Day 43 - August 31 - Seattle - On Our Way Again

We said our sad goodbyes to Kari, Jonah and family today. Liam was able to brighten up the mood by reminding Brian that according to McKenna he doesn't have an upper lip but he has a "thing" meaning his moustache. This came from an observation McKenna made when she wanted to put her princess lip gloss on me. Instead she put it on the cat.

We left Vancouver this morning and after another annoying 2 hour wait at the border we arrived in Seattle this afternoon. We've booked into the Renaissance Hotel which we got at a bargain basement price through Priceline. During the ride down it has become apparent that our shocks are shot and will need to be replaced when we get back.

We went on a city tour and got a good feel for the city. It reminds us a lot of San Fransisco. It has a very laid back feeling. It has pier section with restaurants and shops. It has a small downtown core and the streets are on steep hills. It also has a colony of Sea Lions. We are on Madison Ave and after dinner we walked from the pier to the hotel and the hill is easily the equal of the hill on Lombard St. in San Fransisco. So Liam Bubba got his exercise today!

When the bus tour passed the Space Needle there was a large rock festival going on with Stone Temple Pilots as the main act tonight.

































































We both agreed that our waitress was a duplicate of Roz on Frazier. After dinner we went on harbour cruise which was a very relaxing way to spend the evening. Tomorrow we have reservations at the restaurant in the Space Needle for lunch. It should provide us with a great view of the city.

Marg made a pleasing discovery tonight. She thought she had thrown out a gold and silver bracelet that she bought in Mexico but found in a bag in her luggage.

We are watching the news and it appears that hurricane Gustav is going to affect our plans for a visit to the Gulf coast in a few weeks. I guess we'll have to play it by ear. You have to feel for those poor people in New Orleans who are homeless again after only 3 years.

Day 42 - August 30 - Vancouver - A Day At The Fair

Today we finally had good enough weather to go to the PNE. It seemed that 50% of Vancouver also thought this was a great idea as the fair ground was packed. It took us quite a while to find parking. One lady who was offering parking in her garage thought that $48.00 was a reasonable price to ask Needless to say we passed on her offer.

The attractions were your standard attractions you would find in any country fair. We saw the "pig races", "Super Dogs", the petting zoo, the Toontown parade, the midway, lots of junk food and a trampoline act called the "Flying Canucks" that featured the Canadian aerialist champion, Greg Bean from Ottawa, along with several members of the Cirque du Soleil. Liam was able to get his picture with this troop.















This morning we received wonderful personalized thank you cards from Kari & Jonah, Liam and McKenna. This has been a bittersweet day as we are coming to realize that the second and most important phase of our trip is coming to an end. Tomorrow we will be on our own again. It has made our trip extra special to have Ken, Mel, Jase, Cooper, Kari, Jonah, Liam and McKenna along to shape and share our memories. For this we will be eternally thankful.

Day 41 - August 29 - Vancouver - Science World

We were hoping to go to the PNE (Pacific National Exhibition) but as usual in Vancouver it was threating to rain. So we canceled those plans and decide to go to Science World instead. Better weather is forecasted for tomorrow.

Before we went to the Science World, we went and had a Sushi lunch that we had promised Liam since we arrived.

At Science World, Liam and Bubba went to see the IMAX movie based on a white water trip down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. McKenna was too scared of the movie to stay so she and Nana went to play in the children's exhibit.

Kari and Jonah then treated us to a dinner at Milestones, which has an excellent view of English Bay and very good food.

This evening, while watching Men in Black, Liam was treated to his first Ice Cream float by Nana. He told us that he liked it. McKenna also tried on her "Princess Dress" with wings and a magic wand. But as she just told me, she can't fly yet because she needs to go outside.




















Remember to support the cause of worldwide literacy by ordering your copy of "A World of Stories", which includes Kari's story "Rhyme or Reason", by contacting us at b.sheen@sympatico.ca

Day 40 -August 28 - Vancouver - Shopping For School Clothes

Lazy day today, we slept in and then went out for lunch and shopping for school clothes for Liam and Mckenna. So our grandchildren will be the best dressed here in Vancouver.

We had fun singing our favorite songs on the way home. Mckenna started singing the same line over and over. She was driving her brother crazy. So he said “Let’s play a game Mckenna. Look out the window and think about something you like, but don’t tell us.”. So Nana decided we should sing our favorite songs. Liam started singing his favorite song “What a Wonderful World” and he sang his sister to sleep.

Kari and Jonah made a delicious dinner of chicken, rice, vegetables and corn on the cob.

After dinner Kari made the presentation of her New Book, A World of Stories. It’s a project more than a book with 18 stories. Authors who are working together to change lives by contributing to worldwide literacy. Kari’s story is the first one called “Rhyme or Reason.” Kari also helped Mrs. Perry’s grade one class write a story called “If War Were.” Anyone wanting to buy a book $20.00 please let us know and we can bring them home with us. If you want it signed or given to someone let us know what you want inscribed. Order at b.sheen@sympatico.ca .

For more information on this project follow this link -

http://www.gumbootbooks.macwebsitebuilder.com/page/page/5659839.htm



















The guys played with Liam’s WII game console, where Liam reigned supereme over Bubba and Thomas. The girls went upstairs to visit with Sheena, Kari’s good friend from her school days in St. Thomas. Her daughter Tyla is Mckenna’s good friend.

Sheena is pregnant and due any day now. So both Kari and Sheena are very happy we got back before the baby came. Kari is going attend the birth with Sheena, Thomas and Tyla. We are hoping the baby arrives before we leave on Sunday.

Mckenna and Tyla put on a great princess show for us. With the costumes, all the princess and dancing.

Day 39 - August 27 - Vancouver - The Winters are home

We left Portland after having breakfast at The Hawthorne Cafe with Kit. The owner, Moe, is quite the character who greets each customer with a special greeting, including professing his undying love for Kit.















As we reached Vancouver, Liam and McKenna could hardly contain themselves with excitement over seeing their cats Jamaica and Calie. Liam even composed a love song to his pets.

Day 38 - August 26 - Portland - A boy and his dog

Today we left Grant's Pass on our way back to Vancouver. But before we left, Kari suggested that we go to the Wildlife Images park. This is a small reserve where they rehabilitate injured animals, so that they can be returned to the wild. For various reasons some of the animals can't be returned to the wild, so they are on exhibit for visitors to the park. We picked up Jonah's mom, Rachel, and went there for a guided tour early in the morning. During the tour we saw many animals up close. Among the animals we saw were several eagles, owls, bob cats, wolves and bears.














































We then left for Jonah's aunt, Kit, in Portland Or. Our sincere thanks go to Kit for her delicious meal that she prepared for our visit. It was a very magical time as Liam and Kit's puppy Sadie had a marvelous evening playing together. There is just something about an eight year old and a puppy that just makes you feel good all over.

After Sadie got tired, Brian took Liam to the local school play grounds to work off some of his energy. Unfortunately, Brian couldn't keep up with Liam, so when he got back he told Marg that Brian had to jog one hour every day until he got in shape.

Day 37 - August 25 - Grant's Pass

The day got off to a rocking start when McKenna's uncle Austin, Jonah's step brother, taught McKenna how to play rock guitar. He later treated us all to a performance of two of his songs in his act.



Then we all went to Rachel's, Jonah's mom, for the afternoon. We were greeted by a deer and her fawn in Rachel's backyard. Liam and McKenna loved Rachel's pet rabbit as it reminded them of their cats in Vancouver, which they both miss dearly.































Steve served us a plate full of salmon and all the fixings with some wonderful Mondavi wine for dinner. Steve is a great cook. Tomorrow we are on our way to Portland.

Day 36 - August 24 - Grant's Pass

We arrived at Jonah's dad's place early this evening. Gertrude, our GPS, sent us a wild goose chase through the orchards of the San Joaquin valley and its small villages on our way to Grant's Pass Or. What should have been a 5.5 hr drive, turned into an 8 hour drive because it took the shortest route not the fastest route which resulted in us not driving on the Interstates but on the rural back roads.

Steve and Mary had a delicious roast beef dinner prepared for us when we arrived. We received wine as soon as we entered their home. Now that's hospitality.

It has turned out that we have traumatized poor McKenna. Since visiting the haunted mansion in Disney, she now believes in ghosts and is afraid of the shadows. We're sure she'll get over it eventually.

Ken, Mel and their family made it home safely to London today. It was a long trip for them as both kids cried for most of the trip. Cooper is teething with two bottom teeth coming in, and of course Jase just misses his Nanna and Bubba.

Day 35 - August 23 - Roseville - On our way north

Today we left Anaheim to start our trip Vancouver. Our destination for the day is Roseville which is north east of Sacramento. We left at 11:30 and did not arrive until 10:00. It was a long hot day in the California desert.

Before we started, we went to a shoe store to buy McKenna’s birthday gift, two pairs of Dora shoes. While trying them on McKenna kept complaining that the shoes were too tight. We knew they were the right size and just assumed that she meant they felt different. Upon further inspection Marg realized that she had forgotten to take out the tissue paper from the toes.

Day 34 - August 22 - Anaheim - Our Last Day at Disney

Today is our last day in Anaheim. Ken, Mel, Jase and Cooper will be heading to San Diego tonight for their flight back to Ontario and we’ll be preparing to start our drive north to Vancouver tomorrow.

We want to say Happy Birthday to my twin sisters Barbara and Brenda! We heard they had a good day golfing and partying at the nineteenth hole!

We decide to spend most of the day in California Adventure the Disney park located next to Disneyland. The attractions there are mostly associated with the Pixar line of films, such as “A Bugs Life,” and all things California. We started by taking the young children to the Mickey show, while Kari and Brian went to learn how to drawn in the animation class.















The first ride we went on was Grizzly River Run which is white water rafting experience which was fun but too short. We then went to “Soarin’ Over California” which is a movie that is displayed on a huge parabolic screen. The best part is that your seats are lifted up and you’re placed in the middle of the bowl so that the movie completely surrounds you. Also as an added touch they pump in scents, such as the smell of oranges when you fly over an orange groove. It was so much fun we went back a second time later in the day.

We then went over to the section call Paradise Pier, where Ken, Mel and Kari went on the “California Screamer” which is a high speed roller coaster. Brian and Jase went on the Ferris wheel and Jonah and McKenna went for 20 rides on the carousel. After that we went on the “Toy Story Mania” which is a 3D arcade in which you shoot at targets that are projected onto a screen in 3D.






























After that we went to “A Bugs Life” which was a 3D movie based on the movie of the same name. There were plenty of special effects such as a gross smell that engulfed you went the stink bug let loose and a sharp jab in the back went the bees attacked. The best effect was at the end when the host asked us to remain seated while the ants and cockroaches left the theater. At that time the seats started to move as if there were bugs in seats. This got lots of laughs and screams.

To complete our visit to the park we went to “Monster Inc.” with Jase and Liam for ride in Monsterville.

For dinner we went to downtown Disney and eat at the New Orleans Jazz Kitchen. The food was very good and a big step up from the burgers and chicken found in the parks. After we were finished Ken, Mel and the kids left for San Diego. It was agreed by all the that had been a special two weeks.
















At this point we went back into Disneyland to see the fireworks. It was great to see the fireworks accompanied with the music and special effects, complete with Julie Andrews and Tinkerbell. It reminded us of the closing of the classic Disney show that was on TV every Sunday evening.
















Then we went to, and you guessed it, “The Haunted Mansion” for the last time. As we were preparing to leave, we stumbled upon a spectacular light and sound show based on the movie Fantasia. In the show Mickey battles against all the classic villains. The villains and their dragons are projected against a spray of water and it is very effective.
















Brian, Kari and Liam finished off the day by going to “Finding Nemo” in which you traveled in a submarine under water to view the characters from the Finding Nemo movie.

Given that it was after midnight we decided to go home.

Dy 33 - August 21 - Anaheim - A Day For Grand Parents

Today was a lazy day for doing nothing. We looked after the grandchildren and lazed in the pool. Ken and Mel went back to Hollywood and took a tour, while Kari meet up with an old friend from her days in summer theater in Grant's Pass.

For supper we had a birthday cake for Jase and McKenna. At this time the kids gave us a very nice picture frame to thank us for the trip.

Tonight Brian took Liam to see Star Wars - The Clone Wars at the local AMC Theater while Marg went shopping and bought a dress for McKenna.

It has been very frustrating trying to get Olympic TV coverage. It is almost as if the sport doesn't exist if the Americans are not medal contenders. Thank goodness for the Internet sites from Canada that are providing us with updates.

The money for the house finally came in. It is nice to have the line of credit and credit card balances back to a manageable level.

Day 32 - August 20 - Anaheim - Dinner with Goofy

Today we visited Disneyland for a leisurely day at the amusement park. Ken, Mel and the kids decided to stay at the house in the morning to have a swim. They called us when they arrived at the park so that we could hook up but unfortunately we were just stepping on to the Indiana Jones ride after a 45 minute wait in line and we couldn’t hear them over the roar for the ride.

Brian thought the ride was lots of fun but Marg found the jarring of the back and neck to be excessive. They were lots of special effects and the ride itself was scary with the car careening about the track in the dark.




















When we first arrived Marg had to visit her favorite ride, the Haunted Mansion. There is something about this ride that just starts the day off with a big smile.

During the afternoon we split from the kids and visited the House of Tomorrow, where they have setup a networked house that incorporates the best of flat panel touch screen technology, WiFi, optics, and robotics to control the home's environment and appearance. As they explained, these are all technologies that are currently available but not widely used in the consumer market. We also had a demonstration of the Asimo robot from Honda.



The hilites of the day took place during the evening. It started with dinner. We made reservations at Goofy’s Kitchen and had our picture taken with Minny Mouse, who is Jase’s favorite. We also had visits from Chip, Dale, Goofy, Prince Charming and Pluto. Cooper was especially thrilled with Goofy as he mimicked the arm and hand movements as Goofy danced with him. It was very cute. The food was actually a surprise as it was good and a pleasant change from the greasy fast food we have been eating.











































Then we went and saw the Parade of Lights, which is a multicoloured spectacular show of floats decked out in thousands of lights. This was followed by a 20 minutes fireworks show that is one of the best we’ve ever seen.
















But today was in some respects a very sad day for Marg and myself. Today we gave up possession of our home in Kanata. We have often described our home as the perfect house and we couldn't have expected to have better neighbours than Mike, Angelica and their young family and Michel, Fiona and their family.

Day 31 - August 19 - Another Fun Filled Day -Universal Studios

We started off early today at 9AM. Of course the roads here are very busy any time of the day and it made the 45 minute trip seem much longer. What makes the trip seem much more hazardous is the width of the lanes on the main North/South Interstate highway I5. It seems that they took a 6 lane highway and made it an 8 lane highway without expanding the road. We traveled from Anaheim to Hollywood by going through downtown LA. Luckily Gertrude was able to get us their without any mixups. Ken’s G.P.S., which is the same manufacture and software version, had him going in circles.

Universal Studios has a magnificent view of the Hollywood Hills and LA valley.
















Kari and Jonah went on the Imax simulated Simpson’s ride first, they said it was phenomenal! Liam entertained himself by watching a documentary on the Simpson's in Kwicky Mart.





















Ken and Melanie took Jase and Cooper off by themselves for awhile. Brian, Kari, Jonah, Liam, McKenna and I went on Universal Studio Tour. It was amazing with waters parting, dancing racing cars, dinosaurs jumping up in the woods, being attacked by the Mummy’s scarab beetles, a flash flood, a very realistic subway earthquake, a shark splashing up from the water, coming up right beside Brian which frightened us and made us jump! We visited lots of different sets on the tour. Among the different sets were “Westeria Lane from Desperate Housewives”, “CSI”, ,”Spartacus”, “Back to the Future”, “Jaws” and “Psycho”, "War of the Worlds" and several sets for the old cowboy movies. We enjoyed it so much we talked Ken and Melanie into taking this tour and we watched the kids at the Curious George Water Park















































Then we went to the Shrek 4D movie It was so much fun, from the donkey sneezing and water splashing on us to the chairs were moving like crazy to simulate being in a bumpy carriage ride. We all enjoyed it!

We went to the animal actors show, birds, dogs, monkeys and chimpanzees. The bird was trained to collect dollar bills from a man in the audience. The dogs were trained to do many tricks. Ken said his dog Magnum could have done many of the tricks only better. This was a fun show and enjoyed by all ages.















Brian went to see the Terminator 2 which was a 3D show based on the second movie of the Terminate series and Back Draft special effects show in which a chemical plant was burn down in front of his eyes.

Ken and Melanie went on the Mummy rollercoaster ride 3 times and Kari went on twice. Melanie describes this ride as fast! Kari describes it as extraordinary!

A Good Day was had by all!
















Tomorrow we are going back to Disneyland!

Day 30 - August 18 - Anaheim - Day of a Million Dreams

Today we started out trip to Disneyland. We left early to beat the crowds and this turned out to be a great idea as by noon the crowds were huge. Disney are experts in moving people. Never once did we feel crowded as we moved from attraction to attraction. In a very smart move by Disney you can book Fastpass tickets to the more popular rides in advanced and reserve your time on the ride. This allows you make better use of your time by bypassing the lineups.

























Our first destination was to New Orleans Square where we went on Marg’s favorite ride, the Haunted Mansion. The special effects, although over 20 years old, are still hilarious even in this age of computer generated graphics. Unfortunately this turned out to be too much for little McKenna and she refused to go on any more rides. We followed this up with the Pirates of the Caribbean and the Adventures of Winnie The Pooh.















We then proceed to Splash Mountain, where we all got soaked in this plume ride. After lunch we went on the Mark Twain Riverboat in Frontierland.















At this point Kari and Jonah took McKenna to see the “Princesses.” She was star struck as she had been building up to this moment for several months. Mel and Ken took Jase, Cooper and Liam to see Mickey Mouse. It was hard to said who was more thrilled, the kids or Mel. In the end Jase said this was his favorite. Cooper on the other hand was not impressed as he tried to knock Mickey's ears off.





























Next on the list was the Jedi Academy, where Liam was selected to be in the show, He fought Darth Maul in a light sabre duel and graduated to be a Padawan. The smile on his face could light up the entire west coast.















Ken then took the boys to Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blaster ride. The end of the day was completed by watching the Main Street Parade of Disney characters. We then went home and had a refreshing swim.





























Tomorrow we’re off the Universal Studios.

Day 29 - August 17 - Anaheim - A Day of Rest

Today we spent the day at our new home base. Everyone spent plenty of time in the pool and enjoying the sun. We have had the Sirus radio station on and have been listening to the 70's station all day on the outdoor speakers by the pool.

Mel, Kari and Marg went shopping with McKenna in the afternoon.

Jonah's friend Matt is staying with us for the night and will join us tomorrow at Disneyland. Matt and Jonah were roommates at school. During the afternoon Jonah , Matt and Liam went to a local playground and had fun.

Brian had a good afternoon's nap and Ken looked after the kids.

Day 28 - August 16 - Anaheim - We've arrived at our next destination

We arrived at new home in Anaheim today. This is a fantastic place with a professionally designed patio and swimming pool with a waterfall and a hot tub. The inside is spacious and there are 3 large flat screen TVs for viewing the Olympics. This afternoon everyone had a riot in the pool and Ken was bowled over by the BBQ pit. Liam named Ken - "King of the Grill".

There are lots of games here. Fooze ball in which Liam is the current champ, table tennis and pool along with many pool toys.

This evening we were able to see most of the fireworks from Disneyland. There put the Sea World fireworks to shame.

The name of this place is SolCal Vacation Rental Tropical Oasis. Tomorrow Jonah's friend Matt will be visiting as we are going to have a relaxing day at the pool.

Day 27 - August 15 - San Diego - A Visit to Sea World

Last night after we had posted yesterday’s blog, we all went to the rooftop patio to have a few drinks and relax. It ended in the a boisterous round of sing alongs that Mission Beach has not heard for a long time. Led by Jase on his new Mexican guitar it started with McKenna’s rendition of “Tomorrow” from the Broadway show “Annie”. This was followed by everyone singing such old time favorites as “C is for Cookie”, “Rubber Ducky” and “Insy, Bitsy Spider” at the top of our collective voices.

This morning we went to Sea World. This carries on the tradition of great amusement parks in Southern California. We had many wonderful experiences. It started with the kids feeding the Dolphins. We were able to pet them and their skin felt like vulcanized rubber.


Next we went to see the Killer Whale show. It is amazing how this big ocean predator can be trained to perform a variety of tricks and interact with their trainer and the audience.


Next stop was the “Wild Arctic”. At this area you went on a helicopter simulation of a trip through the Arctic, which included multiple crashes into the ice fields and high winds that blew the helicopter around like a feather. The viewing screen added to the realism but Marg found it so realistic that she had to close her eyes to stop from getting motion sickness. Liam on the other hand loved it and him and Jonah went back a second time later in the evening.

Next up were the Penguins, Sharks and Sting Rays.



At this point we went back to “Dining with Shamu” next to the killer whale pool where we had a buffet dinner and were able to watch the whales up close with their trainers. At one point the baby whale came right up onto a shelve close to our table and we were not more than 2 meters away from it.




After dinner we went to Sesame Street “Lights, Action Camera” movie. It was in “4D”. In addition the traditional 3D effects, which were outstanding, they’ve added elements such as wind, vibrations, soap bubbles and in a couple of scenes water. The one scene that sticks out in my mind was when the muppets were playing with a firehose that appeared to touching our noses, we got hit with a light spray of water.

To top off the evening we went to the Dolphin show to watch them do their trick jumps and dives.

Unfortunately today was not without its low points. The kids took a beating. Cooper smacked himself with the elastic band that keeps his hat on and later in the day he took a tumble forward onto his face. McKenna also wacked her forehead and it left quite a mark. Then as we leaving the park Liam fell off a curve in the dark and twisted his ankle. We thought it might be a severe sprain but after a good night’s sleep he appears to be fine, just a little sore.

During the early evening, I (Brian) noticed 3 drunken eastern European men attempt to grab the hand of a little boy. Once they realized that the mother was there, the bastard pulled his hand back and they left quickly. I followed them for a while until I was able to alert security with a description. We don’t know what happened after that as they did not take my contact information.

This is our last day in San Diego and we all agree that this has been a very special week in a very wonderful place.