Cross Another One Off the Bucket List

We had a whirlwind way-too-short long-weekend at Lake Tahoe. The main purpose of the trip was to go to my great-aunt's 100th birthday family reunion. Had I known how lovely the trip would be, I would have planned for a few more days.

We have not been on a "road trip" with our kids in a number of years, possibly because of those lingering distasteful memories of the back seat bickering. But guess what? At 14 and 19, they don't bicker any more (except for one small incident which shall appear later in this post). They talked about music and guitars and games, and seemed more like friends than brothers. It's what every mother desires and I am oh-so-grateful for this.

Sigh.

I did elect to ride in the back seat for much of the trip, behind the handy husband driver. This was a leg room issue, not an Idon'twanttositnexttomybrother issue. It was such a great trip, we are almost considering going to the Grand Canyon next year, but we might need a bigger car for that. We could rent a van! We've never had a van....ooh, I'm distracted here...back to the point.

I have lots of pictures and family things to talk about which will wait for another post, because I am so excited about what we did Monday morning. "We" meaning Frank, Ernest and Me. The Handy Husband is averse to heights and chose to stay earth bound to watch us, but the rest of us crossed off another item on the bucket list... PARAGLIDING!

It was totally AWESOME. 5 STARS to North Tahoe Watersports. 1400 feet, 15 minutes, the Magnum experience. We had some debate about the time and height...Frank was always my more cautious child and didn't want to go so high, but you could only get the longer time with the higher height so Ernest and I won out.

On the boat, they asked who wanted to go first. Ernest said, "we do!" The little girl in the other party said "no." So they loaded us up first. Way to go, no time to get scared.

We took off so fast!

Kinda high? The view was incredible.

That little moment of brotherly bickering? Ernest was swinging his legs and Frank didn't like the shaking. I can't blame him. Looking up, it looks a lot higher! Looking down, it was like the best google map ever!

For me, this was my greatest moment since when? Kissing the Blarney Stone? I confess, I was a little nervous. I'd had a horrible headache the night before (I blame the hike back from Vikingsholm, which will be in another post.) But when I woke up headache free the next morning, I said, "Self, you have to do this. You will regret it if you don't." Sometimes my Self needs a little talking too. And I was right.

Oh, it was amazing...

Frank thought we were landing just in time.

Ernest and I would have gone up again if we'd had the chance.

And Self? She felt so great! So Self, how are you? Self had the best time. Self could not stop talking about how awesome it was! Self wants to go again!



Here's to new adventures!

Pooz

I do believe this is elephant poo on his pants. LAUNDRY TIME!

Snooze Nooz

He didn't take pictures, darn it.

But at 9:00 this morning, HE SHOVELED ELEPHANT POOP!!!! Seriously, how many people get do that??? Each poo clump was "as big as a toddler's head," he said. I saw an elephant poop the other day -- I agree!

In prettier news, I have some lovely butterfly pictures... but I am not allowed to can't upload them right now because they are WoWing.

Why I Made My Son Say What I Made Him Say

I. I drove Ernest to the zoo this morning (leaving the house at 9 a.m. on Sunday when I should have been SLEEPING) and...

II. at 10:30 remembered that he didn't have lunch money and interrupted my arts&crafts walk (wishing there was food -- less artsy, more fartsy as Homer Simpson said) to bring him some money...then...

III. as I was on my way to pick him up at 1:00 heard a phone message garbled by too much background noise... "CITs sleepover...can borrow sleeping bag...call me back..."

IV. spoke to him in person and found out details...Zoo Snooze from 6 pm to 10 am. Intense negotiations follow:
A. Yes, he can come back early after we're done with our visit to the museum of not live animals (I wonder if there is a rivalry between the places).
B. Someone will loan him a sleeping bag.
C. I've been driving forever! I don't want to drive again tomorrow morning.
D. So he'll be a CIT (counselor in training?) volunteer tomorrow, and his dad can pick him up after work. (Long day for Ernest but he's OK with it.)
E. I think he needs a jacket. He is too long and tall for the jacket that's in the trunk of my car. After we finish our family time somewhere else, we find the perfect jacket at Old Navy -- On sale!

V. Knowing that I totally HATE HATE HATE last minute planning like this, after it was arranged I made him say "You're the best mommy in the whole wide world."

VI. And he did.

VII. And he added "I love you." And "Thank you so much!"

VIII. And he pushed my dearest friend around the other place in a wheelchair. He was so nice. She was amazed that a 13 year old could be so sweet and patient. (But Frank was also a sweetheart at 13, too. Thirteen has not been a problem in our house!)

So my youngling is sleeping at the zoo tonight. I loaned him my camera -- hope he takes pictures. Do you think they tell scary animal stories?

Like this one time, when the Cabybara escaped?

Nikigator

Here's a short aside to my San Diego travelog. Jenn commented on the Niki de Saint Phalle mosaic sculptures in Balboa Park, which reminded me of these pictures from our 2002 trip. Little Frank and Even Littler Ernest loved the Nikigator.




In researching this blog post, I found there is a Niki de Saint Phalle sculpture garden in Escondido. I'd love to see that the next time I'm there. Which will be soon, once Ernest learns there are Segway tours at the Wild Animal Park.

Animal Handling

Once Ernest accumulated 200 volunteer hours at the zoo, he was eligible for animal handling training. The TGW kids who do this will be able to handle animals at the Junior Keeper shows. On Monday he got to handle some of the "Eew" exhibit creatures (all photos from Wikipedia):

fox snake



tomato frog




blue tongued skink


Skink? SKINK??? As a small child he was obsessed with skinks at the various zoos we visited, so life has come full circle for him.

And here's the Broadway version.

Universal Studios, or The Theme Park Photo Timeline

Our excursion on Monday was to Universal Studios. Little did we know, everyone else in the world had the same teacher in-service day off. Normally the lines are pretty short there (that's why I like it) but not this time. We had a good time, anyway.

We rode the new Simpsons ride for the first time. It is way cool. Don't click on this YouTube video if you don't want to see what happens. I warned you!







Going to Universal has become a family tradition that Frank and I started with our first trip in February 1998. (Short hair on both of us!)



Ernest first joined us in 2001.


We even got the HH to come along in 2007.


This year, we invited nephew McQueen.


Look at how fast those boys grow up. Ernest is significantly taller than me now. Sniff.

It's Like...Um

Ernest's writing class presented their dream career reports orally. For fun, they counted the number of times the presenter said "like." And the results are um... like this:



The most prolific user of "like" was a girl with 48. Ernest was 3rd from the bottom, with 9. (He said 4 of them were legitimate uses.) The lowest use was 4.



They also counted "ums" but he didn't give me the data on that.

Crises Averted

First one: Yesterday afternoon Ernest realized he had a paper due Monday. Today, not next week. He needed a book as a reference, in addition to the internet. Guess what: our library is not open on Sundays. What to do? Fortunately, our Beloved Niece works at the local bookstore. She was able to point him to an appropriate book. The topic of the paper is "your dream career" and his is to be an architect. The book, On Architecture, looks interesting so I'll probably read it when or if I get through my massive stack of library books.

Second one: the refrigerator started heating up again, right before bedtime. We have no idea why. I unplugged it for a while...that seemed to restart it OK and it was fine this morning.

So how was your Sunday?

Strands of DNA

Ernest is building a model of DNA for a science project, due Friday. We had a short discussion about the material. I vetoed the use of candy. Sticks, styrofoam, Lego? What's available in the house? Because there's no crafts store within 30 miles. Then we remembered the box of Zoob in the closet.

Ernest created his own design. He still has to build a stand.

These two share some good hair DNA.

They get it from their dad.

$hoe $hopping

Not for me, this time. I often buy cute $15 shoes at Tar-zhay and never wear them, because I usually wander around in the same cruddy Whatchacallits. When I was a kid, they were called "tennis shoes" or "sneakers." What the heck do you call them now?

Ernest is joining the middle school tennis team and has outgrown his old shoes. His feet are literally bursting out, i.e his toes are jammed against the end of the real "tennis shoes" and there is a hole in the toe of the "sneakers."

There are three stores that sell guys shoes in our small area.... Not in any particular order:

1) a skateboard shop: Great for daily wear, even the HH buys shoes there. But that's all they have. Skateboard Shoes -- large, pudgy, bulgy-tongued things with totally flat soles. (And I challenge you to spell tongue right on the first try!)

No complaints about this store, they just don't carry other types of shoes.

2) The tourist store with the big wooden shoe out front has nice European shoes, but their customer service is SO BAD that I will not shop there unless I am desperate. Ernest may need a new pair of Converse High-Tops this summer... and I may need my replacement LaPlume leopard slides. But I think we will replace these shoes VIA THE INTERNET this year.

Buying children's shoes there was always been an ordeal. And still, I kept on going back, because it was the only store in town.

First, it would take forever for someone to even consent to look at us, let alone say, may I help you.

Then, there was the size ordeal. What size do you want? I don't know, since they are children, their feet have grown. Could you please measure them? They would never ever offer to measure their feet. Many times I would have to do it myself.

Finally, when we would chose a shoe: No, we're out of that size. Hou about this one? Nope. Again and again. Finally, I would say, well, what DO you have in his size? Bearing in mind the children's selection was on a 3'x5' shelf. Not too big a selection. And there would be maybe one pair in the right size.

3) A family-owned store which was previously located in an even smaller town 3 miles away. Now they are near my grocery store. They have mostly athletics-specific shoes. Ernest found a pair of real tennis shoes and the owner was so careful in measuring Ernest's feet: right foot, size NINE, left foot, size TEN!!!! Yes, a whole size different. We never knew. Because no other shoe store measured him so carefully.

$o we bought the expen$ive real tenni$ $hoes at store #3. Because of their excellent service.

But he still needed some everyday shoes. And then Mr. Low Maintenance Frank admitted he needed shoes. It turns out he has only one pair, and there are big enough holes in the soles and inside that I could stick my finger all the way through. No wonder his feet were getting wet. (There could be a second pair somewhere in the black hole of his room, but they'll never see the light of day again.)

Since we were headed to a bigger town to see a movie, we went to a Footlocker there. At least we knew what size Ernest wore! They both found shoes. And we learned that Ernest's feet are now bigger than Frank's.

And that's how I spent $224 on $shoes $aturday.

Atrium White or Cielo Blanco

The Handy Husband is patching a hole in the wall. He brought in 2 cans of white paint, wondering which matched the bathroom?

Hmmm... I put on my thinking cap. We used the Ameritone Cielo Blanco to paint the interior of the house about 18 years ago. So the Benjamin Moore Atrium White must be what we used for the master bath remodel 6 years ago. Why do I have to remember these things? You'd think we could manage to write something on the label!

Why did we have a hole in the wall? Ernest slipped getting out of the shower (he prefers ours to the one upstairs), grabbed onto a towel for balance, and yanked one end of the towel rack out of the wall. Leaving a large hole in the drywall. Yes, he's fine.

But don't you just love paint names? When we had my mother's house painted, I picked "Melted Butter" for the yellow exterior. And for the white trim, of course it had to be "Popped Corn." I'm completely serious.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

The good:

Ernest picked up his winnings from the orthodontist's contest. That's a strange semi-rhyme (Dontist/Contest). He was really happy. "I don't usually win things," he said. That's how I often felt as a child. I was so surprised when I won a teddy bear at a Sons of Norway Christmas dinner. I might update this post later with that picture, if I can find it.

The bad:

Frank had "stomach flu." I asked him where he got sick. "On the bridge." This is the pedestrian bridge at his community college....I pictured him splattering cars 100 feet below, but he said he made it to a trash can. This photographer has a beautiful series of photos on the campus. Click the link if you're curious.

Photo From Kaplan Aspect on Flickr.com

Also...the beginning of the month and paying bills. Huge bills show up at the end of the year. Car registration (3 of 4 cars), car insurance (all of them), and property tax bills. Ouch. The reason I'm never EVER EVER selling my mother's house? And why we're going to live/retire there some day? Because the property tax is grandfathered...under $600. Our own house's property tax bill? Huge, even with the Prop 13 controls...because it still goes up every year. And we've owned it 20 years. Up up and away.

The ugly. [You've Been Warned]

Something happened at school today. Do I err on the side of caution, and fuggetaboutit? Or do I speak my mind, couching the situation in euphemisms and comparisons, so you get my drift without me saying anything incriminating.

[Update: OK, I did speak my mind and that post was up for a while, but then my overly cautious sense of judgement kicked in and I decided to delete that part. I'm leaving your comments, however. Thank you.]

Math Skills Pay Off

Ernest won the $100 "guess how many skulls are in the jar" contest at his orthodontists office!

There were a bunch of plastic skulls mixed in with a lot of candy, and the winner had to come closest to the correct number of skulls. Ernest said: "I used my math skills" to estimate the number. I suppose pi was involved somewhere.

He's pretty happy. I wonder what he will do with the $100? A video game? A sword? A giant Lego? Or just stash it away in his secret place?

If you won $100 today, what would you do? I'd go out to dinner!

The Ubiquitous First Day of School Post

u·biq·ui·tous adjective
existing or being everywhere

Smalltown Mom: I ping-ponged between my two 2nd grade classrooms today. I know all the 2nd graders except for a couple new students. Whoo-hoo! No issues at recess or lunch, so I was a happy camper. It was gratifying to walk in the office and have people hug me and say, "I'm glad you are back!" And I would say, "I'm glad you are, too!" We have a great staff this year.

Ernest: He has Mrs. Gray for Algebra! (Frank loved her sense of humor.) He gets two electives! He's signing up for Advanced Band and Vocal/Guitar. Vocal? Good for him!!!! (I'm surprised he didn't sign up for Drama, because he talked about that this weekend.) But the lure of guitar and rock band was too strong. I don't mind. I can pick him up at the band room every day and gaze from afar at the cute band teacher!

Frank: He was somewhat communicative when he got home. (For those of you who know Frank personally, you know that he doesn't talk that much.) His first two classes at City College (Chemistry and English) were fine. Small, about 30 people. He ran into 5 high school classmates there. He was able to go to work in the 5 hour interval between the 2 classes. Tomorrow he has 2 music classes back to back, then he'll work for a while in the afternoon. Some of the classmates are commuting together but Frank maturely said, "I can't, I have to get to work afterwards." Yay to earning some money!

I was a really kind mom today and washed Frank's dishes. I couldn't control myself. I dropped off something else in his "apartment" and the dirty dishes were there, and I remembered my mother who used to come to our house while we were working and wash our dishes.

She thought it was funny! (She didn't have a whole lot to do. And I didn't have a working dishwasher.) I would come home and marvel, "The Dish Fairy was here!"

Since today was Frank's first day combining work and school, I thought it would be nice to carry on the "Dish Fairy" tradition. My ulterior motive was that I also retrieved the dishes that belonged in my kitchen!

SO, one day done. 179 to go.

We did it Again!

Yes, another Segway ride! I was coordinated enough to ride and take a short video at the same time.

We rode up a hill to a park, where we met the Handy Husband. His office was having a picnic. After showing off our prowess on the Segways, we rode back down the hill and around the harbor until out time was up.



Rejoining the picnic, Ernest found other fun things to do. "Want a hug, Mom?!"


The birds started lining up on the fence. First one, then another.....then.....it was Hitchcock time.

Glorious weather!

The Best Day I've Had All Week

I've been feeling a little punky this week, a combination of an intestinal yuckiness, massive perimenopausal hormonal fluctations, and a strange middle of the night panic attack. Someone else drove for me Thursday, and the Handy Husband kindly took over my carpool duties this morning --Thank you sweetie, that was so nice of you.


However, I pulled myself together this afternoon to keep a promise to Ernest. (I've had to renege on the Disneyland visit next week because I can't get a reservation at the Disneyland Hotels and I refuse to stay anywhere else). So keeping today's promise was important to me.



Yes, we rented SEGWAYS! Oh my gosh, what a blast! That was the most fun I had all summer! I felt better on that Segway than I have all week!


My top 5 enjoyable events this summer were:

1. The Segway Ride,
2. Seeing Mamma Mia!
3. Dining out with my Handy Husband every chance we got!
4. Having my kids return safely (which should be #1 but the traffic issues dropped it down the list),
5. And seeing this grafitti every time I drove the carpool to the big town:

Seriously! There is a string of railroad cars along the coast, abandoned on a side track. They've been there all summer. Graffiti gradually started to appear. Ernest noticed this masterpiece several weeks ago.

Creative License

Ernest has forbidden me to post the video of him in the role of Beaverdude. Darn it. I guess he has his limits of how much he'll allow me to embarass him. He was cute, with his tail flopping and slapping the dam.

And the photos of him as Caterpillar/Butterfly are on my cell phone. How do I get them off of the phone?

I've got a photo of someone else in the caterpillar costume, so I've tackily put Ernest's face on the costume. I am a devious and creative mother.

Japan, by Ernest

At long last, here are some of Ernest's pictures. He and Frank saw the same places, starting at opposite ends of the journey. So I've tried not to repeat the same things that were in Frank's photos. Ernest described all the photos to me when he got home, but now I've forgotten. I'll add some detail when he gets back from the zoo today.

Isn't this beautiful?

More bars in more places. Ernest wants to be an architect. He likes interesting buildings. This was taken from a 45th floor observation deck.

Pet dogs.

The Japanese Alps.

Wagons.

A fairy tale village.

Ernest snagged the coveted rear seat.

This beach and cave were in the opening of Prince Caspian.

Ringing the Peace Bell .
The Itsukushima Shrine at high tide. (Frank visited it at low tide.)

Friendly deer at the shrine.

The group!

Ernest's Itinerary

Kinkaku-Ji Temple, the "Golden Pavilion." Photo by Frank

July 12. Leave USA.

July 13. Arrive in Japan.

July 14-15. Tokyo. Imperial Palace, Meiji Shrine, Oriental Bazaar. Anime. Nakamise shopping arcade.

July 16. Hakone. Scenic Drive to Mt. Fuji, hiking, aerial cable car ride, Onsen (hot springs bath).

July 17-18. Gifu. Drive through the "Japanese Alps." Stay at a traditional Japanese Inn. Old fashioned town of Takayama. Visit the only surviving "jinya" (shogun's headquarters).

July 19-21 Ishikawa. Visit Shirakawago. Meet your home stay family and enjoy local activities.

July 22. Take the Bullet train to Hiroshima. Visit Peace Memorial Park.

July 23-24. Kyoto. Visit Itsukushima Shrine and Himeji Castle, the Gold Pavilion, Nijo Castle, a tea ceremony.

July 25. Return to the USA. Arrive in the US 3 hours before he departed Japan.

(Frank's intinerary was very similar, except that he started in Kyoto and ended in Tokyo.)