Nrthwnd

Take Your Mama ~ Scissor Sisters

Definitely thinking the same thing, too.

Love it, love it, love it!

Cheese

And he too will "live on", where ever they can put his image/cameo in future films, like they did with Deadpool 2. He was having trouble with pneumonia at that time, so they did his cameo a bit differently. Very cool we thought.

^ Love the ring binder and the coke can as support for that last PONG table, lol.

^^ And Blue Fall in Japan.

^^ I used to go to the ballet a lot, when I was younger. There was this subscription series, called "David Y.H. Lui Presents", a former theatre friend of mine and others, now long gone, sadly. He brought ballet companies to Vancouver from all over North America, and even Europe, South America, etc. And my very first ballet company with the series, was the Alvin Ailey Dance Company from New York. And I learned to love ballet that way, of seeing three or four different pieces, rather than on long, extended production, like a Sleeping Beauty, or Romeo & Juliet. I learned to appreciate those later on in my young life. I miss that series. And any companies coming to Vancouver, for that matter. Saw this poster in Paris. I think it's for theatre & ballet of some kind. (Sept.2015)

^ We just came home from seeing it, and we were blown away, by mainly the actors playing Freddy and the band. We also kept wondering if somehow, the one who kept his long hair "shag".... was actually Benedict Cumberbatch! Not to be, obviously, but we did wonder from time to time.... All the Queen songs were great how they were worked into the film. And the non-music scenes were amazing at times. I do agree, there is "a lot of stuff moved around" as to correct events, etc. But I am sure that happens in a lot of other bio-pics.And one way or the other, we remember that Freddy did die of AIDS, that "Paul" was the bad apple in the scenario, and thankfully, the music never dies. We enjoyed "Bohemian Rhapsody" a lot, and even stuck around through the credits to hear all the music being played.

^ Sipping on Moscow Mules in my nice copper cup (2016), from the Coast Starlight train itself! Bringing my Coast Starlight coffee mug (1994), too. Speaking of the Coast Starlight Coffee Mug. (1994) (o;

Pillow

"The Signs! Those Little Signs!" What I returned to the Train EXPO to see more closely, AND make sure some photos were taken, was this small but very busy train display, that also included this GI-normous number of lit signs in it. Some blinked on and off, others had patterns to cycle through, others just stayed on and that was fine with them, lol. It's really a unique display and I was wondering why more of the other train hobbyists didn't have a few of them (not the huge # this guy had) in their displays. But that was okay. And the guy who owned this lit-up set-up gave me the company's name... Miller Engineering ~ https://www.microstru.com/index.html It's quite the site to browse through. So here's my photos of The Signs!, as well a few others I missed in my first visit.... p.s. The site for the last photos is..... https://www.circuswest.com/ Here I go again.... but my hand stamp was still clear, and the guy let me in, no problem. This is it. A jumble of little buildings with small gauge trains running around them. But then you look closer and... ...these signs are all blinking on and off, in sections, in patterns... A few in the back. "Y - - -" Very detailed they were. Biggest of the bunch. After this one, I went elsewhere. Back to the LEGO layout. With The Coaster. Turns out this is an Earthquake! movie set. And among these various, non-related buildings.... ...Was this motorcycle shop, with "the cute one in the doorway." (Bet it's a Heck's Angels Club.) I don't think they're speaking to each other, any more. )o: Nice, they put another one out, at another corner of the layout...TRAIN ORGY!!! And then I left the building, to find.... What's this? What's this? In the Agrodome Bldg? (After looking it up) It's a CIRCUS SCHOOL! For anybody and everybody, young and old. Ended the afternoon with an A&W burger and ringy dings, and a coffee. Coming up next year for us. But....Spring Break? ~~~ Eep.

Buy! Buy!.....and Bye? The next set of photos starts in the back corner of the Forum bldg, where it was nonstop sales of anything and everything that has to do with choo choos. Used stuff, new stuff, stuff that connects to other stuff. And then there was this great mini train for the kids, that the big truck outside had hauled to the EXPO. Really great work especially the "dome car." And in the end, I thought I had seen everything and gotten enough photos, etc.etc. But for some reason, back home I kept thinking there was "something" I really liked, but had missed in taking photos of. Then it hit me...The Signs! I had to go back and get photos of The Signs in that one display. So I went back on Sunday. Photos to follow.... Choo Choo Choo-ing your wallet up. A bunch of stuff to buy. Rack and racks of it. The Mini Train! It really looked great. Including this awesome Dome Car, between the engine and the caboose. Great craftsmanship in this. Ooooooo Shinkansens? I still don't get why cocktail bar candle holders are here. Whatever. Somebody will probably buy them. Shinkansen? No, not to be I found out. BUt the guy running them told me they were designed after fast trains in Europe....Ice Trains! I knew of those having ridden them between Amsterdam and Paris. We also talked why there aren't a lot of Mag Lev trains in the world, either. Good chat. Small town in the woods. Perfectly normal here. A chuck wagon train heading past a Petroleum Plant. Normal. Ha - "Sound of Music" Sing-a-Long in there I betcha. Mmmmm flat ride.......nom nom nom. A mess of stuff, not really matching each other's size, etc. LEGO! A Coaster! It ran a few times. Not much else to it. Either an actual earthquake here, an earthquake attraction, or a movie set? One more woods' scene before I left for home.

Just paid off my return train ticket to Knott's, Disney, and SFMM next September. We got a "roomette" with meals included, 5 to be exact. Life can be good, even if it's like a train.

^ Cool! I know the Zambezi Zinger is somewhere in South America (yes? no?), but that's about it, for a list of re-located coasters, to my best knowledge. Thanks for the update.

potato? Rin Tin Tin or Rum Tum Tugger?

^ It was really overwhelming, to be honest. I haven't been to one of these hobby fairs for many years. Only recently, with David's involvement with lapidary work, have I revisited Rock & Gem shows, heh. And yes, without having anything "favourite" to look out for, it was a pleasant visit. And seeing all the kids go nuts over the children's size train sets etc. was really cool to see. It makes me wish my dad took me to these things. I usually had to find out about them, on my own. The sales areas were nuts. And cluttered with so many varieties of train scale accessories, etc. My eyes grew wide at how many of everything people were selling, and buying. More later. And to be honest, I am going back tomorrow. Reason is, I missed one of A Small, But A-May-Zing Displays that really REALLY caught my eye, there. And I didn't take - one - friggin - pic of it! I mean, this really caught my attention, and yet, I didn't appear smart enough, at that moment, to take any photos! Idiot me. Stay TOOT! TOOT! tuned.... One of the other awesome "forest scenes" that was created by the tree makers. (o:

^ Good idea.

This sounds like an updated-upteched Joypolis (in Japan) being put into Time Square. Good for them, if it works out. And if it doesn't.....?

Red Hots Plastic or Paper?

Stuff Heeeeyy, toot toot! (R.I.P. Donna Summer)

Chugging Along.... So, all in one big building were trains. Model trains in all shapes, sizes, and composition (plastic, metal, even wooden ones!). And honestly, if I had decided right then and there to start this hobby, with a few thou$and dollar$ in hand (and the credit cards) I could easily get an entire train set today, with all the frills, gadgets, geegaws, and miniature everything my heart desired. And though I was tempted by a couple of things that caught my eye, I didn't buy anything. Here's the first set of photos I took... We go this way. Big honkin' truck outside. It transports a mini-train? Cool! They covered up the PNE Marketplace sign. But it's an easy in, easy out (with a hand stamp). First view of the entire setup. Smaller booths were around the perimeter of it. How to make trees. For example... it's really a beautiful little setting that was created. Showing how trees are made. Tools one needs for making trees (and everything else by hand). I love looking at miniature buildings for this hobby. A very simple layout. Chapter clubs of the main Hobby Train Club in BC. Making bridges. This immediately reminded me of Disney Parks! The other end of the Forum bldg. Junior Engineers most welcome. They even got Hogwarts and a Quidditch match setup for a train (Hogwarts Express?) to run around! Something to actually RIDE here. Adults, too. I resisted. (o; One of the Silent Auction items available. Pretty. (To be continued...)

^ Yeah, I was hoping that there would be something similar at this EXPO. Not to be, sadly. A single flat ride at one layout, and a LEGO coaster at another. And...that was it. But no matter. If I ever get into this hobby (ha), I would certainly set up an amusement park worth of ooohs and ahhhs from the kids. And the adults, too. The Vancouver Model Train EXPO I figured it would be slammed all day Sunday, so going to it today seemed better. It was. Lots and lots of people there today, to be sure. But manageable, and since I wasn't buying anything, I didn't feel to crowded in etc. But before I went into the Forum bldg, I took a few shots of Playland, since it's now closed up for Winter, not to re-open until the Spring. Even the entry plaza is blocked off, now. Noted. and thank you, too! Mmmm wish Coaster was running now. Great clear day for it. Pumpkin Head is down and ready to be stored till next Halloween. Interesting that they still had the mini golf fountain going. On the way back to the main entrance, I stopped Momiji Gardens for a rest. (To be continued...)

^^ Lol, there's going to be a new fresh strip of "TDS blue" below Bayside Station in that map, once Magic Springs is built. Will look interesting on all the Resort maps they have, heh.

A reminder for the weekend, for all you model train freeks out here in Vancouver, and beyond. I'm going to it tomorrow afternoon. I'm hoping that somebody put together a mini-amusement rides carnival (working too!) with their train set... And will do a TR afterwards. http://www.pne.ca Where it takes place - The Forum bldg.