I arrived at Ranger Bar HQ Wednesday evening as a video game tournament was underway. Tron was already there, coming from New Orleans on Tuesday. I provided my Wii and put on Mario Kart (while Super Smash Bros Brawl, GoldenEye 007 and more Mario Kart would be played later on in the week). Afterwards, we had the "Master Vile's Villain Ball" and Batz made tacos.
Day 2
We headed out in the afternoon and dropped by the local hotspots for toys. Later that evening was a huge smokedown in which we were all inside for a couple hours with a fog machine, lots, and lots of water, along with the usual smoking activities.
Day 3
We had a remote control challenge and played a Power Rangers-style trivia game Batz put together. Kabuki Kelsey then drove us to Stonegate - a popular restaurant/bar in Tacoma that has live music. I joined the gang in doing shots for the first time since Ranger Bar's 4th of July 2014. It was pretty rad.
4th of July
Batz made hot dogs and setup a hall table with snacks and super punch. We had a fun game with toy weapons throughout the hallway. After it got dark, we headed out to a bridge not far. I had never seen so many fireworks go off over the skyline. They were everywhere!
Day 5
Tron had to leave early for a prior commitment and I ended up sleeping through the parade for Michael Pare. That evening was the "Fred Dryer Dinner" - a marathon of Hunter - my favorite 80's action police drama. It sort of felt like the annual Ranger Bar Fancy Dinner Dress Party as Batz served up mac n' cheese, soft pretzels, soft tacos, leftover goldfish crackers and garlic bread pizza - capped off with pie and ice cream. Afterwards I passed out harder than Thanksgiving night.
Day 6 / the Finale
Another pretty lazy afternoon as we waited for Kabuki Kelsey to pick us up for the "Island of Illusion" campout. It was a fun night roasting hot dogs, but the cooler washed away (Luckily, Batz retrieved it the following afternoon). Soon the wind started to pick up so we went back to Ranger Bar HQ, and I left Tacoma about 5:00.
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Looking back, things have sure changed for me in two years as Ranger Bar continues to evolve. This week saw the debut of "Late Night at the Ranger Bar" episode 3, while two years ago the Late Night web series was just an idea Batz had.
I look forward to seeing Ranger Bar continue to flourish with PMC5 coming up next year, as that in itself continues to expand each time. And I gotta say how good it feels to enjoy Power Rangers so much again (like the classic days) with Dino Charge here for another year and a half. Also check out my pics from the week.
