A Wild Moose Sighting! Saying Goodbye to Vancouver with a Jared hug.

You just wouldn't read about it. Talk about lucky! The first time Hazel and I went to Vancon, we rounded out the trip by watching shooting the night we flew out. This time around, to top off another awesome Vancon trip, Hazel and I rounded out our trip by seeing Jared at the airport!

So this is what happened.

We got to the airport a bit earlier than we needed to, because we'd run out of things to do...and money! We weren't boarding our flight until 11pm, so once we were all checked in, to kill time, we thought we'd sit in arrivals...for reasons.

We knew the boys would be coming back into town that night. We knew Jared was on already on his way from Texas. We'd seen his tweets. We thought he might have gone Austin/Dallas/YVR. We assumed Jensen would fly direct from LA. We saw a couple of flights on the board we thought may be their flights...maybe...so we sat and waited to see what happened, enjoying the free wifi and watching people meeting their loved ones. We had nothing better to do anyway.

I spied a guy I thought was one of the autograph hounds. He had a bag of stuff and a clipboard But we weren't sure. So we kept our eye on him.

The LA flight we'd been eyeing off came in first, though there were several that night. Suddenly we saw the possible autograph guy charge off outside, but we didn't see whomever he saw. I went looking for the guy, but he was back before I could even see where he went! If it was Jensen, we missed him. We shrugged it off. To be honest, and this sounds weird, we were sort of relieved! We were a bit freaked out about seeing Jensen and feeling all stalkery!

Anyhoo....we sat back and relaxed again. 

A while later the Dallas flight landed. We suddenly saw the girl who was with the autograph guy run outside, clip board in hand. I didn't see anyone, but Hazel thought she may have seen Jared in the distance. Tall guy, black beanie. I said I'd go investigate!

I walked outside and saw the girl up the path aways, near another door. It was like a back way out. I walked up to where she was and pretended to be looking for something else, while I was trying to see what she had out for signing, and then just like that...OUT WALKED JARED!!!

He went straight to the autograph girl said hi and signed. As he was signing, he looked up and saw me awkwardly standing nearby and looked helluva surprised! I waved and said, "Hi Jared".

He finished signing, came over to me and highfived me, then linking his fingers in mine and holding my hand goes "HEY GIRLFRIEND!!"

I explained I was at the airport because I was flying home in a bit (not just stalking him). He said "No way, you're only just heading home now?" (it was a week after the convention), I said "Yep" he said "Do you want my water?" and handed me a bottle of water! Looking a bit startled, I said "Um, sure, Thanks!" he said "You've got a long flight ahead, you're going to need water!" I said "I do and thanks!" I then said to him that Hazel was inside and he nodded, or he may have said something, I can't remember and then the autograph girl asked him about his arm and Jared pulled up his sleeve to show how skinny his injured arm was! Then Jared asked her about her dog (which was super cute and came out later with the autograph guy. Jared and I patted it). At this stage as he was chatting, I pulled my phone out of my bra (!!) and fumbly texted Hazel, HE'S HERE!!!!! I didn't know what else to do. I was just hoping she'd get it and bee line out! 

Jared turned to me and said he had to go as he had a 6.30am call. Just then I saw Hazel coming! I said "Oh here's Hazel!" Hazel waved from a distance. Jared saw her and turned to the autograph girl and said, "Can you take a photo with me and these guys?" Bless him! We didn't even need to ask! I probably wouldn't have even asked to be honest. But Jared, he just organised it! 

He went to take my phone from me to pass to the girl and I said it was broken, and he was all "It's broken?" and I said "The camera doesn't focus anymore!" and he's said "I fucking hate iPhones!!" 

I called out for Hazel to get her phone and she said she had it in her hand and Jared yelled out for her hurry, but all jokingly! Hazel got to us and and Jared said hi and then just pulled us both into him. The autograph girl took Hazel's phone and took a couple of photos! Some other dude took a photo of us too! Lord knows why, but okay. 

Jared kind of kept hanging on to us, like, tight (his back was nice and sweaty too)! Then he said he had to go, he had his car keys in his hand. But before he left he said something about iPhones again and then told us the AT&T story. He went into great detail (which I'm not going to share as he told us stuff that might be personal). In the end he had to stop himself as he was telling it because he was getting all riled up again! He's a fiery one! Then he said sorry, he had to go because of his early call. We thanked him for stopping to chat and Hazel said we'd see him Vegas. Jared said "In Vegas!" and blew us kisses!!!!! Then he told us to have a safe flight, to have some whiskey to help us sleep, lots of whiskey, and then he left! AND WE WALKED OFF ON CLOUD NINE!!

When I got off the plane in Sydney, I saw a photo of Jensen at YVR, basically standing exactly where we'd been sitting!!! He was with the other dude who took our photo. He came in after we left, but we couldn't wait for the next flight he may have been on because it was about 40 minutes after Jared's flight and we had to go through security for our flight. So we wouldn't have seen Jensen anyway.

But... WE GOT TO SEE JARED!

That was our wild Moose sighting!

(photo: Arthur Sacramento)

Retro Report - On Set: A Supernatural Miracle

In 2012, I went to VanCon. It was my first time in Vancouver and of course, being in Supernatural Mecca, my greatest hope was to see shooting. So often I had read of fans who had watched the guys shooting scenes at various locations in and around Vancouver. I wanted to see that so bad...so, so bad. It got to my last day and I'd had no luck...then, there was a miracle. A Supernatural miracle! This is the story of what followed. The episode was 8.05 "Blood Brother" - directed by Guy Bee and written by Ben Edlund.

~~~

On Set: A Supernatural Miracle. VanCon 2012

The one thing I was hoping for when going to VanCon was to see Supernatural filming. It was something I so desperately wanted. I wanted to see the boys at work. I wanted to see Jensen as Dean.

My friend, Hazel and I had got to our very last day in Vancouver and still no luck. Some of our friends had managed to find out where Supernatural had been shooting over a couple of days and had seen the crew at work, but unfortunately, not Hazel and I. We could only read about their experiences on twitter and wonder disappointingly, why we weren’t lucky enough to be there too.

It was Friday and Hazel and I were not flying out until 11.45pm that night, so we’d organised to spend the day with our Aussie friends, Kim and Amanda (AKA Encyclopedia Amandica) at Grouse Mountain. I really wanted to see the bears. Kim picked us up in the morning and we headed back to BigGerson’s, AKA Denny’s, for breakfast. We thought, last day, why not have breakfast somewhere iconic! While there we got the chance to go around the back of the motel next door, (which we’d missed out on last time we were there, because it was blocked off as a crime scene!), to re-enact the ridiculous fast walk past the motel window that Jared did in that gag take where he does the stretching (from 7.05). Yes…I power walked, arms flailing, like a nit-wit past the window Jensen had been sitting at, while Hazel took a photo. Ridiculous, but oh so funny! Then it was off to see the Grizzlies.

We spent a lovely morning at Grouse taking photos of the bears lumbering around, the wonderful view and the birds that would feature in the Raptor show. It was after lunch and we were sitting, waiting for the Raptor show to kick off when I got a message from a friend that she’d heard Supernatural may be at the same location as the day before, she wasn’t sure if the info was good or not, but she was passing it on just in case, as she knew how disappointed we’d been to have missed out earlier in the week. The four of us looked at each other and decided, Supernatural was way more important than a bunch of birds, so we headed off back down the mountain in nervous anticipation, to see what we could find.

We got to the location from the day before, but there was nothing and no one there and no sign that they would be returning. We tried a few different spots in the vicinity, but alas, still nothing. The mood in the car went from nervous silence, to sad silence. It seemed, it just wasn’t meant to be.

Then….. a Supernatural miracle happened.

While driving around and considering looking at some old locations, we literally stumbled across the crew at the 2400 Motel, a location previously used in “Born Under A Bad Sign”. Amanda, who had been to many VanCons and seen filming before, thought she recognised the trucks. So we parked the car and went to speak to the P.A. out the front of the location, who confirmed to us that it was indeed, Supernatural shooting there. My heart started racing! 

The P.A. was very nice and told us we were welcome to go and watch, there were already a few fans there and she pointed us in the direction of a grassy walkway in between the motel bungalows that would get us to the back of the set with out us being in the way.

Honestly, I couldn’t believe it!

We walked up the grassy hill and made our way to the car park at the rear of the motel….and were greeted with one of the most beautiful sights I've ever seen. A shiny black trunk, on a shiny black car, sitting there gleaming in the sun. We walked into the car park and the first thing we saw, was Baby. My heart leaped straight into of my mouth and my jaw dropped. Right there in front of me, windows open, casually parked, was the most important object in pretty much the whole Universe…the Impala.

We resisted the urge to run over and throw ourselves across her body and made our way up to where the other fans were standing. We knew a couple of them as VanCon goers, said hi and sussed out what was going on. Jared was shooting interior scenes, with a dog, in one of the motel rooms. They hadn’t seen much. Jensen would be on set later.

We had our own crew member standing with us, calling quiet on set, rolling and cut. We stood there for a while seeing basically nothing, but occasionally hearing Jared’s laughter peeling out from inside the motel room. Janice the P.A. who had been with Russ Hamilton on Monday’s Location Tour popped out and excitedly said hi to those of us that she recognised and a few crew members came over for a chat. It was a very sunny day, so we shuffled to another spot to get out of the sun. Hazel and I then went and spoke to the crew member that seemed to be keeping an eye on the Impala and asked if we could take some photos of her. He said, sure. So we went and grabbed some shots of the car and a guest from the motel, who was going back to his room, was nice enough to get a couple of shots of Hazel and I together with Baby behind us. We had a really good look in the window, being careful not to touch her and then went back to stand with the rest of the fans.

Hazel was just off to my right when I saw Jared come out of the motel room. I clicked my fingers at her urgently! She rushed over and we stood there trying not to gape as Jared chatted and laughed with Clif and Guy. To say he looked spectaculacular would be an understatement! And of course he was dressed as Sam…which kind of looks like how he normally dresses to be honest! But boy howdy, did he look beautiful! Then Johnny, his driver, whisked him away.

At that stage they set up for the turnaround, so we were moved to a different area to ensure we weren’t in shot. They set up some shrubbery and screens, lit the scene and then Jared must had come back, but unfortunately we didn’t see him again as by now he was out of sight.

It was about this time that it dawned on me, that Hazel and I were not going to get to see Jensen. They were set to break for lunch at 7pm. It was now around 5.30. The way the shots were going, I figured Jensen’s scenes would be after lunch, which I later got confirmed. Guy and Kevin Parks were discussing another shot out the front of another area of the motel, which I assumed would be the next set up. Just looking at the set up for the shot that Jared was currently shooting and then the shot change, I knew there was no way in the world they’d get another scene in before lunch (I work in TV, I know a little about this stuff). Devastation. So close and yet so far.

In actual fact, they broke early, at 6.30pm. Lunch was an hour. Hazel and I had a flight to catch. We went back to Kim’s car to grab our stuff and told Kim and Amanda we’d whizz into town and get our suitcases and come back to stash them in Kim’s car until we had to go to the airport. Somewhere inside us we knew there was little chance that this plan would work out.

It took too long to get a cab….we were running out of time. Luckily though the traffic was good and we got to our hotel more quickly than expected. On the way we’d decided we’d see if the hotel had a car service that could take us back to the 2400 Motel and wait for us. But the car service was finished for the day. It was while I was standing with the Concierge discussing options, that I got a text message from Amanda saying they wouldn’t be shooting Jensen’s scenes until after dark. Damn. I told the Concierge not to worry and went and broke the news to Hazel. We wouldn’t be going back. We wouldn’t be seeing Jensen. We jumped in a cab and instead, headed to the airport.

I couldn’t believe it. We’d been so close. We knew that in little while Jensen would be where we just were, shooting scenes. Our friends would get to see him working, but we wouldn’t. I’ll be honest with you, I might have cried. Hazel sat there patting me while I silently teared up in the back of the cab, behind my sunglasses. I really just couldn’t believe it. I was so happy we saw Jared and I was so happy we saw Baby…but I so wanted to see Jensen.

However, it seems angels were watching over us….but in a good way!

We had really great traffic and got to the airport in excellent time. There were no queues at the Air Canada desk and our check-in went smoothly. We were all sorted with boarding passes and whatnot and it was only about 8pm. Hazel looked at me and said, “We can go back, if you want to, we can go back.” I nearly ran over and hugged her…maybe I did, I can’t remember. We checked what was the latest time we’d have to be through security and it wasn’t until 10.30pm. We figured if we got back between 10 and 10.15pm we’d be golden! We practically sprinted downstairs and put our hand luggage in storage and then went out to grab a cab….but saw the car service first. By this stage I was committed (and probably should be) and didn’t care what I had to do to get back to the location. So we went and talked to one of the car service guys who agreed to take us to the motel, wait for us and then bring us back in time for our flight. He walked us over to a….STRETCH LIMO! We asked if he had another car! But he told us that was all he could do for the deal we’d worked out! We instructed him very sternly, that there was no way on God’s green earth we could be seen getting out of that car at the 2400 Motel! So he agreed, a tad confused, that he’d drop us down the street and wait for us away from the motel! It was one of those disco limos too! All weird flashing lighting in the back! Honestly, you have to laugh!

Are you still with me…or have you left because you’ve realised I’m a little insane?

We got back to the 2400 Motel about 8.45. We told the driver we’d be back around 9.30ish…don’t go anywhere! We headed back to the same, poor P.A. still out the front of the location; there were a few fans out on the street by now. We explained to the P.A. that we’d been there earlier in the day and that our friends were somewhere inside. She told us we could go around the back and showed us where to walk. We scurried over cables and shimmied between cars to arrive back at where we’d been some 2 hours earlier. Kim and Amanda shook their heads when they saw us. We told them we’d checked in to our flight and had a car waiting. I think they laughed at our tenacity. There were probably around 15 or so fans watching. Amanda and Kim kindly gave up their spots on the little wall for us. The same crew member was there calling quiet please. He flashed his little light on his head so we’d all be silent. Hazel and I held our breaths.

ACTION.

Jensen walks out of the motel room, closes the door, pulls out his cell phone and talks to someone as he walks around the Impala and rests against her.

Jensen as Dean. Jensen. As. Dean.

Happiness.

We watched Jensen do this scene numerous times and then do the same scene, but a tighter version. But what was really amazing, was in between takes, he didn’t go and hide, he didn’t go and sit in the crowd of crew, he didn’t go sit on his chair, he didn’t go back to the motel room, he sat on the Impala in plain sight of all the fans. He chatted to the crew. He did some kind of golf swing. He did some kind of fake shooting at something in the sky. He laughed and talked. He blew bubbles with his gum. He sat on the trunk of the Impala with his feet dangling over the edge while he played with his phone. Then….like some kind of fan-girl fantasy….he lay back across the trunk! Jensen, sprawled and lolling across the trunk of the Impala! I think every fan there watching, moaned! At one point he kind of commando rolled off and jumped up giving us a hearty wave. BLESS HIM. He was obviously in a great mood and we got to watch it all. Got to watch Jensen being Jensen and then putting on Dean. Got to see how his entire body changes, his stance, the way he moves. Even typing this now, I find it hard to believe.

At some point when he went back to the motel door, I realised Jared was there. So the scene involved Sam at the motel doorway, Dean coming out of the room and closing the door behind him, before making a call and resting on the Impala.

Time was ticking by. Our flight was getting closer and closer. We were just about to leave when Jensen and Jared walked out of the motel room together. The crew all milled around as they discussed the next shot. We then watched as Jensen and Jared rehearsed a scene over the roof of the Impala. We could hear Jensen…so there’s a bit of yelling involved. Also some pointing. We watched them rehearse the scene a few of times. The crew then started to set up for the change of shot. Hazel whispered for about the 10th time, “We really need to go.” We turned around and gave Kim and Amanda big hugs, they were such great company on our trip and I was so thrilled to share this night with them and just as we were leaving our other Aussie friends, known as The Posse, arrived. They were so excited to see me there! They were all… “But we thought you’d gone!” I explained that technically I have! They couldn’t have been happier for me that I got to see Jensen filming. I gave them all a squeeze…whispering to them to enjoy the night with “my boy” and Hazel and I took a deep breath, one last look at the Js and sprinted back to our LIMO, jumped in and hightailed it back to the airport. I may have cried again…but this time out of joy.

I had to leave before the night was done, but that was okay, because…. I saw Jensen being Dean. I saw Jared being Sam. I saw Guy Bee directing a Ben Edlund script. I saw Guy and Serge and Kevin working up shots. Jerry Wanek came and said goodbye and wished us all a good weekend. I got to have my photo taken with the Impala. And I saw Jensen and Jared work up a scene together. I saw them doing their jobs, putting on their characters. I saw Jared and Jensen being Sam and Dean. It was all I wanted, it was more than I could have hoped for. It was just simple dumb luck, but somehow, I felt like it was meant to be. I wasn’t meant to be at those other locations on those other days, because I was meant to see Jensen and Jared working together. To see Jensen hanging out and having a good time. To be able to have a really good look at Baby inside and out and have my photo taken with her. And to see Jensen and Jared doing a scene together, over the roof of the Impala. Iconic. It was unbelievable. It really was a Supernatural miracle.

Hazel and I got on our plane with a fifteen and a half hour flight ahead of us, grinning like idiots. I don’t think we could even process it. I don’t know that I’ve even processed it now. I still tear up a bit just thinking about it! I am rather emotional when it comes to Dean Winchester…

It made my holiday complete. VanCon was a brilliant experience and seeing the boys making the show I love more than I can put into words…well, saying it was the icing on the cake just doesn’t do it justice.

I managed to get a couple of shots. The crew were nice enough to let us get some photos in between takes, but it was very dark and so they aren’t very good…bit shaky and I didn't take many, because I wasn't comfortable doing it, but here are a few for you all to enjoy! (Please don't publish them anywhere else).

I also want to say how wonderful the crew were to all us fans. They were welcoming and friendly. There was never a moment when we felt we were intruding. Later, Jared, Guy and Kevin all tweeted thanking the fans who turned up at the 2400 for hanging out and supporting them. Classy. Classy bunch.

It was a crazy, crazy night....but oh so worth it!

~~~

So that's the story of how I got to see Jensen and Jared shooting a scene. Of course, it was the scene where Dean comes out of the motel room and talks to Benny on the phone. Then the scene where Sam follows Dean out and they have an argument over the Impala about Dean taking some time for personal business. I believe the scene Jared was shooting with the dog, was when Sam spoke to the young kid who ran the motel.

I'm going to VanCon this year! Of course, I hope like crazy that I get to see shooting again. But if I don't, I'll be cool with it, because though this was fleeting, it was a brilliant and crazy experience and it'd be hard to top!

Thanks for indulging my reminisces!

-sweetondean

J&J Panel photos from VanCon

Here are my panel shots from VanCon. I was row C but off to the side a bit (Jensen's side).
My camera is a Canon EOS 600D - with a 70 - 300 lens.
I used an ultra-fast memory card and was mostly set on creative auto - continuous shooting.
I didn't use a flash so as not to get red-eye, so some shots are not as sharp as I would like.
Also, this was only the 2nd time I used this set up....still learning.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy them. Some turned out awesome!

Bears and Mooses and Jensen, OH MY! Supernatural VanCon 2012 - Part 3

J-Day and Jensen’s Q&A….The Happiest Day Of Them All.

So Sunday arrived. It’d had been an awesome convention so far. I’d run into loads of people I’d met before, had a few nights out with fellow fans and generally had a blast.

I’d seen Steve Carlson for the first time and enjoyed him playing Jensen’s guitar! I’d seen Mark Pellegrino sing “Sweet Transvestite”, quite possibly one of the hottest things I’ve ever witnessed! I’d watched the wonderful Jim Beaver be a somewhat calming influence on the wonderfully kooky Misha Collins. I’d had a hilarious conversation with Richard about his porn-stache and what he calls “the ever evolving story” of my hair. Bless. It’d been a fabulous week leading up to the convention and a fabulous 2 days of the convention so far….but now….finally….it was J-Day!

As usual Hazel, my convention cohort, and I had the Jensen Q&A to look forward to. Ever since our first Q&A with Jensen in Chicago, we’ve vowed to always be there in that room with him for those magical 30 minutes…

But first up, it was breakfast with the boys and some photos!

I’m always shocked at how nervous I am on the Sunday. It didn’t help that I’d had some kind of allergic reaction to something and was covered in angry, swollen, blistering welts! They’d started coming up on Saturday and were in their full glory by Sunday. Itchy and MASSIVE and hot! Thankfully…most were coverable with a sleeve. I only had one of my forehead and I have a fringe so that was ok, but there was one threatening to take over my eye. Hazel gave me an antihistamine and I stashed my sunglasses in my bag, just in case by the time I saw the boys, I looked like some monster from one of their episodes! I covered it with make-up and said a silent prayer to the convention Gods that if I just left it be, it’d stay mostly invisible. Thankfully, it did!

Breakfast was, quite frankly, brunch! But I wasn’t complaining. Usually you have to get up at sparrows-fart for these things, but this time, it didn’t start until 10am with the boys not arriving until 11. My tummy was all over the place as usual…somersaulting here, back-flipping there…going for Olympic gold again. I wonder if there’s ever going to be a time where I’m not all nervous when I meet the Js? Probably not and I’m kind of glad about that.

We found our breakfast table over to the side and as far away from the stage as a side table could be. I have no idea how Creation do the layout. We had 3rd row seats and yet were at a table further away from the action than people we know who had seats a couple of rows behind us. It was still a good seat though. I could see clearly…and I was on Jensen’s side.

The boys arrived with little fanfare. Normally we get a 5-minute warning or something, but this time Adam introduced them and then they were there.

I don’t know what it is, but I always feel so damn good when I see Js! Endorphins maybe? Ok dumb statement there I know, we all feel good when we see them. But I feel like their presence washes over me. It’s like I exhale. I guess it’s all the excitement building and then finally seeing them. They’re just such a wonderful duo. I love watching them interact, I adore watching their friendship on display, I love how they concentrate on each other as the other speaks. They truly are each other’s biggest fans and supporters and it’s a thing of beauty to behold, as are both of them!

Of course, Jared instantly broke his microphone, causing Jensen to use his stern (read: smokin’ hot) voice. There were the usual shenanigans. Jared making a snowflake out of a napkin – it was an attempt by Jensen to keep Jared’s hands busy and away from the mic…Jared then wore it like some Jason Voorhees mask. Jared did the 50 States song…with encouragement from Jensen. When he got to Texas they turned to each other and said “Hi Y’all” with a hearty wave. Seriously, I’ve watched the video of that about 500 times since then and it still makes my face ache from smiling! Jensen talked about directing this season and how he was in the episode so much he found it very difficult to keep up with the work. They discussed learning and running their lines in the car on the way to set or location and consequently not knowing where anything is or how to get anywhere, because they’re never paying attention. I love how they laugh so easily at themselves. Jensen fiddled with his water bottle and somehow managed to pop the lid off across the room – I think it surprised him more than anyone else! He kind of looked around to see if anyone noticed! They chatted about the up coming season. Jensen said there’s been a lot of Dean so far and he wants us to make some noise to get more Sam so Jensen can have some time off! They said it balances out though, so we’re not to worry. They also discussed the Edlund script for episode 5 they were currently shooting – the one I watched them doing scenes for – and Jensen said it was his favourite of the season so far. Apparently episode 4 is a bit different, kind of in the vein of “Chronicle” and they really dug it. I love listening to them talk about the show, they’re always so passionate. They finish each other’s thoughts and look to each to other for affirmation. As usual, it was all over way too quickly.

Time for photos!

Jensen was up first. I got another fabulous cuddle. Gosh he’s so very nice to cuddle. This may sound weird, but he seemed more relaxed with me. Maybe it’s because I’m a little more relaxed and can speak to him a little bit more like a normal human being now! Only slightly though. It’s still sensory overload. I find it hard to look into his eyes for any length of time. That chick in “Tall Tales” was right…it’s like looking into the sun. He’s just blinding! He’s so damn lovely. I pretty much have no idea what goes on in the ops until I get my photos back! Then I’m like…hey, he’s resting his head on my head! He was resting his head on my head! Why didn’t I notice that at the time!? SENSORY OVERLOAD! He’s so polite and sweet and fun and gah! Sorry….remembering makes me all fan-girl!

Then it was the Js together. I have to say the photo with Hazel and I with the boys is one of my favourite photos ever. We all look totally comfortable, like a bunch of buddies hanging out…me particularly as I’m resting my head on Jensen’s back! For my shot with the Js, Jared asked what I wanted. I said, how about a hug? He said, “You can have anything you want beautiful.” I went, “Ohhhhhhhhh” blushed and turned to Jensen! Seriously. Jared is a flirty boy. I actually turned to Jensen for support I think! Ha! I got a “Beautiful” “Girlfriend” “Love” and “Sweetheart” from Jared on Sunday. I wish I could’ve recorded each one of them. My sandwich shot is HILARIOUS! I’m grimacing! I don’t know if they discussed this before hand, but they basically squeezed the crap out of everyone that day! All the breath left my body! I made an “Ooof” sound and went “Oh God!” Then my back cracked! When they released me…laughing, I looked at them and said “Good grief!” I then said “Wow thanks for that Jared, I think you put my spine back in place.” “You’re welcome sweetheart.” Amy dies. Then Jensen goes…”Pretty good huh? You get a photo and an adjustment all in one.” Amy dies again. I appear to be standing in the middle of the Js having some form of conversation! Well they were conversing….my brain was dribbling out of my ears. When I saw the photo, I’m totally and utterly pressed into Jensen. Like totally. His arms are all the way around me. My face shmooshed against his neck. My boobs are crushed against his chest! I wish I could go back and pay more attention! Jared’s arms are fully flexed and around me onto Jensen, his fingers are digging into Jensen’s back. That’s how tight they were squeezing me! Everyone came out of the photo room going “Oh my gosh, my back!” I think they must have planned it! Bless their squishy hug hearts!

Lastly, it was Jared’s solos. Hazel and I had to be up first for Jared’s op because we had to go to Jensen’s Q&A. More fabulous cuddles… This time it was…”What’re we doing girlfriend.” Well Jared, if you’d stop being so damn adorable for one moment maybe I’ll be able to get my brain into gear and answer you intelligently! At one point his collar was in my face and I kinda pulled back to try and get it out of the way and he said with a great big grin, "What's going on, do I smell bad or something?" and I said "Yes horrible." He laughed. I mumbled... "No you smell great as usual." I could feel him kind of chuckling in the hug. Somehow my photos with Jared are always amazing. I have no idea why.

Photos done! Boo. They’re way too quick!

Now it was time for what I’d been looking forward to all day, actually for about a month, ever since I won the auction. It was time Jensen’s Q&A.

Here’s a funny thing. From the night before I started saying to myself. I’m going to be front row; I’m going to be front row. Then…I think I’ll be in seat 3…seat 3…seat 3. So all the way down the escalators as we sprinted to the room for the Q&A, I was going 3, 3, 3 in my head. It’s a lucky dip for seating. I put my hand in. I pull out…..3! WEIRD! I am so doing that next time! In actual fact I sat in seat 9…because Hazel was in 10. Still front row, so 9 and I swapped seats so Hazel and I could sit together.

Then, we waited for the boy to arrive.

Jensen strode in. He strides. I totally love the way he walks. He has a certain gait. He’s kind of languid. Maybe it’s those legs! I’d recognise his walk anywhere. Jensen was in a great mood. He was very chirpy and a little cheeky. He seemed to be having a really fun day. He started off asking if anyone had embarrassed themselves at the convention. Somehow we got on to Russ Hamilton and Jensen made some comment about how Russ could be embarrassing at a coffee shop! I’d say that’s true! Then he asked us for questions, as we all know 30 minutes goes very quickly. I’ve said this before in past reports on Jensen’s Q&A; he gives you his full attention when you ask a question. He focuses on you, listens, thinks and then answers you without breaking eye contact. It’s like you have him all to yourself for that fleeting moment. He really gives you his time. If you’re anything like me…the room around dissolves and the only thing highlighted is Jensen. It’s like he glows. Maybe that’s just me…but I bet you anything it’s not.

He spoke again about how difficult his episode was to direct this season. There’s a lot of Dean and there were new guest stars who needed his director’s input, but he was also concentrating on finding Dean again and he found that balance very difficult to achieve. He spoke about how he found it difficult to go from the clear head of an actor to the busy mind of a director. It was a pretty long answer! He stopped after awhile and sort of apologised for taking so long to get to his point. As if any of us would mind. Hearing him speak about his work is a joy.

He discussed the fact that Jared and him had agreed to do season 9 and 10. He said the deal wasn’t officially done, but yeah there’d been the discussions and yes they’ve agreed to do it. Then he reminded us that it was up to us to keep them on the air that long, we’ve got to keep watching if we want them to be able to do those seasons 9 and 10. Um, I don’t think there’s much of a worry on that front Jensen!

He discussed his music. On Friday night Steve had told us the news that Jensen would be singing a song on Steve’s new covers album. He told us Jensen actually approached him and made the suggestion. They recorded the song in the ADR van on the “Supernatural” set and Jared shot a video for it on his iPhone! So Jensen talked about that project a little. He said he simply enjoys music as a way to relax and enjoys playing music at the end of his day. He doesn’t consider himself a musician. As someone who’s lucky enough to have heard him sing, I beg to differ. He is a musician. But he sure doesn’t think so.

Jensen talked about how he’s never been great at anything but he’s good at a lot of things. He talked about sports and how he was never the stand out star, was always good, just not great. He said he’s a good actor, but not a great one. He’s a very modest guy is Jensen. My friend Kim interjected at this stage and told him that yes he was great, then added with a smile…ok maybe there was one better than him. Kim’s a Jared girl! Jensen, as quick as a whip and deadpan, “Not on our show.” Oh, how we all laughed!

Hazel asked a question about whether he’d ever got any advice or learnt anything from a fan. We’d been discussing how being a fan of the show had opened us up to so much, introduced us to new music and all sorts of creativity. So we wondered if Jensen had ever had an experience with a fan that opened him up to something new, or that he took a lesson from. Thoughtful as always, he said he’d have to have a think about it if he was going to speak in specifics, but that he’s learnt a lot from the fans. Hazel said, “Like how crazy we are?” We all chuckled at ourselves. Jensen laughed too, “No…” Then he went on to discuss how much the fans bring to the show. That when they’re well into the season, exhausted, shooting at night, in the rain, having the fans and knowing the fans are out there reminds them of why they’re doing this crazy stuff, that it’s for us and that they’ll have stories to tell us. He said coming to the conventions allows them to put faces to the fans. At this, he looked from Hazel, to me, and then back to Hazel. Hazel and I discussed this comment later and the fact that he looked between us both. It felt like a quiet moment of recognition because we’re always together when we see Jensen.

Then my friend Amy, who was sitting behind me, asked how they learned all their lines. Jensen said it was pretty easy now, but I thought it was really interesting when he said once he had the lines in his head, getting on set made everything fall into place because then he has the spatial association and the lines take form within the action. I could sit and listen to him talk about acting all day. Actually I could sit and listen to him read the phone book quite frankly. His voice and the way he speaks with such consideration, is compelling.

Next it was my turn! As some of you may know, I work in TV in promos and sometimes it can be hard to keep the creative juices flowing doing the same thing day in day out. It’s easy to lose your mojo. I asked Jensen about whether there were any creative challenges to playing the same character for 8 seasons. Jensen did that laser vision thing on me. He said the difficulty was in keeping it fresh, keeping Dean fresh and making the dialogue and action seem fresh season after season and for each take. But he said they’re lucky, because they have great writers who are passionate about the show and their passion helps keep everyone else’s passion alive. He said that he thinks that it’s a really good show, so it hasn’t been that hard to play Dean for as long as he has. Then he said he’s playing Dean a little differently this season. We all gasped! He laughed and settled us down and told us not to worry, Dean won’t be that different, just a bit edgier. He reckons we’ll be able to pick it when he doesn’t do it that well. Bless. My question was answered; Jensen looked away….and….I breathed again.

Then the lone man in the group asked what Jensen’s next challenge was. Jensen put on that fake stern voice of his and said “Geeze isn’t that enough for you? What do you want me to sing and dance? Shine shoes?” We all giggled. I love it when Jensen pretends to be strict with the fans! He then went on to talk about how he’d like to get better at photography, but that these days he always forgets and leaves his good camera at home and takes shots on his iPhone. Which reminded him…. He hopped down off the chair, pulling his phone from his front pocket and showed us all a photo he’d just taken of the Impala. He walked around the group so we could all see it. Then he got down on his knees and showed us all how he took the shot, said he put an effect on it…he was a bit excited! It’s moments like this that make these Q&As so special. These small personal moments when Jensen takes the time to share something with us that no one else gets to see.

Then it was over. Damn. He thanked us. We all clapped and thanked him and Jensen strode from the room. As usual, Hazel and I sat for a moment absorbing what just happened. 30 minutes is nowhere near enough with this man, but I feel so blessed to have these fleeting moments with Jensen.

Of course next up was the panel with the Js. It was a really good one I thought, with not too many dumb questions. Some highlights were when Jared talked about Dean’s performance and then realised he said Dean instead of Jensen and ran around the stage in mock confusion. Jensen, quick as a whip “It was just that good.”

Jensen kept saying things that were just a little inappropriate. For once Jared was forced to take Jensen’s mic! When a girl came up dressed as pie and Jensen said “Yummmmmm…” Jared took his mic! At the end of the question, Jensen asked what kind of pie she was, she said cherry, Jensen said, “Yeah you are…” then offered his mic to Jared to take away! Like I said, he was in a cheeky mood!

They both told embarrassing stories about their wedding days. Jared’s was about wrestling on the floor at his buck’s party and cutting up his back. Then having to have his shirt pinned by his brother and Clif on his wedding day so he didn’t bleed all over it. Jensen’s was about his wedding photographer using the F word constantly and Jensen being worried for his grandmother (nawwww).

Jensen talked about his dad being in the episode that he directed and how his dad was worried about embarrassing his son and Jensen had to say, “Dad, get on a plane and get up here.” Stern voice again….

As usual, it was fun panel, which went way too fast. It ended in an auction for a gift pack from Jared’s 30th that Gen had made for him. The party was on a boat, so there was a towel and a life jacket with a beer opener attached! Jared said all the guests got one and Jensen pouted because he didn’t. Jared made excuses because Jensen was overseas at the time and then said, but all my family and friends got one and Jensen pouted again and Jared said “Except those that weren’t there”. Cuties.

The party pack went for $8,000. There was a hilarious moment when it was getting close to 8 grand when Jared said, “If we make it to 8,000 you’ll get Jensen too.” Nearly every hand in the auditorium shot up. Jensen completely lost it. Full-body-belly-laughter! You know the one that makes him bend backwards and then forwards and put his hands on his knees? He came back giggling going “All of a sudden, hundreds of hand shot up into the air!” Of course they did!

Jared was blown away but how much the auction went for. The money raised was for a war vets charity. Later Hazel and I witnessed Jared give the girl who won the auction the shirt off his back. Literally. He literally stood there, while we were waiting for our autographs and took his shirt off and put it around the girl’s shoulders. He was wearing a t-shirt under his shirt don’t worry. He later told Hazel he was “F***ing humbled” but the experience.

Then it was on to the autographs. Jensen commented on how well I’d cropped my photo I was getting signed! Too funny! I’d put 2 of my favourite Jensen and Jared hugs together! Clif said, “That’s your twitter picture isn’t it?” I said yes and Clif said, “See I know something” and Jensen said “Yeah, not much.” I thanked Jensen for another wonderful day and he said “Oh you’re so very welcome” and gave me a beautiful big smile.

Jared loved the photo too and commented on it. I also had a moose dressed in Sam clothes for him to sign, which he thought was pretty funny, even funnier when I told him I couldn’t find a moose big enough for the Sam outfit. Hazel and I gave Jared a Boba Fett M&M dispenser full of M&Ms to get him through the autograph session, which made him laugh. I wonder if it made it out of the auditorium….

And that was it. It was over. Over for another year. Over until VegasCon. We’d been planning VanCon for nearly 12 months and suddenly it was done. It felt so fast. Like it flashed by. But it was a wonderful. A wonderful convention with a wonderful cast and wonderful friends, culminating in the happiest day of all…… J-Day.

Well that’s it from me for now. Thank you for reading and joining me for my VanCon adventures! See you next time.
-Amy

J&J Breakfast panel photos from VanCon 2012

These are my photos for the Jensen and Jared Gold Breakfast panel at this year's Supernatural Vancouver convention.

Enjoy!

Bears and Mooses and Jensen, OH MY! Supernatural VanCon 2012 - Part 2

On Set - A Supernatural Miracle!

The one thing I was hoping for when going to VanCon was to see “Supernatural” filming. It was something I so desperately wanted. I wanted to see the boys at work. I wanted to see Jensen as Dean.

Hazel and I had got to our last day in Vancouver and still no luck. Some of our friends had managed to find out where “Supernatural” had been shooting over a couple of days and had seen the crew at work, but unfortunately, not Hazel and I. We could only read about their experiences on twitter and wonder disappointedly, why we weren’t lucky enough to be there too.

It was Friday and Hazel and I were not flying out until 11.45pm that night, so we’d organised to spend the day with Kim and Amanda (Encyclopaedia Amandica) at Grouse Mountain. I really wanted to see the bears. Kim picked us up in the morning and we headed back to BigGerson’s, AKA Denny’s, for breakfast. We also got the chance to go around the back of the motel next door, (which we’d missed out on last time we were there, because it was blocked off as a crime scene!), to re-enact the ridiculous fast walk past the motel window that Jared did in that gag take where he does the stretching. Yes…I power walked, arms flailing, like a nit-wit past the window Jensen had been sitting at, while Hazel took a photo. Ridiculous, but oh so funny! Then it was off to see the Grizzlies.

We spent a lovely morning at Grouse taking photos of the bears lumbering around, the wonderful view and the birds that would feature in the Raptor show. It was after lunch and we were sitting, waiting for the Raptor show to kick off when I got a message from a friend that she’d heard “Supernatural” may be at the same location as the day before, she wasn’t sure if the info was good or not, but she was passing it on just in case, as she knew how disappointed we’d been to have missed out earlier in the week. The four of us looked at each other and decided, “Supernatural” was way more important than a bunch of birds, so we headed off back down the mountain in nervous anticipation, to see what we could find.

We got to the location from the day before, but there was nothing and no one there and no sign that they would be returning. We tried a few different spots in the vicinity, but alas, still nothing. The mood in the car went from nervous silence, to sad silence. It seemed, it just wasn’t meant to be.

Then….. a “Supernatural” miracle happened.

While driving around and considering looking at some old locations, we literally stumbled across them at the 2400 Motel, a location previously used in “Born Under A Bad Sign”.

We parked the car and went to speak to the P.A. out the front of the location, who confirmed to us that it was indeed, “Supernatural” shooting there. My heart started racing! She was very nice and told us we were welcome to go and watch, there were already a few fans there and she pointed us in the direction of a grassy walkway in between the motel bungalows, that would get us to the back of the set with out us being in the way.

Honestly, I couldn’t believe it!

We walked up the grassy hill and made our way to the car park at the rear of the motel….and were greeted with one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen. A shiny black trunk, on a shiny black car, sitting there gleaming in the sun. We walked into the car park and the first thing we saw, was Baby. My heart leapt straight into of my mouth and my jaw dropped. Right there in front of me, windows open, casually parked, was the most important object in pretty much the whole Universe…the Impala.

We resisted the urge to run over and throw ourselves across her and made our way up to where the other fans were standing. We knew a couple of them as VanCon goers, said hi and sussed out what was going on. Jared was shooting interior scenes, with a dog, in one of the motel rooms. They hadn’t seen much. Jensen would be on set later.

We had our own crewmember standing with us, calling quiet on set, rolling and cut. We stood there for a while seeing basically nothing, but occasionally hearing Jared’s laughter peeling out from inside the motel room. Janice the P.A. who had been with Russ Hamilton on Monday’s Location Tour popped out and excitedly said hi to those of us that she recognised and a few crew members came over for a chat. It was a very sunny day, so we shuffled to another spot to get out of the sun. Hazel and I then went and spoke to the crewmember that seemed to be keeping an eye on the Impala and asked if we could take some photos of her. He said, sure. So we went and grabbed some shots of the car and a guest from the motel, who was going back to his room, was nice enough to get a couple of shots of Hazel and I together with Baby behind us. We had a really good look in the window, being careful not to touch her and then went back to stand with the rest of the fans.

Hazel was just off to my right when I saw Jared come out of the motel room. I clicked my fingers at her urgently! She rushed over and we stood there trying not to gape as Jared chatted and laughed with Clif and Guy. To say he looked spectaculacular would be an understatement! And of course he was dressed as Sam…which kind of looks like how he normally dresses to be honest! But boy howdy, did he look beautiful! Then Johnny, his driver, whisked him away.

At that stage they set up for the turnaround, so we were moved to a different area to ensure we weren’t in shot. They set up some shrubbery and screens, lit the scene and then Jared must had come back, but unfortunately we didn’t see him again as by now he was out of eyesight.

It was about this time that it dawned on me, that Hazel and I were not going to get to see Jensen. They were set to break for lunch at 7pm. It was now around 5.30. The way the shots were going, I figured Jensen’s scenes would be after lunch, which I later got confirmed. Guy and Kevin Parks were discussing another shot out the front of another area of the motel, which I assumed would be the next set up. Just looking at the set up for the shot that Jared was currently shooting and then the shot change, I knew there was no way in the world they’d get another scene in before lunch. Devastation. So close and yet so far.

In actual fact, they broke early, at 6.30pm. Lunch was an hour. Hazel and I had a flight to catch. We went back to Kim’s car to grab our stuff and told Kim and Amanda we’d whiz into town and get our suitcases and come back to stash them in Kim’s car until we had to get to the airport. Somewhere inside us we knew there was little chance that this plan would work out.

It took too long to get a cab….we were running out of time. Luckily though the traffic was good and we got to our hotel more quickly than expected. On the way we’d decided we’d see if the hotel had a car service that could take us back to the 2400 Motel and wait for us. But the car service was finished for the day. It was while I was standing with the Concierge discussing options, that I got a text message from Amanda saying they wouldn’t be shooting Jensen’s scenes until after dark. Damn. I told the Concierge not to worry and went and broke the news to Hazel. We wouldn’t be going back. We wouldn’t be seeing Jensen. We jumped in a cab and instead, headed to the airport.

I couldn’t believe it. We’d been so close. We knew that in little while Jensen would be where we just were, shooting scenes. Our friends would get to see him working, but we wouldn’t. I’ll be honest with you, I might have cried. Hazel sat there patting me on the back while I silently teared up in the back of the cab, behind my sunglasses. I really just couldn’t believe it. I was so happy we saw Jared and I was so happy we saw Baby…but I so wanted to see Jensen.

However, it seems Angels were watching over us….but in a good way!

We had really great traffic and got to the airport in excellent time. There were no queues at the Air Canada desk and our check-in went smoothly. We were all sorted with boarding passes and whatnot and it was only about 8pm. Hazel looked at me and said, “We can go back, if you want to, we can go back.” I nearly ran over and hugged her…maybe I did, I can’t remember. We checked what was the latest time we’d have to be through security and it wasn’t until 10.30pm. We figured if we got back between 10 and 10.15pm we’d be golden! We practically sprinted downstairs and put our hand luggage in storage and then went out to grab a cab….but saw the car service first. By this stage I was committed (and probably should be) and didn’t care what I had to do to get back to the location. So we went and talked to one of the car service guys who agreed to take us to the motel, wait for us and then bring us back in time for our flight. He walked us over to a….STRETCH LIMO! We asked if he had another car! But he told us that was all he could do for the deal we’d worked out! We instructed him very sternly, that there was no way on God’s green earth we could be seen getting out of that car at the 2400 Motel! So he agreed, a tad confused, that he’d drop us down the street and wait for us away from the motel! It was one of those disco limos too! All weird flashing lighting in the back! Honestly, you have to laugh!

Are you still with me…or have you left because you’ve realised I’m a little insane?

We got back to the 2400 Motel before 9. We told the driver we’d be back around 9.30ish…don’t go anywhere! We headed back to the same, poor P.A. still out the front of the location; there were a few fans out on the street by now. We explained to the P.A. that we’d been there earlier in the day and that our friends were somewhere inside. She told us we could go around the back and showed us where to walk. We scurried over cables and shimmied between cars to arrive back at where we’d been some 2 hours earlier. Kim and Amanda shook their heads when they saw us. We told them we’d checked in to our flight and had a car waiting. I think they laughed at our tenacity. There were probably around 15 or so fans watching. Amanda and Kim kindly gave up their spots on the little wall for us. The same crewmember was there calling quiet please. He flashed his little light on his head so we’d all be silent. Hazel and I held our breaths.

ACTION.

Jensen walks out of the motel room, closes the door, pulls out his cell phone and talks to someone as he walks around the Impala and rests against her.

Jensen as Dean. Jensen. As. Dean.

Happiness.

We watched Jensen do this scene numerous times and then do the same scene, but a tighter version. But what was really amazing, was in between takes, he didn’t go and hide, he didn’t go and sit in the crowd of crew, he didn’t go sit on his chair, he didn’t go back to the motel room, he sat on the Impala in plain sight of all the fans. He chatted to the crew. He did some kind of golf swing. He did some kind of fake shooting at something in the sky. He laughed and talked. He blew bubbles with his gum. He sat on the trunk of the Impala with his feet dangling over the edge while he played with his phone. Then….like some kind of fan-girl fantasy….he layback across the trunk! Jensen, sprawled and lolling across the trunk of the Impala! I think every fan there watching, moaned! At one point he kind of commando rolled off and jumped up giving us a hearty wave. BLESS HIM. He was obviously in a great mood and we got to watch it all. Got to watch Jensen being Jensen and then putting on Dean. Got to see how his entire body changes, his stance, the way he moves. Even typing this now, I find it hard to believe.

At some point when he went back to the motel door, I realised Jared was there. So the scene involved Sam at the motel doorway, Dean coming out of the room and closing the door behind him, before making a call and resting on the Impala.

Time was ticking by. Our flight was getting closer and closer. We were just about to leave when Jensen and Jared walked out of the motel room together. The crew all milled around as they discussed the next shot. We then watched as Jensen and Jared rehearsed a scene over the roof of the Impala. We could hear Jensen…so there’s a bit of yelling involved. Also some pointing. We watched them rehearse the scene a few of times. The crew then started to set up for the change of shot. Hazel whispered for about the 10th time, “We really need to go.” We turned around and gave Kim and Amanda big hugs, they were such great company on our trip and I was so thrilled to share this night with them and just as we were leaving our other Aussie friends, known as The Posse, arrived. They were so excited to see me there! They were all… “But we thought you’d gone!” I explained that technically I have! They couldn’t have been happier for me that I got to see Jensen filming. I gave them all a squeeze…whispering to them to enjoy the night with “my boy” and Hazel and I took a deep breath, one last look and I sprinted back to our LIMO, jumped in and hightailed it back to the airport. I may have cried again…but this time out of joy.

I had to leave before the night was done, but that was ok, because…. I saw Jensen being Dean. I saw Jared being Sam. I saw Guy Bee directing a Ben Edlund script. I saw Guy and Serge and Kevin working up shots. Jerry Wanek came and said goodbye and wished us all a good weekend. I got to have my photo taken with the Impala. And I saw Jensen and Jared work up a scene together.  I saw them doing their jobs, putting on their characters. I saw Jared and Jensen being Sam and Dean. It was all I wanted, it was more than I could have hoped for. It was just simple dumb luck, but somehow, I felt like it was meant to be. I wasn’t meant to be at those other locations on those other days, because I was meant to see Jensen and Jared working together. To see Jensen hanging out and having a good time. To be able to have a really good look at Baby inside and out and have my photo taken with her. And to see Jensen and Jared doing a scene together, over the roof of the Impala. It was unbelievable. It really was a “Supernatural” miracle.

Hazel and I got on our plane with a fifteen and a half hour flight ahead of us, grinning like idiots. I don’t think we could even process it. I don’t know that I’ve even processed it now. I still tear up a bit just thinking about it! I am rather emotional when it comes to Dean Winchester…

It made my holiday complete. VanCon was a brilliant experience and seeing the boys making the show I love more than I can put into words…well, saying it was the icing on the cake just doesn’t do it justice.

I managed to get a couple of shots. The crew were nice enough to let us get some photos in between takes, but it was very dark and so they aren’t very good…bit shaky and I didn't take many, because I wasn't comfortable doing it, but here are a few for you all to enjoy! (Please don't publish them anywhere else).

I also want to say how wonderful the crew were to all us fans. They were welcoming and friendly. There was never a moment when we felt we were intruding. Later, Jared, Guy and Kevin all tweeted thanking the fans who turned up at the 2400 for hanging out and supporting them. Classy. Classy bunch.

It was a crazy, crazy night....but oh so worth it!

Next up is my report on J day and the Jensen 1/2 hour Q&A session I was lucky enough to attend!

-Amy

Supernatural VanCon 2012 Part 1

Bears and Mooses and Jensen, OH MY! Supernatural VanCon 2012 - Part 1

“Supernatural” Immersion!

So this was my first VanCon. I’ve done a couple of LACons, a Chicago Con, and a couple of Aussie cons, but I’d never made the pilgrimage to where it all happens. I use the word pilgrimage because that’s what it was like for me…a journey to worship at the shrine of everything “Supernatural”!

It’s a 14-hour flight from Australia to Vancouver, and on this particular flight there were 8 “Supernatural” fans… 7 Aussies and 1 Kiwi… all heading towards the thing they love most! It was a pure coincidence that we all ended up on the same flight! As usual, I was travelling with my convention cohort Hazel. We’d booked our first lot of accommodation not at the convention hotel, because that’s kind of expensive, but a hotel that seemed to be close so we wouldn’t have far to travel when we moved to the Sheraton for VanCon. This was us in the taxi driving up Burrard Street…. “Hey, oh wow! There’s the Sheraton!!! Yay! Wait….why are we pulling in across the road? Wait…. WE ARE ACROSS THE ROAD?!” Yes, unknowingly, we booked the hotel directly across the road! The other exciting thing about this accidental hotel bookage was our room looked directly over the “Houses Of The Holy” church….right onto the steps where Sam and Dean stood. The “Supernatural” experience had well and truly kicked off!

The thing about being in Vancouver is you’re on high alert, constantly on high alert. The boys live here, the crew lives here, the show shoots here…everywhere you look is a past location, everywhere you look you’re hoping to see someone or something to do with the show. The other thing is, being convention week, there are fans everywhere…and that’s one of the best bits of the whole thing, catching up with other fans.

On our 1st day, we had our first “Supernatural” experience; we ate at the Guanaco Food Truck. Yum! Did you know there’s an iPhone app that tells you where all the food trucks around Vancouver are situated at any given time? We actually just came across the Guanaco Truck. We knew that they were often on the corner of Seymour and Robson, so we happened to be in that area and saw it. Like I said, yum! We sat on the steps of one of the University’s campuses and scoffed it while watching this huge Pickle mascot resting on a seat, trying to keep out of the sun. It was hot! Not something you see everyday…a big pickle, just hanging out! That night we caught up with fellow Aussie fan, Amy (different Amy to me, obviously) and had a few drinks and chatted about the coming weekend and how excited we all were!

Guanaco food!

On our 2nd day, Hazel and I got some new tatts. Yes, we always get new tatts to mark each convention. This time around we both got 2, but one of them is secret squirrel….a girl’s gotta have some secrets! My main one, though, is definitely "Supernatural inspired." It was designed by my friend Stars, a fellow fan who for the last couple of years has co-hosted the Crossroads Podcast. So, not only is it special because it represents my love of the show, but it also represents the fandom and was created by a pal and fellow fangirl…special all around! That night, we caught up with more Aussie fans, Shelley and Scott. I’d met Shelley and Scott in May at All Hell Breaks Loose 3, but this was their first Creation con.

New Tattoo

On our 3rd day, we’d arranged to have dinner with another couple of Aussie fans and friends, Kim and Amanda, at The Old Spaghetti Factory in Gastown. We headed into Gastown early to check out the sights and grab some lunch at The Steamworks…where we ran into Shelley again! Then when we left The Steamworks, we walked straight into Kim! Ok… I need to say that Vancouver is a big city, so this was all kind of weird! Anyway, the three of us then spent the afternoon checking out the area before meeting up with Amanda for dinner. Now, you need to know something about Amanda; this was her fourth VanCon and she is the fount of all things "Supernatural" locations! I’m pretty damn good on the show, the mythology, the titles and even the actors, but Amanda knows where everything was shot! Everything! She’s put together the most amazing catalogue of locations, maps and images…. We now call her Encyclopaedia Amandica!

On our 4th day, we had a special set visit to “Arrow”. I’m a promo producer, well, head of a promo team, in Australia, and the network I work for will be showing "Arrow" later this year, so they teed up a set visit for me via Warner Brothers. Yes, I did try for “Supernatural,” but the set was closed to visits during the dates I’m in Vancouver…I can only assume because of VanCon. Anyway, Hazel and I spent about 4.5 hours out at the “Arrow” studios, getting a guided tour of some of the 8 standing sets, and watching Stephen Amell shoot various scenes. We also got introduced to Stephen and had a great chat to him. He’s a lovely guy and very, very pretty! He’s also super excited about the show, as were all of the crew I managed to speak with. They were a lovely bunch…but then, TV people generally are. It was a fantastic day…and I’d tell you more about it, but I’m not allowed! Sorry…. Afterwards we met up with a whole lot of fellow fans, some old friends and some new friends, for dinner and drinks at a the Fountainhead pub the location of the “No, I'm Mulder. You're a red-headed woman” scene from “The Usual Suspects”.

On our 5th day, we took a Supernatural road trip! ROAD TRIP! Hazel, me, Shelley and Scott all hired a car and Kim and Amanda had Kim’s hire car and we formed a convoy to head to Whistler….via some locations! First stop was just out of Squamish at the mine that featured in the season 3 "X-Files" episode “Paper Clip”…we’re "X-Files" fans too, but most importantly….this is also the location which has the General Store from “Wishful Thinking”. We got to see the bridge that the boys walk over, where the suicidal, girl-drink-drunk teddy smashed through the rear entrance of the store and the store itself, where the boys sat outside and pondered what on earth has huge feet, drinks girly booze and likes porn? We went in the store too, where the owner was pretty blasé about us taking photos of his booze shelf!

“Wishful Thinking”

Next stop was Squamish proper, with more “Wishful Thinking” locations. The martial arts gym that doubled as the Chinese restaurant, the pier where Sam and Dean identified themselves as FBI agents, the path where Dean yelled out “Run, Forrest, run” and the steps where Dean lamented over not being able to save naked chicks! Yes…I did sit on the step and have my photo taken. Then it was off to Whistler….except we got side tracked!

“Wishful Thinking”

So we’re whizzing along the highway, just outside of Squamish, looking at the pretty views. I was driving (wrong side of the car, wrong side of the road!), following Kim, when she suddenly turned off down a side street. At first we were confused, until we saw a filming sign! Kim pulled over and I pulled along side and we looked at each other shrugged and everyone agreed we’d be crazy not to investigate. So we drove…and drove…and drove…and drove… down some back-road in Vancouver…and drove…and drove…then we drove some more! It was a long road! Finally we came across the film crew…which was nothing and no-one we recognised, (mass booooooo) but what we did discover was a fantastic view of a snow-capped mountain with a glacier, very beautiful, and a lovely glacial river. So all was not for naught, we got some pretty photos! Then….finally….we went on to Whistler!

After Whistler, we had one more location stop on the way home, Shannon Falls, where they shot “Wendigo”. There was much joking about disappearing into the woods, not answering if someone yelled for help, did anyone bring the peanut M&Ms, oh, sweetheart, I don’t do shorts…you get the picture. It’s super pretty there but a bit creepy! It was the last part of a brilliant day!

“Wendigo”

On our 6th day; oh, our 6th day was soooo much fun! It was a great big “Supernatural” Day! Kim picked up me and Hazel and Encyclopaedia Amandica, and we hit the road to spend the day looking at past locations. Encyclopaedia Amandica had her trusty "Supernatural" locations folder and led us on a grand adventure! First stop was the Denny's that doubled as BigGerson's in “Bad Day At Black Rock”.

“Bad Day At Black Rock”

At first we didn't get THE booth, it was free but they said no when we requested it and sat us somewhere else. But when we sneakily ran down to take a quick snap shot at it, the manager succumbed to our fan-girl persuasions and gave in to us! So we sat and had breakfast at Sam and Dean’s booth! I sat in Dean’s seat….of course….my excuse was, I’m the one with the freckles! We went outside and took some goofy photos with Hazel pretending to fall over and me telling her she sucked. We then wandered the area looking at a few different sites, including the hotel where Dean dropped Sam before driving off and killing Amy and the hotel from “Party On, Garth” where Bobby reappears.

After that, it was a visit to the dam and the bridge that featured in “Simon Said”, before heading to “Asylum” and Riverview. It’s open, so you can drive through there, but you aren’t supposed to take photos, not that there are any signs or anything. But when we got to the front of the deserted building we did a super slow drive by and took a few quick snaps and….got busted! Some PA who was part of some tiny crew that we had no interest in, came over and tried to throw her weight around. We weren’t fazed. Don’t mess with "Supernatural" fans, lady, we don’t scare easily! Also…learn some manners! Seriously, she was plain rude and there was no need. Anyhoooo, empty threats of calling security on us and bluster completely ignored, we drove through the rest of the complex that is open to the public before heading out to our next location, Port Moody. On the way into Port Moody, we swung by the location for “Plucky Pennywhistle’s Magical Menagerie” Isn’t it awesome? Do you recognise the crazy mascot on the wall that was in the background of some of the scenes?

“Plucky Pennywhistle’s Magical Menagerie”

We checked out the woodchip mill from “Yellow Fever” and the pier from “Wishful Thinking” where Dean tells Sam he remembers Hell. Yes, I sat in the seat….well both seats, as apparently there is a bit of a continuity issue in that scene! We also saw a seal! But he was screwing with us and wouldn’t surface for enough time for us to get a good photo! We then checked out the location of the “Kneel before Todd” scene from “Wishful Thinking” and where Todd sent Dean flying into the garbage bins.

“Yellow Fever”

Next stop was the building from the end of “The Man Who Knew Too Much”. This was a fantastic location. The building is brilliant! It’s an artist’s studio, and when they shot there, they had to remove all the art, as they were worried the heat from the lights would melt the paint. We got bailed up by a couple of huge noisy and harmless dogs, but once they were contained…and after they’d tried to kill us with love… we were able to get some great shots of the location!

“The Man Who Knew Too Much”

After that, it was on to Fort Langley, which is totally location heaven. We checked out the main street which had featured in “Out With The Old” and “Shut Up, Dr Phil” as well as Jared's movie “The Christmas Cottage”. We re-enacted the scene by the river from “Croatoan” and “Hunted” where Dean tells Sam that he might have to kill him. We hung out where Dean confessed his love of “Black Swan”.

“Croatoan/Hunted”

“Shut Up, Dr. Phil”

We saw the “99 Problems” pub and went to the church from that episode and were lucky enough to be welcomed inside. They were getting ready for a wedding, but they didn't mind us having a poke around, and we seriously just lucked out because it’s usually all locked up. It’s an absolutely gorgeous old church with a lovely memorial garden, and yes; we slid into the back pew!

“99 Problems”

Then we headed to a block of shops that doubled as the “Croatoan” doctor's office as well as the location from “The Song Remains The Same” where Cass collapses, and the hotel where Dean takes him and gets offered dope!

We then headed home via the 'apple grove' - actually hazelnut trees - from “Scarecrow “ and checked out the neighbour’s house from “Weekend At Bobby’s” and the patch of grass that doubled as Crowley’s gravesite in Scotland. We also saw the dog that comes out to visit Jensen when he’s doing his walk through as part of his director tech check on that episode! Remember? In that little mini-documentary about his first outing as a director?

“Weekend at Bobby’s” The dog is on the back porch!

It was an absolutely fantastic day and so much fun to see where all these episodes were shot and share the experience with fellow fans that understood ALL the references! And let me tell you, there were plenty of references!

Well, that’s the end of part one… part 2 is about how I accidentally got to see Supernatural filming!

-Amy

Supernatural VanCon 2012 Part 2