no more bedhead

I saw these today and I would so totally buy each one if someone were producing them.



Image from johnonolan

Here's the blog post where I saw it.  Good collection of shirts besides these.

This has been around for about 14 months.  I can't believe I hadn't seen it until today.  16 minutes, but worth it.  Smile!

Two years ago today my wife brought home The Dog.  I think my reaction to The Dog have been well documented. But, in the spirit of generosity, and seeing how it is the Christmas season, I would like to say something nice about The Dog.

I like riding around town with the dog in the car.  He sits in the passenger seat and looks out the front window.

There.  That's all you're getting.

High School Football in Massillon, as told by All Things Considered.

Gameweek 8 is about to begin in the English Premier League.  Hopefully I will do better this week than last.  I got creamed in Gameweek 7.  The average score was 52 and I scored 30.  I'm a little Chelsea heavy, and not only did they lose, but Petr Cech (GK) got red carded.  That hurt.  When your Goalkeeper has a -1 point total for the week, you know it's going to be a bad week.  The other players didn't have a spectacular week either.  Drogba was my best scoring player with 6 points.  My current rank is 1,934,446 out of 2,052,351.  (My disclaimer/rationalization is that I didn't start until GW5 so I'm already behind.  But still...)  I also dropped to 11th (out of 20) in my league.  I had been at 5 after GW6 (which is when the league formed).

So I made one transfer for the week.  I transferred out Upson, and replaced him with Dunne.  I also sat Cech, since he is suspended, bringing in Foster (ManUtd) off the bench. We'll see what happens. Here's my lineup for the weekend:



My team in the ESPN Premier League didn't do well either, but it was my first Gameweek for the ESPN league, so we'll see what happens.

However.....
The Champions League and the Europa League both competed this week.

In the Champions League, I rocked.  The average score was 51, and I scored 73.  That shot me up to 37,587 out of 273,855. And I jumped up to 4 in my league (Galaxy Two), out of 21 teams.  Having Christiano Ronaldo scoring 14 points and being my captain (doubling his points to 28) certainly helped!

My favorite stat is that for Matchweek 1 my rank was 152,678.  For Matchweek 2 my rank was 11,231. I improved 141,447 places.

In the Europa League (where I have absolutely no idea who any of these players are), I scored 53 points, with 42 being the average.  I rank 966/29,741.  In my league I am #1 out of 7.  But I'm only up by 13 points over #2.

All of this will probably change, so I am hoping for the best on the EPL front today and gloating over UCL/Europa for the next couple of weeks.

AAAAAAAAAAAAL-batross!

Pulled the plug on Shorey.  Added Abdoulaye Faye from Stoke City.

AAAAAAAAL-batross!!

Not to be outdone, UEFA Champions League also has a fantasy game.  I had to sign up for that too, of course.

Here's my lineup:

Goalkeeper: Cech (Chelsea)
Defender: O'Shea (Manchester United), Rolando (Porto), Gallas (Arsenal), Diakhate (Dynamo Kyiv)
Midfielder: Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid), Fernando (Porto), Xabi Alonso (Real Madrid), Song (Arsenal)
Forward: Messi (Barcelona), Lisandro (Lyon)

Subs:
Goalkeeper: Rensing (Bayern)
Defender: Evra (Manchester United)
Midfielder: Ghioane (Dynamo Kyiv)
Forward: Bojan Krkic (Barcelona)

This time I got in in time for Matchday 1, which starts tomorrow.  I logged in today and I get a notification that Bojan Krkic is injured.  Try as I might, I cannot determine if he will be out for the game on Wednesday.  I know that he is out of the Spain Under-20 squad, but can't find any more information.  Unfortunately anyone I want to transfer for him is significantly lower in the standings, so I don't want to make a move if he's going to be okay for this game.  He's in my sub list, so I could leave him there as long as Messi and Lisandro play.  I just may take the chance.

Nevermind, while I was sitting here I pulled the plug on Krkic, and replaced him with Niang (Marseille).

Again, my club name: Blue Albatross FC.

AAAAAAAAAAL-batross!!

And by football, I mean real football.

The English Premiere League has a fantasy league, and I decided to join this year.  A little late.  In Matchweek 5, but hey, better late than never.  So, this is my lineup going into my first matchweek:

Goalkeeper: Cech (Chelsea)
Defender: Johnson (Liverpool), Upson (West Ham), Shorey (Aston Villa), Shawcross (Stoke City)
Midfielder: Lampard (Chelsea), Cattermole (Sunderland), Diaby (Arsenal), Bowyer (Birmingham)
Forward: Rooney (Manchester United), Drogba (Chelsea)

Subs:
Goalkeeper: Foster (Manchester United)
Defender: Bikey (Burnley)
Midfielder: Hunt (Hull City)
Forward: Keogh (Wolverhampton)

I hoped that this lineup was okay, except I noticed that Diaby scored an own goal in Matchweek 4.  Still, I stuck with this lineup through the week.  I didn't do too bad for not knowing who most of these players are.  I scored 49 points this week.  That has me at 11,864 out of 69,077 who signed up this week, and 1,907,607 overall out of 1,979,085.

My only concern this week is that Shorey didn't play this week, and looks like he has been relegated to the substitutes for Aston Villa.  So I may transfer him before Matchweek 6.  Looking at Ab Faye (Stoke City) to take his place.  I think it would be a good trade, and actually save me some payroll to boot.

My club name?  Blue Albatross FC.  I even get to design my own kit.  I chose solid blue shirt, with white sleeves, white shorts, and black socks.  I'll have to do up a graphic to add here.

So let's have a cheer, shall we?  AAAAAAAAAAL-batross!

Why, when I am trying to edit audio, do the kids feel the need to break out the maracas?

This is one very cool video.  It was posted on Facebook by a friend of mine, I reposted it for my other friends, and now two of them have passed it along as well.  The story goes that this woman won "Ukraine's Got Talent" with her Sand Animation.  In this video, she is telling the story of when the Germans invaded the Ukraine in World War II.  It's something you have to see.




This reminds me of something I saw at General Convention.  The Diocese of Los Angeles event was an "emergent church" service, which I really wanted to like.  Not so much.  But, one of the very cool parts was a guy who was on stage painting as the different Bible verses were being read and the "sermon" was being delivered.  The special thing about this was that he was painting with tempera paint on glass that was lit from behind.  It glowed.  When he would finish a painting, he would take a picture of it, then dip a squeegee in water and wipe the glass clean (or at least move the paint around on it to give himself a new canvas).  It was very cool.

This is an amazing video. Wanted to pass it along.

I am trying to catch up on some posts that I should have published while on the road. I am 'back-dating' them, so that they show up in the right order, so if you've been following along you might not see them. I'll list them here as they are posted, so you can find them, then a few days after the last one is live, I'll delete this post. Just so's you know.

End of Convention - Vacation Begins!
Main Street, USA
Tomorrowland
Fantasyland
Mickey's Toontown
New Orleans Square
Critter Country
Frontierland
Adventureland

Great video that encapsulates in 6 minutes what happened in almost 2 weeks.

You know that song? That woman sings it. It's in that movie. You know the one, right?

We finally made it home. Got in about 11:00 last night, and boy is it nice to not be driving anymore!!

Our last two legs were uneventful. We went from Oklahoma City to St. Louis. Got up yesterday morning and headed home from St. Louis. The only weird thing was this:


Looks just like the Largest Cross in the Western Hemisphere, don't it? Guess what? It's larger. It's in Effingham, Illinois (a town my kids just love the name of...the older two specifically...ahhh, middle school humor), and the people here were so inspired by the cross in Texas that they built there own. Not to be outdone, or maybe to outdo, they built it 8 feet taller. So, we saw the two largest crosses in the Western Hemisphere. That should cover church for a week or two, don't'cha think?

And, for those of you who have been following chronologically, you may have noticed that I stopped posting at General Convention, and that there are no Disneyland posts. My hope is to do a couple of "recap" pages here this week. We'll see how that goes. Watch this space for more details!

Anaheim -> Mojave Desert -> Barstow -> Ontario -> Flagstaff -> Farmington -> Oklahoma City -> St. Louis -> Home

Probably the biggest issue with “Mojave Desert Breakdown '09” was that we spent two days stuck in California. This meant that we weren't sticking to our (albeit flexible) schedule, and so over the last couple of days we could tell that the kids were getting kind of squirrelly, and we (the adults) were ready to start heading back home. (Well, at least I was. Keep in mind, I've been gone since the 6^th.) That's why we decided that today would begin our big push straight home.

Our original plan was to go from Farmington to Fort Worth, where we would visit Ellen's cousin Julie. While there, we could have seen Enzo, in Dallas, and had already touched base with Eric in Austin in hopes that we could get together for at least a little while. It has been way too long since I've seen any of them, and I was looking forward to it.

From Fort Worth we were to follow Route 10 to New Orleans, where we hoped to do our part to help the rebuilding effort by having lunch in the French Quarter. Then we would continue along the Gulf Coast to Jim's house in Georgia. From there we would head back home.

Instead, we looked at the push home and determined that we could go straight from Farmington in three days, but that one of them would be an 11+ hour (drive time) day. We decided to start with that.

So, we left Farmington bright and early today, with our sights set on Oklahoma City. We headed out on Route 550 toward Albuquerque, and passed through some interesting countryside. As we were nearing Interstate 25, I saw a water tower that read “Bernalillo, The City of Coronado.” Having spent some time in the southwest, I am familiar with Coronado, but I wondered why this town had this moniker. Again, be careful what you wish for (although this time in a good way), as Munchkin announced that she needed a “potty break.” I followed the signs for the Bernalillo Visitor's Center, and while the family visited the rest rooms, I talked with a gentleman who answered my questions.

It seems that there is a state monument – Coronado State Monument, as a matter of fact - that is in Bernalillo. I was told that they believe that Coronado mustered his army there during his exploration of the area. Of course, what really is (was) there is a pueblo that had 1,200 dwellings, and the finest example of pre-contact wall paintings in the United States. Coronado came in, killed the people, and took over. The guide and I lamented the fact that so many things in the southwest are named after Coronado. (“They say he discovered this area. What he did was follow the roads that connected the pueblos. There was no discovery.”) So, that was why Bernalillo is “Coronado's city.”

We continued on our way, passing through Albuquerque. It was intriguing enough that I would like to visit and see what is there. Some day. The rest of the day was spent on Route 40, heading east. There isn't much to mention about our travels. Long day. Not much to look at, other than noticing how the vegetation and landscape changed as we traveled east.

We did make one stop of significance. Cadillac Ranch. I had seen this art installation from the highway when Dave and I had driven across the country in 1986, and I thought the kids would enjoy seeing it, so I checked for directions before we left. Just outside Amarillo, Texas, are 10 Cadillacs buried nose first in the ground. They are spray painted different colors, and people are allowed (if not encouraged) to add their own graffiti. We didn't have any spray paint, but each kid added their own name with a pen that I had with us. My kids first juvenile delinquent moment (awww, I think I'm tearing up).

A while later we passed the (self-proclaimed) Largest Cross in the Western Hemisphere. I think that qualifies as the kind of cheesy place my sister would be searching out. Of course, we didn't stop, but we did get a picture as we zipped by.

After traveling through a hellacious thunderstorm, we ended up safely in Oklahoma City.

We backtracked today to Four Corners. It was about an hour back toward Kayenta. I guess the theme of this part of the trip could be “going backwards”. But I digress...

The thing that surprised me the most about the Four Corners Monument was how many people were there. We actually had to stand in line to get to the marker. The thing is that you really have to be going there to be there. It's not “along the way” in any sense of the word. It is 6 miles from the nearest town, and as far as I can tell, that town (Teec Nos Pos) consists of a trading post, and that's about it.

The monument is really cool. It's pretty much what you think, just a marker in a slab of concrete, but the concrete has the names of the states, and the flags for the states and the nations fly over the monument (in the proper quadrants, of course). The cool thing is that you can say you were in six places at once: Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, the Navajo Nation, and the Ute Nation.

Circling the parking/monument area is a host of stalls where Native Americans sell all kinds of arts and crafts. We wandered up and down the booths, and purchased a few things. Ellen got a beautiful corn maiden pottery piece, and a gorgeous necklace/earring set. Beenie got an arrow, while Stewie got a pottery turtle. Keke got a turtle necklace, and Munchkin got a bracelet and barrettes.

Part of our search when we set out today was to find a place that served Navajo Tacos. Ellen was jonesing for one big time, and she also wanted the kids to be able to try them. We had heard that the KFC in Farmington served them (believe it or don't), and that there were some places in Shiprock where we could get them. Fortunately for us, there was a Navajo Taco stand at Four Corners.

We got our Navajo Tacos and lemonades, and sat in the shade to enjoy them (did I mention that it was 107 degrees?). While we were eating, two dust devils blew up and their paths came right through the area where we were trying to enjoy our food. After that, some of us enjoyed our food, but with a little more (sand) crunch to it. Stewie lucked out, as my plate blew across the table and propped itself up against him. While that may not have been the most desirable, it did serve to cover his food, so he had the least sand going forward.

After leaving the monument, we worked our way back to Farmington. While I was at General Convention, I went to the Navajoland booth in the marketplace and asked about a church in Farmington, as I anticipated us being there on a Sunday (the breakdown threw that plan all off, though). I was given directions to a church that is part of the Navajoland Diocese (the other one nearby is part of the Diocese of Rio Grande). On our way back from Four Corners we followed those directions, and found the church. Then we went to the grocery store, loaded up on supplies, and spent the rest of the evening in the hotel swimming pool (and the jacuzzi!).

We got up this morning, and very reluctantly (very reluctantly) left Flagstaff. But, not before hitting the Flagstaff Visitor's Center. Noting the irony in stopping there on the way out of town, we picked up some souvenirs and some information about cool things to do in the area. So we'll have to come back. And, if you get a chance, check out the Visitor's Center's website. It rocks.

After dragging our feet, we were a little behind in our schedule for the day, which was to take us ultimately to Farmington, NM. We headed out of Flagstaff and stopped in Cameron at the Navajo Arts & Crafts Center. It is a store owned and operated by the Navajo Nation, and all jewelry and crafts are guaranteed made by Navajo, and the money spent goes directly to them. If you want to buy authentic Navajo arts & crafts, and aren't in the Navajo Nation, I suggest purchasing through them. Quality is excellent, price is fair, and there is no middleman.

We also stopped at the Cameron Trading Post, which is the antithesis of Navajo Arts & Crafts. Tacky tourist schlock abounds! Sadly, the Trading Post was packed full of people, while at NA&C we were the only customers.

A short drive up the road, and we turned from Route 89 onto 160 and headed into Tuba City. On a “potty break” we passed a modified short school bus that had the “sch” spray painted out and a “C” in its place – Cool Bus. On the side of the bus was an intriguing website address that we took a look at tonight, and it turns out that it's this group of guys who modified a school bus and are trekking around the western half of the country from now until the end of August. I heartily recommend following their exploits as they continue on their “Golden Summer”.

Our own trek continued on to Navajo National Monument. We walked along the trail to view the Betatakin ruins, which the kids found fascinating once they understood what they were looking at. The idea that people lived there really intrigued them, as did the fact that the people just up and left after a while. We also found out from the Park Ranger that we have been pronouncing the name incorrectly for the last 15 years. We've been saying bet-a-TAK-in, while it's actually pronounced beh-TOT-a-kin. Good thing we stopped in.

We got there late in the day for the Visitor's Center, and had about 10 minutes left when the kids discovered that they could do a Junior Ranger program here, too. Quickly zipping through it (fortunately not as complex as the Grand Canyon One), the kids became Junior Rangers at Navajo National Monument, too. I think this is even cooler that the Canyon, as I doubt they will find many, if any, people who have been to Navajo National Monument.

The plan from here was to go to Four Corners, then on to Farmington, where we would spend the night and leave tomorrow to head east. Well, by the time we got to the turnoff for Four Corners it was so late that the monument was closed, so we just continued on. Our plan now is to head back to Four Corners tomorrow, and stick around the Farmington area for one more night.

Must I leave Flagstaff? :-(

Today we spent the day wandering around Flagstaff. Mostly the “historic” downtown area. It is a several square block area with a whole bunch of little shops and restaurants. It was a lot of fun.

We found a store called Sacred Rites, and when we walked in the kids said, “It smells like our house!” The store sells singing bowls, drums, other musical instruments, buddhist statuary, wall hangings, jewelry, prayer flags, and incense (hence the reason it smelled like our house). We spent a long time in there, with the clerk and I playing all the different singing bowls. They carried some I had never seen before. They were either glass or crystal, and we played them with a rubber mallet. They were U shaped and the “walls” were at least as tall as the diameter of the bowls. If I were to guess I would say that they were probably 12”, 18”, and 24” in diameter. They had the most amazing sounds (and price tags!). The guy said that a number of new age healers use them for their healings, and each is tuned to a different chakra. All I know is that we had quite the chorus going. (Note: I found them on the Google at another online store - these be them.)

After purchasing some prayer flags and incense (trying a new brand of nag champa – very strong), we continued our wandering. Some great funky shops there. Ultimately we ended up back at the hotel where we ate lunch then headed out to Sedona.

Beenie wanted to go to Sedona to see the red rocks, and get a Sedona pin. I think he's been reading Arizona Highways and has seen the issues on Sedona, so was keen to get there. We took Route 89A into town, found a parking place amazingly fast, then wandered around the shops there for a good chunk of the afternoon. A friend of mine describes Sedona as “a bit full of itself”, to which I am inclined to agree. I would much rather go hiking, like Ellen and I did 15 years ago. I don't think it would have worked this time, with the kids, in the July heat, so we didn't. But everyone seemed to have a good time, and enjoyed looking at the views and the scenery on 89A both on the way in and out.

By the time we got back to Flagstaff it was getting into the realm of dinner/bedtime, so unfortunately we didn't get to one of the places I really wanted to go – Lowell Observatory. The guy at Sacred Rites said that the Flagstaff Symphony was having a chamber concert on the observatory grounds, and it would have been totally cool to see that in addition to all the doings at the observatory itself. Oh well, maybe next time.

Flagstaff is great! Got up this morning and joined the long parade of cars headed north to the Grand Canyon. One of my favorite drives is up through Coconino and Kaibab National Forests on the way to the canyon. You pass by Humphrey's Peak, and the rest of the San Francisco Peaks, and it is just gorgeous (especially so in the spring and fall, but this day in July was pretty nice, too).

We passed through Tusayan, and approached the main gate for the park. It was packed!! We finally found a parking place on the side of the road, and loaded everyone off (or “disembarked”, which has been Stewie's favorite word recently), and trudged through the scrub to the South Rim. Beenie's reaction: “Wow!”

We took the requisite photos of the family with the canyon in the background, and then worked our way over to the Visitor's Center. The kids got the information on what it would take to become a “Junior Ranger”, and we started to fill out the booklets. Part of the procedure was to take a ranger-led class, and the next (and most convenient) one was “Storytime” at the El Tovar Hotel. We bustled onto the shuttle bus and headed off to the hotel.

We got there in time for the last half of the talk, although by the time we found where it was, the ranger was on his last “story”. Since part of the booklet had the kids filling in something they learned at the program, we were pretty limited on that, so everyone basically put the same thing (“we learned that tarantulas build their webs underground”). Still, the ranger okayed them all, and signed off on that part of the program. A couple of exercises later, and the kids were all sworn in as Junior Rangers.

After an ice cream treat, we hiked down part of Bright Angel Trail. The kids wanted to keep going, but I got in about as far as I thought we should go, and told them that I wasn't going any farther. They reluctantly turned around, but they were all sucking wind by the time we got back to the top!

We headed back to the car, and along the way Keke made the comment (a couple of times) that the only part of the day that was bad was that we were going to have to leave eventually. We piled into the car just as it started to sprinkle. As we were making our way back toward the East Rim, it began to rain a little harder. At one intersection, the rain puddled up at the edge of the road, and much to our surprise, quite a number of elk appeared out of nowhere to drink from these puddles! It was all mother and baby elk, but they seemed to catch everyone off guard as we all progressed slowly and carefully through the intersection.

We eventually made our way through the rain to Moran Point, where Ellen and I got engaged 15 years ago. It was our first time back. It was still nice, although I couldn't figure out how we got to the place where the actual proposal was made so many years ago. Then again, if it hadn't been windy and about to storm maybe I would have had a chance to figure it out.

As we were already on that side of the park, we decided to keep following the road out the east end of GCNP, went to Cameron, and turned onto 89S toward Flagstaff. It was a good day. (And all the way home Stewie kept saying, “I want to go back to the Grand Canyon.”)

We pulled into Ontario VW and they made us feel more than comfortable while they looked at the car. The kids played on the Lego table, while Ellen and I looked at the different models on the lot. Jose (our service manager) brought us bottles of water, and was really kind and joking with us the whole time. Once they got the car into the bay, the technician took all of five minutes to determine that it was, in fact, the cooling fan that was giving us the problem. A broken blade will do that.

Naturally, since we drive a Eurovan, they didn't have the part in stock, and needed to order it. I noticed that there was another Eurovan sitting in the garage, so I told Jose that he could just take the cooling fan out of that one and put it in ours. He said that that Eurovan had the exact same problem. Except that it had been in an accident, and up until we pulled in they assumed that the cooling fan was broken in the accident. I tried to talk him into giving us a bulk discount since he had to order two fans, but no luck.

So, the part ordered and paid for, and with fingers crossed that it would arrive at the shop this morning, we headed off to find a place to live for the night. Found one in the Holiday Inn Express, where we got a suite, free breakfast, and free high-speed internet. And an outdoor pool and hot tub! And, no, I still cannot fix the car, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.

Jose told me to be back at 7:00 am, and I was waiting in his lobby when he showed up at 6:55. The part had arrived, and we just had to wait for the technician to arrive. Once he got there at 7:30 it only took about an hour and a half and we were good to go. As I said to Jose, “I like your city, I love your dealership, but I never want to see you again!” He could empathize, as he got stranded once when he went to visit his hometown in Mexico. In all seriousness, Jose Meza and the team at Ontario Volkswagen did a really great job getting us fixed up and on the road. They did it with good humor, kindness, and speed. I am very grateful to have been there. So, if you find yourself in Ontario, California, with a Volkswagen that needs service, drop in and tell them I sent you. (Likewise, if you're in Cape Cod, go to Tracy Volkswagen.)

By 11:00 we were on our way again. Back on the 60 to the 15 and headed toward Barstow. A great sense of deja vu. In Barstow, we picked up I-40 and headed east.

It was a little dicey (mentally) as we passed Call Box 40-592, but we made it and we set our sights on Flagstaff. Stopped for a lunch break in Needles, CA. Looked around a little for Snoopy's brother Spike, but didn't see him. Noticed with interest how the Mojave desert transitioned in flora and landscape as we approached Arizona. Climbed into the mountains in Arizona. It was beautiful. Stopped for gas in Kingman, home of Andy Devine. Finally arrived safe and sound in Flagstaff around dinner time. It is great to be here!!!!

My plan was to wake up this morning, drive the few miles from Flagstaff to the Grand Canyon, and introduce my kids to the most breathtaking place I've ever been. Early in the morning, free from distractions, they would have an experience that they would remember for the rest of their lives.

Alas, my car had other ideas.

We left Anaheim, after four great days at the Disney theme parks, and headed out on the 57, the 60, and the 15. As we passed through Rancho Cucamonga we noted that the largest tortilla chip factory in North America is located there. (We discovered that on our Mission tortilla chip factory tour at California Adventure.) The next town was Ontario. All I know of Ontario is that it is the location where “Dave” films his “There Goes A ...” kids video series. It looked like an interesting town, and I remarked that I would like to know more about what happens there. We stopped for gas, and then continued on.

In Barstow, we picked up I-40 and headed east toward Flagstaff. About an hour later, and just 9 miles past Ludlow, according to the California Highway Patrol Officer (who looked more like Jon than Ponch, and was actually from Indiana), the car started shuddering like we were riding over rumble strips. Except we weren't. So we pulled over to the side of the road in the middle of the Mojave desert.

I recalled that we had Volkswagen Roadside Assistance when we bought the car, so I called them. They told me that it expired in 2006, but they would be happy to tow me to the nearest VW dealer (at my own cost) in Henderson, NV (almost 200 miles). Then she determined that we could go to San Jose instead as that would be closer (430 miles). Closer, yeah, you do the math.

We ended up using the call box, waiting two and a half hours and getting a tow back to Barstow. Spent the night there, and was pleased to discover that everyone was very very nice. Our hotel was right on Route 66, and it turns out that the next burg over, Newberry Springs, was the inspiration for Radiator Springs in the movie Cars. The lady at the garage gave me a map (that she ripped out of her phone book) of Newberry Springs for me to give to Jamie.

There's not much in Barstow, but a big railyard, and a couple of military installations. The Marine Corps have a big base there, and the Army has a training center, too (Fort Irwin). In Fort Irwin is the Goldstone Deep Space Communications Network Center, one of three such complexes in the world, spaced at 120 degrees around the globe. There is also a Harvey House and a Route 66 museum, neither of which was open, not that we had the time to go, but still... There is also the largest runway I've seen at an airport of just a couple of buildings. Turns out it is just a military airport. I remarked that it looked like you could land a 747 there, and was told that it was mostly used for Blackhawks (although they wouldn't need a runway, but I didn't get into that).

And a weird story. I was looking through the information at the Holiday Inn Express, and found a list of Episcopal churches in the “high desert” area. There were none listed for Barstow. This morning I was driving around looking for a garage, and I was going around the block to head back to one I had seen. I was going to turn right, but something told me to turn left, and I ended up smack in front of St. Paul's Episcopal Church. Weird.

The people at the garage confirmed that there was a problem with the cooling fan, but it would take them up to 5 days to get the part. His suggestion – we take the car to the VW garage in Ontario. Now, when I said I wanted to know more about Ontario, this wasn't what I meant. Be careful what you wish for.

So, we limped our way to Ontario. And here we are, 33 miles from Anaheim.

We hit every ride in Adventureland. Tarzan's Treehouse is here. The kids went in it a couple of times and had a blast. Back in the day it used to be the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse. Nobody knows the Swiss Family Robinson story anymore, so they updated it. Well, they updated the name anyway. Now it's tied into the Tarzan franchise.


The Jungle Cruise was a hoot, with the water animals spraying, splashing, and “attacking” the boat. The guide had to use his cap gun to scare them off. The resounding “pop” from the gun wouldn't have scared the fly on the elephant's butt, but still...


Beenie and I went on the Indiana Jones Adventure, where we were in a jeep-type car that careened around the forest and the ruins in an attempt to rescue Indy (I think that was the premise). It was a lot of fun hanging on to the car to keep from falling out! Another cool part was the line itself. It weaved (“snaked”?) its way through ruins with idols carved into the walls, and flickering bare light bulbs. It was the best “themed” wait in the park.

But the highlight of Adventureland was the Enchanted Tiki Room. It was always a favorite of Ellen's when she was little, and it hasn't changed at all. The thunderstorm at the end had the little ones somewhat concerned, but they loved watching the birds and the fountain, and listening to the songs. Which they have been singing ever since. Great. (Everybody - “In the tiki, tiki, tiki, tiki, tiki room, oh, the tiki, tiki, tiki, tiki, tiki room.”)

We never actually did anything in Frontierland. Sadly, there was a roller coaster there – Big Thunder Mountain Railroad – and we never got on it. Beenie, Keke, Stewie, and I passed through there on the way to Splash Mountain, but that's as close as we got.

On an unrelated note, it seems that the designated “smoker's corner” for Disneyland is in Frontierland. On a back path. Behind a rock.

Critter Country is the area of the park where, if I remember correctly, the Country Bear Jamboree used to be located. It's not there anymore. Nor is it anywhere, it's just gone. That is too bad, as I bet the kids would have really liked it. Now, in Critter Country, is The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. It is another one of those rides like Mr. Toad's Wild Ride where you are in a car and you go through a twisty, turny ride while looking at Day-Glo cutouts that illustrate the stories from Winnie the Pooh. Particularly fun was the psychedelic “Heffalumps and Woozles” section. Crazy, man!


Also in this area are Winnie-the-Pooh and Tigger characters. We naturally got in line to see both. When visiting with Pooh, Stewie was so excited that he wouldn't turn around for a photo op. Ellen yelled, “Turn around!” Stewie didn't move, but Pooh turned around so his back was to us. Ellen had to clarify, “Not you, Pooh!”, at which Pooh turned around again and if it's possible for a character to have a sheepish look, he had one. It was classic!


In the meantime, Tigger was bounce-bounce-bounce-bounce-bouncing all over the place. He would even leave the area when kids were visiting, bounce over to Pooh, and then bounce back to the kids who were waiting for him. They (and the crowd) loved it!


Critter Country also has a restaurant where we ate lunch a couple of days. I expected the food and other amenities inside the park to be outrageously expensive, but I was pleasantly surprised. We ate at the Hungry Bear Restaurant for about $50 for a family of six. That's about right. We spent that much at the IHOP outside the park, and that was with 3 kids meals for free. And, the ambience! We sat on the patio, overlooking the “lagoon” where the boat rides were. As we ate, we were passed by the Mark Twain Riverboat, the Sailing Ship Columbia, and the Davy Crockett Explorer Canoes. Also, the guys in flak jackets who were setting up the evening spectacular laser light show.

After lunch, the Davy Crockett Explorer Canoes looked like so much fun that we decided to give it a try. We all climbed into these large canoes, and we had to paddle ourselves around the “river”, staying ahead of the riverboats, of course. I shared a seat with Munchkin, who was not so adept at paddling. Ahead of me was Stewie, and we kept getting our paddles tangled. Behind me was a kid not much older that Munchkin, who couldn't seem to get his paddle in the water without soaking me! I didn't mind so much, but as I was holding the paddle with both hands, and then when Munchkin gave up (about 4/5 of the way through) I was holding two paddles, I really couldn't protect the camera. Fortunately, it didn't get too wet, and we all had a lot of fun.

Critter Country also has what I believe is the newest ride – Splash Mountain. It was the one with the longest line every day we were there. On the good days, the line was 45 minutes. On the bad day it was 90. Again, FastPass to the rescue. I got a FastPass for it and Beenie, Keke, Stewie, and I got to jump the line and go on the ride. It was fun, but I don't get why it is so popular. The ride is a boat that floats through a flume, and all around is the Song of the South story. It's calm and tranquil, except for a couple of short hills that the boat slides down. Right near the end of the ride there is a huge drop down toward the Briar Patch, that culminates in a big splashdown where everyone gets soaked. And then it's over. The ride was fun, everyone had a blast, but I don't get the appeal – definitely not worth an hour and a half wait.

The thing that I noticed first about New Orleans Square was how crowded it was. That was my first impression on a day that wasn't the “I can't believe how many people are in this park” day. It must've been a combination of the layout of this part of the park, or all the people trying to squeeze around the lagoon between Frontierland and Critter Country, where the newest, most popular attraction, Splash Mountain, is located. My first thought was that it was jam packed because NOS is where my favorite ride, Pirates of the Caribbean, is located. However, the line for PoC wasn't very long. Even on the “bad day” the wait was only 25 minutes. (The other days it was 15.)

One of the best parts of this ride is that it is cool. And I mean temperature-wise. So on these really hot days, it was nice to be able to climb into a boat, and meander through the pirate's lair. The only changes to the ride that I noticed was at the beginning where there is a creepy, disembodied voice intoning “Dead men tell no tales” over and over again. I don't know if that is new, or if I just noticed it as I was trying to look at things as the kids would.


The other new thing was the inclusion of Capt. Jack Sparrow. Now, maybe he was in it before, but this time the story being told was based around him, and there was a new animatronic character, that looked just like Johnny Depp. Creepily life-like. As a matter of fact, it was interesting to see how lifelike it looked compared to the other pirates, who had the old-fashioned jerky movements, and mechanical feel. I had to look a couple of times to see that it wasn't an actor playing the part.

One interesting thing is that as you embark on the ride, you pass through the “old bayou” on the left (with working fireflies, which was cool), but on the right was a restaurant. A real restaurant, where you could actually go eat. I so want to do that! Eating lunch INSIDE the Pirates of the Caribbean ride – how cool would that be!

The other big attraction in New Orleans Square is the Haunted House. That's always a hoot! The little ones didn't get as freaked out as I thought they would, which was good. Munchkin said that she didn't want to go on it again, but she did a good job on the way through. We packed her, Beenie, and me in one eggshell car, so there wasn't a lot of room for the “hitchhiking” spectre at the end of the ride, but it was still a lot of fun. (And the ghosts pretty much squeeze themselves in whether there's enough room or not!)

I almost lost my sunglasses in the Haunted House. In the first room, where the walls extend up (or we go down, whichever), I was looking up at the paintings getting longer while holding Munchkin. My glasses were perched on the top of my head. Near the end, all the lights go off and I felt my glasses start sliding backward. Then, pop, they were gone. Now, I'm standing in a room filled with other guests, in the dark, and my sunglasses are somewhere on the floor behind me. I can't bend over and start feeling for them, as I'm holding my daughter. I just had to hold my breath and wait for the lights to come on. Fortunately no one stepped on them. That would have been bad.

Toontown wasn't there when I was a kid, nor was it there when I was 20. I guess that's because Who Framed Roger Rabbit still had about 2 years before it came out.

Toontown is styled to look like the cartoon houses and buildings of cartoon history, in an homage to Roger Rabbit. Actually a large part of the “land” is taken up by the Roger Rabbit ride, and other attractions that are related to the movie.

Ellen and the kids went on the Roger Rabbit ride, while Keke and I wandered around. We got a chance to look at the fountain and climb on the firetruck, and detonate the TNT. A couple of days later, Stewie wanted to go on it again, so we got a FastPass (a great innovation – allows you to return within a set time frame and jump to the front of the line) to come back later. We got back about 10 minutes after our FastPass was set to expire, but we went into the FastPass lane, I acted like I was all out of breath, and said, “Are we too late?” The guy said, “You're just in time”, and ushered us in. Sweet.

Toontown is where the main characters live. Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Goofy all have houses there. (Although Donald's is a boat.) The nice thing is that Mickey and Minnie also make appearances at their houses, so after a time or two in line we got to see both of them. We went as a family to Mickey's house, and got to see him “on the set of his movie”. Beenie went back a couple days later by himself and got to see Mickey on the set of “Steamboat Willie”, so that was pretty cool.

Other than Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin, the only other ride in Toontown is a roller coaster called “Gadget's Go Coaster”. It was a smallish coaster, but it moved pretty quickly. Beenie found out from someone that it travels at the same speed as the Matterhorn. It is a much smoother ride, though. Even Munchkin enjoyed it – going on a couple of times.

There is a stop for the Disneyland Railroad just outside of Toontown, and we picked up the train there. It circled back through It's a Small World, then into the tunnel where you could see the Grand Canyon and the dinosaurs. It passed around through the Main Street station at the front of the park, and the next stop was New Orleans Square, where we got off.

Fantasyland was probably the place where we spent the most time. The carousel, excuse me, the King Arthur Carousel, is there, and everyone enjoyed that ride. Also Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, and the Matterhorn, both of which had mixed reviews depending on who you spoke with. But, the Mad Tea Party (the teacup ride) is there and that was enjoyed several times. Except by me. Spinning, you see.

The Storybook Land Canal Boats was surprisingly fun. It was a soft, gentle ride through the gardens that have been manicured to look like miniature replicas of various storybook places. We saw Geppetto's Workshop, the Three Little Pig's houses, Aladdin's castle, and the place where Prince Eric washed ashore when he met Ariel.

Dumbo the Flying Elephant ride seemed to be enjoyed by all. More spinning – not me. One time we got there and the ride was shut down, although there was still a line. Turns out that right below the elephants is water, and a duckling had decided that it would be a good place to go for a swim. The “pool net” was brought out, the duckling scooped, and carefully taken away toward Storybook Land.

We also went on the Alice in Wonderland ride, which was fun. I went with Munchkin, and she wasn't too sure about it until we popped out of the dark, fluorescent-lighted tunnel. That is, until she realized that we were about 10 feet in the air over the line of people waiting for the ride. Then we turned the corner and went back in the ride for the second half. It was because of things like that that we tried to alternate between “scary” rides and “not scary” rides. Still, everyone was a trouper, and tried different things.

The Bibbidi Bobiddy Boutique was one place that Keke really, really wanted to go. It seems that here you can get yourself made up in full princess regalia. Hair, makeup, dress, the whole nine yards. The downside – it cost something like $250 to do this. I don't think so. She did get to go in the shop, but didn't get the makeover.

I can't believe that I'm saying this, but, by far, the best bang for your Disney buck would have to be It's a Small World. While it may play the most annoying song ever, it also appeared to be the longest ride we went on, with the shortest line. The longest we stood in line for it was maybe 20 minutes. And the kids loved it!! Absolutely loved it, so that made it all worthwhile. However, one time, when I was taking Keke, Stewie, and Munchkin on the ride we got almost all the way through (I think we were in the second to last room), and the ride stopped. There was a big pileup of boats just sitting there. We were probably only stuck for about 5 minutes, but it seemed like much longer. But, we got out just as the clock was striking, so we got to watch all the characters in the facade do their little dances right from the exit line. It was like being in the front row!

Also technically in Fantasyland, but more nestled between Fantasyland and Toontown, is the Princess Fantasy Faire. What a racket! The only thing here is the Disney Princesses.When you get to the front of the line, you are taken in and get to visit with whichever three princesses are there at the time. That would be great, except they are all behind a big wall so if you are waiting in line you can't even see them. And the line is incredible. We waited for a half hour one day, and hardly moved at all. We bailed. The next time, we waited almost an hour before bailing. Finally, we decided that Ellen and Munchkin would wait in line while Beenie, Keke, Stewie, and I went to Splash Mountain. Naturally, at this time, the line moved very fast, and they got in in no time. Munchkin was thrilled!! She got to meet and talk with Ariel, Belle, and Jasmine.

After passing through Main Street, we veered right and went to Tomorrowland. There is a ride there called the Astro Orbiter that Munchkin was bound and determined to go on. It was a bunch of “rocket ships” that are lifted up in the air, then spin around. (It's like the Dumbo ride, but with rocket ships.) That was the first ride we went on. I say we, except Stewie and I just watched. If it spins, I'm not getting on it. It's better for everyone that way.

It was in Tomorrowland that we met Buzz Lightyear. He was the first character that we actually met, and Stewie was thrilled!! Beenie and I did Space Mountain. Although I had talked about riding it while wearing sunglasses, we didn't. Still, it was dark enough. Pitch black as a matter of fact.

We didn't do much else in Tomorrowland, except for the cars. Autopia is one of those tracks where you are actually driving the car, and steering. (Except for the track in the center of the lane to keep you on course.) Stewie and I went in one car, following Ellen and Munchkin, and just ahead of Beenie and Keke. Stewie was excited for the ride, but at the last second he decided that I should drive. Didn't help much as I kept stalling the car. The only way to keep it going was to floor it. I wouldn't normally do that in a car. Nope. Not me. Really. Prior to the ride we all got our official “drivers license”s, and they didn't take them away when we were done, so we must have been okay.

Tomorrowland is also the place where we got on our last ride and departed the park for this vacation – the Monorail. While I recognize that it isn't technically a “ride”, it's really transportation, I do remember it being one of my favorite things when I was a kid, and our kids really wanted to do it. It was a one way trip from Tomorrowland to Downtown Disney, so we left the park and walked back to the hotel on Tuesday night, saying goodby to Disney and the fireworks at the same time.

Disneyland is the first amusement park I ever went to. At least I think it is. At the very least, it's the first amusement park that I remember going to. I went there first when I was seven, and again when I was eleven. Those trips are probably blog posts in themselves, although I'm sure in the dark recesses of my mind one trip has bled into the other, so I might be a little soft and loose with the facts.

I was there one more time, when I was 20. I was in college, and we went to California for the University of Arizona – UCLA football game. It wasn't a great weekend – UofA lost the game – but a couple of us went out on the town, as it were. We went to Disneyland and had a great time. That was 23 years ago.

This trip was totally different than any other one. This one I got to experience through the eyes of my children. Their fascination, awe, and wonder was just amazing to watch. I'm not really sure I can do it justice in words, but I'll try a tour through the park to see what happens.

Main Street USA

Walking in to Main Street USA is like walking into another world, another time. The most amazing thing about this area of the park was the characters. (I mean the Disney characters, not the other visitors.) Each day when we arrived, there were at least three characters in the town square signing autographs, posing for pictures, greeting people. It was cool. Beenie got an autograph book and started a collection. Munchkin was so excited for some of the characters that I thought her head was going to blow off. Stewie surprised me with that excited look on his face, but holding it together until he got to the character, then giving them a big hug. Keke was 9-year-old cool, until afterward when she was very excited in her retelling of the encounter. Even Ellen was excited as she got to meet Cruella DeVille! (I later had that excitement when I got to meet Sully from Monsters, Inc. - another park, another day, another post.)

Main Street hasn't changed much that I noticed in the years since I've been there. Shopping, mostly, and the arcade with the machine where you grab the two metal poles and see how much electrical current you can withstand. I forgot to go back and do it this trip, but 23 years ago I maxed it out. Of course, my left arm twitched the rest of the day. Ahh, good times!

We found the Magic Shop, which was in, or at, the castle when I was little. Beenie spent time chatting with the clerk and checking out the card tricks. He ended up buying a deck of cards that glow in the dark, and have pictures from the Haunted House on them. That night when we got to the hotel, he discovered that the 2 of clubs was missing from the deck. I went back to the shop to return them and told the clerk that they must truly be magical, as they are missing a card. She looked at me like I was an idiot. But, she exchanged the deck, and that was the goal.

We seemed to have pretty good (or bad) timing, in that almost every time we tried to go down Main Street, there was a parade going on. It was called “Celebrate – A Street Party.” Designed to celebrate all the reasons people were visiting (“First Time!” “Birthday!” “Colonoscopy! Yay!! Good for you!!”), it is a parade with singing, dancing, and characters, and these confetti canons that shot Mickey-head shaped pieces of paper all over the place. Thanks to Munchkin, I have a whole backpack pocket full of them (inexplicably crumpled up, though). We studiously avoided the parade until the day that Ellen took Beenie on the Matterhorn and I took the rest of the kids to It's a Small World. We couldn't get there because of the parade so we watched the parade. The kids did really enjoy it, though.

My nightmare come true! In the middle of "It's a Small World" and the ride stopped. Sat there for 5 minutes, but it seemed like 5 hours!!

Ellen and the kids arrived at General Convention on Thursday. Jim was able to make the drive with them, so the driving and kid-wrangling wasn't so overwhelming. I talked to Ellen when they were about an hour out, and she said she would call me when they got to the hotel. I got the call right at 2:00, just as Bonnie Anderson was announcing that the House of Deputies would come to order in one minute.

After our session I went back to the hotel room and saw everyone. Was mobbed by the kids, actually. The idea was to come into town in time to go to the U2charist, so that was the next thing on our agenda. We got to the ballroom, the service started, and three of the four kids fell asleep. We decided to take them back to the room, and Jim offered to stay with them while Ellen and I went back to the U2charist. In the elevator on the way back we decided to skip the rest of the service, and hit the hotel bar. Good move.

Friday, while I was in the final sessions, everyone else wandered around the neighborhood (heading toward Disney), then they discovered the hotel pool, and hung out there the rest of the day. Dinner was at the New Orleans style restaurant in Downtown Disney, then some browsing on our way back. But the kids did get to see the fireworks from just outside the park.

Jim really wanted to see the Pacific Ocean, and Ellen and the kids had never been there either, so today we piled into the car and drove to Newport Beach. The beach was very different from the one we are used to (Nantucket Sound at Cape Cod). It went on for miles in either direction, and the walk from the boardwalk/sidewalk to the ocean must have been 400 feet (instead of the 4 feet at high tide in Cape Cod! - I exaggerate, but not by much.). The waves were pretty big, and the kids had a fun time playing in the surf. And getting their clothes wet even though we tried to minimize that. But the most amazing thing to me was that there was hardly anyone there. It was a beautiful Saturday morning and there couldn't have been more than two or three dozen people as far as the eye could see. I guess that's what happens when you have these enormous stretches of beach.

On the way to Newport Beach we passed the former Tower Records store in Costa Mesa. It's just sitting empty and falling apart. Sad.

Jim's flight is this evening – he is taking the red-eye back to Tallahassee – so we got him on the shuttle to the airport, then we decided to go visit Disneyland. We got these 5 day passes (for the price of a 3 day pass – what a deal!! Thanks, Mom!) so we figured we'd better get hopping as we are supposed to leave LA on Tuesday (although I'm thinking an extra day might not be so bad).

Our first evening at Disney was spent getting a feel for the park layout, what rides there were, and trying some things. We did some things like the Matterhorn, and Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, both of which were met with mixed results, to say the least. I had promised Keke that I would take her on the Matterhorn as that was the first roller coaster I had ever been on. I thought it was great, but she was not a big fan. As a matter of fact she hid her head, and tried to duck down during the whole ride. Stewie wasn't a fan either, but I think that was because it shook you back and forth too much. Ellen didn't enjoy it because she spent the whole time keeping Munchkin from sliding down onto the floor of the car.

Speaking of Munchkin and rides, she got off Mr. Toad's Wild Ride and announced that she was never going on it again. What we were able to determine is that it wasn't the intensity of the ride so much as it was that she thought she was actually driving the car, and she wasn't doing a good job of it. Hmmm...better ride prep next time.

At the end of the evening we left Disneyland and went over to Disney's California Adventure. We went specifically for, and got there just in time for, the Main Street Electrical Parade. Of course, since it's now not on Main Street, USA, it's just the Disney Electrical Parade. Still, the magic is there - floats that are lit up and sparkly, and the characters are in lighted-up costumes. I think the music is the same as it was when I was little. The most fascinating thing in the parade was Elliot, the dragon from Pete's Dragon. Amazing, since the movie is not available (AFAIK), but the kids were mesmerized by the disappearing dragon. We'll have to see if we can rent it somewhere when we get home.

Once the parade ended, we left the park, watched the fireworks from the plaza in between the two parks, and then headed home (to the hotel).

I had a luncheon today that was sponsored by the Chicago Consultation. The theme was “Doing Justice, Building Communion.” As I walked into the room, Bishop Robinson gave me a nod and said “hello” from across the room. Once he had finished his conversation, he came over and greeted me and we chatted for a few minutes. I thought that was pretty neat, although I was aware that he was acting as greeter for the event. Still, he remembered me, and I'd only met him twice.

I looked down at the name card that I had been given to find that I had been assigned to table number seven. Since part of this event was designed to have us discuss the topic with our table mates, the Chicago Consultation, in their wisdom, sat those of us from the same diocese at different tables. I set off to find table seven. As I found it, I had to pass by Dr. Jenny Te Paa, the "ahorangi" or dean of Te Rau Kahikatea (College of St. John the Evangelist) in Auckland, New Zealand. She is one of the smartest people I have ever heard talk. I saw her speak at the General Convention in Columbus, and she addressed the House of Deputies yesterday, in a speech that can only be described as “transformational”. However, I digress...

So, as I'm passing by Dr. Te Paa, I realize that she, too, is assigned to table seven. Not only that, there is an empty seat next to her. So, I casually meander over to it and place my name card on the table, all the while thinking “Oh. My. God. I'm going to sit next to Jenny Te Paa for this lunchtime discussion.” It turns out that she was one of the speakers for the luncheon, and she delivered another brilliant speech about the Anglican Communion, justice, and the Episcopal Church.

Our discussion was really very good, with all of us at the table sharing our stories of how we came to be interested in the call of justice, or the work of the Chicago Consultation, or the issues facing the Anglican Communion. It was great, if not a little nerve-wracking, to have to tell my story to Jenny (she said I could call her Jenny – how cool), but she was very gracious and as I said, it was a good discussion.

I should mention that also at the table were Bishop Henry Parsley from Alabama, Bishop John Chane from Washington DC, Esther Mombo from Kenya, who also addressed the convention yesterday, and three other deputies.

The other thing that happened today was that we (the House of Deputies) passed Resolution D025, which is our response to Resolution B033. It is a very pastoral response that I believe spells out how we intend to remain in relationship with the rest of the Anglican Communion, while still stating/embracing who we are as an inclusive church. Gay Jennings (the chair of our deputation) is the chair of the World Mission committee, whose members listened to testimony about and debated all of the resolutions that had been presented about this. After the session ended for the day I told her that I thought the resolution that she had presented was a good one and that I had come to Anaheim with the belief that B033 should be overturned. Through the conversations that I had during the week, I came to realize that doing so could cause more pain, and potentially push people out, and the last thing I want to do is exclude anyone. I told Gay that, to me, D025 spoke to exactly where I was with the issue.

Now, will the bishops concur?