Vacation - Kye Bay

 Back in 2008, when the kids were very little, we went to Kye Bay which is a fairly secluded area off the Comox peninsula.  Vic had great childhood memories staying there. When we stay here over 10 years ago it made the comment that it was rustic.  Perhaps using that term now would be too kind, as I would call the guest rooms that we were in run-down and a bit of a dump.  Between the bed that broke on the first night to the mold in the bathroom to the sloping floor, it has seen much better days.  After 3 nights we checked out and booked into the Old House Hotel.  Lovely!  I was not raised with a silver spoon in my mouth by any stretch, but this was no way to spend a holiday and it was so crummy I just wanted to go home.  Much better now that we are in some nicer accommodations :)

Tomorrow we are going up to Mount Washington.  Looking forward to that!

Alaska Trip

In July, we took our Alaskan Cruise with Celebrity Cruises (Eclipse ship).  We traveled from Vancouver, through the Inside Passage, stopping in Sitka, Juneau and Ketchikan Alaska and returning to Vancouver.  2058 nautical miles.

It was our "replacement" trip for our canceled Italy trip when our Uniworld River Cruise ship was involved in an accident which caused our trip to be postponed (we are going next summer instead).  We have no regrets about going to Alaska.  It was an amazing experience.  The ship was lovely, but most of all the incredible scenery was stunning.

Mid summer check in

Things I'm up to:

- I am so loving the BBC show Killing Eve.  Not only is the story about a sociopathic assassin addicting, but the clothing (i.e. Burberry, Mui Mui) serious eye candy.

- Vic and I are thinking about our summer vacation 2019.  Right now we are seriously contemplating going back to France (maybe the Loire Valley) or doing another Uniworld River Cruise.  The kids are itching to go back on a cruise.

- I bought these  from the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale.  A bit pricey but the sale made it more affordable.

- Work is intense.  Our company just purchased a small insurance agency so the HR matters that pertain to the deal are keeping me and my small team busy in August.

- A photo from Paris close to the Eiffel Tower.

Disneyland 2016

We just got back last night (late thanks to bad traffic in Vancouver) from LA.  We were in Disneyland for a week.  We had a great time -- good weather, crowds not too bad (except for the weekend) and a good hotel (Anaheim Marriott Courtyard).

We hadn't been to Disneyland in about 4 years (this trip makes it our 6th time with the kids).  We took  a break the past few years saw other places for a few years which was great (NYC, Chicago, the Grand Canyon, and parts of Canada).

Fynn is now comfortably tall enough to do all the "big" rides at Disneyland.

We were not too happy with Disney's plans to replace the Tower of Terror with a Guardians of the Galaxy attraction.  That seems odd, to me.

Other highlights included Balboa Park and visiting the Anaheim Packing District.

Summer musings

It seems hard to believe that it is the middle of July.  The kids are well into summer routines and I'm enjoying not have to get them ready for school or the homework fight.  They are still doing their Kumon math once a day (most days) which can be a struggle, but in the grand scheme of pushing them a bit, it isn't too bad.

Fynn had a full week of camp last week, attending the Epic Sports Academy.  He loves most kinds of sports (apparently with the exception of karate) so he had a great time attending with our neighbour's son, Dillon.  Sophie is off to Royal Winnipeg dance intensive in August, so still a couple more weeks of her being at home.  They do have a science day camp the week after this coming week that will keep them busy.

As for me, I've been continuing with my CrossFit Lite classes and I am proud of my progress....basically sticking with it since January is my greatest accomplishment and I'm starting to see some nice shoulder definition.  The effort was worthy of a new pair of Lululemon shorts I got when we were in Vancouver a week or so ago. Here's a photo of their beautiful art gallery.  We took in the Picasso and his women/muse show.  Excellent and only in Vancouver!

That's it for now!

Sheri

Heading home

I'm writing this at the Calgary airport on the last leg of our journey home from Winnipeg.  We have been in Winnipeg, Manitoba for 2 weeks.  The primary purpose of the trip which we booked earlier this year, was to allow Sophie the opportunity to attend the Royal Winnipeg Ballet summer intensive two week program.  The program is comprised of ballet, modern, character, jazz, conditioning and a bit of art and dance history.  She stayed in residence which is adjacent to the ballet school.  We thought this would allow her to have a more immersive experience, plus it would save us the hassle of having to drive her from a hotel to the school each morning (in traffic, etc) to get to her early morning class.

Fynn, Vic and I stayed in a hotel about 6 km away.  It was close enough that we were able to take her out for dinner the odd night and check in on her if she needed anything.  Generally she handled it well and was only homesick the first few days, as she adapted to having a roommate and managing her own schedule (including making sensible eating choices as a cafeteria/meal plan was included).

We say an enormous number of things during our two weeks in Winnipeg and area.  Our friends Bryan and Patti joined us for a few days on the second week and it was great to have a nice diversion from home.  We drove with them up to Gimli (on Lake Winnipeg), visited the Canadian Museum of Human Rights, the Manitoba Museum, and the Manitoba Legislature (Hermetic Code Tour).  Other highlights included Grand Beach, Aircraft Museum, Children's Museum, the Forks, Lower Fort Garry, go carting (a highlight for Fynn), waterslides (which Sophie also got to enjoy as it was an outing with her class), a trip to Steinbach, St. Boniface (french quarter) and Polo Park Shopping Centre for a bit of back to school shopping.

All in all a great trip.  Sophie would like to go back next year, but we wouldn't spend two weeks with her -- likely figure out a way for her to get there and then return home with her -- perhaps on Via Rail.

London

A bad day in London is still better than a good day anywhere else. -Unknown

Our 25th wedding anniversary big trip!  London for about 6 days this May via Vancouver (British Airways).

Many photos on my Facebook page.  I wrote a bit in a little pocket size journal about the first few days, but then stopped.  I guess the photos will have to suffice.

Vancouver Getaway 2014

Vic and I look forward to a getaway each fall around the November 11 holiday.  Usually the kids have a school Pro D day, so that often makes for a long weekend.

We took advantage of it and visited Vancouver to do a bit of Christmas shopping, visit his mom and take in a few sights.

The highlights:
- the play St. Joan at the Stanley (Joan of Arc)
- The Forbidden City exhibit at the VAG
- some really good food (Banana Leaf!)

Last day in NYC

We grabbed breakfast at the Manhatten Café which was just a couple of doors down from our hotel. Loved the options for food at this place...fresh, lots of variety and you pay based on the weight of the items. 

We headed to Grand Central Terminal for an excellent tour from this Society. I can't say enough good things about our tour guide.  She was knowledgeable, thorough and passionate about telling us many interesting things about Grand Central.  Thank you Judith.

After that we did a bit more shopping and took it easy then headed over to the Intrepid for our final stop.  It was huge (obviously) and really interesting. 

We had dinner and then wandered to Times Square for one last time and stopped at Magnolia Bakery.  Cupcakes and banana pudding - can't beat that.

The next morning we grabbed a cab to the airport and had a smooth trip back home.  Sophie would love to go back, and I'd be happy to take her :)

More from Concord

Concord is an amazing place that had many talented people living in it from a literary perspective.  Today we visited the Old Manse with Vic's cousin and his family.  The Old Manse is a National Historic Landmark and became the center of Concord’s political, literary, and social revolutions over the course of the next century. In the mid-19th-century, leading Transcendentalists such as Bronson Alcott, Henry David Thoreau, and Margaret Fuller discussed the issues of the day here, with the Hawthorne and Ripley families. 

The kids got to play a Steinway piano from the 1800s (wearing white gloves).  It was pretty cool.  The tour guide said that they let people play it because it will just go out of tune if it sits there with no one playing it.

After that we wandered around Minute Man Park, walked over the Old North Bridge and then headed back for dinner at Neville and Lorelee's place.  I was also able to do some laundry which was much appreciated!

Tomorrow we grab the train back to NYC to see the Big Apple.

Concord

The morning after we arrived in NYC,  we had breakfast (included in our hotel) and then we walked over to Penn Station (literally across the street) and took Amtrak to Boston.  It was a very peaceful 4 hour train ride from to the Back Bay station.  We passed through a number of communities we would not have seen, including Mystic and Providence Rhode Island.  Once we got to Boston, we took a short cab ride from the station to get to our car rental spot and drove from there to Boston about 30 minutes away.  We checked into the North Bridge Inn.  At first I think the kids were a little unsure of since it is over a hundred years old, but they settled in pretty quickly.

We wandered down for dinner into the town square and then checked the Concord Public Library. Really a lovely library that is old and beautiful.

Today we had breakfast at the Inn and did a number of cultural trips.  The kids held up pretty well considering all we saw.  We went to the Concord Museum which has one of the most extensive collections of Thoreau pieces anywhere, including his desk and bed.  Fynn kept himself busy for quite a bit of the time in a kids' play area where he did lego and Sophie made leaf sketches and a cute picture of Thoreau.  After that we went to Ralph Waldo Emerson's house and then the Orchard House, which was Louisa May Alcott's house.  We had an excellent tour and we got to see where she wrote Little Women -- her white little desk.  The tour held the kids' interest as the guide included them in some of her stories.

After lunch we took a short drive to Walden Pond.  We checked out the spot where Thoreau had his cabin (it no longer exists) but the site is marked. Pretty lake and even a few swimmers (in wet suits).

Later we drove down to Burlington and hit the mall.  Fynn bought a Lego piece and Sophie bought herself something at the P.S. Aeropostale store.  Tomorrow we are meeting up with Vic's cousin and family who live in the nearby area.

Day 1 - NYC

I thought I was going to take a break from blogging for our vacation, but decided I could use the extra time I have now to document our trip....here goes:

Last night we drove down to Kelowna and stayed at the Sheraton 4 Points hotel in Kelowna.  We thought this would be a good idea considering our flight was leaving for Toronto at 8:50am and it would mean getting up at before 5am.  With the kids, that is just too much to ask for.

So, we stayed just across the highway from the airport - very convenient.  We arrived at the airport without a problem and got onto our flight.  Unfortunately there was some sort of mechanical issue with the cabin door and the crew had to call the aircraft maintenance who were "on call" for an odd reason which means it took a good 20 minutes for someone to get to the airplane.  The maintenance guy came and concluded there was nothing wrong with the door and signed us all clear to go.  We arrived in Toronto later due to the delay.  Luckily the La Guardia flight was also delayed coming from NYC so it gave us some buffer room, otherwise it is quite likely we would have missed our flight.

We arrived at La Guardia with no issues and easily got a cab into New York.  The hotel we are at is very conveniently located close to Penn Station which is where we are heading out tomorrow on Amtrak.  Tonight we took the kids up the Empire State Building.  The crowds were minimal so we got up with no line-ups.  The weather was clear and we got some great views this evening from the observation deck.  After that we headed down the street and close to our hotel went into a deli/diner and had egg salad sandwiches (Sophie and I), Fynn a hot dog (of course) and Vic a chicken quesadia.  All good.  Sleep time....

where is the time going?

It's September 29....I can't believe it is only another two days before we head out on our trip to Boston/NYC with the kids.  We have been planning this trip for months and it's finally here.  I feel really good about the itinerary I planned.  There is enough stuff to keep the kids quite happy I think and enough new things that Vic and I will be engaged.

The usual back to school settling in has begun.  Both kids are full steam ahead in their piano lessons.  Fynn just started about 4 weeks ago but he is picking it up.  Sophie has become a nice piano player, but now she is asking me about voice/singing lessons.  We shall see.  Fynn is settling into hockey but it is a bit of a grind -- mostly for Vic who has to ensure he gets there and is geared up.  We take it day by day around here.  I always say if we can get to Christmas we are doing fine and then we reassess the activities again.

Finally, Sophie gets her braces off tomorrow.  That went by pretty fast.  Her teeth are looking good.

I'm taking a break from blogging...back in a couple of weeks.  The photo above is of a walk we took this weekend near the Adams River.

No place like home...

We got back from our summer vacation today.  We travelled down to Vancouver and visited Vic's mom, spending 2 nights in the greater Vancouver area where we went to a Whitecaps game (they tied!) and I got a new pair of jeans!  My first pair in years it seems.

After Vancouver we headed over to the Island where we stayed in Comox and had a nice 3 nights there.  We did an excellent eco-tour where we saw dolphins, sea lions, a couple of bald eagles and a jelly fish.  We walked, ate ice cream and generally had a great time. We did one night in Victoria where we took in the Vikings exhibit at the Royal BC Museum.  Very educational exhibit, but a fair bit was over the kids' heads.  Fortunately the IMax film was also there so they got their viking education through the movie.

We did our final leg of the trip heading into Oliver and visited with family.

All a great holiday but really nice to be at home again.

final post on Arizona

On our last day in Arizona, we had a late flight so we had much of the day to generate a few more holiday memories.

We had thought about going to the zoo in Phoenix but the weather turned a bit unpredictable -- quite windy, so we thought an indoor activity might be better.

We decided to go here instead.  It's quite a place and if you go, plan to spend several hours there.  I think the kids were getting a bit overloaded by the end, so it was nice that the last stop in the museum was a room where they could "try out" a number of the instruments.  Fynn banging the gong was quite a sight.

Arizona was a great state.  Vic and I have talked about how much we enjoyed it and how much there is yet to see.  Tucson looks very interesting.  Next time...

more travelogue...Scottsdale

We arrived at Scottsdale and checked into this hotel.  I don't recall what we did that night (funny how a couple of weeks pass by and it all becomes a blur), but we had a nice breakfast the next morning (breakfast and happy hour were included).  On our first full day there, Vic, my dad and I headed out to Frank Lloyd Wright's winter home.  http://www.franklloydwright.org/  It was some of the most interesting 3 hours I have spent on a tour, right down to the tea/snack they served us while listening to one of Frank's former students who is now in her 90s and still lives at Talisen West.  I highly recommend visiting here.  It is also in a beautiful spot, so even if architecture doesn't interest you too much, the surroundings in the desert will.  The home is located at the base of the McDowell Mountains.

On our next day, I had booked horse back riding with Cave Creek Outfitters.  Since there were 8 of us, they assigned two "wranglers" to our group.  Everyone did very well, including Fynn and his cousin who had never been on a horse before.  It was the closest we got to seeing the desert "up close" so that was really neat.  We were hungry and hot after riding for a couple of hours so we had lunch here for cold drinks and burgers.

More next time....

travelogue...Williams

After we checked out of our hotel in Tusayan we drove for about 60 miles and we hit Williams AZ for lunch and to wander around.  Williams is a great little place.  It lies on the historic Route 66.

We went to their little visitors centre which is also a bit of a museum.  The kids picked up some folding cardboard toy cars from the 1950s.  Super cute and a nice memento from our stop there.

We had lunch at The Pine Country restaurant.  They have great pie!

We headed out after that and hit the highway again.  We watched the landscape and temperature change yet again -- it definitely started getting warmer.  We stopped at a rest stop that reminded us that dangerous snakes were in the area, so we didn't investigate too far.  Before we knew it, we were seeing saguaro cactus along the road.  It was so neat to see those for the first time (in real life!).  They kept appearing - it seemed like they were everywhere.  That was a sign we were close to Scottsdale and ready for our next stop....

More travelogue....

The Grand Canyon did not disappoint.  We drove our rental vehicle to the visitor's parking area and then proceeded to get a shuttle (shuttles run regularly and take visitors around to various viewing points around the South Rim).  It was exciting to finally see it and take in the view.  It was windy when we got there and one of the visitors beside us actually lost his hat over the edge of the canyon when the wind picked up. 

Sophie really wanted to hike down into the canyon, but we had to explain to her that this wasn't something you just "do", we needed to be prepared to do that.  Instead we decided upon some good walks around the pathways at the edge of the rim.  I think one of the neatest things was when we spotted the Colorodo River in the distance.

We had lunch in the cafeteria type place in the park (food was actually better than expected) and then did some more sightseeing in the afternoon followed by a visit to the geological museum they have.  The museum had one of their junior park rangers speaking to kids and she provided a good, informative commentary on the formation of the canyon.  It is hard to keep all of the rock layers straight -- I ended up buying a postcard that diagrams them all.  It truly is a wonder and I am so happy we got to see it.

More travelogue....

Continuing on from my last post....we headed up to the Grand Canyon via Oak Creek highway (?).  It is a really pretty between Sedona and Flagstaff.  We stopped at a look out and Sophie bought some native american jewelry.

After that we pulled into Flagstaff and went to the Lowell Museum.  This is a fairly old observatory and is a National Historic Landmark.

  The Lowell is the observatory where on February 18, 1930, Clyde W. Tombaugh, an assistant discovered Pluto. For over seven decades, Pluto was considered a planet, until a few years ago when it was deemed not to be a planet. 

After having some lunch in Flagstaff we continued on with our drive up to the little town of Tusayan which is about 7 miles away from the south rim of the Grand Canyon.

More later....

Arizona travelogue

We got back late last night / early this morning from our 1 week in Arizona.

Here are the highlights:

- We left Kelowna last Saturday and flew into Phoenix.  The airport was fairly straightforward, although you do have to take a shuttle bus from the airport to the car rental complex which is about 15 minutes away.  They had reserved a vehicle that was too small for our group of 8, so we had a bit of a wait getting that sorted out.  By the time we left the rental building it was quite late and then it was a late night drive from Phoenix to Sedona.  Waking up in Sedona was beautiful.  I think it would be hard to get a bad view room in Sedona because you are literally surrounded by red rocks on all sides. 

- I had reserved a tour through this company, and they really delivered.  I highly recommended them if you are in this area and want to have a great experience and a lot of fun.  The Broken Arrow trail really gave took us off the beaten track that you need a jeep to enjoy.

- After we did the jeep tour we had free time.  The kids went to the pool with my mom (pool was chilly) and Vic and I poked around this older part of Sedona.  Mostly just little shops and a few places to eat.  Sedona is fairly quiet but seemed to be nice and relaxing.

- We had mexican food for dinner that evening and then drove around a little bit before heading to bed as we had a longish drive the next morning to the Grand Canyon (via Flagstaff).  More on that tomorrow....