Rock. You got to rock on.

Gunter loves music. Zoe loves to dance. This gives them plenty of opportunities to play together, and it gives me so much to laugh about. It really works for all of us. Gunter has this piano that moonlights as a "relectric" guitar. They wanted to play and dance on stage, so this is what happened (see above photo). I was in the other room, and I heard Gunter say to Zoe in a very bossy tone, "you got to rock, Zoe. You got to rock on." Oh, and she did.


Gunter working for the Olympics has given me so many opportunities I never would have had otherwise. Like, sitting on the front row of the closing ceremonies. Who gets to do that? That's Team USA by the way.

Lindsay Vonn got interviewed right next to us. Blizzard was very excited about that.

The Spectacle. I can appreciate that Canada wanted to laugh at themselves a bit, and for us, it worked. But I think a lot of Canadians were rolling their eyes at propogating the canadian stereotypes. I did get a picture of William Shatner (certain of my family and friends will very much appreciate this), but he was so small in the photo, he just looked like a tiny, glowing dot.

Bragging?

I have to brag a little. Yesterday, we went to see the cauldron with Blizzard's family. It looks quite impressive here along the water. But doesn't it seem like we're far away?


Oh yeah, it's because we are far away. Nothing says "class" quite like a chain-link fence. Really, Vancouver? Is that really the best you could do?


I am, exactly at this moment, watching the men's halfpipe gold medal round. So, I thought I'd just step outside to take a picture from my balcony. I know this is kind of a ridiculous photo, but the very highest light you see is Cyprus, the venue where this is taking place. That's it, the halfpipe! Right now! It's true, there is no snow whatsoever up there. During the day, you can see there's a strip of white, and I'm not sure how they've held onto it. They actually had to refund a few thousand standing room tickets because the ground is just too muddy. Sad.

Well, I must get myself to bed. We're waking up early so I can take the kids to stay with their cousins in Seattle, while I come back up and spend 3 days with Blizzard and the celebrities in Whistler. Kiss, kiss!

New Photos

Zoe reminds me here of Abigail Breslin in Little Miss Sunshine.

I don't think I could call myself a good mother if my kids didn't have a try at hockey while we live in Canada.

I love this photo. They both needed a "rest" on our way home from the park.

Grandma will be shocked (shocked!) at this photo. Zoe is pretty good about trying, and liking, new things. While her brother continues his all-hotdog diet.

As for the rest of us, Blizzard has been feverishly getting Whistler ready for all the downhill skiing events. He stayed home Sunday, it was a good day. He had been up at Whistler for 2 weeks straight.

Shrooms

We went for a walk, and found these lovelies:

Not being a friend to the mushroom, I had a little bit of gag reflex.  And yet, I couldn't turn away...

  

Where's the gnome?  Where's the unicorn?  Where am I?  I swear they were real because when I touched them with my well-shoed foot, they moved and had the heft of what I imagine a large, disgusting mushroom would have.  Nor have these cell phone photos been doctored to enhance their red color--I can barely upload photos to this blog!  What are they?  Anyone?

Halloween 2009

Alright, you'd think they'd make moving photos around more user friendly. But! Here are some photos out of order.

We have a little produce shop down the street that has little shopping carts for kids. Gunter & Zoe just love them.

Gunter got a haircut today, and he looks so handsome.

Gunter was in no mood for Halloween this year. Grandma sent him a great Superman costume, which he refused to wear. We spent Halloween with our friends in Bellingham, Washington, and they have a race car driver suit that he finally, after much coaxing, agreed to wear. He was so excited to get candy. We had an action packed weekend, and he was so tired after trick or treating, but still stuck it out for the taste of sugar.

Our friends have a son who we'll call "Duke". Duke is 5. Our kids get along with him and his sister so well, and we always have fun playing with them. Well, Duke and Zoe like to dance together. We went to a Halloween party Friday night, and Zoe found him and made sure they got to dance together on the dance floor. Seeing them dance was so funny, because the dance floor was like a bar room brawl, and it was like in a movie where all the chaos is in slow-motion with no sound but soothing classical music, and the lovers are all alone in the cacophony.

A girl who knew Duke's parents came running up to them and said that Duke and "that girl" just kissed. We laughed and laughed, it still makes me laugh!

Later, on the way to the car, I was asking Zoe if she had fun at the party. She said yes. Then I asked if she gave Duke a little kiss, she said yes, then said, "and again and again and again." She's only 3, but I don't want people calling her "that girl" in reference to kissing boys!

A slipper detail. I am reminded daily that these are slippers, not shoes.

The ensemble. She's worn it at least 3 times a day for about a week and a half now, and I'm not exaggerating.

Not A Fancy But A Friendly Place

Oh, Mexicali.  You really are a nice restaurant.  Your food is humble, but it fills the belly.  Don't look at those restaurants on magazine covers and wonder how you can compare (they're photoshopped anyway).  

This restaurant cracks me up every time I see it.  It just seems to have low self-esteem.  "Please, come in weary traveller.  You must be tired.  We don't have much, but we will offer you what we can."  I love that the sentence structure on the signs doesn't sound remotely mexican in any way.  Mexicali isn't a very good restaurant, and it wasn't even very friendly, but it does provide me with a little chuckle every time I pass it.

The Aquarium

We woke up this morning with a full day ahead of us, if by "full day" you mean, what will we do for the next 12 hours?  Well,  this is always kind of a depressing thought at the dawn of a new day.  And then I remembered my membership to the aquarium.  We went once, at the zenith of the August tourist season, and it was so crowded, we didn't even see everything before Zoe and Gunter began to unravel.  

The thing I like about the Vancouver Aquarium is that it's a real aquarium.  There's no History of the Trout, there's a baby beluga whale!  And sharks, and piranha!  My cell phone photo may not tell the whole story, so let me describe.  The beluga whales are white, and this is the baby riding above her mother.  Isn't that great?  A fabulous way to spend the morning.  And now that the rainy days will begin soon, we'll be doing it a lot.