Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Jokers

The first J word that popped into my mind for the A-Z challenge this month was Jelly. I didn’t think that made a great photography study, so I went with jokers, specifically those found in amusement parks.

Clowns at a local village fair
The entrance to Sydney's Luna Park
A closeup of the entrance to Melbourne's Luna Park

Do you enjoy amusement parks? If so, what’s your favourite ride or point of interest?


For more inspiration on the sights, smells, tastes etc of amusement parks, go here to the Bookshelf Muse.


Note: For the month of April during the A-Z Challenge I am pausing from my usual blogging theme of writing and social media tips. Instead I hope to share with you my photography. Much of it is inspired by the fabulous and helpful site, The Bookshelf Muse. Please check it out and enjoy.

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55 comments:

Nick Wilford said...

I wouldn't have minded a few yummy jelly photos!

These are good, though I am slightly freaked out by clowns! For me, theme parks are all about the kids. Last week, we were in Blackpool and went to Pleasure Beach, which has got a new "Nickelodeon Land" with lots of Spongebob-themed rides. The kids got to meet Spongebob and his friends, which thrilled them (me too, I have to admit!)

Melissa Sugar said...

I am a huge fan of the Bookshelf Muse & I use the site religiously when I a writing. I am so eager for their book to come out. Those girls are amazing and have contributed so much to writers searching for ways to show emotions and to describe settings, colors etc. That is one blog every writer should be familiar with.

I love amusement parks, but I was deathly afraid of clowns when I was a kid and I still find them eerily creepy.

Denise Covey said...

These are some great jokers. I love the Luna Park shots. I'm not a great fan of amusement parks but I loved to take the kids when they were smaller - Dreamworld near the Gold Coast was the favourite.

Denise

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

We were on the same wavelength as I went with jester.
Those jokers are almost creepy.
A simple ride for me at an amusement park. Loops and stuff make my head explode.

Mary@GigglesandGuns said...

ROLLER COASTER! Big ones. Small ones. With or without water.
Jokers and clowns creep me out.

Old Kitty said...

I used to go regularly to amusement parks when younger and my favourite would always be the ghost train and the bumper cars!!!

Yay! Take care
x

Jemi Fraser said...

I'm a total wimp with roller coasters! I do like the water rides usually though! :)

Kyra Lennon said...

I am definitely not an amusement park type! I love the atmosphere of them, but I would never go any of the rides!

Melissa said...

I was a reluctant roller coaster rider as a kid. Now I wouldn't go near one if you paid me. I did get talked into riding Greased Lightning before they tore Astroworld down (Houston). Strangely enough, the loop wasn't the worst part. Hanging at the top of the steep slope and plunging down toward the loop was. *shudder*

DEZMOND said...

I've never been to an amusement park but they do sound like huge fun!

Unknown said...

Great images. Jokers are a bit creepy and ominous.

Happy A to Z,
Lucy

Anonymous said...

When I was a kid I loved The Zipper. And that round spinning thing where the bottom dropped and you are pressed hard against the sides. Always seemed there was one kid who lost his dinner on that one.

Luanne G. Smith said...

Love those pictures. So colorful.

I used to work at an amusement park when I was a teenager. I like some of the rides, the ones that make you feel a few G's make me laugh, but the rollercoasters freak me out. I always feel like I'm going to fall out.

J.L. Campbell said...

Hi, Lynda:
We don't have many amusement parks in Jamaica and what there is, I haven't visited in a while. We used to have a Coney Island, which had great rides. Our clowns are usually of the live variety and some do face painting for kids.

Unknown said...

I have been to a few amusement parks and love them. Not so much the rides but the feel of fun. That does it for me. Disneyland has been my favourite so far.

Suze said...

Some of those images are a mite scary ...

And I like amusement parks quite a lot but get a bit edgy in crowds.

Donna K. Weaver said...

I always loved clowns/jokers as a child. Who would have thought they could become so ominous, yet I've met many people who were scared of them as children--and not because of creepy movies.

kjmckendry said...

Great photos! I was always creeped out by clowns but I love jokesters!

Unknown said...

Those grinning creatures used to terrify me when little, too.

Sarah Allen said...

I absolutely adore amusement parks, Disneyland being my cliche favorite. These are great photos, kinda creepy :)

Sarah Allen
(my creative writing blog)

Unknown said...

Amusement parks bring back floods of wonderful memories. Wonderful food, laughter and family time what is not to love!?

Madeline Mora-Summonte said...

Not big on roller coasters but I do like any of those rides that spin and twist. I also like the food - funnel cake, anyone? :)

Morgan said...

I LOVE amusement parks! Roller coasters, games, the whole scene ;)

And I'm loving your 999 number on your sidebar! :D

S. L. Hennessy said...

I like amusement parks, but the jokers kind of, uh, terrify me. Creepy.

Loree Huebner said...

I love the roller coasters at amusement parks. I'm a big kid at heart.

I don't like the joker faces...too creepy! eek!

Leovi said...

The truth is that I really like the theme parks.

Emily R. King said...

Watching The Dark Knight ruined Jokers for me forever. :) I do love a good amusement park. Riding roller coasters is a blast!

Rosalind Adam said...

You could have photographed wibbly wobbly jelly in different colours but I can see that jokers provide a better subject. As a kid I was scared of these type of jokers' faces. I loved amusement parks (don't frequent them these days!) and my favourite ride used to be the waltzers.
A to Z of Nostalgia

danneromero said...

nice photos..... and i am number 1000! NO JOKING! :D
thanks for stopping by and following my blog....

Tracy said...

I love the amusement parks...my favorite is watching the kids so happy! but I also like mild roller coasters; is there such a thing anymore?
:) love the J word-

Golden Eagle said...

Wow to that entrance--not sure I'd want to walk under that expression, though. LOL.

And congratulations on 1000 Followers! :)

Becca Puglisi said...

I agree. Jelly would not have been an exactly riveting subject, lol. I LOVE amusement parks. I grew up in Orlando and still live in Florida, so between Disney and Busch Gardens, I've been an avid park visitor. I had to take a couple of years off, what with being pregnant and hauling toddlers around, and when I finally was able to go to one last month, I learned that in the interim, my husband has lost his love for roller coasters. Not as much fun, riding them by myself, but I will totally do it anyway.

And thanks for The Bookshelf Muse shout out. If we missed any of the joker emphasis, you've definitely covered it here!

Becca @ The Bookshelf Muse

jp@A Green Ridge said...

Well, Lyn, jelly was such a good word...especially when it's my husband's black raspberry!..:)JP

Unknown said...

Ooo.. great word & great pictures! Popping by from A-Z
Glad I found your blog!

M Pax said...

Is Luna Park about the moon? There used to be an old amusement ride named that at Coney Island I think.

Jaycee DeLorenzo said...

Gah, Jokers creep me out almost as much as clowns!

Nas said...

Hi Lynda!

Great word for your J! Loved all the pictures and I love going to theme parks! Will be visiting DisneyLand in July!

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

They are lots of fun. I used to like the big rides, but in my old age I've slowed down and prefer rides that don't send my stomach to my knees ;)

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

yep, I'm not a fan of crowds either...especially the jostling type.

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

Ah, but that would require being organised and making that jelly. I'm not so organised lately ;)

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

woo hoo! Welcome and thanks so much for being my 1000th! How exciting!

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

There's a Coney Island section in Luna Park with slides, and other smaller rides and amusements. I have no idea about the history behind the Luna Park name. It's been there since I can remember. It closed for about ten years after a fire in the ghost train and then reopened again.

Bish Denham said...

I could see that big guy being terrifying to small children. I been to a few amusement parks. They're okay, but I can easily live without them.

Fairview said...

Those photos kind of give me the creeps. Like the clown from IT.

Liza said...

These are neat pictures...but remind me of the movie "Big" for some reason, which I loved, even though the carnival where Tom Hanks experienced magic was kind of creepy like these guys. Awesome colors though.

Theresa Milstein said...

As photos, these are a bit creepy. I used to work at a carnival part time for a couple of summers. We had the clown water balloon game. I do like to go sometimes.

Nate Wilson said...

In amusement parks, I prefer the coasters with the loops. (For clarification, that's coasters of both the roller and drink varieties.) But if you'll excuse me, I now have a hankering for some jelly. (And no, I'm not joking.)

Neurotic Workaholic said...

You take good pictures. The ones that I take always end up including my thumb at the edge of them. I like the snacks at amusement parks, like lemonade and cotton candy. But I don't like roller coasters because they're too fast and they make me nervous. Even just hearing other people scream when they're riding those roller coasters make me nervous.

Angela Ackerman said...

Amusement parks were a real treat when I was a kid. We didn't get to go often so when we did, it was really special.

Clowns still freak me out tho, lol....even the joker kind.

Thanks again for linking to so many of out setting posts! You are the best!!

Angela

Robert Guthrie said...

I remember as a kid not understanding where all the people in airports and amusement parks came from and why they were so loud and dressed in ways that I was coached not to.

Cynthia said...

What a fun idea for a post. When I was younger, I liked haunted houses and roller coasters. Now that I'm older, I go for the tamer stuff, like the tea cups and gentle water rides.

Sarah Tokeley said...

Those entrances are really creepy!

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

That's why I also like photoshop. I can crop out those thumbs from the images ;)

Betty Alark said...

Clowns are interesting! They do attract attention.

I enjoy going to fairs! The animals are my favorite attraction; and of course the food!

It's a great place to see some of what nature provides/flowers,etc.

Great way to spend a day!!


You have a great day, Lynda!

http://bettyalark.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

Jelly? I like jelly! : )

I haven't been to an amusement park in I don't know how long. I was never big on the rides. I did like playing some of the games. The pusher foot game was always fun.

Susanne
PUTTING WORDS DOWN ON PAPER