32 ~ Friday, September 18, 1998 — North Shore News nother learning experience for THE good ole TNE. Home of fast- food gems: Curry-in-a-Hurry, Those Little Donuts and the Original Pogo hot-dog-on-a-stick. A place filled with hucksters, hawkers and the occasional hurler, where sunburned fairgoers dodge and compete for footing as they move on to the next amusement. The PNE. Soon to become one big demoli- tion derby itself and then reincarnated into utopian urban greenspace: a silent sanctuary bor- dered by the Trans-Canada highway and East Hastings. - I went to the PNE this summer as a “grown up.” At least that’s how it felt. A family outing with Dad and the o one-year-old as oP sed to visits previous when I was just dating Dad, or fore that when J was single, and before that, when I was, a a child, on the other end of the family outing equation. Well, we had a wonderful time — by that, I mean, it was way better than we expected. ‘Admission was reasonable and included tickets to Cirque Parasol. Before the show began, we had time to walk the length of the’midway and for Dad to win an eight-inch lime green ladybug thing for the little eeuy HOWE SOUNDINGS I was bracing for disaster at Cirque Parasol which, at 90 minutes long, was a huge stretch for a cite- year-old. But, with a why-nov-try attitude, we touk our seats with son in lap. Turns out the clowns, contortionists, bright lights, ard drums mesmer- ized him for most of the show. A major success. Walking the concourse under a full moon, we were in PNE-mode. I stopped to agonize over a choice of candy apple or cotton candy, ultimately settling on the caramel apple rolled in chopped peanuts. My rationale: at least I could share the teuit with - my son. My next “must-do” was to take my little guy on a ride. I had to fulfill this mental image of the two of us siniling and waving to Daddy from some cute kiddy amusement. Please let me interject here that 1 usually ‘resist imposing my “perfect family” visions on my son having learned the valuable parenting lesson that good times are more often the product of good timing than good intentions. It was already 8:30, but the kids’ rides were hopping, and we had trouble. finding any rides that I could fit on and that ~ baby would enjoy. In sact, we had trouble seeing the rides, the area was so thick with strollers and balloons, ours includ- ed: Panic was beginning to set-in as 1 saw baby’s cyes Jookiny, dangerously dr ; The mini- helicopter ride beckoned, but there was a 15- "7236 for information _Seaspan International Sept.:19:: Open: House. Celebrate, the:100th anniver- company -' ; facilities — an tug, visit: ‘ontrol centre and - Lynn Valley resident. 1:30 p.m. Build a Flume. Help recreate a part of history. _ Volunteers with some wood- working’ skills ar¢' needed in the Seymour-Demonstration Forest to build and recreate historic logging flume from:9'a.m. to.3 p.m. Call 987-1273 for information. North: Shore Heritage Home'and Garden Tour. : Sept..20: Tour nine of the North Shore’s most distinc- », tive hevitage.homes.and gar- 7 Heritage Harbor Tosrs.’ ‘Vancouver is the € nada and ts : of interesting facts about it on a free port tour..The ~ ship, Pride of Vancouver, will leave the dock at Waterfront Park: at Y2,:1, 2, and 3 p.m. for a 45-minute. tour. Advance tickets are available _ az the North Vancouver Museum. Some will also be _ available 45: minutes prior to each sailing. Maplewood Flats Conservation Are2, Sept. ” 20: Wild Bird. Trust of B.C. -will-lead mwo heritage nature ‘tours of Maplewood Flats at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. at 2645 Dollarton. Hwy. Call. 924- .. 2581- for’ more info.: ‘Lighthouse Park, Hut #2, » Sept. 26: Sk’witst. Naming Cerenicay. Squamish Nation elders will’ conduct a cere- mony to name the Lighthouse Park Hut #2, Sk’witsut — the Squamish ° name for Point Atkinson _ Event is free: 1:30 "Point Atkinson Lig house Tour. Don Graham, a former lighthouse. keeper, will con- duct a tour of the Point | Atkinson Light Station at 3:30 p.m. Space is limited: for this free event. Register at 925-7295. Lighthouse Park Nature Walk Narre - Walk conducted by Elaine Graham, a resident expert - on the flora and ‘fauna of minute line. He would surely be in full slumber by the time we reached the front! . I spotted a spinning strawberry ride that fooked innocent | cnough and took a seat. Each strawberry held about six peo- ple. Soor: we were flanked by four more kids. From the sounds of their excited words, I discovered that they knew how te make the strawberry spin even harder and were sct om doing so. Oh great. ne minute into the ride and I wanted i it to stop. If I turned my head left or right, up or down, F tele complete ver-" °° tigo. So, I just held my son’s head’ steady until i it was over. I! can’t say how he felt about the ride because, at, ‘the end, his” face was completely without expression. Waiting by the exit, Dad asked “How was in”. “Horrible,”. I said, but I knew that I would have felt worse if I had gone: * on no ride at all. Let’s call this one another learning. expeni- i. ence for Mom. We started our way back to the parkin lor, and baby fell | asleep on Dad’s shoulder before we w rere halfway there. We laid him in his stroller, stopped to listen to‘a band ‘and got ‘.’ our pictures drawn by a cancature artist. I’d:never done.t at before, and it was good for a final laugh before.we hoppe i the faithful minivan and called it a night. . : — Horseshoe Bay writer Julie Wright co column to This Week. c—) Space is limited for this free event. Register,at‘925-7295:. | 3:30 p.m.,: Mundy. Hut. Vancouver Televisio: : Gatercau. Be,a television: audience if you care, er, ‘dare. Weekdays 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Free. Henry . Winkler, Sept. 18. Jackie Chan, Sept. 23. Moxy Fruvous, Sept. 24... Reservations: 609-5721. Vancouver Art Gallery: Garage Sale. Frames logues, books, prints Frc - Te ei eon enunteaaseiict (donations gratefully accepted for the Harvest Project) for all courtesy BREAD GARDEN. ~ “Ghee - “Is This the Man?” t-shirt for lastest Stompé ‘Pree - Souvenir grape boxes for all Susipers Home improvement materials by ng