Disneyland Day 2 - Napa Ain't Cheap

Day one was a bit rough and day two didn't run much smoother. We were on the road by 7:00a and you could tell the kids were excited because they were getting a bit wild. Wild enough that we had to stick Kerry in between them for a few hours while I drove. I don't normally drive since I like to navigate and nap and Kerry likes to drive. A perfect combination. The driving itself was great as it's on a major highway but it was a bit stressful trying to make sure I didn't lose Reg. He's great  following but I still had to be careful with every lane change.

Our plan for day two was to leave early and hit Napa valley on the way down. Since we've discovered the Oliver wineries I've always wanted to check out the Napa valley for comparison. I'd hoped to get there before lunch but due to some navigation issues and traffic we didn't arrive until around 1:30p and we were all pretty tired. The kids of course had turned into angels and were enjoying hanging out in the trees at the Andretti winery. (That's Mario Andretti)

We quickly discovered that Napa doesn't offer the free tastings that they do in the Okanagan. $10.00 per person for four wines was the cheapest we found and that adds up pretty fast. You're almost better off just buying two or three bottles and hoping you get lucky with some good ones. We were able to split the tasting between a couple people and they were generous portions. We managed to hit three wineries including Robert Mondavi and another up on the hill. Robert Mondavi had the nicest tasting room and sales shop.

I was amazed how similar the climate was to Oliver. I can see why someone entered the Oliver valley and decided it would be a good place to grow wine. After our short wine tour we headed to Lodi for hotel number two. This one was formally a Holiday Inn so Callie was much happier. Another quick dip in the pool and off to bed early. Tomorrow is Disneyland!

Disneyland Day 1 - Medford or Bust

Day one of our 10 day holiday to Disneyland started early. We had planned to leave at 4:00a as we find it's easier with the kids and we came pretty close leaving at 4:30a. The border was a breeze and we were through by 5:00a. We're traveling with Kerry's parents, their three dogs, our dog, our kids and Uncle Ronnie is meeting us there. Since we're taking two cars Reg bought a pair of short range radios. They worked great to start but somewhere in Oregon we had to stop so Carter could go pee and Barb decided it was time to hit Starbucks. We pulled into a gas station and Kerry decided to get gas at the same time. Reg followed us but there wasn't room to park so he headed back out to the freeway. It didn't take long for them to be out of range and without a good 'reconnect' plan we quickly lost them. We wandered a bit but then made the decision do get back on the road and hope to find them at hotel.

It wasn't a great time to be separated because when we stopped for lunch Carter and I stayed in the car with the A/C running. When Kerry came out she saw a lot of fluid coming out the bottom of the car and we weren't sure if it was condensation or coolant. We nervously stopped every 15 minutes for the remainder of the trip. We finally made it the hotel where Callie's impression of the hotel was "I DO NOT like this place!". It had a roof and a pool. All you need when  you're just staying the night. It also had a lot of colorful residents who appeared to live there including the couple in their 50's who set up a George Forman grill outside their room and included some solar lights in Budweiser cans for ambience. They had a bit of a party out of the back of their muscle car.  We had a quick dip in the pool, some KFC for dinner and tried to get a good nights sleep so we could leave early the next day.

Happy Birthday Callie!

Callie's birthday is getting to be a bigger production every year. She still likes to have it in our back yard and the general ingredients are the same every year but Callie's taking more interest in each and every detail. Trouble started a few days before when I tried to put together the Treasure Hunt. Callie didn't like my idea of teams and a different route for each team and ended up creating her own. I'm sure in her head it was amazing but the clues were so obscure she was the only that could do it so everyone just ended up following her. They seemed to have fun anyways.

When I say 'the trouble started' I mean it. When I arrived home at 4:00p on the day of the party I could hear Callie and Kerry 'discussing' things from a block away. It seems Kerry had put up some decorations without Callie's permission which resulted in some of the decorations not quite making it to the party. Callie wanted to do everything but she needed help. I managed to slowly convince her to delegate a few things and I think everything came together at about 4:59.

Other highlights included the cake which was actually cake part deux as the first one was left in the pan too long and came out in pieces. The box decorating seemed to be a success. It was simple and clean since they used markers rather than paint. Gift opening was out on the grass again and food consisted of fruit skewers, chips and sandwiches. Callie was very proud of her goody bags which she put together herself and her mixed Disney theme with a focus on Phineas and Ferb was a lot of fun.

Summer in Oliver

We traveled to Oliver in July to visit with Kerry's parent's. We make it there a few times each year but the summer trip is the most fun. They live just a short walk from the beach and Carter, Callie and I spent time building sand castles and islands. The island involved a lot of sand being dredged up from deeper on the beach. This turned out to be a bad idea as the sand had a rather horrendous smell to it that took days to wash off. Callie enjoyed her island however. Carter got a castle and he even explained to me how I could use a leaf as a flag.

The highlight this trip turned out to be kayaking. Reg had a paddle boat but because they are not right on the beach it was a pain to drag it back and forth. Enough of a pain that he sold it while we were there. Even better than having your own boat is knowing your neighbors that live on the beach and have very easy to maneuver kayaks. Kerry has always wanted to kayak and got her wish. It's about a 30 minute trip around the lake and a lot of fun. A good work out too.

As per usual, we were away from home for Kerry's birthday again. I had already given her gift to her the week before and all she wanted on her birthday was a cake and to not cook.We spent the lunch at Hester Creek and ordered pizza from the local pizzeria for dinner. We capped off the evening with  a cake from the IGA and killed two birds with one stone by celebrating Reg's birthday at the same time..

The weather was very hot but I find that's the best weather for getting in a very fulfilling bike ride. I managed to get in several trips up and down the dike in the early afternoon. I found biking in the hot weather very deceptive with no sweating until you stopped at a light at which point it felt like a tap was being turned on. Plenty of fluids and treats from the 'corner of sin' help balance things out. We call the corner of their kitchen the 'corner of sin' because it's always full of treats. We did get Barb to tone it down a bit this time though so we could be in tip top shape for Disneyland. Coming out with no net weight gain or loss was a rare accomplishment.

A Trip to the Lake

We can't go to Prince George without heading out to the lake. It's 2 1/2 acres on West Lake that's been in the family forever. If I lived closer I think I'd spend every weekend there during the summer. We only have two neighbours and they have very large plots of land so it's very secluded. The kids have a blast playing in the water and searching for agots. (Credit to Kerry for the photo of the year for this year's calendar.)

Every year I go I try to do a bit of clean up and improvements to the beach area. The drift wood feeds the fire and the bigger pieces get turned into erosion control. The one that Kerry is sitting on got added a few years ago and hasn't moved since I put it in. This year I added a few more on the right hand side. One day I'd like to do something a bit more permanent but I'm not sure what's legal. I'm thinking just a low rock wall far enough up the beach to help prevent erosion but not so close that it would get damaged with the ice each year.

Carter and I took a short hike up the beach to the Hornsby cabin. I'm not entirely sure of the history but at one point it was on land we owned. We used to own a lot more but the taxes got to be too high so much was sold off or donated to the boy scouts. This cabin is apparently from around 1917 and has been unoccupied for as long as I've been alive. (With the exception of the squirrels that make it their home each winter.) I'll make a note in my calendar to celebrate the 100th anniversary.

Canada Day in PG

We typically head to Cloverdale for Canada Day but this year we decided to spend the first week of July in Prince George since it fit better with our other trips we've got planned for the summer. Callie had a birthday party to go to on the Saturday so we spent the first half of Sunday travelling. We left around 5:30a and arrived in PG around 2:00p. We headed straight to the park since the weather in Prince George has been just as wet as in Surrey and it was looking like rain. I had hoped we'd finally get to ride on the train at Fort George park since they've been working to repair it for the past few years. Unfortunately there was some sort of steam ticket that they didn't get in time so all they could do was light the fire and sound the whistle once in a while. Maybe next year.

One of the things I like about Prince George on Canada Day is all the different food. From Bannock to Samosa's there were probably 30 different food vendors. In my view Canada day is about multiculturalism and we should have more options than burgers and mini-donuts. (Unfortunately we arrived in between meals and had no cash so no food this year.) The kids had a blast playing on the fire engine. It's been there since before I was born and used to be just the full fire engine buried in the sand. They recently refurbished it with the back half being brand new and the front half from the original engine. Fun to see the kids doing the same things I remember when I was young.

Father's Day

I almost forgot to blog about Father's day this year. We didn't really go anywhere but it was still a special day. It started with Carter presenting me with various gifts. He handed me a card that he had made at daycare along with some sort of paper weight. Note to daycare providers. A rubber glove filled with sand is not really a gift I'll be able to keep for very long. Kerry then told him to go get my other gift off the dining room table. He didn't see the wrapped up gift and instead brought me a bag of plastic bowls. He was convinced this was the gift he was meant to give me and even called them my 'Daddy Bowls'. Once I did get the real gift I opened it to find four boxes of women's golf balls. He was hell bent on giving me golf balls for Father's Day and since I don't golf very often, Kerry wrapped up some of hers rather than going out and buying new ones. Very thrifty.

Callie made me a very nice card filled with all the things she likes to do with me. She's usually quite anti-daddy and pro-mommy but apparently I do get one day of the year.  (I should also mention a story from a few days before Father's Day. Kerry was attempting to plan the day and mentioned making breakfast for me as well as my favourite meal. Callie replied by saying "But Mommy. You always do those things. I guess everyday is Father's Day.") We did go out on one field trip during the day. To Port Kells to get me an apple tree. I also got a mini disc golf set for playing in the back yard which we are all enjoying.