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Ooooooh crap. More awesome food to drool over. The 20,000 Leagues & Haunted Mansion bar setups looks great, too. And yeah ..... the food.

Part 2 of Our PNE Visit.... David wanted to continue browsing through The Market, so I left him in there and went to try one of these S'Lucious boozy slushies. Mine was nice. I also had bought a $30 (cdn) Mystery Candy Bag in The Market. I'd open it later, when we got back home. Took a ride on the PNE Express Train, around (what's called) The Sanctuary park on the fairgrounds. It's a lovely 15-20 ride through the 'forest' and really refreshing with all the shade, there. After that, we headed into the barns to check out any new stuff there, for David and myself. And after that, our final task, to get some RIBS! And Prairie Smoke & Spice again did not disappoint. And then ... we ere done for our day there. A total of five hours, including taking the bus there and back. And I had visiting on Closing Day on Monday, to round out my 6 visits there. Where I headed, after leaving David in The Market. Flavours. With your choice of Tequila, Rum, or Vodka (1 oz,) and the slushie. I got a Pina Colada with rum in it. Also note the $30 (cdn) Mystery Candy Bag I bought, earlier. I think the kid's trying to figure out what this Big Green Thing is, that Daddy won. To the Sand Sculptures again (for me). I took a couple of extra shots, of these that were in the shade, before. Much more detail to be seen, now. After this, we headed to the Express Train ride. Speaking of which. It does go through a public part of The Fair. Good for waving to the public. Where we ended up sitting. A packed trainload, every time, we noticed. You can go into The Sanctuary on foot, but this train makes it so much easier to see most of it all. As for sounds from The Fair, you hardly notice any noise coming from beyond the trees. View from the bridge. It was a very nice, soothing ride. Even children on board tend to quiet down during this. David wanted some kettle corn, so we got one of these. It was caramel and apple kettle corn. Another view of the new-to-be amphitheatre's construction. In the Country Barns, we went to The Bees, first. I wanted to get a shot of the Dome where the little guys are all pollinating what was in the middle of it. The sugar feeder jar was there, because no flowers were there outside... ....of The Tube, when they exited the building for the flowers. And came back through it, for pollinating. Remember this? I checked behind it, and there were no flowers to get pollen from. Hence the sugar feeder jar inside. Really beautiful work horses. Is this what they call a "dappled horse"? I think so. Chickens with strange hair-dos, lol. Now, who would enjoy riding a Hot Pink Farm Tractor ? Then we headed to here for our annual PNE feed of BBQ. Busy, busy with all those racks of pork. Mmmm. What we got. Ribs, pulled pork and brisket, and creamy coleslaw. $50+ (cdn) And David got a Jumbo lemonade for us. Lots of meat to eat. And we took the 'leftovers' home with us. After we got back home, I opened the Mystery Candy Bag. And got all this. And plenty of kettle corn to enjoy, too. This is what Caramel Apple kettle corn looks like. Pretty good stuff. And that's it for this visit!

Our Day at The Fair August 28 This was the visit to the PNE I shared with my partner, David. Basically, it's a visit to stuff he's interesting in seeing. Of course, the whole visit ends, with a mid-day meal at our fave BBQ spot. Ready to head into The Fair. Directly to The Show, 2:30pm What you don't see here yet, was all the kids assembled on the floor in front of the stage. Which all the performers loved to see. Fuzzy, wuzzy. You can just see the tops of a few of the kids' heads, there. The kids all loved the show, and even knew a lot of the songs used, singing back to the girls. Loudly. Tilting tight rope walker.... ...Turning into a Big Cat! My fave. The small, weight lifting clown. Start of the bows. Thanks again, girls! Back out on the Food Trucks Row. To get one of these: a Tornado Potato! There's another truck that sells "Rotato Potatos," but this one was fine. Almost done. Heading to The Market, we passed by this lovely bunch of ferns. I like ferns. Entering the building, we ran into two friends who go to our Queer Film Festival (Out On Screen) like we do. The Festival's in mid-September of each year. Bling Caps. Good doggie. I assume the collar fits on human beings, too? Just asking. I always get a kick out of seeing these Spanish garlic graters. So colourful and so many to choose from! Lots and lots of little figurines based on whatever you can imagine. What I call, The Vibrating Boogie Boards. So many butts in motion, lol. And for those who like their things in wood? Mostly kitchen stuff here. I just took this shot, because there was so - much - stuff here! To be coninued...

Hip Hop and Rap. Sorry, but I just 'dislike' both genres. It's a steal from the 1950's when The Beat Generation did poetry onstage with background music etc. But now with all the tech, tech, etc. etc. Then throw in a chorus of "some music" and voila! It's - a - song. I'm so sure that at least 90% of the male artists out there, couldn't sing a note if their lives depended on it. And I won't go near the female artists. Fini.

^ For what they have to deal with, in a re-theme, etc. It looks pretty good. And with the new technology that Disney produces, the "black light" parts may be enhanced and made more stunning as we whiz by, lol. But as you said ....I'm excited about it, too!

Sawdust & Sand On my Day 4 of The Fair There were only two things I wanted to see on this visit to the PNE. The Farm Country Barns, which are really original buildings from very first PNEs. And the sand sculpture exhibit, behind the barns. And of course, another corn dog to enjoy. Near the main gate. A reminder of who was here first. Before colonization happened. Information about The Sanctuary, and where there used to be more PNE buildings. But, no more. Today's corn dog is from Coco's, which was in a new spot at The Fair. Along with a refreshing lemonade to enjoy as well. Dal Richards loved the PNE, and loved conducting Big Band music at the fair. He is missed. The PNE Express Train (trackless?) starting it's journey around The Sanctuary. We're riding it on Thursday. These buildings/barns haven't changed for decades. Not very busy today. Speaking of sawdust. A 'dusted' lama. Pony rides available for the young'uns. $!2 a ride. Um....? Where everybody was. For the noon running of the PIG RACES! I passed. Seen it all before. Early days. Every pigeon has it's own coop. C'mon, who doesn't love farm tractors? I was tempted, but chickened out. Maybe on Thursday, with David. Not exactly a "horse of a different colour," but still. It was something to look at. Kids Discovery Farm. Has some neat stuff for children to do, and enjoy. "Fresh Hot Chicks" under the heat lamp! Honey display. There was also a display of bees exiting the display via a tube, taking them outside to flowers to get pollinated, etc. Then they come back inside. The outside Warning Sign about the tube. Bunnies! Nice to get a different angled shot of the new Amphitheatre. Opening during next year's PNE. Self-explanatory. Who's organized it all. A-maze-ing! I get interrupted by the group from KC Bear's Party show passing by. They looked like they were enjoying the day. There is an upside down body in there. Truth! Bear love. Didn't see the little house in back, till now. This display is about as "Canadian" as you can get, eh? "Seals of Approval." I love it (not) that he's looking at his cellphone. A bit dark, but KC Bear says G'Bye! Also, Waste Not. Finally, a look at where the Prize Home used to be. Touring the actual house was great, then after the fair and the main draw, it was then moved to it's new location. Not any more. <sad> And that's it for this Tuesday visit, till tomorrow's visit with David.

my Day Number 3, at the PNE! Aug. 21 Was very early getting to The Fair, so besides seeing the Superdogs show, I took in one of the "Cultural Showcase" acts, this being a dance school in the city. There was some good spots, and other times, the HUGE stage just dwarfed what they were doing. But it was entertaining. The Superdogs show, this year called Wild, Wild, Woof! It's always a good time, but the antics and stunts, races etc. the dogs do, is pretty much the same every year. Even with different dogs after awhile, the show is still the same. But that's okay, Big place to show it this year, with plenty of seating for all. Before any of this, I did get my BBQ from Truckin' BBQ which started out last summer as a food truck, but now has expanded (literally) for better serving. The ribs were still awesome, as were the two sides (creamy slaw and corn bread). But - I was a little 'sticker shocked' at seeing the cost of this 'small meal'.... $50 Cdn - that's what? About $30 US? But I still got a lot of great food, and had to carry it home on the bus. Fun visit. Another visit, another "Win A House, Win A Car!" from the ticket kiosks. Me, too! And Thanks! All of it crocheted. Guess what I picked? The Metro Vancouver setup. It's mainly about how to separate and getting rid of ...waste. 'Nough said. Aren't seeing two cranes, a Japanese kind of good luck? Here we are! And I got the "Little Trucker" with the two sides, pulled pork, chcken, and four meaty ribs. And here it all is! So much of it, I had to take the 'leftovers' home on the bus. A fun ride. While eating, this was my view of the big BIG stage, From one of many, many Adirondack chairs. Another larger chair. For groups. <g> Only one boy doing the ballet numbers. And he was just as good as all the girls around him. Synchronicity = "Strike A Pose." Dancing With Red. IT was a fun number. This number was a bit more modern. Lots of squats, lol. What I called "The Sex Number". Loved the costumes. The number itself, was 'ok.' The rest of the boys, throwing fans here and there. Red ones, too. (my fave colour) Heading into the Agrodome for the Superdogs show. I was quite a distance from it all. Next year, a lot closer... Merch table. With $8 Frisbees. There was one in the entry lobby, too. I always enjoy how they do different things on the roof of the place. All moving slowly, too. Intro to the show. All the dogs are introduced to the audience. A pomeranian,taking it easy. The timed races. Ending with this to jump over. Notice that they added another rung to it? The dogs were really good at clearing it. Pretty good! With 7 rungs on it, there! A fan favourite. Weaving through the flag posts. Some dogs do it incredibly fast... And others just take their sweet time, lol. This is where the dogs race each other. Two teams: EeeHah! & YaHooo! I think EeeHah! won it all. Final bows. Wat I bought and brought back home with me. Couldn't resist... EAT ME! EAT ME! The other one reminds me of "Where The Wild Things Are," ... sort of.

On the way to The Fair, Day 3... When I catch the bus to go to the PNE, I see some interesting stuff along the one street (Victoria Dr) I walk. Here's a few photos of them... Starting from our house, on William St. Pardon the fuzziness. Across the street from us, there's a great pizza restaurant. Pricey, but good stuff. I've never seen a hedge, locally, trimmed this precisely. I mean, REALLY trimmed! Nice to see a rainbow here and there, along the way. Now, is this Cobalt Blue, or what?!! "I'll buy a "K". And I think I can solve the phrase!" It's a pretty messed up front yard, too. Made with drift wood, this is a nice rest spot. This is one of The Best Italian Grocery Stores in the city! Their Olive Oil section is a - may - zing! And as well, Bosa Foods has an 'Olive Bar,' big Deli, and just rows and rows of Italian foods. I always love this corner of Ferndale and Victoria Drive. Finally, another (of several) house with a lot of stuff in front. And greenery, too!

Got through my third day at the PNE. With my legs bothering me as I walk, it was no easy way here and there at The Fair. But I did it. and visited (and ate) what I had planned to do, and even picked up another couple of "dust collectors" in my souvenirs stash. And I (again) really enjoyed the BBQ from the second BBQ truck that's at The Fair. I tried them last year, when they were just a food truck. And David enjoyed the leftover ribs, too! So we "might" have a problem in deciding which BBQ place to indulge, in. Hmmm... p.s. The 'drink cabins' I mentioned above, are actually called "Drinx Huts." Who knew? A photo from early 2025.

my Day 2 At The Fair Aug.19 My second day at the PNE was a really simple one. Stick to the West end (the 'front of') of the Fair, check in with "For The Love of Drag" at the old Rollerland building, for now called the Roadhouse Bar & Patio; get another corn dog; and check out "specific stuff" at the Market. And that was it for this visit! First off, here's the info. flyer for the PNE. The schedule of shows and events on one side of it... And the (somewhat) easy to read map. A LOT of stuff there. Who's playing, and when, at the main stage in the Fair. The main gate to the Fair. Or the Red Gate as it's known on the map. But before I checked out The Market in the old Forum building... .....And BC Transit's display. I already use transit so I didn't bother to see "what's new" there..... ... I went through this. I always do, every PNE. And hardly anyone else visits, I find. It's a small Japanese-designed garden. The old Garden Auditorium is in back, there. With a gentle 'river and waterfall' in back. What's called a "Teahouse"here. A small path leading up to the water feature. The Garden Auditorium, un-used. Which is a shame, since in previous pre-Covid years, they would put a totally themed display in it. Early displays included Game of Thrones (before Season 2 started up); Hockey and it's history in Canada; The Beatles and their history; and a Dungeon & Dragons display one year. Wish they would start them up again. <sad> Some of the shopping stalls found all over this part of the Fair. And if you have a real compliment and/or complaint. The PNE Administration is here, onsite. Busy, busy. One of the PNE's giant Adirondack chairs. Great for relaxing on and for a good photo op. Many displays (and sales stalls) of Indigenous peoples always here. This setup was called "Canoecultures". And a canoe here, in it's creation process. Today's corn dog came from Chicky's Chicken & Fries stall. No pic of it, though. I ate it up before taking a photo of it. But it was good! Then I headed to the "For The Love of Drag" show. A good sized crowd for this first show of the day, there. The stage looked great. And the show was themed to the Circus. Opening number. What lies, underneath. I thought she was going to swallow it. But no such luck, lol. The tallest performer in the show. Excellent number she did. Total coverup ... ...of this. Even the "crystal ball" on top, glowed in many colours. That was cool to see. On the (sort of) high wire act. After the reveal. Love how her tail just kept sticking out, and swinging around. Nice kitty. This was a really fun number. And much more than a clown, we found out. Will get more pix of this one, when David and I visit the show next week. The whole cast for the bows. I love the way the PNE supports everyone, everywhere. Year after year. After the show, I headed back to the Market. And entered through...um .... the butt end of the building. To find this. West Family Fudge is a mainstay of every PNE. And now it's the only place to get fudge as the spot in Playland (What The Fudge) doesn't sell it any more. Which is sad. They used to have a great selection, there. Got myself the apple with the crushed peanuts all over, in the middle. And they had a pretty good deal on the fudge slices, depending on how many you buy. I bought three. Lemon blueberry; Mango Chili; and French Vanilla. All good and great to end today's visit, with.

Opening Day at the PNE Aug.16th It was reported that we were going to get as much rain as we did, the day before, which was a monsoon of wetness! So I packed a small umbrella, and hoped for the best. It didn't rain,. though. At - all. And the sun came out when I was leaving the fair. <sighs> Oh well. Opening Day was just a walk through for myself. Didn't see any shows or go through any buildings, with displays, etc. And I finished it up by having my first corn dog of The Fair. Whole visit took me just over an hour, which was fine. This is a main entrance into The Fair, which I would normally go through.... But I had to turn left and head way down to the other end of the fairgrounds, to pick up my tickets. "The BIG Backyard". Well, okay then! Had a lot of sports stuff for the kids - including an ice rink for hockey! I was impressed. After getting my tickets (long story not worth telling), I was headed for the BLUE GATE entry. Like last year's Fair. Met with a sort of 'mall of stalls' with Indigenous made things to buy. And opposite this... Was the Roadhouse Patio & Bar.... ...Where these two shows were playing. I'm so glad that the PNE is supporting the drag community, here. While the new amphitheatre is going up (opening next summer) the Nightly Concerts are here in the Coliseum. Noted. Looking down the Main Entry path. And the start of many, many food trucks! The main entry into The BIG Backyard. And with it, the Italian Gardens in the back, there. Our fave BBQ spot for ribs, etc. We will be getting some of it all, eventually. Back end corner of The Marketplace building. I'll probably go through it this coming Tuesday. Tuesday. The Metro Vancouver display. An annual thing at The Fair. Worth checking out what's what in the city. The main stage for Cultural Showcase stuff. along with special event things. Always gets a big crowd thru the day. Where the dog show moved to, the Agrodome. It's sad that equestrian competitions, the knights show, and other "country related" stuff has been dropped, just for the dog show. Hopefully, when the new amphitheatre opens next year, these things will come back, and the other stuff move back to where they originally were. Ooooooo. Last year this ribs place was selling from their food truck. Now they've gotten 'a bit bigger.' The "barns" are still there, with the Pig Races, honey displays, and a lot of farm stuff 'games' for the kids. More and more food trucks down this corridoor . Where I saw this... Yep. Complete with Takoyaki: squid balls - how Japanese of them. But no. Not for myself. Just before I reached Playland. Here is the PNE EXPRESS train that travels in and around our green space, the Sanctuary. I'll be riding it another day. A Fairs-Eye view of the amphitheatre. And in front, the high dive water tank, for shows during the day. Good to see that Keepers Doll Factory haunt house will be open again. Along with Playland's Haunted Mansion, these are two pretty good haunt houses at The Fair. Here we are. Coaster in action. The Beast attacking Coaster. My first corn dog, of The Fair. What one can buy here at Coaster Dogs. What I got. A plain old corn dog, with a nice cold beer from one of the Drink Huts in Playland. And they were both great! After my little snack, I left the PNE through the Playland gate. Till Tuesday, then!

Terence Stamp, 87. RIP General Zod and Bernadette.

It's been pouring rain, all day today. Haven't had this much fall, in well over three weeks. Badly needed, as we have forest fires on our Vancouver Island, needing attention i.e. RAIN. Hopefully that`s happening now. But, I was planning to hit Playland, the very last day (i.e. today) of it`s current season. But a no go, from me. So here are the photos I took this past Wednesday at the park. Add to that a 'deal' they announced with Two-For-One admissions available. And at my arrival at the park, the ticket kiosks were already shut down, with the "Park Is Full" sign posted outside. It was very scarce with people out front, but once I got in side .... it was amazing how packed it was! The only ride I went on, the West Coast Wheel, took a half hour to board. Unheard of, in previous park visits! Pretty shocking, and I remember that PNE visitors to Playland don't have lineups like these. Anyway... Tomorrow is Opening Day of The Pacific National Exhibition (PNE to you and me). There's a small chance of rain, for a short period of time. Hopefully... It looked very non-busy in the entry plaza, and not seeing the "Park Full" signs there, too WTF??? And that family in the middle there, are at the end of the Swinger queue! Eep. Coaster was an immediate no-go, from where I saw it. Huge lineup for The Beast. I have no idea where the queue started! Whee. Noted. A look at how the new Amphitheater construction is going. Another view, from another angle. My one ride for the day, there. Wierd AtmosFEAR shot. Lineups everywhere! The Twins looking good, from here. PNE stuff popping up here and there. The big Sanctuary Park is behind all this. I still have no idea ..... A Coaster shot, with the single train in operation. (Sorry I might not be riding it, any more.) Even that kids' drop tower in back, had a huge lineup. I mean, really??? Enterprise UP! One more shot of it, for today. Bought the regular size popcorn. A dollar cheaper than large. And it fills the bucket with 'extra' to enjoy. Nice. I was not expecting this, at the Triple O's. Too - many - people. So I skipped this. And one last Coaster shot for today. Followed by a Starbucks visit, which was strangely empty compared to ...'that park'. <shudders> PNE OPENING DAY TOMORROW!!!

Boo to the Boo on the Boo.....Hill.

I hate to bring it up again, but ...... the food, the food.... The Food! What a wonderful set up of dishes they're offering. And THREE lobster tails??? :drool: Great tour of the ship.