Bookends

When we drove home from Mammoth Mountain on Sunday, March 15th, 2020, I checked my work email and saw that we were being asked to start working from home starting on Monday, March 16th due to the pandemic. We were instructed to go to the office before then and take anything home that we needed for working remotely. I dutifully went to the office and took home my headset, external monitor, and other peripherals. Then, because it’s what we do, we went to dinner at Figueroa Mountain Brewery in Westlake Village, where we are are proud mug-carrying members. It was busy, and as we talked to the staff that night, there was a sense of “this was it” as rumor had it that California was about to close down due to the looming pandemic. While it was somber, we had no idea at that time how the next year+ would go.

15 months later, on June 15th, 2021, California lifted almost all of their coronavirus restrictions. Restaurants and bars could re-open without capacity restrictions. And vaccinated folks could go mask-free inside those spots. So on June 16th, 2021, it seemed appropriate that we take our usual seats and mugs at Fig for dinner. It was nice to be back at the bar.

This is not to say we didn’t do our share of patio dining during those 15 months. We did (Hi Cronies!). But these 2 bookends just seemed kind of appropriate.

4th of July at (Six Flags) Magic Mountain! Coasters! Coasters! Coasters! On Sunday! Sunday! Sunday!

We spent the 4th of July (at least the day time portion) at Magic Mountain and rode lots of coasters! Things were hectic in the morning, settled down with some reasonable lines in the late morning/early afternoon, and then things really picked up. Operations were much better compared to our May trip, with most restrictions lifted and increased capacity. A lot of coasters were running 3 trains, and the Gold Rusher crew wins crew of the day. It was our first ride on West Coast Racers, and I got my RMC fix on Twisted Colossus. We finished with an air conditioned lunch at the Full Throttle Sports Bar and then got out of there. The day's coaster count: 6. The Great American Revolution, West Coast Racers, Gold Rusher, Twisted Colossus, Goliath, and Scream.

Not a bad 4th at all. Enjoy!

Magic Mountain Mondays #10: Revolution

This photo is not Rev’s heyday. But it’s running like a champ these days.

In August of 1995, I took a bunch of photos (on film no less) at Six Flags Magic Mountain using an inexpensive camera. I was working as an Operations supervisor at the time, and the purpose of the project was to create a slide show for an employee appreciation party for our Operations staff. I’ve carted these slides around for over 25 years and I finally had them digitally transferred this year. About 2/3s of them aren’t available for posting because they are crew pictures and I have no way to request permission to post them. But I do have 50+ available that are just various shots of the park. Enjoy this time capsule from August 1995.

Magic Mountain Mondays #9: The (Mighty) Metro

The loss of The Metro still stings.

“I remember the letter wrinkled in my hand
”I’ll love you always” filled my eyes
I remember a night we walked along the Seine
Riding on the Metro”

In August of 1995, I took a bunch of photos (on film no less) at Six Flags Magic Mountain using an inexpensive camera. I was working as an Operations supervisor at the time, and the purpose of the project was to create a slide show for an employee appreciation party for our Operations staff. I’ve carted these slides around for over 25 years and I finally had them digitally transferred this year. About 2/3s of them aren’t available for posting because they are crew pictures and I have no way to request permission to post them. But I do have 50+ available that are just various shots of the park. Enjoy this time capsule from August 1995.