On the Boardwalk In Atlantic City

Started the morning with breakfast and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Mickey tells "Pluto's Tale." Pluto pulls a golden ball out of a tree. Good Fairy Clarabelle declares him to be the prince who can rescue her beloved puppy Princess Bella from the sneaky Wizard Pete's castle. Pluto has to help King Donald and Queen Daisy in their orchard and get help from Woods-mouse Minnie to find his way to Pete, who wants to trade Bella for the Golden Ball.

Called Uber after that. This time, I came out at around 11 to give myself more time. The driver took 7 minutes to get there. Thankfully, there was also no traffic on the White Horse Pike. We arrived at Lindenwauld with 15-20 minutes, and I still had 15 minutes to buy train tickets. No trouble with the train to Atlantic City this time, either. It was right on time both ways, going to and from Atlantic City. Surprisingly, considering we're coming up on Labor Day Weekend, it wasn't full going there. The train going home was a bit more full, likely with communters on their way home before the holiday weekend.

The moment I got off, I headed straight for the boardwalk and down to the Landshark Bar and Grill (after a brief bathroom break). This blonde wooden structure about a block from Steel Pier is right on the beach. Normally, it offers splendid views of the beach, but today, it was partially blocked by construction workers building some kind of light wooden structures near the boardwalk. From what I could see, I suspected they may have been smaller beach-front bars for Hard Rock Hotel guests or beach-side extensions of the Landshark.

Oh, well, at least my fried cod sandwich was really yummy. I think the chips were house-made, too. Like the ones from Haddon Culinary in Collingswood, they were thick and crunchy, but not too greasy or flimsy like the ones in bags. And actually, it was fascinating to watch the men put together what I presumed to be the wooden deck or patio for the new bars, wooden piece by wooden piece.

Headed a few doors down to Steel Pier after lunch. Steel Pier isn't really the "Showplace of the Nation" anymore, but it is the only major outdoor amusement park in Atlantic City. I debated buying tickets for the rides, then passed. I'll be doing a better amusement park and a huge multi-states fair on vacation next month. My only real interest in Steel Pier was the Observation Wheel. It's a huge Ferris wheel that looms over the Pier and beaches like a massive steering wheel. 

I love the Ferris Wheel. The view from the gondola was spectacular. It was cloudy when I left Oaklyn, but it started clearing up during lunch at the Landshark. By the time I was gazing out the windows of the gondola, it was a perfect, clear, dry afternoon, without a cloud in sight. The bright green Atlantic matched the burnished gold of the Borgota in its shine and sparkle. It was too windy for the beach to be really busy, but there were quite a lot of people around and umbrellas dotting the sand for a day that wasn't even in the 80's. It was like looking down on a Lego version of an amusement park. Everything was so tiny from above, even the people. 

Several small food booths hug the entrance to Steel Pier, along with six games. I ignored the games in favor of getting a milkshake. They were out of my first choice, Nutella and Banana, so I went with Mint Chocolate Chip. Ooooh, sooo minty, with lots of big chocolate pieces. Expensive, but very sweet and tasty.

Doubled back down the boardwalk to Central Pier. Not only was the arcade fully operational after their big fire last year, but the go-karts were open, too. I was mainly interest in the arcade. It's smaller than Dave and Buster's downtown, but it does have two long rows of cranes with every type of cool stuffed animal available. Alas, I had no luck with the cranes this time, so I focused on skee ball, catch-the-ball games, and something called Doodle Bug, where you made a little doodle guy jump upwards onto sketched platforms. 

I did even better than in June, earning 629 tickets. That was enough for a really cute Atlantic City metal tray with a red "peace" van on the beach, another paper fan (red with a rose print this time), and red ear buds. I was hoping they would be wireless and fit my new phone, but alas, they weren't. Oh well, I'll donate them the next time I bring a bag to Goodwill.

Made my way further back down the boardwalk to my favorite souvenir store on the boardwalk. Peanut World has every bit of junk you can imagine, and probably a lot you can't. I don't think a lot of their inventory in the back has likely been refreshed since the 90's, maybe earlier. More to the point, they're also the only store in Atlantic City that carries my favorite fruit jel slices. They're really good, too, sweet and thick. I got two slices of each flavor they had, plus a Diet Dr. Pepper and, since I had no luck with the cranes, a cute stuffed brown bear on all fours whom I named Cinnamon.

By that point, it was past 4 PM. Time to start back down Michigan Avenue and head towards the Atlantic City Convention Center. Stopped at the Starbucks about two blocks down from the train station for a quick drink before I left. They were busy with college students taking a break with shopping, but I did get to try a sweet iced Pumpkin Cream Chai Latte. Even with waiting in a long line for a drink, I still got to the train station next to the convention center with more than 20 minutes to buy tickets and wait for the train. Once again, the train was on time, and there was no problem with either the bus or getting the Uber home.

When I got in, I went straight into dinner and Match Game Syndicated. Came in to see Jon "Bowser" Bauman pull plastic chains and a comb out of a giant high-top sneaker-shaped bag. Arte Johnson had more problems being the smart guy between two decidedly unique blondes, Eva Gabor and Joyce Bulifant. 

Finished the night after a shower with When the Boys Meet the Girls. I go further into this strange MGM attempt to meld the Beach Party series with the Gershwin musical Girl Crazy at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog. 

Cult Flops - When the Boys Meet the Girls

On the Boardwalk In Atlantic City

Got a quick start this morning. We had just enough time for breakfast and two cartoons. The Disney characters are on a "Hawaiian Holiday" that has Donald and Pluto tangling with a crab and Goofy attempting to hit the surf, only for it to hit back. Donald's "Beach Picnic" also gets out of hand when he first tries to ride an inflatable horse, then chases off the ants who have invaded his meal.

Called Uber to get us to Lindenwald. The last time I took two trains to Atlantic City, I almost missed the second one. I wasn't taking chances this time. The driver arrived in 7 minutes. We were there in 15, with 15 minutes left to buy tickets. 

Ironically, for all the rushing, the train to Atlantic City wound up being 7 minutes late. Thankfully, we encountered no other trouble. The train wasn't anywhere near full. We slid into one of the two-person seats near the middle. Lauren spent most of the trip sleeping. I watched the scenery, mainly pine trees and houses, fly by. We got into Atlantic City by quarter of 1.

I took Lauren straight down Michigan Avenue, past the Outlet Mall, AtlantiCare Hospital, and Bally's, right up to the boardwalk. It wasn't a bad day to explore the boards. Though it was cloudy, cool, and windy, that's not necessarily a bad thing in largely shade-less Atlantic City. The sun was even starting to come out a bit as we strolled past Bally's, Peanut World, the gray Korean War Memorial, and many seedy-looking souvenir shops. The boardwalk was busy, but not overwhelmingly so, nothing like Cape May and Wildwood on Saturday. 

My original thought for lunch was the little gyro place I ate at last year, but Lauren wanted a real lunch that amounted to something more than pizza. She was the one who spotted the Landshark Bar and Grill, a blonde wooden structure hugging the beach and dunes. It was a brilliant idea. We got to sit outside, right along the beachfront. She had an Asian chicken, noodle, and vegetable bowl. I had a fried cod sandwich with zesty jalapeno tartar sauce that melted in your mouth. We shared a plate of fried pickles that were even better than the ones at Friendly's yesterday.

Our plans got a check when we made it to the Hard Rock Hotel. Alas, it would seem that Steel Pier is currently open only on weekends, and the observation Ferris Wheel only after 4 on weekdays. Lauren's not really all that fond of heights anyway and gets motion sickness. We ended up turning back.

Good thing I found out online that Central Pier had been remodeled and reopened after its devastating fire last year. I wonder if the fire mainly effected the back area with the raceway. That was closed, and I saw carpenters working there. The front rooms with the arcade seemed largely the same. 

Central Pier's real main attraction is its long rows of cranes, all of them with good stuffed animals. Lauren still didn't have any luck, but I won Hello Kitty dressed as an alligator for my niece Finley. It doesn't have a lot of other games, but it does feature ski ball, along with the usual mainstays like coin push games, ball drop machines, and ball throws. To my surprise, Central Pier seems to be the only arcade in the area that still uses tickets (though they also have cards you can tap). You feed the blue tickets through a machine, then bring the receipt up front. I had 621, not enough for anything really cool. I did get one of those cute folded paper fans with pretty flowered prints that you open. 

Next up, we returned to Peanut World and the dilapidated shops between Bally's and Resorts to get our own souvenirs. Lauren didn't see anything she wanted at Peanut World besides a Coke Zero. I got a Coke Zero, a red Atlantic City tank top, and larger versions of my favorite fruit gel slices. Lauren finally found a purple and green tie-dye tank a couple of doors down, next-door to Ilene's. 

By that point, it was almost 4. We were going to get ice cream and smoothies, but not only was the booth we found ridiculously expensive (the cones were $9 each!), they were out of the smoothies Lauren wanted. We finally decided we were better off leaving the boardwalk, especially after witnessing seagulls noisily attack a teen girl's fried Oreos. (They stole food that had been left on plates by the beachfront at the Landshark Bar and Grill, too. We also saw a squirrel who seemed very out of place wandering around near the booth.)

Though we did peek at Aeorpostale, it was getting late. The train to Lindenwald leaves at 4:59. There isn't another one until almost 7. We hurried to the Atlantic City Convention Center and bought our tickets with ten minutes to spare. The train left less than five minutes after we got on and settled down on a seat in the very back of the car. Once again, there was no trouble on the trip. In fact, I passed out shortly after leaving Atlantic City and didn't wake up until about 10 minutes before we arrived at the Lindenwald Station.

I spotted the Stratford Diner during our Uber trip to Lindenwald. Lauren checked it online when we were on the train and confirmed that it would be open when we were there. The diner is a bit more like a typical chrome-and-tile eatery than the wood-paneled Legacy, including an eclectic song selection that ran the gamut from rap to "Freddy My Love" from the Grease soundtrack. 

Since we had sandwiches and and entrees for lunch, we opted to have breakfast for dinner. She had eggs Benedict. I had a perfectly crispy golden waffle topped with bananas, strawberries, blueberries, and whipped cream. We decided we even had room for dessert. I had a very sweet, individually wrapped mini pineapple upside-down cake. She had a small two-layer strawberry shortcake, a decadent confection wrapped in whipped cream, with layers of strawberries, cake, and more cream, topped by a gigantic glazed strawberry. 

Surprisingly, despite it being nearly 7 PM, we got an Uber driver in less than a minute. She was a cheerful young college student who asked us about our vacation and Atlantic City trip and mentioned goings-on in Philadelphia. She got us home within 20 minutes, with no traffic or fuss.

After we got in, I rounded up our laundry and took it downstairs, then took out the recycling. Jumped in the shower after that, then put the laundry in the dryer. After I got back upstairs. I spent the rest of the night watching more game shows with lost episodes or that are mostly lost in honor of Buzzr's month-long Lost and Found marathon.

In the early days of TV, most broadcasts were aired live and either weren't recorded, or were preserved by kinetoscopes that could be easily ditched for their silver content. Thanks to that, much of 50's TV, especially from early in the decade, is gone forever. This charming children's game show, Chopsticks from 1958, is one of the survivors. Kids play pianos and answer musical-themed questions in the hope of winning an encyclopedia. Cute show, and the kids honestly played quite well. 

Even after game shows began to be recorded on tape, rather than broadcast live, they still were rarely preserved. Tapes were expensive, and they were frequently erased and used again. Even popular shows, like Match Game and Family Feud, were hit with this. The original 60's version of Match Game is largely gone for good, with only a handful of shows remaining. Though the vast majority of the 70's-80's Match Game survives, even that has some episodes missing, damaged, or unable to be run due to offensive answers or rights clearances. Buzzr themselves recently unearthed the previously-missing episodes 31, 32, and 33, claiming they had been badly damaged and that they repaired them to the best of their ability.

Though the first run of Family Feud with Richard Dawson is largely said to survive, most of it isn't online. ABC was still erasing tapes through the early years of its run. Buzzr usually runs the episodes made after 1983, and then only the nighttime syndicated shows. I have a rare early episode of the daytime run here.

Most of the daytime run of Tattletales does exist, but its syndicated nighttime run isn't so lucky. Rights clearances are the big problem here. Bob Newhart's estate insists on his game show episodes not being re-run, including him and his wife Ginny's appearances on Tattletales...and they apparently turned up on the syndicated series the most. Buzzr did use two episodes for its Valentine's Day marathon in 2020; I have the earlier one here, featuring glamorous Joan Collins and her then-husband, businessman Ron Kass, Dan Rowan and his wife Joanna Young, and Dick Smothers and his sweet wife Linda. 

Short-lived flops have an even worse survival rate. Wedding Party from 1968 was likely ABC's attempt to capture that Newlywed Game magic. One member of an engaged couple would be taken offstage. The other would choose three prizes from three different groups. Their fiancee would try to guess which were chosen. If they win, they get all of them and a honeymoon package. Yeah, not the most exciting game. I can see why ABC didn't want to hang on to this one. Over-eager host Alan Hamel had more fun discussing the lady's job as an astrologer than actually playing the game.

Even now, some short-lived flops are still hard to find. BrainRush was one of the shows on Cartoon Network's CN Real, their attempt to create a live-action program block. Host Lamone Morris asks kids questions on a roller coaster at Knott's Berry Farm in California. Each correct answer earns $25. The player with the most money moves on. Round 2 has them playing mini-games on the coasters, while Round 3 has them answering multiple-choice questions. The winner can then double their earnings or lose it all.

Um, yeah. This one is kind of dumb. The whole premise is just plain weird. It worked better with adults in taxis. I think this one would have tanked even if CN Real hadn't been monumentally panned by pretty much everyone. It barely lasted a month, with the last two episodes burned off on Wednesdays. The sixth episode remains missing other than brief clips to this day.

On the Way to Cape May

We started off a gloomy morning with breakfast and Garfield and Friends. "China Cat" brings Garfield and Jon out to dinner on Chinese New Year. The owners of the Chinese restaurant they go to for dinner freak out at Garfield on sight, leading them to explain the legend of how a very similar orange cat out-ate a dragon and got chased away by it. Roy wants to be a "Cock-a-Doodle Dandy," but a tired bear keeps attacking him when he plays the morning wake-up bugle. Bo and Orson find a way to put the bear to sleep. Garfield is a "Beach Blanket Bonzo" when he falls for a lovely lady cat during a trip to the beach and have to deal with her well-muscled boyfriend.

Since Jessa texted last night and said she wouldn't be able to take us to the Shore until later, we decided to take advantage of the downtime and check out the Oaklyn Town-Wide Yard Sale. Considering it was starting to shower lightly even as we got out the door, there were quite a few sales around. Lauren found a really nice purple long-sleeved shirt. I bought tasty tart lemonade in pouches with straws for Lauren and me from an enterprising young lady.

We strolled into Collingswood for the Saturday farm market. They were surprisingly busy, even with the ongoing showers. Cherries, peas, radishes, and cucumbers debuted this week. Lauren didn't get anything, but I couldn't resist the first cherries of the season.

My original thought for lunch was Sabrina's Cafe, but they had a long line when we arrived. There was no line - or anyone else - at Paloma Restaurant, the new Mexican place across the street. She had fried potatoes and an omelette with farm-fresh veggies. I had the churro French toast with strawberries, blueberries, and bananas. It was much better than the soggy French toast I had here on Easter. They didn't overdo the syrup this time. 

Since we already explored Collingswood, we headed back towards Oaklyn after lunch, cutting through Newton Lake Park. I was glad to see that the playground equipment is done there, too, even if today was hardly the right weather for using it. The rest of the park is looking pretty good, too. Vibrant emerald green leaves shaded us from the worst of the weather. The mulberry trees are bearing fruit now, too. We passed by several laden with berries as we headed down to the White Horse Pike.

I wanted to go that way because I needed to stop at Dollar General. I got a larger pack of batteries, so I don't run out again, and more of that limeade drink mix. Lauren got an energy drink. Other than a long line, we were in and out.

Jessa texted and said she'd pick us up at 1:30. We had time before we left for the Shore to relax and watch Remember WENN. Hilary is "The Diva Who Wouldn't Die" when Dusty Foxx (Rue McClanahan) drops her character from The Hands of Time in favor of Hilary doing a gossip show, From Hilary's Booth. The show is a failure when all of Hilary's gossip is about her, prompting her to do whatever she can from being killed off on her favorite soap opera!

It was closer to 2 when Jess finally arrived. We were originally going to the Cape May County Park and Zoo in Cape May Court House before heading to Cape May, but first of all, Jess missed the turn-off. Second, even if she hadn't, the zoo closes at 4:30. By the time we made it down there, we would have had a half-hour to walk around a sprawling complex. We ended up going straight to Cape May instead.

Jessa drove us briefly down to Cape May Point to see the lighthouse and World War II watch tower before returning to the Washington Street Mall. She couldn't find anywhere to park in that mess but a spot on West Perry, a block from Swain's Hardware and the big mini-golf course. Every single parking lot was full to capacity, even the ones next to Collier's Liquor Store.

I led the duo past Wilbraham Park, the sliver of greenery where the Gazebo is and the Halloween Parade starts to the Washington Street Mall. Since we were on the Mall, I thought we could eat at the Ugly Mug. This local watering hole is so named for the many, many mugs hanging over its ancient bar. It's narrow and dark in there, with heavy wood paneling and low lighting. Mom worked here as a chef in the mid-80's, and Dad hung out at the bar until we moved to North Cape May in 1994.

There's a reason the place is so popular. The food is genuinely good, and the portions are huge. Jess had a bratwurst and sauerkraut sandwich. I had a massive local fried flounder on a bun with lettuce, tomato, onion, and house-made tartar sauce. Lauren had an enormous Caesar Salad. Lauren's salad was too big to finish, but the rest of us ate all of ours. 

I wasn't going to let us leave the Washington Street Mall without hitting up the Fudge Kitchen for treats. Though the people giving out free fudge samples weren't around today, there were plenty of goodies lined up inside. It's exactly the same as it was when I was a kid, rows and rows of chocolates, coconut macaroons, salt water taffy, Irish potatoes, many different types of fudge, and novelty candies lined up on shelves and a long counter in a narrow room. We even got to see a guy start to make fudge in a big copper kettle in the front window. I ended up with small containers of two favorites, mini coconut macaroons and mini fruit slices. 

We were in and out of stores for the next hour. None of us bought anything at the humor-related store. I mostly just wanted to show the girls the Toy Company and the Zoo Company, where many of my childhood toys came from. I looked over the Cape Atlantic Book Store at the mini-mall, but didn't get anything. I don't know if the girls got anything at Dellas 5 & 10, but I picked up a Cape May t-shirt. We jumped into the bathrooms behind the lingerie shop before heading back. 

At least the weather had suddenly started to cooperate. It showered off and on during the ride down to the Shore. By the time we hit Court House, the sun had started to come out. It fully emerged when we hit Cape May, and stayed out for the rest of the evening. 

It was past 7 when we returned to Jess' car. Wildwood is best at night, anyway. We took the Garden State Parkway up to the turn-off to Wildwood, passing the Snow clams cannery and the marshes where many local families (including mine) go crabbing, before heading over the George Washington Bridge to Rio Grande Avenue. I got to point out the massive pink and turquoise WaWa where I used to meet visitors when I lived in Wildwood. My apartment was behind a building on a one-way street, and it was just easier to meet people who were unfamiliar with the area at a giant pink and turquoise 50's-themed convenience store.

Jess had an even harder time finding a place to park in Wildwood. She drove up and down Atlantic Avenue (allowing me to briefly point out where I used to live on Montgomery in the early 2000's) before finally settling on the lot behind the Gateway 26 Arcade in North Wildwood. I even gave her the money for it. 

There are tons of arcades on the Wildwood Boardwalk, but Gateway 26 is the cheapest, and one of the largest. They're the only arcade left on the boardwalk - and maybe in New Jersey - that still have 25 cent cranes. In addition to the usual array of stuffed animals representing Stitch, Spongebob, Squishmallows, and whatever else is cool this summer, there were a lot of cranes with stuffed seagulls holding fries in their beaks. Someone who makes the stuffies around here has a sense of humor. I kept trying for one, and didn't get a keychain version until I did the five dollar "play until you win" crane. (And eventually gave the keychain seagull to Lauren, who came away with nothing.) I naturally had to play ski ball, too, and they still have the old wooden machines in the back where you roll the blue rubber ball into holes and light up card suites.

Jessa wanted Kohr's Ice Cream back at Cape May, but I pointed out that there's a Kohr's on every block in Wildwood. Lauren didn't want any, but Jess had a vanilla cone with sprinkles, and I ended up with a chocolate-peanut butter swirl with chocolate peanut butter. I thought it would be less messy to have it in a cup...but they gave me so much, it still overflowed and ended up on my hands. Good thing I always bring wet wipes with me. 

Though it was past 9 and we really didn't have the time for rides, we did explore a couple of stores. I found a really nice yellow "Endless Summer" Wildwood t-shirt on the clearance rack at one store for $4. I kept trying to talk the girls into playing water gun games, but they get expensive at night, and I don't think anyone wanted to compete with one another. 

I finally won a larger stuffed seagull at Mariner's Arcade near the entrance to Mariner's Landing. This was a really unique one, a pizza-delivery seagull with a box representing real-life boardwalk pizza parlor Sam's Pizza who was eating his own wares. I did get him, but the box got stuck on the claw! Jess had to go get one of the guys to retrieve him.

We left shortly after that. Jess meant well, but to tell the truth, it was past 10 when we left, and neither Lauren nor I were up to singing Brittany Spears and Christmas carols when the signal for her cell phone (and her music) gave out as we passed through the Pine Barrens. I wasn't really up to arguing over why I don't drive with her, either. (I can't focus well enough to drive. I don't trust myself on the road behind an enormous vehicle that could potentially hurt someone if misused.)

Took a shower when we got in, then finished the night with the last hour or so of tonight's Match Game marathon. The theme tonight was episodes that were either filmed right before or right after the end of a season or a hiatus. I did get to see two nighttime shows that were done as season finales, one of the last with Richard before he left in 1978, and the one with Pat Moriata in 1976. (The latter is apparently set to premiere on Buzzr soon.)

Find out how Match Game went on its own vacation in this hilarious marathon!

Match Game Saturday Classics - The Hiatus Returns & Back from Summer Break

Oh, and here's tonight's Musical Dreams Movie Reviews review!

Animation Celebration Saturday - Cinderella (1994) 

On the Boardwalk In Atlantic City

Started a sunny, slightly humid morning with Garfield In Paradise. Garfield and Jon are off to Paradise World, an island tourist trap that was the cheapest tropical place Jon could get them to. Their trip doesn't start off well, thanks to a falling-down hotel run by an owner who tells Jack Benny jokes. Things take a turn for the strange when their 50's rental vehicle takes them to the village of a group a doo-wop-worshiping natives...and a volcano that's about to explode!

Headed out even before the cartoon ended. I wanted to take my annual summer trip to Atlantic City today, while it is still summer. I was on the train to Lindenwauld by quarter of 11 and in Lindenwald by a little after 11.

Instead of sitting on a hot train station platform for an hour or wandering around Walgreens, I decided to have an early lunch. There's three restaurants across the street from the Lindenwald Train and Bus Terminal. I finally decided I didn't have enough time for the sit-down diner or Indian restaurant and opted for Burger King. It was the fanciest Burger King I ever saw. It must have been either just-built or very recently remodeled. They had a huge dining area with a separate room for parties, TVs everywhere, and even a counter with Wi Fi and computers. I took it all in while eating my Whopper and fries.

Even with lunch and buying my ticket, I still spent a half-hour waiting on the platform for the train. Thankfully, it was only about five minutes late. The train was half-full, mostly with the lunch crowd on their way to a day trip in AC like me, I suspected from the college students across from me. At any rate, there were no problems whatsoever getting there, and I enjoyed a very pleasant ride.

As soon as I arrived in Atlantic City, I strolled down straight down Michigan to the Boardwalk, passing a newly repainted Bally's on the way. (I'm disappointed they painted over all the cute Wild West-themed sides they had. Now it's just a mellow if slightly bland yellowy-tan.) Even as I walked, the clouds were gathering, and it was killer humid. It spit a little as I headed onto the boardwalk.

The Boardwalk was as busy as it always is during the summer. I went in the direction of Resorts, the Taj Mahal, and the Claridge this year, since I went towards Caesars and Tropicana last year. My first stop was Peanut World, the coolest souvenir store on the boardwalk. They have every kind of junk you can imagine....including a counter with some of Atlantic City's least-expensive candy. I went with my favorite fruit slices in pink grapefruit flavor. I desperately needed a can of Diet Rite too by that point. It wasn't that hot, but the humidity was horrible even close to the water.

Hit the Casino Pier next to try my luck at the cranes (and to avoid a sudden shower). (And to make up for not hitting the arcades this year.) I tried one with some very large Peppa Pigs. After I gave up on Peppa, I attempted one with more generic round stuffed animals. Nope. No luck.

The sun was out again by the time I made it to the Taj Mahal and Steel Pier. Steel Pier isn't really "The Showplace of the Nation" anymore, but it is the only amusement park in Atlantic City. I strolled around, watching people enjoy themselves on the rides. The place was surprisingly busy for a day with such iffy weather. I found a couple of wire tables with umbrellas between the Slingshot and the Rock and Roll and looked out onto the misty, hazy beach and deep green-blue waves.

(And yes, I saw the Dinosaur Beach logo on the Crazy Mouse roller coaster. Evidently, the same people who now run Steel Pier once owned the mid-90's jungle/dinosaur-themed Hunt's Pier revamp in Wildwood. Thanks to Matt at Dinosaur Dracula for pointing out this bit of lost Jersey Shore history!)

I was hot and sweating like crazy. It was time to go back. I stopped at one store for water and at one of the bathrooms. I really wanted ice cream, but most food is expensive on the boardwalk, and a lot of those small booths don't take credit cards or have a minimum. I didn't have much cash on hand.

Having done most of my clothes and shoe shopping earlier in the summer, the only store in the Tanger Outlets I was interested in was Toys R Us. I wanted to see if they had some of the new Ever After High dolls, but I wasn't keeping my hopes up. They were an outlet store.

Someone must have just restocked the shelves. The Ever After High/Monster High area was full to capacity. The products were almost entirely brand-new. too, including two just-released Toys R Us exclusive Ever After High dolls, Royally Ever After Apple White and Heartstruck C.A Cupid. I also saw Way To Wonderland Apple and Maddie Hatter, the re-release of Poppy and Holly O'Hair, and Candy-Coated Cedar Wood for the first time.

My real interest are the Signatures (original release) dolls. They had Faybelle Thorne (peppy daughter of the Wicked Fairy from Sleeping Beauty) and Bunny Blanc (laid-back daughter of the White Rabbit) for $15.99, cheaper than the $19.99 I usually see them go for on Amazon. I grabbed them both,

Fortunately, the train station is only a few blocks from the Toys R Us Outlet. I darted there, bought my ticket quickly, and still made it on the 3:36 train to Lindenwald with time to spare. Other than the train stopping to let another train going in the opposite direction pass, there were no major problems. We arrived at the Lindenwald station right on time.

Went straight upstairs to the PATCO. The train going to Collingswood was a lot more full than the NJ Transit train had been. People weren't in great moods, either. They talked loudly on their phones and fussed at each other when they tried to move around. I was so happy to arrive at my destination and hurry back to the ground.

When I got back into Oaklyn, I stopped at Phillies Yummies to finally get my cooling treat. It was now a gorgeous day for it, too. The clouds and humidity must have all ended up at the beach. By 5 PM, the sky was a radiant blue, and it was dry and in the mid-80's, perfectly normal for this time of year. I had a mint chocolate chip water ice. It was extremely green - a neon green more suited for lime than mint. It was quite tasty and mint-y, though.

As soon as I got in and got organized, I pulled Bunny and Fayebelle out of their boxes. Fayebelle's been a real surprise. I didn't expect to like her character or her doll when she was announced on New Year's Day, but she's slowly growing on me. Fayebelle is a perky cheerleader who also happens to be an evil fairy. She loves cheering so much, she cheers her spells instead of chants them! While her sparkly tunic and simple leggings are kind of plain compared to some of the other dolls' outfits, she has some of the prettiest hair in the entire line. Like Darling and Kitty, it's very silky and smooth, with lovely turquoise highlights. I did have problems keeping her wings on once I took off the rubber band (which I probably should have just left on).

I had more problems with Bunny. Not only does she have an odd facial mold, but she had more gunk in her hair than anyone else but Poppy. She went right in the bathroom sink for a twice-cleaning. Even after that, her hair is still a bit thin and sheds like crazy, and her head is a bit floppy. Too bad, because I like her character. Unlike the object of her affections Alistair Wonderland, Bunny has no use for maps...or for rushing, for that matter. This jazz-loving rabbit girl always manages to get where she's going eventually. Her dress is adorable. I love the fuzzy white collar. (Even if I wish the black collar and pink ribbon were real and not plastic.)

Ran The Merry Widow while taking out the dolls, and later while making a chicken salad for dinner. The last of the Jeanette MacDonald/Maurice Chevalier/Ernst Lubitsch musicals takes us to the fictional European country of Marshovia. The king is horrified when Sonia, the widow of the title (MacDonald), decides to leave off mourning and decamps to Paris. She owns more than half the country. If she takes her money elsewhere, they'll be ruined. They send the charming Count Danilo (Chevalier) after her. The ruse works too well - he actually falls for her. Now he has to convince her that he's sincere, even during a trial when he's accused of being a traitor to Marshovia for letting her go. If you're a fan of operetta or these two, this one is a bubbly bit of fun that's worth tracking down in the Warner Archives.

Finished out the night with a nice, long bath. Oh boy, did I need it. I was hot and tired after my long walk, and my knees were so sore, they were barely moving. I enjoyed the sounds of big band music while looking over more Christmas With Southern Living books for holiday gift ideas.

On the Boardwalk In Atlantic City

I started a cloudy day with this week's grocery run. I didn't need a whole lot. I was mostly restocking baking items - flour, brown sugar, butter. They had a sale on ground chicken and Acme's organic honey. It wasn't really busy there, either. I easily got into a line and out the door.

When I got home, I put everything away as fast as I could, and then rushed back out and over to the Collingswood PATCO. I just made the 11:32 train to Lindenwold. I'd been wanting to make a trip to Atlantic City all summer, but I either didn't have the time, the money, the energy, or a mix of two or more of those things. It was now or never. I flew to the station so fast, I actually had a stomachache when I arrived.

Thankfully, I caught all vehicles without a hitch. The PATCO train to Lindenwold was right on time, as was the train to Atlantic City. The 12:01 train to Atlantic City was fairly full, not surprising on the first day of the Labor Day Weekend, but I did manage to get a seat. (I'm glad I waited on the train this time. The 554 that I took to Pomona a few weeks ago would have taken two hours to get to Atlantic City. I didn't really want to wait that long.)

While I did take a look around the Disney Store at the Walk Outlets, that wasn't my main objective for this trip. I spent most of my four hours in AC on the world-famous boardwalk, talking in the sights and sounds. The sun was going in and out by quarter of 2, and it was windy and fairly chilly on the boards. It was no day for the beach, which along with the holiday weekend, explained why the boardwalk was bustling with rolling cars and showgirls in skimpy 20s-inspired costumes.

My first stop was a small eatery called Joe Rock Cafe near Bally's. I saw a sign outside that said they had breakfast all day and was hoping to find a decent meal for at least a bit cheaper than most of the other "name" eateries. I finally settled on a Belgian waffle with fresh blueberries smothered in syrup. It was a little chewy, but not bad. The blueberries were a bit better - I wonder if they'd been purchased from a local farm market.

I spent the next hour or two just exploring the boardwalk. I browsed in a few gift shops, including an old grimy favorite, Peanut World. I tried the crane games at Central Pier. One had WebKinz; another sported stuffed animals from the movie Rio. No luck with either.

I was delighted to note that Steel Pier didn't have a one-charge-pay-all admission. I was free to walk around without having to buy any tickets first. "The Showplace of the Nation" is really just a glorified amusement park, but it's the only such place in Atlantic City. The coolest ride is the Crazy Mouse roller coaster, which has rounded seats that fly around curves, instead of the usual car-like seats. Otherwise, it's your standard back-and-forth pirate ship (there called the Flying Dutchman), merry-go-round, kid's cars-on-track, Ferris wheel, "Rock n' Roll" fast music-playing around-and-around coaster, and tea cups. (The bumper cars said "coming soon" - maybe they were down for repairs?) I tried a water gun game, but I couldn't get my water to hit the spot properly.

My legs were really tired by that point, and it was getting later and windier. I started heading back. Made one last stop at Central Pier to try for those stuffed Rio birds (still no luck). I checked a few candy shops, including Frailinger's and James', for my favorite fruit slices. When I didn't see them, I ended up grabbing them from Peanut World.

After I left the boardwalk, I made a quick stop at the Bus Station for schedules for the Cape May buses for my trip down there in a few weeks. I browsed in Ashley Stewart and Layne Bryant, the only plus-sized women's clothes stores at the Outlets. Nothing I absolutely needed. I was tired and hot and sore at that point. I just headed to the Train Station a bit early.

The train was supposed to leave at 4:42. People started lining up at 4:25. Then someone saw a man go through the door. He wore a suit and looked official, so I guess people assumed that everyone was supposed to head for the trains. Wrong! They wouldn't be ready for another 10 minutes or so. I felt silly as a huge crowd of holiday weekend travelers stood at the doors and stared at the conductor and each other, wondering what was going on.

Thankfully, that was the worst that happened on the trip. Once we got out of the terminal, it was smooth riding all the way to Lindenwauld. The PATCO went even better. While the train to Lindenwold was very full, the PATCO to Collingswood was empty. There were only two other people on the train with me. I was off by 6 on the dot and back in Oaklyn by 6:30.

I treated myself to what may be my last Leo's Yum Yum of the season. They'll probably be open for another month or so after Labor Day - they usually close in late September-early October. I had my favorite Cotton Candy Yum-Yum. I tried to eat it on the bike, but a good chunk wound up on the street before I finally came to the conclusion that creamy water ice is best eaten sitting down.

When I got home, I put away my candy, then ran Weekend at Bernie's while making spaghetti and meatballs for dinner. This odd 1987 comedy is set on Labor Day Weekend. Two ordinary working stiffs (Andrew McCarthy and Johnathan Silverman) are invited to spend the weekend at their boss' beach house after they discover that someone's defrauding the insurance company they work for. It all seems too good to be true...until they discover their boss dead and hitmen on their trail. The more party-hearty of the two suggests making the dead man appear to be alive. They may not have a choice if they want to get off the island without ending up like Bernie!

This is one of the stranger premises in an era that was rife with odd comedies. Surprisingly, while no masterpiece, it still works quite well. Silverman and especially McCarthy are having a ball as the two guys who will do anything - including drag a dead man around - to prolong their vacation. Recommended if you love really odd, slightly dark 80s comedies or grew up watching this constantly on cable as I did.

Let's Run Away to Atlantic City

After two long work days in a row, that's all I wanted to do. It was a gorgeous day for it, too. The air was warmer than yesterday, but there was a strong wind that kept things cool and no humidity. It was bright and sunny, with a brilliant, hurts-to-look-at-it blue sky. The Acme actually tried to call me in; I just ignored the phone. After spending most of the last two days there, I had no desire to let this one go. I need these two days off.

I ran into some trouble in Lindenwauld. I got there at 10AM...but there wasn't another train to AC until 12! I strolled around the area, checking out a Walgreens on the corner near the bus/train terminal, and spent an hour reading Assignment: Ceylon. Both the PATCO and NJ Transit trains were pretty busy, but I did manage to find a seat with no trouble. Everything was on time. The train rolled into AC by 1PM.

My first stop of the day was The Walk, the outlet stores along the streets near the Atlantic City Expressway. It was incredibly busy for middle of the week. The traffic was horrible; it took forever just to cross from one line of stores to the other. There was some kind of bridal trade show going on at the outdoor patios where H&M and Starbucks are; not a good thing, since I needed lunch and to hit the bathroom. Thankfully, it didn't take as long to get my tasty Tomato, Basil, Mozerella and Chicken Panini from the crepe cafe, but I did have to wait in line for the bathroom at Starbucks.

After that, I spent the next couple of hours shopping the outlets. I couldn't buy a lot; I don't have a lot of money on me right now. I limited to what I really wanted and needed. The "wanted" was covered by the Meridia toddler doll I picked up at the Disney Store.  She has crinkly, curly red hair and the cutest little smirk that says "I'm going to get into trouble the moment Mummy's back is turned." I really, really want to see the new Pixar movie Brave anyway. I was originally going to get Belle as my third and last Animator's Collection doll, but then I saw this unique sweetie and couldn't resist her. (I also picked up a really nifty Muppets-themed tote bag to haul her around in. It even has an outside pocket.)

The needed was a new pair of shorts and some really neat sunglasses with white, red, and orange floral frames from Layne Bryant. The sunglasses were 50 percent off. The shorts, a pair of orange, red, and white plaid Bermudas that'll match my new Fashion Bug t-shirts nicely, were 30 percent. I was going to get another pair of jean shorts, but while I did see a pair I liked, I decided to try something different.

(I explored other stores as well. I browsed in Toys 'R Us, hoping to find clothes for the Animator's Collection dolls. I wanted to find new sneakers for work, but neither Adidas nor Puma nor Converse really had what I was looking for.)

It would be criminal to not take some time on the world-famous Atlantic City Boardwalk, especially on such a nice day. I didn't go in any of the casinos, but I did have a nice stroll. I bought an Atlantic City t-shirt and my favorite candy, fruit slices, from the wonderfully cheap and grungy Peanut World gift shop near Bally's Casino. I put a dollar into a crane game, hoping to win a huge Smurf doll. Nope, no luck. I bought a mango slush at one of the numerous small ice cream/pizza booths.

I hurried back to the Train Terminal in front of the Convention Center with just enough time to buy tickets and jump on the 4:42 to Lindenwauld. Once again, everything went just fine. Both of the trains were right on time, and other than some obnoxiously noisy teens and college students chattering in the back of the PATCO car, there were no problems.

I pulled my bike in around quarter after 6. I started taking Meridia out in the train, but she had too many heavy wires holding her in to do it completely there. I finished the job at home. When a happy-to-be-out Meridia was sitting with her Animator's Collection "sisters" Cinderella and Tiana, I finished up the shrimp for dinner and had macaroni salad and fresh farm market cucumbers and lettuce. After that, I hopped in a much-needed shower and went online.

By the Beautiful Sea

The morning started cloudy and fairly quiet. Keefe and Anny came over to pick up Skylar for an appointment with doctors at Cooper River Hospital in Camden. Dad went to work. Mom went out for a hair appointment (and came back with a very cute and short new do). I hung around here, played Super Mario Wii, read Mom's craft books, and watched cartoons.

Mom came home around quarter of 11. She first chatted with my sister Rose. Anny and Keefe were supposed to be meeting Rose after Sky's appointment, but they weren't sure how long they were going to be there or if they were going to have the time to go to the Please Touch Museum in Philly. We chatted on the porch about my sibligns for a little while after she got off with Rose.

Our next stop was the Peebles and JcPenny in Rio Grande. Mom had good-naturedly fussed that my shorts were too tight and too short. Well, of course they are! I'd just gained weight, and really hadn't planned on buying new clothes until I'd lost weight. I wasn't going to argue with her, though. So, I ended up with two pairs of capris (I don't care what Mom says, they're too long for shorts) and a new shirt in a nice brown/black pattern.

(And while I appreciated the clothes, I'm still really embarrassed. I'm still at a large/1X in shirts...but I've gone back up to 18s again in pants. That means I'm back to plus sizes. I'm so upset! I was so, so proud of being able to lose so much weight and get out of plus sizes. Mom says I look better than I did at Christmas, and my pants have been a little looser at home. At least all the walking and swimming I've been doing lately does seem to have paid off, even just a little.)

Mom had a cell phone call from Dad even before we made it back to the house. He was at home. He'd postponed his fishing trip again when he was overwhelmed by paint fumes and had heart papatations. He was at home, resting. We decided to let him rest and head into Cape May for lunch and a walk after I dropped off my clothes.

It took longer to get to lunch and a walk than we planned. First of all, the lady at the counter at Peebles forgot to take the ink-thing off my pants, and we had to go back there. Then we were chatting and Mom lost track of where we were going and kept going straight instead of turning off to the Garden State Parkway. We ended up taking the "scenic route" through Wildwood Crest to get into Cape May. That was cool, too. I got to see the outside of the rebuilt Wildwood Acme (which looks GREAT, BTW - Doo Wop without being as overdone as some of the other newer 50s-style buildings in the area).


While I did enjoy the drive through Wildwood Crest and seeing some of my old haunts, I was very happy that the drawbridge from Wildwood Crest to the boat docks in Lower Township was just going down when we pulled up there. (Mom did have to scramble for $1.50 for the toll, though. Apparently, it used to be a dollar, and she wasn't prepared for the rise in price.) We went past the boat docks, across the marshes, around the country club marinas, and over the big Cape May Bridge and into town.

Mom parked next to the water tower in central Cape May, a few blocks from the former Madison and Blue Amber Motels. (The Madison, at least, is now a condo-hotel, and both had elaborate remodels that make them fit in far better with the tony neighborhood than they did when I was a kid.) We strolled up to the Boardwalk first, past lovely old bed-and-breakfasts and condo buildings with gorgeous gardens, along with the Chalfonte, one of the oldest hotels in Cape May.

We ended up at the Promenade, Cape May's concrete boardwalk, and had lunch at Henry's By the Beach. Henry's is literally by the beach; we ate on a porch area that looked out onto a picture-perfect day. It was a day out of a Cape May postcard - clear blue sky, bright-colored umbrellas dotting the white beach, cooling breeze. The clouds and humidity had disappeared by the time we were in Rio Grande. It was 2:30 by then, so we both had the "mini meals." I had a crab cake and salad. Mom had a small cut of blackened salmon, salad, and a tomato-seafood soup. We enjoyed our lunch tremendously.

After we ate, we walked a couple of blocks to downtown Cape May and the Washington Street Mall. The Mall is three blocks of restored Victorian buildings filled with cute shops and literally some of the best restaurants in New Jersey. We visited some of my favorite stores there, in many cases since childhood.

We walked through Carpenter's Square Mall. We browsed in the Whale's Tale, a wonderful gift shop. (Mom bought Keefe a dragon card for his room - he collects dragon items. I didn't get anything. I was disappointed they only had a few AG things. In the early and mid 90s, the were the only place in Cape May to buy anything American Girl.) We went through a shop that had really cute hats. We went to Bath Time, a bath store. Mom got a lotion she really likes. I a coconut-lime bar of soap. Good Scents mostly specializes in scented items like candles, but they have other gift-items, too. I bought a journal with real dried flowers in the cover. We went across the street to the mall where the Cape May Acme is. Mom browsed in the yarn store; I browsed in Oma's Doll Shop. We admired the adorable Japanese-girl sign in front of Cape Orient. (It looked so much like a life-sized Japanese doll, I wondered if someone at Oma's Doll Shop next door made it.)

We strolled back to the car after leaving the mall, past more older homes, the post office, and Alexander's Restaurant. Mom used to live in that area, in an apartment behind a long-gone leather store; she had some great stories about living in Cape May in the mid-70s, and I told her mine about when I would visit a friend of mine who lived near the post office in high school.

Unlike getting to Cape May, we had no trouble whatsoever getting home. Dad called Mom while we were in Cape May. He was feeling much better and was up for joining us for a stroll on the Boardwalk in Wildwood. Mom wanted coffee, and we both needed to sit down for a while after our walk. Mom and Dad watched an antique show downstairs, while I browsed through Mom's old Christmas With Southern Living books. I've always loved the heck out of those. Not only do they have awesome recipies, but the first chapters talks about Christmas both in the old and new Southern US. This may be where at least some of my love of Christmas traditions in other parts of the US stemmed from.

(Oh, and Mom answered my question as to why I walk so fast. She does, too. We've spent most of our lives walking against the sea winds and blowing sands, not to mention the tides of tourists. You either walk fast...or get blown back several feet or carried off by the throngs.)

Dad, Mom, and I took Dad's truck into Wildwood around 6:30. There were no problems getting there this time. Dad parked in the big lot next to the Wildwood Convention Center and the cool, cute beach ball sculptures.

The boardwalk was busy at 6:30, but it wasn't packed. There was a lovely, fresh breeze coming off the beach. We browsed in the Boardwalk Mall (where I got a Wildwood T-shirt), then had dinner at the Original Hot Spot next to Mariner's Landing. I had a tasty mushroom cheesesteak that wasn't too stuffed, like some of the ones up north tend to be. It was just the perfect size. Mom and Dad had gyros. We had the funniest waitress, too. She was a tall, cute Russian girl with an adorable accent and a great sense of humor. She handled Dad's good-natured teasing very well, and even gave him two high-fives.

Everyone wanted some candy to go with dinner. I suggested Douglass Fudge, the most elegant of all Wildwood candy stores, and one just a few doors down from the Original Hot Spot. I found my favorite candy of all, the fruit slices. Mom bought her favorite candy, Almond Butter Crunch, and peanut butter fudge. Dad got raspberry jelly squares.

Mom wanted to check out a kitchen store on the Boardwalk between Mariner's and Morey's. It's a larger version of a tiny kitchen store in Collingswood. They sell gourmet mixes and cute and kooky kitchen gadgets of all kinds. I bought a buckwheat pancake mix as a special Sunday treat for me next weekend and a new address book. Dad got a piece of metal that's supposed to make your hands smell better. Poor Dad always gets fussed at about the way his hands smell after work; one of the hazards of being a fisherman.

Dad wanted soft-serve ice cream, so we next took a look at several ice cream booths. It was around 8:30 by this point. The boardwalk was filling up fast, and getting busier and busier by the minute. It was getting colder, too. The nice breeze from earlier was quickly becoming a chilly wind. We walked back to the car, stopping at the Kohr Brothers stand at Wild Wheels for soft-serve cups. Mom had Peanut Butter-Chocolate. Dad had Orange-Vanilla. I had Mint Julep. We enjoyed our treat while watching people play games. I also tried a Care Bear crane machine that had larger Care Bears in it than usual; didn't win anything.

There was a little bit of traffic on Rio Avenue in downtown Wildwood when we went home, but once we got off the bridge, it was smooth sailing. Dad's downstairs, probably watching action movies. Mom is in her room, watching Guys and Dolls. I'm about to take a shower. Tomorrow, I'll be on my way home; everyone here has to work. I'm glad I came up here. I had a wonderful day. I don't get to spend nearly enough time with my parents, and I rarely got them to myself as a kid. This was really lovely of both of them.

It's Very Unusual

The day began well. Dad drove us to the train station amid a gorgeous, dry 85-degree day. We got our tickets just fine, and the train arrived on time. Everything progressed smoothly...at first.

We were between Lindenwauld and Atco in Burlington County when we just stopped. There had been an accident on the track. The train coming in the opposite direction had hit a pedestrian! Lauren tried to find out more on her cell phone, but even listening to Burlington's police radios didn't net us more info.

Ultimately, after almost an hour's wait, the train was canceled. We ended up having to spend nearly two more hours on a bus to Atlantic City. This wasn't bad at first, either, despite my initially being upset to the point of tears. In fact, it kind of beat the train. Much of Burlington and Atlantic counties is farmland and woods, and it was really gorgeous.

It was nice until we hit the Atlantic City suburbs. Not only did the scenery get a lot less attractive, but people kept getting off on every single block! I don't know why everyone couldn't have gotten off in one place. Like it would have killed them to walk a few blocks?

We didn't get into Atlantic City until quarter of 3. We had a quick, late lunch at Ruby Tuesday's. (I had the Salmon Sliders. Lauren had Chicken Quesildilas. We both had the salad bar.) After lunch, we finally headed past Caeser's and Bally's Wild Wild West and onto the Boardwalk.

We mostly just strolled on the Boardwalk. Lauren had never been in Atlantic City before, so even that was a new experience. We rummaged through a dollar store/candy store/junk shop called Peanut World. We hit the cranes at Central Pier. Lauren didn't win anything, but I won a vinyl ball. (Accidentally, actually. I wanted to win the teddy bears in the next crane, but I put my money in the wrong machine.) We took pictures outside of Wild Wild West.

As we headed towards Trump's Taj Mahal, our vision got a lot dimmer...and not just because of the shadows of the casinos. A fine white mist had started swirling around, obscuring the tops of buildings and most of the beach. As the mist grew thicker, the crowds on the Boardwalk got thicker, too, chased off the sand by the mist and the lateness of the day. We finally decided we'd be better off away from the beach, where we could see where we were going.

The Outlets were our next stop. In an attempt to bring people to Atlantic City for a reason other than gambling (and clean up the entrance area around the AC Expressway), the city started building a series of outlet stores for high-end chain shops and restaraunts. The last time I saw them was in the winter of 2005, right before I moved. The IHOP and the Borders Outlet were gone, but there were plenty of other stores. We browsed in Lane Bryant, Old Navy, and Bath and Body Works, though we never did buy anything.

Lauren saw a monitor with schedules for the trains and buses at the bus station when we arrived in Atlantic City. We returned to the bus terminal to take a look at that monitor and check to see if they'd fixed everything. They apparently had; there were no more alerts. We walked over to the Sheridan Hotel behind the outlets where the train terminal is, bought our tickets, and hopped the train back to Cherry Hill.

There were no problems at all this time. We had to wait a few minutes when we got home for Dad, who got stuck in traffic, but we passed the time playing catch with my new purple ball.

When we finally got home, I made us Scrambled Eggs with Spring Vegetables, and we had ice cream for dessert while watching more Bowery Boys movies. Tomorrow, we'll hopefully be going into Philadelphia to see Independence Hall and my favorite downtown stores.

(And here's an article about the train accident from the Courier-Post. It doesn't say a whole lot more than what we found out, but it's there.)