Last Day at Adventureland

Dawn and Makaela at the top of the Ferris wheel. (Sorry, Allison is on the same side as the cameraman!)

Bumper cars!

Apple Orchard

Our annual trek to an apple orchard in search for HoneyCrisp apples. We found some, but we had to hunt for them as we were a couple of weeks later than we should have been for that particular type of apple.

New Pachinko(s)

In late August, I decided to unbury my pachinko machine (that I got years ago for $80) which I had sitting in the back room of my basement. After getting it out and showing Makaela, I looked a little bit online about what the current pachinko machines were like. This started my path to replacing my pachinko with something newer.

Above is the Crazy Combat pachinko that I had sitting in my back room. It all worked great and the video screen was pretty cool. It was made around 1998 and I found out that the current machines have some really great themes. My plan: Sell the Crazy Combat and get a Star Wars themed machine instead. (Story continued below.)

Star Wars Pachinko with a moving R2D2, video clips form the movies, sounds from the movies, and the awesome "Lumina" frame that is really more than just blinking lights like the older models. This is what I really wanted to get, however, my Crazy Combat would no way bring in enough money to cover the cost of this machine. :(

Here is the Indiana Jones pachinko machine. Same great Lumina frame. This has more of a cartoon feel to the images, but still has movie clips and music in there.

And this is arguably marked as the "best" pachinko available for purchase today. It is called "Julie the Pinball." It is themed after a famous Japanese pop star from the 70's, 80's, 90's and is still popular over there today. This has some of the most interactive features of any pachinko I've seen. Oh, and it is in a Lumina frame!

Huh??????????

So what is the deal with all of these pachinkos, right? Well I found a collector who REALLY wanted my Crazy Combat to finish his collection. Long story short, I was able to get my old pachinko to him, and went home with a Lumina frame and all 3 "cells (actual game part of the pachinkos) for Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and Julie! It takes less than 3 minutes to swap between cells so that I can keep things mixed a little for variety. I've constructed a solid oak cabinet that can sit on a table or mount to the wall. It is rock solid and easily holds my 4000 pachinko balls. In January 2008 I added one of the famous DaveRob's dongles as well. It is a nice addition that I won't get into here.

Trip to Dubuque

Allison caught a big one at the River Museum!

A big fish caught Makaela though!

Great Grandpa talking to Lemondrop!

Allison Sings the National Anthem at the ICubs

Allison with Cubbie before the game!

Allison singing the National Anthem for her 4th time this season! Players, spectators, and staff all complimented her on her awesome job!

Allison had her own fan section including grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins, friends, family friends, oh and don't forget Mom, Dad, and Makaela!

Labor Day Talent Contest

Allison decided at the last minute that she wanted to compete in the talent contest in Pleasant Hill. She did great, even without practicing, however the winners this year were a couple of 9 year old cloggers. This is the contest that Allison won first place last year.