Disneyland 2009 (Part 6)

It was a great California Adventure for everyone, but it the blistering heat was too much to bear. It was so hot we actually convinced Justin to go on the whitewater rafting ride. Boy, did he get SOAKED!!! He loved it but he got drenched...so we went on it again and he got it all over again!

We finally found a good place for Justin to hang out and left him in the Toon Town jail!

Disneyland 2009 (Part 5)

Life isn't always a cup of tea, but the Mad Hatter Tea Party is always fun. Brooklyn and Justin made us spin so fast I literally stumbled out of the teacup. The more I threatened them I was going to barf on them, the faster they went.

We also spent time at the adjacent Disney California Adventure Park, which has a lot of Disney-Pixar inspired rides and attractions. The kids area, based on A Bug's Life, had no lines and no waiting at all this time. In addition to the new Ariel ride I mentioned, they're building a Pocahontas water show and a whole new area based on the Cars movie. The best ride at either Disneyland or California Adventure has got to be the new Toy Story 4D shoot 'em up arcade game/ride. We all loved that one, especially with the comment-tater entertaining us in the lineup! Don't we look cool in our 3D glasses?

Disneyland 2009 (Part 4)

What would a trip to Disney be without the Princesses? Well, let me tell you, when I was a kid, Disney was Mickey, Goofy, Donald and Pluto...not Ariel, Jasmine, Mulan and the gang. Another brilliant marketing ploy targeted at young girls to fill Disney's coffers. At least they're actually putting in an Ariel ride at the California Adventure park for 2010.

Brooklyn loves the princesses to be sure. Her current favourite is Ariel for some reason, but it has been Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty and Belle at different times. Anyway, pictured above is Princess Brooks with Belle, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Ariel, Tinkerbell, Jasmine and Cinderella.

(PS My favorite Princess is Jasmine, what's yours?)

Disneyland 2009 (Part 3)

Did I mention how hot it was in California? The heat got to Justin pretty quickly and he turned a bit Goofy. He didn't even want his picture taken with Minnie Mouse! Brooks and Justin enjoyed her house, especially the kitchen.

Justin's favourite ride seems to be Mr. Toad's wild ride. I was feeling a bit hot and annoyed after several repeat rides, so I decided to take care of Justin with my Toad-mobile. Sorry, Mom, the heat got to me!

Disneyland 2009 (Part 2)

Brooklyn's second visit to Disneyland was a bit more fun than her first, since she didn't have to nap all afternoon this time. She really enjoyed the carousel...so much so that after her first ride she got off the horse and kissed his leg. "My horsey was the mostest beautiful one of all" she squealed with glee.

Disneyland 2009 (Part 1)

Off we went to smokin' hot California last week, bound for Disneyland. The trip was a surprise for the kids and they didn't clue in where we were going until the Disneyland Express pulled up at LAX. Their reaction was muted and disappointing after the lengths we went to to keep it a secret! Sheesh. When I was a kid, going to Hawaii and California in the same year would have been a dream come true. But Brooklyn already has a surprising amount of air miles for an almost-4 year old, I guess.

Before we made it to the monorail station, we encountered the Lego store. Holy guacamole! Even I thought it was cool! I've never seen so much lego in one place, and they had practically every plastic piece of Star Wars lego ever made, including the $500 Death Star, on display in a case. The 6 foot tall Darth Vader made of lego blocks was pretty cool too.

But enough of that! Justin was soon ready to drive us to the the Magic Kingdom!

G's Surgery

My aunt Gretchen is home recovering from from an operation where they reconstructed her jaw with the bone out of her ass...must...resist...making...joke...

Back in 1980 she had a gall bladder operation...I was 12 at the time...and she saved the letter I wrote her. Can you imagine a 12 year old writing something so nasty to his dear old aunt suffering in the hospital? What a little twerp!

Lynn Valley Suspension Bridge

Dad strolls down the walkway onto the suspension bridge.
He's not the least bit scared, even standing smack dab in the middle!

This is "after" the crossing...I think Mom wet herself!

Happy Mother's Day

I sent flowers to Mom and Gretchen for Mother's Day...what'd you do, Bruce? Eh? Eh? Those lucky ducks in Nova Scotia had lobster today...I'm drooling just thinking about it. Can you believe a pound of bologna costs the same as a pound of lobster on the east coast right now??? Next they'll be telling me that Spam is a delicacy.

Today marks the beginning of the final week of P90X. I will give a full update at the end of the week on the results, and my overall assessment of the program. Tony kicked my ass again today, but I weighed in at just over 184.

A mini-wave of nice weather hit and yesterday I took advantage of the sun and did a major clean up in the moss-ridden back "yard" (a yard by Vancouver standards, a planter box by Canadian standards). Our little area was destroyed by heavy snow breaking down bushes, and a long dark winter lead to serious moss problems. I cleaned up all the patio furniture and put it out with the umbrella...and the kids decided we should eat dinner outside! It was warm enough with a light sweater and so we had our first outdoor meal of the year on May 9...that's actually the earliest date I've eaten outside in the last 15 years in Vancouver.

Mozart's Birthday

My brother Barrie shared the same birthday as Mozart! He would have been 35 years old today. Here's another Barrie original, "The Rules of the Game".

I'm on the road and I don't have the software to clean up this recording with me, so this is raw off of the original cassette. I will clean it up and repost it later on.

** Link Removed **

Nana

My last surviving grandparent, my feisty Irish grandmother, passed away in Halifax on Saturday... I will never forget how excited she used to get watching Atlantic Grand Prix Wrestling!

Margaret

Of Halifax, passed away on January 3, 2009, in St. Vincent's Guest Home, Halifax. She was the widow of the late Martin (January 6, 1967). Born in Saintfield, Northern Ireland, on May 25, 1916, she was a daughter of the late Thomas and Mary Jane. She is survived by son, Al (Kathy), New Glasgow, and daughters, Linda (Raymond), Halifax, and June (Steve), Nepean, Ont. She is also survived by grandchildren, Bruce (Ellen), Kingston, Ont.; Brian (Judie), Vancouver, B.C.; Shane, Halifax; Robert, Metcalfe, Ont., and Cheryl (Jeff), Ottawa, Ont.; great-grandchildren, Justin and Brooklyn and Brady, Gregory and Martin. She is also survived by sisters, Louise and Nora. Besides her parents, she was predeceased by grandson, Barrie and by brothers, Tom, James and Robert; sisters, Jean, Nan, Lil, Eileen and Alice. Special thanks to all those who ministered to Margaret in any capacity over the years at St. Vincent's Guest Home, especially the staff of the second floor nursing station. Special thanks are also extended to Dr. P. Petropolis for his compassionate medical care of Margaret over the years. In lieu of flowers, donations to St. Vincent's Guest Home, 2080 Windsor St., Halifax, NS B3K 5B2, would be appreciated by the family. Funeral service will be held 1 p.m. Wednesday, January 7, in J.A. Snow Funeral Home, 2666 Windsor St., Halifax, Rev. Harley Kynock officiating. E-mail condolences may be sent to: condolences.snow@ns.aliantzinc.ca "Silent thoughts; a little prayer, Knowing that she is in God's care"