Matt and Holly's Conversation about the season finale of Lost. (Note: we really do have more things than TV shows consuming our lives right now. Humor us for one more post before we get back to cute pictures of the kids and other goings-ons.)
M: LOST is the best book never written that is now showing on TV. The show draws heavily on science, philosophy, physics, mathematics, history and literature and even makes a few nods to politics as well. Reminds me of college, only more invigorating and watched with HDTV, just about as expensive.
H: I like the book analogy, but the TV is paid off, dear. Our student loans aren't quite there yet. It IS stunning in HD for sure. And much more comfy now that we have a decent couch to sit on.
M: The show can be watched on so many levels depending on how much Lost Kool-Aid you want to drink. Me? Well, let's just say I drink as much as I can while Holly is more of a social drinker.
H: A social drinker who gets a hangover every Friday morning. Golly, that sounds bad. I just read all the links Matt sends me so I can keep up with the theories. This guy J. Wood has some of the best insights for sure. (A shout out to my Nook friends, he goes into some detail on The Orchid Thief which was May's book choice.)
M: (ahem) Last night's finale brought my TV addiction to a close until the Fall. But it gave us a lot to think about until the next season -- 8 months down the road.
So here's a list of our biggest questions from Season Four and the series to date:
H: My Number One Concern (silly as it may be): WHO IS FEEDING BABY AARON? This is perhaps inconsequential in the grand scheme of things, but there's at least 24 hours from when Claire (his mother) mysteriously disappears in the jungle and he's handed off to Sawyer-Kate-Sun-Kate. Then they're on Penny's boat for a good week before arriving on the island of Membata or wherever. Was there a stash of Dharma Infant Formula stashed away somewhere?? Did Kate start lactating for him?? Something would have to happen so it was all believable. Like I said, a very small detail, but from a mother's perspective a very big deal at the same time.
M: Isn't Enfamil owned by the Hanso Foundation? I liked a lot of things about the show and I love how there is always more mysteries. My top 3 from the finale:
1. Was Charlotte born on the Island?
2. Did the Island move in space and time or both.
3. Did Locke really leave the island?
H: Top Three huh? I'd have to go by character and that would be a long list. How about bullets?
*What happened to Claire? Was she killed? Why did her father take her away? What was she doing in Jacob's cabin?
*What is Christian Shepherd doing on the island in Jacob's chair anyway? Why was he visiting Jack in the present day?
*What did Sawyer tell Kate before he jumped? And that she later acted upon, making Jack jealous?
*Why does Hurley see dead people? What happens to dead people on the Island?
*Did Jin survive the explosion on the boat? What about the Zodiac rescue boat that Faraday was piloting? Did they get "sucked in" to the island moving phenomenon?
I think if we watched previous seasons, we'd be reminded of even more questions.
M: Why don't you get me the first three seasons on DVD for Father's Day then?
H: Hmmm. that's a good question . . . . moving on then. How will next season play out? The Oceanic Six (7 if you count Locke's/Bentham's corpse) need to return to the island. In one corner, a broken Jack is now in league with Big Bad Ben Linus. Sayid, who's only ambitions seem to be seeking revenge on those that killed Nadia (his wife and soulmate) and protecting his island friends, has psych-ward-Hurley in his protection so to speak. Kate is weirded out by the dream-reality of Claire warning/demanding Kate to never bring Aaron back to the island. Plus she's still estranged from Jack and his destructive behavior. They are in another corner, but Ben has a plan to bring her around. That leaves Sun who is teaming up with Ben's arch enemy Charles Widmore to re-discover the island's new location. Presumably, she believes Jin is still alive and desperately wants to reunite their family.
How does that sound Matt?
M: Sounds like a soap opera. I think the show has to end with a Happy Jack and how we get there I don't know but his need is to get back on the island and maybe figure out how to get his and his friends' lives back from the Island evil-doers -- Ben Linus and the murderous, rule-changing, blood thirsty, Charles Widmore.
H: Is that it? I thought you wrote more stuff in there.
M: I was trying to keep it short so people actually read it.
H: Oh.
PS As we're re-watching last nights finale again, we both agree that Ben Linus's line of "time traveling bunnies" was delivered in classic Michael Emerson style. He's one of the best actors on TV.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
American Idol: The Showdown
In keeping with my regular Tuesday night American Idol post, here are my thoughts on the "main event". (Of all the things to post regularly about, why am I taking time for a TV show?? My kids are much more interesting, right?)
First off, the boxing theme was WAY cheesy. Ugh. Poor Archie boy is too shy for hamming up this kind of stuff. He's too young and innocent for the fast and furious world of entertainment. I hope for his sake he doesn't win. He's too good for it, if you know what I mean.
I am so mad at the judges for ripping David Cook apart. He did a fabulous job. He was original. He was diverse. He has heart. He plays AND sings. He has the charisma to be THE American Idol. I want to download his version of U2's "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Lookin' For". (That would be my first AI download from iTunes.) His last song was a big risk, I even felt a wee bit bored at the end. But it wasn't BAD. (I think they both had poor 3rd rounds) He was stepping out and showing a more subdued side with an acoustic guitar, singing from his heart.
David Archie Golden Boy: he did a fabulous job. He was in the zone. Matt and I could say nothing to disparage him on "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me". (I thought both producer's picks had a hidden message in them....) But resting on his laurels, so to speak, in singing "Imagine" for his final song was BOR-ING. It was okay the first time (Matt says dreadful both times), but not so hot again. On Idol, they only re-sing songs when they're going home, right?? The kid CAN sing though. He's got an amazing voice.
I'd really like David Cook to win. I thought it was a low blow that the judges didn't praise them both somewhat equally at this point in the game. Showing so much favoritism on a big night when they both put so much heart into it irks me. But it's a silly show at the end of the day, right? I'd better publish this and go dial in my 20-something votes for David Cook before the time is up.
(I wonder if it really matters how many times you dial? What a mysterious black box the Idols voting process is. If they are so specific as to how many votes are called/texted in, why don't they say the actual number of votes for each contestant? Hmmmm???)
First off, the boxing theme was WAY cheesy. Ugh. Poor Archie boy is too shy for hamming up this kind of stuff. He's too young and innocent for the fast and furious world of entertainment. I hope for his sake he doesn't win. He's too good for it, if you know what I mean.
I am so mad at the judges for ripping David Cook apart. He did a fabulous job. He was original. He was diverse. He has heart. He plays AND sings. He has the charisma to be THE American Idol. I want to download his version of U2's "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Lookin' For". (That would be my first AI download from iTunes.) His last song was a big risk, I even felt a wee bit bored at the end. But it wasn't BAD. (I think they both had poor 3rd rounds) He was stepping out and showing a more subdued side with an acoustic guitar, singing from his heart.
David Archie Golden Boy: he did a fabulous job. He was in the zone. Matt and I could say nothing to disparage him on "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me". (I thought both producer's picks had a hidden message in them....) But resting on his laurels, so to speak, in singing "Imagine" for his final song was BOR-ING. It was okay the first time (Matt says dreadful both times), but not so hot again. On Idol, they only re-sing songs when they're going home, right?? The kid CAN sing though. He's got an amazing voice.
I'd really like David Cook to win. I thought it was a low blow that the judges didn't praise them both somewhat equally at this point in the game. Showing so much favoritism on a big night when they both put so much heart into it irks me. But it's a silly show at the end of the day, right? I'd better publish this and go dial in my 20-something votes for David Cook before the time is up.
(I wonder if it really matters how many times you dial? What a mysterious black box the Idols voting process is. If they are so specific as to how many votes are called/texted in, why don't they say the actual number of votes for each contestant? Hmmmm???)
Monday, May 19, 2008
Heatwave!
It is hot out here. Amazingly enough, we're not minding the triple digit highs that we had all weekend. Why you may ask? THERE'S NO HUMIDITY WITH IT!!! THE LOWS AT NIGHT GO DOWN TO 65 OR BELOW!! (Sorry to all my Mid-Atlantic friends) So, turn on the sprinklers, drink a tall glass of iced whatever and water the lawn before 10AM. Open the windows as soon as the outside temps fall below th inside (usually around 10PM). Fall asleep and wake up to a cool delicious breeze wafting through the windows. As long as there's cool morning and nights and our electric bill isn't outrageous with our new heat pump/AC we won't complain.
The cool mornings have also motivated Matt to start exercising again. He gets up with one or usually both girls who are the early risers in the family, load them in the jogger and takes a stroll down the hill and to a neighborhood park. He's planning on doing this for awhile and then hit the gym when he needs to step it up a notch.
His other main motivation is buying a drift boat when he gets down to his goal weight. This will most likely be a year long process, but definitely worth it in the end. It's also motivating me to get back into a routine at the gym. Or something. Especially after trying some dresses on at Target this weekend. They were actually a fully sleeved modest style, but my middle had way too many rolls to consider making the purchase. Sigh.
Get active girl! I tell myself. Too bad there isn't interactive blogging for Wii fit. That would be cool. Aerobic typing! Jump on the letters to leave comments! Yoga letter poses! I might try rationalizing that over a gym membership. I'm very anti-video games though. I get obsessive and have very little self control. For Christmas one year my bro-in-law got me MYST and that's all I did for a week straight. seriously. Plus our family gets enough screen time as it is. I just need to get my rear in gear and go jogging or something in the early morning or evening. Just not on trails here cuz that's when the mountain lions are out. You need a dog if you want to run solo there.
My battery is about to die and I need to go paint a wall and if I plug in the charger then I'll be tempted to open Google Reader and that will be the rest of my afternoon! Hope you're all having a lovely pre-Memorial Day week. Get all those off-season admission days in while you can!
The cool mornings have also motivated Matt to start exercising again. He gets up with one or usually both girls who are the early risers in the family, load them in the jogger and takes a stroll down the hill and to a neighborhood park. He's planning on doing this for awhile and then hit the gym when he needs to step it up a notch.
His other main motivation is buying a drift boat when he gets down to his goal weight. This will most likely be a year long process, but definitely worth it in the end. It's also motivating me to get back into a routine at the gym. Or something. Especially after trying some dresses on at Target this weekend. They were actually a fully sleeved modest style, but my middle had way too many rolls to consider making the purchase. Sigh.
Get active girl! I tell myself. Too bad there isn't interactive blogging for Wii fit. That would be cool. Aerobic typing! Jump on the letters to leave comments! Yoga letter poses! I might try rationalizing that over a gym membership. I'm very anti-video games though. I get obsessive and have very little self control. For Christmas one year my bro-in-law got me MYST and that's all I did for a week straight. seriously. Plus our family gets enough screen time as it is. I just need to get my rear in gear and go jogging or something in the early morning or evening. Just not on trails here cuz that's when the mountain lions are out. You need a dog if you want to run solo there.
My battery is about to die and I need to go paint a wall and if I plug in the charger then I'll be tempted to open Google Reader and that will be the rest of my afternoon! Hope you're all having a lovely pre-Memorial Day week. Get all those off-season admission days in while you can!
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Fun with Water
It's finally getting warm enough for the kids to play outside in water without getting too cold. If it's the least bit warm, Evalyn insists on wearing her suit but will last only a short while outside before wanting a warm shower. It got to the point where I made a new rule: if you play outside in water, no bath right after that. Dry off and put clothes on. Baths only at bedtime. I've bent the rule a bit for extreme cases of filthiness; I hate using all that back to back water.
Yesterday though the weather was a lovely 83 degrees. Perfectly warm. I got a little creative and made a waterslide with the hose running from the top of the slide into the pool below. (A bigger pool would've worked better. ) Here' s the video:
Water and sand/dirt have a universal magnetic attraction for kids, especially little boys. Right after Henry dumped the sand in the pool, I brought out the sometimes remedy: sand and water play table.
This play set-up and Linnea taking a long nap gave me bonus time that I squandered away on blogging. I love catching up with friends and being on top of things. Having my Google Reader say (0) unread posts is almost as satisfying as going to bed with a spotless kitchen and running dishwasher. Sadly, the latter didn't happen last night. Am I the only one?
Yesterday though the weather was a lovely 83 degrees. Perfectly warm. I got a little creative and made a waterslide with the hose running from the top of the slide into the pool below. (A bigger pool would've worked better. ) Here' s the video:
Water and sand/dirt have a universal magnetic attraction for kids, especially little boys. Right after Henry dumped the sand in the pool, I brought out the sometimes remedy: sand and water play table.
This play set-up and Linnea taking a long nap gave me bonus time that I squandered away on blogging. I love catching up with friends and being on top of things. Having my Google Reader say (0) unread posts is almost as satisfying as going to bed with a spotless kitchen and running dishwasher. Sadly, the latter didn't happen last night. Am I the only one?
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Star Chart
About a week ago I was at my wits end with getting Evalyn to stay in bed and fall asleep without one of us staying with her. It's been easier to take a 20-30 minute nap/rest/personal reading time next to her in bed than to play the "stay in your room or else" game for an hour or more. In a moment of inspiration, I decided it was time for the behavior modification chart. After reading stories and doing all the other bedtime routine assurances, I tucked her in and told her that if she stayed in bed and fell asleep by herself, she'd get a star in the morning. After she got 7 stars, she'd get to choose a new My Little Pony from the store. It clicked in her brain and she went right to sleep. [That was the revised version. My original deal was 14 stickers, but when I found and read about the chart online, reality said that wasn't realistic]
The next morning, very bright and early at her usual 6:00-6:30AM wake-up time, Evalyn was by my bedside asking for her star rather than tugging on Daddy's arm for chocolate milk and a TV show. Rats. I hadn't foreseen this arrangement interfering with my sleep-in time. I'm sure Matt was smiling to himself as he rolled over and put a pillow over his head.
But it's worked. With a few longer than usual tuck in times and a late nap incident, there are no more pleas of "Stay with me mommy! Sleep with me daddy!" Let's hope this continues. It's been very cute how she'll pick out which star she'll color in the next morning. There was one morning where I didn't get up to supervise and she sneaked in an extra star. That was a little tricky to deal with the following morning.
Today we went to get her prize. She was eager with excitement, but when we got there she suddenly decided she wanted sidewalk chalk and crayons and about everything else she laid her eyes on. I felt funny saying, "NO! You have to get a My Little Pony because that's what was on your chart!" It came across more as, "Okay, you may get the sidewalk to share with Henry and we'll get the Pony for you." Phew. Kids and the toy section are rarely a pleasant experience.
The next morning, very bright and early at her usual 6:00-6:30AM wake-up time, Evalyn was by my bedside asking for her star rather than tugging on Daddy's arm for chocolate milk and a TV show. Rats. I hadn't foreseen this arrangement interfering with my sleep-in time. I'm sure Matt was smiling to himself as he rolled over and put a pillow over his head.
But it's worked. With a few longer than usual tuck in times and a late nap incident, there are no more pleas of "Stay with me mommy! Sleep with me daddy!" Let's hope this continues. It's been very cute how she'll pick out which star she'll color in the next morning. There was one morning where I didn't get up to supervise and she sneaked in an extra star. That was a little tricky to deal with the following morning.
Today we went to get her prize. She was eager with excitement, but when we got there she suddenly decided she wanted sidewalk chalk and crayons and about everything else she laid her eyes on. I felt funny saying, "NO! You have to get a My Little Pony because that's what was on your chart!" It came across more as, "Okay, you may get the sidewalk to share with Henry and we'll get the Pony for you." Phew. Kids and the toy section are rarely a pleasant experience.
Planting Grass
We finally got around to doing a bit of landscaping this past weekend. Remember those juniper shrubs we pulled out awhile back? And that ash pile from burning them? Matt had been raking and separating things out and was determined to get some topsoil down and seed planted this weekend. So we did.
Of course there's the usual domino effect, so before we could drive his truck loaded with topsoil to the backyard, we (Matt) had to pull/move/leverage out 3 big railroad ties so the truck could drive up the hilly backyard. That required a pry bar that we didn't have, which required a trip down to the hardware store, where I also bought the grass seed and replacement nut for the lawnmower. . . . But by Saturday afternoon, most of our to do list was done, plus some:
*top soil spread/ raked out
*grass seed planted
*tested sprinkler system (bad news: major valve problems, not just the known patches from post hole drilling. will require professional help)
*mulch spread in the front beds (actually finished this Mon night)
*grass mowed
*old carpet cut out of garage (bamboo shavings from Matt's fly rod building and carpet don't mix too well)
*trip to the dump with old carpet and messy remains of burned junipers
*pruning holly shrubs out front
Needless to say, Mother's Day was an afterthought by the end of the weekend. I bought myself some chocolates when I went to buy a hose sprinkler for the freshly planted seed. Matt and the kids made cards and a lovely Sunday dinner and I had the afternoon to myself. It was nice. Matt had some other gift plans but he'd worked himself to exhaustion and the time got away. The big present was unveiled prematurely a few weeks ago: a weekend away with my sisters, sans kids. We'll stay at a cabin on the Santiam River for two nights. I'm sure I'll talk more about it later on, but needless to say I'm looking forward to it: hot tub, fire ring, river sounds, solitude, sisterly companionship. And maybe even a completed project!
Anyway, here's some pics of the grass planting project. Let's hope it grows. The whole lawn needs some help, but it will be nice to gain 10 more feet of space.
Of course there's the usual domino effect, so before we could drive his truck loaded with topsoil to the backyard, we (Matt) had to pull/move/leverage out 3 big railroad ties so the truck could drive up the hilly backyard. That required a pry bar that we didn't have, which required a trip down to the hardware store, where I also bought the grass seed and replacement nut for the lawnmower. . . . But by Saturday afternoon, most of our to do list was done, plus some:
*top soil spread/ raked out
*grass seed planted
*tested sprinkler system (bad news: major valve problems, not just the known patches from post hole drilling. will require professional help)
*mulch spread in the front beds (actually finished this Mon night)
*grass mowed
*old carpet cut out of garage (bamboo shavings from Matt's fly rod building and carpet don't mix too well)
*trip to the dump with old carpet and messy remains of burned junipers
*pruning holly shrubs out front
Needless to say, Mother's Day was an afterthought by the end of the weekend. I bought myself some chocolates when I went to buy a hose sprinkler for the freshly planted seed. Matt and the kids made cards and a lovely Sunday dinner and I had the afternoon to myself. It was nice. Matt had some other gift plans but he'd worked himself to exhaustion and the time got away. The big present was unveiled prematurely a few weeks ago: a weekend away with my sisters, sans kids. We'll stay at a cabin on the Santiam River for two nights. I'm sure I'll talk more about it later on, but needless to say I'm looking forward to it: hot tub, fire ring, river sounds, solitude, sisterly companionship. And maybe even a completed project!
Anyway, here's some pics of the grass planting project. Let's hope it grows. The whole lawn needs some help, but it will be nice to gain 10 more feet of space.
New Toy Find: Pop Up Bubbles
One of the better kid friendly bubble blowers I've seen. They "ended up" in our basket at Target. Works kinda like the old school mouthwash where you squeeze the bottom to get a little to the top section, then squeeze the top section to raise the wand and then blow. When you release, the wand falls back into the solution and then simply squeeze and blow again.
Perfect for my almost 4yo. Okay for my 2yo. If I held and squeezed it, he would blow without putting it against his lips like he'd do if with regular wands. The only drawback is after they blow the bubbles, they chase after them and spill most of the solution in the top section. I haven't figured out how to refill it yet, but I'm sure it's possible.
Perfect for my almost 4yo. Okay for my 2yo. If I held and squeezed it, he would blow without putting it against his lips like he'd do if with regular wands. The only drawback is after they blow the bubbles, they chase after them and spill most of the solution in the top section. I haven't figured out how to refill it yet, but I'm sure it's possible.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
American Idol: Closed Captioning
After a longish evening getting the kids down, Matt and I sat down to our Tivo to watch the Top Three Idols tonight. And thanks to some glitch in the station broadcast or our lame-o DirecTV excuse of a Tivo box, WATCH was about all we could do. The sound wasn't recorded or not broadcasted. We kinda watched the intro with subtitles but figured it would be a pretty lame 35 minutes. So no Idol for us tonight. For those who did watch and read our blog (all 5 of you??) what did you think?
I'll try to find something online tonight and I guess that will have to suffice. We did have time for a good episode of Bones with a twist at the end. And I wonder why it's been hard to "find" time to read lately.... That's one thing I actually look forward to about the summer: freedom from TV series that draw you in. More time to spend doing what I'd really like to do. (Boy, that sounds dismal and helpless. I'll not go there tonight!)
I'll try to find something online tonight and I guess that will have to suffice. We did have time for a good episode of Bones with a twist at the end. And I wonder why it's been hard to "find" time to read lately.... That's one thing I actually look forward to about the summer: freedom from TV series that draw you in. More time to spend doing what I'd really like to do. (Boy, that sounds dismal and helpless. I'll not go there tonight!)
Thursday, May 08, 2008
Blue Room... Saw Me Standing Alone....
Thanks to the help of my friend Sheila watching my kids a couple weeks ago, I finally finished painting the family room. There was just a tiny bit of touch up work needed around the window/doors, the alcove area, and the ceiling "molding". I absolutely love this color. "Babbling Brook" by Olympic. It makes me feel calm and serene whenever I look at it. Like a quiet morning sunrise. Or a solitary afternoon beside a creek.
Here's some before, during and after shots.
It was quite the fiasco getting the colors right. I did one whole coat in the lighter swatch shade, Morning Fog, and decided it was too light. So I went back to Lowes (an hour away) and they were able to match and tint it a shade darker. Or so they said. What I put on the wall was very grayish, not the warmer blue that it was supposed to be. I did the whole room, hoping it would be okay. It wasn't . Fortunately ACE Hardware in town colormatched the swatch perfectly and on the third coat, the color was just right. (Call me Goldilocks)
(I have an idea to put some wall cabinets here for some toy storage or something. It is an awkward alcove but has potential.)
So far it's the only living space room that has new paint. I really thought I would've finished the other three main rooms by now. We have family coming to stay the end of this month, so that gives us two weekends to make some progress. I'd better get off the computer and get busy!!
Here's some before, during and after shots.
It was quite the fiasco getting the colors right. I did one whole coat in the lighter swatch shade, Morning Fog, and decided it was too light. So I went back to Lowes (an hour away) and they were able to match and tint it a shade darker. Or so they said. What I put on the wall was very grayish, not the warmer blue that it was supposed to be. I did the whole room, hoping it would be okay. It wasn't . Fortunately ACE Hardware in town colormatched the swatch perfectly and on the third coat, the color was just right. (Call me Goldilocks)
(I have an idea to put some wall cabinets here for some toy storage or something. It is an awkward alcove but has potential.)
So far it's the only living space room that has new paint. I really thought I would've finished the other three main rooms by now. We have family coming to stay the end of this month, so that gives us two weekends to make some progress. I'd better get off the computer and get busy!!
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
America Idol: Dread-ful
So, I think Jason Castro intentionally chose songs that he'd do poorly on so he could get off the show. They were awful. He was terrible. Almost like it was his first try out or something. I think he's burned out. I am so so hoping that his little fun club will realize this and let him off the hook. It will be a travesty if he's in the final three.
The others did pretty good. They each had one good song and one bad in my opinion. David Cook's first song was so-so. The sound seemed off or something. He had so much to choose from, not sure why he went with that. Maybe some burnout on his end too? His second song was very good, definitely the David Cook we love to hear.
Syesha's fist song was her total Broadway self. Animated, fun, smiles and moves. Her second was very emotional for her, you could tell. I could feel the power of the words, but it was a little disjointed with the tempo and too many "big voice" parts instead of following the melody. It wasn't terrible, just not a very smooth performance.
David "Golden Boy" Archuleta did his same-old "easy listening" performance. He mixed it up slightly and did put a lot of heart into it, but it seems he can only sing one way and the judges appear oblivious to this. Matt's theory is that they have some kind of bonus tied into the ratings. The more viewers, the better the ratings, the bigger the bonus. David Archuleta is key to the higher ratings, so they praise him to high heaven to keep him on as long as possible.
I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Jason Castro gets to pack his bags tonight.
The others did pretty good. They each had one good song and one bad in my opinion. David Cook's first song was so-so. The sound seemed off or something. He had so much to choose from, not sure why he went with that. Maybe some burnout on his end too? His second song was very good, definitely the David Cook we love to hear.
Syesha's fist song was her total Broadway self. Animated, fun, smiles and moves. Her second was very emotional for her, you could tell. I could feel the power of the words, but it was a little disjointed with the tempo and too many "big voice" parts instead of following the melody. It wasn't terrible, just not a very smooth performance.
David "Golden Boy" Archuleta did his same-old "easy listening" performance. He mixed it up slightly and did put a lot of heart into it, but it seems he can only sing one way and the judges appear oblivious to this. Matt's theory is that they have some kind of bonus tied into the ratings. The more viewers, the better the ratings, the bigger the bonus. David Archuleta is key to the higher ratings, so they praise him to high heaven to keep him on as long as possible.
I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Jason Castro gets to pack his bags tonight.
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Crescent City and the Redwoods
(continued)
We had an early morning with a 45 minute drive to the lagoon. The weather was beautiful: sunny and clear with a light breeze. We parked the van along the shore and registered the kids. There was face painting, fish hat coloring, a tank full of water bugs (caddis, damselflies, stonefly nymphs, boatman, etc) and two large tanks of large mouth bass and trout. They loved the bugs! There wasn't a dock/pier or anything to drop their lines in and they were being too crazy with their rods to put a hook on, so we let them "play fish" and called it good. I wished I'd thought to bring their rain boots for the water's edge. Luckily Henry's sneakers didn't get too wet. Evalyn requested a pink ice cream cone for her face painting. No fish for her. Henry chose a blue fish. Finally it was time for the raffle and after a grueling wait, Evalyn won a fishing rod. She was a little disappointed it wasn't one of he fun toys they had on the table. Oh well.
The kids were anxious to play at the beach with their new sand toys. It took about 45 minutes to get to Crescent City. We stopped along the way at the "Tour Thru Tree". Very gimmicky, but how often do you get the chance to drive and walk through a giant tree?? I was a little nervous scratching the car, but with the mirrors folded in we squeezed through just barely. We also stopped for a photo op with Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox, who was definitely a bull as Matt pointed out when we drove up. This was at the Trees of Mystery tourist stop which looked like fun for a future visit and when the kids are older.
Henry had finally fallen asleep just as we got into town, so we opted to find a motel first before going to the beach. This time we settled for two queen beds rather than paying full price for a suite. It worked out fine because we all went to bed at the same time, no TV or web surfing for us road weary folks.
The beach was windy but fun. Our camera was on the fritz so I only snagged a couple shots with ours since we didn't want to bring Matt's work one in the sand. We built some sandcastles and splashed in the surf. I showed Evalyn how to play with dribble sand, as I called it. Later I asked her what she was doing and she called it playing with "slobber sand". There you go. Much more descriptive.
Henry was loving the water (big surprise!) He would grab my hand and run straight into the last remnants of the breakers as they approached the sand (50 degree water mind you!) and shriek with delight. I was wearing Linnea on my back and she was loving it almost as much. I wish I could've captured the light in the water as he would turn and run back to the sand in the inch deep receding water that would splash in circles all around him.
It didn't take too long before we were numb, sandy and cold. We warmed up at the hotel (it was actually a motel, but Evalyn likes to say hoo-tel so cutely that we hate to correct it) then ate at a super yummy fish and chips house The Fisherman's Place. The food and decor was fabulous. Evalyn was delighted with the bathroom's super cool toilet seats: see-through with shells and fish. And the waitress was especially friendly and helpful with our kids, to the point that they were vying for compliments from her.
In the morning we went to church at the nearby Crescent City 2nd Ward, hurriedly packed up our things at the motel, and headed up 199 for a picnic lunch at Jedediah Smith State Park. We went on a half mile nature loop trail with signs teaching about the forest ecosystem, trees and animals. The camera batteries quit just as we began our hike, so we didn't get as many pictures of the forest as we wanted. But it was enough. To sum up: gorgeous 70 degree weather, pristine water on the Smith River (a free flowing wild and scenic river ie no dams, very rare), the kids loved throwing rocks in the water, peaceful forest sounds, amazing ancient trees overhead, wildflowers at our feet (including the delicate trillium that is only out for a short time), followed by a swift drive home with much fewer curves and stops. I kept thinking how different a drive to the eastern shore our beach trips used to be: about the same drive time, but vastly different in scenery and traffic volume.
We had an early morning with a 45 minute drive to the lagoon. The weather was beautiful: sunny and clear with a light breeze. We parked the van along the shore and registered the kids. There was face painting, fish hat coloring, a tank full of water bugs (caddis, damselflies, stonefly nymphs, boatman, etc) and two large tanks of large mouth bass and trout. They loved the bugs! There wasn't a dock/pier or anything to drop their lines in and they were being too crazy with their rods to put a hook on, so we let them "play fish" and called it good. I wished I'd thought to bring their rain boots for the water's edge. Luckily Henry's sneakers didn't get too wet. Evalyn requested a pink ice cream cone for her face painting. No fish for her. Henry chose a blue fish. Finally it was time for the raffle and after a grueling wait, Evalyn won a fishing rod. She was a little disappointed it wasn't one of he fun toys they had on the table. Oh well.
The kids were anxious to play at the beach with their new sand toys. It took about 45 minutes to get to Crescent City. We stopped along the way at the "Tour Thru Tree". Very gimmicky, but how often do you get the chance to drive and walk through a giant tree?? I was a little nervous scratching the car, but with the mirrors folded in we squeezed through just barely. We also stopped for a photo op with Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox, who was definitely a bull as Matt pointed out when we drove up. This was at the Trees of Mystery tourist stop which looked like fun for a future visit and when the kids are older.
Henry had finally fallen asleep just as we got into town, so we opted to find a motel first before going to the beach. This time we settled for two queen beds rather than paying full price for a suite. It worked out fine because we all went to bed at the same time, no TV or web surfing for us road weary folks.
The beach was windy but fun. Our camera was on the fritz so I only snagged a couple shots with ours since we didn't want to bring Matt's work one in the sand. We built some sandcastles and splashed in the surf. I showed Evalyn how to play with dribble sand, as I called it. Later I asked her what she was doing and she called it playing with "slobber sand". There you go. Much more descriptive.
Henry was loving the water (big surprise!) He would grab my hand and run straight into the last remnants of the breakers as they approached the sand (50 degree water mind you!) and shriek with delight. I was wearing Linnea on my back and she was loving it almost as much. I wish I could've captured the light in the water as he would turn and run back to the sand in the inch deep receding water that would splash in circles all around him.
It didn't take too long before we were numb, sandy and cold. We warmed up at the hotel (it was actually a motel, but Evalyn likes to say hoo-tel so cutely that we hate to correct it) then ate at a super yummy fish and chips house The Fisherman's Place. The food and decor was fabulous. Evalyn was delighted with the bathroom's super cool toilet seats: see-through with shells and fish. And the waitress was especially friendly and helpful with our kids, to the point that they were vying for compliments from her.
In the morning we went to church at the nearby Crescent City 2nd Ward, hurriedly packed up our things at the motel, and headed up 199 for a picnic lunch at Jedediah Smith State Park. We went on a half mile nature loop trail with signs teaching about the forest ecosystem, trees and animals. The camera batteries quit just as we began our hike, so we didn't get as many pictures of the forest as we wanted. But it was enough. To sum up: gorgeous 70 degree weather, pristine water on the Smith River (a free flowing wild and scenic river ie no dams, very rare), the kids loved throwing rocks in the water, peaceful forest sounds, amazing ancient trees overhead, wildflowers at our feet (including the delicate trillium that is only out for a short time), followed by a swift drive home with much fewer curves and stops. I kept thinking how different a drive to the eastern shore our beach trips used to be: about the same drive time, but vastly different in scenery and traffic volume.
Monday, May 05, 2008
Highway 96 to Arcata
This weekend we drove to the coast. As the crow flows, we're only about 80 miles due east of Crescent City. Not bad. But there's some awfully tall mountains called the Siskiyou's/Klamath Knot between us and there. This makes it a 3.5-5 hr drive, depending on what part of the coast you want to get to. South to Redding and across 299 to Eureka; North to Grants Pass and 199 across to Crescent City; or 96 just north of Yreka and across 299 to Eureka. Anyway you choose, twisty windy roads are part of the trip. The question is how many twists and how fast will you drive them.
Matt has taken a few different routes so far as he's driven to Arcata for meetings and other events. His first was the most memorable, involving one lane roads along steep mountain drop-offs with no guardrails, winding through the Marble Mountain Wilderness town Forks of Salmon (think remote marijuana growing shacks, off the grid, no one could find you here kind of a place). It took him nearly 6 hours. Although the amazing view at the crest of the Marble Mountains was well worth the drive, giving a breathtaking panoramic view. He's since taken more direct routes, besides the fact that mountain snows have closed the pass til June.
Our trip was actually a combined one. Matt had a Saturday morning Kid's Fishing Day event at a freshwater lagoon between Arcata/Eureka and Crescent City, so we decided to make a family weekend out of it, explore some of the Redwoods along the far northern coast, and dip our feet in the cold Pacific waters. We opted to take Highway 96 (the Klamath River Highway, Jefferson Scenic Byway, The Bigfoot Highway (seriously, Sasquatch really lives here). I figured we'd only drive this way once in the near future since other routes are shorter time wise. It's about 200 miles as it winds along the Klamath River through steep canyons, remote valleys, old logging and mining towns. The hillsides were covered in wildflowers, our timing was serendipitously perfect. Yellow mustards, golden poppies, blue lupin, red paintbrush, pink sweet pea, and so many that I didn't know the names of. I was happy to spot a western redbud!
This road was very windy (did I mention that yet?!?!). Evalyn kept asking for Tylenol because her "mouth hurt" she said. A little while later we realized that she was carsick and her blanky and clothes took the brunt of it. That was one stop. Not too much later, Linnea followed suit so we stopped again to clean that up. Thankfully, Henry was fine. The 4 hour drive took more like 6 hours with all of the stops, but we weren't in a huge hurry. It was beautiful scenery.
The last hour was pretty tough, I was sitting in the back reading books to the kids and singing songs with them (fortunately the road was straighter once we left Hwy 96). We drove straight to a beach access just north of Arcata. We stretched our legs there and dipped Linnea's toes in the Pacific Ocean for the first time. Drove back to the motel, checked in, ate dinner at the kid friendly Pachanga Mexicana restaurant in Eureka, went to Target for some necessities: sand toys, baby formula, fishing rod, several other things. It was one of the nicest Target's I've been to, and I'm a huge fan. I almost took a picture of it's brick facade and vine covered parking lot pergolas.
We're getting better at the whole kids in the hotel room routine. A two room suite is preferred if it's not too much more expensive. We upgraded Matt's gov't rate and paid the difference so that worked out well. Two queen beds in one room and a king/bathroom/fridge in the main room. One of the better situations thus far. Henry and Evalyn were thrilled with their own "big beds". We were just thrilled to close the door once they finally fell asleep! We were too tired to do much of anything besides get online and plan an itinerary for Saturday. I washed the yucky clothes and Evalyn's blanky in the guest laundry instead of soaking in the hot tub. sigh. But at least Linnea slept well in her pack n play.
If you've read through my wordiness, kudos to you. Stay tuned for the second half.
Matt has taken a few different routes so far as he's driven to Arcata for meetings and other events. His first was the most memorable, involving one lane roads along steep mountain drop-offs with no guardrails, winding through the Marble Mountain Wilderness town Forks of Salmon (think remote marijuana growing shacks, off the grid, no one could find you here kind of a place). It took him nearly 6 hours. Although the amazing view at the crest of the Marble Mountains was well worth the drive, giving a breathtaking panoramic view. He's since taken more direct routes, besides the fact that mountain snows have closed the pass til June.
Our trip was actually a combined one. Matt had a Saturday morning Kid's Fishing Day event at a freshwater lagoon between Arcata/Eureka and Crescent City, so we decided to make a family weekend out of it, explore some of the Redwoods along the far northern coast, and dip our feet in the cold Pacific waters. We opted to take Highway 96 (the Klamath River Highway, Jefferson Scenic Byway, The Bigfoot Highway (seriously, Sasquatch really lives here). I figured we'd only drive this way once in the near future since other routes are shorter time wise. It's about 200 miles as it winds along the Klamath River through steep canyons, remote valleys, old logging and mining towns. The hillsides were covered in wildflowers, our timing was serendipitously perfect. Yellow mustards, golden poppies, blue lupin, red paintbrush, pink sweet pea, and so many that I didn't know the names of. I was happy to spot a western redbud!
This road was very windy (did I mention that yet?!?!). Evalyn kept asking for Tylenol because her "mouth hurt" she said. A little while later we realized that she was carsick and her blanky and clothes took the brunt of it. That was one stop. Not too much later, Linnea followed suit so we stopped again to clean that up. Thankfully, Henry was fine. The 4 hour drive took more like 6 hours with all of the stops, but we weren't in a huge hurry. It was beautiful scenery.
The last hour was pretty tough, I was sitting in the back reading books to the kids and singing songs with them (fortunately the road was straighter once we left Hwy 96). We drove straight to a beach access just north of Arcata. We stretched our legs there and dipped Linnea's toes in the Pacific Ocean for the first time. Drove back to the motel, checked in, ate dinner at the kid friendly Pachanga Mexicana restaurant in Eureka, went to Target for some necessities: sand toys, baby formula, fishing rod, several other things. It was one of the nicest Target's I've been to, and I'm a huge fan. I almost took a picture of it's brick facade and vine covered parking lot pergolas.
We're getting better at the whole kids in the hotel room routine. A two room suite is preferred if it's not too much more expensive. We upgraded Matt's gov't rate and paid the difference so that worked out well. Two queen beds in one room and a king/bathroom/fridge in the main room. One of the better situations thus far. Henry and Evalyn were thrilled with their own "big beds". We were just thrilled to close the door once they finally fell asleep! We were too tired to do much of anything besides get online and plan an itinerary for Saturday. I washed the yucky clothes and Evalyn's blanky in the guest laundry instead of soaking in the hot tub. sigh. But at least Linnea slept well in her pack n play.
If you've read through my wordiness, kudos to you. Stay tuned for the second half.
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