2009 Philadelphia Convention

National Carousel Association 2009 Convention Philadelphia

Margaret Franklin

There's No Place Like “Germantotto?” Tuesday, September 22nd, 11:45 am Thank Got the worst part of the journey is over. I basically breezed through customs today! The hardest part was using that touch-screen computer to print up my boarding pass. I always feel so rushed and confused. It's a good thing I wrote down the name and address of my hotel at the front of my book otherwise I'd be screwed, chewed and barbecued. In fact I ran out of room typing out the name of the hotel I was staying at and its location that I typed out “Germantotto” And, of course, when I was getting my bag checked, someone's baby would have to start screaming! UGH! X-# At least that's the only time. Other than that, it's been basically a quiet drama-free journey so far. A guy is talking on his cell phone to a Mrs. Hurd. When I heard that I did a double-take because “Hurd” happens to be my maiden name. It's probably spelt the “wrong” way. One thing that makes me glad to be married is not having to spell “Hurd” for people anymore. Usually they still don't listen anyway and write “Heard”, “Hurd” or even “Hurt” even though I'd stress “U as in Unicorn!” It's a dull, overcast day, but very warm. I've taken off my jacket and stuffed it into my backpack, which feels unusually light. I've got some very special reading material saved especially for this flight and very special music selected. After takeoff, I am switching on Ace Frehley's new solo album, “Anomaly” and reading the new “Archie Marries Veronica” comics I brought with me. These are the first two issues. They haven't even been out of their plastic yet. Janette's read hers already and has been good not to spoil it for me. Dave and I have usually gone out for supper the night before I leave for one of these trips but last night we had hot dogs in Pillsbury wrap with cheese instead. I slept remarkably well last night and was wide awake well before my alarm could go off. I immediately got up and stuffed my alarm clock into my suitcase along with The Cat and my lavender leopard pillow. Richard will be surprised to see that I brought him his Time Warner Tshirt that he left at my place last time he visited 13 years ago! I must have left the house shortly after 8:00. The cab brought me to the bus terminal just I time to catch the next bus to Yorkdale. While waiting for the airport bus, I had a great chat with a lady who was going to Edmonton. Arriving at the airport always tends to be a little discombobulating. Especially when the ticket said “Gate Q” and “Q” would have to be boarded off for construction. Fortunately, there was a board that told me to go to gate “G” instead. Another hour and a half until my plane takes off. I should probably find a washroom and a place to at least get a bottled water. I'll probably be quite ravenous when I arrive. It sure feels funny to be free from that big, heavy suitcase, I tell you what!

Almost 10:00 pm What a day this has been so far! Having a great time! My flight was relatively peaceful. I could not wait until I was on the plane to listen to my Ace Frehley CD. There were at least two screamers passing by while I waited in the departure lounge. I found it impossible to read and listen to “Anomaly” at the same time! The Space Man commands undivided attention!!!! I listened to the first two songs at least two or three times! They were awesome! And I read both my “Archie Marries Veronica” comics on the plane. By then I could relax and actually both read and listen to my CD at the same time and the flight went fast. Before I knew it, I was already I Philadelphia. I felt a little dizzy and lightheaded as I disembarked, and the walk to the baggage claim seemed to take forever. At least my suitcase was right there waiting for me. Ground transportation is always a little discombobulating. I always feel so confused and incoherent talking on the phone with the person and trying to understand them, especially with all the noise going on at the airport. Up until then I'd pretty much managed to zone out in auto-pilot mode as I call it. But I was so confused I asked the lady at the desk what gate I was at and the sign was right in front of me. The person on the phone said the shuttle would take about 20 minutes and I was given one of those vibrating light-up coasters that would tell me when my shuttle had arrived. Up until today I'd only ever seen them in restaurants to tell you when your table or food is ready. It seemed to take forever for the shuttle to arrive as I was getting quite hungry by then. I still had half a bag of licorice allsorts in my backpack left over from what I'd bought at the Toronto airport but I didn't feel like any more candy or junk. I'd had tomato juice on the plane along with this nice little bag of crunchy little treats called “Rocket Chips” (Appropriate munchies for listening to the Space Ace! LOL! Or should I say, “AWK!”) On our way up the hotel driveway, there was a bright orange plywood cutout carousel horse that boldly announced that I was in the right place, and yet another blue one as we moved in closer. When I checked in there was a bit of confusion because they were also expecting a “Gary Franklin”. They almost put us together in the same room because they thought he was my husband, but I assured them we were no relation to one another. The lady at the front desk, whose name was also “Margret” (notice the slightly different spelling) gave me my key card and a delicious chocolate chip cookie! After I registered for the convention and brought my stuff to my room I rested for a few minutes, took a quick look at the contents of my goodie bag and had a quick shower before changing into fresh clothes and going back downstairs. On my way downstairs I met Peggy, with whom I'd waited for our flights last year. I went to drop off the goodies I'd brought for the auction and raffle. I'd brought a gift basket containing a T-shirt, a doll, a teddy bear, 2 puppets (a clown and a cat) 2 carousel horse ornaments and two “Frequent Rider” passes. I also brought two embroidered pillows with

rainbow-maned horses on them and brown paper bags with colourful labels each containing a carousel horse ornament and a “Frequent Rider” pass. Then I made my way to the mall and quickly found the carousel. I was going to ride a horse but didn't trust the way that it was creaking, so I rode in the spinning tub while I filmed footage with my digital camera:

I then went to Sbarro's where I had the last slice of mushroom pizza. I'd never seen so many 'shrooms piled on one slice! It was awesome! Very garlicky, though. I thought of Janette and how garlic makes her feel sick. At least it will keep the vampires away, bla-bla! I'd just finished eating when Peggy caught up with me with Marguerite and a few other ladies. Since I'd already eaten I just sat with them and socialized while they ate and we chatted. We then went back to the carousel where we stood and watched it for quite some time. Soon, it was time to head back to the hotel. We called for a shuttle and waited at least 20 minutes for it. One of the ladies took pictures of the big, beautiful horse statues outside the Chinese restaurant. I wish I could have taken pictures too, but my battery was already dead! :( Anyway, back at the hotel we had a hospitality suite on the 6th floor where we could all socialize and enjoy refreshments> I probably should have brought my Autism Awareness carousel book. Oh well, more people can see it tomorrow night. I must make sure I don't forget anything when I leave this room tomorrow morning. I must say, I really like this big, comfy chair and matching footstool. Wednesday, September 23rd Here I am, on the bus riding back from Knoebel's Grove. It's been a great day so far. I had kind of a yucky night last night, though. Last night I thought I'd NEVER get to sleep and when I finally did, I had several nightmares. At least once or twice I dreamt my alarm didn't go off. To add insult to injury, the glowing digital clock read 7:60! Go figure! I also dreamt that my door wasn't locked and random strangers kept barging in, including a stark-naked toddler who peed on the rug and started crying when her mother tried to drag her away! Last, but not least, I dreamt I was wandering around outside, it was winter and a bunch of obnoxious teenagers in a van were following me around, yelling insults at me. I gave them the finger and

told them to f*** off, but of course, that made tings worse. I wonder if I was talking in my sleep. I was glad when it was finally time to get up so I made myself a “coffa cuppee” while I washed up, gathered my things into my suitcase and got dressed. Then I checked out of my own room. I was one of the first people in the dining room for breakfast so I sat with three other people. I enjoyed a good breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage and pancakes with coffee and orange juice. So I wouldn't be tempted by seconds, I left the table after I'd finished and sat in the lobby reading the second “Harry Potter” book until it was time to get on the bus. During the bus ride I snoozed for awhile and did some more reading. Eventually, we reached Millville and our eyes beheld the gorgeous Alan Herschell carousel there! Even the pavilion was beautifully painted with scenes of local landscapes! Before we could ride the carousel, we all had to sign an insurance waiver! There was coffee and donuts there, but I was a good smurf, I didn't have any. I wasn't hungry anyway as I'd already eaten the last of my licorice allsorts on the bus. Then it was almost time to ride the carousel, but not until the owner or whoever he was made a long speech and answered many questions. It was by that point I was feeling as restless as a fart in a bottle. By then I'd already taken several pictures. The horses were gorgeous and there were several Trojans.

These are my favorites, especially the golden palomino. As a matter of fact, that was everybody's favorite. I took a picture of my doll in that horse's saddle. In fact, several other people took pictures of her too. And then Eurla brought out the “Flat Stanley” her granddaughter made in kindergarten and took his picture on a horse so we each took a picture of them both together. I guess you could say “Flat Stanley” is the original travelling doll. We then took video footage of the carousel in motion:

After taking video footage of the carousel we all descended upon it like mad hornets! I ended up with a cute little white horse on the inside row. It was a delightful ride and I enjoyed waving to everyone, pretending I was the Queen of England. When the ride was over, I immediately got back in line and back on the carousel. Again, all that was left was an inside row horse, but since he was in the “Up” position, there was no possible way at all that I could climb up onto the saddle. All I could do was wait for the carousel to start so I could quickly swing myself up while the horse was down. There was time for one last ride and this time I ended up with a pale golden horse in the second row. Then it was time to get on the bus and head on over to Knoebel's Grove. When we got there I immediately saw two more interesting places to take pictures of my doll. One was a wooden train, the other was a planter that looked like a Ferris wheel. Below: (left)My doll on the Millville carousel (right) also with Flat Stanley

First things first. Time for lunch. We each got a generous half barbecued chicken, coleslaw, beans and a roll and for dessert there was one of those nice little cups of ice cream, half chocolate and half vanilla with one of those flat little wooden spoons. The tables were beautifully decorated with miniature carousels or Ferris wheels in the middle of shimmering floral arrangements. We also enjoyed music from a lady playing a hand-cranked organ. After lunch we made our way to Knoebel's Grande Carousel, the magnificent Kremer's mechanism with Carmel horses. It was one of the most gorgeous carousels I've ever seen! I took several pictures and filmed footage of the organ playing and the carousel in motion.

I was near the front of the line when the carousel slowed down so I chose a cream-coloured stander. This carousel had the ring game but no matter how I tried, I just couldn't reach. I felt scared that I'd fall off. Then it was time to see the other carousel, a one-of-a-kind two-row portable Stein and Goldstein. S & G are usually known for their gigantic park machines with horses that are almost life-sized.

I experienced a moment of panic when I realized my doll was missing! Fortunately there was a lady who found her at the last carousel where I accidentally left her after taking her picture. “She must have like it there! She didn't want to leave!” I joked. I enjoyed at least two or three rides on the nice little S & G before taking some pictures and I took some video footage while I was riding it. Before going to the gift shop I knew I wanted to take a picture of my doll with the colourful fiberglass clown so I got one of her sitting on his lap. And I had some taken of me sitting on his lap too, acting quite silly. I look terrible in these pictures so I won't post them! X-# The gift shop was amazing! It was also a museum. There were so many wonderful examples of carousel art, including a big, black Racing Derby horse! They also had this beautiful miniature carousel for sale. At the gift shop I bought myself several booklets of stickers. You can't have too many stickers! I like to decorate my parcels with them when people order stuff from me or when I mail Janette copies of my newsletters. I also bought my husband a colourful mug with pictures of all the rides! There was time for one more ride on the Grand Carousel and this time I caught four rings!! None of them were brass, though, but just the fact that I actually caught them amazed me. Trying to throw them into the lion's mouth was quite another story, though. Better All the Time! Thursday September 24th We arrived at the hotel around 5:30-ish last night. I am sitting at the table drinking Cherry

Coke at Arnold's while I write this. Richard hadn't checked in yet, so I sat I the lobby, reading one of my Archie comic digests. He showed up in about 15 or 20 minutes, so I checked in to pay for my half of the suite and we brought our stuff there. I gave Richard a “Canada” teddy bear I had made myself and the Time Warner cable T-shirt he had left at my place last time he visited in 1996. He returned “Trevor” one of the original Travelling Dolls. Then we went down to supper. Philly cheese steak. There was a choice of beef or chicken with or without peppers and onions. For dessert there was cheesecake and soft pretzels with hot mustard. Hot pretzels are one of those tings I can't resist so I must confess I kind of made a pig of myself. Never again! (Riiiiiiiiiiiight!) There was a lengthy slide presentation about the carousel at the Please Touch Museum and then there was a meeting in room 410 for anyone interested in helping out with the Merry-GoRoundup. So I attended the meeting where I shared my ideas about the Autism Awareness Carousel and proposed to submit an article. We had an intense discussion about what we hope to accomplish in our publication and how to generate awareness and attract new members. (So readers, howzabout taking me up on this here offer and joining the NCA, eh?) http://www.nca-usa.org/ I would have stayed for the whole thing but I found myself getting awfully hot and starting to feel tired. I was also concerned about my battery charger. When I got back to our hotel room, I had a cool shower, changed into my nightshirt and put a different dress on my doll. I had also discovered that my charger shuts off automatically when my battery is fully charged. When Richard returned, he hooked up the DVD player to the flat screen TV in the master bedroom so I could watch a couple of Rapid T. Rabbit episodes about Nunley's Carousel. The first episode showed old footage from when the carousel was still running in its previous location and footage of the dismantled horses being loaded into the truck to Ohio for restoration. There was also a short film called “Winky” about a magical carousel horse who takes his rider into the Old West to ride the Pony Express. The second episode was entirely about the grand re-opening of Nunley's in its new home on Museum Row. Soon it was time to pull out the couch for me to sleep on and I eventually drifted off. The next morning I awoke to the sound of my alarm and got dressed quickly. Richard heard my alarm clock too, but chose to sleep in a bit longer and catch up with me later. I enjoyed a good breakfast of scrambled eggs, this time made with cheese and veggies, the usual home fries, bacon and sausage and then read for awhile until it was time to board the bus. There were a lot of crickets chirping outside this morning.

Soon we were on the bus and on our way to Arnold's Family Fun Center. It is now 6:05 and at the moment I am writing this outside Shady Maple where we all just had supper. Anyway, backtracking to Arnold's Family Fun Centre. It was hidden in an industrial mall near this furniture store called “The Dump”. It was like the Bat Cave. Nothing on the outside to foretell any clues of the endless wonders to be found within. We were led up a huge flight of stairs and through room after room of so many amazing things! I took a picture of the dolls inside a small wooden stage coach ans then followed the group and took several videos of assorted player pianos and nickelodeons. There were endless dolls, toys and display items. I took so many pictures! There were more interesting places to photograph the dolls, including old Chuck E. Cheese animatrons no longer in use. There were three birds with hair like DooDoo the clown. “The Warblettes” Richard told me. I took a picture of them with the dolls each sitting on the arms of the bird in the middle and then I took one of them being held by “Helen Henny”.

I took several pictures of other dolls on display; at least two elegant Victorian ladies, but mostly clowns. I filmed a coin-operated puppet show similar to the one Janette and I saw at the shopping centre in Bowmanville over a decade ago. I took a picture of the dolls sharing a purple horse on a pedal-powered kiddie carousel. I also saw so many carousel band organs, displayed with various animated figures, many used in Christmas window displays. Perhaps my favorite things there were the life-sized animated clowns. One had hair like DooDoo's and the other was dressed in green and yellow. After we had seen everything we possibly could have seen, we headed downstairs and followed the tour guide through a long hallway, past several modern arcade games and bumper cars and there was a pretty little kids' carousel which we filmed as it spun and played music. When we went to a place where we could help ourselves to cold drinks and relax for awhile. I updated my journal. Soon it was time to get back on the bus to Hershey. We were told the history of the town along with being shown a DVD. Milton Hershey and his wife were unable to have any children

of their own so they adopted several boys. Soon they had homes and schools all over the place. The street lights in Hershey were made to look like giant Hershey's kisses.

11:07 pm. We just arrived back at the hotel about an hour ago. Anyway, I'd left off about when we we arrived in Hershey. The bus dropped us off in Chocolate World. The first thing I wanted to do was take the free ride on the Hershey's Chocolate Tour. It was kind of like “It's a Small World” only with singing cows. Their names were Gabby, Harmony and Olympia and they sang this catchy theme song about Hershey's Milk Chocolate while passengers toured through a simulation of the chocolate factory and listened to a commentary that explained how chocolate was made. Passengers got on and off via a revolving platform and I felt a little dizzy navigating my way back to the stairs. Near the end of

the ride they also take your picture, so I bought myself a copy. Then I went to the Hershey store where, as promised, I bought some goodies for my

husband. He asked me to find things that aren't usually available in Canada, so I bought him a tin of Milk Duds, a tin of Zero bars (the ones that are like white chocolate Mars bars, not the kind we have in Canada by the same name), a few Pay Day peanut bars and a bag of new cherry cordial flavoured Hershey's kisses. I also bought us each a pen that looks like a red Twizzler. Then it was time to grab some lunch so I had pepperoni pizza and a red Twizzler-flavoured slushie. I was having a good conversation with another bus tour but the awful music that was playing and the intermittent bleats of crying babies kept causing me to wince in pain so I was glad to get out of there when I finished eating. Our group then made our way to the Hershey park carousel. If I thought the Kremer's Grand

carousel yesterday at Knoebel's was beautiful, this one was even more spectacular! Each horse was beautiful enough to be a lead horse and several were decorated with flowers. I had so many favorites to choose from! I took so many pictures and footage while the carousel was in motion. Finally they let us on. I got the cute little white roach-maned horse in the third row.

Then I lined up for a second ride but it was already full again. This time Richard was riding a beautiful white horse. I filmed while he was riding and tried to take a still photograph of him before he got off. When I tried to get back in line this guy yelled at me and accused me of “running roughshod” over people. “I'm sorry, I didn't see you!” I said, feeling immediately irritated and defensive by his attitude. “Well, I was right behind you!” he snapped. “Well, I don't have eyes in the back of my head!” I sighed, exasperated. I made my way back on to the carousel and found myself a beautiful white outside-row stander with gorgeous flowers down her neck. One of the things I really liked about this carousel was that all these horses had nice long leather reins. There had been reins on the Millville carousel horses that I'd ridden yesterday, but they weren't long enough to grasp in one hand and loop over my thumb the way one would when doing real Western riding. I then had my third ride on a nice little cream-coloured jumper in the third row. “You're lucky! You're on the one that's different!” said the man on the horse next to me. He then showed me why. This was the only one with a closed mouth. There was time for one more ride before getting back on the bus so I also rode this other white horse with a black mane and tail and beautiful pastel trappings. This was the first horse on this trip I'd actually been able to hoist myself onto that was in the “up” position, so I was quite thrilled to make it into the saddle! We then made our way to the Shady Maple Buffet for supper. There was quite the crowd of us in the lobby for what seemed like an eternity and I basically had to zone out to keep my sanity. When I felt like I could barely last another second, they finally led us to the dining room. The buffet was huge, but I didn't waste too much time choosing a salubrious feast for myself. I just had the one plate with green beans, corn, roast beef, mashed potatoes and gravy and two “spicy bean poppers.” To drink, I had peach juice and for dessert I chose a piece of carrot cake. I excused myself early because I desperately needed some quiet time. So I sat on a bench outside and updated my journal, wondering where the bus and the rest of my group was. Fortunately we found each other and had to go through the gift shop on our way back to the bus. The gift shop was HUMOUNGOUS!!! One could spend an entire day browsing there, if not longer, if given the chance! We soon boarded the bus and took off to Pottstown where we saw the big building where a new carousel was being built. Actually it was PTC#9 being repopulated with new carvings by Ed Roth. A Stinson organ played wonderful music and I enjoyed sitting and listening. I bought myself a T-shirt to support their project and took pictures of the few animals they had there, rounding boards and three possible floor plans. I felt like a spy when I took those! We got back on the bus and zoomed on downtown where most of the horses, in various stages of completion were on display in a donated store-front facility. Besides horses, there were two more goats (I'd already seen the first one in the big building), two deer, two giraffes and a zebra as well as a St. Bernard dog.

It was all so wonderful and exciting! I even took a picture of the dolls sitting in the bright green saddle of one of the horses. However, I did find it kind of cramped and claustrophobic in such a small place with so many people and I was hot, sweaty and glad to get back outside. It didn't take long to get back to the hotel where I put my camera battery back in the charger to prepare me for another day of exciting action, changed my doll's dress and had a relaxing soak in the tub. Friday, September 25th, Here I am, sitting in the chariot of the Dentzel carousel at Weona Park in Pen Argyl as I write this entry. The platform rocks as people walk around, making me feel like I'm moving slowly backward. This morning we went to Dorney park to ride their Dentzel/Muller which used to be at Cedar Point. It was neat to have the experience of riding this carousel in both locations as I'd previously ridden it when it was at Cedar point back in 1991. The band organ played an interesting selection of modern music including “Under the Boardwalk”, “Please Mr. Postman” and “Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka-Dot Bikini”. I took several pictures of the horses, lion, tiger, deer and giraffe and filmed the carousel in motion and they let us take close-ups on the platform before we got to ride.

I chose a reddish-brown and white pinto horse. After each ride I'd get back in line for another! I must have had at least four rides altogether, one of them on my favorite white horse. I took a picture of the replica “Ghost” horse but didn't get a chance to ride it this time. I was basically content with whatever horse I rode this time. Then it was time to get back on the bus. We had a raffle and several items up for auction. I saw a C.W. Parker T-shirt in a dreamy shade of light blue that I just had to have and bid $20 on it. Nobody outbid me so the shirt was mine. That's my strategy. Place a high bid and hope nobody outbids me. That's how I got my Hallmark carousel back in 2005. Soon we were at Weona Park. I took some pictures of the assortment of animals on this Dentzel menagerie, filmed it in motion and then we were allowed to wander the platform to take close-up shots.

I got two interesting pictures of the dolls today. They were in the deer's antlers at Dorney park and on the giraffe's head, each between an ear and a horn at Weona Park. I've just had a nice lunch of BBQ pork on a bun and potato salad, and don't forget the PICKLED OKRA!! It was AWESOME! Last year in Little Rock we had it deep fried. Our bus captain was telling us that down in New Orleans, if you order a martini, instead of an olive they'll often give it to you with a pickled okra. There was also mini cream puffs and cheesecakes for dessert. All is relatively quiet here as I hang out in the chariot. Almost 4:00 We just had our tour of Henry Mercer's concrete castle at Fonthill. I would have enjoyed it more if I were by myself. I felt claustrophobic in so many small rooms with so many people so I was glad to get outside. I'm not the only one who opted out of the tour early. A few others were enjoying some quiet time outside. I skipped the Tile Factory tour in favor of sitting at the picnic table and reading the next Harry Potter book. I must say the Mercer castle did remind me very much of Hogwarts School of Wizardry and Witchcraft.

We were all on the bus early and had some snacks. I was thrilled to see that there were mini packs of red Twizzlers! And now we're on our way to Peddler's Village in Lahaska! 9:15 pm Peddler's Village was great! I don't know where the hour went but somehow there was only time for me to have three rides. At least they were all on my favorite animals. Ed Roth's carvings are incredible!! They are so authentic! And the carousel, which was a 3-row PTC frame, was populated with a pretty impressive assortment of horses and menagerie figures, mostly Dentzel style, but also several Illions-style jumpers. My first ride was on a gorgeous white Illions jumper with pastel trappings.

Then I was feeling hungry so I got an early supper of egg salad wraps, chocolate milk and a pretzel. They also gave me a complimentary bag of chips but I'm saving that for later. After I finished eating I had two more rides on the carousel. The armoured horse was beautiful but a prime example of how NOT to carve a carousel animal because of the way the

handle of the sword stuck out. First it was jabbing me in my leg, and when I got off, my pants, which were already ripped badly enough to begin with, got snagged on the sword handle and could have ripped a lot worse! That didn't stop me from going on one more ride though. This time I chose a Dentzel-style rooster. “I've got a chicken to ride, I've got a chicken to ride..” I sang, parodying the old Beatles classic. Then it was time to board the bus and it was off to Menlo Park in Perkasie where we rode a delightful Allan Herschell aluminum carousel similar to the one I enjoyed at Storybook Gardens in London, Ontario when I was a kid. This one had an exceptionally beautiful paint job as well, with flowers, landscapes, etc. on the horses' trappings. I had five rides on that carousel altogether, including one ride in the chariot. It was a fast, smooth ride.

Richard and I on the Perkasie carousel!

Saturday September 26th Well, this morning I finally had my “dip in ze puel” as I'd been wanting all this time but couldn't as we'd always have to be up so early every morning. It was one of those “Swim at your own risk, No Lifeguard on Duty” pools which is kind of disappointing because even though I had the pool to myself, it was kind of lonely to swimming without there at least being someone to share a cheery “Good morning” with. Back in Binghamton I would go swimming every moring and the lifeguards and I got to know each other a bit. I only stayed in the water for about 10 or 15 minutes. The chlorine was a bit too strong and it made my eyes hurt. At breakfast I sat with a lady who was involved with the carousel we had visited last night at Perkasie. We had a great chat. Soon it was time to get on the bus and soon we arrived at the Please Touch Museum. It was something like the Science Centre, but for much younger children. There was an elephant and the had of the Statue of Liberty, all made out of interesting pieces of junk such as broken toys, doll parts, etc. We made our way to the carousel. It was one of the most beautiful carousels I've ever seen, the famous Dentzel menagerie I'd heard so much about in shiny gold and soft pastel shades, mostly pinks, turquoise, peach and teal hues.

Left: Lead Horse, Fred Fried's personal favorite. Right: The famous “flirting” rabbit.

However the ride itself was kind of a disappointment. We were all required to wear seat belts despite the fact that they run this machine at an absolute CRAWL!!! The seatbelt just barely fit me despite the fact that I had it pulled out all the way. Go figure, this museum is basically for babies anyway, or at least children under seven, so they run it like a baby ride. No wonder so many uneducated people think carousels are baby rides. Anyone might think so if their carousel experience was something like this. I'm fortunate to have experienced some of the wildest, wickedest most bad-ass carousels imaginable! Just ask those of us who were on the Derby at Cedar Point back in May or on the “Over the Jumps” in Arkansas last year at this time! Even last night's ride on the aluminum Allan Herschell in Perkasie was tons wilder than this. But I did buy myself a couple nice things in the book shop. I got a Dentzel colouring book and a carousel horse carving book. I'd seen it advertised in the Trader and couldn't resist. The cover shows a very unusual horse with a face like a Looff and a mane like C.W Parker's Lillie Belle. I also enjoyed a rainbow sherbet Push-Up Pop in the cafeteria. I'd had an orange one last year at the Memphis Zoo. That's another treat I've never seen available in Canada. I felt a little self-conscious eating it though. They're kind of phallic looking (!!!!!) While I was there I had a total of three rides on the carousel; a small palomino thoroughbred jumper, the chariot and last, but not least, the famous “flirting” rabbit. This carousel has a rich and colourful history, being the fact that it was Fred Fried's favorite. He was the founder of the NCA and he even owned this carousel for awhile. It was at the Smithsonian for quite some time where it was displayed in bits and pieces and it was in storage for quite some time before they restored it. Once there was a time when they thought it couldn't be done. The wood had been sandblasted and therefore considered too dry and fragile to be of any use.

Our next destination was Soupy Island, a huge 4-row European Heyn carousel with outside row standers. It was in pretty sad condition, most of these horses seriously in need of paint, but at least half a dozen were repainted, including one in a mouth-watering shade of bubblegum pink! We were told that this was the “Barbie” horse.

Sadly, no convention is complete without tears of frustration somewhere. When it was time to ride, none of the vacant horses were in a “down” position and all of the outside row standers were at least six inches too tall to swing my leg onto. Most of these horses had stirrups, but they were the dangly kind and they were made for much smaller feet. The operator came around to try to help me by kneeling so I could step up onto his leg, but it just couldn't be done. I was too heavy. He didn't seem to think so but my footing felt too shaky. “I'm too fat for this ride!” I sobbed and sat dejectedly in the nearest chariot. Fortunately there was a nice low horse for me to climb onto for my second ride, but I didn't enjoy it very much because it was a rough, shaky ride and I felt like it was going to break. Then it was time for lunch. After I finished my sub and “Whoopee pie” that we were each given, I quietly went off by myself for about half an hour and read my “Harry Potter” book. At this point I pretty much felt all “carouselled-out”. Last, but not least, we had a guided tour of downtown Philadelphia. A lady in 1800's attire was our guide as we rode around the city. The bus stopped in front of the Museum of Art, where the famous scene from “Rocky” was filmed. There was a statue of Rocky and people were lining up to be photographed with him. There were also some young people with a big sign giving out Free Hugs.

We drove past Franklin Square Park where there was a relatively new fiberglass “Chance” carousel and we travelled past “Love” park where the famous “Love” statue is. I never knew there was such a thing until then but I remember back in the 70's when the logo was on Tshirts, etc. The artist made the “O” crooked on purpose because he says love is never perfect. He ought to know, he's been married four times. We were late getting back to the hotel because our bus was hung up in traffic. Once back to our suite I had trouble trying to figure out what to wear because I couldn't find my lilac T-shirt. I could have sworn I'd packed it. I put on my sheep T-shirt but thought it was starting to look a little shabby so I opted for my black top with colourful sequined appliqués. Unfortunately, I was way too hot in it and it made a ripping sound so it was back to the sheep after all. Here's some interesting news. Jim, our bus captain, is affiliated with the Berkshire, Massachusetts carousel. He's the gentleman who bought all 10 of the carousel horses I brought with me to the Sandusky convention back in May. And he's really interested in helping me with my carousel. Tuesday, September, 29th Finally! A chance to write about the rest of this trip. Anyway, I arrived downstairs at the banquet, but before going to sit down and eat, I had a look around at the Round-a-Bout Faire and to see the prizes available at the auction and Chinese Auction. I spent $20 on the Chinese Auction only to realize afterward that none of the prizes were things I really wanted all that much. I put most of my tickets toward a carousel throw blanket and the rest toward a carousel hole-puncher that creates carousel horse-shaped silhouettes out of paper and a white ceramic round thing with carousel animals. I suppose it could be used either as a bowl, candle-holder or planter. At Round-A-Bout Faire I bought myself a DVD about PTC#6 and a yard each of carousel fabric. I could kick myself for not buying more. One piece is red with tiny brown and white horses and the other is white with bigger horses that have blue, green and red manes and tails with ribbons and confetti. I also saw the ultimate kitsch lamp. It must have been from the 50's or early 60's. It had a tin roof and plastic horses in solid colours with cowboys and Indians on them. It was only $60 but a) that was nearly all the money I had left and b) Where would I put such a thing? Dinner was excellent. There was a salad bar where I chose greens with cherry tomatoes and chick peas. For vegetables there was broccoli with small slices of squash. We also had roast potatoes. Then for the main course there was salmon and/or roast beef. I chose the salmon. It was the most delicious fish I ever had! And I had a great conversation with the people sitting next to me. The man said he knew of somebody who had a carousel frame to donate, but when he spoke to him, he said he wanted to keep it within Pennsylvania. There was a variety of different cakes and cheesecakes for dessert. I chose a piece of chocolate cake. I could have chosen a second dessert if I wanted to but I refused. I've been having too much trouble climbing onto my carousel horses lately. They got through the Chinese Auction quickly and I won absolutely nothing. I didn't bid on any of the live or silent auction items either and only one person bid on my gift basket. I suppose I could have stuck around to socialize but I was getting kind of tired so I went back

to my room and got to bed early. I was already asleep for about half an hour when Richard came back and I was awakened by a loud BUMP against the wall behind me! I have no idea what it was but it sounded like somebody threw a sheep! Minus the “Baaaa”, of course. And all through the evening there was a lot of yelling and cheering going on because a bunch of people were watching a football game in the bar. I was pretty tired so I slept through most of it. The next morning at breakfast the buffet room was extremely noisy and crowded. It was enough to make me feel extremely agitated. Someone bumped me on my way back to my table and I gave a startled yelp. “Are you okay?” someone asked me. “I'm okay, just having an autistic moment.” I replied. I ended up sitting next to a couple of annoyingly neurotypical women who teased me about how if I think this is noisy I should have kids. “NO WAY!” I exclaimed. They were the type of NT's who seemed to laugh at everything I said and totally didn't “get” me. I could not enjoy my breakfast and left before I could finish it. When it was time for me to check out, Richard helped me with my suitcase and the shuttle bus was right there to take me and a few others to the airport. The shuttle bus picked up people at one or two other hotels before swinging back to ours again! WTF? Apparently there were some people who were late and missed it the first time. Well, they weren't late. The shuttle had been early. The airport was a confusing sensory nightmare! After going to security I was lost trying to find my way through the departure lounge and the stupid lady at the desk gave me the wrong directions! Even when she wrote everything down I could not find the place that she told me about because everything was blocked off due to construction and/or I was supposed to go left instead of right. I was finding myself on the verge of a meltdown. Fortunately, another lady who worked at the airport was very good about staying with me and showing me how to get to the right place, especially when I explained to her that I have autism. Unfortunately, it meant having to go through security AGAIN!!! Last year we had to take off our hats and shoes. This year we had to take off our jackets too! At this rate give it another 4 or 5 years and they'll make us go through there NAKED. If that ever really happens my days of airline travel are over!!! I even had a moment of panic because I thought I lost my jacket. When I finally reached the departure lounge, I desperately needed a bottled water. I was very sweaty and my mouth was dry. To add insult to injury, our flight was delayed nearly an hour and a half! The time we finally took off was around the time we normally would have landed! All through the flight, whenever the stupid bell rang it would startle me and make me yelp! I don't recall the bell being that loud and shrill on the previous flight getting there. And before we got off the plane I was thinking out loud for a moment and I overheard this lady behind me say “She talks to herself.” I felt like I'd been slapped in the face. I was honestly tempted to

turn around and say “Got a problem with that, bitch?” but I didn't. The baggage claim area was a zoo!!! Wall to wall screaming babies everywhere. I felt like I'd died and gone to hell! My suitcase would have to be the last one off the plane! Fortunately I managed to find another exit away from the rest of the crowd. Soon I found public transit and made a dash for the TTC bus. I noticed my backpack was open and the Harry Potter book I'd borrowed from Alan was missing! Fortunately, I found it at me feet. But when I got on the bus I had another moment of panic when I realized my jacket was missing! I got off the bus and saw something dark on the pavement in the not-too-distant distance. I was happy and relieved to discover that it was my jacket! I can't lose that! It's irreplaceable! This is my convention jacket with all the patches of all the places I've visited. I stuffed it back into my backpack and secured the blue plastic clips attached to the little stuffed “Tiggers” that keep my backpack from becoming unzipped. If only I'd already done that in the first place. The bus ride along Lawrence West seemed to take forever. At least my eyes lit up when I saw a CARNIVAL at the corner of Lawrence and Dufferin. It had a big, beautiful Allan Herschell aluminum carousel with a green-and-purple canopy. Finally, we arrived at the Lawrence West subway station. But when I was on the train I zoned out and missed my stop! I did not realize that Yorkdale was the next stop so I had to get off at Wilson and go back the one stop to Yorkdale. I had to carry my suitcase up this ridiculous flight of stairs to cross the bridge to the bus station. At least somebody helped me with the last third. When I bought my ticket, the lady at the window said that the next bus wasn't leaving until 7:40. That was over half an hour away! To add insult to injury, the women's washroom was closed for repairs! I refused to worry about what anyone else thought so I used the mens' room. The slob who'd used the toilet before me not only hadn't flushed, but spat upon the seat so I had to clean up after him before I used it. I headed toward the area where I was supposed to catch my bus and was surprised to see one there already. “The lady at the desk said there wouldn't be another one until 7:40!” I exclaimed. “I'll sue her.” joked the driver. He was really nice and went to put my suitcase in the storage area under the bus. It's a good thing the carousel convention wasn't the week before because the driver was telling us that he had the passenger from hell! There was this woman who was very disruptive and verbally abusive toward him and if that wasn't already bad enough, she started harassing the other passengers! I'm glad she wasn't on our bus or with the tired, cranky mood I was in there probably would have been a darned good cat fight!!!! The last thing I needed was someone to open a can of Whoop-Ass!!! It was bad enough that the woman sitting next to me was talking quite loudly on her cell phone all the way from Yorkdale to Pickering. I could still hear her over my Barenaked Ladies CD.

When the bus stopped in Pickering, the driver asked for a show of hands from anyone who had been on his bus last week during the crazy lady's rampage. So far nobody had been. If so, they would have had to give the driver their number so he could contact them as witnesses. As we finally neared the Oshawa Centre, I asked the driver if he could let me off near Pizza Pizza so I wouldn't have to take a taxi all the way back from the bus terminal. He cheerfully obliged and got my suitcase out for me and I made my way down Westmount Street. A bunch of barking dogs nearly scared the crap out of me but this time I got silly and started singing “Who Let the Dogs Out” at them. I stepped in something squishy and nearly slipped. Dog shit, go figure. Fortunately, the grass was wet so I could clean the sole of my shoe on that. The walk home along Westmount seemed to take forever! I could barely lift my suitcase up the steps. Dave was home and awake so I gave him a shout and he helped me carry my suitcase into the house and I gave him his candy. I hadn't eaten anything since breakfast so I was starving! Dave hadn't eaten yet either so I called Mr. Burger and ordered our usual. While we waited for them to deliver, we divided up some of the candy including the Milk Duds and we each had two Pay Day bars. Those are so good I wish I'd brought more! I had a great time at the convention, but I'm glad to be home. I may think I'm all “carouselledout”, but the carousel bug is already gnawing at me to go to next year's convention in Spokane, Washington. I especially want to see the carousel in Missoula, Montana. And I've been so inspired by so many interesting idea. I want the Autism Awareness carousel to have wooden steps beneath each horse, plus “stirrups” like the Racing Derby that are more like a ladder, with one rung on the left to place your left foot on while youclimb the three on your right. Besides offering an easier way to climb up, the wooden steps would also make a wonderful place to display the brass plaques that have the name of each animal and its

sponsor. And looking at this cool new pen that I bought at the Hershey store, I think it might be kind of a cute idea fore the horses to be on poles that look like giant Twizzlers. Epilogue: I have had to eliminate my YouTube hyperlinks and eliminate or reduce the size of several of these pictures in hopes of making it possible to upload this document onto Scribd after several failed attempts. If you want to see my videos on YouTube go to “louellasnugglebunny” or type in the names of some of the places I visited. The rest of my pictures can be seen in my FaceBook albums. Just add “Margaret Ann Franklin” as a friend. If my user picture shows me on a carousel horse you have no doubts that you've found the right person.