Playland!

  In Saturday’s adventure we were spun, launched, dropped, swung, and then spun some more. It was Leif’s work’s family event at Playland — the closest thing Vancouver has to Canada’s Wonderland or Six Flags or whatever. It’s small, but has a good selection of fun rides, and unlike others in town the rides are there permanently. I somehow trust things that stick around more than things that are disassembled every weekend and carted someplace new.

Even though it was Leif’s work thing, Leif couldn’t make it. He was playing golf all weekend in a tournament he’d been looking forward to all year. So that was okay! My dad and stepmom Janice are in town, and Kate’s mom agreed that Kate could come with us, so off we went, the five of us.

Dad and Janice aren’t big ride riders, but they did go on a few rides. Others, I went with the kids, or they went together.

The day was perfect – sunny and hot, perhaps even a little too hot for our sensitive Vancouver acclimated selves. Surprisingly, with the exception of Flume, the water-log splashy ride, the lineups were minimal. We rode, and rode, and rode, until I couldn’t handle another spin or drop.

The surprise of the day? The Hellavator. Last year Kate begged me until I rode it with her against my better judgement … and it turned out that I loved it. You get launched sky-high, then dropped almost as far, and I giggled with childish glee the whole time. But still, Cameron wouldn’t touch that one with a ten foot pole. This year he had talked himself into it. He looked quite pale as they lifted us into launch position, gripping the shoulder restraints with white knuckles and a determined look on his face. The waiting is the worst part, I reminded him. He looked so small in that big seat, far too small to be launched so high, maybe I made a mistake and whooooooooosh we went up. He came off the ride at the end (not too little after all) laughing and declaring it the best ride in all of playland.

Kate gets to go again this week with the daycamp she’s going to all summer, and it sounds like she’ll get to go on all the rides. Last year I think they were limited, but this year she got into the “all rides” group. Does this mean you’ll go on the upside-down roller coaster, I teased her? She’d flat-out refused, shaking her head frantically, any time it was suggested on the weekend. Thank whatever gods may be, because I don’t want to go on that, though I would’ve put on a brave face had they wanted to. At least, that’s what I tell myself. But tonight she bravely squared her shoulders and said that she would, if she had to.

I’m pretty impressed with both of these kids. It takes quite a bit of bravery to do things that scare you.