Tag Archives: Oscar Mayer Wienermobile

Pre-Labor Day Thursday Rundown

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With September here and school in session, autumn is in the air. So let’s go crazy with pumpkin-everything, okay? 😉 Actually, the weather will still be warm for the next month or so and Labor Day weekend is right around the corner, so by all means don’t give up on summer. But whether you prefer fall or summer, hopefully everyone prefers a Thursday Rundown. Let’s get started with tonight’s five topics…

Wienermobile Part III – This past weekend we saw the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile in-person. It traveled to Spokane Valley where it was parked on Sprague Avenue for the Cops & Kids event. It was Beau’s first time seeing it but Sloan experienced the euphoria of the Wienermobile twice before. Once at a Publix parking lot in Myrtle Beach in 2018 and then in a Fred Meyer parking lot in 2021. During the 2018 encounter we actually received free hot dogs. In 2021, Sid and Sloan were given hot dog cutouts to pose with. This past weekend, they were gifted Wienermobile whistles (that drove me absolutely crazy).

Sloan and Beau pose in front of the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile on Sprague in Spokane Valley during the 2026 Cops & Kids event.

Back To School Boards – Earlier this week in my back-to-school post, I shared a lot of photos from the big first day back for Sloan and Beau. However, I didn’t share their back-to-school boards. Well, tonight is the night. Let’s start first with the oldest…

Sloan holding her 2026-27 back-to-school board.

And here is Beau…

Beau holding his 2026-27 back-to-school board.

Burger King Mini Cones – In the past, I have argued that Burger King has surpassed McDonald’s as a better value. There is now yet another reason why that argument holds true. Burger King now gives all kids a free mini cone each visit. After losing his two front teeth, the soft serve was actually just what he needed when we visited our local BK this past weekend.

Beau with his mini cone from Burger King. Every child receives one for free if a purchase is made.

Happy 109th Birthday, Grandma – My maternal grandma, Virginia Fazzari, would have turned 109 today. Dang, that seems so old! But there is the other part of me that says people have lived to 120 years old so it wasn’t impossible (God willing) that my grandma could still be alive today. It is crazy to think of her meeting my wife and kids…they would have loved her. Instead, she died my freshman year of college at the age of 88. Although she was quiet, she still had a terrific sense of humor and served the Lord with complete devotion. On her 100th birthday, I wrote this blog post about her.

My grandma would have been 109 today.

Topic of the Day – This was the latest riveting “Topic of the Day” posted for the consideration of our University Relations office at EWU. When it comes to whether I would want to be a friend of an alien or ghost, I found myself torn. Of course many factors enter the equation. After much contemplating, I think I would befriend an alien first just because of what I could learn from it and the possible positive ramifications for mankind. I also believe that the chances are better that the alien would be nice (or maybe that’s because I recently watched “Project Hail Mary:”) as opposed to the ghost. Who would be your bestie…an alien or ghost?

This was one of our topics of the day this week. Thanks to senior designer Emily Ausere for thinking up the question and drawing the great display.

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Happy Labor Day weekend, everyone. Make sure to be safe and enjoy. Don’t Blink.

Wolves Thursday Rundown

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If April was nice, May has been gorgeous. We have enjoyed another perfect week here in our little corner of the world and I can’t but help feel appreciation as each day is noticeably longer than the previous. On that positive note, let’s begin the latest Thursday Rundown.

Gas Shortage – The Colonial Pipeline hack has impacted the Southeast by sending people to the pumps in a panic buying frenzy. Although the cyberattack certainly raised gas prices in the region, according to my father-in-law, the price per gallon is what it is currently here in Spokane…approximately $3. Recently I was waiting at a stop light and noticed the rates of gas on the digital board belonging to the convenience store out my passenger window. I assumed it was just too good to be true and kept driving once the light turned green.

I figured the store probably wouldn’t offer me this rate.

Wienermobile – Three years ago, the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile came to Myrtle Beach. Sid, Sloan, and I went out to our local Publix Supermarket to see it. We took photos, played with the cut outs, and ate free hot dogs. Last week, Sid and Sloan had the “rare” chance to see the vehicle again when it rolled into Spokane. The Wienermobile parked at our nearby Fred Meyer and Sidney and Sloan once again utilized the props and got their photo taken. No free hot dogs this time!

The top photo is from Sidney’s and Sloan’s visit to Fred Meyer in Spokane last week. The bottom photo is from our first encounter with the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile in 2018 in Myrtle Beach.

Blippi – The jaws of all toddlers and their parents dropped this past weekend when they tuned into YouTube for the latest Blippi episode only to be greeted by an…impostor! The dude who has always been Blippi since 2014 was no longer Blippi! Thank goodness Sloan, who is a diehard fan, wasn’t subjected to such a monstrosity! But breathe easy, little ones. The real Blippi will be back. It just turns out he was humble enough to let the actor who will star in the Blippi Broadway show—yes, there is a Blippi Broadway show—take part in one of the YouTube episodes. Considering many people thought the world was ending when the new actor was subbed in, I don’t know if it will happen again.

Who the heck is this???

Dances With Wolves – The movie I watched throughout this week was the 1990 classic “Dances With Wolves.” It was the first time I ever watched the film and I found myself impressed by the beauty with which it was shot along with the relationship development of Costner’s character and the Sioux tribe. Although it was a little strange to watch three seasons of “Yellowstone” and then see Kevin Costner play an entirely different character more than 30 years earlier, good acting is still good acting. I think the runtime of three hours is worth it and if you have Netflix you can watch it on there.

This movie is a masterpiece.

Urban Turkey – Now this isn’t nearly as cool as the porcupine I encountered in this exact same spot several months ago but I am running out of ideas for tonight’s fifth topic. The Spokane region, especially the specific area I live in, is home to a large population of urban turkeys. In fact, from time to time they will congregate in our backyard. This morning, however, on my way back from the gym I was forced to stop my car and ask Why did the turkey cross the road?

I encountered this turkey crossing the road this morning.

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I wish you the best this weekend. Let’s make sure to pray for the people in countries like India who are experiencing great suffering from the Coronavirus. Don’t Blink.

America Thursday Rundown

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Quick! What day is it?! If the Fourth of July holiday has you messed up, don’t feel bad! Because your trusty Don’t Blink blogger is just about to deliver his latest Thursday Rundown, you probably now have a good idea what day it is. Let’s get started…

Oscar Mayer Wienermobile – When I read in the newspaper that the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile was making a supermarket tour through Myrtle Beach, I knew we couldn’t miss it. The vehicle was in town at the end of last week and, lucky for me, CCU employees work only half days during the summer. So, that afternoon, Sid, Sloan, and I went to a Publix grocery store to visit the Wienermobile. It was quite exhilarating to see the iconic “hot dog on wheels” in person. We touched it and took photos with it. But the best part was what you can’t see in the photos. Off to the side of the Wienermobile was a food trailer giving away free Oscar Mayer hot dogs. Score!

On Friday, our family visited the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile.

Fourth of July Recap – We had a nice holiday! The three of us woke up early (when don’t we wake up early?) and ate breakfast at a diner right next to our house. We then hit up our neighborhood pool before it got too busy. Next we headed over to my sister-in-law’s neighborhood to watch a Fourth of July golf cart parade her family was participating in. We ate an all-American lunch (chicken sandwiches) and watched the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest. A little bit later we went swimming for the second time that day. After taking an hour or so to rest at our house, we went out on the boat with my in-laws to watch fireworks from the water. We anchored at Barefoot Landing and had an enjoyable time hanging out before the show started. When we walked through our front door to call it a day, it was a little past 11 p.m. ‘Merica.

We had a nice Fourth of July. We ended the holiday on the Intracoastal Waterway watching the Barefoot Landing fireworks.

Eating Breakfast – Of course I couldn’t mention that we went to a diner to eat breakfast without giving more details. After all, I am the blogger who believes that everyone should go out to breakfast every now and then. We went to the Early Riser Diner, a neighborhood restaurant located in a small strip mall not far from our house. Sidney had a Belgian waffle and Sloan had pancakes. I too had pancakes but did you think I would get them plain? I ordered the sweet potato pecan hotcakes and they were delicious.

We had a delicious breakfast at the Early Riser Diner on the Fourth of July.

Leftover Fireworks – On Fourth of July Eve, Sidney let me put on a fireworks show for our niece and nephew. My display attracted a lot of neighbor kids as well! I had a great time setting them off but because of bed times, I didn’t get to blow up my entire arsenal. I have some heavy artillery still left over. I am talking mortars and other powerful aerial fireworks. With us arriving home late last night, I didn’t have the opportunity to light them off. My question is this: How do you dispose of fireworks? I don’t want them around the house. I would rather give them away but if no one wants them, I need advice on how to properly toss them. Thanks.

Want some free fireworks? I did not finish the contents of this big box that we purchased over the weekend.

Taking Back My Words – Okay, I have to come clean. Last week, I sounded a bit irriatated when I mentioned that a Mr. Softee ice cream truck was cruising our neighborhood at 10 p.m. Let me take those hostile words back and say this: Mr. Softee is welcome in our neighborhood at any time! On Saturday, Sid and I bought a cone from the Mr. Softee truck and it was the best soft serve I have had in a long time. It was so good that I tried to hunt him down for another cone after he had left our street (no luck). If you haven’t had the pleasure, make sure to try Mr. Softee sooner rather than later.

Sidney with the Mr. Softee ice cream cone we shared on Saturday.

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For those who made this an extended Fourth of July weekend, I hope you are enjoying yourself. Thanks for reading my blog and God bless America. Don’t Blink.