I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – when you get Iowa, Chilliwack and Surrey together, you know it’s going to be a rip-roaring good time. We had so much fun tonight in fact, I’m going to share a few tidbits. Although honestly, I bet none of this will be as funny in the morning…
Iowa and Chilliwack knew Alabama, Surrey didn’t but it’s now blogged. I feel dirty.
Duane told us about this ride months ago, I think it was outside of Cottonwood Mall in Chilliwack… seriously…
I’ve never made an obligatory post about cats or kitties, but these will have to do.
It’s what we do in Vancouver, we talk about the weather. How much rain we had last week, how many rainfall records we broke, there was once a glimpse of sunshine in March where crocuses popped up but then were covered by frost the next morning… So in this spirit, I have a poll below.
Regardless of if you’re in heaven or feel like this is hell on earth, get out and enjoy this rain-free weather. Whether it be in the shade or soaking up the rays. – oh but bring your laptop with you so that you can read this and contribute to the poll, of course.
[poll=1]
…and if you are staying inside, hiding from our long-lost friend, Mr. Sun – enjoy some minisodes, your fave 80s tv shows sliced down into perfect 6 minute episodes, good times.
I was checking out Beyond Robson the other morning, and for some strange reason I decided to look at the rest of the site and not just Morning Brew. I came across a post about the best not-so-secret locations in the city to get cheeky with your sweetheart, in this edition they tackled Playland.
The Scrambler, The Enterprise, and The Wild Mouse are great choices, but there are many other options!… …While you’re on the rides (though you may not be able to kiss) you’ve always got your hands free! And after you get off, you can find a quiet spot behind the food and games stalls to get a little closer. [BeyondRobson]
Those are all great choices except the last suggestion because everyone knows that every hidden corner, flower box and bench at Playland reeks of vomit.
The note about the Wild Mouse got me thinking about how Playland used to be. We went last year for the first time in a while and it was quite different. So here are a couple things I miss about the Playland and the PNE.
The lumberjack competitions – nothing says outdoor summer fun like log rolling.
The HUGE relief map of BC – this was in the BC building which I think is now a mini-lake in the middle of the grounds. That building has awesome little stalls where a nerdy kid like me could get buttons, stickers, visit the stamp collectors’ tables, learn about BC, and watch mini boats race around mini pools.
The Big Gulp – this roller coaster was awesome, my brother and sister always went on it and I was always too short so I think I only got one season with it before it disappeared.
The buttons – I have PNE buttons dating back to 1980, they just don’t seem to hand them out anymore so my collection is incomplete, stopping at around 1998. “Come Fun With Us!” Ya know… I never really got that saying.
So there are a few things I miss about Playland and the PNE, some things I could do without are all the video games and that march of overly happy tweens dancing around to a 1 minute song on loop that they call a parade.
However, the kids still have fun, and I suppose that’s the purpose eh? My sister told me that the other day my nephew loved some of the rides so much, he just wouldn’t get off when they stopped. Luckily it was a slow evening so they allowed him to keep riding the boats and little cars to his heart’s content.
We’ll see if Playland can do it for me this year, its saving grace being the old wooden roller coaster, the Enterprise, a couple of the new ‘flip you upside down and give you whiplash’ rides, and the pig races – hehe pig races!
What a weekend! John and I have been so busy but everything seems to involve down time in the sun so we’re not complaining one bit. With a few words and pictures I’ll now walk you through our weekend, starting with Thursday and ending as I’m cooking some salmon and asparagus as we ‘speak’.
I’ve already blogged about the beach times on Thursday night but I’ll go back that far in case any Matthew Good fans are not aware, pre-sale tickets for his upcoming solo/acoustic tour shows across Canada went on sale that morning.
Click To Play Suburbia captured by Jennie Roth @ Vegas/Bday show
Friday at 10am the general sale opened up for concerts ranging from Victoria, BC to Thunder Bay, ON all happening throughout September. Check out the ‘Shows‘ page for more info and to purchase your tickets.
Friday night John worked late so we went out for a small bite to eat when he got home. On our return trip from the restaurant I came across a sign I’ve been seeing a lot of in the West End about a missing cat. Several weeks ago the first signs started appearing, taped to telephone poles announcing that a grey cat, Piper, had gone missing. A few weeks later there were new signs with new photos and a ‘we’re still looking for Piper’ message. In the last few days, the Piper posters have changed yet again to ‘we’re not giving up on Piper’. So folks, if you live downtown and have seen Piper, please give this person a call (/end PSA)
Yesterday we met up with a group of people, thanks to Duane‘s facebook group call out, and attended Transformers. It was an enjoyable film, I wasn’t upset or annoyed, and left with a smile on my face. As Travis Smith pointed out there were some *serious* plot holes and flaws but all in all, I had a good time.
Following that, we headed out to Burnaby to catch some FIFA U-20 World Cup action. We took in the Scotland/Costa Rica game and within the span of 45 minutes saw a goal scored by bicycle kick, a fight, and a streaker.
Today we headed out to Surrey and boy do I ever miss having a back yard. Catch, frisbee, and sprinkler fun followed by eating a popcicle on the lawn. Good times & Happy Belated Birthday Cam!
Not entirely looking forward to heading back to work tomorrow but what can you do. Another week and another grind, followed by another well-deserved weekend.
When I look back to a year ago I think of everything that has happened and how far John and I have come. Last year was monumental in terms of us getting married and spending the following twelve months on an incredibly tough roller coaster. 2006 was certainly a challenge, emotionally and physically but we’ve been able to grow so much from that experience – of course I say that now…
Thanks to an event last August, I have met some amazing people and had the pleasure of getting more acquainted with them over the last couple of months. One of which is Keira, whom I’ve been able to hang out with a bit more recently – I am very thankful to have a new female friend in town.
Tonight Keira, John and I decided to drop by Duane’s to hang out a bit since he’s been sick and we haven’t seen him for the last couple days. After some food we picked up ‘the boys’ and headed out to Spanish Banks, as ‘the boys’ need a good dog-friendly off-leash park to play in. I haven’t been over to that side of town in over a year as John and I usually walk to our favourite beach. Planning entire day trips across town and looking up bus routes takes a little more time to put together.
Sunset Keira & Casey
We had fun along at the beach, wading in the crashing waves of the incoming tide and throwing little sticks for Casey and Benji to chase after. Casey being the stick-master and Benji being the ‘guard dog on duty’ barking and confronting any other animal (usually 3 times his size) that would come near our little group.
Good food with friends followed by beach times and a sunset is a fantastic way to spend an evening, this is something I could really get used to.
