pete4winds

^ Julie...that puts an ENTIRELY new spin on your love of pickles... rowr...and stuff

^ Not really...the decision had been made some time ago. We got five seasons out of it, and (as you can see by the condition), it had been out of use for about a year and a half. We could only use it in that one spot due to its unroadworthiness, and we tented it for the rest of our camping trips each year anyway. Maybe a Trail Manor next...

In general this is great advice, but I found that it also depends on what part of a given country you are in. I lived in Japan for a year ('96-'97), and because I was in a military-heavy area (Yokosuka, a little south of Tokyo), MANY of the people I encountered spoke English. I also learned when I lived there that English is mandatory in Japanese schools the same way Spanish or French is in the U.S. (in other words, most of us learned one of those languages in school, but how many of us actually remember enough to carry a conversation? Not many, would be my guess). I agree with the advice to learn a little of the local language (whatever your destination country might be) and carry a guide book.

^ Wait, I get it...kinda like Scream! at SFMM is a B&M Floorless and Scream! at SFNE is an S&S Tower? (end sarcasm). Seriously, folks...my opinion is pretty much meaningless since the last time I attended any Sea World was before ANY JTAs existed, but I have to agree with Robb here...go back and re-read my first comment i this post for another example as to why he's right. Why are we getting all wound up about it being "less than" the other JTAs when it's fairly obvious that it's not even remotely similar to them, particularly when one makes even a marginal effort to look at the photos?

^ What does it say when you comment on your terrible spelling after spelling a word RIGHT?

^ Rent. Is there a wrong way to fall down a f**king mountain?

^ Ôdishon Quote: You're a cop, not a ballet dancer.

Blowout fracture of my right orbital bone (eye socket) and cheekbone (in other words, they shattered) when I was 7...the result of getting struck by a car (police report says 70MPH). Required 11 hours of reconstructive surgery. Reconstructive means exactly as it sounds...the entire right side of my face had to be rebuilt. Also sustained a hairline fracture of my right pelvis in the same incident...no surgery needed.

^ I'm sorry to hear that. Here on the Southcoast (Fall River, MA, specifically), we've been fighting to keep what little snow we've gotten. Obviously I had to go all the Berkshires to find this snow. Glad you enjoyed the TR.

^ Shawshank Redemption. Late again Cru? Oh, excuse me blob, I don't have a watch. Bob, the name is Bob, not Blob. Smart-ass.

^I'll drink to that!

^ Alaskan Malamute...not a huskie (similar, but not the same). And, yeah, my camper was fun while it lasted (five seasons, but didn't even use it once during 2006 - hence the condition), but I wish it had been roadworthy enough to travel with. We left it in the same spot since we bought it and camped about a dozen times a year in that spot. Nice, but having it on our themepark road trips would've been really nice, too...especially at Hersheypark. Tenting it with that damn freight train running through all night was rough.

Seems to me that you're contradicting yourself. You did say ANY five coasters in your first post. If you wanted realistic coasters and NOT creativity, maybe you should've asked for it? Personally I think most of the ideas are pretty damn good. The fact that they're mostly impossible and maybe a little insane actually makes them that much better.

^^ Snowball is a she, and she is adorable, but she's actually a purebred Alaskan Malamute

Part 4 - the end: Snowball says goodbye, thanks for reading, and come back again soon! Lee and Roesenne's Alaskan Malamute Snowball, welcoming us home. This is someone's home, THROUGH THE TREES! About 20 feet to the right of the photo is an outhouse. Yes, a real one. One more of the firehouse on the way back to Lee and Roseanne's house. The outside temp 23 degrees Fahrenheit. Most winters this would be the average around here, but this year it's damn cold! It's been pretty mild otherwise.

Part 3: The next few photos are of some of the spectacular views in Western MA. The firehouse WITH the necessary mobile firefighting equipment (that's fire truck to the layperson). Wider shot of the same beaver dam. Rodents = good! Beaver dam, which officially makes this Photo TR Elissa-friendly. More setting sun THROUGH...ok, that's getting old. Setting sun THROUGH THE TREES!!! The firehouse. Farmhouse THROUGH THE TREES!!! Some rock.

Part 2: The local firehouse, THROUGH THE...tree? Trees, THROUGH THE TREES!!! The same trail, sans Jen and Roseanne. Jen and Roseanne on the way back to the car. Yes, snowmobiling is a privilege, not a right! So don't tear up these trails, or you'll be walking home! Another map, showing more general trail information. Trail map with details showing directions to nearby gas stations and other services. Snowmobile info board. There were no rideers this day. Looking up from the bottom. Doesn't seem 30-something feet tall, does it? Me and Jen, standing in the same door. Lee and Roseanne standing in the door. Looking in through one of the vents. The stones across from the far edge of this "tunnel" are some 25-odd feet away. Jen sitting at the fire pit. We should've started one. It would've been pretty comfy! another detail of said window. The brick is relatively new, as the original support was one solid stone. Jen (foreground) and our friend Roseanne in the door, taken from the window.

This past Saturday, Feb. 3rd, my wife Jen and I went out to Western MA. to scrap our camper, an ancient, dilapidated 1961 Teardrop. We bought it for $200 and got five seasons out of it, so we definitely got our money's worth. We scrapped it mostly because it was unroadworthy and would've cost us more than our original purchase price to remedy that. Well, that and the mice were getting more use from it than we were...and it leaked and was getting moldy. Anyway, Saturday was the big day. We went out there, cleaned it out of anything we wanted to keep, and then went to the home of some friends in the area. During our visit, they took us to a local historical site. For the rest of the story, on to the photos! Lots and lots of photos!!! Part 1 (please hold comments until part 4 is posted): A window about halfway up the back wall. Somewhere under that snow to the left is the staircase leading to up back. This hole is about the size of your average brick. There are dozens of these throughout, and bricks were inserted and removed to control heat. Another of the fire pit. The smoke vent at the top. It's probably a good 30 feet above my head. The fire pit. My friend Lee. He stands 6'1", so that gives you a sense of the scale (remember taking notice of the door 2 photos back?). Some wall detail. The historical site in question, an old pottery kiln. This thing is about two stories tall. Take notice of the door, the open space on the left. Me and Jen, saying our final farewell. The camper will be hauled away tomorrow (Tuesday). The "dining room," AKA the "other bedroom." The table brace was missing a bolt, so we never unfolded the other bed...it was always a table. The "kitchen." The refrigerator under the empty counter space is actually a real, live, working ICEBOX! You don't see that often anymore. The "bedroom." The wires hanging from the back tell the story. No way would this make it home without a traffic ticket! Our well-loved little camper. For $200, we definitely got our money's worth, but time to upgrade.

Oh, please do...they must be allowed to stand up and be recognized for their utter buffoonery. Keep 'em coming. This is funny stuff!

^ isn't that already being done, too? I don't remember the website offhand, but I know it's been posted here before...

I say: BEST...RIDE...EVAR... Better than that homemade robot-arm ride, and WAY better than any backyard coaster could ever hope to be!

^ I won't disagree with you there, but there's really no need to slag the law enforcement community. We're just doing our jobs. If blame has to be placed, how about the ones who MAKE laws that infringe on your rights (vote them out if it pisses you off that much), and the media who MAKE everything an overreaction. This shouldn't even have been much more than a local story in the first place, but because Turner Broadcasting was involved, it was HUGE.

Allow me to add my two cents' worth as an amateur artist with a little guerilla marketing experience, a Boston native, AND a law enforcement professional. Of course, upon reaching the end of my post, feel free to flame on as necessary. I see plenty of valid arguments on both sides of this debate. I'm under 35, so I fit into the "anyone under 35 would immediately know this was a joke" category, but I'm not a Cartoon Network guy, so I'd only heard of Aqua Teen Hunger Force in passing. I wouldn't have immediately recognized any of these signs had I seen one. From an artist's point of view, I thought it was brilliant. For good or bad, people are going to be talking about this for some time, and it certainly garnered a reaction. Isn't that the point of guerilla marketing? Everyone involved, dumb as some of their decisions might've been, were geniuses for their approach. From a lifelong Boston-area resident's point of view, yes, maybe we did overcompensate, but our city was the "home base," you might say, for the 9/11 attacks. What will happen the NEXT time we don't "overreact?" Some people out there in other large cities might be pretty thankful the Boston PD went batsh*t over this. Here's what COULD happen once we DO become as complacent as we were on Sept. 10th, 2001: "Oh, it's just a Lite Brite...don't worry ab...BOOM!" Just remember this: World Trade Center 1993, "oh, it's just a moving van." Oklahoma City 1995: "Oh, it's just fertilizer." Finally, as a current law enforcement professional (five-and-a-half-years on the job, thank you very much - yes, I was on duty on 9/11), these signs are EXACTLY the kind of thing that we are trained to look for as "suspicious devices" are concerned. Exposed batteries and wires are right there at the "top of the list," so to speak, but it's certainly not limited to that. Common sense tells us that "if something doesn't seem right, it probably isn't." For someone who's been through intense training specifically to recognize touble, the Boston PD did exactly the right thing. How many times have bomb squads responded to something that turns out to be completely harmless? Hell yeah, I'd much rather have my EOD department blow up a suitcase full of underwear than to hear about innocent people getting killed because someone THOUGHT a package was no more harmful than that same suitcase. Again, flame on as necessary.

Progression from my old to my new look... ...and finally, sportin' the new...um...'do? Can you sport a 'do if you don't have any hair? Moments before the braid came off...damn I need to hit the gym My unbraided hair A few months ago

I'm going to have to say S:ROS (SFNE...none of that Darien/Baltimore crap for me), add Hulk's launch and zero-g roll, squeeze the Great Bear's immelman onto the exit of SROS' second tunnel (including the over-water aspect of its exit), SFOG's Goliath helix to reconnect to the bunny hops, and Montezum's tunnel to replace the existing first tunnel (hey, it takes parking lot theming to the next level: FREEWAY THEMING!!!). Oh, and turn the fricken' mist back on in the first tunnel!!!