Summer in Prince George

We went up to Prince George at the end of June for our annual visit with family. This year we were lucky enough to be there at the same time as my cousin Erin and his family. They have kids that are of similar age to Callie and Carter but they live on Vancouver Island so we don't get to see them very often. We met up with them first at GG's house which was a great place for a family photo. The shot here looks a big cramped but I still had the zoom lens on my camera so Kerry had to take it from well across the room.

Jackson had his birthday a few days before we came so we just brought his present with us. A talking dog of some kind and a Star Wars Death Star ball. He seemed to enjoy both of them but his favourite was the Death Star which went nicely with his Star Wars themed sleeper that he was wearing.

On Canada day we headed down to Fort George Park for lunch. We do this every July and the weather was great again this year. The park has apparently been renamed Lheidli T'enneh Memorial Park and likely for good reason based on the history of how the fort dealt with the local people. If I could pronounce it I might even get used to the new name, but I'm afraid I will like refer to it as Fort George Park for quite a while.

We spent quite a bit of time out at our family's lake property again this year. It's only 15 minutes out of town and the weather was amazing. We were even lucky enough to be there before the campfire ban went into place. I took some time to renew some of the beech protection which seems to be a lost cause. The lake is higher than it used to be so beech erosion is a constant problem. We spent Friday there with the Jacksons and had the opportunity to get some cousin and second pictures taken. Wilson is lurking in the background.

We also made sure to spend as much time as we could with GG. We took her for breakfast at the nearby McDonalds which is close by and involves wheeling her there. She doesn't have a great wheel chair for trips like this so to keep things smooth we stay on the streets instead of the bumpy sidewalks. Harrowing but we made it. I also got her shortbread recipe which she still has memorized even though I think it's been a few years since she has been able to make it. It's very simple but I suspect 90% of it is technique. I'll give it a try anyways.

On our way home we drove right into a forest fire. It was only a few acres and they already had helicopters and crews working on it. Based on it's location I suspect it was probably a lit cigarette that started it. The area was very dry but sparsely treed so it wasn't spreading very fast. The helicopter had dropped water on it from the river and there was fire retardant on the road. When I opened the window to take pictures we could feel the heat. 35 degrees and a fire and the crews were walking around it fully clothed. Not an easy job. I think they had it under control since it was near some populated areas and we haven't heard about it. Quite exciting.

A Trip to Barkerville

We went to Prince George for our annual vacation to visit family and this year I decided that the kids were old enough for us to spend a day in Barkerville. It's about two hours outside of Prince George and a bit out of the way but I had been several times in elementary school and always enjoyed it. It's definitely one of the nicest historic sites on the West coast. BC isn't very old and most old things burned down at one time or another, including Barkerville, but it seems it burned down at the right time because they rebuilt it immediately and many of the buildings remain today.

Callie's favourite part of course was the animals. There were several horses attached to wagons that  you could take rides on and every time we saw one she would stop to pet it. I think we should nick name her the horse whisperer. There was one horse that looked like it was going to fall asleep when she was petting him. When she stopped he lifted his head up and someone else tried and failed miserably. She seemed to have an excellent touch.

When I told Carter where we were going his first thought was that we would have a chance to go gold panning. Not sure how he picked up on the fact that it was an option but I think he had heard that Callie got to do it in Fort Langley and figured he wanted to try as well. They each got a pan of dirt and with some very helpful assistance by a local minor each managed to find some gold. I feel they had someone unrealistic expectations about what they could do with their find but they had fun none the less. Carter had 4  flakes and Callie found 7. (Carter was a bit ambitious early on and may have lost a few.)

After gold panning we continued on exploring the town. A few years ago I had heard that Barkerville had their funding cut but it didn't show. Most of the buildings are still in excellent shape and it looks like they continue to restore them. My favourite building as a kid was the Dentist's office. This was a memorable spot for Carter as well since he has at least three loose teeth and the sign indicated they would pull teeth for only $5.00. Unfortunately we couldn't get him to take their offer.

Of course my favourite spot now is the carpenters shop. They had a great set up and lot's of tools to check out from various eras. They even had an excellent steam bending set up outside which would still work great today. Carter and Callie both enjoyed checking out the General Store. I was impressed by the variety of things for sale as well as the quality. It would actually be a great place to go for unique Christmas gifts. Carter used his 'gold' money to pick up a fun top game. Spin the top and score points based on where it landed.

At one point we were playing at lunch and there were three boys his age all absolutely enthralled with the game. Simple but fun.

As we left we came across a hill full of marmots. Not unusual however as I walked by one of them made a point of running in front of me trying to look cute. Reminded me of those movies with the talking animals that think they are smarter than humans. Unfortunately I had no food to offer and he left empty handed.

World Cup 2015

A few months ago Jordan called me and asked if I wanted to go to a soccer game. I must admit I had no idea what he was talking about. Apparently the women's world cup of soccer was being held in Canada with the quarter final game in Vancouver. As I've looked into it, it seems that FIFA spends about 1 tenth of the budget on advertising for the women versus the men and I guess virtually nothing was spent locally because even leading up to the event, I saw very little mention of it.

It sounded like fun though so we agreed and Jordan and Karla bought tickets for the whole family. When he bought them it was impossible to know who would be playing. It would depend on where teams placed during the round robin and it would be luck of the draw. As it turned out we were lucky enough to get the Canadian game. They did well in their pool and won their game of 16 match which left them playing England in the quarter finals.

The game itself did not go Canada's way. Mistakes early in the first half resulted in two quick England goals. Canada had not scored more than one goal in all their previous games so it didn't look good. Being behind though left them needing to score which opened the game up and made for a lot of excitement. They scored late in the first half and had lot's of chances in the second. Unfortunately it wasn't meant to be. They were ranked 8th in the tournament so they did as well as expected. Half their team was quite good but they just didn't have a full squad. It was still a lot of fun to watch.

A Field Trip to Fort Langley

Near the end of the school year in June it was apparently field trip time. Callie and Carter both had field trips on the same day. Wherever possible I try to go since Kerry typically can't since she's a teacher at the same school and can't really 'call in sick'. I of course didn't want to choose so I left it up to their teachers and based it on who needed chaperones. Carter was going by bus to Science World and there were already quite a few parents while Callie's class was driving and needed drivers. This made the decision pretty easy.

Admittedly I was leaning towards Fort Langley as a destination anyways. It had been several years since Kerry and I had last gone and I knew there would be lot's of traditional woodworking displays. The highlight was the barrel making shop which showed lot's of tools and various barrels in different stages of construction. I'm pretty sure I know where I would have worked if I was born 150 years ago.

I liked how they structured the activities for the kids. There were various stations set up including barrel making, gold panning and re-enactment of a play that covered the creation of BC as a province. After each station they headed back to the camp fire where they were quizzed on what they had learned. Each correct answer resulted in points that were totalled up at the end. The winning team each got a wooden coin stamped with the fort logo though after some discussion it was decided that everyone would get one. The kids had a lot of fun and so did I.

Callie's Dance Recital - Frozen

In May it was time for Callie's annual dance recital. This is typically the only time we get to see her dance. There are a few open houses where we see parts of the dance but never the whole thing and never with them wearing costumes. This year was very special because Callie had tried out for one of only 9 special character spots. She was assigned the role of 'Young Olaf' which of course is her favourite character in the movie. She had a duet with young Elsa and young Anna and did amazing including a bit of play crying which was very convincing.

Her first dance was tap where she was an Ice Man. She had a bit of trouble this year with tap. Mainly because there is such a wide range of ages in this class. She was one of the youngest and some of the older girls were 3 years older. This left the instructor trying to balance the skills of the various students. We were happy that it was the first dance and she got through it nicely. The next big ask of her was the fact that she had to get into her Olaf costume in 60 seconds. We got a bit nervous when there was what seemed to be an extra long break but out she came.

Her next dance was Lyrical which is my favourite dance style. It's much less structured then the other dance forms and I always seem to like the songs that the instructors choose. Callie was dressed as an Icicle and they danced to 'Diamonds' by Rihanna. (Though it was sung by some else and slowed down.) The lighting was quite beautiful with more blues and reds to give them a purple hue and really accentuate their costumes.

The third (or fourth if you count Olaf) dance was was Jazz. It's hard to get Callie to say which dance style is her favourite but if you based it on the smile on her face it would be Jazz. For this one she was a 'Sassy Snowman' and they danced to 'Do Your Thing' by 'Basement Jaxx'. There was a whole lot of shoulder and hip movement and this was my other favourite costume. The red, black and satiny white was a good combination.

Dance four was Hip Hop. You'll notice that in a 3 hour concert Callie was up there a lot. The quickest change was 60 seconds for Olaf and she had at least a full song for the remaining changes. She started with extra layers of clothing including multiple leotards which worked out well since her first costume was pretty bulky anyways. I think the hardest part for the people back stage must be the hair styles. Hip hop is probably a fun dance style and looks like it teaches some good techniques but I find they sometimes try to do too much. Still fun with some complicated moves.

The final dance was ballet. By now we've been through 6 costumes and 10 months of dance lessons with 6 practices a week. Two of those practices are for ballet and it shows. Callie is getting quite good. She was offered the chance to do her Grade two exam though she decided not to. I think we'll be able to convince her next year. These costumes where very ballet like but they made the dance look quite professional. Callie had another great recital year and we look forward to seeing her on stage again next year.

Half Corked

In May we headed up to Oliver so Kerry could meet up with Melissa and they could run the 'Half Corked' marathon. This is a 17km run with stops at 10 different wineries or winery stations. Planning for the event had actually started months in advance. Melissa and Kerry had heard about it and attempted to get in however it turns out there is such high demand for the 1000 spots that they get as many as 4000 entries. The only fair way for them to choose is a lottery which and with less than a 1 in four chance, they struck out on and planned for the next year. As it runs out Barb and Reg are very good friends with the owners of one of the wineries that participates and the owners were able to get two tickets for them to run.

Kerry and Barb being who they are, weren't content to just take the free tickets. I was volunteered to make something as a thank you. I still had some old wine barrel pieces from previous woodworking projects and set about making something worthy of the $200 tickets. (Each) I was running out of time so I decided to make several items. I didn't want to focus on just one big item because I might not finish so I narrowed it down to four smaller projects. A fruit bowl, a cutting board, a pen and a wine stopper. All made from wine barrels.

The race itself was not exactly what Melissa and Kerry were expecting. Despite it only being May, the weather was in the 30's and Silver Sage provided an absolute feast at their stop. Coupled with the wine and food provided at other stops and the hills that accompany most wineries, the two were quite exhausted by the end. Thankfully the race provides buses for the participants which made it so they could at least get to the finish line in victory.

Victory was somewhat short lived. Shortly after finishing Kerry was overheated and had a massive headache. We made it home but it was apparent she needed professional help. Off to the hospital we went where they cooled her down and topped her up with a few pints of saline. Apparently last year there were over a dozen people sent to hospital but this year Kerry had the privilege of being the only one. I think there would have been more but more people likely took advantage of the buses because of the heat and if we had seen the paramedics at the event instead of going home we could have avoided going to the hospital. In any event, Kerry was okay and won't forget yet another unforgettable running event with Melissa. 

New Orleans - The Zoo

Yesterday was hotel switching day. Since I came down early I was on the hook for my hotel until my work event started. I wouldn't recommend the other hotel but the new one is much nicer. It's a bit off the beaten path relative to the French Quarter but it's where our meetings are so it's very convenient. I don't know the whole history but it's a very old building with original wooden floors and a brick facade. Not a huge pool but everything is well maintained and a welcome relief from the heat.

I wasn't expecting to be able to check in right away since it had been booked solid over the weekend but I guess during the week it empties out quickly as I was able check in just after lunch. This gave me an opportunity to drop off my bags and head to the local zoo. Not sure why but when I go to big cities I like to go to the zoo. As per usual I took transit which was pretty easy, starting with a couple block walk to a bus that went straight there. By the end of the line I was the only one on the bus. I guess going to the zoo in the heat of the afternoon isn't a local pastime.

This zoo has a very long history, starting in the early 1900's. I knew it was older so I was expecting it to be a bit run down, but they've obviously done a lot of work recently. All the exhibits looked fairly new and there were whole sections of the zoo off limits for renovations. It even had a water park in the middle of it. Not huge but it had a nice play area for the kids, a pool and a small lazy river. It was 30+ and muggy so a dip in the pool would have felt very good but I already feel a bit creepy walking around the zoo without kids so I stayed out of the pool.

Some of the highlights included the chubby jaguars who like many of the animals were apparently very well fed. None of them moved very much so I don't think most of the animals were super fit. There was also the white alligators. They've apparently been out tours all over the world since they were born in the early 90's. I also enjoyed the very old Live Oaks. Live Oaks don't lose their leaves and are typically covered in Spanish moss. A quintessential southern looking tree. I'd recommend the zoo if anyone is visiting New Orleans and has an afternoon to spare.