Summer Breeze

We got a really quick start this morning because we were leaving a bit earlier than we have. I called Uber at 9:50. It picked us up within 8 minutes. Even with hitting every red light from here to Lindenwald, we still made it to the train station there by 10:15. That left us plenty of time to buy tickets for the 10:34 NJ Transit train to Atlantic City. 

Thank heavens the train was right on time, because it was also full. We managed to get a seat in the back of the first car, near the door. At least the ride is only a little over an hour. I spent the time listening to music on my YouTube account. We pulled in on time, too, around 11:30.

We absolutely picked the right day to walk on the boardwalk in Atlantic City. The weather couldn't have been more perfect. It was sunny and breezy, but not hot or humid at all, probably in the upper 70's. The boardwalk was busy at quarter of 12, but not overwhelming. We headed straight down, passing Bally's and the Central Pier. (I also noticed that part of Peanut World, most of which burned down last winter, was opened, but not all of it. Several of the stores next to Peanut World were closed too, including the one Lauren bought her Atlantic City shirt from last year.)

Landshark Bar and Grill is on the beach near Steel Pier and across from Resorts and the Hard Rock Casino. I got to see what they were building on the beach when I visited Atlantic City on my own last August. It was a new Tiki bar intended to be an extension of Margaritaville across the way at Resorts. We had an absolutely wonderful lunch outside, watching the people on the beach under blue and yellow umbrellas. Lauren had a massive bacon barbecue burger. I had a basic cheeseburger. We both had salads - I had a house salad, she had Caesar. We were surprised when someone brought us a plate of fried pickles. We forgot to order them! Turns out the waiter was new and brought it to the wrong place...but we'd already started in on them. He got more for the other people, and we got free fried pickles.

Lauren and I split up briefly after lunch. She checked out the small arcade next to Steel Pier and bought a lemonade. I had to ride the giant Ferris Wheel on Steel Pier. That's my favorite ride in Atlantic City. I love seeing the world through those air-conditioned gondolas. It's like seeing a Little People version of Atlantic City. The beaches were so busy today! I'm surprised I saw a lot of people swimming. After all the storms, I would have thought the undertow was too strong for swimming. 

After I got back on the ground and found Lauren, we headed back towards the Central Pier Arcade. The main interest here is their two long rows of cranes. Lauren had no luck with the cranes whatsoever. I didn't, either, but I did better with the other games. I hit big jackpots on the Monopoly spin-the-dice game and the pirate wheel that netted me over 820 tickets, plus I had 140 tickets leftover from my solo trip last August. I finally chose a really cute small Funshine Bear dressed as a bee with glittery wings and a paper fan with a pretty yellow and red rose and bluebird print. 

By the time we left Central Pier, it was past 3 PM. The boardwalk was getting a lot more crowded and hot. Not to mention, we wanted to explore the Outlet Mall a bit before we caught our train home. We headed back down Michigan Avenue, past Bally's and the AtlantiCare Hospital to Arctic Avenue. We started at the Toy Company, a jammed full shop with stuffed animals, knock-off toys, and Atlantic City sweatshirts. After we got nothing there, I got a drink at Starbucks...but the line was so long and the three baristas were so busy (the girl who was supposed to be taking customers had to run and get ice), the iced blue coconut matcha latte wasn't worth it.

I met Lauren across the street at Old Navy and a small leggings-and-shorts store called Cozy. We poked around American Eagle next-door, then decided we'd try something different. Bambu specializes in dessert drinks with odd Asian ingredients. Lauren tried one with ice cream and said it was delicious. I stuck to tart passion fruit iced tea and three macarons (vanilla, strawberry shortcake, and mixed berry). 

It was time to head back to the train station. We had plenty of time to use the bathroom, buy tickets, and get in line. And then...we waited. And waited. And waited. The train didn't leave at 5:21. It still hadn't left at 6 PM. I was frantic and in tears when they finally canceled it. There was no way we were taking the bus back to Lindenwauld. It takes forever and runs through some really sketchy territory. We just waited at the station for the 7:13 to arrive. Thankfully, that was right on time. Other than slowing down for a train coming in the opposite direction, we had no problems. We were back in Lindenwald by quarter after 8. 

We were going to eat at the Stratford Diner, but it was closed by then. Tim Horton's was opened until 10, so we tried them. It was such a lovely evening, we even ate outside on their patio. I wish there were more of these in South Jersey! This Canadian franchise specializes in donuts, coffee and lemonade drinks, and sandwiches. I had a strawberry drink with coconut water and a turkey club sandwich. Lauren had a beef and cheese panini and a Diet Coke. Yum! They were so good with thick potato chips that tasted like movie popcorn. It was so nice to talk to Lauren while watching the sun set on the White Horse Pike!

When we finally got home, I took a shower, then watched the second Family Feud 50th anniversary marathon on YouTube. I came in just as the show's producer Mark Goodson crowned Richard King of daytime game shows. The show was at its height of popularity as the number-one daytime show in the late 70's. It was so popular, it not only moved into syndication, ABC also did a series of nighttime specials with some of the most popular shows of the time playing each other. This made for some strange bedfellows, like when the cops of Barney Miller played the wholesome Eight Is Enough cast, or nighttime soaps Knots Landing and Dynasty and daytime soaps All My Children and General Hospital played each other. Some of the celebrities could be even more nervous than regular contestants, even when they were right, like Connie Francis and Michelle Lee. Richard was happier when the Dallas Cowboys played their cheerleaders, and former Miss USA winners played former Miss Universes.

Let's keep playing the Feud with these classic looks back at some of its best moments!

Family Feud Sunday Classics - 50 Years Celebration Marathon Part 2 (Including Pilot and Final Episode)

Rainy Day Women

Got a quick start today, heading out around quarter of 11. We couldn't cut through Newton Lake Park like we normally would. They're working on a new fishing pier, and the path is blocked by cranes and building materials. At least it was still sunny at that point. It was warm, not hot, but still sticky and very humid. We passed the spraying fountains in the lake's green waters and people walking dogs on their way to Collingswood.

The Collingswood Farm Market was in full swing when we arrived. Peas are gone, but summer produce abounds now. The booths groan with corn, blackberries, watermelons, cucumbers, peppers, green beans, zucchini, and every type of tomato known to man. Surprisingly, strawberries are still out, too. I didn't want to smush strawberries or haul peaches around, so I just bought blueberries and cherries. Lauren considered blackberries, but we just ended up moving on.

We had lunch at Jersey Kabobs. Having had breakfast the last time I was there, we went with brunch and lunch sandwiches. I had the Gyro Bagel - gyro-seasoned chicken and veggies on a bagel. (Sesame seed, in my case.) Lauren had gyro meat and veggies on an enormous hoagie roll. It was so huge and dripping with meat and cheese, she took half of it home. Half of the chicken on my sandwich ended up in the basket. I ate it with a fork. We had the most incredible soft, buttery white rice, too. And of course, we had to share a plate of their amazing baklava. We liked the regular honey-pistachio and the chocolate the best.

Spent the rest of the afternoon in and out of stores in Collingswood and Westmont. Lauren bought Beavis and Butthead figures and a wrestling action figure she wanted at Time Passages. I found a small Care Bear I'd never heard of. Thankful Heart Bear is a pretty orange and lavender girl with a lovely tummy symbol of turquoise paws reaching for hearts. She'll come out at Thanksgiving. I got a birthday card for a friend's teen daughter at Occasionette. Lauren got fruit drink mixes. She didn't get anything from a very busy Innergroove Records. I got three records: 

Soundtrack from High Anxiety (The most expensive record I bought today at $17, and I dropped it and chipped it when I was outside. Hopefully, it'll still play.)

Eric Clapton - Slowhand

Rockin' Easy - Two-disc Warners collection of light rock and ballads from 1975

We started towards Westmont after I got out of Innergroove, making a short stop at Secret Origins Comics. Lauren picked up a couple of Captain America titles. Normally, I have little interest in the comics shops, but the last thing I expected to see was a new DC Superhero Girls comic book! The line ended around 2017-2018, but they just put out another one, High School Reunion, last month. I grabbed it to go with the two I have at home.

Heavy clouds were building on the horizon as we rushed down Haddon Avenue to the WaWa on the corner of Haddon and Cuthbert. She got a soda. I got a Propel water. After we got out, we dashed across Haddon to Phidelity Records as thunder rumbled in the distance. We got inside just in time. Five minutes after Lauren followed me in the door, it started pouring. It rained just long enough for us to search the boxes of dollar CDs and and $2 records without interruption. By the time the rain started slowing down, she found three CDs. I picked up two CDs:

The cast for the 2008 Broadway revival of South Pacific

The one-woman show Elaine Strich at Liberty

And three records: 

George Harrison - Somewhere In England

Bing Crosby - A Bing Crosby Collection Volume 1 (Some of his earliest recordings, new on LP when this was released in 1978.)

Ella Fitzgerald - Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Gershwin Songbook

The rain vanished all together as we made our way down Cuthbert Road, past the Acme and the fast food restaurants and the Westmont. By the time we made it to Sprouts, it was back to being humid and sunny, though not very hot. We both got prebiotic soda. I got peanut butter cookies, oat milk, yogurt, and  chocolate fudge coconut-covered almonds from the bulk bins.

We were too tired to walk the rest of the way home, and hauling way too much stuff! I tried to call Uber, but it took over 15 minutes just to get a driver, and another 20 for him to arrive. It was 5:30 at that point, the height of rush hour. At least there was no traffic and no trouble getting home when he did arrive.

We put everything away, then went back out for dinner. Lauren's friend Rico got her eating sushi, and now she loves it. I thought she'd enjoy Sakura a few blocks down on the White Horse Pike...and she did. They were quiet as can be when we slid in. She had sushi. I had teriyaki shrimp with brown rice and vegetables. We both had Arizona green tea to wash it down. She loved hers and wants to eat there again while she's here.

Dessert was at La Mortense Plus on the other side of Oaklyn. They have the most unique ice cream flavors. Lauren had chocolate banana with peanut butter, calling it her "ode to Elvis." I had orange cream with cookie pieces that was very citrus-tasting and absolutely delicious. We timed things right, too. There was only a mother and her two sons when we arrived. By the time we were seated at a blue outdoor metal table with our ice cream, the place was swarming with families and college kids and had a long line.

 After we got home, we finished the night on YouTube. Tonight, Match Game Productions honored Family Feud's 50th anniversary with the best episodes of the original Richard Dawson ABC run. Family Feud began in July 1976 as a spin-off of the Audience Match on Match Game. Richard had proved so popular there, he was tapped to host. Two families square off against each other, answering survey questions. The first family to earn 300 (later 500) points goes to the Fast Money bonus round to win $5,000. 

Unlike Match Game, Feud was a smash hit right out of the gate. Audiences loved watching families give strange answers and win big money, not to mention see all the stuff they'd give Richard and how he'd react to the weirdest events. There was the lady who answered "fish" to "vegetable you fried," or the one who said "September" when asked during what trimester a pregnant woman started to show. Rich got some of the most unique gifts, too, including a goofy curly red wig from a redheaded family so he'd "blend in" with them! He looked more like a clown in a three-piece suit. There was also the family who sent in their audition via tape. Everyone was impressed, even though Richard told audiences that they didn't really need to do that. They also did a lot of celebrating on this show, including Richard's birthday, producer Howard Felcher's birthday, and the week of Christmas and New Year's. 

Celebrate 50 years of Feuding with these heartfelt and hilarious episodes!

Family Feud Saturday Classics - 50 Year Celebration Marathon

Cherry Hill Park

I slept in...and actually slept this time. I didn't get to calling Uber until past 12:30. The driver going to the Cherry Hill Library arrived within 8 minutes, not bad for rush hour. We did hit a little traffic in Haddonfield, but still arrived at the Cherry Hill Library in less than 20 minutes.

The Cherry Hill Library is the biggest library in the Camden County area, and it has the largest remaining book sale. They didn't have records this time around, but there were plenty of CDs, children's books, adult books, and tons of DVDs! Lauren bought four classical and instrumental CDs for her father. The children's book section was too noisy and busy for me to find anything there, but I had more luck with the other sections. I got the cozy mystery Stranger In the Looking Glass by Jan Fields, Fletch Lives on DVD, and four CDs:

Hot! Hot! Hot! - Pier 1 Imports collection of tropical-themed songs from 2002

Jimmy Durante - As Time Goes By: The Best of Jimmy Durante

The Rolling Stones - Rewind

20 #1 Hits of the 20's (They had CDs for the 30's, 50's, and 60's too, but I figured this had the rarest songs.)

After we finished, we got soda from the vending machine in the cafe area, then went next-door to Casa Puebla. This Mexican restaurant is so local, it's in a normal residential house. It was surprisingly busy for 1:30 when we arrived with families and local workers looking for tacos and burgers. Lauren had fried pork tacos for lunch. I had an enormous and very tasty chicken burrito with tons of Spanish rice. That huge burrito filled me up so much, I barely had room for a cup of pineapple water ice. Lauren went with a non-alcoholic Pina colada. It came in a hollowed-out pineapple, topped with pineapple rings, whipped topping, a cherry, and one of those little paper Japanese umbrellas. And yes, she drank the whole thing and loved it.

It was cloudy, killer humid, and relatively cool as we made our way down King's Highway, probably in the lower 80's. Big fat drops started splashing down when we were less than a block from Lucky Strike. Thankfully, we made it there just as the shower was getting heavier. 

Lucky Strike (formerly The Big Event) has been Cherry Hill's premiere bowling alley for over 60 years. As you can guess on a day with such nasty weather, it was busy with families, college students, and couples on dates. Lauren and I played three games. To be honest, neither of us are very good. Lauren won all of the games and got the highest score at 73...but I'm the only one who got two strikes in the second and third games. (We also got to see more World Cup games on the monitors, along with golf. Research later revealed that Spain beat Belgium 2 to 1.)

Lucky Strike also has a small arcade in the back. It doesn't have as many games as Round 1 or Dave & Buster's, but it's cheaper and the games use far less points. Lauren and I spent the next 40 minutes or so running from Nerf Arcade to Lane Master bowling to the cranes to the basketball games. I came up with over 2,800 points...but there was no one at the prizes counter. I saw a sign that said you had to go get the lady at the front desk if you wanted something. It was already pretty late. I decided to save my points for another time.

Thankfully, the rain was long gone by the time I called Uber. It was slightly sunnier, if still very humid. The driver arrived in 9 minutes and got us to Ollie's in less than 10. I'm glad he took the longer route down Clements Bridge Road. I got to point out Sussex House, the Playa Del Sol, Jefferson Health, the pizza place, and the dessert bar to Lauren.

People who only shop at the Cherry Hill Mall and don't check out the other stores next to it and in back of it on Church Road are really missing something. The Ollie's is huge, stuffed full of all kinds of books, discontinued food, and other great random junk. Lauren bought bags of candy and trail mix. I got The Peanuts Lunch Box Cookbook, recipes intended for lunches and kid-friendly snacks, based on (and showing the) original comic strips.

Led Lauren a block down to the brand-new Red, White, and Thrift that opened in March. This good-sized store used to be a Big Lots, meaning it had plenty of room for clothes, home goods, toys, and media. I found one paperback mystery, Murder of a Snake In the Grass by Denise Swanson, a pair of Faded Glory jean shorts (haven't seen that brand in years), and one CD, the second American Musical Theater Smithsonian collection. My best find here was a fluffy stuffed Share Bear. She looks like the design from the 2002 run - she has lighter lavender fur, her eyes are more like the originals, and she has her original soda with two straws tummy symbol. Lauren came up with more workout shorts.

IHOP is almost directly across from Ollie's, so we went there for dinner next. The only other people in the place when we came in was a dad and his two lively daughters. I had yummy strawberry banana pancakes, scrambled eggs, crispy bacon, and hash browns I didn't have the room to finish. (Oh, and I appreciate that IHOP's pancakes aren't the size of the plate. They're a lot easier to eat in one sitting.) Lauren had a massive spinach and mushroom omelet topped with cheddar cheese and salsa and said it was amazing. I had an iced tea. Lauren had a vanilla coffee latte that she said was more like a vanilla milkshake with a little coffee flavor. It was just picking up when we headed out. 

Our final stop of the day was 2A Thrift at the Cherry Hill Plaza next-door to the Cherry Hill Mall. Thank heavens they finally finished remodeling the exterior! We had no problems getting inside. I found the movies Enchantment and Buck Privates on DVD (I've been looking for Buck Privates - I have its sequel, Buck Privates Come Home, but I've never been able to find the original), a sleeveless blouse with a beautiful stained glass-like leaf design, a K-Tel record collection Images, and the CD Bette Midler Sings the Peggy Lee Songbook. Lauren picked up a few tank tops for working out.

With the construction ended, we could call Uber right from 2A Thrift. The driver arrived in 15 minutes just as the sun went down. He had to take an alternate route because of an accident on the turn-off to Cuthbert Road, but we still got home in 15 minutes.

I finished the night after a shower with Beauty and the Beast on YouTube. From what little I can gather online, this Ruby-Spears animated special is from 1983 and was made for something called Kenner Family Classics. I never heard of it, but I wish I had. It honestly follows the Perrault version pretty well. It's one of the few animated retellings of the original story I've seen to include Beauty's brothers (who love her and make a misguided attempt to rescue her from the Beast) as well as her spoiled sisters and where her father doesn't mind her being with the Beast as long as it makes her happy. Considering the prince is turned into a Beast for turning a fairy away, I can't help but wonder if someone at Disney saw this version before they made theirs. 

Oh, and I got my schedule while watching YouTube. To my surprise, I have no schedule. I'm off Saturday along with the rest of my second vacation week. I wasn't expecting that! Either the head bagger came back, or they corralled enough college boys to not need me that day. I'll go to the farm market...then probably spend the rest of the day watching movies or napping. 

Shelter From the Storm

I didn't sleep well last night. I spent the entire time tossing and turning. I didn't sleep until 8:30 in the morning, and then for only two hours. I'd already had my breakfast by the time I met Lauren in the front room. I had no trouble getting a ride to the Maple Shade Goodwill. The driver came in 8 minutes and dropped us off in 15 minutes. 

We did start off at the relatively small Goodwill about two blocks from the Moorestown Mall. Lauren didn't get anything here. I finally found something I've been looking for. I wanted a better drink bottle to bring to school and on my bike, but the thinner metal one I was using got dented in my basket, and the heavier ones tend to be ridiculously overpriced. I found a lovely white and green lilac print that was heavy metal and only cost me $3.99.

It was just starting to shower lightly when we made our way down Route 38 to the shopping centers surrounding the Moorestown Mall. We started off at their massive Old Navy. I didn't find anything here, but Lauren got a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles t-shirt, apparently the last they had in the store. She and a gentleman coming in admired each other's t-shirts as he told us about his class' project that used Mario characters. 

The showers picked up significantly as we put up our umbrellas and headed to Cava for lunch. This is basically "Mediterranean Chipolte." Lauren had a massive pita sandwich. I had a Create Your Own Bowl with "super" greens, grilled chicken, hummus, brown rice, cucumber, sumac slaw, and strawberry vinaigrette. The baked salted pita wedges that came with the meal were delicious, flaky and chewy. Half the fun of coming here is mixing and matching their sodas and juices. I made my own Blueberry Lavender Zero with their diet soda and blueberry lavender lemonade. 

By the time we made our way down the parking lot and across the street to Ross, the storms were out in full force. Our umbrellas were dripping when we finally arrived. I didn't find anything I wanted. Lauren ended up getting two more pairs of shorts. I suggested getting drinks at Shop Rite to wait out the storm, but...as Lauren discovered when she pulled up the radar on her phone, there was no "waiting out the storm." They'd be lingering for several hours. We just hiked back to the Moorestown Mall and got wet.

With construction on the new arcade over there having stalled, there isn't a whole lot to do at the Moorestown Mall proper. The new Cooper Hospital branch doesn't seem to have increased foot traffic or reversed the vacancy rate. We did look at Hot Topic, Go! Calendars and Games, Home Sense, and Boscov's. Lauren found a very pretty pair of workout shorts at Boscov's, but all I did was go to the bathroom. 

We finally decided that we'd just have dinner early. We both got slices from Brooklyn Pizza at the food court. She had pepperoni and mushroom. I had margarita (basil and mozzarella) and mushroom. While she used the bathroom, I got a wonderfully sweet coconut cream water ice from Rita's. 

Our last stop was the huge Barnes and Noble in the East Gate Shopping Center. Thank heavens the rain took a temporary leave of absence when we were walking over there, allowing us to arrive dry. Lauren didn't get anything, but I picked up Curiosity Thrilled the Cat by Sofie Kelly and three CDs, two on good sales:

The soundtrack from the 1989 Batman film

The Best of Bond...James Bond, a 2-disc collection of title songs up to No Time to Die (I do have a Bond CD set, but it only goes up to License To Kill. Oh, and all soundtrack CDs were 20 percent off.) 

Weird Al Yankovic - Dare to Be Stupid

I joined Lauren up front just as the storms returned in full force. Between the storms and it being 5:30 and rush hour, it took me so long to get an Uber driver, I canceled the first attempt, went to the bathroom, then tried again. It didn't cost me any less, but I did finally get us a ride who turned up in far less than the listed 16 minutes.

After we got in and put everything away, Lauren and I spent the next two hours playing dominoes and Pokemon Yahtzee. The dominoes is a typical black and white dot set I think I bought at a yard sale over a decade ago. Pokemon Yahtzee is an old family favorite. It originally belonged to Keefe. He, Mom, and I played it all the time in the late 90's-early 2000's. I walloped Lauren at dominoes 4 wins to 2. Lauren just beat me at Yahtzee.

Finished the night watching Girls! Girls! Girls! at Paramount Plus. I go further into the Elvis Presley vehicle that introduced "Return to Sender" at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog. 

Girls! Girls! Girls!

Sunny Afternoon

We were up so late, I grabbed a really quick breakfast and called Uber the moment we were both ready. The lady arrived in 8 minutes, not bad for quarter after 11. We arrived at Abbie Road in Mt. Ephraim in a little over 5 minutes.

Abbie Road is a wonderful record/CD store on King's Highway in Mt. Ephraim. Lauren and I have been friends with Bob, the kindly, grizzled older owner, for years. He greeted us warmly with hugs and asked us how we'd been. I've been buying media from him since I moved here in 2006 and he was still in Collingswood. He always gives us the best deals. His store is one large room filled to the ceiling with shelves and shelves of CDs, records, and music DVDs. Lauren found five CDs, including a rare Micky Dolenz singles set, the That Was Then, This Is Now Monkees greatest hits collection, and a 2-disc Elvis set. I only got one record, but he was having such good CD sales, especially on jazz titles, I ended up with 13 CDs. The one record was the soundtrack from Murder By Death (another movie I didn't know had a soundtrack). The CDs were:

The cast album for the 2011 Broadway revival of How to Succeed In Business Without Really Trying with Daniel Radcliffe and John Larroquette 

Top TV Hits, a 1995 2-disc Entertainment Weekly collection of TV theme songs 

Soundtracks from Casablanca and Batman Forever

Rhythm of the Pridelands, a 1995 CD of African-style music "inspired by" The Lion King (I've had the cassette version since it came out - I didn't think there was a CD.)

Songs That Got Us Through World War II, collection of hits from the early 40's

Eartha Kitt - "Miss Kitt," To You

Julie London - The Unforgettable Julie London

Miles Davis - Porgy & Bess and Doo-Bop

John Coltrane - Giant Steps

Dave Brubeck - Jazz Impressions of Japan and Quiet As the Moon (The latter is the soundtrack from an episode of the Peanuts series This Is America, Charlie Brown.) 

By 12:30, our stomachs were starting to rumble. It was time for lunch. Neither of us felt like waiting that long, so we just got pizza at Tony Roni's on the corner of King's Highway and the Black Horse Pike a couple of blocks down from Abbie Road. Lauren had pepperoni and a square slice of cheese. I had the regular triangular cheese and a "supreme" - basil, tomato, mozzarella, and very small pepperoni slices. She got a Diet Pepsi. I had an iced tea. We timed things right, too. We'd just started on our pizzas when a line of big men in hard hats and bright yellow road construction vests came in to order lunch. 

Though it was much hotter than it has been, probably in the mid-80's, sunny, and thickly humid, it was still nice enough for a walk down the Black Horse Pike to the Audubon Crossings Shopping Center. We started off at Goodwill. Lauren didn't get anything here, but I found the James Cagney gangster drama White Heat still in its plastic and AM Gold 1969, a collection of hit songs from the year in question that includes "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head" by BJ Thomas, "These Eyes" by the Guess Who, "Someday We'll Be Together" by the Supremes, and "Put a Little Love In Your Heart" by Jackie DeShannon. 

We were in and out of stores for the next hour or so. Lauren bought candy at Five Below and Marshalls. I got nice illustration markers and glitter markers for a friend's teen daughter at Five Below and mini coconut patties at Marshalls. I never do well at Ross, but Lauren picked up two pairs of shorts. She got energy drinks that were 2 for 5 at the Acme. I got the Powerade Water that's on sale for 99 cents and had an online coupon for the Xochital blue corn chips. 

Took another long walk after we left Acme, this time down the Black Horse Pike and Kendall Boulevard into Oaklyn. After all that walking, we needed a stop at Common Grounds Coffee Shop. Thankfully, they were less busy than they tend to be earlier in the day. We had no trouble getting a seat while Lauren had a root beer coffee float (she said it was delicious - really tasted like root beer and coffee) and a cannolli (which she also liked). I had a slice of my favorite crumb cake and strawberry shortcake crusher. I didn't realize it had coffee in it. Oh well. I could use the caffeine (even though it did give me heartburn later). 

The Score Records is directly across the street from Common Grounds. I've been dying to show this place to Lauren ever since it opened last August. In addition to records, CDs, and DVDs, it also sells stickers, pins, motel-style keychains with funny sayings, t-shirts, local art, and mini album covers on refrigerator magnets. The owner is also a total sweetheart. Lauren grabbed two pins, three keychains, and a Weird All Even Worse magnet. I found two records and a CD. The CD was Madonna's Something To Remember. The two records were:

Fire Into Music, a jazz/funk collection

The Commodores - Nightshift

After we finally got home, we rested for about an hour and a half before heading back out to get dinner. We weren't up for much more than picking up sandwiches at a quiet Crown Chicken and Gyro. Lauren got a kebobs gyro. I had a chicken sandwich that was amazing, perfectly fried and juicy. We both had their tasty thin greasy-dry fries. She got a Diet Coke. I had a citrus diet green tea that was so good, I wish I asked the girl at the counter where they got it from.

I had Match Game '75 on before and after we went to get dinner. Most of the night finished off the week with Joan Collins and Scoey Mitchelll. Spencer for Hire and Vega$ star Robert Urich and soap sweetheart Jamie Lyn Bauer appeared next week...much to Brett's delight when she got to give Urich his welcome to the show kiss!

Finished the night with Paw Patrol. Snooty Winnie Winnington thinks the jumping contest is for her horse Felicia. She has to drive into the swamp when Mayor Goodway tells her it's a frog jumping contest. "Pups Save a Show Jumper" when Winnie's van and Felicia's truck get stuck in the bog and Chase and Rubble have to pull them out. "Pups Save the Salmon" who can't get around a beaver dam to the ocean. Skye also has to rescue Alex from being stuck in the logs on the dam. 

Straight from the Hart

Began the morning with breakfast and He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. "Teela's Quest" takes her to the Crystal Mountains in order to speak with an oracle who may know what happened to her real mother. He-Man follows her, and discovers he has good reason to be worried when Mer-Man attempts to use her as a sacrifice for an infamous sea creature. 

Called Uber around quarter of 11, soon as the show ended. Thankfully after the last few days, we had no trouble here whatsoever. The first driver, to my surprise, arrived in 4 minutes. The one going home came in 5. There was no difficulty on the road, no traffic anywhere.

We got off at the Gloucester Premium Outlets. Unlike the outlet mall in Atlantic City, which is spread out across busy streets, the one in Blackwood is entirely food traffic. It's more like the Washington Street Mall in Cape May. Hit pay dirt at our very first stop of the day. Go! Calendars and Toys had selected Beanie Babies and Squishmallows on deep discount. Lauren got a cute turquoise and pink mouse clip to hang on her backpack. I found a darling little ball-like hedgehog Beanie Baby named Hazel for $3 and a smaller orange and yellow striped Squishmallow fish named Lucienne for $5. After that, we both peeked at Famous Footwear and It's All Leggings, but didn't find anything.

Since Friendly's is around the corner from It's All Leggings and it was noon by that point, we had lunch. Friendly's was surprisingly not that busy. It was mainly families and older couples just coming in for lunch. Usually, Friendly's is packed at lunchtime. They're the only sit-down restaurant at the mall. Lauren had a burger, fries, and a Diet Coke. I had a tasty grilled chicken wrap, fries, and a Coconut Cream Soda - basically, a soda with coconut syrup and topped with cream. That was really good. Really tasted like coconut. You can't leave Friendly's without getting ice cream. Lauren had her favorite, black raspberry with peanut butter sauce. I had fluffernutter with Swiss chocolate sauce. They wound up being a perfect combination.

We were in and out of stores for the next two hours. Neither of us found anything at Express, Old Navy, the Gap, or Under Armour. I hit the jackpot at Lane Bryant. They were having a buy 3 items, get them 60 percent off sale. Picked up a pair of drawstring jean shorts and two shirts, one Peanuts, one Care Bears, two soft bras (their underwire bras all have padding, which I don't need), and five pairs of underwear. I got more underwear at Jockey. Lauren got underwear and leggings there.

After we finished at Jockey, we figured we'd done enough shopping. It was time to make our way across the street to Dave & Buster's. This huge arcade is basically the same idea as Round 1, with a sports bar instead of a bowling alley. I spent the next hour running from Centipede to giant Space Invaders to Lane Bowling to ring toss to Monopoly to Pac Man-themed skee ball. Got a sweet vintage red Corvette on Cruisin' Blast and came in second on the Death Valley course. Came in first with Princess Peach on the Princess Castle course in Mario Kart by a wide margin. Good wins on the pirate-themed wheel and the "gone fishing" spinning wheel brought me to over 6,500 points. I got a magnetic chess/checkers/backgammon board game and a fruit-scented stuffed Panda named Purdy.

When we got back in Oaklyn, we put everything away, then went right back out. Lauren loves Mexican food, so we had dinner at Jalapeno's. They were a little busier than usual, especially with South and Latin Americans watching the World Cup game between Columbia and Switzerland. I had my favorite shrimp quesadilla. Lauren had the fish tacos I tried two weeks ago, grilled plantains with raspberry sauce (she loves anything with raspberry), and a mojito in a small, thin glass. For once, I was too full for dessert! (Oh, and to the disappointment of the bar patrons, Switzerland won, 4-3. The Swiss apparently went absolutely bonkers over it. According to Fox, this is the first time they've been to the World Cup quarterfinals since 1954.) 

The other reason we ate at Jalapeno's is it's a block from WaWa. I just got money there, but Lauren bought a Wild Cherry Pepsi Zero and several bags of mixed nuts. We wanted to play with the kitties at the Calico Cat Cafe, but they wouldn't be available for an hour. I just got another dirty soda instead. (Oh, and the regular creamer did work better with the Dr. Pepper Zero. I had sprinkles in there this time, too.) 

At least the weather was decent for all the running around we did. It remains humid, but it's also cool, cloudy, and breezy. It was probably in the upper 70's, a little bit warmer than yesterday, but nowhere close to the 100 degree heat from last week!

I went straight into Match Game '75 when I got home while Lauren watched wrestling. I came in just in time for one of the episodes from the infamous week with Joan Collins. I don't think Collins was really all that happy about being there. Scoey Mitchelll would be happier if he could match the contestant a little more often.

Finished the night with Hart to Hart. It's a "Love Game" when Jonathan and Jennifer learn a tennis pro has been romancing wives of businessmen and funneling that information to a duplicitous stockbroker. When they learn he plans on doing the same to Jennifer, she gives him false information. Johnathan has to stall his game with real-life tennis pro Martina Navratilova until the stockbroker finds out that the information they planted is phony...but the stockbroker doesn't take it well and goes after Johnathan. 

Something In the Air

Awoke to more torrential rain and noisy storms. The rain was so heavy, East Clinton looked more like an extension of Newton Creek. It was just starting to slow down slightly as I ate breakfast. Watched Shirt Tales as I finished and Lauren got organized. Dinkel wants to dance at the cool new nightclub, but the Shirt Tales are more concerned about a DJ who uses his hypnotic music to keep people dancing, so he can rob them. Digger and Kip use Digger's love of classic music to stop these "Saturday Night Shirt Tales" from getting down so they can catch the crooks. "Dinkel's Buddy" is an archaeologist who has disappeared while investigating a supposedly cursed pyramid. Dinkel goes to rescue him...and the Shirt Tales follow to rescue both of them. 

By noon, the rain was just about gone, and the Uber prices were pretty close to normal. I figured it was safe to call for a ride. The driver arrived in 15 minutes, which wasn't bad, considering the weather. Good thing he was a really nice guy, because the roads were a mess. Half of Camden County was underwater. He had to turn around twice when spots on Route 38 was too heavily flooded to pass. He wasn't happy about it, and it took us almost 40 minutes to get to the Silver Diner, but...he may have done us a favor. I got to see a lot more of Cherry Hill, including a Dollar Tree that was set so far off the highway, I had no idea it was there, and a beautiful, green private golf course. 

The rain had long ended by the time we did get to the Silver Diner. I wanted breakfast after I had lunch there last week, so I kept things simple with waffles, scrambled eggs, and bacon. Lauren had a "smashburger" and a salad. The eggs were dry and the bacon was kind of limp, but the waffles were delicious, perfectly crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Lauren had "Berry Brave" blueberry lemonade. I had "Strawberry Spangled," which came in a little mason jar with lots of strawberry pieces. I finally got to try that huge "Star Spangled Banner Explosion" mousse dome. Strawberry and blueberry mousse on yellow and chocolate cake covered in white frosting, surrounded by strawberries and whipped cream. Oh wow! So tasty, but sooo decadent. 

We headed over the pedestrian walkway to the Cherry Hill Mall after lunch. Since it's closest to the entrance, Lauren went to check out Nordstrom. I don't like their prices, and I never find my size there. I peeked around Levi's and found nothing. Wanted to check out Soma Intimates, but not only were they having technical problems and closed early, but just a glance told me their prices were outrageous. Bought a tropical iced tea at Nordstrom's eBar instead. Lauren got a pomegranate iced tea and joined me at the wrought-iron tables outside of Nordstrom's, having had no luck either.

Spent the next several hours going in and out of stores. Macy's up escalator was broken. I had such a hard time finding their elevator, I never really did get to look around there. We took quick looks at Go! Calenders and Toys, Hot Topic, FYE, Old Navy, Famous Footwear, and the just-reopened and expanded Spencer's. (Trivia - the Spencer's at the Cherry Hill Mall is their first store, opened in 1963.) I was the only one who bought anything besides food today. I picked up dark Gloria Vanderbilt jean shorts and a long-sleeved burgundy t-shirt. The latter was on the clearance rack, marked down to $4.49. 

After we finished at FYE, we finally returned to the first level and had dinner early. Unfortunately, Saladworks had closed. They're my usual choice when I eat at Cherry Hill's food court. Their replacement, a kebobs booth, had not yet opened. I just ended up joining Lauren at Charley's Cheesesteaks. She had "The Italiano" (looked like vegetables and salami to me), cheese fries, and a Diet Coke. I went with half of a tasty chicken cheese steak, salty regular skin-on fries, and a sweet peach lemonade.

That pretty much exausted our plans for the Cherry Hill Mall. It was time to go home. We had far more luck with Uber. The driver arrived in 8 minutes, not bad for rush hour in Cherry Hill. By 5:30, it was just partly sunny, windy, and cool, barely in the 70's. The floodwaters had long since subsided. We got back to Oaklyn in 20 minutes with no incidents.

When we got in, Lauren went upstairs, changed, and puttered around. We took our laundry downstairs, and I took out the recycling and took a shower. When I got upstairs after switching the laundry to the dryer, I watched the second hour of Match Game '75. Bill Macy was still appearing on Maude as the title character's hubby when these episodes originally ran. I really wish he came back, because this week was hilarious. Brett and Betty White sniped at each other all week, culminating in everyone's hilarious answers on who would play the beast to Betty's beauty. 

Spent the rest of the night after we got the laundry upstairs honoring the 50th anniversary of Family Feud on Sunday. Feud actually began as a spin-off of the Audience Match on Match Game. Mark Goodson still liked the idea of people guessing survey questions, but instead of contestants and celebrity panelists, we have families playing. Richard Dawson was also carried over from Match Game as the show's first host. 

The show was a huge hit right out of the gate on ABC in 1976. Richard Dawson got so invested in it, he brought his older son and his wife on and started his own feud with producer Howard Felscher. We have the one of the pilots here (and a glimpse of how different the set looked before they expanded it) and a typical Dawson episode from 1981. 

The original Dawson daytime and nighttime versions finally succumbed to heavy competition in 1985. The show returned on CBS in 1988, this time with comedian Ray Combs as the host. I used to love the Combs show! I have fond memories of watching it and The Price Is Right back-to-back on Channel 10 in the late 80's and early 90's. I'm actually kind of grateful that Mom had the cable turned off before they started the notoriously weird Family Feud Challenge with the "bullseye" opening. Richard Dawson replaced Combs in 1994, but Richard was noticeably aged, and it just wasn't the same. The network show finally ended in 1994.

Feud shifted permanently to syndication in 1999. Baby-faced comedian Louie Anderson was the first host of the revived Feud. Though he does have his fans, I found him grating and the set of his version butt-ugly. Apparently, so did the producers. He was let go in 2002 and replaced by Richard Karn of Home Improvement. Though Karn had a better set, he otherwise had the opposite problem from Anderson. Where Anderson tried too hard to be funny and hip, Karn tended to fade into the woodwork. He worked out well enough to stay on until 2006. John O'Hurley came in after him, but he got fed up with the sexual nature of many of the questions and left in 2010. Comedian Steve Harvey, whose humor could occasionally border on the crass, had no trouble with entendres of every stripe. He took over the show in 2010 and has hosted it ever since.

Let's see how the Feud began 50 years ago and the men who kept the families feuding in these classic episodes!

Family Feud Pilot (1976)

Richard Dawson (1981)

Ray Combs Premiere (1988)

Richard Dawson Return Premiere (1994)

Louie Anderson (1999)

Richard Karn Premiere (2002)

John O'Hurley Premiere (2006)

Steve Harvey Premiere (2010) 

Riders On the Storm

Got a really quick start today. I got caught up reading Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man and had just enough time to eat, change, and call Uber. The one going there came in 9 minutes and got me to work in plenty of time. Had a hard time getting one going home. They took 15 minutes to arrive.

Work was a pain in the rear...or stomach. I'd been feeling queasy since yesterday. I didn't have a fever, but I did end up spending a lot of time in the bathroom, especially in the morning. (Which did some good - I was able to refill the toilet paper.) Mother Nature didn't help. It was cloudy and insanely humid this morning, but the sun came out around 1 PM and it got hot again. We were off and on busy, and I had a hard time keeping up with the carts until another bagger came in at 2. 

When I got home, I changed into cooler clothes, then listened to The Jack Sheldon Quintet while I took down the 4th of July decorations. I have no idea why they called the record Hollywood Heroes. Only one of the songs, "Lover," comes from a movie musical. (More specifically, Love Me Tonight.) My favorite numbers were lovely versions of Johnny Mercer standards - "Pardon My Southern Accent" and "I Thought About You."

Returned to reading Daisy Fay while resting, making the bed, and listening to The Best of Julie Andrews. As you can probably guess, the majority of these songs are from the original stage casts of My Fair Lady and Camelot and the movies The Sound of Music, Mary Poppins, and Thoroughly Modern Millie. There's a few more obscure titles here as well, like "O the Days of the Kerry Dancing," "We'll Gather the Lilacs In the Spring" from the British musical Perchance to Dream, "If Love Were All" from Bitter Sweet, and a rather odd live version of "Big D" from The Most Happy Fella. 

Switched to tonight's Match Game marathon for a while. Match Game could be as patriotic as the next show, especially in the years surrounding the Bicentennial. There were jokes about the 4th of July the week dancer and model Ruta Lee made her only appearance on the show in 1973 and in one of the episodes with Ron Valenti (and Fannie flirting with him) in 1975. There was one of the episode in 1978 where Craig Morris really got a kick out of his enormous lime-green sunglasses, and the nighttime episode where Fred Grandy sported a bow tie and sweater that netted him a lot of "Little Lord Fauntelroy" jokes. 

Celebrate the holiday weekend with even more fireworks as Gene and his wacky weirdos teach us American history the Match Game way!

Match Game Sunday Classics - 4th of July Marathon

Lauren was originally supposed to arrive at 10 PM. She got nervous and switched to a later train. I called Uber to Philadelphia around 10. To my surprise, the lady arrived in 4 minutes, and she was really sweet about it. There was no traffic at that hour of the night, not even in Philly. I loved getting to see all of the buildings lit up in reds and whites and blues, including one that was striped. She pulled up to 30th Street Station within 20 minutes.

On one hand, I'm glad to see they're almost done remodeling 30th Street Station. The scaffolding is gone, though nothing in the food court is open yet. On the other hand...Lauren was supposed to arrive at 10:45. She didn't finally get in until past 11 PM. I initially read my phone on a booth, but I couldn't sit down and walked around, checking the time until she arrived.

I saw why she was so late the moment we stepped outside. The thunderstorm that had threatened off and on all day chose that moment to finally hit. It was pouring, with noisy thunder and huge streaks of lightning. The Uber going home cost me $75! I was going to wait, but it didn't look like the storm would be ending anytime soon, and we couldn't stand in front of 30th Street all night. It took her over 20 minutes to arrive. She didn't know where the pick up at the 30th Street side of the building was, then she couldn't see us. Thank heavens Lauren knows about cars and spotted her across the way. The rain slowed down slightly by the time she finally pulled up on East Clinton.

I think you can guess that we're going to sleep in tomorrow after all that! The weather isn't going to be appropriate for our usual first-day walking trip to Mt. Ephraim and Audubon, so we're going to move things to the Cherry Hill Mall and Hillview Shopping Center instead. 

Heating Up Independence Day

Began the morning with the 4th of July selections from the Colliers Harvest of Holidays anthology. The big pieces here are a chapter from Little Town on the Prairie that has Carrie, Laura, and their pa enjoying lemonade and a pony cart race at their growing little town and The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere. There was also the first part of the Constitution and several smaller poems on independence and fireworks.

Started Ben & Me during a quick breakfast. The "me" in this case is Amos Mouse, who helped Benjamin Franklin create some of his greatest inventions, from the Franklin Stove to the Pennsylvania Gazette. Amos thinks Ben's gone too far after he has him ride in that famous electrifying kite and leaves. He begs Amos to come back during the American Revolution and help him out again. Their agreement to no more tricks becomes the basis of the Declaration of Independence. 

Thank heavens Oaklyn pushed their parade back to 9 AM today. I wouldn't have seen it if it stayed at 10. Even at 8:50, it was already steamy and in the 90's. I dropped Finley's birthday gift off at Rose's house, then got a free cotton candy water ice from Yummies Palace's cart and free red, white, and blue beads from the Oaklyn Civic Association. A little boy who was already dripping sweat handed me a 250th anniversary America flag. 

Thankfully, the parade was more-or-less on time. The cardboard boat with a Jaws theme won first place. I liked the group dressed as butterflies the best. There was only one other kid next to me, jumping out to gather the tons of candy all of the baseball teams and various groups threw. I gave some of my candy to the little kids in wagons behind me, some of it to him, and still had tons of Mamba, Tootsie Roll Fruit Chews, and Dum Dums lollipops leftover to share with Lauren when she visits. 

Oh, and I ran into Rose and Finley towards the end of the parade. No, they weren't doing anything today. Rose was sending the kids to have a barbecue with their father at his mother's house, and she just wanted to rest. I pointed them towards the Civic Association's booth with Hot dogs, mini bags of chips and Cheetos, and baby pools filled with ice, soda, and water. 

Stopped at Common Grounds Coffee House to get a cool treat. The line for drinks was long, but it moved fast. I got a Peaches and Cream Lemonade. Peach syrup with very tart lemonade topped with foam. Not bad, though that lemonade was very, very puckering!

Finished Ben & Me after I got in, then switched to classic shorts while I got dressed for work. "Patriotic Popeye" tries to keep his nephews from setting off balloons, until they end up being carried into the sky by one, and he needs spinach to intervene. "Donald's Failed Fourth" has Donald trying to set up for a picnic with Daisy in front of the fireworks, but the blanket and chairs won't cooperate.

Called Uber after the cartoons ended. It was just too hot to ride my bike. To my surprise, it only took me 7 minutes to get a ride. I figured it would be much longer on a very hot major holiday. It took me 9 minutes to get a ride home. No problems or traffic either way.

Work could have been a lot worse. It got crazy around noon and was picking up again when I left at 5, but the in between wasn't really that bad. I did spend most of the time outside pushing carts, but I had help from one of the college boys (who did most of the sweeping), and I went in for water when I got too hot. I was in and out with no trouble. 

Listened to A Musical Souvenir of America On Parade when I got home. Yes, this was the music from Disney's big Bicentennial parade at the parks in 1975 and 1976. The songs are mostly instrumental versions of traditional American tunes like "Turkey In the Straw," "O Susannah," "Battle Hymn of the Republic," and "I've Been Working On the Railroad," but somehow "Animal Crackers In My Soup" slips in there towards the end...and Disney being Disney couldn't resist including "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah." 

Finished the night on YouTube after a shower. The owner of the Match Game Productions channel did something different and showed us how other game shows celebrated the 4th of July. One show actually started on the 4th, the 1988 Family Feud with Ray Combs. Press Your Luck had Whammies setting off fireworks and snatching cash in 1985. Markie Post and Richard Shannon (with hair!) played each other on Super Password in 1986 just prior to Post joining Night Court (and even obliquely mentioned it on the episode). A patriotic episode of Price Is Right from 1975, just a few months before they expanded to an hour, had a Bicentennial salute to George M. Cohen as one of the Showcases. 

Classic Concentration was the only show to decorate for the occasion, offering flags everywhere, a trip to Washington DC, a paper mache George Washington, red, white, and blue cars to choose from, and Canadian Alex Trebek in an American flag tie. Things were more normal on 4th of July episodes of the Richard Dawson Family Feud, other than a few picnic-related questions. Susan Richardson and Wesley Eure did battle on Password Plus. The first 4th of July on Body Language had Betty White simply being outplayed by lanky Ed Begley Jr. Lisa Benet had more luck against Jason Bateman during their teen month the next year, while Kennedy set off sparklers. The Bob Eubanks Card Sharks introduced a new bonus round, while Jim Perry dealt with some pretty unique contestants, including a very funny old man named Ed, in his earlier version from 1979 and 1980. 

Celebrate our nation's 250th anniversary game show style in these hilariously patriotic tributes!

Saturday Game Show Classics - 4th of July Game Show Marathon

Called Mom during the marathon to wish her a happy 4th. She was enjoying hers in pretty much the same way, watching Ken Burns documentaries on PBS with Keefe. Keefe's wife Julia took their children to visit her family, so they were relishing the peace and quiet. They hadn't done much today, but Keefe did take Mom to his favorite restaurant earlier in the week. 

Oh, and there were no fireworks this year. Not only was it too hot, but there were some pretty bad storms later in the evening. That didn't stop people from setting off their own fireworks, including a beautiful display of sparkling green and pink just a few houses down from here on East Clinton.

Here's hoping your 4th of July was just as much fun...and a lot cooler. 

How to Beat the Heat

Began a late morning with breakfast and Shirt Tales. "The Outer Space Connection" sends Dinkel, Kip, and Bogey into orbit when they're accidentally trapped in a rocket that takes off. The other Shirt Tales follow in their super-sonic vehicle that can turn into anything. They end up on "The Forbidden Island" when they help a parrot figure out why the "Fire God" is scaring people away from his jungle home.

Worked on my grocery list while watching Supermarket Sweep. This later show (Dave wears a weird tie) is another one where one team, in this case the Team One college ladies, dominated the proceedings. They got the most time and had twice the grocery haul as the other teams. Their youth may have prevented them from figuring out what Good Start is in the bonus round run, though...

Oh, and I got my schedule at this point, too. I do work on Sunday, 9 to 3. Lauren won't arrive until 10 PM. I got the rest of the week off for vacation. Not a moment too soon, either, since it's supposed to rain the first two days anyhow. We can just hit up malls until the weather subsides. 

Called Uber after the show ended. I already decided to cut my shopping down to just the Westmont Acme this week. I'll do Sprouts with Lauren next week when she visits. It's too hot for a lot of running around, and I don't really need much as Sprouts anyway. To my shock, the first driver arrived in less than a minute! She was a really nice lady, too. The second one came in a more normal 9 minutes. No trouble anywhere, not even Cuthbert.

I probably could have done my grocery shopping tomorrow, since I do have work, but I know better than to do major shopping on a holiday. Despite the ongoing heat, it was still really busy. I had to duck around a lot of people to stock up on yogurt, blueberries, apples, cherries (I won't have the time for the farm market tomorrow), chocolate chip bakery cookies, prebiotic soda, Swiss cheese, granola, and Clorox travel-pack wipes for my mini-backpack. Had a good coupon for Tresemme Curls Conditioner. Thought I'd try the strawberry cake roll slices, then forgot I had them. (Oh well, 4th of July dessert tomorrow!) Grabbed a pack with tuna salad, crackers, muenster cheese, and green grapes for lunch. 

Put everything away when I got home, then napped, read, and rested while watching Yankee Doodle Dandy and the 1962 version of The Music Man. I went further into these classic 4th of July favorites at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog in June and 4th of July 2019.

Happy 4th of July - Yankee Doodle Dandy

The Music Man

The moment The Music Man ended, I headed out. Even at quarter of 7, it was still hazy-blue, sunny, and steamy. I think it was even hotter than yesterday, into the lower 100's. Surprisingly, WaWa was almost as busy as the Acme had been earlier. I guess I wasn't the only one who decided she'd rather have a hoagie and a mocha mint smoothie than actually cook anything. I used the last of my gift card from one of the kids and their family on the smoothie and a small turkey hoagie on a whole-wheat roll.

Ate dinner while watching the final Match Game '75 episodes of the day. Soap star Brenda Dickson joined Gary Burgoff and Patti Deusch. To be honest, she wasn't really much more than a pretty face and didn't play very well. Even Patti got more creative than she did. 

Finished the night with the eighth and final episode of The Swamp Fox. Marion insists his new recruits deliver those "Horses for Greene" mentioned at the end of the previous episode. The mountain man brothers Mary picked up on the ship would rather be dancing with pretty senoritas at a local inn leftover from Zorro, until they end up in a trap. Marion has to install some discipline into them and make sure those horses get to the right place. 

I ended up really enjoying this. I know Davy Crockett was a bigger hit, but this one is just as much fun in its own right. I loved the emphasis on Mary, including a whole episode, "A Woman's Courage." Shame she suddenly vanishes in the last show. The mountain men are funny but no substitute. The earlier episodes tend to be darker going, especially the death of Francis' nephew in "Tory Vengeance." If you're a fan of American Revolution history or Nielson's days as an action star, or want to check out a different side of history from Disney, this miniseries is well worth your time. 

The Room Where It Happens

Began the morning with breakfast and Little Bear. Mother Bear helps her son plant sunflowers in "Little Bear's Garden." He imagines that the sunflowers grow so big, they lift him and No Feet to the clouds. He's delighted by the vegetables that grow so big there, until they start getting a little too big and crowding him and No Feet out! In order to become "Prince Little Bear" and marry Princess Emily, King Owl declares that he must defeat a dragon...but when he helps his friends instead, he learns that kindness is its own reward. Little Bear makes "A Painting for Emily" of her beloved doll Lucy while he watches her and Emily's dog Tutu. Tutu, however, does everything she can to get in on the painting, too.

Worked a little online, then spent the rest of the afternoon vacuuming and deep-cleaning the attic rooms. I dusted under the books...and spent a little too much time reading them, especially the ones on musicals. I'll dust under the 4th of July decorations on Sunday, after the holiday. The back room was especially bad. I don't know why the bedroom always gets so dusty! Maybe it's because the one and only window is there. It was killer hot up there, too. The air conditioner was full-blast, and it was still hot. The fans did nothing but move hot air around.

Watched 1776 as I worked. I went further into this classic 1972 musical on the creation and signing of the Declaration of Independence at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog back in July 2019. 

1776

Had a very quick and belated lunch while watching Hamilton on Disney Plus. (I would finish it much later in the evening.) This could almost be called the flip side of 1776 as we switch our focus from firebrand John Adams to non-stop author and politician Alexander Hamilton. "The ten dollar Founding Father without a father" (Lin-Manuel Miranda) grows up in the Caribbean, but takes a slow boat to New York. He joins other firebrands in pushing for the American Revolution, becomes "Right Hand Man" to General George Washington (Christopher Jackson), and marries sweet and lovely Eliza Schuyler (Phillipa Soo). Her sister Angelica (Renee Elsie Goldsberry) loves him, too, but marries another man for her sister's sake. 

Hamilton continues pushing and writing after the war, eventually clashing with the more conservative Thomas Jefferson (Daveed Diggs). He runs into trouble when he has an affair and a furious Eliza burns his letters. The death of their son Phillip (Anthony Ramos) in a duel brings them back together after news of Hamilton's affair goes public. Aaron Burr (Leslie Odom Jr.) is furious with him for backing Jefferson for the presidency and challenges him to his own duel...one that Hamilton won't recover from. It's Eliza, however, who ends up preserving his legacy for generations to come.

First of all, you're probably wondering why I'm not reviewing this for the musical blog. Like Disney's London version of Frozen, this is a recording of a stage show, and it really falls under different strictures. That said, I can see why this is still running on Broadway at press time. The music is incredible (even if you're like me and aren't a fan of rap), the performers are dynamic, the dancing is fabulous. If you know anything about Hamilton and American history, you also know that this is a fairly dark show. The second half gets mired in its endless "Cabinet Battles" and moves about as fast as 1776 at times. Still, if you love Miranda or want to see a more modern take on American history, this is worth checking out for families with older kids and teens and stage aficionados. 

I got so tired of that endless second act of Hamilton, I cut it off early around 6:30 and went out to run errands. (I finished it later in the evening.) Stopped at Dollar Tree first. I mainly needed pads, but given the extreme heat, I picked up a bottle of Propel water, too. They were surprisingly busy for dinner time with mothers and families on their way home from work picking up their own little things.

Headed two blocks down to Crown Chicken and Gyro next for a quick dinner. They too were quiet for 7 PM on a hot day. I guess everyone stayed home in the air conditioning to eat. I enjoyed my tilapia sandwich, fries, and Diet Pepsi listening to classical music and watching glorious images of a green and glowing Canada on the TV over the dining area.

Walked further down to La Mortense Plus to get something sweet to cool off. Despite it being past 7:30, they weren't busy, either. I had no difficulty ordering a chocolate banana milkshake. Slurped it as I headed home. Even that late in the day, it was still sunny, hazy, killer humid, and hot as heck, in the lower 100's-upper 90's. The milkshake could only do so much. I was sweating bullets when I got home.

Which is why I relaxed a little bit, then went right in a much-needed shower. After I got out, I finished the night watching The Fleet's In on YouTube. I go further into this classic Navy musical with William Holden and Dorothy Lamour that introduced "I Remember You" and "Tangerine" at musical blog. 

Happy 4th of July! - The Fleet's In