Back again, but never really gone.

I've been hooked on pinball since I was about 9 or 10.  I remember playing for the first time (don't remember the game, just playing) and absolutly loving it.  I'll never forget collecting soda (pop?) bottles at a nickle a piece refund to get enough money to play.  On time me and my friends found $2.00 worth of bottles; went right to the 7-11, cashed them in, each got a slurpee and the rest of the cash went into the pinball machine.  It was an El Dorado machine.  Great fun.  When I finally was old enough to drive and got use of a car, it was down Grand Prix, or the Castle for the larger arcades and of course every mall and bowling alley had at least a few.  I even got to run the arcade that was located in the mall on Oakland Park and Power Line roades.  Now it's a Lowes, but back in the day it was a great arcade and mall.  Good times!

Down the road a few decades, I finally got into buying/fixing/selling/keeping some pins.  One of the first I got working was a Bally Freedom.  I brought this machine and a "Super Star" to the first FLAPE at the college in south Florida.  Great time!  My son got his picture in the paper from that show - that was really cool for me.  My son (playing the Midevel Madness) and some pics from the first expo are below along with pics of my 1st two machines.

I finally got my favorite machine of all time a Paragon.  It needed lots of work, but I did get it running and played it a lot!!  Through the years I would own/fix/sell 4 others.  When I would bring them to the FLAPE's my son would question why I was playing it at the expo when I could play it at home.  Yea, that's how much I love that game.  After selling the last one I have regretted it ever since.  Well, the future is still ahead so I'm sure I'll get another one down the road!  :)

I did play a Hercules machine and it was pretty cool.  I had always wanted to go on the game show that featured the world's largest pinball machine as part of their show: The Magnificent Marble Machine.  I never did get there; oh, well!  maybe with the resurgencey of pinball they will bring the show back.  :)

Now that I'm up here in Georgia I was able to go to the Atlanta Southern-Fried Gaming Expo.  I was able to help with some of the set-up and met a lot of great folks!  I'm looking forward to attend a lot more!

I was part of the rpg group many years ago and enjoyed it; I'm looking forward to being part of pinside as well and I'm sure it will be just as great!

We'll be talkin'!!

Thanks!

David R. Mohr♫

www.singingdave.com