Reeves Park - May 18, 2006
The Dogwood Festival happens every year in Phoenixville, PA in May, and it happens to occur in the park right across the street from Steph's Aunt's house, or if you're a 4-year old, simply "Aunt Gail's park!" It's your basic carnival fair: bad food that tastes good, crappy little pukey rides and cheap toys won from silly games. Hooray! Steph partly grew up in Phoenixville and her Aunt and Uncle invited us up to hang out so they could see Tristan and we happily ventured north for some greasy, muddy, throwin'-ping-pong-balls-at-fish-bowls action.
Our first ride was the bumblebee. It goes up and down while it goes in circles. That seems to be the theme of these rides. This theme makes my stomach curdle. Steph and Tristan strap in.
A quick respite at the fishin' pond, where Tristan has mad experience with a magnetic fishing rod. He reels in a big one.
He got to pick his prize and snatched up this Batman villain that no one had heard of, except him. Say hi to Venom. And Uncle Barry's legs.
Next up was this car ride, but Steph and Tristan were at the end of the line and were forced to ride in the back seat of this kid's car, who shouldn't have been driving if he wasn't going to even watch the road. I think Steph is excited that she could fit in the seat but perhaps she's being goosed by the man with the 'stache.
There was a long line for MONKEY MAYHEM. We wait.
Behold the wonder that is MONKEY MAYHEM.
It's a banana-holding twist on the Tilt-a-whirl - you can turn the wheel to spin, while the whole thing goes in a circle. Oh yeah, there was no way I was getting in there.
I'm not about to ride in any 12-foot tall, glossy-eyed monkey who impales a banana into his cheek like that.
But Tristan was having a blast! Steph said he was all about making the thing spin faster. Don't think that other kid was into that.
Got lucky with these shots of Tristan giggling while in mid-frantic-spin.
That is the longest and most awesomest name of a dessert that I've ever heard. I do not tire of saying it. I also do not know what it tastes like.
Tristan and I went through the maze of mirrors. He walked full force into one pane of glass when he was pretending to show me the wrong way to go. It looked like it HURT like crazy, but he tried to laugh it off. Kid had a ginormous welt on his forehead.
And then we slid down at the end of the maze. My swoosh is extra swooshy.
Steph gives Tristan a boost up the rope ladder.
They walk the bouncy bridge.
And slide down at the end. I can't tell you how proud of this picture I am. Notice how blurry it *isn't*. I lost track of where they were in this obstacle course thingy and realized I could get a shot of them coming down the slide, so I'm running to the end of the thing with my camera just turning on and I point and shoot just as I stop moving at the very point that they're coming down the slide. It all happened in about 2 seconds and I can't believe how good the picture is. I love it.
Tristan wanted to go through the course again, by himself - he had some trouble on the rope bridge, but he came through.
See? Compare this one to the other, two pictures up. I was *prepared* for this one, set up shop and was all ready - and it's complete blurry crap. Screw preperation, I guess.
See ya next year!
