Canadian Buffoon's Sweet 16 Celebration - Update 01/28 - The End

Yes but that is okay - what happens in Disney stays in Disney

I thought that was Vegas?
You mean I can do
whatever I want at Disney too???


Wait... I already do.


Possessed I would say

Correct, I would say.

Yes I watched the Manchester concert on TV last fall.

Really?
Wait... she did a return concert.
Is that the one you meant?
Or the one with the bombing?


Well our tree fell over on Boxing Day morning around 12:20am and it wasn't even the fault of a cat - now we have learned to tie it up.

Nails in the floor and walls, huh?

Real tree and all so water all over the floor. How fun

Fake trees don't fall over.
Unless you have rare or expensive
glass ornaments.


I saw that one and thought about it but thought it really was part of the ride since that ride was closed when I was there last January.

They take their safety pretty
seriously, so they wouldn't
mess with them.


1. We see an attraction.
What time do we arrive?
b 10:00am

2. How long are we there?

c. 120 minutes.


3. We go to a second attraction.
How long do we stay?

b. two hours

Noted!


Got it!
 
Awww, great pictures and I appreciate being able to tag along on your reports.

Hi Donna!
Haven't seen you since last year!


;)

Can't participate in the contest at the moment as I have started off the New Year with a broken arm, ugh.

Oh, no!
I'm sorry to hear that. :(


Was walking the dogs on NYE and tripped over an extension cord that was across a sidewalk plugging in someone's truck.

:sad2:
I know that a lot of people
here have been getting
tickets for doing that.

Must be illegal there too?


On the upside, I did not let the dogs go, and had my cell phone with me so I could call and let DH know where I was laying down. Although the dogs tried to help, stepping on the arm and licking my face was not as helpful as they hoped, but was encouraging, lol.

::yes:: Dogs are very helpful.
Or at least they think they are.


It's a chip and crack, so hopefully back to work in 6 weeks, unless the ortho consult comes back differently.

Hopefully it heals quickly! :hug:
 
Fair warning!

Next update posting is imminent!
If you haven't gotten your
contest guesses in
then you better get on it!
 


Yikes! Playing catch up at work after my digital diet over the holidays. Just in time for the contest I guess....

Have you noticed?
Just how stupid I was?


Sorry. Let me correct that.
More stupid I was?
Bonus points if you tell me
whether or not you noticed.
Well...no I didn't notice. But after a while, it's like one of those things that you don't really pay attention to, like asking hey, did you notice the sky is blue or hey, did you notice that rain is wet?
.
.
.
:rotfl2:

"Dad!" Hissed Kay, excitedly.
"That was Ariana Grande!"
(If you don't know who that is,
I'll leave it to you to Google her.
But... for bonus points...
tell me if you know who she is... before Googling.)
Honestly yes, I know who she is. Currently a singer but I couldn't name a single one of her songs and I don't listen to her. I know her more from the Nickelodeon TV show "Sam & Kat" which was a spin off/mash up of "iCarly" and another Nickelodeon show that she was in first but I can't remember the name of...something that rhymes with delicious..ridiculous...I don't know. I could Google, but you know...
Did I mention I have a 10 year old who discovered about 18 seasons of all these shows on Netflix last year and binged watched for weeks. Yeah. Fun.

Questions next round:
1. We see an attraction.
What time do we arrive?
a. 9:00
b. 10:00
c. 11:00
d. 12:00

2. How long are we there?
a. 60 minutes.
b. 90 minutes.
c. 120 minutes.
d. 150 minutes.

3. We go to a second attraction.
How long do we stay?
a. one hour
b. two hours
c. three hours
d. four hours
1. 10:00
2. 90 minutes
3. two hours

It's like a multiple choice quiz...answer B to everything and eventually you'll get something right....
 


Yikes! Playing catch up at work after my digital diet over the holidays.

I saw that,
over on the Dad's thread.

And.... good for you!


Just in time for the contest I guess....

::yes::

Well...no I didn't notice. But after a while, it's like one of those things that you don't really pay attention to, like asking hey, did you notice the sky is blue or hey, did you notice that rain is wet?
.
.
.
:rotfl2:

:lmao:

I'll give you that one!

Honestly yes, I know who she is. Currently a singer but I couldn't name a single one of her songs and I don't listen to her

I'm pretty much the same.
"You know who Ariana Grande is?"
"Yup!"
"Name one of her songs."
"She's a singer?"


I know her more from the Nickelodeon TV show "Sam & Kat" which was a spin off/mash up of "iCarly" and another Nickelodeon show that she was in first but I can't remember the name of...something that rhymes with delicious..ridiculous...I don't know. I could Google, but you know...

I remember one (or both)
of my DDs used to watch iCarly.

But that's as far as I go.


Did I mention I have a 10 year old who discovered about 18 seasons of all these shows on Netflix last year and binged watched for weeks. Yeah. Fun.

My condolences.

1. 10:00
2. 90 minutes
3. two hours

Noted!
Got your PM too.


It's like a multiple choice quiz...answer B to everything and eventually you'll get something right....

Dang!
Now I have to change
my strategy!
 
Next update posting is imminent!
If you haven't gotten your
contest guesses in
then you better get on it!

I don't know just trying to get to bed at a sensible hour after my first day back at work and I spot this! OK then I'll take my warning!

Have you noticed?
Just how stupid I was?

I did but I would be far too polite to say.

But... for bonus points...
tell me if you know who she is... before Googling.)

Yes I know without googling who Ariana Grande is...don't you know she's big!

Questions next round:
1. We see an attraction.
What time do we arrive?
a. 9:00
b. 10:00
c. 11:00
d. 12:00

2. How long are we there?
a. 60 minutes.
b. 90 minutes.
c. 120 minutes.
d. 150 minutes.

3. We go to a second attraction.
How long do we stay?
a. one hour
b. two hours
c. three hours
d. four hours

Ok seeing as I'm British I'm going bbc.



Well it's bedtime now but I'll be back bright and early in the morning.


 
I don't know just trying to get to bed at a sensible hour after my first day back at work and I spot this! OK then I'll take my warning!

Heed my warnings!!!

:laughing:

I did but I would be far too polite to say.

Aww... Aren't you nice!

But deep down,
you want to say:
"pkondz... you're stupid."


Yes I know without googling who Ariana Grande is...don't you know she's big!

She's put on a few kilos, huh?

Ok seeing as I'm British I'm going bbc.


:laughing: Okay! Noted!

Well it's bedtime now but I'll be back bright and early in the morning.

Nighty night!
(Got your PM, too. :))
 
This Ship Has Sailed


Before we begin,
a little real life update.

A few weeks ago,
one of my readers
(you know who you are.
I won't identify you,
but feel free to identify yourself.)
asked me for my address.

Considering the quality
of writing that I put out here,
you can understand
that I hesitated quite a bit
before giving it out.
But in a moment of weakness, I did.


"Finally! I can put a stop to this horror!!"
The askee said.


A few days... weeks?... later,
I received a package in the mail.

Not willing to risk life and limb,
I had one of the kids open it for me.

Once she called out the all clear,
I greedily grabbed the contents
out of her grubby hands
to see what loot had been bestowed
upon me.

IMG_0143_zpsicnucwfz.jpg


A Marvin the Martian poseable figure
and a penguin Pez dispenser.
(Pez included. Sweet!... literally.)
Marvin is obvious,
but the penguin is less so.

On the DISdads board,
there's a running gag about
penguins and Canadians.

When I thanked the sender,
I was told:
"Penguin? I thought it was another Marvin!"


So there's that.


Either way, the gift was appreciated! :goodvibes
Thank you very much!!


I'm thinking that might be the last I receive, though.
Considering the price to ship the contents
was approximately five times that of the gift.


And now... on with the show!




-------------------------------------------------------------



The morning dawned...
and quickly raced towards noon.

Today we were doing something
that I thought Kay might be interested in.

When I presented it to her as an option,
she quickly agreed that she'd like to do it.


But first...

Did you know there's a Harley Davidson
just a five minute drive
from where we were staying?

I'd been thwarted a few times
on this trip already.
But today I was going to prevail!


I got up and dressed
and told Kay I'd be back
in a few minutes.
I couldn't take too long,
as what we were doing did have
a time dependent component.

The drive over to Garden Walk,
an outdoor mall, was quick and painless.

I parked the car in the parkade and
headed over to the elevator.
My head swiveled back and forth.
I was looking for signs...
any signs....
Like "This way to the mall".

Or "Exit".

Or.... anything.

I entered the elevator and
either went up or down a floor.
There was nothing to indicate
where the mall might be.
No "Mall" floor.
Just... numbers.

A man got on and looked at me.
He could see that I was looking out
trying to decide if I should get off or not.

I asked him "Where's the mall?"
"What are you looking for?" He asked.
"The Harley store." I answered.

Now this stranger, whom I'd just met,
not only told me which floor to get out on,
(which just happened to be the floor that
I'd been on.)
but also walked me to the parking exit,
and then to the escalator,
with directions that the store
was "just to the left"
at the bottom of the escalator.

:)

There are in fact,
decent people in the world.


I arrived at the Harley store and........

Of course.
It didn't open until 11:00.
And we'd have to be gone
before that.

Dejected and rejected
once again,
I returned to the car
and drove back to the hotel.


By now, Kay was ready to go.
We piled back into the car
and headed out.


Today we were going to visit
the historic Queen Mary,
which just happens to be
permanently moored
in Long Beach.

The Queen Mary belonged to the
famed Cunard-White Star line
and sailed from 1936 - 1967.

Cunard was founded by a Canadian
in 1839 (Samuel Cunard) who built
ships such as the Mauretania
and her famous sister ship the Lusitania.

In 1933, during the Great Depression,
both Cunard and White Star (Titanic)
were struggling.
The British government agreed to
loan Cunard money to complete
the Queen Mary provided it merge
with White Star.


There were two tours that I thought
might interest Kay.
A Glory Days Historical Tour
or a Haunted Encounters tour.
I let her chose, and she picked
the historical tour.

I booked the tour for March 31st
and paid the non-refundable fee in full.



It took a little longer than I expected
to arrive at the dock.
We were late.
If we didn't hurry, we might miss our tour!

We parked the car and I hurried
towards the idle ship.
I glanced back and Kay was lagging behind.
"Come on, Kay!" I said.
"We have to pick up the pace
or we're going to miss our tour!"


Perhaps the early mornings or
maybe the long days had taken their toll.
Kay snapped back.
"I can't go faster. You're ruining this trip!"
I started to tell her that I had let her pick the time,
(12:15pm) and the tour, but shut my mouth.
I silently counted to ten.
Then I did it again in French.
Then German.
"Okay." I said. "We'll get there when we get there
and hope for the best."


I suddenly found myself with time
to take a photo as we leisurely
strolled towards the ship.

P1030779_zpsvfczojos.jpg


Once on board, we ascended in a tiny
elevator to an upper deck
and proceeded towards the tour desk.

We were late, but still had arrived
prior to the tour start time.
I crossed my fingers
and hoped for the best.

P1030742_zpsc0qgo6yf.jpg


I walked up to the desk and
handed my ticket receipt
over to the young lady sitting there.

She looked at it for a moment and said.
"When did you buy these tickets?"

Uh, oh. That can't ever be a good
question can it?


I told her I wasn't sure.
"Maybe a month or two earlier?"

She informed me that there was no tour
at that time.
She apologized and told me we could either
take the Haunted tour that started in
an hour, or the Historical tour
that started in an hour and a half.

I turned to Kay.
"What do you want?"
"I dunno."
"Well, it's your birthday trip. You can pick."
"No, you pick."
"Well, would you rather go on the earlier
tour or the later tour?"
"I dunno."
"Well, pick one."
"No. You pick."
"Do you want the Haunted tour?"
"Doesn't matter."
"How about the Historical tour?"
"Doesn't matter!"
"Well, the Historical tour
is the one you originally picked.
So do you want to do that one?"
"I don't care. Sure."


Well... That was only intensely painful.


The woman told me to be back
before the tour started
and invited us to explore the ship
to our hearts' content in the meantime.


We headed to the front of the ship.
There was an area that was obviously
off limits to guests.
I went in anyways.
If they really wanted to keep us out,
they would've posted a "Keep Out" sign
or locked the doors, right?

P1030739b_zpsdngoqdvh.jpg


Glad we went in, it was the nicest part
of the ship.
(although we were shooed out
fairly quickly.)

We exited on the port side and
wandered down a hall.
A sitting room was on display
as it might have been,
back in the day.

P1030741_zpsdiiju6uq.jpg


We continued to wander the ship,
climbing and descending decks
as the whim took us.

IMG_6986b_zpshqwdetkr.jpg


On one deck, I leaned out
and fell to the waters far below.

No... wait.

I leaned out and spotted
another tourist attraction.
A Russian diesel-electric submarine.
It was commissioned in 1971
and ran until 1994.
It was sold to Australian businessmen
who displayed it until 1998 and then
moved it to Long Beach.


Admit it.
You were hoping I really had
fallen in the water, weren't you.
Bonus points if you say
whether you were or not.

P1030743_zpsw4tc9jij.jpg


We continued to wander the ship.
I'm not sure if this dining room
was laid out for formal events
or was part of the on-board restaurant.

P1030744_zpszrnc3fjg.jpg


Our view of Long Beach from an upper deck:

Untitled_Panorama1_zpsnaa8jytm.jpg


While the ship is no longer sea-worthy
(All boilers and one engine have been
removed. And the fuel tanks are filled
with mud to stabilize the ship.)
it was never more evident
than when viewing the state
of its life boats.

P1030751_zpso2brebjd.jpg


I took this next shot as an
homage to my late MIL.
She used to be a switchboard
operator at a local hospital.

P1030755_zpss9n8e92e.jpg


On one of the decks, this gazebo stood out.
We descended to the next deck
and as I looked back up,
I stopped Kay.
"Watch." I said.
I pointed out a middle-age couple.
They were talking intently.
Suddenly, the man dropped
to one knee and held up
something small in his hand.

I assume she said "yes" as they
were soon embracing.
Grinning, we left the lovers
to their happy event.
As we passed out of sight,
I gave the man a "thumbs up" :thumbsup2
Grinning, he returned the gesture.

P1030758_zps6mizrtpg.jpg


We descended below decks
and entered the infirmary.
It was certainly interesting.
There was a list of all the people
who had died on board over the years.
Most seemed to be from falls,
if I recall correctly.

P1030760_zpsb8yjbniv.jpg


As we were poking around,
the Haunted tour happened
to arrive.
We listened in for a bit.
Kay said. "I wanted to do the Haunted tour.
But you wouldn't let me!"


I silently counted to ten.
Then I did it again in French.
Then German.
Then Japanese.


I don't speak Japanese.
But I tried to anyways.


The upshot is I didn't kill her.
I didn't want to be responsible
for yet another ghost
haunting the Queen Mary.
But it was a close thing.

Plus.... witnesses.


Wander... Wander.... Wander...
We came across an area
that showed some of the
more famous luminaries
to have graced the Queen's decks.

For bonus points,
how many do you recognize?
(Without Googling.)
Or, if the list is shorter,
how many did you not recognize?

P1030763_zpsomfj8azw.jpg


P1030764_zpschbboorh.jpg


marvin_zpsucm03zms.jpg


P1030765_zpsblfp3du3.jpg


P1030766_zpsblmbt6fh.jpg


P1030767_zps3sfoyfsg.jpg


P1030770_zpslm64rha8.jpg


P1030771_zpsf7vuxnho.jpg


P1030772_zpsiuvvyzrb.jpg


I was particularly pleased
to spot this distinguished gentleman.

P1030768_zpshglherr9.jpg


P1030769_zpswnjev2jp.jpg



Continued next post
 
Continued from previous post


We wandered yet lower and
entered the engine room.

P1030773_zps5cnkaxa4.jpg


Lots of pipes and stuff.
That's about as technical
as I get.

We passed through a hatch
and were surprised to
find layouts of the different
classes of accommodations
that were found on board
during the ship's heydays.

P1030775_zps7adsytpy.jpg

Question.
How does one get up there???

P1030776_zpsbfl0cql9.jpg


P1030777_zps7huzvzzw.jpg


P1030778_zpshr1ro5zh.jpg


After this point, it was getting closer
to the time for our tour.
"Dad?" Kay asked.
"Is it okay if we skip the tour?
I think I've seen enough already."


Truth be told, I didn't mind.
Yes, I'd already paid for the tour
but I too had seen enough
and didn't feel a great need
to see it all again, with commentary.

We stopped to think what we should do.
It was only around 2pm. Still early.
And yet... we were both also starving.
Early in the day, but late for lunch.
(And I honestly don't remember
if we'd had anything to eat yet.)


I mentioned to Kay that just across
from us was the Aquarium of the Pacific.
"They'll almost certainly have a cafeteria
or restaurant of some kind there." I reasoned.

Kay was all for it.
We set out and arrived
not long afterwards.
We parked in the parkade and...

"Hey!" I said.
"I recognize this place!"

Indeed, I'd seen it on TV once a year
for many years now.
It was the location for the Indycar's
Long Beach Grand Prix.

I had recognized the fountain,
shown (blurrily) in the photo below.

lbgp_zpskunqiujd.jpg


The Long Beach Grand Prix is the longest running
major street race held in North America.
It's first race was in 1975.
And I've probably been watching since the '80s.


Right then and there,
I decided that I had to come back,
to see the race live.
And that's just what I'll be doing
this coming April. :)
I've seen Indy races in Toronto,
Edmonton and the big one,
the Indianapolis 500 (twice!)

We crossed the street
and walked over to the aquarium.
I'm not going to describe
all the critters we saw.
But I will provide you
with a handy guide
so you can identify them
yourselves.

until-next-year-1_zpspz08jfnj.jpg


But first... food!
Um... first... pay admission!
Okay... now food!
I asked where the restaurant
was located and we were
pointed in the right direction.


It would not have been a good thing
to find out there was no food available.


We got to the restaurant
and there were awards posted
on all available surfaces.
"First place! World's slowest restaurant!"
"Grand prize! Turtle award for slowness!"
"Governor's Tardiness award!"
And the like.


This didn't look good.


There were several lines,
depending on what type
of food you wanted.
The pasta line was the longest
so I was thrilled when Kay picked
the shortest line.
I don't even remember what it
was for.
Soups and sammies, I think.

There were only three or four
people in front of us.
It only took them about
20 minutes to be served.

:sad2:


We (eventually) got our food and dove in.
(Diving board included in price.)

Wanna see photos of the food????
Yeah... I didn't take any.
But I can tell you what we had!!

I mean, I could... if I'd taken notes.
That ship has sailed.


After lunch, we explored the
various areas of the aquarium.

Some sample shots:

IMG_7036_zpseofa3kux.jpg

"Hey! Bub! C'mere! Wanna buy a used shell?"

I never trust crustaceans.
For bonus points,
tell me why you don't.
(Or if you do.)

IMG_7039_zpsdnxurhuo.jpg


IMG_7043_zpses0pmwxt.jpg


IMG_7048_zpsa6e5ec5l.jpg


We wandered outside
and looked at the formal chickens
for a bit.

P1030781_zpsyovv6znh.jpg


Opposite from the formal chickens
was an open pool.
People were looking into it
but we didn't see anything at first.
Soon enough, though,
a head bobbed briefly at the surface
before disappearing once more.
Seals!

We watched them for a bit,
but couldn't see much.

We descended some steps
and found an area
where you could view them
from below.

P1030782_zpsphcihgkn.jpg


We spent quite a bit of time
just watching their torpedo
shapes glide effortlessly
to and fro.

P1030784_zps2s2gjai8.jpg


They look really cute, too.
Kind of like submarine puppies.


Except....


Not sure if you've seen the following.
(*Warning* The following is a little bit graphic
and did actually happen. Be assured, however
that everyone was fine in the end.)

seal_zpsb4htbdcd.gif

After spending more time with the seals,
I wondered if there weren't perhaps
some dolphins too.
I asked but was told that dolphin
conservation wasn't the aquarium's porpoise.

We wandered amongst the exhibits and
just happened to come across a show
that was just starting.
It was about some sort of aquatic mammal.
I didn't know if Kay wanted to watch,
but she said that she felt like we otter,
so we did.

IMG_7027_zpshpcyizjn.jpg


It was a cute show where they
basically played "fetch" with them.


By then we'd seen most
of the aquarium
and started to head towards
the exit.

We popped into one final gallery
and looked at different types
of jellyfish floating serenely.

IMG_7012_zpsfyur0ybq.jpg


P1030788_zpsaa0qulzj.jpg


P1030789_zpsgl0lfxi8.jpg


And with that...
after only about an hour...
we were done.

I'll leave you with one last shot
on our way out.

P1030795_zps5vr8gkcn.jpg


We headed back to the hotel.
I had something really big planned!

Wanna know what it is?????
Sure you do!

Well, you're still reading,
so...
Unless you click off right now,
you're gonna find...


Oh.


Poop.




Hello?

Guess I shouldn't have
mentioned that.


Well, you're still here,
even if everyone else left.

The big plans for the night?


N O T H I N G !


We'd been going pretty much
non-stop for days
and tonight was a recharge night.
Just... relax and do... zip.

Kay was pretty much done.
I was okay, but quite willing
to let her chill for an evening.

Besides, the poor child had
been away from the internet
for sooooo long!!!

Tragic.


Well, being the artful hypocrite that I am,
I figured I'd pop online too for a bit.

Huh.

Looks like Fran, Alison and Liesa
are heading out to Trader Sam's tonight.


Huh.


They reluctantly acquiesce to my constant
barrage of begging them to let me join them.


Yuss!!!



I told Kay that if she got hungry,
to just order room service
and have it charged to the room.


And I was outta there!


On the 10 minute walk
to Trader Sam's,
the three ladies apparently
laid bets on what I might order.

Trader Sam's has an extensive menu.
Lots of different specialty drinks.

And they all have rum.
Which pkondz does not drink.

Well, there is one that doesn't have rum.
It has coconut.

pkondz does not do coconut.


Ever.


He does however, occasionally
refer to himself in the third person.
He's a bit on an idiot, that way.


I don't remember exactly what
I ordered.
I think it was the other drink
that had neither coconut, nor rum.

When it arrived, I took one sip
and promptly passed it over to Alison.

Or is that "was prompted by Alison to pass it over"?


I ordered a glass of wine instead
and was much happier as a result.

Alison was much happier too.
She got an extra drink out of the deal.


We sat and chatted and had a really nice time.
Well, I had a nice time.
The others were kind enough to tolerate my presence.
And, nope! No photos.

I enjoyed the company of my companions
and put my TR hat away for the night.


And that's where I'm going to leave off for now,
with the four of us having a really nice time.





Heh.
Riiiiiiiight about now, you're feeling like this:

until-next-year-4_zpsenfdajpk.gif


You made it through all the drivel!
Ahhhh.... crap. Still have the contest
to slog through.

;)



Contest


For those of you who
had trouble "seeing it":

P1030721b_zpsyzkobflt.jpg


Had a frog in my throat.

IMG_6948b_zpsbosnfeh4.jpg


Okay, if you missed this one,
I can't help you.
At all.

Saw 1, 20 points
Saw 2, 50 points

Answers to previous questions:
1. We see an attraction.
What time do we arrive?
a. 9:00
b. 10:00
c. 11:00
d. 12:00
Answer: D - 12:00 - 30 points.

2. How long are we there?
a. 60 minutes.
b. 90 minutes.
c. 120 minutes.
d. 150 minutes.
Answer: C - 120 minutes - 30 points.

3. We go to a second attraction.
How long do we stay?
a. one hour
b. two hours
c. three hours
d. four hours
Answer: A - one hour - 30 points.

MeghanEmily – B, C, B, thinks I'm stupid, Grande, saw both - 140 points.
Mrs T 2009 - B, B, A, Grande, saw both - 110 points.
franandaj - C, B, B, Grande, saw both - 80 points
rndmr2 - B, B, C, Grande, saw both - 80 points.
Canadian Harmony - B, A, B, thinks I'm stupid, Grande, saw both - 110 points.
Captain_Oblivious - B, C, B, thinks I'm stupid, Grande, saw both - 140 points.
Steppesister - C, A, B, thinks I'm stupid, saw both - 80 points.
juniorbugman - B, C, B, thinks I'm stupid, Grande, saw both - 140 points.
Terra Nova guy - B, B, B, thinks I'm stupid, Grande, saw both - 110 points.
Princess Leia - B, B, C, thinks I'm stupid, Grande, saw both - 110 points.



Bonus points:
Did you notice how stupid I was? - 30 points.

Know Ariana Grande? - 30 points.

As usual, if I've made any mistakes,
either above or below, let me know.

Score

Steppesister - 875
MeghanEmily - 845
Captain_Oblivious - 840
franandaj - 785
juniorbugman - 775
rndmr2 - 710
Terra Nova guy - 690
Mrs T 2009 - 655
Princess Leia - 650
GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes - 600
mustinjourney - 580
Canadian Harmony - 570
CyndiLouWho - 555
vamassey1 - 555
Mac Brew - 510
QueenJen - 505
Chrystmasangel - 495
DonnaBeeGood - 480
afwdwfan - 410
Kiotzu - 370
natebenma - 325
lisaviolet - 295
Curiouser&curiouser! - 245
chunkymonkey - 125
SoccerDogWithEars - 125
Crashbeckycoot - 105
orangecats2 - 80
cindianne320 - 60
queenbetsey - 60
Jaina - 55
cinderkelly - 10
irene_dsc - 10
MAGICFOR2 - 10


Questions next round:
1. Okay. Last try.
Do I manage to get
to an open Harley Store?
a. Yes
b. No
c. Just give up for God's sake!
d. Other. 'Cause there has to be an other.

2. What does Kay discover?
a. A small cat living outside our room.
b. Proof she saw Ariana Grande.
c. That she no longer gets car sick.
d. That Santa really is real.

3. We go see an attraction. Which?
a. Hollywood sign
b. Santa Monica pier
c. La Brea Tar Pits
d. Hollywood Bowl

4. How long does it take to get there?
a. One hour
b. Two hours
c. Three hours
d. We never get there.

5. What time is our flight out
the next day?
a. 8:30
b. 9:30
c. 10:30
d. 11:30

6. We have a connection.
Where is it?
a. Vancouver
b. Calgary
c. Edmonton
d. Minneapolis

7. How long is the lay-over?
a. 1-2 hours
b. 2-3 hours
c. 3-4 hours
d. 4-5 hours

8. What time do we get home?
a. 10:30pm
b. 11:30pm
c. 12:30am
d. 1:30am


Bonus: Did you see it?
All of them?
(Hint: Less than 5)


PM your guess.
Posting will result in deductions.

Coming up: The end.



 
Last edited:
A few weeks ago,
one of my readers
(you know who you are.
I won't identify you,
but feel free to identify yourself.)
asked me for my address.

And you gave me 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., Washington DC. Har har.

Not willing to risk life and limb,
I had one of the kids open it for me.

Solid plan. I use that one, too.

When I thanked the sender,
I was told:
"Penguin? I thought it was another Marvin!"

I can kinda see the resemblance.

I'm thinking that might be the last I receive, though.
Considering the price to ship the contents
was approximately five times that of the gift.

:faint: I don't know when exactly Canada became Siberia.

Did you know there's a Harley Davidson
just a five minute drive
from where we were staying?

I'm shocked!

Shocked it was so far from you, anyway. You usually plan those things better.

Now this stranger, whom I'd just met,
not only told me which floor to get out on,
(which just happened to be the floor that
I'd been on.)
but also walked me to the parking exit,
and then to the escalator,
with directions that the store
was "just to the left"
at the bottom of the escalator.


:)

There are in fact,
decent people in the world.

And then he asked you for a tip.

Just kidding. Glad you could find a kind-hearted soul.

I arrived at the Harley store and........

Of course.
It didn't open until 11:00.
And we'd have to be gone
before that.

These Harley stores have really weird hours.

Today we were going to visit
the historic Queen Mary,
which just happens to be
permanently moored
in Long Beach.

I'd forgotten that was out there. Cool attraction!

I booked the tour for March 31st
and paid the non-refundable fee in full.

I feel like that non-refundable part is going to come back to bite you.

Perhaps the early mornings or
maybe the long days had taken their toll.
Kay snapped back.
"I can't go faster. You're ruining this trip!"
I started to tell her that I had let her pick the time,
(12:15pm) and the tour, but shut my mouth.

Oh my. 12:15! You are such a slave driver.

She informed me that there was no tour
at that time.

Um...why did you sell it to me, then?

I turned to Kay.
"What do you want?"
"I dunno."
"Well, it's your birthday trip. You can pick."
"No, you pick."
"Well, would you rather go on the earlier
tour or the later tour?"
"I dunno."
"Well, pick one."
"No. You pick."
"Do you want the Haunted tour?"
"Doesn't matter."
"How about the Historical tour?"
"Doesn't matter!"
"Well, the Historical tour
is the one you originally picked.
So do you want to do that one?"
"I don't care. Sure."


Well... That was only intensely painful.

:headache: :sad2:

This sounds like having a conversation with Drew.

"Do you want waffles or a Pop Tart for breakfast?"
"Um...I want a Pop Tart."

(opens wrapper, toasts Pop Tart)

"NO! I want waffles!"

There was an area that was obviously
off limits to guests.
I went in anyways.
If they really wanted to keep us out,
they would've posted a "Keep Out" sign
or locked the doors, right?

Such a rebel.

I leaned out and spotted
another tourist attraction.
A Russian diesel-electric submarine.
It was commissioned in 1971
and ran until 1994.
It was sold to Australian businessmen
who displayed it until 1998 and then
moved it to Long Beach.

Cool. Looks like it's seen better days, though.

Admit it.
You were hoping I really had
fallen in the water, weren't you.
Bonus points if you say
whether you were or not.

That looks like it would be painful/fatal. I would never, ever wish injury on anyone.

But if I knew you'd be ok? Absolutely! Comedy gold!

I took this next shot as an
homage to my late MIL.
She used to be a switchboard
operator at a local hospital.

Neat. I bet that was a busy job.

I assume she said "yes" as they
were soon embracing.
Grinning, we left the lovers
to their happy event.
As we passed out of sight,
I gave the man a "thumbs up" :thumbsup2
Grinning, he returned the gesture.

:goodvibes

As we were poking around,
the Haunted tour happened
to arrive.
We listened in for a bit.
Kay said. "I wanted to do the Haunted tour.
But you wouldn't let me!"

O.M.G.

200.gif


The upshot is I didn't kill her.
I didn't want to be responsible
for yet another ghost
haunting the Queen Mary.
But it was a close thing.

Plus.... witnesses.

Probably a good call. But I know the temptation was there.

For bonus points,
how many do you recognize?
(Without Googling.)
Or, if the list is shorter,
how many did you not recognize?

All 10 of them! I could tell you about any of them, much better than I could Ariana Grande.





Oh....crap. I think I'm old.

Lots of pipes and stuff.
That's about as technical
as I get.

Whoozits and Whatsits galore!

Question.
How does one get up there???

I have no idea. But I guarantee Drew could find a way.

After this point, it was getting closer
to the time for our tour.
"Dad?" Kay asked.
"Is it okay if we skip the tour?
I think I've seen enough already."


Truth be told, I didn't mind.
Yes, I'd already paid for the tour
but I too had seen enough
and didn't feel a great need
to see it all again, with commentary.

Actually, I can see that. It's not that hard to figure out what each room is. You basically paid for admission.

Right then and there,
I decided that I had to come back,
to see the race live.
And that's just what I'll be doing
this coming April.
:)
I've seen Indy races in Toronto,
Edmonton and the big one,
the Indianapolis 500 (twice!)

Nice! Hope it's a great time.


:rotfl2::rotfl2: That's just awesome.

"First place! World's slowest restaurant!"
"Grand prize! Turtle award for slowness!"
"Governor's Tardiness award!"

Well, hey, they warned you. It's on you if you ate there after that.

There were only three or four
people in front of us.
It only took them about
20 minutes to be served.

:sad2:

Man, that's worse than the DMV.

giphy.gif


I never trust crustaceans.
For bonus points,
tell me why you don't.
(Or if you do.)

Not at all. I'm with Jim Gaffigan--they move side-to-side, all shifty, like, "Oh, crap--I owe that guy money!"


Did you want to go diving?

Not sure if you've seen the following.
(*Warning* The following is a little bit graphic
and did actually happen. Be assured, however
that everyone was fine in the end.)

I do remember seeing that when it happened.

We wandered amongst the exhibits and
just happened to come across a show
that was just starting.
It was about some sort of aquatic mammal.
I didn't know if Kay wanted to watch,
but she said that she felt like we otter,
so we did.

That's it. I want my money back!


At first, I thought you had edited this to be a bunch of Marvin helmets floating around. Then I had to go back and scrutinize it carefully to make sure I could make that comment here.

We headed back to the hotel.
I had something really big planned!

Wanna know what it is?????
Sure you do!

:hyper:

The big plans for the night?


N O T H I N G !

:hyper:

Wait. I meant to say this: :sad2:

Kay was pretty much done.
I was okay, but quite willing
to let her chill for an evening.

Besides, the poor child had
been away from the internet
for sooooo long!!!

Tragic.

No wonder she was so cranky that day.

Looks like Fran, Alison and Liesa
are heading out to Trader Sam's tonight.


Huh.


They reluctantly acquiesce to my constant
barrage of begging them to let me join them.

A night of good company!:woohoo:

I told Kay that if she got hungry,
to just order room service
and have it charged to the room.


And I was outta there!

The benefit of having a self-sufficient teenager.

Trader Sam's has an extensive menu.
Lots of different specialty drinks.

And they all have rum.
Which pkondz does not drink.

Well, there is one that doesn't have rum.
It has coconut.

pkondz does not do coconut.


Ever.

So...Coke it is.

He does however, occasionally
refer to himself in the third person.
He's a bit on an idiot, that way.

I agree with him. You. Whatever.

I ordered a glass of wine instead
and was much happier as a result.

Alison was much happier too.
She got an extra drink out of the deal.

She seems to score those quite a bit! She's a pro. :rotfl:

Steppesister - 875
MeghanEmily - 845
Captain_Oblivious - 840

Closing the gap!

1. Okay. Last try.
Do I manage to get
to an open Harley Store?
a. Yes
b. No
c. Just give up for God's sake!
d. Other. 'Cause there has to be an other.

The way this trip has gone, I have to go with d. Other.

2. What does Kay discover?
a. A small cat living outside our room.
b. Proof she saw Ariana Grande.
c. That she no longer gets car sick.
d. That Santa really is real.

Kay attracts furry creatures like I attract PB&J sandwiches. I'll go with a.

3. We go see an attraction. Which?
a. Hollywood sign
b. Santa Monica pier
c. La Brea Tar Pits
d. Hollywood Bowl

La Brea Tar Pits.

4. How long does it take to get there?
a. One hour
b. Two hours
c. Three hours
d. We never get there.

Two hours.

5. What time is our flight out
the next day?
a. 8:30
b. 9:30
c. 10:30
d. 11:30

11:30.

6. We have a connection.
Where is it?
a. Vancouver
b. Calgary
c. Edmonton
d. Minneapolis

Calgary

7. How long is the lay-over?
a. 1-2 hours
b. 2-3 hours
c. 3-4 hours
d. 4-5 hours

3-4 hours.

8. What time do we get home?
a. 10:30pm
b. 11:30pm
c. 12:30am
d. 1:30am

12:30 a.m.

Bonus: Did you see it?
All of them?
(Hint: Less than 5)

I'll get back to you!
 
I booked the tour for March 31st and paid the non-refundable fee in full.
That does not bode well.


Kay snapped back. "I can't go faster. You're ruining this trip!"
Oh no she din't!


I started to tell her that I had let her pick the time, (12:15pm) and the tour, but shut my mouth.
I silently counted to ten. Then I did it again in French. Then German.
"Okay." I said. "We'll get there when we get there and hope for the best."
You're a goooooood Dad. Srsly.



She informed me that there was no tour at that time.
Yup, not good.


I turned to Kay.
"What do you want?"
"I dunno."
"Well, it's your birthday trip. You can pick."
"No, you pick."
"Well, would you rather go on the earlier
tour or the later tour?"
"I dunno."
"Well, pick one."
"No. You pick."
"Do you want the Haunted tour?"
"Doesn't matter."
"How about the Historical tour?"
"Doesn't matter!"
"Well, the Historical tour
is the one you originally picked.
So do you want to do that one?"
"I don't care. Sure."
You, sir, have the patience of a saint. I would have killed my kid and been writing from prison.


Admit it. You were hoping I really had fallen in the water, weren't you. Bonus points if you say whether you were or not.
Yes, part of me was. The other part was hoping you dropped your glasses cuz that's something I'd do.


As we were poking around, the Haunted tour happened to arrive. We listened in for a bit. Kay said. "I wanted to do the Haunted tour. But you wouldn't let me!"
Please, Lord, let me have your strength when my kids hit 16.


Plus.... witnesses.
They can be bought off... Don't ask me how I know...


For bonus points, how many do you recognize? (Without Googling.) Or, if the list is shorter, how many did you not recognize?
I recognized them ALL, thankyouverymuch! Cary Grant is dreamy, and Mae West can wear a pair of shoes!


We wandered yet lower and entered the engine room.
P1030773_zps5cnkaxa4.jpg


Lots of pipes and stuff.
The pipes are for fuel and water. The more you know...



We passed through a hatch
WAS it a hatch - up and down - or a door - on the same plane? Hatches usually go up and down with a ladder to get you up or down it. The more you know...



P1030775_zps7adsytpy.jpg

Question. How does one get up there???
Very carefully. I know, I'm so helpful! All those years sailing for the Navy really made me smrt.


Right then and there,
I decided that I had to come back,
to see the race live.
And that's just what I'll be doing
this coming April. :)
I've seen Indy races in Toronto,
Edmonton and the big one,
the Indianapolis 500 (twice!)
That is VERY cool!



until-next-year-1_zpspz08jfnj.jpg


LOVE THIS!


IMG_7036_zpseofa3kux.jpg

"Hey! Bub! C'mere! Wanna buy a used shell?"

I never trust crustaceans. For bonus points, tell me why you don't. (Or if you do.)
Weeell, I find that they're just shells of their former selves, and are very s(h)elfish. Plus, I've seen Moana.




Not sure if you've seen the following. (*Warning* The following is a little bit graphicand did actually happen. Be assured, however that everyone was fine in the end.)

seal_zpsb4htbdcd.gif
Did you know this happened over by my neck o' the woods? And people say that living by the ocean isn't dangerous. Pfft.


Hey! Stinger Death Blobs!


IMG_7012_zpsfyur0ybq.jpg


P1030788_zpsaa0qulzj.jpg


P1030789_zpsgl0lfxi8.jpg



Questions next round:
1. Okay. Last try.
Do I manage to get
to an open Harley Store?
a. Yes
I'm rootin' for ya!


2. What does Kay discover?
a. A small cat living outside our room.

3. We go see an attraction. Which?
b. Santa Monica pier

4. How long does it take to get there?
b. Two hours

5. What time is our flight out
the next day?
b. 9:30

6. We have a connection.
Where is it?
b. Calgary

7. How long is the lay-over?
c. 3-4 hours

8. What time do we get home?
c. 12:30am


Bonus: Did you see it?
All of them?
(Hint: Less than 5)


PM your guess.
Posting will result in deductions.
YES! PM on the way

 
Nice update, sounded like a great day!

Sorry you missed the original tour but it does look like you saw a lot of the ship.

I, for one, was glad you didn't fall overboard

On one of the decks, this gazebo stood out.
We descended to the next deck
and as I looked back up,
I stopped Kay.
"Watch." I said.
I pointed out a middle-age couple.
They were talking intently.
Suddenly, the man dropped
to one knee and held up
something small in his hand.

I assume she said "yes" as they
were soon embracing.
Grinning, we left the lovers
to their happy event.
As we passed out of sight,
I gave the man a "thumbs up" :thumbsup2
Grinning, he returned the gesture.

Such a sweet story!

I was particularly pleased
to spot this distinguished gentleman.

P1030768_zpshglherr9.jpg

So cool to see this! I recognized all the people.

Question.
How does one get up there???

I have slept in the upper bunk on cruise ships before, (I was never a fan of having to climb the ladder) but I would be afraid of one on chains like that.

Not sure if you've seen the following.
(*Warning* The following is a little bit graphic
and did actually happen. Be assured, however
that everyone was fine in the end.)

I saw that back when it happened, crazy!

Questions next round:
1. Okay. Last try.
Do I manage to get
to an open Harley Store?
a. Yes
b. No
c. Just give up for God's sake!
d. Other. 'Cause there has to be an other.
-------------------------as much as I would like to say yes, I'll have to go with C

2. What does Kay discover?
a. A small cat living outside our room.
b. Proof she saw Ariana Grande.
c. That she no longer gets car sick.
d. That Santa really is real.
-----------------------------------------------------------A because I have heard of the cats living in DL and maybe one migrated

3. We go see an attraction. Which?
a. Hollywood sign
b. Santa Monica pier-----------------------------------B
c. La Brea Tar Pits
d. Hollywood Bowl


4. How long does it take to get there?
a. One hour
b. Two hours-----------------------------------B
c. Three hours
d. We never get there.

5. What time is our flight out
the next day?
a. 8:30
b. 9:30
c. 10:30
d. 11:30-----------------------------------------D

6. We have a connection.
Where is it?
a. Vancouver
b. Calgary------------------------------------B
c. Edmonton
d. Minneapolis

7. How long is the lay-over?
a. 1-2 hours
b. 2-3 hours-------------------------------------- B
c. 3-4 hours
d. 4-5 hours

8. What time do we get home?
a. 10:30pm
b. 11:30pm
c. 12:30am-----------------------------------C
d. 1:30am


Bonus: Did you see it?-----------------------Yes
All of them?-------------------I think so
(Hint: Less than 5)


PM your guess.----------------------------sending
Posting will result in deductions.
 
Last edited:
Hi Tammie! :)



I don't think I knew he was gone?
Where'd he go? Up North, blazing the trail?


Funny! He is in Oregon working. His Oregon team is the Portland Trail Blazers

Oh, yup. It's been really mild.
I think for the most part
the temps have been around 15F,
so not bad at all. :)


We just had a horrible cold snap about 5 days of 20's and wind. Most are not equipped for that here. Back up to 60s this weekend!

I think I timed it
to not avoid it. :sad2:




:goodvibes

It was all wonderful!



No I didn't!
I didn't even know it'd be
different in the dark!


The scenery is lit up really cool.

1901 Lounge is in California Adventure
and is for Club 33 members.


Awesome!

Did you!
Well, then I'll credit
you for seeing it.




Shouldn't be too long...
Have a few things coming up first.




That sounds wonderful!
Have a Merry Christmas, Tammie!
Thanks, as you can see, I've been away again. Hope yours was as well. Had a great time with the parents, and then Jim was here over New Years so it we extended our Christmas with the kiddos here. Very nice, hard to be back at work again.

Happy New Year!
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!





Top