Mom and Dad's Visit: Sunday
Well, now that we've had our day of rest a day early, we decided to kick the fun up and notch and get to the "Wild Animal Park" (Sundays' adventure) by the time it opens, which is 9am on Sundays. We were at breakfast at Mom and Dad's hotel by 7:30 which means I got out of bed at 6:45 to get ready for the day. Some vacation, eh?
Breakfast naturally started with our mandatory coffee dosage for the day, but also included french toast, bacon, eggs, toast, the gamut. It's a good thing we had to walk for the majority of the day to work off all the calories we took in during that first meal.
When we arrived at the park we enjoyed a nice morning walk in the sunshine... for about 3 minutes. Then it started to rain. And rain, and rain, and rain. We took the tram tour first thing in the morning and saw deer of just about every sort, cows, goats, sheep, rhino, and even wild horses. Our driver had the driest sense of humor ever and by the end of the tour dad was ready to pay him to shut up. It was a hoot! But, here I am, all ready to go out animal seeing in my Safari hat from Gillian and Brad's visit (you and also see a bit of Alan's pith helmet).
Once we got off the tram the rain really started to come down. It spared us a good soaking while we were on a covered tram but now that we were sheltered by only out hats and thin rain jackets it was time to really let us have it. But, being Fishers (actually I'm pretty sure our heritage had nothing to do with it, but it sounds fun) we pressed on and enjoyed the day despite the rain. Our next stop after the tram ride was Lorikeet Landing where we could feed the birds for $2 a person. It's not quite like feeding a whale or a walrus where it's you, some trainers, and one or two whales. It's like you, your family, a hundred birds and you are the bird perch. Oh, 
and birds don't hold their pooh until they're off you. Nope, they just pooh right on you. Nice, eh? So mum and I were covered in birds. On our hands, our shoulders, our arms, and yes, on our heads too! And their tongues have a little brush on the end. Feels so cool if they lick your hand.
By this point mum was all 'birded up' so it was time to go see the aviary show. She was in heaven. An owl landed on a perch about 4' from her head. We saw some hawks, and some other gigantic birds that I couldn't name now. The kicker with this bird show was that the seats were so wet from the rain we had to stand to watch the show. But it was worth it!
Then we tried to feed the giraffe's but they were on the other side of the compound so we decided it was time to see the Elephants. They were super cool. Did some tricks, showed us how mobile and balanced they really are. An elephant can put all it's weight on a 4x4" beam, balanced on 2 feet. It's amazing. I don't think I've ever seen an elephant fall, come to think of it.
By this time, however, dad had had enough of the rain and was looking for the second most important liquid of the day: bee-ah! So, off we went to Gordon Biersch for some lunch and some drier seating. By the time we were done lunch the sun was shining and the rain was all but gone. However, that doesn't mean that the crazies were off the road. In today's lesson, we learned that even the cops can be the "crazies" on San Diego freeways. However, before I get to this I should also mention that we took a drive down to Coronado Island to show Mum and Dad the Coronado Hotel where Royalty always stays when they visit. Even the chandeliers in the hotel are shaped like crowns. SO swanky!
As I may have mentioned before the speed limit on most of the freeways here in San Diego is 65 mph. Which means everyone drives 80. So we're driving 80mph (that's 130km/hr) in relatively busy traffic when low and behold a cop comes flying off an on-ramp and starts WEAVING BACK AND FORTH IN FRONT OF TRAFFIC! Apparently this is common practice for San Diego's finest when one is trying to remove debris off the freeway but I'd never seen it before. It worked great. It took about 2 miles to get everyone to stop and then she just jumped out of her car, grabbed the palm tree detritus, threw it off the freeway, jumped back in her car and was off again like she hadn't just backed up 2 miles of traffic. Go figure!
Games night ensued shortly after we arrived home around 3:30. We played cribbage (I actually got to teach my dad a card game) followed by Scattergories. It was a pretty wicked night, despite taking the parentals home early, again.
Mondays adventures coming soon...
Poppin' Popcorn Part Deux
As per Alan's blog it has been left to me to tell you about "Month 2" of the Popcorn of the Month Club which was our Christmas gift from our friend Ted and James. The first month was great but the second month... wow... popcorn from Hawaii is AMAZING! We received the following six flavors, not four, which comes with it's own disappointment: smaller bags. But, without any further unnecessary ado:
1) White Cheddar Cheese Corn (an oldie but a goodie)
2) Cheddar Cheese Popcorn (which begs the question: what's the difference between popcorn and just "corn"?)
3) Buttery Popcorn (seems a bit traditional but who's gonna argue with more popcorn?)
4) Honey Butter Krunch (M'oh my god, good!)
5) Caramel Macadamia Nut Popcorn (need I say more), and
6) Tropical Fruit Popcorn (the creme de la creme)
I'd have to say that while the first month provided the most interesting flavors of popcorn I'd seen in a long time, the flavors this month were drool-worthy. The Tropical Fruit popcorn only last a day and a half. The Macadamia nut is the favorite this month so we're savoring it!
Thanks again boys!
Who?
| Your 80s Heartthrob Is |
 Jason Bateman |
Destined to be Green!
| Your Leprechaun Name Is: |
 Greenie Ettercap |
Mom and Dad's Visit: Saturday
Ah Saturday, a day without any stringent plans which may or may not have required tickets, passes, line ups and/or ridiculously over-priced food. A day to enjoy the sunshine and bask in the glow that is California. First thing to do: go to Starbucks. And not just any Starbucks; the Starbucks at Fashion Valley which can be accessed via Nordstroms and any other over-priced department store. So that's just what we did: we went to Starbucks by way of Nordstroms.And did I say "no line ups"? I did, I'm sorry. There is always a line up at the Starbucks in Fashion Valley. All the little Valley girls who were out partying the night before are in line on their cell phones revelling in their sexual conquests of the night before, at full volume, while waiting in like for their 4-shot espresso, no fat. In front of my father. I could hardly look at him. My fear was that he was listening to bits and pieces of the not-so-delicate conversation in front of us and thinking "Has my daughter had conversations like this"? When did the genteel woman die and the sex-crazed lunatic take over in women? It's insane.So, about twenty minutes later we had our coffees; dad was just juicing up for a day of shopping so he had his dark Verona coffee, black. Mum had her green tea and Al and I our white chocolate mocha's with peppermint. We also shared a couple of Cinnabon's. Then it was shopping time. Yeah baby! So, the two non-shoppers (that would be Dad and Al) went off to do their manly thing and mom and I made a bee line for Bath and Body Works to get Gillian her body lotion she remembered from her visit down here two months earlier. We did all the girly shops including a visit to Tiffany's, which no woman should ever miss if she has the opportunity to shop at Fashion Valley. We met up with the men an hour and a half later only to discover that Dad was scared (sorry, not interested) in Victoria's Secret but really loved The Discovery Channel store.
From here we headed off to Sea Port Village for some wandering and some sight seeing. That day a statue was erected next to The Midway (a big battle cruiser) of the famous photo of the soldier kissing a nurse after returning from war. It's huge. I don't even come up to the top of her shoe. The actual nurse who was in the photo was there for the unveiling of the statue; she's so tiny. But she showed up in her uniform and little roses and nurse caps were given out to all women in attendance. Sadly we showed up just as things were shutting down but I'm glad it's something that mum and dad got to see. The wind started to pick up just as we were heading away from the port so we decided to head to Ralph's' (our grocery store) to get the fixing's for a good old fashioned fondue. Mum wanted to see what an American grocery store looked like so she now has first hand knowledge. Unfortunately nothing incredibly exciting ensued at the grocery store but we were headed home for an exciting meal, none the less.Dinner was nothing short of fabulous. We had shrimp and chicken and beef and scallops and about 7 different dipping sauces, including one which Alan had picked up the day before at Sea World - a Budweiser product, believe it or not. See, Sea World really is the happiest place on earth. Animals, animals, animals and beer. Does it get better than this?I don't remember what happened after dinner. I do know that our guests weren't with us long; it was another exhausting day and the beds called. An early night for another early tomorrow. Sundays adventure: San Diego's Wild Animal Park.
"I ALMOST DIED!!!"
Recently Alan and I took up boogie boarding. It's something he's been trying to get me into since the last time he tried to drown me at it about 4 years ago. So, last weekend I gave it another shot after he bought me my very own wet suit. We headed out to Pacific Beach to enjoy the warm weather and some waves which were good, but intermittent. We both agreed it was a good time and we should do it again, so we did. Yesterday. However, yesterdays' story is one of a different sort...At about 12:30 we decided to check out the surf report (http://www.surfline.com) for Pacific Beach. The report read that the waves were waist to chest high and rated "poor to fair" due to all the white water. We figured we'd give it a shot anyway because I can go quite a ways out at Pacific Beach due to the shallowness of the water. What the surf report neglected to mention (though I suppose it's common knowledge or something) was that with the frequency of the waves the bottom of the ocean was a bit stirred up and there were really deep pockets if one wasn't paying attention. So I'd be walking along with the water at waist level and then I'd be up to my shoulders. It's a bit unnerving. However, we continued forward and got some great waves. The biggest problem with the water yesterday was the waves were SO frequent that one wave would catch up to the next and die out. But, we had some great fun. After about an hour of crashing around we decided to head in to get some water (fresh water; we had plenty of salt water to dry us out) and take a stroll down the beach. By now it was about 30C. The wet suits were mighty warm out there on the beach so we decided to take a second kick at the can.Here's where the trouble begins. The waves are starting to get a bit bigger and I'm starting to feel a bit braver. So I head out deeper with Alan and catch a HUGE wave. By "huge" I mean it's about 4' over the level of the water (so 8' high 'cuz I'm standing in about 4' of water). However, I got ahead of the wave and got rolled. I did a somersault underwater, propelled by a big wave. Water straight up the nose, in my mouth, even sand in my eyes because I neglected to close my eyes. By some miracle I manged to keep both my contacts in. I decided a I needed a break so I headed in towards shore a bit, to a point where I could touch bottom and actually stand up the constant barrage of the waves. After a few minutes of spitting like a baseball player and relaxing in the shallower water I decided to give it one more try. I now know that if I'm tired "one more try" is a really REALLY bad idea. First thing that happened when I got out there was a wave came in and pulled my feet out from under me. I didn't go under because I was holding on to the board but I could no longer touch the bottom. For me, despite being a strong swimmer, this is where panic sets in. I start flailing about trying to get towards shore and end up getting pulled out farther into the ocean. Now I'm really nervous. I had to call Alan out to come get me. I was sure I was going to drift out to sea and end up in the belly of a whale like some better known fictional characters of our time. However, Alan managed to push me in to a point where I could reach the bottom. Then it happened. Alan is calling it a 10' wave. Which means for all intents and purposes I had a 5' wall of water above my head. I decided to risk it and try to catch the wave. So far so good, I'm on top "OH MY GOD!!!!" The wave pushed me forward and then crashed on top of me. It folded me in half, but not the right way. My feet went up over my head, backwards, so my bum was practically touching the back of my head. Then my face (MY FACE!!!) slammed into the ocean floor at a billion miles an hour. Thankfully this time I had the foresight to close my eyes so I didn't actually see it coming. All I could think was "you'll find the surface eventually". Apparently my board popped up straight out of the water and then two or three seconds alter I surfaced - screaming! Some of you are thinking "Bah, two or three seconds, no big deal". Well, lemme tell ya! When you've just been rocked by a 10' wave, 2 or 3 seconds is a helluva a long time. And the screaming... it was a panicked reaction. I thought my nose was broken. So here's the damage toll: 1 fat bottom lip with "sand burn" on the underside of my lip, 1 fat top lip, one swollen nose, one front tooth which felt like it was going to fall out, and a "sand burned" chin. The fat lips were pretty much back to normal by the time we got home an hour and half later. It looked worse because of the scuffed lower lip. My tooth ended up being fine but I think it tried to dig its way out of my mouth via my lower lip; it's a bit cut up inside. My chin is still relatively pink, as is my nose, which really got the brunt of everything. Somehow I came out of this without any black eyes but my nose is killing me! It's still swollen on the right side; I look like I have my grandfathers nose right now. And the worst part is that it hurts to blow my nose. As for my back - well, we'll see in a day or so. It's really tight; I'm walking like an old lady with a stick up her "you know what". I'm having a very hard time sitting still. All in all, though, my boogie boarding days aren't over. I have a new found respect for mother nature and her ability to dole out the hurt when she feels it necessary but I also feel I have a bit of a vendetta to settle with the waves out at Pacific Beach. I've not been beat; only been given a strong desire to conquer the waves. Until next time, tire side down, green side up, and keep your damn face off the bottom of the ocean!
Cool this is, I think!
While I'm sure James has already seen this I thought I should post it for Ted in case he wants one for his birthday. http://www.thinkgeek.com/computing/bags/817c/
When we arrived at the park we enjoyed a nice morning walk in the sunshine... for about 3 minutes. Then it started to rain. And rain, and rain, and rain. We took the tram tour first thing in the morning and saw deer of just about every sort, cows, goats, sheep, rhino, and even wild horses. Our driver had the driest sense of humor ever and by the end of the tour dad was ready to pay him to shut up. It was a hoot! But, here I am, all ready to go out animal seeing in my Safari hat from Gillian and Brad's visit (you and also see a bit of Alan's pith helmet). 
Once we got off the tram the rain really started to come down. It spared us a good soaking while we were on a covered tram but now that we were sheltered by only out hats and thin rain jackets it was time to really let us have it. But, being Fishers (actually I'm pretty sure our heritage had nothing to do with it, but it sounds fun) we pressed on and enjoyed the day despite the rain. Our next stop after the tram ride was Lorikeet Landing where we could feed the birds for $2 a person. It's not quite like feeding a whale or a walrus where it's you, some trainers, and one or two whales. It's like you, your family, a hundred birds and you are the bird perch. Oh, 
and birds don't hold their pooh until they're off you. Nope, they just pooh right on you. Nice, eh? So mum and I were covered in birds. On our hands, our shoulders, our arms, and yes, on our heads too! And their tongues have a little brush on the end. Feels so cool if they lick your hand.
Then we tried to feed the giraffe's but they were on the other side of the compound so we decided it was time to see the Elephants. They were super cool. Did some tricks, showed us how mobile and balanced they really are. An elephant can put all it's weight on a 4x4" beam, balanced on 2 feet. It's amazing. I don't think I've ever seen an elephant fall, come to think of it.
