Gretchen's Blog

I voted!

noreply@blogger.com (Gretchen) — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 02:46:00 +0000

I voted! And so you ask why that is so special? A couple of reasons. I was excited to vote. For the first time in a long time I felt the weight of my voting, I felt like my vote counted. Even if the person I voted for won or lost by a mile, my vote mattered to me.

Why else was I excited? My daughter came with me to vote. Because she was less than 13 she could hang out with me while I voted. She asked what I was voting for, and I told her with great weight in my voice. “I’m voting for the President of THE United States”. How important is that? She knew it was important to me and everyone who stood in line and waited to vote. What a great education for her to participate in some small way voting for the President of THE United States.

Did you vote?

Grand Canyon South Rim

noreply@blogger.com (Gretchen) — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 00:41:00 +0000

You would think that going from the North Rim to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon would be no big deal, it’s only 10 miles apart as the crow flies …. wrong….. the trip is about 215 miles and 4 ½ hours. We broke up our trip stopping at the Vermillion cliffs, Wupatki National Monument and Sunset Crater. At the Indian Pueblo ruins we saw a brightly colored lizard which the rangers at the South Rim helped us identify later as a Collard Lizard; it was a male due to its bright green and turquoise coloring. Here’s one up close,
and one with A. in the foreground.

We spent the night in Flagstaff and the next day toured Walnut Canyon , Indian cliff dwellings.

After Flagstaff we headed to the Grand Canyon (lunch at an old trading post with a great gift shop, Margie and I liked that!) through the East Entrance and stopped at the Watch Tower, it looks really old but it was built around the turn of the century specifically to view the Grand Canyon.

A’s all time favorite thing to do was watch the Condors fly. We got to see about 8 in the sky at one time right from the rim trail.
So exciting.

More Pictures!

All of us at the El Tovar hotel lobby.

Our last stop was the Avi Casino in Laughlin, NV the same one we stayed at last year. It was as big a hit this year as last.

Happy Trails!

Grand Canyon North Rim

noreply@blogger.com (Gretchen) — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:21:00 +0000

Grand Canyon North Rim

The North Rim definitely beats the South Rim for its natural beauty. Not because it’s more spectacular but because there’s a lot less people and the lodge and facilities overhang onto the Grand Canyon. It was spectacular to eat breakfast hanging over and looking out into the canyon. I’ll say it again, spectacular.

Here’s A. and I at Bright Angel Point. You can tell the wind is swift, check out my Lyle Lovett hairdo.

A. got to ride the mules with her Dad; it was a one hour trip. I would have loved to make the mule trip as well but there was only one thing standing in my way…. the scale… da da bum. Stole that one from the cookout entertainment, yes I’m desperate.

Grand Canyon Trip Number Two

noreply@blogger.com (Gretchen) — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 15:00:00 +0000

This is our second trip to the Grand Canyon but this time we headed for the North Rim along with the South Rim to complete our trip. The North Rim is waaaaaay out of the way but it was worth the extra effort. So who came with us on our trip? No way! Yes! A.’s dad and his wife Margie came with us. Although a little weird at times it worked out well and A. loved it.

A. Day One

We spent our first night in Las Vegas at the Orleans hotel because they have a kid’s area that A. absolutely loved and so did I because I could play some blackjack and craps (wink wink.) The Orleans is a little off the strip but not a small hotel. We took their shuttle to the strip and walked over to the Bellagio for their water show which ran every 15 minutes or so. It was amazing, beautiful and artistic which I have a hard time saying considering its well… Vegas.

The next morning after the complimentary Vegas style breakfast buffet, we headed for the North Rim via Utah and Zion national park. Zion was very cool. It’s now on our list of National Parks to explore. It took us a while but we made it to the North Rim and our Pioneer log cabins and Pioneer they were. At least there was a bathroom.

Club 33 at Disneyland!

noreply@blogger.com (Gretchen) — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 20:53:00 +0000

Yes, yes I know. I haven’t blogged in a while but I am turning over a new leaf and attempting to catch up.

A and I had a wonderful Christmas vacation, traveling to Disneyland and experiencing “Club 33.” We departed Christmas day after the Christmas present opening activity. We stayed at Howard Johnson’s which was OK, we could still walk to the entrance to Disneyland “barely.” The Howard Johnson’s was more reasonable than the Disney hotels but you had to walk quite a bit farther and it was right next to I-5 which, depending upon your room location, could be quite loud.

The first night we had reservations at Club 33

in the New Orleans Square section of Disneyland and took an old “lift”
to get into the restaurant. It was very exciting and the food was delicious. We got to watch fantasia from a balcony that is only accessible through the restaurant. We have the Club 33 pen to prove we were there, pictures available upon request ;).

Disneyland was exciting for A and we had to take a picture and get an autograph from every character.
Of course, we used the Disney Princess autograph book conveniently sold everywhere throughout the park. We managed to get quite a few autographs at the Disney character breakfast where I have learned it is a bargain to get both a meal and the pictures and autographs all in one spot. A even got the autograph of the waiter the first night at Club 33 which later she regretted because we almost ran out of space in the autograph book.

A’s favorite character was Stitch because he teased her by pretending not to give her pen back and she enjoyed the attention. Go figure.

Birthday

noreply@blogger.com (Gretchen) — Sun, 23 Dec 2007 00:48:00 +0000

Well, it happened. I never dreamed I would make it this long but I turned 50 today... sigh. One "friend" sent me two cards, he couldn't decide between a sympathy card or a psychologically damaging card. He included a couple of two dollar bills, probably to lessen the blow. My OLDER sister sent me a musical card that plays "I just want to celebrate" with a 70's look to it and a special glitter coating. I enjoyed the song and think I'll download it from iTunes.

I actually had fun, went out to eat with A and some friends and frankly overdid it. I stayed up past my usual 8PM bedtime, how nutty is that?

The next "big birthday" will still have my daughter in high school....I owe I owe it's off to work I go.

Eula

noreply@blogger.com (Gretchen) — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 00:40:00 +0000

As most of you know, mom has been hospitalized with Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome. The family has been very concerned and family and friends have been supportive. To read more about it, visit the website link here or the one at the left side of the page under links.

Wasps

noreply@blogger.com (Gretchen) — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 01:05:00 +0000

Wasps have infested our eaves. I spent the past couple of weeks trying to knock them down but they keep building their homes back. I think I finally got rid of the last of them but only after I gave in and called the bug man. Here are a couple of pictures describing our problem along with a couple of our solutions. I guess wasps can’t read “Birds Only.”

We are now wasp free

Wasp on the Window

Wasp on the Windchime

8 Random Things

noreply@blogger.com (Gretchen) — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 00:50:00 +0000

I always get hooked into these things by Dede. She started with her 8 random things. Hers seem more exciting than mine but here goes.

1. I had to lookup what meme meant before I started my 8 random things.
2. I got a pair of go go boots when I was about 10 that I loved. I wore them beyond having a hole in the bottom (patched with cardboard) and the heel falling off (a little tape, too bad there wasn’t duct tape then)
3. I had glasses by the time I was in 2nd grade and promptly lost the first pair. I got in lots of trouble for losing them because my parents had to buy me another pair. Later the next winter I found them in a winter coat pocket but never told anyone.
4. I was such a bad softball player in the 3-4th grade that I always played right field substitution. I begged my Dad to get me a new glove but he resisted (Why? When I never caught anything anyway?) He relented and bought me a new glove. The first time I used it I caught a fly ball (first ever and probably the only) His comment: He made a good investment by buying the glove.
5. The first car I ever drove was a brown Plymouth Fury. Which I totaled soon after.
6. The first time I got drunk was with Boones Farm watermelon wine (bleh)
7. I went to Vacation Bible School (VBS) when I was about 9. One boy swore he was not allergic to poison ivy and took a couple of leaves and rubbed them all over his arms. Wanting to show him up, I promptly declared I wasn’t allergic either (I knew I was horribly allergic) and rubbed my arms, legs and face with the leaves too. The next day at VBS (my mom made me go) the boy was unaffected but my right eye was swollen shut and I had blisters between my toes.
8. I hit a car head on while riding my bike which destroyed the bike and dented the car. I flipped onto the hood and over to the concrete curb. My Dad showed up and wouldn’t let the ambulance take me to the hospital. He was in a screaming match with the attendant about what a crappy hospital the ambulance was going to take me to. He drove me himself to “his hospital.”
9. Once I found out what WTF stood for, I started using it and getting secret pleasure every time I used it. (oops that’s nine… well I never follow rules anyway.)

The only people I can think to tag are Riz and Kat and frankly I don't have many friends that blog or friends in general so I have to rely on sisters.

Beach

noreply@blogger.com (Gretchen) — Sun, 08 Jul 2007 01:41:00 +0000

Kat and fam traveled to Bako and spent a couple of days before the fourth enjoying California. Thanks to the GorillaPod and Theo’s steady hand, we were able to get a picture of everyone in front of part of Moro Rock. The hunt for crabs and sea anemones (had to look up the spelling on that one) was in full force but we paused to take the picture.

The next day we were on a boat headed to a channel island. If we would have planned a little better we could have caught the earlier boat and spent more time, lesson for the next time.

Kat spent a couple more days hiking in Yosemite while Annaliese and I headed down to LA for Wicked, barely made the show because the 5 was closed due to a fire. We managed to bother the people sitting next to us, seems to happen every time we make a show.

Waiting on Kat for a couple more pics, my camera’s battery gave up the ghost at the end of the Moro Bay trip and I didn’t get it charged until the next day.

Night Bazaar

noreply@blogger.com (Gretchen) — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 18:35:00 +0000

I venture out with a compadre who works in Moscow. We head to the night bazaar which is an open style market; there are shop stalls in a barn like building. It is lightning and thundering and pouring down rain. The rain is not a hindrance to the shopping but the streets around the bizarre are not draining and neither of us wants to walk through six inches of water to get to the shops. I think we both imagine all the bacteria floating around in the water. A guy with a bicycle and a back seat rides us one by one through the water. It was quite comical.

The prices are all flexible and I haggle and buy some items. This was my best shopping experience yet, because I’m not spending much money I’m less concerned if I overpay by a buck or two.

We spend two hours shopping, checking in with each other every hour to make sure we’re OK. We finish shopping and sit at a restaurant at the bazaar. I order some sausages and a german beer, go figure.

MBK

noreply@blogger.com (Gretchen) — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 06:25:00 +0000

I take a taxi (the driver was pissed because the hotel car guy made him put it on meter, rather than extract a random fair. He alternatively speeds and stops quickly. I feel like I’m on Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride) to go shopping at MBK, a shopping mall that is a cross between a US style mall and an open market. Some of the shops have firm prices and some you have to haggle. There are a lot of knock off electronics and cell phones.

I leave without buying anything, and decide to take the Skytrain back after the previous taxi ride experience. I had to change trains and managed to make it back to the hotel, stopping by a small café for dinner on the way back.

Curry

noreply@blogger.com (Gretchen) — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 06:16:00 +0000

I made my presentation yesterday so I snuck out of my conference today to go to a curry store (it was closed Sunday.) I got more curry than I’ll probably use in 10 years. Looks tasty.

The evening planned by the Thailand office includes a wonderful river boat cruise with dinner included. The food is fabulous and Bangkok looks great at night.

Israel's 59th Independence Anniversary

noreply@blogger.com (Gretchen) — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 03:09:00 +0000

Conference day, work day, so far so good. The day started out a little strange, while we were waiting for our van, there were a bunch of military guys with guns and bullets on their belts combing through the hotel. I figured it was some type of standard procedure.

Later that night, we were waiting for a taxi to go eat and there was a long line of cars dropping people off and the military was present as well. Many had flags on their bumpers of different countries, assumably cars from the various embassies. We found out they were attending an event to celebrate Israel’s 59th anniversary of independence. Our group of three got a little spooked, no wonder there was so much security and all of a sudden we felt a little like sitting ducks in the taxi line.

The night went off without a hitch.

Wat Pho

noreply@blogger.com (Gretchen) — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 02:15:00 +0000

Today I just hired a driver to take me to a couple of more places, Wat Pho, the reclining Buddha, A curry shop and finally the Jim Thompson house.

Wat Pho is even more interesting than the Emerald Buddha, it’s huge and gold. There is a massage school on the same grounds as well as a Buddhist school. Of course I had to ask what the Buddhist monk wore under their robe. It’s the same as what Scots wear under their kilt. No worry about a breeze blowing up these things though.

The curry shop was closed because it was Sunday, sigh but the driver said it was a good local shop so I will try again this week.

The Jim Thompson House was OK, maybe a little oversold to the Americans because it makes them feel good.

I got back in the car and the driver asked if I wanted to go shopping. This wasn’t a guided tour so I figured he would take me to some typical set of shops. Wrong. It happened again, first a jewelry store and silk shop. I got high pressured sales tactics. They were showing me rings with $1500 price tags; hell I don’t wear much jewelry. She asked what kind of jewelry I liked and I replied, Silver Indian jewelry, which is true but I also knew they were very unlikely to have anything like that in stock. Finally we move over to the silk and she tries to sell me some overpriced stuff. Finally I told her I was uncomfortable and she asked why? I told her I was used to looking at an item with a price tag on it and deciding whether or not I wanted to buy. She told me that if I wanted that I should go to the department store (there was disgust in her voice.) I told her she is probably right and that I was sorry but I didn’t want anything that day.

The second store he took me to was a tailor shop. Like I need a suit. Hell if I thought I was going to be the same size every year it would be worth it to invest in something so nice.

It made me feel really cheap not to buy anything.

The Grand Palace and Emerald Buddha

noreply@blogger.com (Gretchen) — Sun, 22 Apr 2007 08:26:00 +0000

I sign up with the hotel for a shorter tour today, to see the Grand Palace and Emerald Buddha. What a beautiful temple. I get a different tour guide today, she seems quite nice.

We sit in the temple of the Emerald Buddha quite a while, relaxing and enjoying the meditative qualities around us. The Buddha is made of jade but is emerald in color. I get reprimanded by one of the security guards for sitting with my feet facing the Buddha. My guide tells me your feet must never face the Buddha as that is disrespectful.

My knowledge about Buddha is limited; I think I am going to have to do some research.

This tour guide stops at a purse store; Die Tasche is the name of the store, how funny. This time I succumb to buying a couple of purses but feel bad because I spent more than I would like.

Later in the evening, I hit the streets, eating fruit from a Vendor’s cart and stopping in the local grocery store. I’m a little nervous about pick pocketing but not about getting hurt, there are too many people and most are just like you and I.

River Boat

noreply@blogger.com (Gretchen) — Sat, 21 Apr 2007 14:49:00 +0000

I wake up around noon and decide to get dressed and head downstairs for a tour of Bangkok. I get the local canal boat tour. I had visions of some type of Venice Gondola ride but this is not the case.

Quite interesting, the (Mae Nam Chao Phraya) River through Bangkok is quite polluted; black, thick and smelly, as are the connected canals. Yet there are people who are fishing off the docks and from the houses which are on stilts in the water. While I was on the ride, I saw one women open her house door and toss out into the canal what looked to be a box that previously packaged a toy. I imagined it was a Barbie toy but it could have been anything. Just down the way, people were sitting in innertubes and kids were fishing off the porch. I wonder if anyone has tested the fish. Amidst this abject poverty were interspersed golden Buddha temples.

In the middle of the trip, a woman (no front teeth) in another small boat startles me by pulling down the plastic around the boat (it keeps the water spray off the people) and wants to sell me some cheap fans, pencils and general “stuff.” I don’t need anything but I buy some cute pencils for A for about double what I would pay in the US… helping the economy I guess. She also attempts to sell me a beer, which I decline. Then she asks me if I want to buy a beer for the boat driver. I turn and look at him and he is shaking his head yes for the beer. I buy him a beer and hope we don’t tip over, the water is nasty.

The tour guide stops at a Gemstore which she says the prices are set by the government. I get inside and check the prices; I think I can do better in the US. At least I know what I’m buying. I guess the guides get a cut of what you purchase; I don’t buy anything but feel guilty for no purchases.

Arrive Bangkok

noreply@blogger.com (Gretchen) — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 14:30:00 +0000

Made it to Bangkok, whew, what a long set of plane rides. The 10+ hour flight from San Francisco to Tokyo was numbing. Just as we were landing in Bangkok, the lady sitting next to me (a lawyer for the Federal Government) and I were filling out our immigration cards. There was a blank for a Visa number. I asked her, “What Visa number?” She showed me her very official passport with a special piece of paper glued in for Thailand. I thought “great” I must have missed the Visa part of my trip preparation. Visions of a long trip back and tears started to pop into my mind.

I got to the immigration line and handed the officer my passport. She didn’t ask any questions (whew) and stamped my passport with a Visa stamp (go figure.) Thank God….I can’t believe I made it through. Since I’m not “working,” I don’t need a special visa, mine is considered to be an “educational” trip. Wink wink.

While waiting for my baggage, I decided to get some cash from an ATM to get started. I chose 200, thinking I was requesting dollars but it ended up Bahts, the Thai currency. I checked the board to figure out how much that was …. Not quite $6.00. WTF, why would an ATM give out only $6? Next time, I selected 10,000B, almost $300., much better. The currencies are so different; it almost feels like Monopoly money.

The hotel had a car waiting for me but I guess they thought the name Gretchen was a man, so they were looking for a man and I was looking for their sign. We finally hooked up and the drive was relatively short on the expressway. The hotel has high security, they check underneath the car for bombs and I had to go through a screener to get inside. The clerk told me since 911 security has been tight because this particular hotel has a lot of Americans staying at it and it is close to a lot of different embassies.

I got up the first day about noon Bangkok time on Thursday or about 10 PM Wednesday California time.

What are my first impressions of Bangkok? The hotel is very rich; the town is a mixture of “average” people mixed in with many very poor people. You get the feeling that everyone wants money from you. I feel the pressure of "How much should I tip?” “Is it not enough or is it too much?” “Did I tip the driver an appropriate amount to the baggage guy?” “Should I give money to the people on the street?” “Does it make me the object for more money giving?” Agggh. It makes me feel bad that I am staying in a nice hotel and people are living in shacks right outside. No sewers, tin houses, trees growing up in the middle of their houses.

Grand Canyon

noreply@blogger.com (Gretchen) — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 11:43:00 +0000

We took the train from Willaims, AZ to the Grand Canyon. It started with a short Western show on the train ramp, complete with horses and fake gun shootouts. Hokie, yes, but A really liked it. The scenery on the trip was great, A and I spent the majority of our time, walking back and forth to the café’ car where we purchased Gummi Bears and Cheetos the first time and popcorn the second.

What can I say about the Grand Canyon that hasn’t been said or photographed? It was awesome. Our room was at the Thunderbird Lodge on the Rim with a “partial view” of the Grand Canyon. The full view must have been the floor above us. How cool is that to open the curtains in the morning to see the Grand Canyon.

We took in a couple of Ranger Programs, the best for A and I was the Condor talk. As the Ranger was talking, several birds started to fly overhead. It was one of those moments that take your breath away. A and I wrangled for the camera to take a couple of photos.

We also managed to get in a couple of short hikes and hiked part way down the Bright Angel Trail. I think A would have gone all the way down without thinking about how she would get back. 10 years ago I would have ……..

We returned on the train, this time complete with a Banjo player and a train robbery. A hid herself under her Strawberry Shortcake blanket. The Robbers kinda figured out where she was hiding.

After the train ride back, we headed for Kingman,AZ to get an early start on our trek back to Bakersfield.

A great first road trip….sigh.

Flagstaff

noreply@blogger.com (Gretchen) — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 15:19:00 +0000

We made it to Flagstaff last night ending a driving nightmare. We stayed at Little America hotel and it was lovely. The next morning we took our time getting up, ate breakfast, enjoyed the hot tub and playground and checked out around noon.

Our itinerary for the day was the Wupatki National Monument and Sunset Crater Volcano.

I think this was our best day so far. A and me did some small hikes, checked out the volcanoes and Indian Pueblo ruins. A took notes and plans to share this with her classmates.

We finished this leisurely tour, A got a Bear Claw from the vending machine and we headed to Williams,AZ to position ourselves for the train trip to Grand Canyon tomorrow.

Road, road and more road

noreply@blogger.com (Gretchen) — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 03:45:00 +0000

We got up early and planned to repeat McDonalds for breakfast on the road. Where two highways intersect on our map appeared to be the best chance but we were getting close and no fast food to be found. I pulled into a lone gas station, filled up just in case (this would be my smartest move of the day, which tells you how the rest of my choices went.) I asked the attendant if there were any fast food places on our route and he shook his head no. Breakfast was going to be from a gas station mini-mart. I told A to pick whatever she wanted. She got a packaged Danish that looked to be a month old and a bag of Cheetos. I got cheese and crackers.

We followed the website directions to Grand Canyon West. I must have missed the part where the last 14 miles was a rough, windy, rock road. I felt lucky if I got above 20 mph; puke is the word that comes to mind. I almost turned back but we had come so far anyway, I forged ahead.

We got to the main terminal and there was obvious chaos. The first thing we did was buy a skybridge package. I could tell it was going to be a hard day for the Huapai Indians and tourists because their normal 200 visitors per day looked like it would top 2000. We went immediately to the skybridge, it just so happened they got the official camera working on the bridge 2 minutes before we got to that spot and it quit working about 5 minutes after.
They wouldn’t let you take personal cameras or anything on the skybridge fearing you would either drop it on the glass and scratch it or throw it over the edge and it would drop far below.

After the skybridge, we grabbed the next shuttle bus to Guano Point to check out the view and the food. The line for food was wound around so far we gave up that idea and bought Indian Jewelry instead (this is a stretch as the only thing Indian was the sellers. My earrings broke the first night) and waited for the next bus. We changed buses at the main terminal; A in her hurry forgot her $14.95 mini flashlight that shown a picture of the skybridge. They didn’t sell any more of those at other trading posts but it wasn’t worth trying to find it or buy another.

We got on another bus which was basically a large horse trailer with seats to the Hualapai Ranch where we hoped there would be a shorter food line. People complained about the dust and I thought… where do you think you are? We got to the Ranch where a guy with black teeth and a real gun felt he had to give his spiel, we were only interested in the food but since he had the gun we waited for him to say his part and then hightailed it to the food line. The food was OK at least the line was reasonable, A hated it, we hurried back to the bus stop to get back to the main terminal to get the hell out of dodge. We stopped at their trading post to grab snacks for A since she didn’t eat the food. She found Cheetos and Jelly beans… there’s a theme going on here.

We peeled out as fast as we could and were amazed that cars were still coming through that horrible road. At least we got out of there early. As they were streaming in, all I thought was “suckers!”

The only part that was enjoyable was the skybridge but I would wait a year or two until they get a road in place and the kinks ironed out.

Day 1 - April Fool

noreply@blogger.com (Gretchen) — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 01:52:00 +0000

We got up and out relatively early Sunday morning, 8AM, had breakfast at McDonalds in Mojave. A’s choice. Later we arrived in Laughlin at Avi Casino just inside the Nevada border but (unbeknownst to me) a Mojave Indian Casino. It looks like a favorite spot for young families (kid care) and retirees (cheap.) A loved it, we spent hours by the pool, ate, changed, she went to their kid quest which was awesome and I gambled. Too bad we didn’t book this for two nights.

Road Trip

noreply@blogger.com (Gretchen) — Sun, 01 Apr 2007 00:08:00 +0000

Our first road trip, I hope I survive. Nothing like a little last minute planning. I added a couple of hotels to our plans. I sure hope I make all the commitments.

Tentative Itinerary:
Sunday Bako (Bakersfield) to Laughlin, Nevada, my choice, the theory here is that it’s a cheap hotel :). Monday morning we head to the Hualapai Indian reservation for the recently opened skywalk glass bridge. I hope I don’t throw up. After a day of hanging out, literally, we travel to Flagstaff and arrive in the evening. I’m not sure what we’ll exactly do the next day but I am looking at Wupatki National Monument and Sunset Crater Volcano as possibilities.
Tuesday night we travel to Williams, AZ and travel by train the next day to Grand Canyon National Park. We stay a couple of days at the Thunderbird lodge and then take the train back to Williams. Saturday morning we start out early and head to Bako to be home for Easter.
This being our first road trip, I hope we don’t kill each other. Stay tuned.

Camp 3 Falls

noreply@blogger.com (Gretchen) — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 00:47:00 +0000

OK, so the cabins were not so great. They were basically sheds with bunk beds built for young Boy Scouts. One of the other moms commented that they wouldn’t let their daughter sleep on the top bunk; fearful they would fall out and break their neck. That made my stay that much more enjoyable, every time Annaliese moved in the bunk above I almost jumped out of my bunk to catch her. We shared the “cabin” with another mom and her daughter and they were nice, frankly a little too nice because I felt pressure to be nice too. Not one of my stronger suits.

A loved the outdoor stuff. They had a fort that she loved to play in, stargazing in which she asked Ranger Dan tons of questions and he appeared to love answering. Her most favorite thing, canoeing, was NOT the most fun thing for me. She wanted to keep canoeing and I wanted to head for the dock. She was in front for “power” and I was in back to lead and steer. For those that remember, this had remnants of the infamous Platt River excursion years ago (wink, wink, nudge, nudge.) Thank god it was a small pond with limited time and resources.

Happy Trails!

Camping Prep

noreply@blogger.com (Gretchen) — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 03:12:00 +0000

Woo Hoo,
Gretchen and A are going camping, Girl Scout camping that is. Our troop was invited to the "Leader/Daughter" campout. That means.....tent cabins, real bathrooms and no blow up mattresses. Yes.... Score. It also means "badge earning" older scouts do all the cooking. Another score.
Making a list and checking it twice, flashlight... check, sleeping bags.... check, clothes.... check, snacks..... double check. Stay tuned, we'll see how the camping goes. I'm more accustomed to "Camp Holiday Inn."

Cheers!