner our blood gets and now I'm the one wearing the coat. I freeze when I go back up to PA to visit even in the summer!

Paint the Night

Yep, theme continued, this one wasn't running while we were there, it was the MSEP which we skipped since we'd see it so many times at WDW.

And... did you see it?
Did you see both of them?

I saw Marvin in quite a bind right away but I had to go back a second time before I found the second one.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

I'm back. Now slowly catching up on everyone's TR's.

Oh, wait... there's this one thing:

Some sort of...
theme park.

Sounds boring.

People should automatically
move aside when I approach.
It's just something that needs
to happen.
Don't you agree??

Don't put on any deodorant in the morning. Then it'll happen naturally.

Well, to be fair,
I still (after two visits!)
have yet to see this!

Sounds like you need a better trip planner!

Well.... Disneyland doesn't feel
quite as "home" as Disneyworld...

But it is growing on me!

I agree with both sentiments.

Right away, (at least this is how I feel)
you're transported into an idyllic
Everytown, circa 1950.
Where everybody knows your name
and they're always glad you came...

(Wait... that's Cheers.
Still... the sentiment applies.)

Right. And now that song is stuck in my head.

(one of my all-time favorite shows)

And no one has a care in the world.
(And then they charge you
twelve bucks for a Coke.)

"coffee."

What's that?

"coffee."

You want coffee, Liesa?

"coffee."

Well, we're in Disney and
we really should get...

"Coffee."

How about we find Kari and...

"Coffee."

... maybe get the jump on some rides...

"Coffee."

I'm sensing you want coffee, first?

"Coffee!"

Are you sure it can't wait, because...

"COFFEE!!!!"

Not sure what her problem was. Maybe she needed something to eat?

A saunter is something that
almost anyone can do.
A true sashay takes years
of dedication and practice
and few master.

What about the running-start-battering-ram-straight-into-a-locked-door?

And when Liesa pointed out
that there was a grand total
of two people in line for Dole whips...

When in Adventureland....

I must admit, that while my
heart belongs to the MK version,
I do like the grounds at DL.
Nice variety and change
from what I'm more accustomed to.

I really like the fact that there are so many differences between the parks. It would be boring if they were carbon copies.

I know we did Pirates next...
and since it's far superior
to the MK version,
I put my camera away and
just enjoyed it.

I think most of the rides at DL are better than their WDW counterparts.

Mark Twain is, as you may know,
a pen name for Samuel Clemens.
He picked the name from
steamboat vernacular.
A crewman would lower a Marked
rope (marked in fathoms or six-foot intervals)
into the water and if the
water was deep or deeper than
the second mark, or Twain mark,
that meant it was deep enough
and safe enough for the ship.
The crewman would call out
"Mark Twain!"
The captain would know
they were safe.
And thus endeth the educational
component of this chapter.

I actually did know that one! I guess something stuck from English class years ago.

Another thing I've never done.
In either park.
Tom Sawyer Island.
Of course now that the paintbrush
is a thing of the past,
it should be a bit less crowded.

I hate that those little magic touches keep disappearing from the parks. That's what makes Disney a cut above.

Anyway, my kids have always enjoyed visiting Tom Sawyer Island.

Oooohhh... close!
And bonus! It's on the bridge!
Now! Now! Perfect shot coming up!

Liesa!!!!!

Mostly though, I just relaxed
and watched the world go by.
I did take one more photo.
I got a kick out of this:

That's awesome! I think that goes straight into my Top 5 Favorite Imagineering Details. Now I have to think about what the other 4 would be.

You deplane,
but don't deboat.
You disembark.
Is this a throwback
to when ships were all
wood construction?
Or when dogs ruled
the seas?



Just a theory.

I dunno. Why are packages on cars called "shipments" and packages on ships called "cargo"?

A reason to go back!

And yet another reason to go back!

There are an awful lot of those piling up. Who planned this trip, anyway?

I find it odd that Disney
would encourage this.
Don't you?

Hmmm...
I guess what they're really
doing is encouraging you
to buy more.

There it is. There's always a profit angle.

I wonder how many men have died
over the centuries because
they were too proud (aka: stupid)
to just say "Nope!"

I'm gonna say...all of them.

The next two photos show something
that Alison pointed out to me.
For as long as there have been
trains at Disney...
they've always turned right.
When they expanded DL,
they had to make
the train go around it.
This marked the first time
that the train turned left.

I think I read about this when it opened back up. Sounded like there were a lot of Disney parks geeks who were lining up to be the first to experience the left turn. That's a little too obsessive for me.

And we all had to
do what Liesa wanted,
whether we wanted to or not.

Was she wearing her crown?

Dang, that's some mighty
fine fried chicken!

Afterwards, with full tummies,
what better way to digest
than to go on a very herky jerky
Indiana Jones Adventure?

And there's my reason to go back.

And... did you see it?

No. Not that Adventure Time.
And if you have no idea
what I'm talking about...
Consider yourselves lucky.
And to be honest...
I don't really, either.
I just know Kay used
to watch that when she
was about the size
of a football.

No idea what that is. Probably not going to find out.

We made the grueling,
arduous trek from Disneyland,
eventually arriving at our destination.

That was what, 10 minutes?

Look at that sky!
Beautiful blue!
Little puffy clouds!

Wait a second.......


LIES!!!!

That must look weird in a rain storm.

I found the perfect seat
and sat down.
Kari told me to move,
so I slid down one spot.
Still, pretty perfect.
Alison told me I was in her seat,
so I slid down one more.
Not the best seat
(or second best)
in the house, but it'll do.
Liesa told me to get my
butt out of her seat
and I found myself
relegated to the cheap seats.

These ladies don't fool around!

Also, you're a husband, so you're naturally expected to be the low man on the totem pole.

The show
(Frozen Alive,
a tale of horror and survival...
or something like that)
was very well done.

Was that about the airplane survivors who resorted to cannibalism?

They even pumped fumes
from sliced onions into the air
to make your eyes water!

Being a man, I'm quite sure
that the story had nothing
to do with the waterworks.

I noticed that at least Liesa and Alison
also were affected.
So you can ask them.

Onions, right?

Right.

I always thought it was dust and allergens that got kicked up by the A/C.

Fun ride!
While I absolutely do not
want them to touch TOT
in DHS...
This one was really good.

My feelings on big drops aside, I would like ToT in WDW to stay, too. The effects on that one were just so good.

Dang, I love this ride.
Kari was on an unbeaten streak,
but she'd never ridden with the
rest of us before.
We brought her back down to Earth.

Yeah... we lost.

I would say I'm surprised, but...

I may have sadly shaken
my head at her.
She couldn't shake her head back.

Like the kid in A Christmas Story.

And with that, my Disney time was over.
I said my sad goodbyes to my friends,
and we parted ways.

Always a pleasure to see you two,
Alison and Liesa.

Glad you've all had so many chances to get together and hang out!

The next day was travel day.
I did have a bit of time to
grab a few more poker chips,
bringing my total for the trip
up to seven.

Nice work!

Coming up:
Back to the road trip!
(You forgot, didn't you?)

Um...no, of course not.

And... did you see it?
Did you see both of them?

I just hope you start seeing some of those breakfast profits soon. And that poor Marvin can catch a break.

 

[chunkymonkey]

I found the perfect seat
and sat down.
Kari told me to move,
so I slid down one spot.
Still, pretty perfect.
Alison told me I was in her seat,
so I slid down one more.
Not the best seat
(or second best)
in the house, but it'll do.
Liesa told me to get my
butt out of her seat
and I found myself
relegated to the cheap seats.

You should have just sat in the back at the corner in the first place!

The show
(Frozen Alive,
a tale of horror and survival...
or something like that)
was very well done.
I really enjoyed it.
I'm not sure if I enjoyed
the theatrics or the theater more.
The staging was really well done.
They even pumped fumes
from sliced onions into the air
to make your eyes water!

I saw Frozen on Broadway last night! If you think the DCA one is good...the Broadway version is amazing. And I am not even into Frozen anymore!

But the ladies
(only Alison and Liesa.
Kari skipped it in favour
of RSR.)
seemed to be pretty pumped.

Cool picture!
Although I'd be with Kari and head on RSR.
I don't like falling!

We found a spot for a bite
and settled in to eat and chat.
Before we knew it,
time had marched on
and Kari had to leave.

It was really nice meeting you, Kari!

Kari is the sweetest! I hope we get to meet up again.

Our remaining trio made our
way to find spots for Paint the Night parade.
We found a spot and claimed it
for our own.
It was a bit cool so Liesa went off
to find something a bit warmer.
She came back looking like this:

Wow Disney does Eskimo wear!

The next day was travel day.
I did have a bit of time to
grab a few more poker chips,
bringing my total for the trip
up to seven.

Nice!

And... did you see it?
Did you see both of them?

I only saw one!

I suck at this game!

 

[CyndiLouWho]

And... did you see it?
Did you see both of them?

Yep. Not sure how the little guy got way up there.

 

[Kiotzu]

Speaking of which...
I probably got the notification
for yours...
and then forgot.

Sorry!
I'll get to it soon.

Not a problem, I see you replied. I have just been non-stop go go go this week.

Why does everyone else
know this????

For me, its one of my favorite areas in DCA and I have a ton of pictures of it.

I dunno...
I've pretty much got a
soft spot in my heart for WDW...

Eat enough churros and dole whips and you will get another soft spot in your heart...which at the point you should get checked by a doctor.

I hear too many soft spots in your heart can cause trouble.

You should go when I go, then.

That is a great idea! Now where did I put my crystal ball and my credit card.

I'm afraid not.
It's a super secret
organization with very
strict admittance rules.

oh...

I see how it is...

One of those organizations...well I will make a super super even more secretive organization. I can't even tell you what we do.

Size isn't everything???



Yuss!!!!!!



er...

I mean...

Oh, really? Interesting.

Me too.
I only crave them when I'm awake.
Unless I'm dreaming of them.

Which is often.

Sounds a lot like me and churros.

More facts in this TR
than you can shake a stick at!



Which, by the way,
is a phrase that originated
in the early 1900s
when cars were started
by using the gearshift...
or stick.

That is an interesting one, I always assumed it came from playing fetch or something along those lines.

Man, that sucks.
Splash goes down, I can live with it.
BTMRR goes down?

There's gonna be trouble!

Last trip we got about 4-5 extra fast passes due to BTMRR being down so I can forgive it.

Hmmm...
I'm gonna have to say around 8
with just being in Disney
adding +1 to make it that.

That's assuming you've had
excellent fried chicken
(which I have) that would
be a ten.

Add this to my bucket list about buckets of chicken.

Now onward to the next update.

 

[Kiotzu]

I skedaddle early
Monday morning
and doubt I'll be on
much if at all
until I get back
about 10 days later.

Whoa, I missed you already but have a great trip! Where are you going? What are you doing?

Our cousin asked us to join him
for a tailgate. Sure!

My dream is to attend a tailgate and eat glorious looking food.

I'm not sure if I enjoyed
the theatrics or the theater more.
The staging was really well done.
They even pumped fumes
from sliced onions into the air
to make your eyes water!

It was closed when we when as far as I can remember. This sounds amazing. It is now on my non-chicken bucket list.

Fun ride!
While I absolutely do not
want them to touch TOT
in DHS...
This one was really good.

Ally is not one for rides like this so I did not get to experience this. Yea she said she didn't mind waiting but I did not want her waiting 95 minutes for me so I passed.

Dang, I love this ride.
Kari was on an unbeaten streak,
but she'd never ridden with the
rest of us before.
We brought her back down to Earth.

Yeah... we lost.

Personally I have never won, so maybe we should race in the same car. To negatives make a positive and such.

 

[GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes]

So pleased you said "might".

I’ve been around myself long enough to know that those other folks may well be correct.

Really?
I found this:

In the early 1970s, about half of all Americans were covered by
mandatory-retirement provisions requiring they leave their jobs
no later than a certain age, usually 65.
In 1986, Congress abolished mandatory retirement
by amending the Age Discrimination in Employment Act.

Does that no longer apply?

The existence of a statute means nothing if it is overtly not unenforced…
There are also state regs here that basically say anyone can be dismissed at any time, for any reason with no warning and no required explanation. That alone circumvents most discrimination ordinances. There are also a number of other statutes that give employers here almost dictatorial powers over their employees and ensure that they have little to no recourse through any state agency or court. Remember, I live in a place that has one very long history of successfully subjugating its labor force.

No. Not that Adventure Time.

Oh, thank the Lord…

And if you have no idea
what I'm talking about...
Consider yourselves lucky.

Know it…
My young’en watched that one even in his teens.
It’s nearly as bad as some of the stuff I’d sit through after school in the early 70s, and some of that was truly reprehensible (especially the imports). A great deal of that crud I couldn’t even sit through ten minutes of now, but it was on and that beat out doing homework. It’ll be interesting to see what he thinks of some of these newer things once he gets a bit more age on him.

We made the grueling,
arduous trek from Disneyland,
eventually arriving at our destination.

Hope you remembered to tip the Sherpas well for lugging all your survival gear over the mountains and through the narrow passes.

If memory serves...
Who am I kidding,
I have no clue what we did
when we got there.
I think we went to the Hyperion next.
But maybe we did something else first?

Still suffering from the effects of exhaustion and altitude sickness due to that arduous journey, I see.

Look at that sky!
Beautiful blue!
Little puffy clouds!

“And a happy little cloud lives right about here…”

Wait a second.......


LIES!!!!

‘Merica!

(As an aside...
I love the trolley-car wires.)

Very cool, actually.

and I found myself
relegated to the cheap seats.

We’re all just having a grand ol’ time sitting over here on the Group-W Bench.

These ladies don't fool around!


Or maybe they do?
I wouldn't know.

Tactful…

The show
(Frozen Alive,
a tale of horror and survival...
or something like that)

No wonder folks were fighting for the best seats.
Was the opening act an MMA Cage Match, per chance?

They even pumped fumes
from sliced onions into the air

Yeah, they got complete control of the patent for that technology when they acquired Pixar.

Being a man, I'm quite sure
that the story had nothing
to do with the waterworks.

How about that ball game last night.
And we need to go out and shoot something to grill it up for supper while we’re at it.

While I absolutely do not
want them to touch TOT
in DHS...
This one was really good.

Agreed on part A (meaning that it may be inevitable)
And I’ll keep part B in mind

Yeah... we lost.

I think it was because
Liesa and I were acting
as air brakes.

Air break… Air Bag… Wind Bag…
Something along those lines, I’m sure.

We found a spot and claimed it
for our own.

And successfully defended it from the marauders, claim jumpers and other such Dodgers

The parade was fun to watch,

And I suspect that the rest of the crowd enjoyed the part where you stormed that float and tried again to propose to your gal…

And... did you see it?
Did you see both of them?

I saw something that looked a bit flaky and a reluctant collectable, if that’s what you’re on about.

 

[MeghanEmily]

No. Not that Adventure Time.
And if you have no idea
what I'm talking about...
Consider yourselves lucky.
And to be honest...
I don't really, either.

I don't either. But it seems to be incredibly popular with a good percentage of the convention crowd we encounter!!

The show
(Frozen Alive,
a tale of horror and survival...
or something like that)
was very well done.

Glad you enjoyed it though. I'd love to see it.

It was a bit dull at times
and I may have nodded off...

Heh..hehehehe

I may have sadly shaken
my head at her.
She couldn't shake her head back.

Poor Liesa.

Ariel seems positively aglow! Must have just been very excited to see you.

The next day was travel day.
I did have a bit of time to
grab a few more poker chips,
bringing my total for the trip
up to seven.

Whoo baby! Not a bad haul there!

Ok, what exactly is a rhubarb? To be honest I've never had one/seen one.

Sorry to butt in on this one, @pkondz, but it caught my attention because I just happen to be eating a scoop of my homemade strawberry rhubarb crisp here as I'm reading this. (Soo very fortunate that strawberries and rhubarb happen to be in season at almost exactly the same time!!) Rhubarb is a plant with really long green-to-red leaf stalks below its big floppy green leaves. You eat the stalks, but not the leaves, which aren't safe to consume. It's technically a vegetable, I think, but it's usually paired with fruits. The closest thing I can think of that's similar to the stalks would be celery, but the flavour is very different, and the shape/texture are a bit different as well. It's quite tart, so it's cooked more often than used raw. That said, I grew up with it growing behind my grandmother's house, and we would regularly go out and pick it, fill the bottom of a drinking glass with sugar, suck the end of the rhubarb, and then stick it down in the sugar, before crunching the end off....then repeat! It pairs really well with strawberries and sugar, though, and is commonly used in pie filling, or similar kinds of desserts. If you like a balance of tart and sweet, it's really tasty, and fresh-tasting for early summer.

 

[SoccerDogWithEars]

Sorry to butt in on this one, @pkondz, but it caught my attention because I just happen to be eating a scoop of my homemade strawberry rhubarb crisp here as I'm reading this. (Soo very fortunate that strawberries and rhubarb happen to be in season at almost exactly the same time!!) Rhubarb is a plant with really long green-to-red leaf stalks below its big floppy green leaves. You eat the stalks, but not the leaves, which aren't safe to consume. It's technically a vegetable, I think, but it's usually paired with fruits. The closest thing I can think of that's similar to the stalks would be celery, but the flavour is very different, and the shape/texture are a bit different as well. It's quite tart, so it's cooked more often than used raw. That said, I grew up with it growing behind my grandmother's house, and we would regularly go out and pick it, fill the bottom of a drinking glass with sugar, suck the end of the rhubarb, and then stick it down in the sugar, before crunching the end off....then repeat! It pairs really well with strawberries and sugar, though, and is commonly used in pie filling, or similar kinds of desserts. If you like a balance of tart and sweet, it's really tasty, and fresh-tasting for early summer.

Huh. Totally was picturing more of a rutabaga-esque vegetable. Thanks for this!! I guess one of these days I'll have to give it a try, though not a huge strawberry fan so I'll have to find something else to pair it with.

 

[MeghanEmily]

Huh. Totally was picturing more of a rutabaga-esque vegetable. Thanks for this!! I guess one of these days I'll have to give it a try, though not a huge strawberry fan so I'll have to find something else to pair it with.

I'm co chef, but I'd recommend just about any berry, or maybe also peach? (I actually put peach and passion fruit into a recent strawberry/rhubarb dish, and it was DELISH, so it might work without the strawberries as well.) Or just sweeten it well in a sauce/compote over ice cream...yum...

 

[Terra Nova guy]

Wow, I didn't realize how long it had been since I stopped by here. My bad. Oh well, better late than never I guess.

And I couldn't figure out what I was looking at!
I mean... okay, I can see Snoozing Trollop's castle,
but what the heck is that other thing.

You know, I actually did figure out what that was. I didn't know the name of the Peak, and I have never been to Disneyland, so I'm not sure why I knew it. Wasn't Grizzly Peak the park icon for DCA at one point? Maybe I'm just making that up.

Mark Twain is, as you may know,
a pen name for Samuel Clemens.
He picked the name from
steamboat vernacular.
A crewman would lower a Marked
rope (marked in fathoms or six-foot intervals)
into the water and if the
water was deep or deeper than
the second mark, or Twain mark,
that meant it was deep enough
and safe enough for the ship.
The crewman would call out
"Mark Twain!"
The captain would know
they were safe.
And thus endeth the educational
component of this chapter.

Cool. I knew he used a pen name, but I had no idea the origin. And who says learning stuff ain't fun!

I parted company with the ladies
and explored the ship.
It really is pretty.

I love the idea of riding the river boat. Sadly, I have not done that in WDW since I was 9 years old. Something I will have to try to rectify next month. Of course, there are an awful lot of things on my to do list...

Another thing I've never done.
In either park.
Tom Sawyer Island.

You should try it. I'm rather fond of Tom Sawyer Island. Back in 2014 I spent a peaceful hour here with youngest DD, just the two of us hanging out. It was while DW and oldest DD went on Splash Mountain (yeah, I know, I don't do Splash, but I just don't like the drop). DD loved the barrel bridge and exploring the caves. It was mid-afternoon and we sat on the steps of the old mill watching the Festival of Fantasy parade. Not the best place to see it, but a really neat different perspective.

 

[Steppesister]

Not sure what her problem was. Maybe she needed something to eat?

Why eat when there's fresh coffee to be had?

What about the running-start-battering-ram-straight-into-a-locked-door?

Ask me about the time I almost took out a (very clean) glass door in Dubai.

Appropriately, my kids laughed at me.

Was she wearing her crown?

It may be invisible, but I ALWAYS wear my crown.

Poor Liesa.