ThrillingEnchantingSelfCleaningHouseMickeyMouseHighlandHarveyGravestoneFullBlownBowlingBallChocolateWaterfallMeatShoeBadTattoo

Next it was off to another Burgerville, U.S.A. franchise to use some of those free fish & chips coupons Cupcake had. We met this nice guy working there who had pretty much the worst tattoos we'd ever seen.
Nothing says "Career in Food Service" like homemade tattoos.

Then we did some thrifting and go-carting. Wish I'd thought to snap a photo of this one guy working the carts who had the biggest carbuncle this side of Aaron Neville. In fact, it kind of looked like Aaron Neville.

Happy summertime story:
My family came to Oaks Park for a picnic once, on "Old-Fashioned Day," when every ride was a nickel or a dime or something. So my cousins & I stuffed ourselves with food and then rode every ride as many times as we could until the adults said it was time to go. On the way out of the park my cousin & I begged & begged for "one more ride, just one more ride, pleeeeeeeze!" The Octopus (pictured here, now using an alias) was the ride we chose.
My cousin got sick & I rode all the way home wearing the remnants of fried chicken and German chocolate cake. I wanted Ma to cut the shirt off of me, but she wouldn't do it & it had to come over the head. Yay!

She ended up throwing away that shirt, anyway.

Update 6/2002 -- Recipe for Fun

In one of her old cookbooks, Ma ran across her original copy of the cake recipe. Make some today. Perform many activities involving plenty of motion. You'll have fun.

(I was incorrect about the cake having been German chocolate. Must have been the consistency that fooled me. After you try it, let me know how it comes out.)

8 x 8 x 1 pan
350
45 min
1 lb size apple pie filling (or cherry, peach, &c.)
pour in pan & spread
1 layer cake mix sprinkled on top
melt 1/4 cup margarine (not butter) and pour on top of mixture. on top of that sprinkle 1 cup nuts.
bake 375 for 30 min at high altitude

What George Steinbrenner has to do with Portland's Oktoberfest I do not know.

The redhead wishes to remain incognito.

Here's a good example of the Disneyfication of Amusement Parks. Oaks Park used to be an old-fashioned sort of place, the kind of place where you might take a picture of the kids on the rollercoaster.

Now you just take a picture of the kids standing behind a representation of a rollercoaster -- the rollercoaster that is RIGHT BEHIND THEM.