My emotional roller coaster

We went to Paramount's Kings Island today. It's THE amusement park around these parts. Think Disney World at one-tenth the size.
It was hot. There was too much sun and too little shade. The lines for the roller coasters were long. The food and drinks were too expensive.



This is the park's version of the Eiffel Tower. It is a one-third scale model of the real Eiffel Tower. And it makes a good landmark to find each other.
"Okay, kids! We will all meet at the Eiffel Tower at 3:00!"



And another happy family leaves King's Island with smiles on their faces and a spring in their step, and memories of their pleasant, relaxing visit. Don't they look effervescent?

More about rollercoasters:
When we got home, I checked the messages and there was one from Best Buy saying that my camera was ready.
WHOOT!
My mood went from dead-ass tired to elated.
I raced out to pick it up. And caressed it. And kissed it.



*******
The other message was from the lovely Mary at the Cape Harbor Inn.
That wonderful woman has a room for me. So I will be staying with everyone else after all!
WHOOT!
I came close to exploding into a million shiny pieces of happiness.
*****
To finish up, here's a picture that I took right before my camera died 3 weeks ago:

A juvenile Cooper's hawk was trying in vain to eat one of the many birds on my neighbor's feeders. It's both comical and sad to watch young raptors trying to hunt. They are not as graceful as their older relations. They are hungry and they haven't learned the art of waiting. After it had scared off all the songbirds, it ran around the yard like a chicken. Poor baby. Try my yard next...we have lots of house sparrows.