KDslog Blog

Belated Christmas

2012-01-23T09:43:00.003-07:00

Because I procrastinated, DeeAnn's Christmas present finally arrived. I'd actually researched how to buy a telescope, but when we saw the one I thought would be best, we decided it was just way too big and bulky. We wanted one we could throw in Harvey and take it camping with us. So I found this one but it was on a long back order.

Well, it's here. Now we are just waiting for a cloudless night to see some stars! We did look at the moon one morning. Fascinating!

Review - Mr. Monk on Patrol

2012-01-23T09:39:00.001-07:00

Mr. Monk on Patrol by Lee Goldberg

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Another great Mr. Monk book. His disorders and obsessions are still as clever and annoying as ever as are his detective skills. It's great to see him in different settings and situations.

Be warned however, the ending is a cliffhanger. It appears the only way to find out the answer is to read the next book in the series.

Book summary (courtesy of Goodreads.com):
Everything has been going well for former SFPD lieutenant Randy Disher in Summit, New Jersey, where he lives with Monk's previous assistant, Sharona, and works as the new police chief. But when the city's leadership is arrested for fraudulently inflated salaries, Disher suddenly finds himself as the acting mayor.

Now, Disher has to manage the police department and shoulder the day to day responsibility of running a town that is in the midst of a wave of residential robberies. In desperation, Disher reaches out to the one person he knows can solve the crimes: Adrian Monk.

When Monk and his assistant, Natalie, arrive in New Jersey, Disher makes them temporary police officers. Summit is about to become the cleanest and most symmetrical city on Earth. But then the string of home burglaries escalates to arson and murder...and someone tries very, very hard to send Monk and Natalie back to San Francisco in coffins.

I'm now working on The Battle for Skandia by John Flanagan.

Review - Only Time Will Tell

2012-01-19T08:48:00.003-07:00

Only Time Will Tell by Jeffrey Archer

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I have liked Jeffrey Archers' books in the past and this was no different. I love the British history and insight into life during the beginning of World War II.

It's a great story of beginnings and how Harry Clifton rises from the docks to become someone. Who that person he will become will be made known in the next books of the series and I look forward to reading them.

My only complaint about the book was Archer's use of a different font to tell the story from a first person perspective. The book is told from the perspective of several characters and the first few pages of the section is from their perspective alone. Then it builds on the story but from a different angle. I found it an effective way to tell the story but made for difficult reading to use a sans serif font which is difficult to read quickly.

Summary of the book (courtesy Goodreads.com):
The epic tale of Harry Clifton’s life begins in 1920, with the words “I was told that my father was killed in the war.” A dock worker in Bristol, Harry never knew his father, but he learns about life on the docks from his uncle, who expects Harry to join him at the shipyard once he’s left school. But then an unexpected gift wins him a scholarship to an exclusive boys’ school, and his life will never be the same again.

As he enters into adulthood, Harry finally learns how his father really died, but the awful truth only leads him to question, was he even his father? Is he the son of Arthur Clifton, a stevedore who spent his whole life on the docks, or the firstborn son of a scion of West Country society, whose family owns a shipping line?

This introductory novel in Archer’s ambitious series The Clifton Chronicles includes a cast of colorful characters and takes us from the ravages of the Great War to the outbreak of the Second World War, when Harry must decide whether to take up a place at Oxford or join the navy and go to war with Hitler’s Germany. From the docks of working-class England to the bustling streets of 1940 New York City, Only Time Will Tell takes readers on a journey through to future volumes, which will bring to life one hundred years of recent history to reveal a family story that neither the reader nor Harry Clifton himself could ever have imagined.

Now I'm reading Mr. Monk on Patrol by Lee Goldberg.

Review - Icebound Land

2012-01-19T08:46:00.001-07:00

The Icebound Land by John Flanagan

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved this title though not as much as the previous titles in the series. Even though I am a librarian I was frustrated with waiting for the next book to come back so I bought the rest of the series. Now I can read it at my pleasure.

Here's the summery (courtesy of Goodreads.com):
Kidnapped after the fierce battle with Lord Morgarath, Will and Evanlyn are bound for Skandia as captives aboard a fearsome wolfship. Halt has sworn to rescue Will, and he will do anything to keep his promise--even defy his King.

Expelled from the Rangers he has served so loyally, Halt is joined by Will's friend Horace as he travels toward Skandia. On their way, they are challenged constantly by freelance knights' but Horace knows a thing or two about combat. Soon he begins to attract the attention of knights and warlords for miles around with his uncanny skill. Even so, will they be in time to rescue Will from a horrific life of slavery?

Fondue

2012-01-01T07:22:00.004-07:00

Taking the tradition from friends, we hosted our first fondue party last Friday. We invited the Minors, who have met us in Disneyland a couple of times, and they were lots of fun.

Our food included a cheese fondue (Butterkase, Fontina and a little Parmesan, vegetable broth, spinach and artichoke hearts, and a dash of Tabasco) served with bread and chips, entrees cooked in a vegetable broth (chicken, shrimp, steak, and potatoes), a tempura batter (for making corndogs, zucchini, and onion rings) in canola oil. For dessert: chocolate fondue and warmed carmel sauce for the strawberries, apples, and marshmallows.

We learned a few things, like pre-boil the potatoes so they cook faster in the broth. We need to buy another fondue pot (electric) but overall, we think the night was a success.

Review - Dreadnought

2011-12-09T09:48:00.002-07:00

Dreadnought by Mark Walden

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Pretty good book but I don't like books that end with an obvious ploy to make you read the next book. Do they think I have nothing else to read?

Still, it was another book that was an easy read.

The premise of the book was that Otto and his friends are needed to save the world from Jason Drake, who is very unhappy with the new ruler of the super villain organization known as G.L.O.V.E.

Now I am reading #3 of the Rangers Apprentice series, The Icebound Land.

Review - Escape Velocity

2011-11-29T08:28:00.003-07:00

Escape Velocity by Mark Walden

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The plot was that H.I.V.E. (Higher institute of Villainous Education) leader is captured and held. Otto has to figure out a way to find him and then get him out. This is #3 of the H.I.V.E series.

It's a pretty good book. The plot could have moved a little faster and the ending was a little weak but it was still filled with a good story and fun to see Otto meet new challenges.

Now I'm working on #4 of the series, Dreadnought by Mark Walden.

Review - The Burning Bridge

2011-11-09T09:01:00.001-07:00

The Burning Bridge by John Flanagan

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Not quite as good as the first book in the series, but a nice surprise ending. I'm looking forward to reading the third book in the series.

This would be a great read for a teen boy that does not like to read.

Description (courtesy of Good Reads) : Bracing for a final clash with the evil warlord Morgarath, the Rangers rally the kingdom's allies, and Will is chosen, along with his friend Horace, as special envoys to nearby Celtica. But the simple mission soon takes an unsettling turn - the Celticans have disappeared, their town abandoned. The scheming hand of Morgarath, it seems, has been far from idle. He has found a way to bring his legions over the once impassible eastern mountains and is planning to ambush the king's army in a rout. Now with help many miles away, Will and Horace are the only ones standing in the way of the dark lord's plans.They have shown great skill and courage in their training, but how will they fare in the face of true evil?

Review - Darke

2011-10-31T09:20:00.001-06:00

Darke by Angie Sage

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Another great book in the Septimus Heap series. I have mixed emotions knowing that the series will be wrapping up soon but look forward to reading the last one and seeing what Sage will work on next.

This is a great book, especially for boys who might be reluctant readers. it really captures and keeps the attention of the reader.

Now I'm working on The Burning Bridge by John Flanagan, part of the Rangers Apprentice series.

Review - Land of Painted Caves

2011-10-27T18:59:00.001-06:00

The Land of Painted Caves by Jean M. Auel

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was surprised Auel didn't fill her latest book with sex, sex, sex like she did her previous Earth's Children titles. There is still a little, but it's not half as bad as the previous titles.

I liked the story though it kind of dragged. There was nothing real new, other than a domestic dispute.

Now I'm listening to The Race by Clive Cussler.

Disney World 2011

2011-10-26T09:13:00.035-06:00

Our 2011 Disney World vacation

Our building, #14, the Alligator Bayou at Port Orleans Riverside. We had room 1404. It was a nice room with plenty of room for the wheelchair. But it's hard to find at night since there is very little signage and the front desk provides very little instruction on how to get where you are heading. We got a little lost wandering around looking for our room in the dark at 11 pm after a long day of traveling and travel delays.

But the grounds are decorated nicely. It is Florida so there is standing water everywhere. We discovered what a problem this created as there were bugs in our room every night. You would think that paying what we paid Disney could at least keep the bugs out of the room! We killed 16 the last night there and about the same the previous evening.

Lots of bugs around!

Our room, decorated in the Riverside theme.

Poorly designed closet. We couldn't open a drawer without all the other drawers opening and couldn't use the fridge without closing the doors. Could be easily fixed with a descent hutch.

The Riverside Mill which served as the main building for checkin, gift store, restaurant, and other services.

The fishing hole where you could actually drop a line.

We started off our adventure with a safari ride through the Kilimanjaro Safari ride. It's one of our favorite rides at the Animal Kingdom. Every time we go on the ride there is something a little different. Sometimes certain animals get closer than others, like the time we had to stop in the road to let a giraffe cross.

Giraffes still wander close to the road.

Hungry, hungry hippos

Rhinos

Flamingos

Elephant and a baby

Other animals spotted on the safari.

Magic Kingdom all decorated for Halloween.

People mover. Still operating at Disney World though not accessible for the disabled.

Cinderella's castle, much larger than the Disneyland version.

Tea Cups are covered here, another difference.

After spending a little time at the Magic kingdom, we decided it would be fun to explore some of the other resorts. We took the monorail over to the Contemporary. This mosaic was designed by Mary Blair, the same artist that designed It's a Small World.

The Polynesian was decorated very nice and had very nice grounds. It's another resort we hope to stay at some day.

The third resort we visited was the Grand Floridian, a beautiful (and most expensive of all the WDW resorts).

The weather vane from the wedding chapel at the Grand Floridian.

The lobby of the Grand Floridian. Very elegant. Victoria & Alberts restaurant is located here, one of the finest dining establishments in the region.

A view of the Yacht Club and Beach Club resorts at night as we made our way to dinner.

That evening we then headed to the Beach Club restaurant and ate at Cape May, a buffet restaurant. They had the best red potatoes I have ever had!

Our second day was spent with Dorie, Milan and James at EPCOT.

We love this time of the year with the food festival going on. It's a lot of fun to go around "the world" and sample (at a cost, of course) foods from various parts of the country. Foods I tried included: Canada - cheddar cheese soup; Belgium - Waffle with Berry Compote and Whipped Cream; Morocco - Baklava; Cheese fondue (yuck). I liked the Canadian cheese soup and Belgium waffles I had to return there for seconds! This year they added Portugal, Caribbean and Hawaii booths.

New this year was also a display from Ocean Spray of a cranberry bog. There was even a nearby booth that was giving out Craisin samples.

At the end of the test track attraction, there are various Buick's on display. James couldn't resist taking the new Cadillac for a test drive (in his dreams).

Another favorite ride is Spaceship Earth, a ride-through history of information.
We both loved the Biergarten, the restaurant in Germany in EPCOT. Authentic German food with good old fashioned German music made for one of the few restaurants we will look forward to returning to.

Our third day was spent at Hollywood Studios. It was crowded here as well.

One of the rides we wanted to experience was Toy Story. But when we arrived at 10 am we discovered they had given out a lot of fast passes. In fact, if we had got one, our return time would have been for 5:30 pm. Because we had dinner reservations, we could not take advantage of the fast pass and opted to wait over 100 minutes in line.

Toy Story was decorated very differently than the Disneyland version but the ride was still the same. I liked being part of the story but found the building to be overly warm and noisy.

The wheelchair queue was a little different but still functioned the same way as Disneyland.

We enjoyed lunch at the 50's Prime Time Cafe. Imagine your Grandmothers house in the 50s. that's how they have themed this restaurant.

Kent looking over the dessert menu conveniently loaded on the viewmaster.

A result of the dessert selection.

Lightning McQueen and Mater are both on display outside the park in form of topiary.

Mickey leads the band at Hollywood Studios

The Backlot tour also includes a look at some of Disney's old props, such as the spaceship used in Flight of the Navigator.

Other props from the Disney vaults.

Special effects stage
Catastrophe Canyon on the backlot tour

Street scene along the tour

Costume shop along the tour

Walt Disneys' plane used to scout the "Florida Project"

Dinner that night was at Whispering Canyon Cafe, locaed at the Wilderness Lodge (another future site we want to stay at--both the rooms and in the campground with the RV). Dinner was an all-you-can-eat selection of ribs, pulled pork, chicken beef brisket, mashed potatoes, baked beans, corn on the cob, coleslaw and cornbread. But the best part was when a family asked for ketchup. The server would yell out "We need ketchup" and another family would deliver all 50 bottles to their table. When the next unsuspecting family asked for it, then it was delivered in the same way. Very fun for the kids to see them running around the restaurant with 6-7 bottles of ketchup to deliver!

Our last day was at the Magic Kingdom.

The lay out of the park is a little different, including Tomorrowland.

The Haunted Mansion queue is very different. Very much more interesting artifacts...

... and interactive attractions.

Fun props along the way.

Haunted Mansion seems a little spookier at Magic Kingdom.

For dinner that night we went back to EPCOT to celebrate Oktoberfest at Biergarten, a Geman buffet, complete with entertainment.

All I can say was it was delicious! It's definately a spot to which we will return. Given the quality of Disney food, Biergarten was a welcome respite.

The sun sets on our vacation. Overall I walked 19.1 miles. But it didn't really feel like it.

Review - The Jungle

2011-10-18T14:25:00.002-06:00

The Jungle by Clive Cussler

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another good Cussler book. Personally, I love the Oregon Files series. And this one did not disappoint!

The premise of the story: The Corporation are hired to find a kidnapped boy. That turns into discovering a ruthless man that is set to destroy the American way of life.

Now I'm reading Darke by Angie Sage.

Camping at Rockport

2011-09-27T08:33:00.007-06:00

We enjoyed another camping trip on Friday at Rockport State Park. It's about an hour or so through the Provo Canyon and just off of I-80. We had a pretty nice view of the reservoir.

The electricity at the campground had gone out temporarily so we "roughed" it for about an hour. Fortunately the stove works on propane so we survived the hardship by having breakfast potatoes (with the first of our homegrown batch of spuds) and hot chocolate. Camping doesn't get any better than that!

Lexie came with and enjoyed her time exploring in the tall weeds. She's a great little camper.

On the way up and back we were treated to the Fall scenery. The leaves are starting to turn in the canyon and now the hillsides are dotted in reds, golds, oranges, and greens. Very pretty!

Review - Fall of Giants

2011-09-20T16:54:00.001-06:00

Fall of Giants by Ken Follett

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I don't normally read series until the series is complete or near complete. I dislike having to go back and figure out who the characters are and what makes them so likable or not. Follett uses so many characters in this book he provides a 6 page listing of them! I liked the book but wished I had waited until the series was further along. Oh well, I guess I'll be skipping the new Jeffrey Archer novel for that very reason.

Now I am on to read The Jungle by Clive Cussler.

Camping - Smith & Morehouse

2011-08-28T12:14:00.005-06:00

To celebrate the first week of school (and to get away from it all), we decided to camp at Smith & Morehouse. This campground has long been one of my family favorites, even an area my Dad used to camp, ride horses, and hunt. It's dry camping so there are no hookups. But we just replaced our truck battery and had some maintenance on the generator, so that was nice to have the peace of mind. Unfortunately, the generator didn't work as well as it should have so we may have to take it back in for further maintenance. But it was nice to get away and enjoy being outdoors; or, as I call it, forest therapy.

It was a nice campground, with three loops. the sites were far enough away from each other but still close enough to hear conversations. Luckily there were no loud evening parties or other noises.

After sitting in DeeAnns boss's chairs, DeeAnn made a special trip to Cabelas to buy us two of the chairs. The chairs are very comfortable, even reclining nearly all the way. But to have to go to Cabelas for shopping must have been a real hardship for DeeAnn.

The creek runs to the east of the campground but is down a very steep hill. It can be heard but was hard to hear over the rustling of the trees in the wind in the evening. Saturday morning was better as all the trees were still. Now if someone could take whistles away from kids, it would have been nice and quiet.

No hookups, a fairly level site (site 15). It's one of those campgrounds we will be happy to suggest to others and plan to return to some day. And it's only about an hour and a half away (assuming there is no major construction along the way).

The forest has nice, mature pine trees and aspens throughout. Our site was fairly shady even though it was a little wider than most (it was designated as a handicapped site).

A very rocky dam that could be fished from. There is a boat ramp just up the road a bit. And there is additional camping at Ledgefork as well. Boating is allowed on the lake but must be wakeless. That maintains the peaceful and tranquility of the setting.

The road leading in and out of the campground is lines with trees, almost creating a canopy over the road.

I brought the bike but just about wore myself out riding up to the lake. I later discovered that some our neighbors were also camping the same weekend. I probably would have seen them if I had bothered to explore the lower campground.

Disneyland - August 2011

2011-08-28T06:57:00.009-06:00

Here we are at Disneyland, again. With this trip, we enjoyed the company of the Minors, another family of past (and future) students of DeeAnn. They are a fun family and enjoy Disneyland as much as we do!

Since we last visited, The Little Mermaid and Goofy's Sky School rides were finished and opened, along with a new restaurant in the area of Goofy's sky school. This is a picture of the chicken kabob DeeAnn ordered. Pretty good. I had a ravioli (not pictured here) that was pretty good as well. I look forward to going back. They have seating for lots of people so it should be a popular destination.

Disneyland cannot be complete without characters, in any form. Here Jaycie and Brenda meet Goofy.

One of the fun events we wanted them to experience, was a breakfast with the characters. i don't think they were disappointed! And the food is surprisingly good.

Braden and Jaycie meet Geppetto.

The kids and Rusty meet Rafiki.

Rusty and Rafiki have a "man" moment

Captain Hook made an appearance, even though he shamelessly flirted with my wife.

Eeyore greets Jaycie

Geppetto is asked to sign his autograph

The Fairy Godmother makes wishes come true

And a penguin from Mary Poppins dances into the scene

Max is cool!

Minnie Alyssa, Jaycie and DeeAnn

Honorary bugs

Drivers ed

The princesses

Winnie the Pooh and Tigger greet Jaycie

Here's a few pictures from the new Little Mermaid Ride. Very cute ride though it only takes 2 minutes for the whole ride.

We usually really enjoy Disneyland, but it was very crowded and hot. I'm ready to take a break from Disneyland though I am looking forward to Orlando this fall.

Hidden Mickey's all over the park

Woody in Lego's

The mist machines were certainly popular

And the water rides were popular, with good reason!

The Minors

Fruit Pizza

2011-07-31T18:04:00.002-06:00

We recently made this for company. Very easy to make.

Recipe:

1 20-ounce package of sugar cookies

1 8-ounce package of cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Banana slices
Peeled kiwi slices
Strawberry halves
Blueberries
1/2 cup Orange Marmalade, Peach or Apricot preserves
2 tablespoons water

Freeze cookie dough for 1 hour. Slice into 1/8-inch slices. Line foiled-lined 14-inch pizza plan pan with slices, overlapping edges slightly. Bake at 375°; 12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool. Invert onto serving plate; carefully remove foil, invert to right side.

Combine cream cheese, sugar and vanilla, mixing until well blended. Spread over crust. Arrange fruit over cream cheese layer. Glaze with combined marmalade and water; chill. Cut into wedges.

Serves 10 to 12.

Variations:
Substitute one or more of the following as fruit:
Raspberries
Red or green grape halves
Pineapple chunks
Maraschino cherry halves, drained
Thick sliced peaches, pears, or apples
Mandarin orange segments, drained

Tip: Arrange fruit to create a variety of shapes and designs--try stripes, triangles or circles.

Source:
Kraft Philadelphia Brand Cream Cheese Cookbook, Beekman House, 1998.

Review - Mr. Monk on the Couch

2011-07-18T09:33:00.002-06:00

Mr. Monk on the Couch by Lee Goldberg

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

While not as good as the last Monk book, this was still a great book. Natalie's character develops a little more and Goldberg still keeps Monk's disorders fresh and entertaining, but I have to wonder how long he can keep it up.

Now I'm working on Fall of Giants by Ken Follett. It's 985 pages so it make take a while!

View all my reviews

Review - Blind Spot

2011-07-12T11:52:00.002-06:00

Blind Spot by Terri Persons

My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Boring. I was listening to this title and I could not really get into it. The premise of the story was interesting but the story was boring. Since I have better things to do with my time, I'm moving on to Abarat by Clive Barker.

View all my reviews

Review - Ruins of Gorlan

2011-07-08T16:57:00.001-06:00

The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book, probably one of the better books I have read in a long time. The story was fun, kept moving and unpredictable. I didn't find anything offensive in it and am able to recommend it to children from about 4th grade and up.

Now I look forward to reading the rest of the series. Now I am reading Mr. Monk on the Couch by Lee Goldberg.

View all my reviews

Purtifying the Yard

2011-07-02T11:10:00.005-06:00

Little by little we continue to improve the yard. This year we panted our usual flowers and vegetables, but added a few more.

The flowers DeeAnn planted. They look great. I first thought she planted plastic flowers but they are real.

Tomatoes. One plant died but the others really shot up once the heat started.

Peas. Doing well, planted from seeds.

Potatoes. This year we planted russets.

Planter of geraniums.

Neighbor's grapes growing over the fence into our yard.

'Riviera Blue Eyes' Lobelia to border the front sidewalk.

Planters of 'First Lady" (yellow) and "Durango Red" (orange) Marigolds

'Wasatch Deep Purple' Petunias, 'Silver Dust' Dusty Miller, and marigolds. Previously panted 'For Hill' Creeping Phlox that seems to be coming back (upper left hand corner behind rock)

2011-06-27T11:00:00.003-06:00

The Sixth Man by David Baldacci

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was one of the better books I've read lately. The plot moved quickly and left you guessing as to what was going to happen next (for the most part).

View all my reviews

Alaska Cruise - Day 8

2011-06-18T20:10:00.004-06:00

Our last day, coming off a wonderful vacation to be followed by a tour of Seattle.

Pier 91. Rhapsody in dock and being provisioned for the next sailing. Wish we were on it!

Space Needle

Views from the Space Needle

DeeAnn and Shane, one of DeeAnn's first students.

Everything on the trip was going well until we were ready to leave Seattle. The bus driver didn't really know how to work the wheelchair lift (she said it was the wonkiest lift in their fleet--makes sense to send that bus when they know they have a wheelchair to load). But the driver didn't really know what she was doing and took about 15 minutes to finally get the lift stowed after we had visited Pikes market. We even showed up 10 minutes early so that we wouldn't delay everyone. it was one of the passengers that had to help and get it fixed.

Once we got home we discovered our car would not start. Airport Security was nice enough to help us get it started. they discovered our battery and cables were very corroded and suggested we go to AutoZone to get a replacement. Course, the first Autozone we found (thank goodness for GPS) could barely speak English and had a hard time understanding what we needed. So we drove to a Sears. Once the battery and cables were replaced we were on our way. And we got to avoid rush hour traffic.

The pets were glad to see us and it was good to be back home after a wonderful vacation.

Alaska Cruise - Day 7

2011-06-18T20:09:00.018-06:00

Day 7 of our cruise was spent in Victoria, BC. It's a beautiful city as can see from these pictures.

Victoria from the dock. Those are apartments and I'm sure command a nice price for a view of the water. Victoria is a very large island where prices for homes drop considerably as you go north or go farther from the water.

Harbor at Victoria.

Totem poles at the Museum. Some day I'll make it to the museum.

Ahh, the memories of the Inn at Laurel Point. This was where we stayed three years ago when we visited and enjoyed it very much. This was my 5th visit to Victoria, DeeAnn's 2nd.

Street scenes of Victoria.

We started our tour at the sunken gardens, our favorite spot of the garden. Lesson Learned: If you have limited time, spend your time here. There may not be roses and water lilies but you will see nearly everything else the garden has right here.

Indoor terrarium at the gardens.

Ross Fountain.

Water features and lawns.

Flowers throughout the gardens.

Tree roots. Amazing they can hold these massive trees up.

Beautiful display of trees and the varieties they bring.

Garden paths. Fun to compare this picture with the one we took three years ago. I see the Ivy has grown up the wall considerably since then.

Approaching the gift shops, still manicured and beautiful displays.

More beautiful displays.

We asked our van driver to drop us off downtown. After a nice lunch at a local pub, we took the 20 minute walk along the waterfront to return back to the ship. Here are some of the homes we saw along the way.

Cranberry yogurt.

Beef Burgogne

Ricotta and spinach stuffed shells

Orange and Chocolate pie.

Our table companions, Linda and Terry.

Leonard, waiter and Eddie, assistant waiter. Both from the Philippines.

DeeAnn being escorted out of the dining room. Leonard was very nice to do this each evening, if he was available.

Alaska Cruise - Day 6

2011-06-18T20:08:00.014-06:00

Day 6 of the cruise was spent cruising, on the way to Victoria.

Atrium was about 5 stories tall. There was occasional entertainment in the lobby such as live music, towel folding, or cake decorating. There were always some kind of activities taking place. Probably a good thing since the TV was so lousy. Lesson Learned: Bring DVDs and a player if you want to avoid watching the same movie 5 times.

Windjammer Buffet.

Windjammer Cafe seating area. Sometimes crowded, sometimes not. We really enjoyed the 3-5 pm snack time. Guacamole was pretty good as long as they had descent chips.

Waterfall on the 4th floor elevator lobby.

There was art throughout the ship, some modern, some contemporary, some classical. Mostly themed around music on the Rhapsody of the Seas.

Elevators were even decorated nicely. We never really had to wait too long to get onto an elevator and they were about three times larger than the Disney Wonder.

"Telescope" in one of the lounges.

"Shall We Dance" lounge.

Lounge that has board games.

Latitudes and Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream. Not included in the price of the cruise. There were self serve ice cream stations outside the Windjammer cafe and pool side that were soft ice cream. Worked most of the time but not always.

Shopping. Jewelry store, liquor store (also had candy and treats but at least twice the price you could buy things for at port), and gift store.

Shuffleboard. Not curling, but close.

Arcade for the kids.

Pool.

A nice touch: lift to the pool.

Coffee and tea station. Nice surprise to find hot chocolate there as well.

Seating around the pool and pool bar. Our room is almost beneath this area.

Pathway into the Solarium.

Solarium, the covered pool. It was an adults only pool but opened for kids a few hours of the day if the weather was too windy or cold for them to use the outdoor pool.

This was also another formal night at dinner. We also noticed that this was the only night the Captain dined in the dining room. We were at a table right next to his. Nothing like you saw on the Love Boat.

Shrimp salad.

Mixed berry soup. Very good but not as good as the other chilled soups served.

Catch of the day cooked on a cedar plank.

Some kind of Indian dish with spicy noodles and peanut sauce. I tried, I moved on.

Apple-rhubarb crumble with vanilla ice cream

Layered white cake with berry sauce

Towel animal - Turtle

Alaska Cruise - Day 5

2011-06-18T20:06:00.011-06:00

Day 5 was spent cruising up to the Tracy Arm Glacier. Though it is one of the smaller glaciers, it is still an amazing sight. We woke up early (not hard since it started to get light at 3:00 am) to watch as we proceeded up to the glacier. It was room service for us so we would not miss anything.

"Uncle Boyd and Aunt Connie." Boyd is actually Mom's cousin but we always referred to him as "Uncle" Boyd. We were both surprised and pleased to see them board the plane and find out they would be on the cruise with us. When they were younger, Boyd and my Dad were very good friends and was the one that introduced Dad to my Mom. We invited them to come to our room and enjoy the view with us from our balcony. And it was cool, not real cold, but cool enough to wear a coat.

Icebergs started out few and far between. At first the ship kept quite a distance from them. Perhaps not wanting a repeat of Titanic?

It was so beautiful with sharp and steep walls carved by the glaciers and filled with beautiful green water. It's amazing to see life cling to the sheer walls.

Occasional side valleys open up the views.

Waterfalls were all over the place.

Ice floating in the water is occurring more often and we start seeing the glacier.

Slowly getting closer to the glacier and notice that the amount of floating ice has dramatically increased. I noticed that cruising speed was anywhere from 18-20 knots but at this point we were doing 2-3 knots (1 knot = 1.15077945 miles)

Then right up near the glacier it is so think you could almost walk from piece to piece.

As we arrived, a piece of iceberg was calving. You can see the end results at the water level as the last of the ice crashes into the ocean.

There is it, the Tracy Arm Glacier. The Captain indicated this was the closest he had gotten to the glacier in about 5 years so we were fascinated by the littering of ice in the water and the ability of the ship to safely navigate through them all. Thanks to the pilot for getting us so incredibly close!

The colors of the glacier were amazing. It's hard to describe in words the color and hard to capture the beauty on film. It's something you have to experience in order to understand.

Once of the most amazing moments came as we watched this seal give birth right in front of us. We named the baby Rhapsody. As we proceeded up the fjord, we noticed a few icebergs with blood stains on them. We thought this might be where the seals had brought up fish to feed or perhaps a seal had been attacked by a whale, but once we saw this incredible moment of nature, we noticed how many baby seals there were in the area and realized what the stains might be.

Blueberry cheesecake

This was probably our favorite day of the cruise. The sights we encountered were incredible and probably will not be repeated for a long time.

Alaska Cruise - Day 4

2011-06-18T19:38:00.011-06:00

Day 4 of our cruise was spent in Skagway. It's a cute city, much like Park City. Our excursion was the White Pass & Yukon Route Train. Skagway was the Starting Point for many gold miners who would seek their riches in the Yukon.

Our train. Conveniently stops on the pier so it's a very short walk to the train. There was a very nice wheelchair-accessible car that allowed DeeAnn to see out with unobstructed views.

River along the train tracks.

Train chugging up and down the mountain. We climbed about 4,000 feet along the path.

Fortunately, they have replaced this old bridge, but it looks like a lot of fun to go on.

The train that didn't make it.

Passing into Canada and the Yukon Territory. Now we can say we've been to the Yukon!

Trail of 1898 that the miners took.

Downtown Skagway.

Local transportation options (for tourists) in the city.

Yes, they have RV Parks! We saw quite a few RVs lined up waiting for the Alaska Ferry. Even large Class A motorhomes were able to drive onto the ferry. Not a bad way to travel and certainly an idea to keep in mind for the future.

Our ship docked in Skagway.

Alaska Cruise - Day 3

2011-06-18T18:54:00.015-06:00

Day 3 of our cruise found us still going into Juneau. For a state capitol, it's a small city. But it has charm. We had prearranged our excursions, and we were about to go on our first--whale watching. We paid a lot more than it was worth having bought it through the cruise line. Lesson Learned: take your chances with your cruises and either book them with local companies or make the arrangements when you get there.

There were lots of waterfalls along the way, some small, some huge.

Juneau from the docks. There were four cruise ships in port that day, making it a very busy and crowded city.

Juneau from the distance.

Seaplane. The only way to get to Juneau is by boat or plane, no roads lead to the island.

Mendenhall Glacier from a distance. those that saw it close up said it was huge!

Shops in downtown Juneau. I learned that a lot of the jewelry and fur shops are actually owned by the cruise line. Kind of makes you want to support the locally owned shops.

Juneau Public Library. What self-respecting city does not have a library? Parking lot on the first three levels, library on the fourth level.

Our ship from the parking lot. We had a wheelchair-equipped van with a private tour. He was very enjoyable and very informative.

Whale spouts and flukes before they dive. it was frustrating for DeeAnn to be able to see any of the whales, as the whole boat would stand when a whale was spotted. Fortunately, the crew found a special place for her to hang out so that no one would stand in front of her, though several ill-mannered passengers tried. One of the very cool things we saw was a technique called bubble netting where the whales blow bubbles to stimulate nets (or maybe the nets stimulate bubbles) to gather the fish for feeding. The whole pod works together in this technique. This was the first bubble netting of the season and really excited the crew of the boat. Another cool thing was when the crew lowered the hydrophone and we actually listened to the whales communicating with each other. Very special.

Whale spotting is easy once you learn to look for their spouts.

There were probably two dozen eagles in the area, including these two that were sitting on a cross to memorialize fishermen that had not survived.

Our whale watching boat.

Dessert from our third night, anglefood cake with strawberries.

Strawberry gelatinous-type dessert. not too bad but a lot of people loved it.

Our waiters perform a song for us.

Towel animal - Elephant

Alaska Cruise - Day 2

2011-06-18T18:10:00.011-06:00

Day 2 of our cruise was spent cruising. We discovered more parts to the ship and decided to eat lunch in the dining room. We were so impressed with it we decided not to return for the rest of the cruise.

Our room as seen from above. We had a family suite below us, two suites on either side of us, and a very vacant area above us. Even though we were located fairly near the elevators, we rarely heard noise from cabins around us--almost the perfect spot.

Climbing wall was located on the aft of the ship but was only opened a few hours a day and not during windy or rainy days.

The pool was not really very popular except for the last cruising day when the sun was out. But it was funny to see people out in their coats and sweaters lounging around the pool. There were a few brave souls that would venture into the hot tubs and a few crazy people that took a dip in the pools.

Coastline along Canada and Southwest Alaska

Dinner was formal night so we had fun dressing up. Formal night on the Rhapsody was certainly different than the Carnival Paradise in that the women were dressed more modestly. Maybe it was the fact the weather was cooler or the fact there was a generally older crowd on board. In fact at times, we thought we were one of the younger couples on board.

Peach Soup

Shrimp Cocktail

Salmon, potatoes and spinach.

Towel animal - dog

Sunset at sea

Alaska Cruise - Day 1

2011-06-18T14:05:00.023-06:00

We have just returned from our favorite vacation so far, a cruise to Alaska. This has been in the planning since November, so we were really looking forward to this experience. We selected Royal Caribbean's Rhapsody of the Seas. We knew the Disney Wonder also sailed to Alaska but with their solid walls we wanted a ship that we could see the water and coastline. It was a good choice, as you will see later. Between the two of us, we took over 1000 pictures, some of which are blurry, others are just duplicates of each others.

We were fortunate to paired up with a great couple from Billings, Montana for dinner. They were in a Grand Suite, while we had an accessible junior suite which had plenty of room. They received a few extra perks and had a lovely room. Apparently the junior suites are the highest level for accessible rooms, but we think the grand suite would be nice as it had a bathtub instead of the roll-in shower. But their was a 3-4 inch step up to the bathroom.

Our room as seen from the dock. Our room is directly above the room with the glass window, right above the rear end of the lifeboat.

Docks at Seattle Pier 91. It's pretty amazing that they can empty the ship by 10:00 and be ready for boarding a couple hours later. All the logistics and equipment are fascinating to watch in action.

Our room

Our balcony. Note the glass wall, the main reason we chose this ship over the Disney Wonder.

And the most important room, the bathroom.

For the most part we found the cruise to be uneventful and enjoyable. When, not if, we do another Alaska cruise we hope to be able to visit different ports of call and see some different parts of the country. We would really like to do the Anchorage to Seattle cruise with a side trip up to Denali National Park.

Our experience started out in Salt Lake City and I was surprised to see my Mom's cousins Boyd and Connie Cox boarding the plane. We discovered they were traveling with a Woodbadge group and would be on the same cruise as us! We enjoyed a few hours with them, visiting and enjoying our balcony together as we cruised around the glacier.

Geeks at sea. Here I hold my precious souvenir cup. I purchased the soda drink card which entitled me to free sodas during the cruise. Only about $40.00 but considering sodas cost $2.25 each and I go through several a day, it was worth it. And now I have a cool cup for work.

Views from the Ship, as we leave Seattle.

We arrived in Seattle with no problem and found the cruise representatives. They directed us to the shuttle bus area, at the end of the airport. While it seemed disorganized, it was very organized and efficient. We took our bags to the check-in stand where they took them and we next saw them show up at our suite about 4 hours later. Luggage was delivered to suites first, then the rest of the rooms, so there were advantages in being in the suites.

We made a quick trip to the Windjammer Cafe for lunch. It was adequate and since we considered it part of the price we had paid for the cruise, we took advantage of it. Our room was available at 1:00 and we arrived just as they were opening to doors to let us in. We were able to relax a little and check out the room.

Buffet at the Windjammer Cafe, much easier to get around than the Disney Wonder!

Our mandatory life boat drill was at 4:00 and was quick and efficient. We were back in our room by 4:30 and left dock right after that, about 5:00.

Our itinerary was:

Day 1: Seattle
Day 2: Cruise
Day 3: Juneau
Day 4: Skagway
Day 5: Cruise, Tracy Arm Glacier
Day 6: Cruise
Day 7: Victoria, BC
Day 8: Seattle

We took a quick tour of the ship and found...the library!

Dinner was at 6:00 where we met our dining companions and wait staff. After a week together, we discovered that they were a great couple and we enjoyed spending time together with them. We were impressed the cruise line paired us up with a couple so similar to us.

DeeAnn mentioned to Eddie, the Assistant Waiter, that she wanted lemonade then changed her mind to milk. So he brought her both. Now everyone on board thinks she had a drinking problem!

Prime rib

Pasta and mushrooms

Chocolate cake for dessert

Sunset at Sea, the end of the first day

School's Out Celebration

2011-06-08T16:34:00.005-06:00

We finally did a "repeat" location. We went up to Deer Creek, which was our very first place we went to when we got Harvey....we even stayed in the same spot, site 39. We've learned a lot in 3 years, remembering that we really didn't know what we were doing when we were first here. Now, set up goes so much faster. The lake is quite a bit higher than it was back in 2008.

Not a bad view, huh?

Of course, every end of school celebration has to include dutch oven ribs. They were started around 2:00p.m. and by 7:00p.m., were tender and delicious. Add funeral potatoes, corn-on-the-cob, watermelon and s'mores and it makes a wonderful picnic.

Some students just can't get away from their teachers even on the last day of school. The Minor family, friends for many years now, came up and joined us for dinner. These 3 loved cuddling up on the loft bed and watching Tangled.

Lexie enjoyed another camping trip. She's getting to be quite the expert dog camper.

Strawberry Bay Camping

2011-05-23T13:26:00.014-06:00

We had another fun camping trip up to Strawberry Bay. It's about an hour and a half up the canyon (very pretty drive), 25 miles east of Heber (where we had to stop, of course, at Dairy Keen for a kid's meal for Kent and Lexie and Seafood salad). Lexie came with and it was her first trip riding along in Harvey. She did o.k., although she was a little nervous with the new sounds and feel of a moving r.v.

We ended up at site 15, since our original site was a little watery from snow run off. Turned out to be a great hilltop view on both sides of the motorhome. Harvey felt right at home.

Guess we were really roughing it this time because we couldn't get t.v. service. So, that night we watched some old fun movies on the dvd; How to Frame a Figg with Don Knotts and With Six you get Eggroll with Doris Day. It was a great way to relax!

The camera man managed to catch two sleepy heads.

The next morning we woke up to a gorgeous sunrise, had a great outdoor breakfast (before the downpour) and enjoyed the scenery of cranes, squirrels (which definitely caught Lexie's attention), and a beautiful calm lake.

Lexie did a great job again. She had a favorite lookout spot on the back bed where she could watch everything going on. She didn't bark and didn't have any accidents in the motorhome. We think she'll want to go again, since now her ears perk up at even the mention of camping!

Review - The Confession

2011-05-23T08:50:00.002-06:00

The Confession by John Grisham

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

While this book did nothing to change my opinion of capital punishment, it certainly makes it clear how Grisham feels about it.

I liked the book. Even though it was fairly predictable, I found the story well done and the characters believable. For legal thrill fans, I'd recommend it. I listened to it and it kept my interest.

View all my reviews

Now I'm listening to The School of Fear by Gitty Daneshvari.

Review - Dead or Alive

2011-05-23T08:42:00.002-06:00

Dead or Alive by Tom Clancy

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This 950 page book could easily be edited to 300 pages without having to go into all the detail Clancy loves. I liked the story but got bogged down my the details.

View all my reviews

Now I am reading The Sixth Man by David Baldacci.

Camping Local

2011-05-01T14:57:00.010-06:00

This weekend we enjoyed another nice camping trip. We wanted to see how Lexie would do in an overnight camping trip, so we selected a local RV park, Lakeside RV Park on Center Street in Provo. It's not very far so that if she does have a problem, it would be easy to take her home. The first night was Lexie free. We also enjoyed the time with Melany and her family, one of the teachers DeeAnn works with.

The red dots are from our house (approximately) to the RV Park. It was sooooo far!

Because I had Friday off, I started cooking slow cooker ribs, rice, corn, salad, and funeral potatoes. The ribs were not as tender as I would have liked (especially since it was too cold to cook in the Dutch Oven) but seemed to go over okay. It was also the first time I had used to oven. it was a learning experience but the potatoes turned out pretty good, perhaps a little overcooked.

We bought a couple of sets of Lego's we could leave in Harvey so I would have something to do. here I help Aiden put together one of the sets.

We arrived in pretty good weather, though it was cold. The next morning we woke up to a layer of snow. Nice that Harvey had a great heater and gives us a chance to snuggle a little. The hot shower is also nice on a morning of "roughing it."

After a short trip to see a baptism of one of DeeAnn's students, we dropped by the house to pick up Lexie.

It didn't take long for her to make herself right at home.

Some things never change. Lexie keeps careful watch on me in case I "accidentally" drop food on the floor. She is such great little vacuum.

The end result was that she did very well. She enjoyed being around other dogs and the kids, let us know if she had to go potty, and slept through the night without barking at strange noises. We are looking forward to taking her on future trips where we don't leave the park for extended time. But I'm not sure I'd stay at or even recommend the RV park. While the staff seemed to be nice, the advertised cable TV was awful and the wireless Internet kept going in and out.

St. George and Zions National Park

2011-04-17T15:55:00.009-06:00

Part 2 of our Spring Break was taking Harvey the RV to St. George in southern Utah and to Zion's National Park. While there, we visited with the Grondel's who live in St. George during the winter. This was a great vacation that introduced DeeAnn to another of Utah's national parks.

Harvey felt right at home. Weather was beautiful other than the high winds we experienced on the drive down and the first day in St. George.

The tunnels on the east side of the park are rather impressive. Carved from the stone nearly 100 years ago, the 1.1 mile long tunnel is complete with windows every so often.

Checkerboard Mesa.

Some of the great views of the mountains and rock formations.

Climbers are barely noticeable on the face of the rock.

More beautiful views of different parts of the park.

Great waterfall at the Temple of Sinawava.

Grondels and us enjoying a "couples" moment at the mouth of the narrows.

One of my favorite formations, the Great White Throne.

Court of the Three Patriarchs.

More wonderful views. Could you imagine working here? I did after high school for a few months. It was a great experience.

Our first stop on Friday was a visit to the St. George Visitor's center and a walk around the grounds.

Next we made a stop at the St. George Tabernacle.

The Woodruff School, part of the historic district downtown.

The area also featured a nice water park, something pleasant for the kids to enjoy on those warm days.

At lunch Friday, this was the view. I could probably get used to something like this.

The view from Grondel's back yard.

Disneyland for Spring Break

2011-04-17T15:10:00.010-06:00

We thought going to Disneyland during fall break was bad and you thought we would have learned not to go when school is out but nooooo, we forged ahead and went during spring break. So we resorted to Plan B: visit the rides and attractions that kids do not normally like, or do those that we can get to the front of the line. We also took advantage of the smaller crowds earlier in the day. Here are some of our moments captured for posterity:

We stayed at the Fairfield, as we enjoy the hotel and it's location to the parks. When we arrived we discovered that they had remodeled our accessible room. Once we got the front desk clerk to admit they had an accessible room with a tub, we discovered the bed was so high that DeeAnn could not even get up on the bed. I'm not sure what Fairfield was thinking but at least they were able to provide a bench for DeeAnn to step up onto. I wonder what they do for other disabled guests.

California Adventures is still being remodeled, one large construction zone. Guests entering the park are still being redirected but they have made significant progress on the new entrance.

Some of the construction walls are very cute and creative. Where else would you see people stop and take their picture in front of a construction barricade?

Cars Land is making pretty good progress, with their opening sometime next year. We visited the Blue Sky Cellar, where they exhibit some of the upcoming attractions such as Cars Land, the entrance pavilion and Little Mermaid.

Disneyland is not without construction as well. the Emporium was open while they refurbish the facade.

We took a very informative tour of the Mission Tortilla Factory where fresh tortillas are made and provided as samples at the end of the tour. Fresh tortillas are yummy!!

Flowers are in bloom through out the park.

Course, I was dragged to it's a small world.

The queen of the angry totems was out and about as well.

My obligatory picture on front of the library.

Professional help needed

2011-03-23T10:54:00.002-06:00

Okay, it's still several weeks away, but we are very excited to return to Disneyland. Because we need professional help, I've contacted the doctor (see picture above) to offer help. I think this may help.

Review - Inner Circle

2011-03-02T08:48:00.003-07:00

In an attempt to try and sleep last night, I finished Inner Circle by Brad Meltzer.

The book really picked up speed about half way through. But I was not sure I would make it. Nevertheless I enjoyed it. It had a good plot, one that was not very predictable. The only thing that bothered me was when the booked jumped in and out of the first person narrative. It was a little awkward. Otherwise, a good book.

Description from Goodreads: "There are stories no one knows. Hidden stories. I love those stories. And since I work in the National Archives, I find those stories for a living." So says Benjamin January, a young archivist who spends his days working with the most important documents of the U.S. government. When Clementine Kaye, his first childhood crush, shows up at the Archives asking for his help tracking down her long-lost father, Benjy tries to impress her by showing her the secret vault where the President of the United States privately reviews classified documents. It is also where Benjy and Clementine accidentally happen upon a priceless artifact-a 200-year-old dictionary that once belonged to George Washington-hidden inside a desk chair. Eager to discover why the President is hiding this important national treasure, the two soon find themselves entangled in a web of deception, conspiracy, and murder that will reveal the most well kept secret of the U.S. Presidency.

The description is probably better written than the book, but it was still okay reading. Since I do not have enough big books to read, I've started on Tom Clancy's Dead or Alive. I'll report on finishing it around December. I'm also listening to The Confession by John Grisham. So far, so good.

Review - Mr. Monk on the Road

2011-01-27T10:20:00.004-07:00

This morning I finished Mr. Monk on the Road by Lee Goldberg. I really enjoyed this book. Not only do i usually enjoy the Monk books (and TV series--bring it back, please) but this one had Monk, his assistant Natalie, and his brother Ambrose on a road trip in a class C motorhome.

I could relate to the slide outs making the interior much larger, salivating over the neighboring RVs that seem to have all the gear and gadgets one could want, the friendliness of other RVers, and the freedom of being on the road. But it was funny to read camping from the Monk perspective.

I'd recommend this to any adult. Not a lot of offensive material in it at all. It is a murder mystery but not described in gory detail. Now I am on to Inner Circle by David Baldacci.

Disneyland 2011

2011-01-25T16:10:00.008-07:00

We realized that this trip to Disneyland was our first with just the two of us in a long time. Sure, we really enjoy taking others, but it was very nice to do things we wanted to do and be on our timetable, not someone else.

One of the different things we did this visit was to notice all the construction that was going on in both parks, but especially in California Adventures.

Entry and exit at California Adventures are under construction. Gone are the big letters that spell out the state. Detours are required to go around where they are removing the old turnstiles and installing the new ones.

The Golden Gate Bridge is slated for removal as part of the overall remodeling. Take a good look, it may not be there much longer.

Construction barriers are up around the new Cars Land and where the farmers market area (next to bugs land) used to be. Cute signs.

Little Mermaid ride is almost done, slated to open in May 2011. It's been interesting to watch the progress.

But the construction in the lagoon is all done and open for the World of Color. Now if we could only stay awake until 8 pm to see it! But we did get fastpasses, so I guess that's the first step.

Even the Disneyland Hotel has major construction going on. Maps are posted to show what the improvements will bring.

Splash Mountain closed for refurbishment
Playhouse Disney is changing to Disney Junior

One of our unique adventures was to eat at the Blue Bayou. It is definitely one of the most expensive in Disneyland but set right along Pirates of the Caribbean ride. Even though there was not much I could eat, our server graciously allowed me to order just the potatoes. DeeAnn had their version of prime rib. Not much flavor. I really enjoyed the salad and gave me an idea for lunches for work (craisens, blue cheese).

But the shrimp salad and cheese soup served in a fresh sourdough bread bowl is a required food when we visit.

A Mickey pretzel and a Mickey ice cream bar are also part of our tradition when we visit.

We went to see Tangled, the current Disney movie. We really enjoyed it and are thinking it might be one to buy for our own collection. Course, I have this strange desire to go out and get a cast iron fry pan for DeeAnn.

We walked over to Paradise Pier hotel to look around. Very impressive and a hotel we will certainly consider for a future visit.

We ate, for the first time, at McCormicks a& Schmidt's at the mall near the park. DeeAnn enjoyed a Parmesan encrusted tilapia that she said was the best tilapia she has ever had. The menu was more limited for me so I had the spinach and artichoke dip with chips.

Rainforest Cafe serves breakfast. Not at all impressive but was fast and not very crowded.

I knew that Disneyland had their own garden, and here is proof, with the orange tree and other plants I could probably identify if I ate fresh vegetables.

And the gardens throughout the park are always impressive. a beautiful wife, beautiful gardens, and being in Disneyland. Can life get any better?

We also found a new restroom we did not previously know about. It's a secret so we can't tell you where it is!

Goofy is alive and present in Disneyland

Review - NERDS: M is for Mama's Boy

2011-01-25T08:47:00.002-07:00

NERDS: M is for Mama's Boy by Michael Buckley was a fun book. The premise was that the NERD (National Espionage, Rescue and Defense Society) patrol is back. But this time they face their nemesis, a former teammate, Chompers, now known as Simon. He recruits a hench man, a bunch of squirrels (yes, you read that correctly) and a mama's boy who really wants to be a superhero but settles for being a super villain instead.

I'd recommend this book for a third grader reader who reads well and above. Not much offensive in it thought there is some implied violence.

Now I'm working on Mr. Monk on the Road by Lee Goldberg.

Review - Syren

2011-01-05T16:41:00.004-07:00

This morning I finished Syren by Angie Sage. I loved this book, even though it seemed to take forever. But with the holidays, days off, etc. I did manage to finish it.

From Goodreads: "In this fifth book in the Magykal series, Septimus ends up on a captivatingly beautiful island, one of seven set in a sparkling sea. He's stranded there with his badly injured dragon, Spit Fyre, along with Jenna and Beetle.

There are some strange things about the island, including a Magykal girl named Syrah, a cat-shaped lighthouse that has lost its Light, and an eerie presence that sings to Septimus—can he escape the persistent call?

Trouble is also brewing for Lucy and Wolf Boy, who have become entangled with some nefarious sailors at sea, and for Milo Banda, Jenna's father, who is harboring a mysterious treasure chest in his ship's hold."

I'd recommend it and am awaiting for June when Darke, the next title in the series comes out. But now, I'm moving on to N.E.R.D.S. Book Two: M is for Mama's Boy by Michael Buckley.

Disney Cruise, the Food

2010-10-24T09:24:00.007-06:00

One of the disappointing things from our Disney Cruise was the food. Comparing it with the food from our Carnival cruise, we thought the Disney food was far inferior. Course, Disney has never been know for their food but for their entertainment, which we found to be true. Here are a few pictures of the food we were served.

Dessert selection

Chicken and potatoes with roasted carrots and beets.

Beef, corn and potato selection.

One of the appetizers.

French onion soup, one of the better selections.

Shrimp cocktail

DeeAnn ordered a Mickey Bar for Dessert. Not quite frozen solid like at the parks...

...and what happens to it after 30 seconds.

Mac and cheese. Yep, it tasted as gross as it looked. This is from the kids menu.

Ice cream for dessert.

I ordered a pasta dish but had them leave off the meat. This was the result.

Fruit, cheese and cracker plate ordered from room service.

Potato and cheese soup

Buffet selection of fruit, cheese and bacon. Does it get any better?

Bread pudding

Mushroom ravioli

One of the better meals: french fries and my homemade fry sauce.

Place mat signed by the characters aboard the ship

Disney Cruise, Part 1

2010-10-22T11:34:00.012-06:00

One of our dreams was to take a Disney Cruise. We finally got the chance last week. We flew to Orlando (through Dallas), the first time we flew together on American Airlines. They treated us well and we had an uneventful flight. We were whisked right to our hotel, the Caribbean Beach, the the uber-effective Disney transportation system. We ate dinner at the food court (not impressive at all; we heard the restaurant Shutters, was worse than awful) and hit the sack.

Our room at the Caribbean Beach resort.

The next morning we realized we had several hours before the bus would pick us up, so we headed to Downtown Disney. Did you know there is hardly anything open for breakfast? We found the only one, and again was not impressed. I have to say Downtown Disney in California is far superior to Florida's version.

We got back to the hotel and were already for the cruise bus. It was a great ride to the port.

Our first glimpse of the ship.

Port buildings. It appears from the other side of the building, they are adding another more capacity.

Sailaway party. the ship's horn actually plays the first 7 notes from "When you Wish Upon a Star." Pretty cool! They also played it as we were pulling out of Canaveral passing the Magic and coming into Castaway Bay.

Our room. Lots of room, flat screen TV that included about a dozen movie and Disney channels.

Sitting area of our room. The panel above the couch is a pull out bed, pretty large actually.

Our balcony. Notice it is solid and for an accessible room very difficult to see over.

Bathroom, pretty sizable but does not split the sink area from the toilet area like other rooms.

Splash pad for the toddlers.

Kids pool. Conveniently located near the pizza, ice cream, and drinks.

Adults only pool.

Scenes from "Golden Mickey's," the show from the first night.

Triton's, a more formal restaurant we ate at the first night.

Parrot Cay buffet.

Figurines of Mickey and Minnie greet everyone outside of the shops and theater.

At port in Nassau. Click on the picture to enlarge, it's a pretty funny sign.

Nassau shops along the docks.

Old cemetery in Nassau.

Disney ship docked on the right, carnival on the left. Definite difference between the family friendly Disney line and the party crowd of carnival.

Statehouse at Nassau.

Disney Cruise, Part 2

2010-10-22T11:02:00.014-06:00

Nassau fort. At least they didn't have to drive around on local streets. It was crazy!

Zoo critters.

DeeAnn enjoying feeding the parrots.

Town square in Nassau.

Typical Nassau streets and buses.

Toy Story play on the ship our second night.

Scenes from Toy Story.

Nassau at night.

Animator's Palate was our second dining room. The scenes on the walls gradually go from black and white to full color, all through the evening. This is the before.

...during...

...and after all the colors have transformed the restaurant.

Outside the restaurant. It was dress up like a pirate or tropical night.

Fireworks at sea!

Approaching Castaway Cay, our port for the third day.

Apparently Captain Jack Sparrow has parked the Flying Dutchman while awaiting further adventures.

Close up of the Flying Dutchman.

We had a great balcony on the ship, but the neighbors had a better one.

The bay at Castaway Cay.

Disney Cruise, Part 3

2010-10-22T10:15:00.009-06:00

Shots of the ship from different vantage points.

Beach at Castaway Cay

Pirate Plunge

Kids enjoying Pirate Plunge

Pirates on Castaway Cay

Disney has these cool sand wheelchairs available, they even float. DeeAnn models for us.

One of the access paths to the adult-only area of the island. It's an old runway.

Elevators aboard the ship were very small, fitting DeeAnn and maybe 3 other people, if you became very friendly.

The entrance to the Walt Disney Theater. Sometimes you forgot you were on a ship. The last night we even enjoyed watching the movie Secretariat.

Reading on the balcony was also a nice pasttime.

This is from the show Disney Dreams. I was disappointed in the quality of Disney shows on the ship, nothing like Nemo in Disneyworld's Animal Kingdom or Aladdin in California's Adventures.

Our dining room companions, from Toronto.

Us posing with our assistant server.

It's over, we are on the way home to face 2nd graders and elected officials. Won't say which is worse.

Review - Mr. Monk in Trouble

2010-10-19T09:26:00.004-06:00

I recently Finished Mr. Monk in Trouble by Lee Goldberg.

From Goodreads: Ever since a 1962 unsolved train robbery made it famous, people have made their way to Trouble in California's gold country-to search for the booty that train robbers supposedly dumped in the botched heist. When the museum watchman is murdered, Monk and his assistant, Natalie, are sent to investigate. Monk becomes obsessed with the legendary unsolved robbery, discovering a personal connection to the town's past. During the tail-end of the gold rush, Trouble's assayer was one Artemus Monk. Natalie can't help but notice the resemblance. But that might not be the only thing that ties the past to the present, and if Monk isn't careful, he'll learn how the town of Trouble lives up to its name.

I liked the book. It moved fast, was the typical funny, clever and always kept-me-guessing kind of monk book I have come to expect. The only problem was that the book moved too fast and I was done with it too soon. I even had to buy a book at the airport to have something to read!

So now I am reading Psych: A Fatal frame of Mind.

Review - Artemis Fowl: The Atlantis Complex

2010-10-05T08:28:00.002-06:00

This morning I finished Artemis Fowl: The Atlantis Complex by Eoin Colfer. I believe this was the sixth in the series and definitely better than the last one.

Artemis, Butler, and his fairy friends are faced with a spacecraft that destroys a piece of equipment that Artemis believes will save the world. After barely surviving, they attempt to find the culprit, an escaped convict, and stop his reign of terror.

I liked the book, it moved fast and kept me guessing as to the plot. Appropriate for any reader, mostly for the older reader due to to the difficulty in understanding the concepts.

Now I am reading Mr. Monk in Trouble by Lee Goldberg.

Canning Season

2010-09-19T15:24:00.005-06:00

Fall is my favorite season. Not only do fall holidays have great food (candy for Halloween, turkey & stuffing for Thanksgiving, and more candy for Christmas) but it's when we get to harvest all the work of the year. Unfortunately, our tomatoes did not turn out this year. I have yet to dig up the potatoes but I'm sure they will be tasty.

Local fruitstands now have peaches on sale so we decided it was time to bottle some. Why is it that when you see a box of peaches they look like they may not make much but when you get them home and start blanching, peeling, slicing and canning that those two boxes look overwhelming?

I also made a small batch of salsa trying a new recipe. The first year we made salsa it was good (except for the salt) and we are still looking for a great salsa recipe. So we make a little here and there hoping to find that perfect recipe.

While we were between processes, we put together the puzzle we never made it to at Bear Lake, aptly names the Bear Lake puzzle by Dowdle.

Bear Lake

2010-09-19T13:37:00.006-06:00

Last weekend we enjoyed a nice 2-night camping trip at Bear Lake State Park. Straddling both Utah and Idaho borders, the natural lake is one of the prettiest lakes around. The park was on the south end of the lake, and about 5 miles away from Garden City, a quiet little community (that even has a library). We left after DeeAnn got off work and drove up through Evanston in order to avoid the construction zone we call Utah.

The obligatory visiting library picture.

The lake and "beach" from the campground. It was a lot closer than it looked. The best beaches are on the west side of the lake.

I don't know why, but there is this old cabin at the park. It is identified as the "Trading Post" and is open to walk through. I have no idea why there is a totem pole in the campground either. But it's interesting.

Harvey at his spot at the park.

Melanie and her family's camping spot. It had a very nice view of the lake.

I cooked dutch oven ribs, Melanie cooked potatoes. Yummy! And served on Mickey plates made it much tastier.

Th boys enjoying their giant marshmallows.

Bear Lake State Park was very nice. The only bad thing was the gate attendant who was totally indifferent to us, didn't want to be bothered with giving us directions, map, or anything at all. The weather was nice enough that we didn't have to use the air conditioning but certainly had to use the heater in the evenings. The campgrounds along the north end of the east section were shaded and would be great for summer time camping. We look forward to returning.

Sunrise over the Mountains

2010-09-19T10:33:00.002-06:00

One morning on the way to work, I noticed this:

Review - Queste

2010-09-13T15:18:00.002-06:00

Camping gives me a lot of time to read, so I was able to finish Queste by Angie Sage. This was the fourth book in the Septimus Heap series.

The book is very much a continuation of the third book, Physik, where Septimus' brother Nico and Snorri are trapped in a different time dimension. Septimus, with his sister/princess Jenna and his friend Beatle, embark on a queste to find them. This takes them to the House of the Foryx and a very dangerous journey along the way.

I loved this book. it read fast, I could hardly wait to pick it up and read what was going to happen next.

Now I am reading Artemis Fowl and the Atlantis Complex by Eoin Colfer.

Review - Deadline

2010-08-30T15:35:00.003-06:00

I just finished listening to Deadline by Clair M Poulson.

Here is the description from Goodreads: Life is quickly turning from bad to worse for newspaper reporter Dallas Dixon. It all begins when Dallas’s job at the El Paso Chronicle is inexplicably terminated by his formerly admiring boss, Andy Norton. However, a bad day turns into a nightmare when, while heading to San Antonio to make a fresh start, Dallas is shocked by the news of Norton’s murder — and even more shocked to hear himself named as a suspect. When an attempt to assist at a highway accident scene lands him in the middle of a drug scandal, he realizes he has powerful enemies determined to see him imprisoned — or dead.

On the run, Dallas must call on the skills he gained from his time in the military to save innocent lives, including his own. With unexpected help from his long-estranged father, and additional assistance from a rugged private investigator and a brilliant, beautiful Chronicle ally, Dallas races to untangle the murder mystery, but can he find justice before his own deadline?

I liked the book and found it to be interesting and fast-paced. It was narrated well. A great non-offensive book but with some references to LDS culture.

Review - Mr. Monk is Cleaned Out

2010-08-23T09:18:00.002-06:00

I recently finished Mr. Monk is Cleaned Out by Lee Goldberg. I really enjoyed this book.

The plot of the book involves Mr. Monk being taken to the cleaners by a swindler. he believes this swindler, who has been arrested on several charges of fraud, to be guilty of murdering the witnesses who may provide more information about his schemes. But the swindler is under house arrest, his house is surrounded by police and media, and he is wearing a tamper-proof ankle bracelet. Yet Mr. Monk still believes that he did the impossible, to sneak out of the house, past the media and police with an ankle bracelet on and murdered the witnesses.

As Goldman continues to write I believe he is getting better. I hope this series continues. Now I am working on Queste by Angie Sage.

Review - Physik

2010-08-11T08:38:00.004-06:00

This morning I finished Physik by Angie Sage. This is the third book in the Septimus heap series and while I have enjoyed all the books, I can't say i enjoyed this book as much as the first. But it is still worth reading.

The story centers on Septimus who is pulled back through time to become an apprentice to an alchemist. His sister and the Princess Jenna, along with his friends and dragon, all try desperately to find him. Meanwhile a secondary story of Queen Etheldredda muddles the whole story but does fit in.

The series is appropriate for an upper grade school reader. nothing offensive in it. Definitely fantasy so if you don't like this genre find something else.

I already have Queste, #4 in the series, in the wings waiting for me, but now I have to work on Mr. Monk is cleaned out.

Review - First Boy

2010-08-10T16:24:00.002-06:00

I just finished listening to First Boy by Gary Schmidt. The plot of the book involves Cooper Jewett, a farm boy. When his grandfather dies Cooper intends on keeping the farm running, remembering his grandfather's phrase of fondness for him, "You're my first boy, Cooper, my first boy." But keeping up with school and his other farm chores is running him ragged. When a local senator comes campaigning through town, along with the U.S. President, a mystery begins to unfold, and it turns out that "first boy" may have more than one meaning.

Appropriate for any children, it is a okay story. But it's not the best story I've ever listened to. Now I'll listen to The True Meaning of Smekday by Bahni Turpin.

Lexie's Great Adventure

2010-08-07T18:22:00.003-06:00

As we try to get Lexie used to longer car rides so we can take her camping, we took a short drive to Mirror Lake, or at least tried to. We stopped in Heber City at Dairy Keen for lunch where Lexie got her first kids meal. At least she got the hamburger and I got the fries and drink. We had to turn around on the highway to Mirror Lake as there was a multi-vehicle accident involving 3 motorcycles and 4 cars with one fatality.

But we were proud of Lexie and her adventure.

Lexie likes the burger but not the bun. Can you say "spoiled"?

Lexie even had her own water bottle, hand fed.

She even got to go for a little walk down next to the lake on the way home.

Our next adventure

2010-08-07T05:04:00.003-06:00

Call us for the "real" date!

Our First Cruise

2010-08-06T09:44:00.009-06:00

For our first cruise, we decided to go on a short, 3 night cruise out of Long Beach to Ensenada, Mexico. We didn't know if cruising would be good for us, how accessible the ships would be, or if either of us would get sea sick. We discovered we really enjoyed the experience and are already planning our next cruise.

We quickly found that this cruise is sometimes known as the "booze cruise" on account of the availability of alcohol at pretty much any time. There were some entryways that were a little tight but we managed to squeeze through them. The accessibility of the boat was pretty good with only a few spots we couldn't get to.

But the service we received made up for all the negatives. From the moment we arrived in the airport we were called by name, whisked directly to the cruise terminal and through security, and personally escorted to our room. The dining room staff was the epitome of excellence. they were not only friendly but fun. They really spoiled us!

Our Cabin; pretty large for an accessible room. Bathroom had a wheel-in shower with plenty of space to get the wheelchair completely around.

Public areas of the ship were clean and inviting. Even though the ship was a little older (constructed in 1998) the crew tried hard to keep it clean and orderly.

Table 305 was where we were assigned for our 6:00 pm dinner. The second night was "elegant" night when we got to dress up with the other diners (no tank tops, flip flops, or swimwear). The lido deck had a buffet that was open pretty much the whole time with 24-hour pizza. Rather than paying $2.00 for a soda, I bought a "soda card" that saved me a bundle!

The atrium of the ship. We were on the 7th floor with a bar, the embarkation and disembarkation level, guest services and excursion counters. they used lots of colors, dark woods and brass to decorate the ship.

Nice sunsets at sea. Weather was great, probably in the 70-80 degree range.

The ship had a library but the books were only available for a couple of hours a day. not the greatest collection, but then I may be biased.

Ensenada was a safe, enjoyable port. the violence in Mexico is getting worse and worse all the time so I wonder how much longer these ports will survive without the tourist traffic.

These shops are right on the dock. Plenty of choices of shops; we bought a very colorful blanket, very pretty dish, some pure vanilla (I remember mom buying some from Mexico when we were kids and visited Tijuana--it was very strong and lasted forever), salt and pepper shakers, and a magnet.

On the dock the sea lions enjoy a restful day in the sun.

These sea lions are on a dock along the waterway in Ensenada.

Nice ship art throughout.

"The Whale Man" art displayed on the waterfront walkway with our ship in the background.

Our ship. Our room is right over the "D" in the ship's name.

A huge flag flies along the waterfront walkway in Ensenada.

Lots of shops in Ensenada. Most of the shops along the waterfront were tourist shops and restaurants. I was a little uncomfortable about eating there but some of their toppings and selections looked delicious. Here the fish market and typical tourist shops sell junk.

One nice thing about the day in port was the decks were neatly completely empty. here we had plenty of deck chairs to pick from.

Is there anything better than sitting on deck reading a fun book?

Course, there are always the scantily clad playboy bunnies running around the ship.

No curling means I had to resort to shuffleboard.

Once the boat got underway, so did the parties.

DeeAnn couldn't choose from the prime rib and the lobster so our dining room staff brought her both! And she said it was delicious!

Towel animals greeted us each evening as we returned to the room. Very clever. They even had a demonstration of how to fold them. But the stage was not accessible and we couldn't really see what they were doing so we didn't stay for it.

DeeAnn can't go anywhere without critters following her around. I kept telling her she could visit all the gulls she wanted at the local dump.

Our "Day at Sea" was basically sitting still off the Long beach coast. But the water was so calm, it looked like glass.

Mel and Alvin (both from the Philippines) were our dining room staff. Excellent service. If we ever go back on this boat, we will certainly ask to be seated at their table.

Our cruise is almost over, the sunset our final day at sea.

Boat scenes. A beautiful mermaid can be seen along the railing.

Yellowstone

2010-07-25T19:01:00.014-06:00

We recently returned from a very enjoyable vacation to Yellowstone with the Welch and Broberg families. We drove Harvey up and stayed at the Mack's Inn RV park while the Welch's and Broberg's rented a cabin at the resort. Along the way we stopped for a nice lunch at Perkins in Idaho Falls for my obligatory pancake pancakes. No One does them better than Perkins!

We stopped in Rexburg to rent a car. Even though Enterprise did not have a car for us (that we had reserved months ahead of time) they did arrange for a car for us. It made life much easier to drive the car into the park than it would have been to drive in the RV (and find parking).

The older kids rode up with us, enjoying the portable DVD player, on-board fridge, and the extra space. Here they are all strapped in and ready to go.

Jack cooked that evening's meal: hot dogs and hamburgers on our new grill. That, along with the potato salad, corn on the cob and baked beans made for a delicious dinner.

Tyler, Abby and Charlie enjoy their evening meal at the RV park....

While Mark is not enjoying much of anything at the moment.

It was fun to build a fire and gather around.

Saturday was a full day at Yellowstone Park. It's full of great scenes like National Park Peak at Madison Junction.

Firehole River is a fun spot. And once the kids saw the swimming hole, we never heard the last of it!

The thermal features are always amazing. It's hard to be bored by the variety and colors of nature.

Thermal pools are heated as a result of being in the bottom of the volcanic caldera.

Great colors. But don't touch! HOT!

More wonderful colors. Too bad we couldn't describe the smell of rotten eggs (sulfur).

Vast areas formed from the thermal features.

We wonder if the trees really did grow at one time or were burned from the fires a few years ago.

Thermal features dominate this valley.

Then there is Old faithful and the great show it puts on. Parking was a pain, but we did find some (eventually).

Yellowstone Lake is a great sight.

Fishing bridge. Near here is the park's only RV park with full hookups. I was not very impressed, so I am thinking West Yellowstone or even the park campgrounds may be better choices.

We didn't see the herds of buffalo we have in the past, but it was fun to see this fellow wander down the road, stopping traffic.

The beautiful valleys between old Faithful and Canyon always inspire me.

The river up from the falls of Canyon are beautiful.

As are the large elk.

Canyon of the Yellowstone.

Canyon of the Yellowstone falls.

Mark and I at an observation point at the Canyon of the Yellowstone.

Tyler and Charlie.

Reed showing off.

Mark ready to jump into Dad's arms.

Wolves at the museum in West Yellowstone.

Bears on the prowl for the food planted by the Kids Club members. Here they overturn rocks and logs looking for the hidden food.

The kids hanging out in a bear den.

Finally, a chance to swim at Firehole River. They had a great time!

Even Jack and Jeannie got into the act.

Seagulls hanging out and waiting for food at Big Springs, just up the road from Mack's Inn.

Big Springs. Great place, very peaceful. 52 degree water throughout the year.

Harvey enjoyed Mack's Inn Resort and RV Park.

Now the kids are ready to head home. Traveling in Harvey is pretty nice!

Review - Flyte

2010-07-14T09:27:00.003-06:00

I finished Flyte, the second book on the Septimus Heap series by Angie Sage. It was a great continuation of the series and I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

Septimus helps rescue his sister, the princess Jenna, who has been kidnapped. Meanwhile Marcia, the ExtraOrdinary Wizard, to whom Septimus serves as an apprentice, is dogged by a shadow and is trying to rid herself of it. Most of the characters from the first book are back though this book focuses mostly on Septimus and Jeanna.

Now it's on to Physik by Angie Sage, the third book in the series.

P.S. The Stream at Ponderosa Campground

2010-07-11T07:42:00.001-06:00

This is what lulled us to sleep Friday night!

Ponderosa Campground

2010-07-10T19:07:00.010-06:00

A few weeks ago we discovered the Nebo Loop and a number of campgrounds we wanted to check out. Yesterday we packed up Harvey and took off for Ponderosa, one of the campgrounds at the end of the loop, near Nephi.

Ponderosa campground is a nice little grove of Ponderosa pines planted in 1914 and now part of the Uinta National Forest. There were no hookups so we actually had to rough it. But listening to the babbling brook outside the windows, smelling the fresh pines, and watching deer wander through the campground made up for it.

Harvey was dwarfed by the almost-100-year-old pines

The babbling brook, and the comforting sounds

Deer and birds hanging out at the campground

Bryce Canyon Trip, Part 4

2010-06-21T21:03:00.006-06:00

Vistas along the way

The Castle at Capitol Reef

Hieroglyphs at Capitol Reef

After stopping briefly at the visitors center, we headed up the road to Goblin Valley State Park. Then it was up to Green River and on to Price. We had a nice enough dinner at a Mexican restaurant on the outskirts of Price, and then back on home.

Formations on the way to Goblin Valley

Goblin Valley

We named these formations Huey, Dewey, and Louie.

Pronghorn antelope we saw as we were leaving Goblin Valley

Final formations on the way home

It was a nice trip and fun to show DeeAnn some of the beauty of the state. in some cases if you drove less than an hour the geology and topography completely changed. Amazing!

Bryce Canyon Trip, Part 3

2010-06-21T20:55:00.014-06:00

The next day we packed up and headed out for some more unique Utah sights. First was some wonderful sights of the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument followed by Capitol Reef.

More amazing sights

More rock formations

Overlook along the way

Roads cut out of the rock

Rock formations

One of my favorite roads, out of Boulder. Notice the drop off on both sides.

Bryce Canyon Trip, Part 2

2010-06-21T20:46:00.006-06:00

It was then back on the shuttle to Sunset Point. from there we took the trail to Sunrise Point and then back to the Bryce Canyon Lodge. It was at the Lodge that we had lunch to experience awful service from our server (others around us were very good and efficient, ours was lame).

Sunset and Sunrise Points

Panorama of Sunset and Sunrise Points

Overlook at Sunrise Point

Sunrise Point

Local flowers

Rent a horse to see the canyon from a different perspective

Back on the shuttle to the Visitors Center then back to the campground. We ate stir-fry that evening. Evenings were nice and cool, making us use the heater in the evening and the air conditioner during the day.

Stir-fry

Bryce Canyon Trip, Part 1

2010-06-21T19:52:00.012-06:00

Having returned from another camping trip, we discovered we took a lot of pictures! So here is our look at our 3-day trip. Please remember that you can click on each picture to get a larger version. Some are very pretty!

Red line shows our route, more or less.

We left early Friday morning, timing our trip so we could make it to the Beaver cheese factory. After gathering the requisite curd (very good) and sample bag (again, very good), we made our way to Cedar City then up the canyon. It was here I introduced DeeAnn to her first show of natural beauty, Cedar Breaks National Monument.

Coming out of Cedar City and up the canyon

Overlook - Large mountain in background is from Zions National Park

Panorama picture of Cedar Breaks National Monument

Getting closer to Bryce Canyon National Park

It was then on through the wonderful mountain passes, and pretty much up to the top of the mountain to Ruby's Inn. It was here we set up camp and spent the next couple of nights. After a nice dinner at the buffet, we made our way back past the lodges, lake and into the campground.

Old Bryce Town shops

Minnie Lake, at Ruby's Inn

Harvey at Ruby's Inn campground

The next day was our exploring day. We started with riding the free shuttle provided by the park and up to Bryce Point. It was the first jaw-dropping moment. And the pictures really don't tell the whole story of the colors or distances.

Scenes from Bryce Point

Bryce Point panorama

Bryce Point

Nebo Loop

2010-06-14T18:42:00.008-06:00

We recently took a drive to the Nebo Loop. I had never been there before so when we had the opportunity, I wanted to check it out. We really enjoyed the drive even though it was a little rainy. We even encountered snow when we were in the upper elevations, around 9,000 feet above sea level. We checked out every campground along the way and took notes of the sites we liked the best.

Not a whole lot to see from the overlooks

Ponderosa Campground. The pines were planted in 1914.

Free time

2010-06-14T18:38:00.005-06:00

In our free time, DeeAnn finished a new Disney puzzle while I have been working on a new Lego set (Green Grocer).

DeeAnn's finished Disney puzzle

The first floor of the Lego set, still being worked on.

First floor finished.