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

[pkondz]

 

[Canadian Harmony]

You do know I'm not giving out
random sucking up points, right?

Not why I wrote what I wrote, but on the off chance....

 

[pkondz]

Not why I wrote what I wrote, but on the off chance....

Ah ha!!!!

 

[mustinjourney]

I like how you broke it down
for each of your DDs.

With each of them having completely different personalities right now (not to mention they can't ride all the same rides together), it's kind of necessary.

It is funny how, despite having the same parents and being raised in similar conditions...they are drastically different emotionally. Some of it is I think she is just the stereotypical youngest child and wants more attention. Anytime her older sister is not around, she is a lot more pleasant to be around. But as soon as the oldest is around, they inevitably start vying for attention.

Want his wallet?

Not a chance in hell.

 

[pkondz]

With each of them having completely different personalities right now (not to mention they can't ride all the same rides together), it's kind of necessary.

But of course.
And yet....
When I took my DDs the first time,
they were 4 and 8.
Polar opposites.

And yet they loved
the same rides.

It is funny how, despite having the same parents and being raised in similar conditions...they are drastically different emotionally. Some of it is I think she is just the stereotypical youngest child and wants more attention. Anytime her older sister is not around, she is a lot more pleasant to be around. But as soon as the oldest is around, they inevitably start vying for attention.

Yup.
Familiar with the effect.

Less vying, perhaps...
but the rest is true for us.

Not a chance in hell.

Why?
Because you're not as bad as mother's trucker?

He's really a poor driver.

 

[mustinjourney]

Why?
Because you're not as bad as mother's trucker?

In general, I avoid conflict with strangers...and especially with those that are carrying weapons.

 

[rndmr2]

Nice update, definitely sounds like you had a fun day. I love all the pink flowering trees in a lot of your pictures.

Do you see the magic?
(Why yes. Tell me. For bonus points.)

Love seeing Aurora walking with that little girl! So cute and yes, magical. The whole place is Magical, which is one of the main reasons I love going there (to WDW, never been to DL but plan to someday)

HM of course!
I mean... what else could it be?
(Bonus points. What's your favourite ride?)

For me, it's a tie between HM and Peter Pan

Schweitzer Falls.
Backside of water...

I LOVE the "Backside of Water" I always try to get a pic of it.

Do you know how they say "fried chicken"
in France?
(No. Not Royale with poulet.)
(Get the reference(ish)? Bonus points, yes or no.)

No clue as to this reference.

And yes, I saw it, sending PM

 

[natebenma]

Dee!!!
to the TR!!
Missed you!
How are the goats?

Let's try this again...

So sorry for the disappearing act somewhere around page 10.

But thanks to the handy-dandy chapter links, I have caught up, for the moment.

Thanks for asking about the goats! They are good. We currently have 5 rescue goats at the farm. I can't remember if I posted about Sky on your past report, but since it sort of goes along with your update with the baby capy, here is me with Sky when he was just a few days old. He came to us when a farmer sold him on Craig's List to a college student who kept him in his dorm room for a couple of days until a friend talked some sense into him. We took him in at the farm and since he needed to be bottle fed every 4 hours, we had a signup for his first two months for families to take him overnight.








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

Thanks for letting me butt in with my pictures, but back to you (and Kay)

Wow! Loved your update about the petting zoo. What a great operation! Sounds like the caretakers area really special and I can't believe their entrance price.

Have you?
(Bonus points. Have you?)

Wow. The emu egg was beautiful. No, I have never seen one, but I have seen nests of fake ostrich eggs on a certain safari ride.

The pictures of Kay with the baby capy are adorable!

AWWWW!!! This is too cute.

We don't currently have any turkeys at the farm, but we did have an incredible turkey named Socrates for several years. He was very friendly with kids and would follow them around the farm and sometimes onto the school buses.

Did you know that a turkey's head can change color depending on its mood? The head is blue when it is happy but will turn red when agitated. Looks like a content turkey there ^^^


They really have some seriously cool animals there and it is so great that Kay could get so up close and personal with them.


What a great, unique birthday treat.

 

[natebenma]

Ride 'em Cowgirl

Apparently, this used to be where it was,
but they'd relocated.
She wasn't impressed that
the brochure I had from the airport
(A current one, not an old one)
was less than accurate.

In their defense, I'm pretty sure there are still maps you can get at Disney that refer to MGM. I know I saw something just a few years ago.

Bo knows horse riding.
(Bonus if you get the reference.
Or not. Just let me know.)

Of course!

The horse... knew when to stop...

Tammy and her riding sidesaddle and backwards is impressive but THIS!

I noticed a plaque
on the church...

I liked the Cowboy Commandments.

Sorry the stop at the ghost town cost you a chip.

Organ Stop Pizza is...
different.

This place looks supremely cool, although I had a different thought that the name was due to unusual pizza toppings (liver, gizzards, etc). Seriously!

 

[natebenma]

Next stop...
Rodeo Drive, baby.

(Get the connection?
Bonus points if you tell me if you do or not.)

Got it!

I suspect that since you and I share a common era, I will get a lot of your references.

Except maybe this one.

Seriously though.
Doesn't he remind you of the
Cameron Frye character
from Ferris Bueller's Day Off?

I have never seen FBDO- pitiful, isn't it. (Haven't seen Dirty Dancing either)




I love the wax museum photos. That is so cool that you can pose with the figures.

City Walk at Universal looks really cool, especially at night. The Chinese place sounds really good. Sorry you were too full to enjoy the duck.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

I can't find a way to start.
I wonder if this is writer's block?
But then how can I be writing this?

My hope is that if I just... start...
the words will start to flow.

That's how it works! The way I heard it expressed was that inspiration strikes while you're in the process of creating, not before.

You know... stop for a bit,
(at which time it resembled
a parking lot)
and then shuffle forward
a bit before stopping again.

Good practice for the DC Beltway, then.

And before you mention or comment
on how those terrible bikers
shouldn't get away with that...
It's legal to lane split in California.

So you were wishing you had brought your Harley? Is it legal for the people in cars to suddenly open their doors?

Disneyland, here we come!

(Because that's what one
does with a backpack...
you pack it.
Pity the British who have
rucksacks. Do they sack it?)

And do they wear it on their rucks?

(Well... movie stars, perhaps.
It's California. Don't they litter the
streets with celebrities there? )

Of course! See that homeless guy over there? That's Pauly Shore!

It wasn't a movie star,
but she's a star in her own right.
I thought I recognized... I did!
It was @Steppesister !

Hmmm... odd.
No castle.
Wait... Is that it??
It's so... tiny!

We all have the same reaction when we're used to the Florida park.

Obligatory castle photo.
I once heard of a guy
who didn't stop for a castle photo,
he even had a camera in full view
on a strap around his neck!
He was beaten and thrown
out of the park.
Lifetime ban.
Even had his Mickey ears confiscated.
Very sad.

Don't worry. They still apparently let @afwdwfan into the Florida parks.

90 minute wait.

Nope!

I can live with not knowing!

Very few rides are worth that!

I was a tourist here.
I didn't want to be constantly
in Trip Report mode, you know?

Totally justified.

I was willing to try this,
since it's completely new...
But I wasn't going to wait
more than five minutes for it!

I remember trying hard to experience things at DL that were new or different from what was in Florida...but still didn't really go out of my way for this one.

Liesa blithely hopped over the rope,
elbowed her way past some
angry parents and joined us.
I studiously avoided the glares
of the people behind us.

If she were Canadian, she would have at least politely apologized while she elbowed people in the head.

I consoled myself with the thought
that really, they hated Liesa
and not me.
Or not as much.

Until you crop-dusted them. That swung the opinion polls.

Here! Uh... Liesa!
Why don't you sit in the front!
Better pictures from there.

It's really a defense mechanism.
You do that to fend of boredom.

RNRC, it ain't.

Yeah...I'm kinda getting that.

I was ready to fight Kay on this,
but... she plays dirty.
"Dad. It's my birthday celebration.
You have to."

And when Liesa rejoined us,
(apparently she came out fine in the end)
she insisted I ride it as well.

Just plain dirty. Cruel and unusual punishment, if you ask me.

Hah! Joke's on them.
I'm married.
I'm used to women
yelling at me.

Yeah! Take that!

Some people ask me why
I go back to Disney so often?
"You must like rides."

Well, duh. Who doesn't?

But there's just something magical
about the place isn't there?

Do you see the magic?
(Why yes. Tell me. For bonus points.)

Of course I do. It's right there.

We arrived back at city hall,
and I had to take a photo
of the lamp burning in Walt's window.

Glad you remembered to look for that. I'm glad my wife remembered to take a photo, too.

It turned out I didn't need to get
a locker as Alison had a large bag
on the back of her scooter.
I gratefully accepted her offer
of being my personal pack mule.

Wow, she's starting her fairy godmother work early.

If you were to actually go to Africa
(Liesa, back me up here.)
you would see baby elephants
spraying water into crocodiles' mouths.

It's very common.

Happens in every nature movie I watch with crocodiles. So cliche at this point.

Does that look like water?
Because it'snot.

That's my favorite one.

And of course, the ride ended with:
"If you had a great time, my name is John,
if you didn't my name is pkondz."

Awesome.

A whole ride dedicated to Dad jokes. What's not to like?

We rode a few more rides,
Indy and POTC,
where both Alison and Liesa
got wet bums
while Kay and I stayed dry.

Indiana Jones...

(Apologies for the above photo.
From left to right, it's:
"Aww, cute! Aww, cute! Aww, cute!... EW! <spew>"

Yep, that's how I saw it too.

I enjoyed the Mint Julep and would have another,
but I wouldn't stand in line for another beignet.
They were fine, but... Not overly special or unique.
At least, I didn't find them to be.

Fried dough and sugar is a pretty simple pleasure.

HM of course!
I mean... what else could it be?
(Bonus points. What's your favourite ride?)

Just pure ride experience--Expedition Everest. When you take into account memories and nostalgia and general Disney-ness, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.

It's a petrified tree.
It's believed to be between
55 - 70 million years old.
Walt purchased it back in 1956.
His wife gifted it to the park in '57.

I thought it was interesting enough
to deserve at least a mention.

Absolutely. I didn't know that was there!

Yup. That's right.
Alison pinched Cinderella's royal bottom.
I caught the mischievous grin on Alison's face
just as she was in the act.

That's awfully forward!

How much time do you spend planning these?

Unfortunately, I couldn't pick a date
with my soon to be mate.
While she is a princess,
she is also on the clock
and needs to bring home the royal bacon.
I had to take my leave.

But fear not! We'll set a date,
and you're all invited!

Great! I'll wait by the mailbox for the invitation.

I didn't take any photos,
but I do know that Alison and I
split the fried chicken.
Dang! That was some good chicken!

I'd go back.

Do you know how they say "fried chicken"
in France?
(No. Not Royale with poulet.)
(Get the reference(ish)? Bonus points, yes or no.)

I'll put it in inviso-text: Pulp Fiction.

Of course, there's no need to worry about the metric system with chicken.

Kay had some Penne pasta while Liesa had a salad.
I have no idea what is wrong with those two!

Buncha weirdos.

While it's not quite
(nor ever was)
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea,
it's as close as I'm ever likely to get.
I loved that ride.

Me too. Something about stepping onto a submarine.

Fun fact: every movie about a submarine is inherently awesome.

Someone was a very happy girl.
(And no hover hand. Good girl.
Wait... that's my kid I'm talking about...)

Whoa, he put her head right in his armpit! Ew....

Of course it's always Dole Whip Float time.

Is it a day that ends in Y? Time for a Dole Whip Float.

Yup. We walked a few dozen steps
from the exit of one park
to the entrance of another.

I really can't express how... foreign
that was to me.
I mean... going from park to park
should involve a bus or monorail ride
shouldn't it?

Maybe the best thing about the California parks! Best argument for a park hopper ever.

And I'm happy to say
that out of the four of us,
I kicked some serious heinie!

Nice work!

Alison took us in by a different
route so we would get
a better view.

She knows what she's doing.

They really went all out with the
scenery here!
I was pretty gobsmacked
by it all!
The details! Everywhere!
Look at that old highway
guard rail in the above photo.

Agreed. They really knocked it out of the park with Cars Land.

It's an excellent ride!
That's one that I really
wouldn't mind waiting for again.

There aren't that many rides
that I'll wait in line for.
But that's one of them.

Thanks to the child swap, my kids got four rides in one day there. Not a bad deal if you can get it.

I love the TV antennae
on the tops of the cones.

On the way, Kay tallied up her score.
She had been keeping track
of every time she heard a kid having
a meltdown.

Today's tally stood at eleven.

I strongly suspect she missed... a lot.

What about parent meltdowns? Not that I'd know anything about that.

We also got some mini hot dogs,
which Kay proceeded to devour
since she wouldn't touch anything else.


Teenagers.

Oh, I don't know. I'd probably lean in that direction as well.

I must have said something
that insulted Liesa.
We were just sitting,
chatting, when...
All of a sudden,
Liesa throws her drink at me!!

More likely she just noticed you there. "Oh, it's pkondz. I should probably throw this drink at him."

Error number two for the night.
Apparently, Liesa was hoarding
the napkins to keep as an
impromptu souvenir of the place.
And I went and ruined them all.



Sorry, Liesa.
(I still feel badly about that,
by the way. )

D'oh! She'll probably throw a drink at you next time she sees you for that.

We headed back to California Screamin'
(I suspect it's screaming about its lost 'g')

Makes perfect sense.

I didn't take a single photo of WOC.
Sometimes you just need to sit back
and take it all in, you know?

Yep. Or not sit, and stand packed like sardines while trying to see through people with their kids on their shoulders and take it all in.

It was one of the best nights of my life.
Disney is.. well... magic. You know?
I fell in love. Well, more in love.

There's that magic again.

No questions.
I'm not even all that sure
what we did yet!

Now I know there will be exploding helicopters.

 

[natebenma]

Enjoyed reading about your day at Universal.

I have been to the one in California a couple of times, but it was over 30 years ago. No hint of Harry Potter back then. But my family has visited the one in Florida "The Theme Park Which Must Not Be Named."

Harry Potter land is amazingly themed!

You are correct about the butterbeer- frozen is indeed the superior brew. (The hot is pretty good as well, my second favorite)

My favorite review of this ride was a trip reporter who tried to hold her breath during the entire ride. She came close, but didn't quite make it (no she didn't die, but did inhale). The ride is THAT short!


Glad you and Kay enjoyed Mummy. I think that is my favorite ride anywhere.

Skipping the Simpsons was a good call. My family does ok on it, but only if we take Bonine that morning.

I like that the Back Lot tour really has some back lots and some authentic sets. Right? That really is the Psycho house isn't it?


It's cool that some of the marquee rides are part of that tour. I remember the parting of the Red Seas and Jaws from back in the day, but sounds likes they have some excellent additions.

Graffiti.
Terrible.
You wouldn't see that in Disney!

 

[natebenma]

That's great that you ran into Steppesister in the parking lot (you didn't really run into her, did you?)

Hmmm... odd.
No castle.
Wait... Is that it??
It's so... tiny!

Where's the castle?

Right there!

Where? Oh, behind the cottage?

No. It IS the cottage




[

This is a gorgeous picture!

QUOTE="pkondz, post: 58563354, member: 142037"]Peter Pan!
I was really interested to see
how this one differed
(if at all!)
from the one in Florida.

90 minute wait.[/QUOTE]

Good call! No way without a Fast Pass and you can't get one here!

(On our 4 day trip to DL/CA, we rode Peter Pan once, during an early opening and waited about 45 minutes in line. Pretty much same ride as WDW)

Strangely enough, we didn't ride any of the other rides you have gone on so far- Storybook ride, Toad, Alice, Sleeping Beauty- teen boys- not interested or Tea Cups- the puke thing.

Do you see the magic?
(Why yes. Tell me. For bonus points.)

Totally magic!

 

[natebenma]

Thanks to the child swap, my kids got four rides in one day there. Not a bad deal if you can get it.

Single rider line is a great way to get in multiple rides on RSR as well. My son Ben rode 6 times in one day

Stand by at rope drop

Fast Pass

3 Single Rider in a row (while the rest of us were on Tower of Terror)

Fast Pass at end of night

 

[Mrs T 2009]

I always see magic at Disney parks! How could you not??? Disney is such a magical place!!! <3

My favorite ride(s) are HM and People mover. I always HAVE to go on them AT LEAST once. ALWAYS.

jungle cruise is make or break depending on your guide. I've gotten lucky the past few times I've ridden we've had funny ones!

Also, sorry for the family busyness you've been dealing with. Truth be told I was nervous I would be so behind, because I've been busy myself.

And you get to go back to Disneyland??!! LUCKY!!!

*PM sending

 

[natebenma]

HM of course!
I mean... what else could it be?
(Bonus points. What's your favourite ride?)

At DL, either Big Thunder or Pirates. Probably Big Thunder.

Do you know how they say "fried chicken"
in France?
(No. Not Royale with poulet.)
(Get the reference(ish)? Bonus points, yes or no.)

Non!

After just explaining that I would probably get a lot of your references, I have no idea on this one.





Congratulations on your engagement! Best fishes to you both!





Well, according to the picture with Gaston, it looks like Kay got over her reluctance to meet with the characters she had while on Rodeo and at Universal.

Sounds like you had an awesome time at 1901. Where is that???

PMing you.

 

[pkondz]

In general, I avoid conflict with strangers...and especially with those that are carrying weapons.

This is a good rule to live by.
No really... live.

 

[pkondz]

Nice update, definitely sounds like you had a fun day. I love all the pink flowering trees in a lot of your pictures.

Those trees were gorgeous.
Especially coming from the cold (home)
and the arid (Arizona).

Love seeing Aurora walking with that little girl! So cute and yes, magical.

The whole place is Magical, which is one of the main reasons I love going there (to WDW, never been to DL but plan to someday)

You're absolutely right.
And it never gets old.

For me, it's a tie between HM and Peter Pan

We would get along
juuuuuuust fine.

I LOVE the "Backside of Water" I always try to get a pic of it.

I've never tried. I should!

No clue as to this reference.

No problem. I'll explain next update.

And yes, I saw it, sending PM

Got it!

 

[pkondz]

Let's try this again...

So sorry for the disappearing act somewhere around page 10.

But you're back now!

But thanks to the handy-dandy chapter links, I have caught up, for the moment.

That's what they're there for!

Thanks for asking about the goats! They are good. We currently have 5 rescue goats at the farm. I can't remember if I posted about Sky on your past report, but since it sort of goes along with your update with the baby capy, here is me with Sky when he was just a few days old. He came to us when a farmer sold him on Craig's List to a college student who kept him in his dorm room for a couple of days until a friend talked some sense into him.

We took him in at the farm and since he needed to be bottle fed every 4 hours, we had a signup for his first two months for families to take him overnight.

Awww.... He's doing well now?

Awww, what a cutie.
Goat's pretty cute, too.

Thanks for letting me butt in with my pictures, but back to you (and Kay)

I'm glad you did!
Thanks for that!!

Wow! Loved your update about the petting zoo. What a great operation! Sounds like the caretakers area really special and I can't believe their entrance price.

Well....

Unfortunately, they got complaints.
I believe their neighbors moved in
and didn't like their zoo.
Soooo... they got rid of all
the animals and moved.

Which really sucks.

Wow. The emu egg was beautiful. No, I have never seen one, but I have seen nests of fake ostrich eggs on a certain safari ride.

The pictures of Kay with the baby capy are adorable!

AWWWW!!! This is too cute.

Yep!

We don't currently have any turkeys at the farm, but we did have an incredible turkey named Socrates for several years. He was very friendly with kids and would follow them around the farm and sometimes onto the school buses.

How many times did
he drive off with the kids?

Did you know that a turkey's head can change color depending on its mood? The head is blue when it is happy but will turn red when agitated. Looks like a content turkey there ^^^

I did know that!
I witnessed that turkey
doing that for several hours.

They really have some seriously cool animals there and it is so great that Kay could get so up close and personal with them.

It was definitely a trip
highlight for her.

In their defense, I'm pretty sure there are still maps you can get at Disney that refer to MGM. I know I saw something just a few years ago.

True, but this was a 2017 brochure.

Of course!

Bo knows.

Tammy and her riding sidesaddle and backwards is impressive but THIS!

I was certainly impressed!

I liked the Cowboy Commandments.

Sorry the stop at the ghost town cost you a chip.

Ah well... guess I'll just have to go back, hunh?

This place looks supremely cool, although I had a different thought that the name was due to unusual pizza toppings (liver, gizzards, etc). Seriously!

 

[pkondz]

Got it!

I suspect that since you and I share a common era, I will get a lot of your references.

Except maybe this one.

Surely you've seen pretty woman?

I have never seen FBDO- pitiful, isn't it. (Haven't seen Dirty Dancing either)

What is wrong with you????

I love the wax museum photos. That is so cool that you can pose with the figures.

There was no one watching
as far as I could see.
Makes me wonder about breakage.

City Walk at Universal looks really cool, especially at night. The Chinese place sounds really good. Sorry you were too full to enjoy the duck.

Love how you threw Donald in there.