Angola, IN
When I was young, my parents would take my brother and I up to the upper peninsula of Michigan for a week-long fishing vacation. Without fail, there would always be a day that would be too hot, too cold, or a forecast full of rain. We would take this opportunity to go into town and go do something fun. Whether it was bowling, a movie, or just out for pizza, we would always get to go do something fun.
Whether it was at the bowling alley or the movie theatre, there was always a pinball machine available to play. My dad grew up playing pinball and it was something that we could do together. Fast forward about 5 years, my dad went in search of a pinball machine for the family to have at home. He wanted something family-friendly (ie no naked/scantily clad women), something relatively affordable, something fun, and something that would stand the test of time.
After a late night at the baseball field, we came home to a surprise. My dad had purchased a Time Machine pinball machine. We plugged it in and went wild. Over the next few months, every spare minute was spent downstairs in the basement playing pinball. It wasn't until I moved off to college that I really missed playing pinball. When I was dating my wife, every time we went bowling or to the movies, I had to play pinball.
Since then, I have introduced my whole family to pinball. My son plays pinball on the Xbox and loves it. And now, we own our first pinball: Bobby Orr Power Play from Bally. It has quickly become a fixture in our family fun time and lights up my son's eyes every time he sees it. Every once in a while, he'll go into the other room just to look at it. He'll come back and say "I just can't believe we have a pinball machine." I look forward to the years of family time revolving around this one machine.
