LA Part 2.....M-i-c-k-e-y M-o-u-s-e!

Tuesday morning was fine and sunny and we set off to Disneyland. What amazing organisation and infrastructure they have there. We were parked, put on a tram, sold tickets, hired a stroller and inside before we knew it!

Liam and Frank in Tarzan's Treehouse.

Despite numerous mentions of this excursion, Liam still didn't realise where we were going until we were actually there! We had a great day, and he spent it in wonderment at everything he saw. It was VERY cute. Phoebe was in her element charming other guests and enjoyed seeing new things. It's a Small World really captured her attention and she was very animated! She also enjoyed Pirates of the Carribean (as did we all!). Liam braved all the big rides including Indiana Jones and Big Thunder Mountain.



Cruising the Carribean.



Setting off to It's a Small World.

Depite having 11 hours there we didn't get around to it all, but enjoyed all the rides we did get on. Being Spring Break there were plenty of people.

We enjoyed another chilli experience here - a chilli burger! This was good, too!

In the evening there was a fantastic fireworks display. We were standing waiting for it to begin and one of the people working there suggested we follow her to a better viewing spot. She put us in the reserved seating in the prime position in front of the castle, so we really enjoyed it all in comfort.



Fireworks.



Playing with Mickey.



The highlight for Liam was meeting Mickey on the way out. Liam had bought a Mickey back-scratcher and when he showed it to him, Mickey played around with it and him, and Liam thought this was just great. It was a good end to a great day.



Phoebe being cute.

Sunshine, surf and celebrities....well, two out of three ain't bad!.......Part 1

We are back from our LA trip and what a fantastic time we had!

It was great to catch up with Sue and Pete, and to meet up with some other family members again. Thank you to all for a most memorable and exciting visit!

This adventure will probably take a couple of posts.

We arrived in the rain late on Saturday night, picked up our car and drove to Santa Monica. It was about midnight when we arrived.



The view from the Getty.



Outside at the Getty.







Viewing the Irises.



Sunday morning....rain, rain rain! We, like those competing in the LA Marathon, were not put off and after a great breakfast of Dora's scrambled eggs and a good catch up with Sue we headed to the Getty Museum. What an amazing private collection! We enjoyed a range of art including French interior decor, Van Gogh's Irises and Felix Beato's photographs of 19th century Japan, books of which I have pored over over the years. Unfortunately we were not able to enjoy the artworks outside because of the torrential rain, but there is always next time!



At the Lakers game.



We were home by four to be collected by Tom and his son AJ to be taken to see the Lakers! Tom's wife, Sharon, most generously offered to look after Liam and Phoebe for the evening. Liam loves to be babysat and was most excited!

We started off at Katsuya's Japanese restaurant where we had some great sushi and sake. We were in our seats for the Laker's game very close to the action by 6.30 and tip off. The Staples Centre is huge with six levels of seating and the atmosphere was electric! Tom had kindly brought some binoculars so I could check out the celebrities in attendance. There was Jack Nicholson, Will Farrell, Marc Anthony, Scott Hamilton, a producer, a porn producer, Bruce Willis.....We enjoyed beers and nachos while we watched the game, the people and the L-a-k-e-r-s giiiiiiiirls!! The Lakers were victorious, but it was a close and exciting game right until the end. Thanks to their win, we each got a voucher for 2 free tacos!




Jack.



Frank and Jack.







 The giiiiiiiirls!

On the way home we stopped by Pinks, a chilli dog institution in LA. Wow. Yum! It was good, and great after a night out and beers!





Some prints.





It was still raining on Monday, but with some breaks. We decided to head out to Hollywood Boulevard to see the Walk of Fame and the handprints at the Chinese Theatre. We parked and walked up the boulevard, picking out our favourites. At the theatre we spent quite some time looking at the prints. It was much more 'organic' than I had imagined and I really enjoyed it. Liam caught up with Darth Vader and some superheroes, who, for a tip, kindly agreed to be photographed!



Liam taking Batman on!



We lunched in 1950s style at Johnny Rockett's, a burger place. Here we encountered chilli again - a bowl of it! It was good, too!



After lunch we thought we'd catch up with a few of our favourite actors and celebrities.....at Madam Tussaud's. We had a great afternoon posing and being silly.

On our return home we had a lovely mexican meal prepared by Dora.



Barry and me (Why is he leaning away??)



Part 2 to come!!



Liam with his new adoptive parents.





Judy Garland - spooky!



Visiting Vancouver

Strolling in Stanley Park.



We have returned from our first weekend in Vancouver. The weather was not the best, but we didn't let the rain dampen our spirits too much! It was rainy the whole weekend, and cloudy so we couldn't see the mountains around the city. Everyone we spoke to said that we were experiencing typical Vancouver weather!

We drove down on Friday afternoon after work. This was our second trip on the infamous Coquihalla Highway and it was better than the first, but we still struggled a little in traffic works, rain and the dark, finding it a bit hard to see the road markings. We had a similar trip home on Sunday but with snow just outside Kamloops.

The totem poles.

We stayed in West End, a couple of kms from downtown, but in walking distance to Stanley Park, our destination for Saturday. The park is huge, and it really feels like you are out in the forest somewhere with tall cedars, blackberry nettles and the most beautiful black squirrels! We went straight to the Vancouver Aquarium, which is in the park,  which was a good spot to be in the rain! They have a great collection there including Beluga whales, dolphins, seals and otters. We spent most of the day at the aquarium.

Phoebe with Mountie Moose and Liam with Mountie Bear.

Looking towards downtown from Stanley Park

Liam and Al at the steam clock in Gastown.

In slight drizzle we wandered up to see the First Nations totem poles in Stanley Park, and then walked along the sea front downtown. What we noticed about downtown Vancouver was that there seem to be LOTS of apartments, and relatively few office buildings? It was on dusk when we made it to downtown and we wandered through modern and historical buildings to the steam clock.

We got a cab back to our hotel where we freshened up to go out for Frank's birthday. The West End has lots of restaurants, and we decided on a Japanese one. It was spectacular with great seafood, and we happily enjoyed the all-you-can-eat option, indulging in some great salmon, prawns, tuna and other faves from our time in Shiida, all washed down with a pitcher of Sapporo draught! Liam and Phoebe really enjoyed the food and it was a great night out together.



Frank contemplating his shishamo!





Frank pondering his 56th birthday!





On Granville Island.



The rain was still coming down when we awoke on Sunday morning. We drove to Granville Island, an 'arts' island right in the centre of the city and spent the whole day looking at markets, workshops, galleries and shops. It was a great day. There is a dedicated kid's market there and we enjoyed looking at the toy shops and playing in there. Frank chose an etching for his birthday just before the close of business and we drove straight back to Kamloops.

I feel there is a lot more to experience in Vancouver and planning is already underway!

Do salmon have arms?

We have had a great couple of weekends recently.

We were lucky to have the Auto shop class at Frank's school take a look at our Dodge and report back that the tires were in need of replacement. So last weekend we attended to that (see photo in earlier post!) and have been enjoying the MUCH improved traction it has provided in the snow and ice!



Frank, Cynthia and Bruce at The Noble Pig.



On Saturday night we employed Kayla to look after Liam and Phoebe and we went out with her parents, Cynthia and Bruce, to The Noble Pig, a brewery pub / restaurant in Kamloops. It was a great night with samplings of a range of beers and Canadian fare including deep fried pickles, poutine (chips with gravy and cheese curds), Vancouver Island mussels and a shaved pork sandwich, the name of which I am unsure.



The delights of The Noble Pig!



On Sunday we took a drive out of town to Salmon Arm, which is an arm of the Shuswap lake, a very large lake in the area. Salmon Arm is about an hour away from Kamloops. On Cynthia and Bruce's advice we went the scenic way and enjoyed vistas of forests, mountains, frozen lakes and ice fishing. Salmon Arm itself was beautiful, with the lake frozen and covered in snow, and it will be nice to see it again in all its summer glory!



Some ice-fishers we passed.



The pier at Salmon Arm.

 



Frank and Liam in the village at Sun Peaks.

This weekend just past we enjoyed a fantastic meal at Lori and Brett's place on Friday night. Lori is the Italian teacher at Frank's school and she prepared the most delicious lasagne and chicken cacciatore! Mike and Carol joined us and we had a great evening of wine, food, culture sharing and laughs. Mike and Carol did an exchange to Albury a couple of years ago, and Mike has been looking after Frank very well. We are already looking forward to more of Lori's cooking!

 



The slopes.



On Saturday we thought we might take a run to Sun Peaks, a ski resort about 45 mins from Kamloops. Having mentioned this at work, a colleague of Frank's very kindly gave us use of his apartment in the village there. It was spectacular!! The village itself was beautiful to look at and walk through, and the ski-in ski-out feature of the accomodation there combined with a beautiful looking set of slopes was enough to impress even we who know nothing about skiing!! The snow fell throughout the time we were there. We were so lucky to be able to stay and experience it all! On Saturday we took a horse-drawn sleigh ride (dashing through the snow.....) and on Sunday morning Liam and I had a go at skating on an outdoor rink. Shall I just say that I think lessons are ahead. Unlike Australian rinks there is no rail to hold onto here! We both need to develop some confidence. It got a bit cold standing there on the ice!!!



Ready for our dash through the snow!



View!

Apparently there was a big dump of snow while we were gone, but it had all melted by the time we got home. On Monday morning we walked to school in the most beautiful crystally snow that looked like glitter as it fell. There was light snow again on Wednesday. Last week people were saying that the 'big thaw' is near! Spring may be on its way.

Phoebe enjoying the apres-ski!

Where we are at.....

We are living in an area of Kamloops called Barnhartvale. It is a little more rural than downtown, and community spirit is evident.

Liam walking home from school.

Barnhartvale is about 13 kms from downtown Kamloops. To get here we drive east along the 1 Trans Canada highway for about 10 kms, then drive up into the hills for about 3kms to get to our house. The highway runs along the river (which is covered in sheets of ice at the moment) and the cross-Canada railway. The cargo trains are amazing, with 100+ carriages, and 2 or 3 engines. The valley all this sits in has fantastic rock formations in 2 levels, one very rocky, and the higher having some growth on it.

We have a corner store at the end of our road that has a comprehensive range of groceries and beverages, especially Australian wine! The owners are really friendly and welcoming. It is about a 1.5 km walk from our place.

Our house from the street.

Our house is on one of the two larger roads into the area. It is a lovely, tastefully decorated house with a great outlook over nearby hills (I think we'd call them mountains in Queanbeyan!) It is a two storey house that has the main living spaces on the top (street) level, and a very large basement where the laundry and hobby/play spaces are. Digs for our visitors are down there! Liam and Phoebe are sharing a room (Liam's dream come true!) and we are all very comfortable. We keep the house heated at a constant 18 degrees, and it is warm! It is well insulated and the windows are all double glazed, so we really feel like we are in our own little haven with no noise other than the coyotes at night!

The yard is very large. I can't tell you what is there yet because it is under snow!

Those who have already been bored with my snow shoveling stories will know that we have a short driveway on a slight incline. It doesn't seem that short to me when I have special snow shovel in hand, but in summer I am sure it will seem very short!!!

The park near our house.

We have neighbours to one side, and the other is a vacant block. Across the road is an old orchard which is home to 3 horses. They are tough animals who are out there in all weather. One morning we saw them with snow on their backs! Liam and Phoebe like them a lot.

Liam's school, RL Clemitson Elementary (RLC) is about 1km up our road. The school sits on the top of the hill, so it is slightly uphill on the way there, but the walk home is a breeze! There is a playground just up from our house,and in the warmer weather we will be able to take a short cut through it to get to RLC.

Frank outside NorKam.

Frank's school, NorKam, is on the other side of town in an area called 'North Shore'. It is a 20 - 25min drive there. He is carpooling at the moment with a colleague who lives nearby.





The vehicle.







The tread on our new tires!



Our car is a 2001 Dodge Caravan and it is great! It drives well and is very comfy. We bought a new set of snow tires last weekend so it is holding better on the road now, too!





Please be aware of the puck at all times.......

The game underway.

We have just returned home from our first hockey game. The local team, the Kamloops Blazers, were playing rivals Kelowna Rockets in the WHL(Western Hockey League) which is one level down from the NHL. What a great night we had!!

It was a full house, and our seats were only 3 rows from the rink, but behind the commentary box and the sin bins! This was no problem at all as we could see everything and we got to see all the naughty ones up close!



The family.



The crowd was totally behind the home team, and even when Kelowna scored the reaction in the crowd and on the screens was minimal! When Kamloops scored, though, there was music and lights and it was all very exciting!



I thought this guy had it all worked out!



To be honest, I still haven't learned much about this game, which is no real surprise given my sporting ineptitude! But I did learn that the game is in three 20 minute periods, and that there are 6 aside on the ice at any one time, but another 13 or so on the bench waiting to change in, which they do frequently. There are four refs whose skating skills were AMAZING, and make me want to learn to skate! They were beautiful!



More of the game



We saw no blood, but were interested in the 'fighting' that did go on once the game warmed up. There seemed to be two different ways this took place. One was an attack, which was quickly stopped by the refs and earned the players a 2 minute suspension. The other was much more exciting. With great drama two players would rip off their helmets and mitts, and throw them on the ice along with their sticks. Two refs would then approach and supervise a fight (usually about 15 seconds) between the two until someone fell and the other jumped on them. They earned a 5 min suspension for this.



Sustenance!



We enjoyed the atmosphere greatly, with music, prizes and local First Nations cultural interludes. The game snacks were also appreciated!

We were warned over the loudspeaker to be aware of the puck as it could come off the rink and into the crowd. Before we knew it a lady had been hit by it. I found it very difficult to see let alone follow the puck. A sitting duck??