I just had to write about a few happenings surrounding the State Fair this year. We typically go every year as a family tradition. In the past, we have normally taken off a Wednesday or Thursday that are less crowded. However, this year school is more difficult for the kids so we took their normal fair day to go and fight the crowds (yes, even on a Monday).
Here are some brief notes:
* When I asked Caris (3 year old) what animals she wanted to see at the Fair, she said "horsies and hippos." I'm not sure where she got "hippos" from, but I assured her that we would accomplish half of her goals.
* Caris was deathly afraid of Big Tex . . . until we got home, then she talked a good game. We kept reminding her that he's just a big puppet and can't move.
* People-watching is too much fun at an event like the Fair, but it sure challenges me to not be judgmental -- you can't judge a book by it's cover.
* We missed the Marine Corp band this year for the first time in awhile. So, I didn't cry at this Fair.
* We got the traditional turkey leg and corny dogs, but missed the homemade root beer and funnel cake.
* We spent just over $50 for tickets, parking, and food. We skipped the midway (rides and games) as usual but we normally spend $50 or more just on food so we did really well this year.
* As a family, we love the Creative Arts section, my grandmother got me into quilts and there are always some great one's at the fair, my wife likes it all, and Cooper likes the drawings, pictures, and everything creative. Heather has got to enter some of her scrapbook pages next year!
* I am always amazed at how rude people can be in crowds and busy places. Just watch where you're walking and if you do step on someone or bump into them, then say "sorry" or "excuse me!"
* The Jonas Brothers were in concert during the afternoon. Disney is brilliant at marketing. Dude, can young girls scream!
* We watched some pigs being shown just for the flavor of the Fair. They use this riding whip looking thing to direct the pigs where to walk -- smack 'em on the right side of the face and they turn left and vice versa. One pig wasn't buying into this plan and the 12-year old girl basically punched the huge animal in the snout. The pig finally realized that he was bigger but that girl could cause more pain. We told the kids that looked like a good idea and we should try that method at our house but they buy into that plan either.
When I was a kid, I remember going to the Fair and eating corny dogs and playing surprisingly competitive games of tic-tac-toe against a chicken. The fair grounds haven't changed significantly so it's fun to take my own kids on less traveled paths behind the barns. If you are from out of state or have never been to the State Fair of Texas, you can check out www.bigtex.com but only being there will give you the full effect.
Showing posts with label trips. Show all posts
Showing posts with label trips. Show all posts
Monday, October 08, 2007
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Skiing and Dogsledding
Well it's Spring Break and we are loading up the minivan and heading to Colorado! When my wife and I were young with no kids in tow, we used to drive straight through but now we generally stop in Amarillo or Dumas. The kids love the hotel and we get a break and split up the travel time. I respect my parents even more knowing that we did road trips without a portable DVD player.
My mom lives in Denver and we spent some time hanging out with her. We got to see my sister play volleyball since she was here for a tournament and it was great to be able to support her. We went to the best brunch ever at the Brown Palace in downtown Denver.
After spending some good time in the city we went up to the mountains. Mom bought into a great time share house near Breckenridge. The timeshare is with an individual that she knows not a huge corporation. The house is totally great -- 4 big bedrooms, large couches, and several foutons (sp?) so it sleeps lots of people. It's literally on the mountain but not ski-in and ski-out. Breckenridge is a great town to with lots of shops, restaurants, and fun. The skiing was really good with a huge mountain with all types of terrain. My oldest boy did well skiing once he got his confidence up but my youngest boy wasn't that into it but he went up a few times.
It my youngest boy's birthday so the last full day we were in the mountains my mom planned a special event for him -- dog sledding! Who knew that dog sledding would be his thing and not skiing! It was so fun! My little girl could not go since she is too young so Coop picked me to go along with him and Mommy to stay back with sister. The place we went furnished a body suit for all of us and helmets for the kids. We went out and met the dogs which were so sweet. Most were huskies but one was a normal dog (a mutt that looked kind of like a hound and spaniel mix). The other neat thing about the dogs was that they belonged to a lady that was in the military and was deployed to Iraq. During her deployment, she loaned the dogs to the place we went and asked them to keep the dogs running and happy.
We walked through the basics of driving -- say "hike" to go and hit the brake to stop since they don't really want to stop. The "brake" is basically a flat piece of metal that you step on and it digs into the snow and the dogs feel the resistance. You have to stay on the brake when you switch drivers or the dogs will take off they are so eager to get moving. The sled was like you would expect but they had padding in the "cargo" area and one rider sat there during each driver's turn. The guide was on a snowmobile that was pulling a sleigh with bench seats for the other members of the group. There were four from our family (my mom, two boys, and me) and one other lady along with us. We went through really cool trails through the trees and thick snow and a few more open areas (that's when the boys would drive most). The kids did great and loved it. Coop was really in his element. He was hilarious sitting in the passenger area of the sled eating snow (not the yellow kind) with his legs crossed and his cool sunglasses on. Everytime we would stop he would get snow for the dogs to eat and they loved it.
The most intense moment was the time when I was driving with both boys in the sled and I flew off the back and went head first into a snow drift. Yep, visualize a cartoon where one side of the sled hits a rock hidden in the snow and it throws me (think "arms flapping and feet barely touching the snow") into the snow bank on the other side of the trail. My legs were sticking out up in the air and it took me a few seconds to dig out and run after the sled. Literally a few seconds because I was worried about the boys -- they were on the sled by themselves and the dogs were running fast! I was really afraid that the sled had tipped over and the dogs kept running pulling the sled over the top of them. Blessedly, what actually happened was the rock threw me off, but the weight of the boys kept it steady and it fell back in place. In our training, the guide said that if the driver fell off for the passenger to stick your feet out the sides and dig your heels into the snow and act like a break for the dogs to slow down. My oldest boy did exactly that and performed great in a scary moment under pressure. After we realized that everyone was okay and I thanked God that there wasn't a tree where I landed, off we went again and got some good hot chocolate for everyone!
My mom lives in Denver and we spent some time hanging out with her. We got to see my sister play volleyball since she was here for a tournament and it was great to be able to support her. We went to the best brunch ever at the Brown Palace in downtown Denver.
After spending some good time in the city we went up to the mountains. Mom bought into a great time share house near Breckenridge. The timeshare is with an individual that she knows not a huge corporation. The house is totally great -- 4 big bedrooms, large couches, and several foutons (sp?) so it sleeps lots of people. It's literally on the mountain but not ski-in and ski-out. Breckenridge is a great town to with lots of shops, restaurants, and fun. The skiing was really good with a huge mountain with all types of terrain. My oldest boy did well skiing once he got his confidence up but my youngest boy wasn't that into it but he went up a few times.
It my youngest boy's birthday so the last full day we were in the mountains my mom planned a special event for him -- dog sledding! Who knew that dog sledding would be his thing and not skiing! It was so fun! My little girl could not go since she is too young so Coop picked me to go along with him and Mommy to stay back with sister. The place we went furnished a body suit for all of us and helmets for the kids. We went out and met the dogs which were so sweet. Most were huskies but one was a normal dog (a mutt that looked kind of like a hound and spaniel mix). The other neat thing about the dogs was that they belonged to a lady that was in the military and was deployed to Iraq. During her deployment, she loaned the dogs to the place we went and asked them to keep the dogs running and happy.
We walked through the basics of driving -- say "hike" to go and hit the brake to stop since they don't really want to stop. The "brake" is basically a flat piece of metal that you step on and it digs into the snow and the dogs feel the resistance. You have to stay on the brake when you switch drivers or the dogs will take off they are so eager to get moving. The sled was like you would expect but they had padding in the "cargo" area and one rider sat there during each driver's turn. The guide was on a snowmobile that was pulling a sleigh with bench seats for the other members of the group. There were four from our family (my mom, two boys, and me) and one other lady along with us. We went through really cool trails through the trees and thick snow and a few more open areas (that's when the boys would drive most). The kids did great and loved it. Coop was really in his element. He was hilarious sitting in the passenger area of the sled eating snow (not the yellow kind) with his legs crossed and his cool sunglasses on. Everytime we would stop he would get snow for the dogs to eat and they loved it.
The most intense moment was the time when I was driving with both boys in the sled and I flew off the back and went head first into a snow drift. Yep, visualize a cartoon where one side of the sled hits a rock hidden in the snow and it throws me (think "arms flapping and feet barely touching the snow") into the snow bank on the other side of the trail. My legs were sticking out up in the air and it took me a few seconds to dig out and run after the sled. Literally a few seconds because I was worried about the boys -- they were on the sled by themselves and the dogs were running fast! I was really afraid that the sled had tipped over and the dogs kept running pulling the sled over the top of them. Blessedly, what actually happened was the rock threw me off, but the weight of the boys kept it steady and it fell back in place. In our training, the guide said that if the driver fell off for the passenger to stick your feet out the sides and dig your heels into the snow and act like a break for the dogs to slow down. My oldest boy did exactly that and performed great in a scary moment under pressure. After we realized that everyone was okay and I thanked God that there wasn't a tree where I landed, off we went again and got some good hot chocolate for everyone!
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Dominican notes and pics
We got our pics organized from the Dominican Republic so I thought that I would share a few of them. We stayed in Punta Cana at the Melia Caribe Tropical, an all-inclusive resort. It had a great beach, great facilities (pools, buildings, beach front activities, etc.), but not the best customer service. I would definitely recommend paying extra for the Royal Service -- the rooms are much, much nicer and the service is much better. Overall, a great trip! The second day, Cooper turned to me and said "Dad, I like this place -- it's relaxable." We went because our cousin from Canada was getting married and it was a beautiful wedding on the beach! We had some great times hanging out with the family and friends, learned some new dance moves, and played in the sand with the kids.
Each of the boys have a heart shaped box with one of the rings in them.
The Wedding Crew, mostly from Calgary, Canada.
The bride and groom, congratulations Megan and Derek!
Thursday, June 08, 2006
My Travels in England
As I mentioned previously, I'm currently reading a book entitled Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson. It's a great read and really funny (with some language and crude elements to be aware of). Reading this book got me to thinking that I should share here how much I love England and some of my travels there.
England is such an interesting place full of history and culture. What in America we call "antique" was just a few years ago in England. My mom lived in the Cotswolds for 6 years (in Amberley) and her cottage was just as old if not older that our nation! The pubs are great fun -- people move over to give you a seat if the place is full, talk about anything and everything, and dogs are welcome to hang around inside. The churches and cathedrals are magnificent. I love the names of places and things -- Chelsea, Bristol, Cheltenham, Manchester, etc. I even love the food which some Americans don't like (meat pies, yum).
My longest stay in England was when I got a trip from my mom as a graduation gift after my undergrad degree. I stayed on the island for pretty much the whole month of June in 1993. I stayed with friends of my mom and stepdad and got the inside scoop everywhere I stayed. Based on my mom and girlfriend's (now my wife) advice, I kept a journal of my trip and I'm so glad that I did. Since then, we were able to go as a family when my mom lived over there and it was great to get to share it with my boys (Baby Girl wasn't born yet) and my bride.
To be a bit more specific here are the villages and cities that I have spent at least a little bit of time. In or around London I've visited: Sevenoaks, Chiddingstone (Spotted Dog pub is great with an awesome view), Tonbridge, New Malden, Epsom, Richmond Park, Hampton Court (great place), and all of the main areas that you would expect.
Other places in England include: Studland Bay(Knoll House is highly recommended), Bournemouth, Corfe Castle, Swanage, Castle Combe (great place), Cirencester, Nailsworth, Tetbury, Minchinhampton, Amberley, Bath, Painswick, Gloucester, Coopers Hill (had to mention that because of my son's name), Oxford, Stratford Upon Avon, and York (maybe my favorite city).
In Scotland, I've visited: Berwick Upon Tweed (actually on the border in England), Edinburgh, Dunfermline, Cramond, North Berwick (neat coastal village), Perth, Dundee, Glasgow, Inverness, and Culloden (great battlefield history).
England is such an interesting place full of history and culture. What in America we call "antique" was just a few years ago in England. My mom lived in the Cotswolds for 6 years (in Amberley) and her cottage was just as old if not older that our nation! The pubs are great fun -- people move over to give you a seat if the place is full, talk about anything and everything, and dogs are welcome to hang around inside. The churches and cathedrals are magnificent. I love the names of places and things -- Chelsea, Bristol, Cheltenham, Manchester, etc. I even love the food which some Americans don't like (meat pies, yum).
My longest stay in England was when I got a trip from my mom as a graduation gift after my undergrad degree. I stayed on the island for pretty much the whole month of June in 1993. I stayed with friends of my mom and stepdad and got the inside scoop everywhere I stayed. Based on my mom and girlfriend's (now my wife) advice, I kept a journal of my trip and I'm so glad that I did. Since then, we were able to go as a family when my mom lived over there and it was great to get to share it with my boys (Baby Girl wasn't born yet) and my bride.
To be a bit more specific here are the villages and cities that I have spent at least a little bit of time. In or around London I've visited: Sevenoaks, Chiddingstone (Spotted Dog pub is great with an awesome view), Tonbridge, New Malden, Epsom, Richmond Park, Hampton Court (great place), and all of the main areas that you would expect.
Other places in England include: Studland Bay(Knoll House is highly recommended), Bournemouth, Corfe Castle, Swanage, Castle Combe (great place), Cirencester, Nailsworth, Tetbury, Minchinhampton, Amberley, Bath, Painswick, Gloucester, Coopers Hill (had to mention that because of my son's name), Oxford, Stratford Upon Avon, and York (maybe my favorite city).
In Scotland, I've visited: Berwick Upon Tweed (actually on the border in England), Edinburgh, Dunfermline, Cramond, North Berwick (neat coastal village), Perth, Dundee, Glasgow, Inverness, and Culloden (great battlefield history).
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
Scattershooting . . .
In the '80s and '90s, there was a prolific sportswriter for the Dallas Times-Herald/Morning News named Blackie Sherrod. One of the pieces that I loved most was Blackie's column entitled "Scattershooting" which meant that he would write short quips about anything and everything all in one column. Since I don't have a lot of time to write but I have many topics that I would like to write about, here's my own version of scattershooting.
* I heard from Peter King of Sports Illustrated about a New York Times yearly article of excerpts from commencement ceremonies across the nation . . . sure would like to see that one since I bet there were some great things being said.
* In the Dominican my Uncle Craig of Canada made a great observation about Cooper and said something worth writing down. Kids are always giving you clues about their likes, dislikes, personalities, abilities, skills, etc. and we are parents always need to be on the look-out and observing and we will learn so much about our kids. In Cooper's case, he was drumming to the beat of a song using the knives on the table and doing it very well.
* Speaking of the Dominican Republic . . . loved it! It was away from the norm (obviously) which was great, awesome beach without a strong undertow and plenty of shallow water for the kids, humid and hot, first all-inclusive resort that we've been to which was pretty nice actually, and a beautiful wedding for our niece with great family and new friends made.
* Currently reading . . . Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson about traveling in England. I love England by the way and this book is inspiring me to document my own travels in this space in the near future. My Dad, stepmom, and sisters are going to "the other side of the pond" later this month and I'm jealous.
* I heard from Peter King of Sports Illustrated about a New York Times yearly article of excerpts from commencement ceremonies across the nation . . . sure would like to see that one since I bet there were some great things being said.
* In the Dominican my Uncle Craig of Canada made a great observation about Cooper and said something worth writing down. Kids are always giving you clues about their likes, dislikes, personalities, abilities, skills, etc. and we are parents always need to be on the look-out and observing and we will learn so much about our kids. In Cooper's case, he was drumming to the beat of a song using the knives on the table and doing it very well.
* Speaking of the Dominican Republic . . . loved it! It was away from the norm (obviously) which was great, awesome beach without a strong undertow and plenty of shallow water for the kids, humid and hot, first all-inclusive resort that we've been to which was pretty nice actually, and a beautiful wedding for our niece with great family and new friends made.
* Currently reading . . . Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson about traveling in England. I love England by the way and this book is inspiring me to document my own travels in this space in the near future. My Dad, stepmom, and sisters are going to "the other side of the pond" later this month and I'm jealous.
Saturday, May 20, 2006
Dominican Republic here we come!!
That's right, we'll be in the Dominican before the sun sets again! We've been frantically getting ready for this trip and it's been a challenging week with sickness and mega-work for both my wife and I. The perfect time for a vacation!
We are going because an awesome member of our family is getting married there. She's from Canada so we don't blame her for wanting to be married barefoot on a beach! All of our kids are in the wedding and we wouldn't miss it for the world.
So, I won't blog again for a week or more but I'll be sure to share my experiences when we get back.
We are going because an awesome member of our family is getting married there. She's from Canada so we don't blame her for wanting to be married barefoot on a beach! All of our kids are in the wedding and we wouldn't miss it for the world.
So, I won't blog again for a week or more but I'll be sure to share my experiences when we get back.
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