The Boardwalk

After a busy Saturday, we decided to have a quick bite of dinner at home and then drive to CDA for a walk around the Boardwalk. It was so nice there with a slight breeze. It's always a pleasant walk by the Lake even in the cold of winter. We met a couple that use to be in our ward and they took our picture.

Christmas in July

A new movie coming in November. Can't wait to see it.

Train Tour and Christmas in July

Yesterday Erin and kids and myself went to the Christmas Carol Train Tour at the Amtrak station in town. Thank you Andy for telling us about it. I had driven by the night before and saw the train and just knew that it was going to be a fun adventure. We entered through the big train station which was fun in itself. They presented us a train ticket which had a barcode on for use in the train to do our face pictures. We walked on the south side of the station down to the Christmas Train and there was a small line forming already. As we were waiting, two real trains pulled into the station and that was really fun for the kids to see. They are so big and massive. We waved to the engineers as they passed by & they waved back to us. As we waited in line, there was snow falling on us (I think this picture is actually the snow machine.) It reminded me of the snowfall in Disneyland. All of this made the waiting more fun. As we climbed into the train they punched our ticket and we entered inside. Most people were very accomodating and patient with one another and there were plenty of viewing tv's for everyone to see. I think it was worth our time and where else can you have Christmas in July!

Caroling in July

While we were standing in line to get into the train there were carolers singing Christmas songs. We didn't get to hear them too long as the line started moving to get onto the train. It kind of set the atmosphere though and it's a good thing it wasn't 90 in the shade because these ladies had heavy clothing on. You can see the lamp post in the picture. There were several of these posts along the way with snow draped at the bottom.

Starting our Tour

Here we are starting the tour inside the train. It was so exciting so see all of the displays and the tv's showing the making of the movie. Another thing that was interesting is seeing the different ages of Jim Carey who plays Scrooge I think. It shows him as a young boy all the way to an older person. They also showed how the motion capture worked and the different stages involved. It was all really interesting. It's going to be a great movie for those over 7 probably.

Inside the train

We are actually inside the train, taking our turn to see all of the displays and pictures. There are tv's on each side showing the making of the movie and the different characters in it.

Real model

There were some real "live" models of Big Ben and other buildings from the movie. They were really intricate and perfect in construction. so cool to see

This is another real model that was on display.

Motion capture

I thought Gavan would enjoy this picture. It actually showed segments of how they do the mo-cap for the movie. So very cool.

Movie House and Train

After we finished going through the train, there is a blow-up house where they show you about 10-15 minutes of the movie. They give you 3-D glasses to wear which made the show all the more exciting. The ghost in chains was a little loud and scary but other parts were okay. Bodee and Erin didn't go just because some of the parts were scary. Avery and I enjoyed it though and actually jumped in a couple of places.

Fruit Bouquet

Some of you had asked for me to post this. I don't usually brag on my cooking but this was such a fun project. The boys loved it and finally finished it off after dinner. A yummy treat and great centerpiece too. Thanks Erin for the floral foam for the bottom. It worked very well.

It's done

This is where the pond use to be. Yea! No more water to clean. Dad did a great job and worked so hard on this area just to get it done for his birthday party. Then, it was too hot outside to use it - darn. We all stayed inside, except all of the kids. That was good too. Anyway, it will be a good place to make s'mores and to cook in my dutch oven. The bricks are darkened because of the rain this morning. Happy Birthday Dad!

July 7 is Cherry Spitting Day

Life Is Just A Bowl Of Cherries. But, who wants to get stuck with all those pits! The summer brings us tons of luscious sweet cherries and July 7th marks the annual International Cherry Pit Spitting Day. There are many Cherry Pit spitting distance contests throughout the United States and abroad, so, grab a bowl and start spitting!

ERBS OR HERBS

I decided today was a good day to dry my herbs. It's good to cut them in the morning when they are fresh. Then rinse them and prepare for drying. I have oregano, parsley, cilantro and thyme. Next I need to find some small containers for storage. It's a fun project.

Transformer Man

This is a large block transformer guy that Grant made while he was here visiting. Scott and Grant stayed with us from Wednesday night to Saturday afternoon. We had a good time and they just entertain themselves and play together. Then they discovered Club Penguin and loved it. Consequently, they spent a lot of time with that. Thursday we did Letterboxing with Erin and her boys and Friday we all went to the movie "UP". It was Carlie's first movie and she did really well. She actually had a seat all to herself too. Afterwards Erin and the boys stayed for dinner and then we watched Journey to the Center of the Earth. Scott and brought that dvd from home. They had given it to Cory for his birthday. It even came with 3D glasses. Jeremy came over a little later because he had been out riding during the day. Saturday it was more Penguin and then I drove the boys home. On the way, we stopped at the Spokane House because they were having an Encampment and demonstrations. It was so interesting. There is a museum there which has pictures and artifacts of the old fort that use to be there. Down the road there was a camp set up with different parts and people demonstrating different areas of fur trading with the Indians. It was really interesting. So that was our weekend.

Cory's 40th

Well, these pictures pretty much speak for themselves. However, the first one you might question what was happening. Cory had begun opening my gift and wrapped the black tissue around Scott and Grant just to make them laugh. They did. We had a bbq dinner - presents - and cake. The boys just gave him messages on how much they thought of their Dad and lots of warm fuzzies for him. All Dads can use warm fuzzies from time to time. We had a great time and it's always fun to be with all of the boys and their silly actions. Can't believe I have a child that is 40. Where did all of those years go? P.S. Jake baked the cake and had chocolate covered wafer cookies on top. Those boys do a pretty good job at cooking these days.

Hanging Toms

This is my hanging tomato plant. We didn't have much of a place in the back to hang it so here it is hanging in the front. It is doing well so I think I will just leave her there. It seems to be a handy way to grow tomatoes, especially if you lack garden space. Erin planted four of these and I am quite anxious to see how her plants do. We have tomatoes and blossoms so that's a good sign. Thanks Erin for the Mother's Day gift. It's a fun one.

Make a Smilebox recipe

Our Garden

In this picture you see from left to right, potatoes, beans and corn. The raspberries we relocated last year are at the edge of garden next to the wood pile. They won't really do a lot until next year. The wood pile is our wood storage in case we need auxillary heat at some point. We are going to take down the fence between our yard and Joyce's and add it to the wood pile also. We plan a new chain link for that area. The pond is all gone and we are working on a new bird bath near the shop. We have to keep our birds happy.

Potatoes

Potatoes planted April 15.