Canadian Buffoon's Back to Front Vacation - Update! 05/18 - Falling Down

[natebenma]

I'm way behind here. Again! So I am skipping around.

Back at the Zen garden- sorry that there were some disappointing parts.

The Hindu Temple, however, was just incredible. What a beautiful piece of art.

Thanks for sharing the pictures and descriptions of the Elton John concert. WOW!!! That looked like quite the spectacle and you had a great vantage point. I appreciated the back story to some of the songs. I can totally picture (hear) the beginning of Bennie & the Jets as you explained it. Ditto with the high notes in Crocodile Rock.

**********************************************************************************************

What an incredible day of DISmeets with some pretty amazing characters.

I am not in the least surprised that Tracy was as lovely and charming and gracious in person as she is here.

I am also pleased to discover that I own some museum pieces!!!

When Tracy mentioned that,
and told me to come for a visit
sometime... I had visions of
countless displays similar to... this:

I have ALL of these! And more.

Which I think I purchased at the Corning site many many moons ago.

I enjoyed tagging along for the indepth and behind-the-scenes tour of the Corning Glass Museum. There are some really fascinating exhibits there.

Your visit with Mark and his family also looked spectacular and delicious! Too funny about Drew not being quite ready when the first picture was taken.

 

[pkondz]

I'm way behind here. Again! So I am skipping around.

Thanks for showing
us your behind.



You're behind!
You're behind!!!!

Back at the Zen garden- sorry that there were some disappointing parts.

Ah well.
I guess not ever place
I visit will be perfect
and pristine.

I should let them
know I'm coming.

The Hindu Temple, however, was just incredible. What a beautiful piece of art.

I was really... shocked
at the amount of detail!

Thanks for sharing the pictures and descriptions of the Elton John concert.

You're welcome!

WOW!!! That looked like quite the spectacle and you had a great vantage point.

It was great and yes,
the seats were too!

I appreciated the back story to some of the songs.

I can totally picture (hear) the beginning of Bennie & the Jets as you explained it. Ditto with the high notes in Crocodile Rock.

Those notes are just...
unmistakable.

What an incredible day of DISmeets with some pretty amazing characters.

Everyone I met was
just wonderful!!

I am not in the least surprised that Tracy was as lovely and charming and gracious in person as she is here.

She really is great.
Such a treat to finally
meet her.

I am also pleased to discover that I own some museum pieces!!!

I have ALL of these! And more.

Which I think I purchased at the Corning site many many moons ago.

I wonder if they're worth
a lot of money now?

I enjoyed tagging along for the indepth and behind-the-scenes tour of the Corning Glass Museum. There are some really fascinating exhibits there.

That place...
I could easily spend
an entire day there.

Easily.

Your visit with Mark and his family also looked spectacular and delicious! Too funny about Drew not being quite ready when the first picture was taken.

That was the funniest
part of my day!

 

[docsoliday1]

Too difficult to try to multiquote or reply just to part,so
Not sure when I'll be back to NY, but the Corning factory looks cool. When did you come to my kitchwn and photograph my corning dishes though????

I agree...looks like the crystal foxes alright or I should say the crystal foxes look like a replica.

yes I saw both in the last (or the last I've read) update.

 

[buzzrelly]

Please refer to previous
disclaimer re: Dad jokes.

Do you feel better having gotten that out of your system?

My exit came up much more
quickly than I thought and I
had to slam on the brakes
pretty hard.
I started to hydroplane
(which sounds pretty cool...
"Wow! A hydroplane! That's awesome!"
until you're doing it.)
and almost ran up on the curb.
I managed to negotiate
the turn successfully.

Yikes! I hate driving in rain, especially on unfamiliar roads

"Sir? This is the Hampton Inn.
Your reservation is for the
Country Inn."

I remember thinking
"What an idiot."

And it turns out I was correct,
as I passed him a little later,
pulled over by a State trouper.

Good…I hate speeders

When I had told Annie
that I was coming back
through NC again,
she insisted that I bring
her several pounds of
Coffee Crisp chocolate bars.

Since I didn't want to dine
alone, and didn't know anyone
else in NC, off the top of my head,
I agreed to her extortion...
uh...demands... uh... insistence...
um... request.

She gracefully accepted her tribute.
She seems moderately pleased.

I love that photo.

Great photo!

two pints of ice cream!
And not just any ice cream,
but ice cream from Sunny Sky's!
Last time, Annie and Joe had taken
me there and I loved it.
They have amazing ice cream.
And she knew I didn't have time
to go, this trip.
Not only did she go out of her way
to get me this,
but she even remembered that
last time I ordered Apple Pie
and Peach Cobbler.

Yum! That was so nice!

Bad Daddy's has some of the best
burgers I've ever had.
And... if you're looking at that
photo quizzically, that's an egg
on top of my burger.
And if you've never had a fried
egg on a burger...
you haven't lived.

That looks great! I love a good burger!

Almost simultaneously
I received this text:
Rob: "I'm confused...
bar b q king doesn't have
an inside"

Me: "Uh oh..."

Oh, no! Such a bummer, but I can see why it was confusing, the names are sooooo close

I arrived at my hotel
about ten pm,
totally exhausted
and not particularly
happy with myself.


I consoled myself
with an ice cream pity party.

Ice cream makes everything better

Did you see it in this chapter?

After going back to look three times, and then I was like, "DUH!" Told you I'm bad at this

 

[SoccerDogWithEars]

Rain always seeks vengeance
with me, because once,
his relative entered my house
and I mopped the floor with him.
It wasn't easy. I was soaked
(with sweat, of course) when
I was done.
He really put me through the ringer.
He tried to sue me. He's such
a wet blanket; but I have an
umbrella corporation that
takes care of that.
I left him high and dry.

There is nothing to say to this, except I don't think I've ever rolled my eyes that hard before.

I started to hydroplane
(which sounds pretty cool...
"Wow! A hydroplane! That's awesome!"
until you're doing it.)

Apparently when I was 4 or 5, my mom was driving in the snow with me in the backseat and lost control and spun. While she was prying her white knuckles from the steering wheel, I was laughing and asking to do it again.

"Sir? This is the Hampton Inn.
Your reservation is for the
Country Inn."

Oops. But as many hotels as you stay at, you were bound to get one confused.

Every time I've seen her,
she's been late,

ONE TIME!!!!!!!

She seems moderately pleased.

Me? Nooooooooooo

I don't know how she feels
about me, but I get along
with her (and Joe) really well.

We adore you. Joe was bummed he couldn't make it this time.

Not only did she go out of her way
to get me this,

Right, it was such a hardship. I had to drive (well, make Joe drive) a whole ten minutes away from our house. And of course got absolutely nothing for myself while we were there

but she even remembered that
last time I ordered Apple Pie
and Peach Cobbler.

Yes. Of course. Mind like a steel trap. Definitely did not go back and re-read the last TR to confirm.

It was wonderful seeing
you again.

It's always a pleasure!! Joe's cousin just proposed to his girlfriend, and there's a very likely chance the wedding will be in the UP of Michigan. And my first thought was that it would put us closer to you than ever before.

Almost simultaneously
I received this text:
Rob: "I'm confused...
bar b q king doesn't have
an inside"

Me: "Uh oh..."

Oh no!!!

I really was upset
with myself for having
made such a stupid error.

Those are the worst, especially when you have no one to blame but yourself.

I consoled myself
with an ice cream pity party.

The best kind of pity party.

Did you see it in this chapter?

I did! I read this on my phone this morning!

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Bets on whether he
did that twice???

If he's anything like my kids, not in a million years!

And it was my pleasure.

Mine as well. It's been really great getting to know you.

that's almost exactly
what @Steppesister said!

Great minds!

And now I know the difference.

Thank goodness. Another poor soul saved from Steak-umms.

If you recall,
there were two other
people in there.
And they left after
I arrived.
(Obviously smart folks.)

I guess I'll just have to
make another trip!

I haven't posted
an update since last year.
Figured it was time.

Okay... it's an old gag.
But I'm a Dad.
So I'm exempt from
saying lame jokes.
Actually... it's a requirement
of the office.

Darn right. I would have been angry if you hadn't made that joke.

I sprinted over to the car.
Well... "sprinted" isn't
quite right.
I'd say waddled,
but that seems a little pedestrian.

Sorry. Running gag.

Well done, sir.

Rain always seeks vengeance
with me, because once,
his relative entered my house
and I mopped the floor with him.
It wasn't easy. I was soaked
(with sweat, of course) when
I was done.
He really put me through the ringer.
He tried to sue me. He's such
a wet blanket; but I have an
umbrella corporation that
takes care of that.
I left him high and dry.

Impressive!

"Listen. Tell you what.
You let me make this turn
and I won't use my car
to scrape up your pretty
little cement, okay?"

The curb and I agreed.

We at the DOT thank you for working that out. Saves us some repair work.

"Sir? This is the Hampton Inn.
Your reservation is for the
Country Inn."

Oh well...
The donuts were good.
Thanks Julie (and Mark.)

Hey, all's well that ends well!

This looks like a much better drive than the Washington Beltway.

And it turns out I was correct,
as I passed him a little later,
pulled over by a State trouper.

Such a great feeling!

A Moonshine Blackberry Limeade
(Midnight Moon Blackberry moonshine,
Lime sour, fizz.)
Not bad!

Hey, that sounds pretty tasty.

When I had told Annie
that I was coming back
through NC again,
she insisted that I bring
her several pounds of
Coffee Crisp chocolate bars.

So she needs a bribe in order to see you again. Smart.

She doesn't seem to be clutching the ketchup chips with quite the same fervor. Odd.

And not just any ice cream,
but ice cream from Sunny Sky's!
Last time, Annie and Joe had taken
me there and I loved it.
They have amazing ice cream.
And she knew I didn't have time
to go, this trip.
Not only did she go out of her way
to get me this,
but she even remembered that
last time I ordered Apple Pie
and Peach Cobbler.

Wow, talk about going above and beyond! That's pretty awesome.

And... if you're looking at that
photo quizzically, that's an egg
on top of my burger.
And if you've never had a fried
egg on a burger...
you haven't lived.

I am on the side that finds it delicious. I wouldn't get it every time, but it certainly is good.

I can say that with authority.
Roald Amundsen, the first
person to travel to both
the North and South pole
even said so.
"Adventure is cool, but you
haven't lived until you've
had an egg on a burger."

"Never believe everything you read on the internet."
--Abraham Lincoln

We parted ways.
Me, reluctantly;
her, like an inmate
just released from prison.

I wasn't quick enough to
get a photo of her leap
of joy and fist pump.

That's ok. We all believe you.

Dang, that looks good.

I was on my way to
see Rob (@GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes )
He's a fellow DISdad and
I was greatly looking
forward to meeting him.

Awesome! Rob is good people.

I figured I should text him and...
I'd also forgotten to put his contact
info into my phone.
(I'm batting a thousand here...)
I had the info on a PM
on the DIS... but I needed
WIFI to access that.

Dude, is this your first road trip?

Rob: "I'm confused...
bar b q king doesn't have
an inside"

Me: "Uh oh..."

D'oh!

I had plugged in BBQ King
into the GPS (and Google maps)
and navigated to that restaurant
located just a little outside
of Charlotte, NC.
Rob was in Charlotte...
at Bar-B-Q King.
(Not BBQ King.)

Oh, man. That really sucks. I'm sorry you didn't get the chance to meet up with him.

By now it was almost
eight o'clock.
It would take Rob an
hour to get where I was
(or me to him.)
I still had about two hours
of driving ahead of me...
Four if I drove the hour there
and back.

This just wasn't going to work.

What a bummer. I can only imagine how disappointed and frustrated you were.

Did you see it in this chapter?

That guy is staring a little too much. Some privacy, please!

 

[mustinjourney]

those bouncy house places are great for young kids. Great entertainment and then they're so tired that they will actually take a nap when you get home.

Does that remind you of anything?
Tracy's convinced that they used
that as the basis of the
Crystal Foxes in Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
Judge for yourselves...

That does seem like a solid basis for a copyright infringement suit.

Tracy was the perfect hostess.
She showed me around
the entire museum.
She even pointed out
the bowl she uses to soak
her feet in after a long
day of walking around Disney.
(She brings it with her.)

seems like a practical use of it.

This window caught my eye
as well.
Not sure why, it just called to me.

After several steps involving
several different techniques,
the artisan produced a
glass (duh!) bowl with
a stem (or base.)
(Sorry. I didn't get a photo
of the finished piece.)

I was meeting Mark's family
for the first time.
I'd met Mark ( @Captain_Oblivious )
and one of his sons last year,
but now I was meeting (most)
of the rest today.

whoa! meeting the family! This relationship has gotten serious.

I did manage to eat most of it,
except for what landed on my pants
of course.
With something like that,
there will be spillage.

Perhaps you shouldn't eat like cookie monster.

Did you see it in this chapter?
Did you see them both?

Yup. staring out the window and directing the audience members.

 

[mustinjourney]

Rain always seeks vengeance
with me, because once,
his relative entered my house
and I mopped the floor with him.
It wasn't easy. I was soaked
(with sweat, of course) when
I was done.
He really put me through the ringer.
He tried to sue me. He's such
a wet blanket; but I have an
umbrella corporation that
takes care of that.
I left him high and dry.

"Sir? This is the Hampton Inn.
Your reservation is for the
Country Inn."

And if you've never had a fried
egg on a burger...
you haven't lived.

I really was upset
with myself for having
made such a stupid error.

Did you see it in this chapter?

he's kinda being a creeper.

 

[pkondz]

That is all.
Off to shovel snow now.
Shout-outs later.

 

[pkondz]

Too difficult to try to multiquote or reply just to part,so
Not sure when I'll be back to NY, but the Corning factory looks cool.

It was cool!
I can highly recommend.

When did you come to my kitchwn and photograph my corning dishes though????

August 3rd.
You were out,
so I just let myself in.

I agree...looks like the crystal foxes alright or I should say the crystal foxes look like a replica.

yes I saw both in the last (or the last I've read) update.

 

[pkondz]

Do you feel better having gotten that out of your system?

Oh yes. Absolutely.

And if you think that's
gonna make me stop...


Ha!

Yikes! I hate driving in rain, especially on unfamiliar roads

Not one of my favourite
activities, either.

Yeah...

Good…I hate speeders

I don't mind them.
They help keep my taxes low.

Great photo!

She was so happy!

Yum! That was so nice!

Very nice of her!
I really appreciated it.

That looks great! I love a good burger!

It was sooooo good!

Oh, no! Such a bummer, but I can see why it was confusing, the names are sooooo close

Still... My fault.
I should've confirmed
the address.

I'm very surprised I didn't...
Not like me.
But I went back and...
either the PM thread is gone
or it was on text that I deleted.
Either way, I messed up.

Ice cream makes everything better

After going back to look three times, and then I was like, "DUH!" Told you I'm bad at this

Too obvious?

 

[docsoliday1]

And you've also met me. In Delaware.

And me in GA...his statement carries no validity.

A real one! Not the Steak-umm crap the rest of the continent settles for.

Ummm...not the rest...many maybe. Top round roast beef from publix. If you come down some time and have a few spare minutes, of be happy to make you some home made ones.

 

[docsoliday1]

I think he wqs eyeballing those ketchup chips...I think only Martians like those. Canadians. Martians...same thing.

Just kidding. I didn't love them, but they're. Okay.


Okay fine, I was also kidding about Canadians being the same as Martians. More like Neptonians.

 

[Self_resqing_princz]

I am SO excited to say that YES! I did indeed see both! The Marvin in the glass blowing exhibit was merely an accident though...

 

[Self_resqing_princz]

She's so excited about those coffee crisps that Marvin had to see what all the excitement was about.

 

[Terra Nova guy]

Okay... it's an old gag.
But I'm a Dad.
So I'm exempt from
saying lame jokes.
Actually... it's a requirement
of the office.

A requirement...and a privilege.

I started to hydroplane
(which sounds pretty cool...
"Wow! A hydroplane! That's awesome!"
until you're doing it.)
and almost ran up on the curb.
I managed to negotiate
the turn successfully.

It's scary. Although I've never hydroplaned completely - to the extent that the car spins around. I've seen it, but never done it.

"Sir? This is the Hampton Inn.
Your reservation is for the
Country Inn."

Oops. I can't say I've ever done this...yet. but I wouldn't put it past me.
Remember video stores? Back in the day I had a bad habit of returning the video to the wrong store. I would get a phone call "Hi, this is Blockbuster...we have the DVD you were supposed to return to Rogers Video". What's worse is the poor guy at one store had to waste his time calling the other store to find out what schmuck rented "Sleepless in Seattle" a couple days ago. Oh wait...I mean "Terminator 2" yeah...that's what I rented.

The alarm brayed at five am.
Groan. Second day in a row
of getting up far too early
on a vacation.

It's almost like you were at Disney.

And it turns out I was correct,
as I passed him a little later,
pulled over by a State trouper.

Hehe...karma's a b....well you know.

Not bad!
Almost the same as Canadian.
(Get the same brand too.)
Except here it's about the same
sweetness and we just call it ice tea,
not "Extra Sweet Tea".

Hmmm, at first I thought it was some exotic flavour we don't get. Interesting it's called something different.

A Moonshine Blackberry Limeade
(Midnight Moon Blackberry moonshine,
Lime sour, fizz.)
Not bad!

Sounds good!

When I had told Annie
that I was coming back
through NC again,
she insisted that I bring
her several pounds of
Coffee Crisp chocolate bars.

You really can't go wrong with Coffee Crisp as a gift. nicely done with the ketchup chips too. It looks like somebody else wants to get his hands on the ketchup chips though.

And if you've never had a fried
egg on a burger...
you haven't lived.

I have had a fried egg on a burger. You may remember that I used to work overseas, in southeast Asia. Fried eggs were pretty standard on their burgers. They say it's an Asian thing. But Australians, who I also worked with there, say it's an Australian thing. I don't know who's thing it it. But it's pretty good.

I had the info on a PM
on the DIS... but I needed
WIFI to access that.

Dang. Roaming with a Canadian phone is not easy.

I still feel badly about that.
I completely wasted his time.
I'm really sorry about that Rob.
Hope some time I can
make it up to you.

Shoot. Would have been nice for you guys to meet up. I can understand your frustration.

 

[pkondz]

There is nothing to say to this, except I don't think I've ever rolled my eyes that hard before.

Hope you didn't
hurt yourself.
I'll try to be more
serious in the future.


Nahhh…

Apparently when I was 4 or 5, my mom was driving in the snow with me in the backseat and lost control and spun. While she was prying her white knuckles from the steering wheel, I was laughing and asking to do it again.

Been there, done that.
It's not quite as much
fun when you're the driver.

Oops. But as many hotels as you stay at, you were bound to get one confused.

At least it was the same
parking lot.
One time, the hotel
had been sold some time
between the reservation
and the arrival date.

ONE TIME!!!!!!!

Me? Nooooooooooo

We adore you. Joe was bummed he couldn't make it this time.

Awwww, shucks.
I missed him too.

Right, it was such a hardship. I had to drive (well, make Joe drive) a whole ten minutes away from our house.

Doesn't matter if it was
10 minutes or 30.
Still had to go out of
your way to do it.
And it was very
thoughtful of you.

And of course got absolutely nothing for myself while we were there

Of course.
Totally understandable.

Yes. Of course. Mind like a steel trap. Definitely did not go back and re-read the last TR to confirm.

I know you did.
And... that too took some
effort.
Thank you.

It's always a pleasure!! Joe's cousin just proposed to his girlfriend, and there's a very likely chance the wedding will be in the UP of Michigan. And my first thought was that it would put us closer to you than ever before.

So... you're saying I'm invited
to the wedding.
I'm not sure what I'll say
in my speech, though.

Oh no!!!

I'm an utter idiot.

Those are the worst, especially when you have no one to blame but yourself.

Correct.
I am still kicking myself
over that one.

The best kind of pity party.

You saved the day.

I did! I read this on my phone this morning!

Not too hard to spot,
was he?

 

[pkondz]

If he's anything like my kids, not in a million years!

Mine as well. It's been really great getting to know you.

Me too!

Thank goodness. Another poor soul saved from Steak-umms.

Praise the Lord
(of Philly cheesesteak)

Darn right. I would have been angry if you hadn't made that joke.

Some things must be done.

Well done, sir.

Thanks!

Impressive!

Sometimes these things
just write themselves.

We at the DOT thank you for working that out. Saves us some repair work.

That's why I did it.
Not like running into a
pet carrier. Those are easily
replaced.

This looks like a much better drive than the Washington Beltway.

Yes it was.
And... I forgot...

I was going to give you
credit and thank you
in the TR for the
driving tip and forgot.

So... thanks. I appreciated it.

Such a great feeling!

Not gonna lie...
Yes it is!

Hey, that sounds pretty tasty.

It was!

So she needs a bribe in order to see you again. Smart.

Of course.
Everyone does.

Otherwise it'd be a very
lonely drive through the US.

She doesn't seem to be clutching the ketchup chips with quite the same fervor. Odd.

Can you blame her?

Wow, talk about going above and beyond! That's pretty awesome.

It certainly was!
She's wonderful.

I am on the side that finds it delicious. I wouldn't get it every time, but it certainly is good.

Yes. Not every time.
But... when you do...
Yum!

"Never believe everything you read on the internet."
--Abraham Lincoln

That's ok. We all believe you.

Of course.
You've met me.

Dang, that looks good.

They were.

Awesome! Rob is good people.

Which is just another reason
why I'm so upset that
I screwed up.

Dude, is this your first road trip?

I know... I know...

D'oh!

Yeah...

Oh, man. That really sucks. I'm sorry you didn't get the chance to meet up with him.

Definitely the lowest point
of the trip.
Heck... possibly of any trip.

What a bummer. I can only imagine how disappointed and frustrated you were.

Very. And very angry with myself.

That guy is staring a little too much. Some privacy, please!

Martians can be rude.

 

[pkondz]

those bouncy house places are great for young kids. Great entertainment and then they're so tired that they will actually take a nap when you get home.

Unless you hear:
"Daddy! Come play!"

Then you're the one
taking the nap when
you get home.

That does seem like a solid basis for a copyright infringement suit.

Yep. I smell a suit coming.

seems like a practical use of it.

What else would
you use it for?

Sorry!

whoa! meeting the family! This relationship has gotten serious.

Next time, I'm staying.
But don't say anything...
They don't know it yet.

Perhaps you shouldn't eat like cookie monster.

Is there another way???

Yup. staring out the window and directing the audience members.

 

[pkondz]

Sorry

At least I had the right
parking lot.
Still... felt pretty dumb.

Correct.

Yeah...
Still feel so stupid...
And upset.

he's kinda being a creeper.

Alien life forms do that.