old dominion state of mind

Went to Lagoon amusement park on Thursday with Cameron and my eldest sister, niece, and nephew - funnel cake, french fries, skyride, ferris wheel, carousel, scrambler, the Samurai, the Wicked. With a side of Vitamin Water, decongestant, scattered t-storms. I love Lagoon most because it is the playland of Baby Cameron...somewhere in that scruffy grown man's eyes is the same little toddler who was just dying to ride the kiddie airplanes, and he comes out most vividly when we visit Lagoon. He still gets excited to eat junk food, ride roller coasters and carnival rides, and play (and win!) water-squirting, balloon-popping, basketball-shooting, duck-bobbing, knock-over-a-pile-of-milk-bottles-with-a-beanbag-ball type amusement park games. This makes him the perfect companion for state fairs, carnivals, water parks, and amusement parks of all varieties.

Of course, Lagoon will never come close in my estimation and adoration to my childhood playland, Kings Dominion, of Doswell, Virginia. There remains no more magical place in my eyes than the Hanna-Barbera land of my childhood and the Paramount park of my youth. Here, some nostalgia from the web (most of it before my birth, but it captures the mood I remember precisely:

Map of the park circa 1978, featuring "Candy Apple Grove" and "Happy Land of Hanna-Barbera"

Eiffel Tower/Hanna Barbera characters image from flickr user Mr. Flinstone

Yogi Bear's Cave image from flickr user nemo_434, who has a complete set of early 80s goodness
(also click here for a great 1981 park entrance shot and a set from Eric E Haas)

And some of my favorite shots from my most recent visit to Kings Dominion with Cameron and Melissa in the summer of 2007:

The classic Eiffel Tower shot

The Grizzly, rarrr

Melissa and I had this entire children's roller coaster train to ourselves...and barely fit in the seat

Scooby Doo, the Ghoster Coaster, still holdin' it down

Cameron's first ride on The Outer Limits: Flight of Fear. Classic.

The Avalanche

Cameron and Melissa on the front car of The Shockwave

Ah, nothing will ever mean summer quite like riding the Rebel Yell backwards, running past the Eiffel Tower to get one last ride on the Berserker before park close.