Dan took this next picture, its Becky's T-rex impression.
Tuesday 31 March 2009
Who invited the stormtroopers?
It was Ian's 5th birthday party and so Luke and Leah were invited to battle some stormtroopers in the church hall of all places (apparently Mos Eisley is closed for repairs).
Dan took this next picture, its Becky's T-rex impression.
Dan took this next picture, its Becky's T-rex impression.
Monday 23 March 2009
What Colour Is Spring?
Skipping straight to the answer - Brown! At least in Minnesota, not for here the fresh green grass and colourful bulbs sprouting out, swathes of golden daffodils or tulips popping up. Here, everything has been buried in snow for so long that it is just brown - take a look at this picture from the weekend just gone and see if you can spot a blade of green grass or a green shoot anywhere.
Spring also arrives unannounced, for instance last week I drove to work (as I was traveling that evening) and it was -19C outside, I went away for a few days and when I got back it was +16C! This leads to Winter being still in the hotel bedroom when Spring moves his cases in. We went for a walk at the weekend near Hyland Lake and it was 18C outside, there was a kid in just shorts making sandcastles on a beach next to a lake and lake was still 95% frozen over (see below, if you click on the image you can see the kid)
This almost looks like a Summer's day until you spot the frozen lake
Last week marked a big work achievement last week too as we finished rolling out Beast (the major project I've been working on) to every Best Buy in the US. I don't put a lot of worky type stuff on the blog but I thought these few photos would be worthwhile
Sadly, great spelling is not a prerequisite to be allowed to work at Dairy Queen
And here is the team
Spring also arrives unannounced, for instance last week I drove to work (as I was traveling that evening) and it was -19C outside, I went away for a few days and when I got back it was +16C! This leads to Winter being still in the hotel bedroom when Spring moves his cases in. We went for a walk at the weekend near Hyland Lake and it was 18C outside, there was a kid in just shorts making sandcastles on a beach next to a lake and lake was still 95% frozen over (see below, if you click on the image you can see the kid)
This almost looks like a Summer's day until you spot the frozen lake
Last week marked a big work achievement last week too as we finished rolling out Beast (the major project I've been working on) to every Best Buy in the US. I don't put a lot of worky type stuff on the blog but I thought these few photos would be worthwhile
Sadly, great spelling is not a prerequisite to be allowed to work at Dairy Queen
And here is the team
Wednesday 18 March 2009
Winter Visitors
Not too many brave souls venture into Minnesota during the winter but Guy and Donna (for those of you who don't know, Guy was my best man at our wedding) flew over for 8 days. Just so they got into the swing as soon as they arrived I met them at the airport and 2 hours later we hit the slopes for some serious sledging.
As they arrived within about 36 hours of us getting back from Vegas we weren't as organized as usual (which is not very anyway) but we got really spoiled as they shopped and cooked for us most nights, here they are hard at work while Andy looks on smugly.
One of the things I've wanted to do was to see the North Shore of Lake Superior in the winter which fitted nicely into Guy and Donna's plans to do some skiing. I took a long weekend off and Guy (who managed to get the only decent hire car I've ever seen) sped us up there in record time, avoiding the police but stopping at some of our favourite sights along the way.
One of my favourite sights wasn't even the scenery, it was Guy providing a comic moment trying to get down some really slippery steps, see if you can spot the moment his SLR hits his head (I'm only laughing because I fell over about 60 times when we were skiing and Guy didn't fall over once).
Gooseberry Falls
Not the sort of sight you'd see in a UK petrol station
Temperance Falls
One of the Lutsen hotel provides deckchairs on the beach next to the lake - not getting a huge amount of the use at the moment. The lake is 350 miles long and 160 miles wide at its widest point so you can imagine how cold it must be for it to freeze over like this.
We managed to book a 3 man chalet style hotel at the ski area just outside Lutsen, which is the biggest resort in the state. Minnesota doesn't really have mountains so it was pretty tame by serious skiers standards but had 92 runs to keep us amused for the weekend, plus almost nobody else there and great views over Lake Superior.
Also check out these 2 back to back cribbage games we had, you'll have to click on the picture to see it which, if you're into cribbage will be well worth your while, but if you're not then I've wasted enough of your time just babbling on about it, skip to the next picture with snow in it immediately. If you're still reading then either you are interested or can't follow instructions, if its the former then all I have to say is game over in 6 rounds!!!! If its the latter then I have nothing to say that will make the slightest difference.
Skiing in Lutsen - highly recommended. I was actually snowboarding which meant most of the time I was lying on my back looking up at the sky while Guy and Donna zoomed off. Still, lovely place to just take in the views of the lake.
See how packed it is, you could barely move
The lake is in the background cunningly disguised as a frozen ocean.
Some great snow and ice formation by the rivers.
When we got back it turned out that we weren't the only people improving our skiing; Dan had got lessons for his birthday that he started. Unsurprisingly he loved it, here he is coming down the hill near our house, he is the small dot in the middle of the picture.
Becky wanted to get in on the act too..
And Andy went one btter and booked us both in for lessons, here she is going on the chair lift with Dan. After a traumatic teenage skiing experience Andy got 1-1 tuition for the princely sum of $10/session including ski hire and pass and having been told she was a natural by the instructor she finally has something to look forward to in the winter (previously she really looked forward to climbing into a box of straw with a wholesale box of chocolate, closing the lid and setting the alarm for Spring.
As they arrived within about 36 hours of us getting back from Vegas we weren't as organized as usual (which is not very anyway) but we got really spoiled as they shopped and cooked for us most nights, here they are hard at work while Andy looks on smugly.
One of the things I've wanted to do was to see the North Shore of Lake Superior in the winter which fitted nicely into Guy and Donna's plans to do some skiing. I took a long weekend off and Guy (who managed to get the only decent hire car I've ever seen) sped us up there in record time, avoiding the police but stopping at some of our favourite sights along the way.One of my favourite sights wasn't even the scenery, it was Guy providing a comic moment trying to get down some really slippery steps, see if you can spot the moment his SLR hits his head (I'm only laughing because I fell over about 60 times when we were skiing and Guy didn't fall over once).
Gooseberry Falls
Not the sort of sight you'd see in a UK petrol station
Temperance Falls
One of the Lutsen hotel provides deckchairs on the beach next to the lake - not getting a huge amount of the use at the moment. The lake is 350 miles long and 160 miles wide at its widest point so you can imagine how cold it must be for it to freeze over like this.
We managed to book a 3 man chalet style hotel at the ski area just outside Lutsen, which is the biggest resort in the state. Minnesota doesn't really have mountains so it was pretty tame by serious skiers standards but had 92 runs to keep us amused for the weekend, plus almost nobody else there and great views over Lake Superior.Also check out these 2 back to back cribbage games we had, you'll have to click on the picture to see it which, if you're into cribbage will be well worth your while, but if you're not then I've wasted enough of your time just babbling on about it, skip to the next picture with snow in it immediately. If you're still reading then either you are interested or can't follow instructions, if its the former then all I have to say is game over in 6 rounds!!!! If its the latter then I have nothing to say that will make the slightest difference.
Skiing in Lutsen - highly recommended. I was actually snowboarding which meant most of the time I was lying on my back looking up at the sky while Guy and Donna zoomed off. Still, lovely place to just take in the views of the lake.
See how packed it is, you could barely move
The lake is in the background cunningly disguised as a frozen ocean.
Some great snow and ice formation by the rivers.
When we got back it turned out that we weren't the only people improving our skiing; Dan had got lessons for his birthday that he started. Unsurprisingly he loved it, here he is coming down the hill near our house, he is the small dot in the middle of the picture.
Becky wanted to get in on the act too..
And Andy went one btter and booked us both in for lessons, here she is going on the chair lift with Dan. After a traumatic teenage skiing experience Andy got 1-1 tuition for the princely sum of $10/session including ski hire and pass and having been told she was a natural by the instructor she finally has something to look forward to in the winter (previously she really looked forward to climbing into a box of straw with a wholesale box of chocolate, closing the lid and setting the alarm for Spring.
Saturday 14 March 2009
Leaving Las Vegas
After 8 days of Vegas (4x the recommended dose) it was time to leave. We'd done no gambling, no shows, no wild nights of drinking but we had a fantastic time. Maybe one day we'll be back without the kids and do the standard Vegas things but there's so much to do apart from the norm that I feel we've seen a side of the town that most people never see. And if my phone keeps refusing to transfer the pictures I took in Valley of Fire state park there are some things that this blog will never see either.
There were things that weren't so great as well, the hotels are not really set up for children and are really smoky, the streets at night are littered with cards offering the services of scantily clad (if at all) women which Dan has lots of questions about. 'What are the women advertising? Are you supposed to collect all of the cards? ' These aspects of Vegas were pretty depressing but there was a lot we didn't expect that was really good too.
Ah well, here are some random images that are not so unusual for Vegas to round off this busy few days.
The new bridge being erected to span the Colorado river just downstream of the Hoover Dam.
Looking over the Hoover Dam
New tyres (or should I say tires?) for someone's SUV no doubt.
Escalators, Outside!
The Luxor
The Aquarium at the Mandalay Bay
Becky hitting the bottle
All too much for a little one
There were things that weren't so great as well, the hotels are not really set up for children and are really smoky, the streets at night are littered with cards offering the services of scantily clad (if at all) women which Dan has lots of questions about. 'What are the women advertising? Are you supposed to collect all of the cards? ' These aspects of Vegas were pretty depressing but there was a lot we didn't expect that was really good too.
Ah well, here are some random images that are not so unusual for Vegas to round off this busy few days.
The new bridge being erected to span the Colorado river just downstream of the Hoover Dam.
Looking over the Hoover Dam
New tyres (or should I say tires?) for someone's SUV no doubt.
Escalators, Outside!
The Luxor
The Aquarium at the Mandalay Bay
Becky hitting the bottle
All too much for a little one
Vegas Snow and Ski
Snow capped mountains and ski resorts wasn't what I'd imagined from Vegas but just 45 minutes out of town there was Mount Charlstone, at nearly 8,500ft it was the highest mountain I've been up and had some spectacular views.
On the way back Becky wasn't very well and redecorated a famous pie shop which we stopped at for a late lunch. The rest of the day was pretty quiet which was becoming a bit of a pattern. We'd get the kids to bed and they would just muck around as they were sharing the same bed and the only way we could get them to stop was to turn off the lights and lie still but then we'd fall asleep too! The first couple of nights we got the kids down then suddenly woke up in the early hours, still dressed and quite happy to get back to sleep again. We were certainly living it large in Vegas I can tell you.
On the way back Becky wasn't very well and redecorated a famous pie shop which we stopped at for a late lunch. The rest of the day was pretty quiet which was becoming a bit of a pattern. We'd get the kids to bed and they would just muck around as they were sharing the same bed and the only way we could get them to stop was to turn off the lights and lie still but then we'd fall asleep too! The first couple of nights we got the kids down then suddenly woke up in the early hours, still dressed and quite happy to get back to sleep again. We were certainly living it large in Vegas I can tell you.
Great Big Hole in the Ground. Our 100th Blog
With all of the fun things to do in Vegas you can imagine how thrilled Dan and Becky were when we told them we were going to get up before dawn and drive 6 hours each way to see a hole in the ground. So off we went, stopping for nothing other than a quick breakfast and to pick up some excellent tourist tips from a traffic cop on which part of the canyon is best. He was so helpful in fact that we're sending a donation to the police to thank them for their excellent work . Primarily this seems to be to ensure that people don't get lonely driving along a perfectly straight dual carriageway with not another car or bend for 111 miles at a speed that at least means you don't fall asleep at the wheel.
Anyway, once we did get there is certainly was the most impressive hole we've seen. Not too many pictures you'll be glad to know, its one of those places that really doesn't work from a photograph. Still, what could be better than sitting in the snow and sunshine eating an ice cream and looking out over the grand canyon.
Despite the long drive we managed to get 4 hours at the canyon and then it was the long slog back (using cruise control to avoid more unscheduled pit stops). Our secret weapon in keeping the kids amused was my laptop propped up and playing 'The Incredibles'.
This blog also marks the 100th posting of our adventure so far. While the grand canyon may well have been the biggest sight we've seen in our big adventure, I think that many of the everyday things we do will stay with us for just as long, and the people we've met for even longer. Most days we can't really believe we live here and we'll say to each other 'We're living in America' to which the other will reply 'I know, I still can't get used to it'. It still continues to be a big adventure but I'm not sure if its being here that's making it an adventure or our being aware that out time in America is limited and us trying to make the most of it. When we get back we're desperate to visit more of Britain and Europe. So maybe this adventure is partly us just opening our eyes to what an adventure life is wherever we live.
Anyway, once we did get there is certainly was the most impressive hole we've seen. Not too many pictures you'll be glad to know, its one of those places that really doesn't work from a photograph. Still, what could be better than sitting in the snow and sunshine eating an ice cream and looking out over the grand canyon.
Despite the long drive we managed to get 4 hours at the canyon and then it was the long slog back (using cruise control to avoid more unscheduled pit stops). Our secret weapon in keeping the kids amused was my laptop propped up and playing 'The Incredibles'.
This blog also marks the 100th posting of our adventure so far. While the grand canyon may well have been the biggest sight we've seen in our big adventure, I think that many of the everyday things we do will stay with us for just as long, and the people we've met for even longer. Most days we can't really believe we live here and we'll say to each other 'We're living in America' to which the other will reply 'I know, I still can't get used to it'. It still continues to be a big adventure but I'm not sure if its being here that's making it an adventure or our being aware that out time in America is limited and us trying to make the most of it. When we get back we're desperate to visit more of Britain and Europe. So maybe this adventure is partly us just opening our eyes to what an adventure life is wherever we live.
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