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Kirstie Alley, From "Cheers" to the "Look Who's Talking?" franchise. And no one should forget, she was in the second "Star Trek" film, "The Wrath of Khan,"yes? A small part, yes, but hey who can put that on their resume'? She passed away, at age 71. "Wrath of Khan" playing Saavic to Nimoy's Spock.

.... and now we've just lost Bob McGrath, one of the originals of "Sesame Street". He passed away at age 90. He will really be missed by a lot of us, myself included. Bob and the original human (with one exception) tenants of "Sesame Street."

^ Ah, that one (what I could find on it) lonely looking stroller in the art concept, doesn't do justice to the hundreds of strollers that will be (probably) showing up, daily. They`ll probably have to put a Max Limit # on those being there on those new paths, lol.

Christine McVie of Fleetwood Mac.

Lots and lots of, lots and lots of, awesome shots of, Phantasialand, Bert! All of them, day and night time ones. Last time I was there with TPR, I was surprised too, that such a green space existed in the park, back there. With the waterways, too! Didn't get to take that mini-rail ride to see it all. I think it was down for maintenance. Ah well. glad you went and rode it! Great you all got so much time there, at the park. They have really revved up their theming along with all of the attractions, there.

U-Turn Tegan & Sara

^ <sighs> Good times, those word filters..... And now, back to BGT News!

^^ Yeah, but doesn't it include something about l-o-c-k-e-r-s .... too? It's my memory, and I'm sticking to it.

^ " ..... mandatory bunnies?...." Lol.

^ I'm wondering what that sticker on their left paw, is for? If it actually is, for something... Hmmmm.

"I've been thinkin' 'bout you and me ..." Neil Young

^ Heh, those cut out 'hands' in the first photo, look like the park's having some fun.

^^ I am totally overwhelmed, by the uniqueness of it all! I miss Phantasialand. Great TR of your room Bert, and the surrounding ..... everything!

Looks like the name of this new coaster is Lightning. The PNE really hadn't announced a name yet, but at the IAAPA EXPO in Orlando, it looks like that is it's name. And they had a couple of pairs of coaster seats to try out. Look comfy. Nothing over the shoulders, which is nice.

^ Ah well, at least you tried, with hope.

^ So this is the ride that Playland(PNE) got and opened this past season.... SkyBender. Nice to see other versions of it are coming to other parks. I really enjoyed the ride on it. But ..... We got it first, HA! I notice Kennywood has already announced this as "The First in The U.S." But ours doesn't "swing in a wave," darnit. Just the alternate rocking cycle. Maybe they're re-program it next season, to include this cycle. One can hope.

Well, I just ordered two "VIP Experience" tickets to another Cirque du Soleil show coming to town, one year from now (!): KOOZA. This is the show's second appearance in Vancouver, the first being in .... 2010. And we saw it back then. And got the CD, too. This time though, we're getting perks with our "VIP" tix, including great seats, open bar and nibbles, and it all costs ..... $632 (cdn) for two tix. It's a perfect Solstice Gift to give .... the both of us, heh. And this will 'almost' be paid off before the year is over. Woo hoo! The soundtrack from the show we saw, in 2010. This could be a "new version" of the former show. Like ALEGRIA was re-done. And still awesome to see .... again.

Just ordered two "VIP Experience" tickets to another Cirque du Soleil show coming to town, one year from now: KOOZA. This is the show's second appearance in Vancouver, the first being in .... 2010. And we saw it back then. This time though, we get lots of perks, including great seats, open bar and nibbles, and it all costs ..... $632 (cdn) for two tix. And this will be paid off before the year is over. Woo hoo!

We got a rather thick snowfall during last night! Total surprise. But by the time noon (today) came and went, it was pretty well all gone. And so it goes.

I remember the name CALYPSO, being used for another flat ride .. at the 1962 Seattle World's Fair! And one of those is also currently at Cedar Point. Without the cute 'covers' on it. The Tiki Twirl. Calypso, at the 1962 Worlds Fair, in Seattle, WA. Overhead shot of Calypso at the Seattle World`s Fair ..... in it's GAYWAY! (I am not kidding) A GAYWAY Postcard, with Calypso "in action", and the wonderful Meteor, lit up and opposite Calypso. Loved that ride, too!

Well, now that Playland is back in the coaster world news for awhile, I might as well post my One Day Only at the park. I went on Sunday, July 31st, looking forward to 1) Finally riding COASTER with the new seat belts, and whether or not I felt okay about it. And 2) Riding the new flat ride that debuted this past season - the Sky Bender..... Well, one out of two wasn't bad. COASTER, unfortunately was down that day. And knowing what was in store for "wait times" during the annual fair, I thought no thanks, not worth the $$ for the ticket AND (what I found out later amounted to) nearly 2 HOURS' wait in the PNE queues. Ugh. Nope. But anyway... The new ride was great, actually! Sky Bender was a swift rush to the senses, especially when it started the "in and out" sequence. I still think the whole thing should haven designed with two seaters attached. Or maybe every other one, etc. But no matter. Fun ride and they'll definitely wait in queue for this one during The PNE Fair. Outside, in queue to enter the park, I saw what I thought was the yellow train going up the llft hill. The queue to enter the park. Testing, testing ...... Nice to see them also flying the flag for LGBTQ+2 people in the world. And then I find out ....... grrrrrrr. I also notice they've removed all the photo banners that show groups of people riding Coaster .... with no seal belts on. Hmmmm. The map of where it's all at. The Beast is going pretty good, there. Lots of screaming up there. What was a coin arcade, still closed up as it was, the past couple of years. Sure they are. Eventually, something will happen with either the building, or the spot it's on. Not for candy. Not for snacks. But for ... wheelchair rentals? Okaaaay. One of these multi-simulators was available to ride in. Didn't check to see whether it's a upcharge or not. Here we are! And no they didn't shorten the queue. Walk-on time, took time to get there. . After my ride, I stuck around to take an action shot or two. Pretty intense swinging, I'd say. I rode it one more time, later on, and still enjoyed the rush. From the West Coast Wheel .... the spot where The New Coaster will be going, by 2024. Finally. This will actually become a great viewing/photo spot for the future construction of the coaster! Another shot of Sky Bender, from above. Mountain shot w/o much snow on them. And actually, the Kettle Creek Mine Train here was The Only coaster open! Bug Whirled was down, too. I mean ... wtf? So I went on Sky Bender one more time, then went to The Bar that was thankfully open ... ... for one beer, and a break, before heading home. A nice view of AtmosFEAR doing it's thing. Ooooo, this looks promising. Maybe a set up for special events and eventually, the annual fair, late August. One last look at it, with the yellow train still mid-lift hill. <sighs> On the way home, I picked up food at our A&W drive-thru, and while waiting, saw this. Made me smile.

I miss having myself a regular breakfast, from time to time. I'm usually (now) going out for lunch (Poutine; Sushi; Thai), which is fine, but still costs me $. But not drinking at home (for now) has definitely earned me extra cash to go out for lunches, etc. Still, I'll need some bacon, eggs and toast, eventually. Hmmm.