Come On Down With the Kids

I was so tired, I slept until 10 AM! Finally got started around 11:30 with breakfast and Richie Rich. I have fond memories of the Hanna-Barbara show, which re-ran constantly throughout the 80's. Each episode was separated into four segments. The "Riches" short is "Piggy Bank Prank." Richie's rival Reggie Van Dough plays jokes on Richie, but he and his friend Gloria turn the tables. "Treasure Chest" is a three-minute gag short. Richie's dog dollar tries to impress a pretty poodle on "Muscle Beach." The "Gems" are 30-second blackout sketches based on the original comics. Richie gets a middle-of-the night call from Dollar. "Zillion Dollar Adventures" are the longer action episodes. "The Robotnappers" are thieves who steal Richie's robot maid Irona and make clones of her. Richie and Gloria have to figure out which one is the real Irona.

Headed out to the Collingswood Library after breakfast. To tell the truth, there really isn't much more to see here. Like most of the libraries in the smaller towns near Camden, the Collingswood Library isn't that big. Their adult fiction section is so small, it's not even separated into genres. It's just fiction. Most of their adult non-fiction date to the time of the early 80's American Musical Theater: A Chronicle by Gerald Boardman or further. I took another look at American Musical Theater, but I finally decided there were other things I needed to do before work and moved on around 1:30. 

Sabrina's Cafe is one of the few restaurants in Collingswood open on a Monday. Despite that, they were surprisingly quiet for them. I had their Pumpkin Harvest Pancakes, turkey sausage, and iced tea. I didn't really taste the apple and cranberry compote. It was drowning in salted caramel frosting. Not bad, but a little sweet and much too big! I didn't finish them.

The reason I was in Collingswood was to hit the bank. I went in PNC, used the ATM machine in the front lobby, and headed back out. Hurried down Collings Avenue, stopping briefly at Speedy Mart in West Collingswood to get a Berry Propel before rushing down to the Thomas Sharp School.

I was so glad to see the kids again, and they were glad to see me! Two of the ones from my table gave my leg a big hug. One gave me her artwork. All of the kids are going to be in the cafeteria this week. The library is being used for their Book Fair. I loved hearing about the books and toys they bought at the Book Fair. I'm just glad they still have book fairs. They were always one of my favorite times of the year when I was in grade school.

None of the kids were inside for very long. They colored and played with magnetic tiles for a few minutes after snack time, but the moment they all finished, we got them outside. It was too nice for anyone to be inside for very long! The weather was stunning today. Blue sky, bright sunshine, perfect warm lower 70's temperatures, a little windy but nothing crazy. No trouble on the swings today. There was a little fussing over who shared the swings with whom, but everyone who wanted a turn got on at least once. Most of the kids got two or three turns. The weather was so beautiful, and the kids were having so much fun, they were only just taking the last five inside when I left at 5:15.

Brought the laundry downstairs after I got home, then took out my winter clothes. It's supposed to get into the 70's for most of this week, but that's not going to last forever. It'll drop into the 40's at night. Time for heavy jeans, turtlenecks, and long-sleeved shirts. Most of the short-sleeved shirts ended up being put away. Capris stay out year-round. So do the two long-sleeved nightgowns I picked up from the Vermont Country Store. Their fabric is light enough for spring and fall.

Watched Match Game '77 as I got things organized, then as I ate a quick dinner. Fidgety Bill Daily, crusty Mary Wickes, and sweet soap star Trish Stewart helped out a young woman with really nifty butterfly-shaped glasses. For the last episode, they moved on to the week with Debralee Scott, Ed Asner, and Patti Deusch. While the first episode was relatively subdued, this is a rather infamous week for a reason...

Finished the night honoring the first of three game show anniversaries we'll be doing in a row this month. The original Price Is Right debuted in November 1956, with genial Bill Cullen hosting. The premise was simple. Four people bid on prizes. Some were small, but many were huge bordering on outlandish, like submarines and full homes. Though the premiere episode is currently lost, the second is available. 

When Bob Barker took over the heavily revamped show in 1972, he appeared on the syndicated I've Got a Secret to advertise it and show how it worked. Here, contestants bid on items belonging to the panelists, like Richard Dawson's mailbox. Audience members who get closest to the actual retail value of the item got the item. This was honestly one of the funniest episodes of that short-lived revival. Pat Carroll's reaction to what she has up for sale and how much people bid on it were especially funny.

Most of the first week of The New Price Is Right from 1972 was shown on The Barker Era channel and has turned up elsewhere. The exception is the extremely rare episode four. It's the only first-week episode to have a fur coat as a prize. Bob the heavy animal activist would later ban fur coats as prizes from the show, and older episodes with them remain banned to this day.

By 1975, the show was faltering in the ratings. CBS debuted a series of hour-long specials in September in an attempt to give them a boost. The Showcase wheel turns up here, but it looks more like a carnival wheel and less like the Big Wheel people know today. This proved so successful, they became the first game show to jump to an hour permanently in November.

There were three attempts at a half-hour syndicated nighttime Price over the years. The longest-running went from 1972 to 1980. Dennis James hosted it until Bob Barker took over in 1977. Neither of the other attempts ran anywhere as long. Tom Kennedy was well-received as the host of the second Price PM in 1985, but it debuted in a market overcrowded with game shows and only lasted 8 months. The 1994 version with Doug Davidson had even more trouble, barely lasting four months. I have an episode of the barely-remembered Tom Kennedy run here.

The Davidson series was the show's last attempt at a permanent syndicated series, but it wasn't the last time Price would appear at night. The Price Is Right has done prime time specials since a series of episodes with military personnel playing in 2002. I have an episode of The $1,000,000 Spectacular from 2008. These attempts to join the big money game show fad of the early 2000's showed off far bigger prizes than usual, including one Showcase with double everything. The episode I have shows off one of the few million-dollar winners.

Gameshow Marathon also took Price into prime time. This 2006 special based on a similar concept from England had six celebrities playing popular CBS game shows for charity. Home viewers got the big prizes. Kathy Najimy, Paige Davis, and Brande Roderick of Baywatch wound up being the big winners here. Roderick would go on to be one of the finalists. Hostess Ricki Lake did very well, even ending with Bob Barker's signature "spayed or neutered" line. 

Come on down and explore the history of one of the most beloved game shows in the world with these rare episodes!

The Price Is Right (1956)
I've Got a Secret (1972)

The New Price Is Right (1972)

The Price Is Right Anniversary Week Special (1975)

The Price Is Right Syndicated (1985)

Gameshow Marathon (2006)

Price Is Right: The $1,000,000 Spectacular (2008)

Somewhere Out There

Started off early with one last trip through the upstate New York countryside. It was a little cloudy, but neither rainy nor even that cold. We had one last breakfast at a fairly quiet Denny's. We made our own slams again. I replaced the turkey bacon with original bacon. Lauren replaced her sausage with fruit. Yum! They were still good, even if I couldn't finish the pancakes. 

Denny's and Cracker Barrel are less than 5 minutes from the Albany-Renesslaur Train Station. We sat on chairs by the closed for Sunday post office until my train started lining up. I gave Lauren a hug before getting into line. I didn't buy food this time, since I was getting on earlier. I told Lauren to give her parents and Rico and Elliott my love. I really did have a good time! Lauren's my best friend, and I'll miss her, even if we can talk online.

(Oh, and Lauren spent the rest of the day doing her own grocery shopping and stuff at home with her parents. And apparently, she'll be seeing Rico again on Wednesday.)

Thankfully, this time I had no trouble for the rest of the day. Every train arrived on time. They were also full to bursting. I spent the ride to New York wedged next to an older woman who mainly read. I admired the stunning views of sail boats bobbing on choppy silver waters past ancient, crumbling castles on tiny islands, smoke-belching factories, and sprawling hotels and mansions. 

Unlike the train going to New York, the one coming from Albany goes straight into Moynihan Train Hall. They were full to bursting, too! People lounged on their luggage in every corner and crevice, waiting for their train. The lines for the downstairs bathrooms were so long, I ended up lugging my bags upstairs to use the quiet bathrooms there. 

Had lunch at the Food Hall downstairs. This is a more lavish version of a typical mall food court. Given I was in New York and the only time we had pizza this week was at the Colonie Center Sbarro's, I had to get a slice of mushroom and a slice of cheese. Yum! Real mushrooms with just the right crust. I barely managed to find a seat near the Irish bar, but I did find a place to eat. Tried a banana bread latte afterwards at Starbucks. Yum! Sweet, but it really did taste like liquid banana bread.

The train to Philadelphia was actually a commuter train to Harrisburg, and it might have been even busier than the one to New York. It was so full, I just dropped my stuff in the last seat on the car where I didn't have to put my suitcase in a rack. A young woman, probably college age, settled next to me with her own bags. She spent the trip to Philly reading her phone. I spent it watching the rain fall on Newark arenas, New Jersey suburbs, and graffiti-laden factories outside of Philly

Instead of calling Uber right away when I arrived at 30th Street Station, I bought a ticket for the NJ Transit train. It wasn't leaving for over an hour, but it was quarter of 5 when I got in. I had so much trouble picking up Uber at the train station the past few years, I figured it was worth the wait. I bought a tuna and cucumber hoagie and ranch sweet potato chips from the food booth (they still haven't finished remodeling their own food hall) and had dinner, then went to the bathroom and read One Poison Pie until they announced the NJ Transit train had arrived.

Unlike the other two trains, the Transit wasn't remotely full. The only other people riding in the car with me were two curly-haired college age boys in Eagles sweaters. For once, it actually left the station on time. The only trouble we had were the lights going out and having to fix them briefly in Pennsauken. Otherwise, they ran on time too. It finally pulled into the Cherry Hill Pavilion around quarter of 7.

I picked up Uber at the big Shop Rite in front of the Pavilion. It's easier (and cheaper) to get a ride closer to home and at a place where the driver might actually see me. No trouble here, either. The driver arrived in seven minutes and got me back in a little over 10. Considering how wet everything in Camden County was, it must have rained pretty hard earlier. Now I'm glad I spent most of the day on the train. 

Finished the night after a shower and putting everything away with the Sunday Match Game marathon. Given the entire run of the show spanned most of the Sexual Revolution, there was an awful lot of sex talk on this show. If Orson Bean wasn't joking about stripper's chests coming off, Richard Dawson and Gene Rayburn were panting over barely-adult contestants. 

One of the most famous episodes of the syndicated run got very into sexual matters. Betty White turned up in a short red dress borrowed from Sharon Farrell. As Sharon said, she did look fabulous, and she knew it. Later, McLean's answer to what a farmer thought should be an Olympic sport somehow ended with Sharon Farrell on top of Richard Paul. There was also the guy who claimed he started his children's day with laughter...but his wild, Joker-like cackling sent McLean running to Gene's door instead. 

It's all about the birds, bees, and the changing attitudes about what goes on between romantic partners in this hilarious and provocative marathon!

Match Game Sunday Classics - Sex Party Marathon

Oh, and I got my schedule yesterday. In good news, I don't work at the Acme again until Wednesday. Unfortunately, I also got an extra day on Friday, and for some reason, an 8 hour day on Saturday. Head bagger must be taking the day off again. 

You're My Best Friend

Thank heavens we started out into sparkling sunshine, blue skies, and perfect 65-degrees weather. Even if it's just one day, I'll take it. We started off at the massive Lanesborough WalMart about 15 minutes from Lauren's house. We both used the bathroom. I just bought food for my trip home tomorrow. Lauren found Avia sneakers in pink, white, and lavender that she loved. 

We went down the road next to the North Adams Goodwill. It's much smaller than the ones in Pittsfield and Audubon, but it does have a fair-sized media selection. Lauren came up with several shirts. I just found:

Rupert Holmes - Partners In Crime

Next up, we stopped at two different variations on the Ollie's "odd lots of stuff in one location" formula. I found Merino wool socks at Ocean State Job Lots. Lauren's Label Shopper, a local, more clothes-oriented version of Ocean State, moved into the North Adams Peebles after that chain went out of business. They're honestly not that much different from Peebles...but neither of us found anything there. 

Lauren doubled back to Lanesborough for lunch at Pedrin Dairy Bar. This is a local ice cream and sandwich drive-up restaurant with tons of outdoor seating. I forgot about it being cash-only and had to get more at the Mountain One Bank next-door. Lauren had a huge chicken club grinder with amazing, crunchy onion rings and a Diet Coke. I had a Chicken Parmesan grinder with a coffee milkshake. Oh yum! It was really windy, but otherwise, it was a perfect day to eat outside. The sun was warm on our backs as we enjoyed our lunch.

After Lauren drove us back to North Adams, she went to Jack's Hot Dogs to get dinner for her parents, and I made my way into the Berkshire Emporium & Antiques. And everything else, from the looks of the place. They're so huge, they have twenty rooms filled with every possible thing existing, from antique tools to new DVDs. There's so much stuff, they have books for sale in the coffee shop next-door. They're even more full than the Barrington Antique Center. I have to agree with the college kids who searched through the records, cassettes, and CDs in the basement with me. It was like ten families just dumped everything they didn't want in 20 rooms. Along with a pack of 40 Pokemon cards for a Christmas present, I ended up with two CDs:

Manheim Steamroller - Christmasville

The 1995 Broadway cast album for the Pal Joey revival with Peter Gallagher and Patti LuPone

I met Lauren outside, and we strolled back to her car. This time, Lauren drove us back into Vermont. We missed the Bennington Goodwill yesterday. They're not a whole lot bigger than the one in North Adams. I didn't find anything. Lauren found a striped shirt for work and a really pretty purple and maroon sweater with glittery threads.

In fact, I had no more luck for the rest of the day. Lauren got more shirts and another sweater at the Marshalls down the road. Neither of us found anything at the Vermont Label Shopper either. The only thing either of us bought from their Super WalMart was my Cherry Coke Zero. (And it must be a requirement for very large WalMarts to have stunning views. The WalMarts in Lanesborough and Bennington are positioned where one can have a terrific view of the mountains in the area. The Somerdale WalMart is on a hill that allows you to see the Cinemark and everything around it.)

We had dinner at The Avocado Pit in downtown Bennington. Lauren had a hard time finding a place to park, but it was worth it. The Avocado Pit is a hole-in-the-wall that specializes in tacos and their perfect home-made limeade. I had the taco special on soft flour tortillas with chicken. Lauren had hard shell tacos with beef...and loved those so much, she got a larger fish taco, too. We shared their cinnamon strips, fried tortilla strips dusted with cinnamon sugar that were delightfully flaky. The young guys at the counter were really nice and funny, too.

Lauren had trouble driving home. She got caught between two drivers going way too slow on the highway. Needless to say, she wasn't too happy about that, especially since one guy was weaving and didn't seem to be driving that well. I couldn't help laughing at some of her grumbling.

Finished the night with today's Match Game YouTube marathon after we showed Mr. and Mrs. Miller our finds. Hugging and kissing were as common on this show as weird answers from drunk panelists. If Gene wasn't kissing "the new kid on the block" ingenue, Richard was smooching with the contestant he'd just helped win money. Richard wasn't the only one, either. Sometimes, the contestants were the ones who did it, like the guy who dipped a smitten Marcia Wallace before giving her a huge kiss, or the one who kept chasing Fannie and Brett around. 

There are hugs and kisses all around with Gene and his wacky weirdos in this very loving marathon!

Match Game Saturday Classics - Hugs and Kisses Marathon

Country Roads

This time, we started out at quarter after 9 with a trip to Vermont. Lauren needed to get gas, so we stopped at the Shell station down the street from her house. She got her gas and a croissant at the Dunkin' Donuts in the convenience store there. I got a "Franki" Matcha Latte (topped with purple foam) and a maple frosted donut. 

Vermont is beautiful country! I love our drives up there. It was sunny when we left, but even with dark clouds moving in on the horizon, the gold and orange trees glowed in the rustling wind. The emerald green farmland was laden with huge round pumpkins and golden corn. Cows grazed in fields of pastel wildflowers. Those green mountains seemed to literally touch the sky, thanks to the thick fog at their tops. Villages that go back to the Revolutionary War crowded around narrow highways, clapboard churches, and quaint antique shops with wrap around porches.

Lauren pulled into the gravel parking lot of the Vermont Country Store at Weston around 11:30. This is a vintage red farm house that sells everything from retro toys and games to old-fashioned candy and kitchen items to pastel milled soaps, herbal tonics, Vermont cheeses, maple syrups, and sausages, and lacy nightgowns. They have nifty vintage holiday decorations and all kinds of Peanuts items too, books, stuffed Snoopys and Woodstocks, sheets, games.

Trouble is, they may be practical and hard-to-find, but most of their wares are also expensive above the norm, especially their clothes. Soon as I could find it, I hurried upstairs to their sale area in the attic. Made some of my best finds here. I've only just begun to see those scratch-and-sniff stickers that were common as prizes in schools during the 80's again. There was a basket with four remaining. We're supposed to make a special Halloween theme with prizes for our tables on the day before Halloween. I hope the kids love them as much as we did! I also found a gorgeous maroon nightgown with a lace collar. Downstairs, I dug up jute coasters with a leaf and a pumpkin motif that weren't that expensive. Thought I'd try Fruit Jelly Stackers, which seem similar to fruit slices in a layered square rather than a half-moon shape.

I had just gone outside to wait for Lauren to finish her own shopping when I saw Mom had left a message on my cell phone. Turns out yes, they got the birthday card for Aurora in time for her birthday yesterday, and yes, Aurora loved the Disney gift card. She's a big Elsa fan! Mom and Keefe's wife Julia handled her birthday party. Keefe had to work on a new ship. 

After Lauren came out with two bags of clothes for her and her parents and socks for her dad, we put everything in her car, then headed to Mildred's Table. The sit-down restaurant at the Vermont Country Store has been through several names and owners of late - last year, it was Mildred's Grill - but it's back in the Orton family at the moment. This is more industrial-rustic, with plain wooden beams on the ceiling and local artwork depicting Vermont scenes on the walls. Lauren had a massive grilled cheese and bacon sandwich on thick sourdough bread and a huge bowl of butternut squash bisque. I went for a simpler chicken salad wrap with lots of nuts and dried cranberries.

Mildred's Dairy Bar and Grill is attached to the back of Mildred's Table. It's basically the take-out version of Mildred's Table, with local ice cream and treats along with basic sandwiches and hot dogs. Lauren had a cup of black raspberry ice cream. I had a vanilla maple "Creamee" swirl in a cup with chocolate sprinkles. Yum! They know ice cream in Vermont. It was sweet and just maple enough. 

It showered hard while we were in Mildred's, but the rain took a temporary leave of absence as we went across the street to the Christmas Shop. This old wooden house isn't as big as Winterwood in Rio Grande, but it's just as jammed full of every possible Christmas ornament that ever existed. I even saw soda can and peanut butter jar ornaments! Lauren got gifts for her parents and Rico. I didn't see anything I could carry home. Not to mention, my tree is jammed full as it is! 

The Weston Village Store is next-door. It used to be Weston's town hall, but now it sells local souvenirs, Vermont-made cheeses and fudge, and novelty toys. Lauren bought Skittles-themed socks for Rico and Vermont sweatshirts for her and her parents. I just bought a small bottle of maple syrup, which is cheaper there than at the Vermont Country Store.

It was still just cloudy and windy as Lauren drove us down into Manchester. Pasttime Pinball at the Outlet Mall there is under new ownership, but it hasn't changed the experience. It's still rows of pinball history, from Humpty Dumpty, the first machine with flippers from 1947, to a lavish Elton John machine with a flashing LCD screen from three years ago. There's quite a few rarities there. I saw machines themed around Elvira, Happy Days (the original Eight Ball), Indiana Jones, Lord of the Rings, Terminator 2, the first Addams Family film, Ghostbusters, Labyrinth, the first Toby Maguire Spider Man movie, The Wizard of Oz, and the 1994 action flop The Shadow. In addition to the recent Elton John machine, there was one from 1976 based on his Tommy character. They had Pin-Bot, Bride of Pin-Bot, Centaur, Diner, Ice Revue, Fish Tales, Paratrooper, and Space Shuttle. 

Pinball can be a lot of fun, and I loved learning about the history behind the consoles, but after an hour, my hand got tired from pulling all those levers to get the ball going. I left Lauren playing every game there and went across the street to the Northshire Bookstore, dodging more heavy showers as I did. The Northshire Bookstore is in a charming old inn, but it's also a bit of a maze. I kept running into alcoves and more alcoves filled with new books, records, and stationary...but I was looking for the old books. I finally asked for directions to the used book room. It's right next to their cafe (which was closed by the time I got there). Thankfully, the used book room is much brighter and more open than the rest of the store. I finally came up with:

Shades of Earl Grey by Laura Childs (I don't often see the older Tea Shop Mysteries out in the wild.)

Grimm Curiosities by Sharon Lynn Fisher (Christmas-set British Victorian fantasy)

They had two American Girl Williams-Sonoma cookbooks, Baking and Breakfast & Brunch. I have a ton of baking cookbooks, so I went with Breakfast & Brunch. 

Thankfully, the rain had stopped again by the time we were ready for dinner. Lauren drove us over to the small shopping center where the cozy little Japanese restaurant Sushi Boat is located. When we arrived, though...they were closed. They weren't supposed to be closed. They're normally open for dinner on Fridays.

We ended up across the street at the more elegant Thai Basil by default. They were a little pricey, but their food was good and their servings were massive. Lauren's bowl of beef pho was big enough to pass as a swimming pool. My chicken stir fry was served in a hollowed-out pineapple! Oh yum. Thai food tends to be spicy, but pineapple or no pineapple, my stir-fry was just the right melding of flavors. I had sticky white rice, too. I ate all but about half my rice. Lauren ate three quarters of that lake-sized bowl of pho.

Went straight in the shower when I got home, then watched Million Dollar Kid on Tubi. I went back a little further to the East Side Kids, when Leo Gorcey's name was Muggs, and he led a group of slightly younger hooligans that included Glimpy (Huntz Hall) and his decidedly not-kid cousin Herbie (Al Stone). They find a wallet that belongs to millionaire John Cortland (Herbert Heyes), who takes a shine to them and lets them use his son's gym. They end up helping out his family, including heading off a phony Frenchman (Stanley Brown) who is after his daughter Louise's (Louise Currie) money and getting his younger son Roy (Johnny Duncan) back on the straight and narrow.

Finished the night at YouTube with a rare animated fairy tale from Canada. The Admiral and the Princess apparently debuted there in 1990. A grandmother reads her grandson the story of a brave admiral who loved a spirited princess. They couldn't wed because she had to remain on land and prepare for her duty as queen. The king's evil advisor try to hypnotize the admiral to kill the king, but he couldn't do it. The King didn't want to kill him, so advisor punished him by turning him into a blue heron. When the king travels to a neighboring kingdom with his armada, the advisor intends to create a storm and destroy them. The princess' nurse is a sorceress and is able to turn her into an egret, so she and the Admiral can lead her father from danger. The Admiral does eventually defeat the advisor, but at the cost of his humanity. It's faithful nurse Renee who finds a way for the two star-crossed lovers to be together.

This was surprisingly sweet and even sad. The bittersweet ending and the advisor's gristly and fairly graphic demise after his blood crystal is destroyed are fairly rare in 90's animated fairy tales. Apparently, this disappeared for years before someone posted it on YouTube six years ago. The animation isn't the greatest, but it's still recommended if you love original fairy tales like I do. 

The Admiral and the Princess

Runnin' Down a Dream

We started out on a gray, cloudy morning, this time heading past Lee to the Mass Pike. There was a little traffic near Springfield due to road repairs, but it was fine once we got off the highway. We finally pulled into the Holyoke Commons Shopping Center around quarter after 10.

I love the Barnes and Noble here! It's two stories and probably the largest I've ever seen. I did have a hard time finding the smaller paperback mysteries. Once I did, I couldn't decide on a book. I finally just bought One Poison Pie by Lynn Calhoon. Went downstairs next to their massive DVD and music section. Only half of it actually sold media, but I found two greatest hits CDs on reasonable sales:

Rick Astley - The Best of Me 

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers  - The Best of Everything ($10 off a 2-disc set)

Lauren didn't find anything and was already outside when I was done. We went two doors down to Red Robin for lunch. They were surprisingly busy for a late Thursday morning when they'd just opened. The waitress chatted with an older man in a corner while Lauren ate a chicken Caesar wrap and I had a California chicken sandwich with avocado, bacon, lettuce, and tomato. I had fries and a coconut soda (Coke with coconut flavoring and topped with cream and foam). She had broccoli and a berry lemonade.

After a brief stop at TJ Maxx across the parking lot, we drove further down to the Holyoke Mall. Lauren parked near a light fixture that, for some reason, was surrounded by large spotted brown and red flying bugs. I later discovered they're spotted lantern flies. Holyoke is apparently having problems with the invasive pest right now. Fortunately, they seemed more interested in the blacktop than Lauren's car. At least the weather improved here. It was almost sunny and much warmer, in the lower 70's.

Our first stop was Round 1 on the other side of the mall. On one hand, they were a bit of a mess. They must have been remodeling or adding new machines. I saw lots of dark machines and closed-off areas. To my dismay, their prize area was closed, too. I'll have to save my points for the next time I'm at the Deptford Mall. On the other hand, there were still a lot of other machines working. I was able to run from skee ball to Bust a Move to giant Pac Man and Spaced Invaders for an hour. Crusin' Blast was among the games that were offline, but I had no trouble with Mario Kart Deluxe. Played Pac Man on the Splash Circuit; came in 2nd behind Luigi. Did better on the Hot Wheels race game this time, coming in first with my red car.

Lauren and I did better in the mall proper. Round 1 is the only amusement at Holyoke besides a kids' playground area, but that gave us more time to shop. Our first stop was Lane Bryant. I didn't get to check out the one at Crossgates yesterday! I didn't find more Care Bears shirts, but I did get a bra for $25 and a pretty mottled blue shirt for $13, the latter on clearance.

While I was exploring Lane Bryant, Lauren was across the way at a store that sold "exotic" snacks, mainly from Japan. I loved their nifty collection of Japanese sodas! I went with what looked like a clear peach Fanta. Research later revealed it was White Peach. Oh, yum! No wonder it's apparently popular in Japan. It's just sweet and tart enough and only 20 calories. Lauren had Pepsi Raspberry Ripple. She found unique Oreo flavors, and we both got Hershey's Exotic Dark Chocolates with raspberry goji middles.

We were in and out of stores for the next few hours. Lauren found a cute stuffed purple Snoopy at Toys R' Us. Neither of us found anything at Macy's, BoxLunch, Old Navy, MiniSo, or the toy-oriented Sports Zone downstairs. Lauren didn't pick up anything at Sportsline Video Games or FYE, either. I did better at FYE. Their selection isn't as good as it has been the past few years, but they still have more used stock than most stores do nowadays. I ended up with:

Seasons 1 - 3 of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (Wish DreamWorks would get around to releasing the last 2 seasons on disc now that the show isn't on Netflix anymore.) 

Rod McKuen - Rod McKuen's Greatest Hits Vol. 2

Sutton Foster - Take Me to the World

1998 London cast of Oklahoma! with Hugh Jackman

There are at least four Sports Zone stores scattered throughout the Holyoke Mall. They do sell sports jerseys, but they mostly sell...everything else. Collectibles, toys, books, DVDs, games, action figures, stuffed animals. You name the junk, and they probably have it. I was looking for a Flyers Jersey, but I found two used DVDs upstairs for a decent price, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom and the relatively recent Looney Tunes: Rabbit Run. 

Made one last stop at JC Penney before we left. Once again, Lauren didn't get anything. I found a red short-sleeved t-shirt on clearance for $5.99. My old JC Penney red t-shirt is stretched from many wearings, especially around the collar. 

Normally, we have dinner at Holyoke's food court when we're there...but they had a major fire earlier in the summer and are still rebuilding. We considered 110 Grill before Lauren found something even cheaper just a few minutes away. JP's Restaurant is elegant but simple, with a lively bar and terrific prices for what you get. They also have terrific food. Lauren's Cajun burger was massive. It was covered in cheese and sauce and must have weighed a pound or more. She said it was the best burger she'd ever tasted. My steak and cheese wrap was really good, too, dripping with sauteed onions, mushrooms, and peppers. She had a blueberry-lemon cheesecake for dessert. I had an amazingly decadent Snickers Pie. 

We had more trouble getting home. The traffic caused by the road work had backed up significantly. At least there was a lovely pink sunset to admire while we waited. Thankfully, the traffic finally moved after about 20 minutes, and we got home within a half-hour after that.

Finished the night watching the Bowery Boys movie Smuggler's Cove on Tubi. Terrance "Slip" Mahoney (Leo Gorcey) and his best friend Sach (Huntz Hall) think they're in the money when Slip's given papers that indicate he's inherited a mansion. Turns out it's not only rundown, it's the home of European jewel thieves who are smuggling diamonds and scientists out of the country. Not only that, but it's not really Slip's inheritance. Another, far more prominent businessman named Terrance Mahoney (Paul Harvey) and his daughter Teresa (Amelita Ward) really inherited the house, and they've come for a vacation. Slip's reporter friend Gabe Moreno (Gabe Dell) smells a story and follows him there as well. Now the boys have to figure out what the smugglers are up to and help Mr. Mahoney get them out of his house, before everyone ends up in real trouble.

With a Little Help From My Friends

Started out heading back to Albany on a gray, cool morning. It showered lightly as we made our way through the small, lovely upstate New York towns to Cracker Barrel near the Albany train station. Thank goodness the clouds were starting to break up as we pulled into their parking lot. In fact, that was the last rain we saw all day.

Cracker Barrel goes for southern-fried rustic instead of generic 60's diner. Lauren and I sat under framed artwork of patterns for dresses from the 40's. I could see skis and older snowshoes over one table, 45's and their covers at another. The blazing fire in the huge fireplace felt good on that slightly chilly morning! Lauren had a hash brown casserole with two fluffy biscuits. I had thin but tasty pancakes topped with caramel, sweet cream, and fried apples. (Those fried apples taste much better on top of pancakes than they do as a side.) I thought it would be busier at quarter after 10, but it wasn't that bad.

We of course stopped in Cracker Barrel's gift shop on the way out. Cracker Barrel's country theme extends to their old-style candy, CDs of country stars, and for some reason, a lot of Peanuts merchandise. I just ended up with a cute, fluffy little stuffed cow I named Hoodsie and a pecan log. Lauren got a stuffed Eeyore for her mom and shirts for her.

By the time Lauren pulled into the parking lot of Crossgates Mall about 20 minutes away, the clouds were rapidly vanishing. She couldn't find a good space near JC Penney, so we entered at Primark. I'm not a fan of them. I can never find my size there. Lauren normally does well there, but finally admitted she couldn't find anything either when she joined me in the main mall.

There were small neon gold and white cranes scattered throughout the mall. They pretty much looked like gold and white versions of the Prince UFO Catchers at Colonie Center. Lauren didn't have any luck with them, even when we found a store with rows of them called Kiddleton. I got a cute little round knitted white duck and a butterfly-like creature with beautiful orange, black, gray, and green markings. She had a Godzilla tag. (I later discovered that her name is Mothra, and at least in the current film series, she's a goddess and a good guy.)

Our next stop was Dave & Buster's. The one at Crossgates doesn't have skee ball, but they have plenty of everything else. I spent over an hour and a half going from the pirate wheel (won over 200 on one try there!) to Monopoly to giant Space Invaders to giant Pac Man to ring toss. Got Mario on Mario Kart Deluxe; came in 1st on the Kingdom Way round. Didn't have as much luck with Crusin' Blast, despite my sweet cherry-red Cadillac. I came in 3rd on the Madagascar race with the dinosaurs. Got two cards for extra points out of the SpongeBob and Minions token machines. I had over 4,200 when it was all done. Got a really cute fluffy, floppy mottled brown-and-white teddy bear I named Honeycomb.

I peeked at FYE next. They moved and didn't have the selection they used to, but I came up with enough to do their buy 3 used items for $15 sale:

The Essential Collections - Deanna Durbin (Apparently an import, but I almost never see anything for her, not even on LP.)

Great Women of Jazz - Astrid Gilberto

The soundtrack for O Brother, Where Art Thou?

The third season of Supergirl (This wasn't part of the sale, but it wasn't a bad price.)

Next stop was Macy's. Lauren looked around, but all I did was use the bathroom. After that, we went upstairs and headed to The Arcade House. This is one large room with smaller machines and cranes with better toys than Dave & Buster's. Alas, neither of us had any luck there. They had a row of older games in the back. I played Burger Time and at least got through most of the first round, but I'm still no good at Defender. 

After we couldn't get anything out of the cranes at Kiddleton, we briefly moved on to JC Penney. It was getting late by that point, though, and we also wanted to get mini golf in. There's an indoor black light mini golf course across from Dave & Buster's downstairs. The theme is space. You navigate your neon balls around Venus fly traps, aliens, glowing "rock formations," and astronauts in neon green playing golf. Lauren won by a few points, but I got the only hole in one of the day.

We made a brief stop outside of Primark to use the bathroom before we finally headed out. At least the rain seems to have taken a temporary leave of absence. In fact, the weather was gorgeous when we drove past Albany and down to Mass Pike. It was sunny, breezy, and much warmer. If the dry roads were any indication, it hadn't so much as sprinkled in hours.

Lauren pulled in at Rico's house near Great Barrington around 6:30. Rico was letting his baked chicken brine when we arrived. He and his boyfriend Elliott were absolutely hilarious. It was funny just watching them together, and Lauren was hilarious with them, too. We chatted, then ate Rico's delicious, moist baked chicken with corn boiled in salted water. 

We were going to have dessert at an ice cream bar nearby, but apparently, it closed early tonight. No matter. I had cookies and Lauren had a popcicle while the guys chatted and laughed and drank rum. We tried to play the Train-themed card game Lauren picked up, but I don't think the guys quite got it. We ended up singing along to Garth Brooks (Rico is a big country fan) instead. We did much better with Golden Girls Against Humanity, which ended up being a riot. Elliott won by a wide margin. He had 7 to Rico and Lauren's 6 cards each and my 3. We had so much fun, it was late before we finally got home. 

Good Vibrations

We started out at another shopping center near Pittsfield. Rico wasn't going to be ready to leave for the Eastern States Exposition until noon, so we did some shopping first. Lauren picked up shirts at Burlington and TJ Maxx, lounging shorts at Five Below, and comics at the small Barnes and Noble. I just got a huge Snickers Pecan bar from Five Below and Murder In an Irish Pub by Carlene O'Connor from Barnes and Noble. 

Since we weren't going to have lunch until later, we got breakfast sandwiches at Barnes and Noble's cafe. She had a sausage patty, egg, and cheese on a croissant. I had tomato caprese (tomato, pesto, and so much mozzarella, there was enough to fill three pizzas) on crusty bread. 

We drove up to Lee next to pick up Rico, who was visiting his family's home there, and wave to his darling little niece. Rico's a sweet guy, but he's had a lot of trouble lately. He had to have some really rough surgery on his hand and has been off work for months. Apparently, his knees are bothering him as well. He needs this probably even more than we do. He got to choose the music (70's rock and classic country) as Lauren took us down the Mass Pike to West Springfield. She parked in a lot behind a shopping center that's only a five-minute walk from the Big E and is a lot cheaper.

The Big E is the enormous, sprawling state fair for the entire New England region. We did have to wait for Lauren when she was turned away by fair officials at first. Turns out she was carrying too much stuff in her backpack! After she came back, we went in...and were assaulted with huge tents selling spas and booths touting every single thing that can possibly be fried (and some that can be but probably shouldn't, like Kool-Aid). Lauren and Rico were happier buying wine slushes (which Rico claimed contained very little wine) from the rustic, dark-wood paneled Eastern States Farmers Market and Wine Cafe.

Our first stop was the cavernous Better Living Building. They touted everything from pianos people could really play to collectible (and overpriced) hand-made pins and magnets. The only thing we ended up getting there were free samples of really tasty maple ice cream.

We eventually had lunch at the Yankee Boy seafood and unique meat booth just outside of the Better Living Building. Lauren and Rico were more adventurous and had macaroni and cheese with alligator meat (Lauren said it tasted like sausage). Rico also had fried scallops and French fries. I'm not quite that brave. I just had a slightly flat cheeseburger with surprisingly tasty fries. I saw a Slush Factory booth across the street and got my own non-alcoholic orange cream slush. (And appreciated something else that Lauren pointed out. The cool, cloudy day and still-strong wind kept the bugs and bees that plagued the fair last year at bay and made walking around the fairgrounds a lot more tolerable.)

Next up, we strolled down the path to the Midway. Rico can't really ride anything with his hand, and Lauren gets motion sickness easily. Not to mention, I have to agree with Rico that the rides are really overpriced as well. We settled for getting stuffed animals out of cranes. Rico had no luck. Lauren got a pale blue Yoshi. I got a cute little Bulbasaur.

After that, we ducked back around to the Young Building. This is basically a smaller version of the Better Living Building and sells most of the same mix of local crafts and businesses touting huge wares. Lauren and I made a beeline for the Alpaca booth. This year, we both got small teddy bears. Lauren's had fluffy fuchsia fur. Mine had brown fur and an unusually long nose. 

At this point, Rico declared he needed a rest. He relaxed on a bench outside of the Massachusetts building while Lauren and I explored the States Buildings. These are recreations of each state's government building that touts that state's wares. Mohegan Sun and the upcoming National Coast Guard Museum were prominent in Connecticut. There were lines around the building for baked potatoes from Maine. Massachusetts boasted Boston sports memorabilia and its many farms. Vermont had maple syrup and honey booths and Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream. New Hampshire had candy and beautiful stone jewelry.

The crowds were thin enough that I was finally able to try something I've wanted to for years. My older friend Linda Young grew up in Rhode Island in the 50's and 60's. Her essays on being raised in the Ocean State extensively mention Del's Lemonade. I got a small cup of Del's Frozen Lemonade. Oh yum! Just sweet enough, with big lemon pieces. No wonder Linda has such fond memories of it. 

Since Rico was still relaxing after we finished with the State Buildings, we rode the train on our own as well. The train is a cute little motorized train with a big yellow smiling face. It's supposed to be for families, but it's pretty much the only ride Lauren will get on. It's a lot of fun! People and store-owners at the shopping booths wave to you when you pass by them. It's like a parade. 

Once we got off the train, we'd decided we had enough. It was past 6 PM, and the crowds were getting much thicker. Lauren says they sell half-price tickets after 6 PM, probably to draw more families in. Lauren and Rico stopped at the Farmers Market to refill their wine slushes, then we headed back to Lauren's car.

Lauren and I always have dinner after the Big E at the Chipolte less than a block away. We all got bowls. I had brown rice, spicy chicken, black beans, corn salsa, cheese, and lettuce. Lauren had white rice, black beans, shredded pork, cheese, and tomato salsa. I'm not sure what Rico had, but I did see his was topped with tons of guacamole. The bowls were so huge, even Rico couldn't finish his. We'll eat ours later in the week.

Rico was dropped off first at his parents' home after we got back in the Berkshires. He gave us huge hugs and promised to make a big chicken dinner for us tomorrow. We'll go there after we hit up the Crossgates Mall in Albany.

When we got into Lauren's house, we showed our finds to her parents, then went downstairs. I finished the night watching Zorro the Fox. This Italian production from 1968 definitely shows the influence of the time. It's much darker than most American versions of Zorro, with far more violence. While it does end on a happy note, there are several deaths and a lot of gunplay along with sword fighting. Very blonde George Ardisson makes a dull Don Diego, but Giocomo Rossi Stuart is a commanding Don Pedro, and Femi Benussi is fine and fiery as the daughter of the local alcada who ends up dead when Don Pedro takes over the town. 

Have You Ever Seen the Rain?

Started off the morning heading across the rain-spattered landscape of upstate New York. Even with the gritty gray skies and heavy showers, western Massachusetts and upstate New York remained beautifully pastoral. The leaves here are just starting to turn glowing shades of gold, rust, and flaming orange. They hung over huge red barns, charming little villages, lovely Victorian hotels and libraries, and sturdy farmhouses. Thankfully, the traffic was non-existent as we headed down the highway past Schoendack to the Denny's on the hill next-door to Cracker Barrel.

It wasn't raining when we pulled into their parking lot. They weren't even that busy, despite it being 10 AM and prime breakfast time. She ordered a strawberry lemonade for a drink. I got hot tea...and of course, I spilled it on myself when I tried to pour it. Ouch! I've been a real klutz lately. I ran it under cold water right away. Thankfully, though it was a little sore later, it never blistered. I ran cold water on it whenever I could throughout the day, which seems to have helped.

Our breakfast went much better after that. We made our own slams. Lauren went simpler with sausage, bacon, scrambled eggs, and toast that was so heavily buttered, it was practically French toast. I had two delicious and fluffy pancakes, turkey bacon, scrambled egg whites, and a huge plate of grapes and sliced bananas and strawberries. Oh yum! Very tasty, especially those pancakes. We ate every bit.

Our next stop was the Colonie Center, the smaller, older mall on Wolf Road. On one hand, heavy remodeling a decade ago made it modern inside and out. It's also had more trouble with losing anchors than its larger neighbor down the street Crossgates Mall. On the other hand, it also has stores that Crossgates doesn't, including the one we started at. I love L.L Bean's travel accessories, but as Lauren pointed out, their clothes are expensive even on sale. We didn't spend much time here.

We did a little better at Go! Calendars and Toys. I looked at stuffed animals, but didn't see anything I wanted. Lauren did better. She found a cute mint-colored Snoopy key clip and a ball with a surprise toy. 

After we left Go!, we split up. Lauren went to Boscov's and LA 7. I started at Barnes and Noble. I wasn't that impressed with their mystery section. I just went with A Trip With Trouble: The Mountain Lodge Mysteries by Diane Kelly and the soundtrack from Toy Story 5. Headed across the way to Boscov's after that. I replaced the Easy Spirits with white Hi-Tecs. I looked at Avia, but they were too tight, even in wide sizes. The Hi-Tecs are slightly tight, but better than the Avias. 

Met Lauren out in the main hall while tying on my new sneakers. Our next stop was something different. Colonie just added the first all-crane machine arcade I've ever seen. It's small, and interestingly, like Tyler St. Arcade, it uses tokens. The pink and white neon machines did have some larger prizes, but most of them were cards or keychain toys. I kept trying for a Bulbasaur keychain with no luck. I did pick up a Flareon (fire version of Eevee) and a tiny stuffed pretzel with a cat's face. 

Went a little further down to Macy's after we finished at Prince UFO. I left Lauren to wander around, but I rarely do well here anymore. I ultimately just used the bathroom and met Lauren out in the mall. When she revealed she'd had no luck either, we headed a few doors down to Spencer's. I didn't get anything at the weird, edgy novelty store, but Lauren found a goofy shirt for her guy friend Rico.

Our plans got their first check of the day after Spencer's. We were going to spend an hour at the Pier Arcade next, but...they were closed. I could see the games wrapped in cellophane and netting through the bars. Looks like they're gone for good. That's disappointing. They were small, but they had enough in there to kill an hour. Wonder what happened? I can't imagine they had trouble competing with the cranes, which are really a different type of amusement. 

Our next stop wound up being K & A Thrift Shop by default. They were generally well-organized for a thrift shop, and other than some nice furniture, kind of sparse. I did see some cute stuffed animals and the clothes weren't bad, but there was nothing I absolutely needed. We moved on fairly quickly. I browsed in Hallmark after that while Lauren went back to Spencer's for Rico's shirt.

After Lauren got out of Spencer's, we had lunch at the food court. We both ended up getting stromboli from Sbarro's. I went with a spinach stromboli. Lauren got a pepperoni stromboli and added a salad and a soda. Yum! I don't know why Sbarro's has such a bad reputation. Their stromboli are slightly dark but far from bad. Ours disappeared pretty fast. 

There isn't much else upstairs, so we headed back down to the first floor after lunch. We poked around the Gift Emporium and a tiny toy store, but found nothing but Beanie Babies, imitation stuffed animals, and junky statues. Five Below proved to be far more interesting. Lauren bought lounging pants. I found the cutest little leopard Squishmallow dressed as a vampire. Her tag says her name is Xiomara, and she's a chemistry teacher who loves showing her little Mallows how to make slime and bath bombs. 

Thankfully, the rain died down again as we made our way back out to Wolf Road. This time, we headed left to Trader Joe's. Good thing we could actually park in the parking lot this time. They took over vacant buildings next door and are expanding the store and the lot. That doesn't seem to have impacted the store itself. It was busy, but I was able to buy coconut strips, sweetened dried orange slices, fruit bars, and oatmeal coconut cookies with no trouble. Lauren got her favorite ginger slices. 

It was way too early for dinner, so Lauren drove us a few doors down to a small big box shopping center. Once again, I didn't find anything in Burlington, and all I did in Marshalls was use the bathroom. Lauren did better, picking up shirts for her parents and pants for her. The Target was huge! I looked through the Our Generation clothes, but ultimately just had time to grab The Faraway Inn by Sarah Beth Durst on a good sale. 

The rain slowed again as Lauren drove us further down busy Wolf Road to Ted's Fish Fry for dinner. This popular local franchise specializes in massive fried fish sticks on tiny hot dog buns that can't close to contain them. Lauren bought a fish fry for her, two for her parents, and fish tacos for a snack later. I had a fish fry, slightly bland French fries, and very tasty and not-too-sweet Cole slaw. 

By the time Lauren was driving us past the glittering night silhouette of Albany, the rain was down to light showers. They'd continue during pretty much the entire ride home. Lauren cranked up the music and the heat, and we sang to 60's and 80's hits and country favorites as she got off the highway and passed through small towns and down dark highways.

When we got in, we showed our loot to Lauren's parents, and then I took a shower. Finished the night with more vintage music after I got out. Music-based game shows go way back on TV, here and in England. Juke Box Jury actually started in the US, but the long-running British version from the late 50's and 60's is better-known today. Celebrity panelists - Carmen MacRae is among them in the episode I have - would rate songs and try to figure out if they'd be a hit or not. Sounds simple, but the show was popular enough to attract some of the biggest groups of the day as panelists, including the Beatles. Alas, little of the show survives, with only audio from one of the Beatles' shows.

Juke Box Jury was far from the last time young people would get involved with musical game shows. The MTV show Lip Service from 1992 has college kids singing along to popular hits of the early-mid 90's. Whichever group can do it better wins a big trip. Weird as the premise is, the kids really do get into their miming - check out the girls in the opening acts!

Musical Chairs from 1975 also went for the hip youth crowd. Singer Adam Wade made history as the first African-American man to host a game show. He'd introduce regular singers Mary Stuart and Donna Ceillini, plus a guest star - in this case, R&B group the Spinners. The singers would start performing a song, and the contestants would guess the next lyrics. It was too complicated and expensive with the guest starts to last longer than a year, but I'm glad most of the show has been found. For all the weird game play, there's some great music on display here.

I loved watching The $100,000 Name That Tune on USA when I was a kid! In this revival of the popular 50's show, Jim Lange is the one who leads contestants through a series of mini-games to the Golden Medley. Contestants dare each other to see who can name a song in the least notes possible. It's exciting to see how well they do on the Golden Medley, especially one of the rare folks who go all the way, as they do here.

It's a cavalcade of music styles from four decades of musical and game show history in these tuneful episodes!

Juke Box Jury (1960)

Musical Chairs (1975)

The $100,000 Name That Tune (1984)

Lip Service (1992)

Driving My Life Away

It was cloudy and spitting slightly when we headed out around quarter after 10 this morning. Even those clouds were trying to break up as we headed to the shopping center on the bottom of a cliff. The Pittsfield Goodwill is huge (it used to be a Big Lots), even bigger than the Audubon one, and much better-organized. I found their bins and bins of media right away. Lauren found two shirts. Out of their piles and piles of CDs and bins and bins of records and DVDs, I found: 

Billboard Top Hits 1982 (I think that makes 1984 and 1980 the only 80's entries in this series I don't have.)

Julie Andrews - Broadway - The Music of Richard Rodgers

Sea of Love: Hits of the Late 50's (3-Disc set)

The House of the Seven Gables with Vincent Price (This was one of my best finds. Universal Vault DVDs are made on demand and hard to find in the wild.)

We headed up the hill to the upper half of the shopping center next. The Pittsfield Ollie's is also new, and frankly much nicer than the one in Cherry Hill (if not as big). Lauren picked up a pack of Archway Iced Oatmeal Cookies. (Apparently, her folks are big fans of those.) I found Sunkist Thin Shortbread coconut sandwich cookies with dark chocolate cream. The book aisles yielded what was my favorite discovery of the day. TCM Underground was their late-night series discussing classic cult cinema. It ended last year, but not before they released a book of the same title on classic and lesser-known cult films. 

(Among those films are five musicals I've reviewed before. I would have enjoyed the gritty Jamaican reggae crime film The Harder They Come more if I could understand the accents better. Roller Boogie and Xanadu are late 70's roller skating musicals that are way better than they have any right to be. Thank God It's Friday is a dull story with a killer soundtrack. Head is...its own thing.)

We headed into Pittsfield for our next stop. Lauren's guy friend Rico pointed out the recent opening of the Tyler St. Arcade. This is about as old school of an arcade as you can get. The newest machine was probably the SpongeBob Wheel from the late 90's-early 2000's. Most of them were generic machines from the 80's and early 90's. I did get a kick out of the Operation game where you had to hit a "bone" spot with a claw, even if it was hard to do, and the Shaquille O'Neal-themed pinball machine was pretty cool. It even used tokens and tickets instead of cards. Lauren had enough luck to get a Matchbox car, a pretty purple flower ring, and a small, squishy white bear. All I got was a pen with a video game-shaped top. 

Even the cranes were filled with generic printed stuffed animals and vintage stuffed toys from the 80's they probably found at local thrift shops. I'm still having no luck with cranes. Lauren got an 80's Strawberry Shortcake rag doll.

Lauren took us further down Pittsfield for lunch. She loves Angelina's Subs next-door to the Co-Op Bank where she works. They're a small, basic sandwich shop that sells some of the best cheesesteaks and grilled sandwiches in the Berkshires. Lauren had a cheese steak, Coke Zero, and a bag of Andy Capp Cheese Fries. I had a chicken cheese steak, Fresca, and a really yummy bag of ridged sea salt and cracked pepper potato chips. And the older ladies who made the food were funny and total dolls who had worked there for years. No wonder Lauren is such a fan of this place. 

Next up, Lauren took us about a half-hour down the road to the Lee Outlets. Alas, the Outlets have lost quite a few stores of late. There wasn't nearly as much to check out there as there usually is. I just ended up buying underwear at Jockey to replace a pair I bought in July that were too small. Lauren did slightly better, grabbing polo shirts at Aeropostale. 

We were originally going to eat at the Lee Outlets food court, but it was only 4 PM when we finished. That was too early for dinner, especially with our late lunch. Ended up going further south to the Great Barrington Goodwill instead. Lauren found nothing here. I dug through their equally full media bins for two more multi-disc CD sets: 

Original Cast! 100 Years of Musical Theater - Completing the Century (Collection of songs from musicals of the 80's and early 90's. I bought this for numbers from extremely hard-to-find flop musicals, including Dance a Little Closer, Baby, Romance/Romance, and Nick & Nora.) 

Mary Poppins Special Edition (I have the original LP soundtrack, but this has all of the music, plus a second CD with bonus interviews.) 

Lauren drove us all the way up to Canaan to try a restaurant Rico recommended. Picante's Mexican Grill looks extremely modern south-of-the-border in its decor, but it also has an extensive Italian menu along with the Mexican food. We had Italian yesterday, so we went with Mexican. Lauren had four small enchaladas with green tomatillo sauce, Spanish rice, black beans, and chicken that she ate all of. I went with a simpler - and equally tasty - chicken quesadilla full of thick chicken pieces and lots of cheese.

It had been spitting off and on all day. It didn't really start raining until we were heading to Picante's. The heavy shower continued during the hour-long drive home. Honestly, this may have been my favorite part of the day. Lauren turned up her 80's and 60's hits playlist, and we belted along to the Cars, the Beatles, the Chiffons, and Dexy's Midnight Runners. She spoke-texted messages to Rico, and I nearly doubled over laughing at how funny those two were together. 

We showed Lauren's parents most of what we found when we got home, then went downstairs. Lauren is watching YouTube videos. I'm watching today's YouTube Match Game marathon. McLean Stevenson took over Richard Dawson's spot in the fifth seat towards the end of the 1980 syndicated season. Honestly, I think the syndicated episodes are way underrated, especially the ones with McLean. He took over as host when Charles hit Gene with a card in an argument over an answer. Ted Lange dressed McLean in a creamy white suit with a cowboy hat that made him look like he got lost on the way to the set of Dallas. He wore a blond curly wig to imitate later Police Academy cop Leslie Easterbrook. He saw a contestant with a crush on sitcom actress Sydney Greenstreet give her a pretty rose. 

Have a little syndicated fun with McLean in some of the wildest episodes ever on local TV!

Match Game Sunday Classics - McLean Takes Richard's Seat: Best Shows With McLean Stevenson

I'm On My Way

Started the morning with breakfast and Let's Pretend. "The Water of Life" is a Grimm's fairy tale about a young prince, with the help of an old man, finds a lovely princess and a magic sword. His brothers steal the princess and the Water of Life intended for his sick father when he goes to fight a war, but the Princess knows how to keep the brothers at bay. 

"Prince Gigi and the Magic Ring" is entirely new on me. It starts out like Aladdin, but instead of being poor and wanting something better, Gigi is a normal peasant who wants to find his fortune. Things seem to be looking up when he finds a ring that allows him to wish for anything he wants and a dog and a cat who talk to him. He falls in love with a beautiful princess, to the point where he has a castle built right next door to be near her, but his feline and canine friends know what she's really like.

"The Brave Little Taylor" is pretty much a straightforward retelling of the Grimm's Fairy Tale...but here, the princess knows who he is, doesn't care, and even helps him get rid of the giants. He only has one task - to get rid of two giants who terrorize the countryside. The king doesn't want to kill him. He just wants him to prove himself and stop bragging to everyone in the castle about killing "seven in one blow."

I made the bed while the shows were running. As I was putting the stuffed animals on, I rolled backwards and fell off the back of the bed. Ouch! The left side of my back and bottom of my left foot hit the wooden frame hard on the way down. I could move and walk fine, so I don't think there's any damage, but they're awfully sore.

Thank heavens that was the worst thing that happened all day. It had poured for a lot of the morning. The rain was starting to slow down as I called Uber, but it was still coming down. The driver arrived in 8 minutes, not bad for the weather and a trip into Philadelphia. There was no traffic and no flooding either, not even on the Route 38 corridor that was underwater in July when Lauren visited. Not even heavy traffic in Philly. 

30th Street Station is a beautiful old building with a massive, glowing lobby. I feel more elegant just walking around in there. They just remodeled the ceiling, and it looks great. They still haven't finished the food court area, though. I was able to get a pumpkin donut and chai latte from a Dunkin' Donuts stand. Went to the bathroom, then spent the next hour walking around and admiring the improvements before lining up for the train.

Thankfully, the train to New York left right on time. The rain was bad, but it didn't seem to affect the trains. The only trains that canceled were the ones going to Boston. The train I was on was originally supposed to go on to Boston, but canceled that leg. The really horrible weather must have all gone to the coast. It also must have cleared off the train. I had no trouble getting a seat to myself between two families in the first car. One had two fidgety little girls. I pulled out my stuffed Teddiursa and let her wave to one to amuse her. Amused myself while eating my turkey sandwich, chips, and applesauce by listening to a more typical mom-dad-brother-sister family play games and fuss about their hotel in New York and each other behind me. The train did arrive in New York 15 minutes late, but that train always does get in late.

I had a harder time just finding Moynihan Train Station. Normally, I get out and it's right across the street, but I must have gone the wrong way. I came out on the side of Madison Square Garden. Which looks great (must have been recently remodeled), but wasn't where I wanted to go. It took me 20 minutes to figure out where I was going. Didn't help that it was spitting, cold, and gray. Moynihan was so busy when I got in, I went to the bathroom and spent my remaining time in the station having a snack and walking around.

Despite what the conductor claimed, the train going to Albany wasn't full, either. I managed to get a seat to myself here, too. Unlike the train going to New York, this one was full of commuters going to the New York suburbs and totally quiet. I colored in the Adventures In Care a Lot coloring book I've had for almost 20 years now and made up stories about the gorgeous sights along the Hudson River. I love the view going to Albany! Even with the fog and off-and-on rain, the crumbling castles, massive manors, smoke-belching factories, choppy gray waters, and endless rolling green mountains looked like something out of a dream.

I had a harder time getting to the main station at Albany. The escalators were down. I was going to take the elevator, but the line was too long. I finally just hauled my suitcase and backpacks upstairs and met Lauren in the main lobby. 

Lauren and I had dinner at Mario's Restaurant in New Lebanon, New York, about an hour from Albany. It's a lovely old Italian place we've eaten at before. It's expensive, but so worth it. We ate by the window, near the fireplace. We both enjoyed the bean salad, Italian bread, and soft, crusty popovers. Lauren had shredded ribs braised in wine with pasta and vegetables and cream brulee for dessert. I had a delicious, if spicy, fennel sausage and shrimp with butter herb sauce and cigar-shaped pasta. Oh, yum! It was all so good, no wonder the place was still packed even at 8:30. I heard three different birthday groups there, too.

We finally arrived at Lauren's around 9. I went straight in the shower, then took my things downstairs and watched tonight's Match Game marathon. Even on Match Game, the occasional rain shower sprang up in the form of rainy day questions. One of the most notable was on the week with writer Donald Ross and his matching wild floral shirts and ties and his slightly bemused wife Patti Deusch. They were there to see an ever-jumpy contestant continue to win big bucks (she would go on to be one of the all-time biggest winners on the show later that week).

Into everyone's life, a little rain must fall...and a lot of wacky questions! Let a smile be your umbrella as you join the belly Laughs while singing in the rain with Gene and his very wet weirdos!

Match Game Saturday Classics - Rain and Storms Marathon

Loose In Oaklyn

Began the morning with breakfast and Paw Patrol. "Pups Save a Tour Bus" when the junker Mayor Humdinger bought to trick tourists into visiting Soggy Bottom goes out of control, thanks to his malfunctioning robot cat driver. Marshall ends up having to save Humdinger, the farmers, and Rocky too when he can't fix the steering wheel on the bus. Alex accidentally wreaks havoc during a sleepover at the Adventure Bay Museum, knocking over silver bowls and suits of armor. He goes out to find what he thinks his his turtle friend, but gets lost. "Pups Save Midnight at the Museum" when they have to find Alex and help Mayor Goodway and the two kids who got stuck after Alex knocked over a heavy urn.

Headed out after that. I had a lot of errands to run today before I leave for Pittsfield tomorrow! Got mini bottles of shampoo and conditioner at Target. They had Crest Gum Protection toothpaste on a really good sale, too. Grabbed oat milk and buy one, get one half-off granola bars at Sprouts. Sprouts has these awesome lunch bags that come with chips, a bottle of applesauce, a sandwich, and a small bottle of water, and a chocolate chip cookie. I got the one with the turkey on whole wheat bread. Got yogurt, tuna, and soda for when I come back, and small bags of nuts and puffcorn for the trip tomorrow. My niece Aurora and friend Amanda have birthdays October 1st. I bought cards and gift cards for them. 

Cut through Collingswood and Newton Lake Park riding home to avoid the ongoing construction work at Cuthbert. The park is still lush and green, probably the result of all the rain we've had lately. I could feel the cool spray being blown over from the glittering fountains in the lake, hear the wind rustling though the trees. I pushed my bike over the hill, which is still fairly moist from the damp weather. 

When I got home, I ran Loose In London while I put the groceries away, packed most of what will go in my backpack, and prepared the cards and my mail-in vote ballot. Slip Mahoney (Leo Gorcey) scolds his friend Sach (Huntz Hall) and soda shop proprietor Louie Dumbrowski (Bernard Gorcey) for making bad deals. When a man shows up claiming he's a solicitor, he thinks it's one more bad deal. Far from it. He's a British lawyer who says Sach is distantly related to the wealthy Earl of Walsingham (Walter Kingsford). Sach trades in his first-class steamship ticket for three more to bring along Slip and their younger buddies Chuck (David Gorcey) and Butch (Bennie Bartlett). Louie joins them on the ship and accidentally ends up stowing away. 

The Boys are not well-received when they make it across the Atlantic. The Earl's relatives are a conniving lot who want his money and holdings and care nothing for him. Sach encourages the Earl to trade his medicine for cookies and start to enjoy life. That upsets the relatives even more. They try several none-too-discreet attempts to kill Sach or seduce the money out of him, but he avoids them. Slip, however, is getting the idea that something ain't right here, especially when the Earl announces he's going to change his will to make Sach the sole heir, then vanishes.

This is one of my favorite later Bowery Boys movies, and by far my favorite of the five movies they did set in more exotic locations like the jungle or Paris. Kingsford is having just as much fun as the boys, so much that Slip isn't the only one wondering at the end if he and Sach aren't related after all. They also get the most out of the fish out of water gags, including how Sach knows so much information about London landmarks and the fox head on the wall that keeps biting him. Probably not the best place to start if you're new to the Bowery, but it's fun for fans.

Even after all that, I still left early enough to drop the ballot and the cards at the Oaklyn Post Office before heading down to the Thomas Sharp School. Not that I needed to be early there, either. We had 17 kids today, five of whom left well before we went outside. Not that we were inside for very long. Though it remained gale-force windy, it was also in and out sunny and much warmer, in the lower 70's. We took the kids out at 3:30 and didn't bring them back in until past 5...and even then, the remaining three kids opted to go right back out and play kickball and jump rope on the blacktop with the seven remaining older kids. There was some squabbling over the swings again, but most of the kids who wanted a turn got at least one. There were four older kids and just one younger kid left when my shift ended. 

Instead of continuing down the White Horse Pike, I turned at CVS and rode into Oaklyn for the last Final Friday block party of the season. They were already booming when I pulled up to West Clinton. Though the food trucks looked tasty, I opted for cheaper slices of cheese and mushroom pizza at Phillies Phatties instead. Maybe I should have eaten outside. There was a gaggle of elementary school-age boys sitting at the next table over me who were so noisy and excited, even the guys making the pizza told them to shush. I could barely hear the weather news on Telemundo over them. 

There were even more food booths on the parking lot across from Tonewood Brewery. Ran into one of the boys who sits at my table and his mom just after I bought a coconut pop from the Bubba's Creamery cart. They bought hot dogs from the barbecue truck and were waiting for their meals. That little guy sure could bust a move! He really enjoyed dancing to the local band playing covers of 80's hits. I waved good-bye to them as they went to get their dinner and I finished my own treat.

Took the laundry downstairs to get that out of the way when I got home, then put on Match Game '77. They once again skipped way ahead, this time to the week with Nipsey Russell and soap star Rosemary Forsyth. The last episode of the night introduced playwright Abe Burrows and a lot of jokes about Brett and Charles wanting to be writers, too. 

Finished the night at Pluto TV with Laverne & Shirley after I brought my laundry upstairs and finished all the packing I can do for now. They're excited to be ambassadors to the new Shotz Brewery in Canada and taking their first cross-country train trip. Their delight turns to fear quickly when a dead mall collapses in their apartment, claiming "Beware of the bald man." 

It turns into "Murder On the Moosejaw Express" when everyone on the train seems to be bald. They even enlist Squiggy and Lenny, who are dressed as their idea of detectives. Laverne ends up panicking when first the dead man vanishes, then Shirley, then the guys. Shirley does turn up, afraid but largely unharmed, but the guys and the dead man don't. It's up to the girls to find out who the "bald man" really is and make sure the microfilm he stole makes it into the right hands.