Saturday
San Diego Safari Part 2
After the great time seeing the Lorikeets and the people enjoying the Lorikeets we headed back to the branch of the trail and started to head further over the crest of the hill. A very nice formally staged restaurant with tables cloths and silverware is situated on a beautiful shaded deck terrace. There were a few people enjoying the view from the top of the hill down toward the dry revine. A huge balloon was stationed there and as well as a way station.
The elevator to the Safari
We walked over the hill down to a tower looking building that we discovered had an elevator in it. It took people down about 70 feet from the edge of the ravine to the little building at the bottom.
So the power chair, which was getting drained of power once again and us took the elevator deeply into the ravine. The huge balloon was offering stunning viewpoints. I asked if Sue was interested in doing the balloon she said sure. But alas the balloon was grounded due to the winds.
We got down the the little building. We could see that there was sort of a roadway that was provided for expedition vehicles to roar past. We could to seem to find out where we could get on one of these trucks. We noticed on our left side that people were arriving from their zip line adventure.
They were seated on swing seats and they came in in groups of three and fours at one time to a person that unhooked their "swing". Sue thought that it would be a lot of fun for her if she could get past their agility requirements. She might be able to to this with a little more research. Overall that was what we were lacking in total. Assured previous research as to to where to go and what to do. Where are my planners when we need them... Ha!
We were still having the best of times and I was getting some really fine shots of the people enjoying the park together.
Mango Sorbet
We found out that the little building that we had spotted from the top was an ice cream store. One sign touted their new mango sorbet. I convinced Sue that she had to have one of those since mango is her flavor favorite. The mango sorbet was a frozen treat that came from a hollowed out half a mango attached to a stick with the mango sorbet replacing the usual enormous pit and attached mango meat. It was a great treat even at 4.50 a piece.
Once again Rescued by a Golf Cart
We tried to stop a 25 passenger bus with a lift as it passed by. The lady driver said that her lift was broken and therefore could not accommodate our chair. She offered and we accepted to have a golf cart rescue sent by. The golf cart came by and it had a ramp up by the driver's side and was dedicated to handicapped use. Once situated the driver took us right back up to the top of the hill via the backway. It was just as good as both of us had pretty much used our energy bank to get to where we were in the park. Next time we will know that we need to get to the bottom of the hill and get on a Safari vehicle that would take us through the Safari route.
Endangered Species Merry Go Round
Back at the top of the hill we spotted a merry go round. Sue felt a little slighted that she had not been able to get on the one with the rest of us in Disneyland. She was happy to jump on the merry go round that was composed of animals representing endangered species. It was a nice 3 dollar add on. Or for 6 bucks you could ride it all day... imagine that? Sue opted for the sled as it was a pretty tough reach for her to get up on the animals that were moving up and down. There were a half a dozen kids that thought the merry go round was pretty special to, they selected their favorite animals and off it went. Everyone had a great time.
At this point we decided that we had experienced enough of the park for the day. She had a chance to run through the garden store and enjoyed the way they had cactus and other succulents planted for sale.
Animals and their Handlers
On the last hurrah before headed out the gates we stopped at the little grassy stage area where a lady from the park was bringing out animals and describing them. She brought out a frogmouth bird. It looked like an owl. It wasn't and owl and she explained what this one pound animal did to survive. It holds open its mouth which happens to be brilliantly yellow and attracts insects in. Then it swallows them whole. It does not have vicious claws so it depends on its wily to survive in the Indonesian wilderness. When big birds fly overhead it shrinks itself into a column so that it is not noticeable from the tree bark that is its background. Some turkey vultures almost on cue flew by, and sure enough this little bird made itself small and tubular, The specimen that she bought out was 23 years old. It had lived there in the zoo for most of its life. It was born at another zoo.
The lady also brought out a large brown 8 foot constrictor like snake. It knew to stay pretty close to home and she described its origin and what it liked to eat. The crowd seem to love this sort of interpretation of the animals that were brought out.
Hotel Circle in San Diego
We slipped out of the gates and headed to our truck. I set up the phone to guide us to our hotel in the San Diego City's hotel circle. It was a easy drive and the directions got us on Interstate 8 as we headed south and west about 30 miles to the hotel.
Our destination was the Comfort Inn Hotel and Suites. I had paid for two nights on Hotwire.com We got the room, very nicely appointed with a refrigerator and great bead and a full breakfast in the morning for 57 dollars a night. What a deal!
It was night before Easter and the hotel was pretty packed. There were lots of kids in the pool and the parking, an additional 10.50 was pretty full under the hotel. The main desk said that we could avoid that charge by parking out on the street. I opted for the parking because of our lift for the chair on the back of the truck. That night Sue sent me out for take out food. There were no places nearby that I could find, so up on the freeway I had to go. I finally found a Subway in a liquor store in the Sunset area of San Diego. To get back was a bit of a challenge especially since it was now dark. I flipped to maps on my phone and followed the friars road out of the Sea World Island and it got me right back to the hotel.
We both had experienced a great adventure that day and it was nice to let it all calm down out of our heads and bodies and get some rest. For next day was our Easter Day trip to the San Diego Zoo. By all accounts it was just 15 minutes away.
: ) Pat
Friday, May 2, 2014
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Day 3 So Cal Vacation- Tie up Anaheim and head for San Diego
Saturday
Santa Ana Airport
I got the sisters off to Oakland early Saturday morning. Finding the John Wayne airport in the daylight is much easier than in the night. They arrived at the Santa Ana Airport (the other name for this airport around 9am. Their plane took off at 10:30 so they had plenty of time.
I turned off the I5 too soon getting suckered at the Chapman turn off and had a scenic tour of the city of Orange and then Tustin. Eventually I found Keatella, and there is really only one Keattalla... so I headed West and found its intersection with Harbor and everything was cool. By this time there was a traffic jam headed for the park and while I was secretly sorry that we would not be going back today there was a part of me that wanted to take it on even with the crowds.. such a glutton for fun.
Escondido
We had an adventure headed for us today however. We were going down to the San Diego Zoo's Safari Park in Escondido. The night would be spent in Hotel Circle in San Diego, about 35 miles away from the Park.
We packed things up and headed South on the Interstate 5. There were a few slow downs and outright stops as it was clear that this was a holiday crowd on the freeway. We passed San Onofre
with its huge nuecular dome and San Juan Capistrano and San Clemente. The traffic started to slow down as we came close the Marine Base at Camp Pendleton. Still we slipped down the coast and headed inland at the juncture of I5 and the road to Escondido.
Escondido was the place that Dad went to high school before he signed on and shipped out to be a part of the Navy in World War II. He spent many of his High School years living by himself, going to school and milking cows and picking lemons for his support. This town has surely gown up since Dad was here 70 years ago. Parts of the town that we discovered looking for the right road were still that little old mom and pop store downtown that you would expect off the beaten path. Some of the major roads were filled with the usual big box stores and fast food franchises.
Through all of this somehow we found the named road that would take us to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. Coming our of Escondido it is spindly road that follows along the crest of a rolling hill than dives down and meets the connecting road to Romona on the East and further west to Interstate 8 that eventually dumps into San Diego. Coincidentally, this freeway connected to our overnight spot on the Hotel Circle in San Diego.
San Diego Zoo Safari Park
We made the requisite left turn and headed up the hill to the parking lot. There was a difference in cost between priority parking and general parking but it was waved as we got out our handicapped parking placard. The parking attendant told us that we could park anywhere we wanted. We were aware of the strength of the power chair battery so we picked one that was close to the entrance. There was a big line to get in but someone from the park said that the people handling the memberships could also do the daily entrance. For some people the 45 dollar admission was a hard gulp. If we were to do it again, I think that we would have stayed an extra day in San Diego and bought the 118 dollar 7 day consecutive admissions that would also include Sea World in the package. This is available through Costco.
The diversity and value is enormous in this park and the San Diego Zoo proper. In this park we waltzed through the gift shops and found some pretty cool things. One of them was a hat for me. The hat is similar to my walking hat at home but it actually fits over my head and comes down on the tops of my ears. It is tan with vents in the crown. It has a leather brim strip that allows for it to be held on the chin to avoid losing it to the wind. It is pretty hard to find a hat that would fit me but here it was and just in time for the African savannah or what we thought was going to be a truck tour of this animals in wild environments.
Flamingos from Chile
We stopped at the flamingos, they were from Chile instead of the usual Caribbean or African ones. Their feathers are a very pale pastel pink. The ducks were busy grabbing food in the water from kids all to happy to throw some pellets they got from the 50 cent feed machines.
Meerkats
We had to stop and look at the meerkats. They were pretty close to the crowd. These little creatures are pretty loveable until you take a look at their claws. The live in underground burrows that they dig themselves. A TV series featured their activities on the Animal Planet. It was named Meerkat Manor. It ran for four seasons until it was canceled in 2008. There are about a dozen in Safari colony. Sue watched one of them come over to the glass and pee in the corner. Then another came over to smell it. A little 8 year old wanted an explanation of what they were doing. Sue was happy to provide it.
Gorillas
We had a look at the extensive gorilla exhibit which had a couple of families working our their life as the excited tourists including me fired off multiple digital images. One reserved photographer with a lens the size we would have loved to use shooting sports photography, was set up in the corner with a tripod,ready to capture the family unit. In the meantime the tourists were pitching out rationals for the behaviors they were observing like a screenwriter cranking our soap opera scripts. The photographer behind his camera showed a sly gin that basically disputed their rationalities. Strictly suppose alls.
We headed down over the hill and came to the lemur exhibit. A camera crew was set up to take photos of the families as they arrive. The were taken in font of a green screen. The pitch, we will put lemurs all over you. Lemurs have grown in popularity with the release of the movie Madagascar.
Lorikeets
We snaked around on this level of the terrace to come an unusual exhibit. There were kids and adults lined up to buy little cups of nectar. Right beside the stand was a bird double entrance. People go in one door let it close then go into the next so that the birds do not escape. Inside was a most unusual set of small parrots from Australia that have specialized tongues that feed on the nectar or flowers and berries. They are called Lorikeets. Kids would get a cup of nectar and feed these birds from tiny plastic cups of nectar that they had purchased. Sue was all about remembering to get the nectar the next time we were in the park.
More tomorrow on our San Diego Zoo Safari Day. : ) Pat
Santa Ana Airport
I got the sisters off to Oakland early Saturday morning. Finding the John Wayne airport in the daylight is much easier than in the night. They arrived at the Santa Ana Airport (the other name for this airport around 9am. Their plane took off at 10:30 so they had plenty of time.
I turned off the I5 too soon getting suckered at the Chapman turn off and had a scenic tour of the city of Orange and then Tustin. Eventually I found Keatella, and there is really only one Keattalla... so I headed West and found its intersection with Harbor and everything was cool. By this time there was a traffic jam headed for the park and while I was secretly sorry that we would not be going back today there was a part of me that wanted to take it on even with the crowds.. such a glutton for fun.
Escondido
We had an adventure headed for us today however. We were going down to the San Diego Zoo's Safari Park in Escondido. The night would be spent in Hotel Circle in San Diego, about 35 miles away from the Park.
We packed things up and headed South on the Interstate 5. There were a few slow downs and outright stops as it was clear that this was a holiday crowd on the freeway. We passed San Onofre
with its huge nuecular dome and San Juan Capistrano and San Clemente. The traffic started to slow down as we came close the Marine Base at Camp Pendleton. Still we slipped down the coast and headed inland at the juncture of I5 and the road to Escondido.
Escondido was the place that Dad went to high school before he signed on and shipped out to be a part of the Navy in World War II. He spent many of his High School years living by himself, going to school and milking cows and picking lemons for his support. This town has surely gown up since Dad was here 70 years ago. Parts of the town that we discovered looking for the right road were still that little old mom and pop store downtown that you would expect off the beaten path. Some of the major roads were filled with the usual big box stores and fast food franchises.
Through all of this somehow we found the named road that would take us to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. Coming our of Escondido it is spindly road that follows along the crest of a rolling hill than dives down and meets the connecting road to Romona on the East and further west to Interstate 8 that eventually dumps into San Diego. Coincidentally, this freeway connected to our overnight spot on the Hotel Circle in San Diego.
San Diego Zoo Safari Park
We made the requisite left turn and headed up the hill to the parking lot. There was a difference in cost between priority parking and general parking but it was waved as we got out our handicapped parking placard. The parking attendant told us that we could park anywhere we wanted. We were aware of the strength of the power chair battery so we picked one that was close to the entrance. There was a big line to get in but someone from the park said that the people handling the memberships could also do the daily entrance. For some people the 45 dollar admission was a hard gulp. If we were to do it again, I think that we would have stayed an extra day in San Diego and bought the 118 dollar 7 day consecutive admissions that would also include Sea World in the package. This is available through Costco.
The diversity and value is enormous in this park and the San Diego Zoo proper. In this park we waltzed through the gift shops and found some pretty cool things. One of them was a hat for me. The hat is similar to my walking hat at home but it actually fits over my head and comes down on the tops of my ears. It is tan with vents in the crown. It has a leather brim strip that allows for it to be held on the chin to avoid losing it to the wind. It is pretty hard to find a hat that would fit me but here it was and just in time for the African savannah or what we thought was going to be a truck tour of this animals in wild environments.
Flamingos from Chile
We stopped at the flamingos, they were from Chile instead of the usual Caribbean or African ones. Their feathers are a very pale pastel pink. The ducks were busy grabbing food in the water from kids all to happy to throw some pellets they got from the 50 cent feed machines.
Meerkats
We had to stop and look at the meerkats. They were pretty close to the crowd. These little creatures are pretty loveable until you take a look at their claws. The live in underground burrows that they dig themselves. A TV series featured their activities on the Animal Planet. It was named Meerkat Manor. It ran for four seasons until it was canceled in 2008. There are about a dozen in Safari colony. Sue watched one of them come over to the glass and pee in the corner. Then another came over to smell it. A little 8 year old wanted an explanation of what they were doing. Sue was happy to provide it.
Gorillas
We had a look at the extensive gorilla exhibit which had a couple of families working our their life as the excited tourists including me fired off multiple digital images. One reserved photographer with a lens the size we would have loved to use shooting sports photography, was set up in the corner with a tripod,ready to capture the family unit. In the meantime the tourists were pitching out rationals for the behaviors they were observing like a screenwriter cranking our soap opera scripts. The photographer behind his camera showed a sly gin that basically disputed their rationalities. Strictly suppose alls.
We headed down over the hill and came to the lemur exhibit. A camera crew was set up to take photos of the families as they arrive. The were taken in font of a green screen. The pitch, we will put lemurs all over you. Lemurs have grown in popularity with the release of the movie Madagascar.
Lorikeets
We snaked around on this level of the terrace to come an unusual exhibit. There were kids and adults lined up to buy little cups of nectar. Right beside the stand was a bird double entrance. People go in one door let it close then go into the next so that the birds do not escape. Inside was a most unusual set of small parrots from Australia that have specialized tongues that feed on the nectar or flowers and berries. They are called Lorikeets. Kids would get a cup of nectar and feed these birds from tiny plastic cups of nectar that they had purchased. Sue was all about remembering to get the nectar the next time we were in the park.
More tomorrow on our San Diego Zoo Safari Day. : ) Pat
Monday, April 28, 2014
Part 2 Southern California April Vacation
Friday
Bright and early we all took a vow to get out there earlier than we had the day before. The result... maybe a half an hour earlier. We were all enjoying being somewhere else which was okay. Sue needed some extra time to get ready and eyes open so we headed across the street for some Coco restaurant sustenance.
California Adventure Day
Back to the Crowne, we loaded up and headed out to the park. I am always happy to let Linzi drive the expedition as it takes a little pressure off of me. We had anticipated a bigger crowd at the park. This day was good Friday and some people get to get off early for religious services. We decided to make the day a California Adventure Park day. It was a pretty good move.
Sue loves the gift shops on the avenue of this park. They seem to be an extension of the Downtown Disney venue so lots of plush animals plus everything else.
The little Mermaid attraction was down for some repairs and the line was 40 minutes for Soaring Over California. So we got some fast past times. They pass out little cards that allow you to jump the line for a particular time period if you get their reservation.
Soaring over California has always one of Sue's favorite rides. To describe it to most people it would sound much more risky than it is. The passengers sit in rows and rows of swing set steel seats. The swing set rows are lifted to up into a huge circular screen while your feet dangle freely below your seat. This movement gives you an unobstructed 180 degree vision as you travel in a hang glider by video over various California scenes. Once up into the screen, the swing seats do not move. Sue tells me that she still hangs on for dear life even though she knows it is perfectly safe. It is really a fabulous ride and drags in a huge amount of people at one time to "Soar Over California." In a previous time, we watched as a mentally nervous person tried to board the ride. His first reaction was that he did not want to stand in line. He attacked the attendant with all sorts of nasty comments about how many people were allowed to ride at a time and why was it so slow. The attendant calmly told him that this ride processed more people in and out of it than any ride in Disneyland or California adventure. When it got right down to it he was just too nervous to ride on it anyway and had to take an early exit before everyone was seated. This is really an easy ride to be on and there are no surprises.. it just looks a little scary.
Aladdin the Stage Show
Our next adventure was the Aladdin Stage show. This typifies what I always miss in modern theme parks. There is nothing like the shmaltz of Broadway Musical. This show does not disappoint. The theater is massive and it was filled to the brim as we waited for to me shown inside. Those with power chairs and their connected families sit right down in front as it is easier if they have an issue to exit early.
Aladdin is a great story of a poor boy trying to get noticed by the princess who is trying to find a suitable husband. Disney uses many of the staging that they used with the Lion King in the Aladdin. And this show costs no more than your admission to California Adventure. The show is not as long as the Lion King but there are some memorable songs that came out of the animated movie. My favorite is sung by the Genie.. "You'll Never have a Friend like me." The cast keeps it topical with references to current events. Sue, who admittedly is not a musical fan said after seeing this that she could stay and see that show again.
Throughout the show the cast uses the aisles and the overhead to make the show even more interactive. It really something not to be missed. The thousands that line up for the performances could testify to its value.
We got separated outside of the show we were to meet up at the corn dog palace. Its a great spot on in the Wharf area that specializes in various corn dog delights. It also does cheese corn dogs and hot link corn dogs. It might be in the top 5 of all cheese dog restaurants (reference Sean).
We thought that they were headed to the one on mainstreet by Monsters University. Luckily we were in contact with cell phones and corrected out moves.
At this time Sue was almost out of power and she had found a post that had a power connection that she plugged into to give her powerchair a little more life. When we met up, Sue and Heather headed to the shopping area and Linzi and Pat got a chance to take in a session at the animator's studio. This is a great place to sit right down and learn how to draw one of the characters in the Disneyl ine up with one of the Disney animators. It dose not get better than that. the little theatre had the animator down below with a projector on his board and each seat had a huge drawing board and a pencil to follow along.
We worked on Sulley, the big blue Monster from Monsters Inc and Monster University. It was really fun. There were artists of all abilities and ages that participated in the event. In the end we signed off the drawing and got to keep it.Throughout the day there are different characters drawn as the animators guide each group into the hints and specialties of the character.
When we met up with Sue she was in the same shape as her power chair, happily tired and out of power.
Sue and I headed back to the hotel via and parking shuttle and the sisters had a chance to do some Disney on their own.
Bonus Time with the Sisters!
That evening, I got a message from the sisters that they were up on the top floor of Tortilla Joe's in Downtown Disney. It was about 5:30. They were having top drawer margaritas and enjoying the cool breeze. When I arrived there was a line of significant size waiting to get a table there. We watched as the waiters made big tables out of small tables and stole chairs from one place to another. We asked if we could be seated at a table to get served. This is usually not a problem. Tonight it was a problem as all the folks were waiting for tables outside the restaurant. The sisters were pretty amazed at the lines as we abandoned the perch and headed to Disneyland to have some fried chicken at the Plaza. AS we left we took a look at Tortilla Joes. It looked like good Mexican food but seemed overpriced.
The walk into Disneyland was easy and so was the Plaza fried chicken. It is one of the best deals in the park. We chose two plates and the three of us ate off of it perfectly. It came with mashed potatoes and gravy and green beans.
We headed to Star Tours to avoid the fireworks. This tour started up with Darth Vader and backwards movement. It was one version that I had never been on. We almost missed the fireworks but there were some residuals as we rolled through the gift shop.
The trip would not be complete without a stop at Captain EO's.... Were going in! The show was as good as always and the 3D is something else even now.
At this time we decided that we had had enough and took the shuttle to the parking and headed back to the hotel.
Everyone had given it all they had without getting grumpy so what more could you want?
Happy Easter VACAY Disneyland.
Bright and early we all took a vow to get out there earlier than we had the day before. The result... maybe a half an hour earlier. We were all enjoying being somewhere else which was okay. Sue needed some extra time to get ready and eyes open so we headed across the street for some Coco restaurant sustenance.
California Adventure Day
Back to the Crowne, we loaded up and headed out to the park. I am always happy to let Linzi drive the expedition as it takes a little pressure off of me. We had anticipated a bigger crowd at the park. This day was good Friday and some people get to get off early for religious services. We decided to make the day a California Adventure Park day. It was a pretty good move.
Sue loves the gift shops on the avenue of this park. They seem to be an extension of the Downtown Disney venue so lots of plush animals plus everything else.
The little Mermaid attraction was down for some repairs and the line was 40 minutes for Soaring Over California. So we got some fast past times. They pass out little cards that allow you to jump the line for a particular time period if you get their reservation.
Soaring over California has always one of Sue's favorite rides. To describe it to most people it would sound much more risky than it is. The passengers sit in rows and rows of swing set steel seats. The swing set rows are lifted to up into a huge circular screen while your feet dangle freely below your seat. This movement gives you an unobstructed 180 degree vision as you travel in a hang glider by video over various California scenes. Once up into the screen, the swing seats do not move. Sue tells me that she still hangs on for dear life even though she knows it is perfectly safe. It is really a fabulous ride and drags in a huge amount of people at one time to "Soar Over California." In a previous time, we watched as a mentally nervous person tried to board the ride. His first reaction was that he did not want to stand in line. He attacked the attendant with all sorts of nasty comments about how many people were allowed to ride at a time and why was it so slow. The attendant calmly told him that this ride processed more people in and out of it than any ride in Disneyland or California adventure. When it got right down to it he was just too nervous to ride on it anyway and had to take an early exit before everyone was seated. This is really an easy ride to be on and there are no surprises.. it just looks a little scary.
Aladdin the Stage Show
Our next adventure was the Aladdin Stage show. This typifies what I always miss in modern theme parks. There is nothing like the shmaltz of Broadway Musical. This show does not disappoint. The theater is massive and it was filled to the brim as we waited for to me shown inside. Those with power chairs and their connected families sit right down in front as it is easier if they have an issue to exit early.
Aladdin is a great story of a poor boy trying to get noticed by the princess who is trying to find a suitable husband. Disney uses many of the staging that they used with the Lion King in the Aladdin. And this show costs no more than your admission to California Adventure. The show is not as long as the Lion King but there are some memorable songs that came out of the animated movie. My favorite is sung by the Genie.. "You'll Never have a Friend like me." The cast keeps it topical with references to current events. Sue, who admittedly is not a musical fan said after seeing this that she could stay and see that show again.
Throughout the show the cast uses the aisles and the overhead to make the show even more interactive. It really something not to be missed. The thousands that line up for the performances could testify to its value.
We got separated outside of the show we were to meet up at the corn dog palace. Its a great spot on in the Wharf area that specializes in various corn dog delights. It also does cheese corn dogs and hot link corn dogs. It might be in the top 5 of all cheese dog restaurants (reference Sean).
We thought that they were headed to the one on mainstreet by Monsters University. Luckily we were in contact with cell phones and corrected out moves.
At this time Sue was almost out of power and she had found a post that had a power connection that she plugged into to give her powerchair a little more life. When we met up, Sue and Heather headed to the shopping area and Linzi and Pat got a chance to take in a session at the animator's studio. This is a great place to sit right down and learn how to draw one of the characters in the Disneyl ine up with one of the Disney animators. It dose not get better than that. the little theatre had the animator down below with a projector on his board and each seat had a huge drawing board and a pencil to follow along.
We worked on Sulley, the big blue Monster from Monsters Inc and Monster University. It was really fun. There were artists of all abilities and ages that participated in the event. In the end we signed off the drawing and got to keep it.Throughout the day there are different characters drawn as the animators guide each group into the hints and specialties of the character.
When we met up with Sue she was in the same shape as her power chair, happily tired and out of power.
Sue and I headed back to the hotel via and parking shuttle and the sisters had a chance to do some Disney on their own.
Bonus Time with the Sisters!
That evening, I got a message from the sisters that they were up on the top floor of Tortilla Joe's in Downtown Disney. It was about 5:30. They were having top drawer margaritas and enjoying the cool breeze. When I arrived there was a line of significant size waiting to get a table there. We watched as the waiters made big tables out of small tables and stole chairs from one place to another. We asked if we could be seated at a table to get served. This is usually not a problem. Tonight it was a problem as all the folks were waiting for tables outside the restaurant. The sisters were pretty amazed at the lines as we abandoned the perch and headed to Disneyland to have some fried chicken at the Plaza. AS we left we took a look at Tortilla Joes. It looked like good Mexican food but seemed overpriced.
The walk into Disneyland was easy and so was the Plaza fried chicken. It is one of the best deals in the park. We chose two plates and the three of us ate off of it perfectly. It came with mashed potatoes and gravy and green beans.
We headed to Star Tours to avoid the fireworks. This tour started up with Darth Vader and backwards movement. It was one version that I had never been on. We almost missed the fireworks but there were some residuals as we rolled through the gift shop.
The trip would not be complete without a stop at Captain EO's.... Were going in! The show was as good as always and the 3D is something else even now.
At this time we decided that we had had enough and took the shuttle to the parking and headed back to the hotel.
Everyone had given it all they had without getting grumpy so what more could you want?
Happy Easter VACAY Disneyland.
Sunday, April 27, 2014
Observations from the So Cal Vacation
We just returned from a great 6 day vacation in Southern California. We are roughly five and a half hours away from Anaheim our first stop along the vacation trip. We left a little late and suffered through some stopped traffic along our route so that it actually took us 6 and half hours to get down there.
It was April in Southern California. The weather is pretty hard to predict. We have been there before and it was icy cold and rainy during our visit to Disneyland. This year's weather was not uncomfortable but not rainy or hot. Easter is very late this year. Our trip occurred just before Easter. Starting on Wednesday night, we were out of the Anaheim area on Saturday morning.
The park was not packed but it was full. Spring break for the kids in school, with testing and the like can occur almost any time in March or April. The week before Easter was the traditional time we had Easter Break.
Wednesday Night
We decided to meet the kids (our daughters) down in Orange County for three nights and two days at Disneyland. They met together in Oakland and flew down together. We picked them up Wednesday night at John Wayne Airport and drove them back to our hotel in Garden Grove, about four miles away. Our youngest daughter, flew down from Seattle, our eldest daughter had to work late on Wednesday so she made it over to Oakland and together they flew down. It all worked out. I picked them up at the airport and immediately made a wrong turn and ended up at UC Irving looking for a freeway that would take us back to the hotel. My tech savy daughters used the map function and Siri on their Iphones to get us back on track and headed on the right highway to our hotel rooms.
Sue and I had arrived earlier and had hidden a couple of bags of chocolate Sees foil Easter eggs in their room. When they arrived they had a great time together trying to find all of the eggs. You are never too old for a good Easter egg hunt. They loved it. We had a blast finding tricky spots to hide the eggs in the hotel room.
Our hotel, the Crowne Plaza Hotel is a great 3 star hotel with a great customer approval rating through Hotwire.com. We have stayed here before and like its accessibility to the park independently of the Disney parking shuttles. We got great 5th floor with super beds and quiet surroundings. This is pretty amazing considering that the hotel was also occupied by masses of Korean tourists with their tour guide and 7 busloads of junior high school band students from Belmont, California there for a band review and workshops. Many of the band members had parents traveling with them trailing the bus and a group of adult chaperones. The only time I saw the kids a little out of control was when they tried to have a soccer match on the Mezzanine level.
Thursday
The next morning the girls and I walked across the street to the Cocos and had breakfast. Also, next to the Cocos is a giant Target. We are always happy to see this as we seem to forget one thing or another that makes a trip to Target an easy connection.
Sue was up when we got back and Linzi drove us to the Chip and Dale parking lot. It was full so we were redirected to the Buz Light Year Parking lot. We got our own bus that knelled and produced a ramp for the powerchair to zoom up. We let the people know that Sue could "transfer" (move out of her powerchair once it was positioned.) They are always happy to hear that. They were also happy to hear that we had lift connections so that they could attach their straps to the sides and save several more complicated moves to secure the chair to the floor of the bus.
We made it into the Disneyland Park with little line. Sue wanted to do the small world attraction first. We made our way to it and had a great time people watching along the way. It was lunch time so we decided to do the Carnation dinning area on Main Steet. It was a great place. As in most places we bought dinner for three and shared them around to feed four. Its a great equation for us. I ordered a hamburger that had a a fried egg on it. The girls ordered a couple of spinach salads with dried cranberries and hard boiled egg slices. The appetizer was deep fried pickles.. much better than it sounds.
Mom's next choice was Pirates of the Caribbean. The girls split off and did gift shops instead. Sue is a connoisseur of Pirates and delights at all the differences that they have made since that last time that she had rolled down the waterfalls in the little boats.
We tried to do Peter Pan next, but its line even for that handicapped entrance was too long and they were taking names for a return, Its appeal is getting on a ski lift sort of boat as it travels over the city of London in the dark. Alice in Wonderland was down for repairs and that could have send more people to Peter Pan.
We took a ride on the Mark Twain steamship. Having Sue with us allowed us first dibs at the bow seats. It was the first time the girls had ever had a chance to be at the front of the ship as it made its way around on the Rivers of America. How fun. We were the first on and the last off.
Sue had a great time in the gift shops. She bought a new watch. It has a subtle mickey in a white face with a clear plastic band. She likes to get a new watch each time. It is practical souvenir and most of the watches are not available on line or in any other store. She also bought some small silver Tinkerbell earrings.
Sue and I did the horseshoe review. It was not as great a show as it used to be. No dancing ladies just a cowboy country comedy routine. It was a nice place to stop and share a mint ice cream sundae.
After that we all met up and headed through the throngs of people stopped to watch the parade. At one point we were concerned with Ariel as she looked too animated on her seaweed pedestal high above the crowd. We headed out the gates and got on our shuttle to the parking lot.
Power chair battery stamina is always in the back our mind so the batteries were pretty drained by the time we headed back to the room.
That night we ate at Outback and had a great dinner.
It was April in Southern California. The weather is pretty hard to predict. We have been there before and it was icy cold and rainy during our visit to Disneyland. This year's weather was not uncomfortable but not rainy or hot. Easter is very late this year. Our trip occurred just before Easter. Starting on Wednesday night, we were out of the Anaheim area on Saturday morning.
The park was not packed but it was full. Spring break for the kids in school, with testing and the like can occur almost any time in March or April. The week before Easter was the traditional time we had Easter Break.
Wednesday Night
We decided to meet the kids (our daughters) down in Orange County for three nights and two days at Disneyland. They met together in Oakland and flew down together. We picked them up Wednesday night at John Wayne Airport and drove them back to our hotel in Garden Grove, about four miles away. Our youngest daughter, flew down from Seattle, our eldest daughter had to work late on Wednesday so she made it over to Oakland and together they flew down. It all worked out. I picked them up at the airport and immediately made a wrong turn and ended up at UC Irving looking for a freeway that would take us back to the hotel. My tech savy daughters used the map function and Siri on their Iphones to get us back on track and headed on the right highway to our hotel rooms.
Sue and I had arrived earlier and had hidden a couple of bags of chocolate Sees foil Easter eggs in their room. When they arrived they had a great time together trying to find all of the eggs. You are never too old for a good Easter egg hunt. They loved it. We had a blast finding tricky spots to hide the eggs in the hotel room.
Our hotel, the Crowne Plaza Hotel is a great 3 star hotel with a great customer approval rating through Hotwire.com. We have stayed here before and like its accessibility to the park independently of the Disney parking shuttles. We got great 5th floor with super beds and quiet surroundings. This is pretty amazing considering that the hotel was also occupied by masses of Korean tourists with their tour guide and 7 busloads of junior high school band students from Belmont, California there for a band review and workshops. Many of the band members had parents traveling with them trailing the bus and a group of adult chaperones. The only time I saw the kids a little out of control was when they tried to have a soccer match on the Mezzanine level.
Thursday
The next morning the girls and I walked across the street to the Cocos and had breakfast. Also, next to the Cocos is a giant Target. We are always happy to see this as we seem to forget one thing or another that makes a trip to Target an easy connection.
Sue was up when we got back and Linzi drove us to the Chip and Dale parking lot. It was full so we were redirected to the Buz Light Year Parking lot. We got our own bus that knelled and produced a ramp for the powerchair to zoom up. We let the people know that Sue could "transfer" (move out of her powerchair once it was positioned.) They are always happy to hear that. They were also happy to hear that we had lift connections so that they could attach their straps to the sides and save several more complicated moves to secure the chair to the floor of the bus.
We made it into the Disneyland Park with little line. Sue wanted to do the small world attraction first. We made our way to it and had a great time people watching along the way. It was lunch time so we decided to do the Carnation dinning area on Main Steet. It was a great place. As in most places we bought dinner for three and shared them around to feed four. Its a great equation for us. I ordered a hamburger that had a a fried egg on it. The girls ordered a couple of spinach salads with dried cranberries and hard boiled egg slices. The appetizer was deep fried pickles.. much better than it sounds.
Mom's next choice was Pirates of the Caribbean. The girls split off and did gift shops instead. Sue is a connoisseur of Pirates and delights at all the differences that they have made since that last time that she had rolled down the waterfalls in the little boats.
We tried to do Peter Pan next, but its line even for that handicapped entrance was too long and they were taking names for a return, Its appeal is getting on a ski lift sort of boat as it travels over the city of London in the dark. Alice in Wonderland was down for repairs and that could have send more people to Peter Pan.
We took a ride on the Mark Twain steamship. Having Sue with us allowed us first dibs at the bow seats. It was the first time the girls had ever had a chance to be at the front of the ship as it made its way around on the Rivers of America. How fun. We were the first on and the last off.
Sue had a great time in the gift shops. She bought a new watch. It has a subtle mickey in a white face with a clear plastic band. She likes to get a new watch each time. It is practical souvenir and most of the watches are not available on line or in any other store. She also bought some small silver Tinkerbell earrings.
Sue and I did the horseshoe review. It was not as great a show as it used to be. No dancing ladies just a cowboy country comedy routine. It was a nice place to stop and share a mint ice cream sundae.
After that we all met up and headed through the throngs of people stopped to watch the parade. At one point we were concerned with Ariel as she looked too animated on her seaweed pedestal high above the crowd. We headed out the gates and got on our shuttle to the parking lot.
Power chair battery stamina is always in the back our mind so the batteries were pretty drained by the time we headed back to the room.
That night we ate at Outback and had a great dinner.
Sunday, March 2, 2014
Honey Roasted Ribs
It looks like the world is conspiring against your baby back ribs on special. I got two racks of baby backs for 5 dollars each. But alas.. its raining outside and that precludes using the barbeque.. which by way has not been checked out for spring/summer use yet.
What to do? What to do? I looked up this oven approach from Cooks Country.. February/March 2013. My previous approaches with this this via slow cooker or pressure cooker were not spectacular. I dumped prepared barbeque sauce on and let her rip.. No so good. This recipe... which calls for a roasting pan and dutch oven.. for the sauce no less is nothing short of spectacular.. I even substituted a half cup of blue agave sweetener for the full cup of hone and it is one serious marinade sauce... don't forget the cayenne pepper at the end for that kick.. you may even use a little more if you are after some heat in those ribs. This is much better than any bottled barbeque sauce. I could see using this on chicken as well... The timing noted would change. Overall I was pretty impressed with this recipe.
From the recipe:
What to do? What to do? I looked up this oven approach from Cooks Country.. February/March 2013. My previous approaches with this this via slow cooker or pressure cooker were not spectacular. I dumped prepared barbeque sauce on and let her rip.. No so good. This recipe... which calls for a roasting pan and dutch oven.. for the sauce no less is nothing short of spectacular.. I even substituted a half cup of blue agave sweetener for the full cup of hone and it is one serious marinade sauce... don't forget the cayenne pepper at the end for that kick.. you may even use a little more if you are after some heat in those ribs. This is much better than any bottled barbeque sauce. I could see using this on chicken as well... The timing noted would change. Overall I was pretty impressed with this recipe.
From the recipe:
To get ribs from the oven that actually have flavor, we found that
marinating was key. Plenty of honey goes into our marinade, along with
soy sauce, vinegar, mustard, and a pinch of cayenne to balance out the
sweetness. After an hour of soaking up flavor, the ribs go into the oven
covered, where they steam to tenderness. We boil down the leftover
marinade to make a tangy-sweet glaze that we brush on the ribs during
the last half-hour of cooking. After the ribs are sliced, a final toss
in even more glaze gives us a thick, perfectly lacquered coating.
less
less
Serves 4
Cutting the racks into thirds allows them to fit into the plastic bags to marinate. The used marinade is boiled and transformed into a glaze for the ribs.Ingredients
- 2 (2 1/2- to 3-pound) racks baby back ribs, trimmed, membranes removed, each rack cut into 3 equal pieces
- 1 cup honey (I substituted half a cup of Blue Agave Sweet to make up a full cup)
- 5 tablespoons soy sauce (I used lite kikoman)
- 1/4 cup cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
- 4 scallions, white parts minced, green parts sliced thin
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- Kosher salt and pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (Vary the heat heat here.. as it stands it is like the heat in Panda's orange chicken sauce)
Instructions
-
1. Divide ribs between two 1-gallon zipper-lock bags. Whisk honey, soy sauce, vinegar, mustard, scallion whites, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, and cayenne together in bowl. Divide marinade between bags, seal, and turn to coat ribs evenly with marinade. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours, turning bags occasionally. (I refrigerated it for 2 hours)2. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and set wire rack in sheet. Add enough warm tap water to cover entire bottom of sheet (about 2 cups). Transfer ribs, meaty side up, to prepared wire rack; reserve marinade in refrigerator. Tent ribs loosely with foil and bake for 1¼ hours. Uncover ribs and continue cooking until just tender, about 1 hour longer. (I used a covered roaster and a plastic moldable green roast elevator from Sur la Tab that my daughter gave me)3. Bring reserved marinade to boil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat and cook until thickened to glaze consistency, about 5 minutes. Brush ribs with 1/3 cup glaze, return to oven, and continue to cook until glaze begins to bubble and ribs are brown, 15 to 30 minutes. Transfer ribs to cutting board (leave hot water and sheet in oven to cool), tent loosely with foil, and let rest for 10 minutes. (This step seems to make it reasonable for chicken the dutch oven will allow it to safely get to that barbeque sauce consistency)4. Cut ribs between bones, add to Dutch oven, and toss to coat with remaining glaze. Transfer to platter and sprinkle with scallion greens and ½ teaspoon salt. Serve.
Monday, February 17, 2014
Frost Tender is Gone
The weekend marks the beginning of the gardening season.
It is the end of the period of time that plants and flowers grown in the area can be damaged by overnight frost. If a frost occurs after this date, it would a a totally unpredictable frost. This doesn't mean that it is time to set out the tomatoes and the summer garden. The tomatoes would just sit and shiver in the evening and would work all the daylight ours to overcome the cold of the night. The real start of their growth occurs when the night time temperatures are over 50 degrees. Right now our overnight temperatures swing around 40 degrees. This is why it is good time to start tomatoes in the little peat pellets that expand in water to protect the seed. It takes a while for tomatoes to get past the seed time and develop their root structure. Maybe I will have some planting boxes made by then to allow them to grow and produce the one thing that Sue likes from the garden... fresh tomatoes. I am planting both early girl and a beefsteak hybrid from seeds this week. They will occupy the window sill as they grow. Later they will be transferred to small peat bots with planting soil and then to bigger containers before being tempered outdoors and eventually nurtured in the soil.
This is the perfect time for the fruit trees to blossom. The pluot trees have been blooming for about a week and a half. The peach trees in the front are just starting to bloom. It is interesting in that it looks like the peaches will not have much of a crop if you looked at their bloom at this stage. These trees start off with just a bloom here and there and eventually become a tree of pink.
The pluot trees take the side of the plum trees and have very white blooms with dark red centers. Nectarines take the side of the peach and have hot pink blooms. The pluots, half plum and half apricot take after the plum in fruit. They vary in color and taste depending on the parents of their linage.
The pomegranate will not bloom until it has green leaves throughout the plant. The kumquat has maintained its crop throughout the winter and provides a nice display of grape sized fruit right near the sidewalk. The lemon tree was hammered pretty solidly early this year and is just now recovering. Most of the top leaves and the fruit on the top were damaged by the heavy frost. I am interested in seeing if my artichoke plant will produce flowers and thus fruit this year. It looks like a division might be in order as a whole new plant seems to be growing up on the side of the old plant. The older plant seems to be in perfect shape for its third year. The Western Garden book says that artichokes can grow perfectly well in this climate zone but may require some shade and more water than than ordinary if in the heat. We certainly have the heat here in the summer.
The three new trees have been planted this winter. A moorpark apricot has been planted near the 34 year old Tilton apricot. A Fairtime late peach was planted in January near the new apricot. A Fantastic peach, a version of the classic Fay Elberta was planted on the east side of the yard. I am hoping that the Washington navel will survive the devastation of the early frost. Right now it looks pretty gone. All of its leaves are dried out from the cold.
So... onward and upward we would like some more rain... its been really dry this year... but realistically we are almost to the end of the rainy season with less than 3 inches of rain. Our average is usually around 9.
As this is President's day weekend, 2014, lots of kids were at my Starbucks having a coffee or hot chocolate beverage with their parents. It made for and interesting group. Most of the kids have been to Starbucks many times before so they pretty well understand the procedure and and very well behaved.
: ) Pat
It is the end of the period of time that plants and flowers grown in the area can be damaged by overnight frost. If a frost occurs after this date, it would a a totally unpredictable frost. This doesn't mean that it is time to set out the tomatoes and the summer garden. The tomatoes would just sit and shiver in the evening and would work all the daylight ours to overcome the cold of the night. The real start of their growth occurs when the night time temperatures are over 50 degrees. Right now our overnight temperatures swing around 40 degrees. This is why it is good time to start tomatoes in the little peat pellets that expand in water to protect the seed. It takes a while for tomatoes to get past the seed time and develop their root structure. Maybe I will have some planting boxes made by then to allow them to grow and produce the one thing that Sue likes from the garden... fresh tomatoes. I am planting both early girl and a beefsteak hybrid from seeds this week. They will occupy the window sill as they grow. Later they will be transferred to small peat bots with planting soil and then to bigger containers before being tempered outdoors and eventually nurtured in the soil.
This is the perfect time for the fruit trees to blossom. The pluot trees have been blooming for about a week and a half. The peach trees in the front are just starting to bloom. It is interesting in that it looks like the peaches will not have much of a crop if you looked at their bloom at this stage. These trees start off with just a bloom here and there and eventually become a tree of pink.
The pluot trees take the side of the plum trees and have very white blooms with dark red centers. Nectarines take the side of the peach and have hot pink blooms. The pluots, half plum and half apricot take after the plum in fruit. They vary in color and taste depending on the parents of their linage.
The pomegranate will not bloom until it has green leaves throughout the plant. The kumquat has maintained its crop throughout the winter and provides a nice display of grape sized fruit right near the sidewalk. The lemon tree was hammered pretty solidly early this year and is just now recovering. Most of the top leaves and the fruit on the top were damaged by the heavy frost. I am interested in seeing if my artichoke plant will produce flowers and thus fruit this year. It looks like a division might be in order as a whole new plant seems to be growing up on the side of the old plant. The older plant seems to be in perfect shape for its third year. The Western Garden book says that artichokes can grow perfectly well in this climate zone but may require some shade and more water than than ordinary if in the heat. We certainly have the heat here in the summer.
The three new trees have been planted this winter. A moorpark apricot has been planted near the 34 year old Tilton apricot. A Fairtime late peach was planted in January near the new apricot. A Fantastic peach, a version of the classic Fay Elberta was planted on the east side of the yard. I am hoping that the Washington navel will survive the devastation of the early frost. Right now it looks pretty gone. All of its leaves are dried out from the cold.
So... onward and upward we would like some more rain... its been really dry this year... but realistically we are almost to the end of the rainy season with less than 3 inches of rain. Our average is usually around 9.
As this is President's day weekend, 2014, lots of kids were at my Starbucks having a coffee or hot chocolate beverage with their parents. It made for and interesting group. Most of the kids have been to Starbucks many times before so they pretty well understand the procedure and and very well behaved.
: ) Pat
Thursday, February 6, 2014
Two Movies that will Suck you in- Captain Phillips and Rush
Rented from my closest Redbox, the two fifty rental fee was well worth the viewing of these movies. Both of these movies I started watching with somewhat of a jaundice eye. What more could they do with the formula One racing that hadn't been exposed on the big screen. The movie Rush opened some new ground. Most people were aware of the situation of the seal team rescuing the sea captain from the throws of the Somali pirates. The movie, Captain Phillips, brings this story much more vividly intimate to the movie goer than the news stories of the incident.
Rush
Ron Howard directed this masterpiece of 1970's racing culture. It highlights the rivals for world championships racing for the McClaren and the Ferrari teams. The rivals are as different in personalities as possible. Ferrari, represented by the Austrian, Niki Lauda and, McClaren, represented by James Hunt. James Hunt has the character that we all suspect as formula one drivers. Niki Lauda has the character of the scientist driver moving into racing. The racing scenes are pretty authentic looking and the deeper character building of using your opponent to spur your recover was pretty significant in this film.
This is an engaging film on several levels. Its a snapshot of the middle 70's both in race cars and in fashion. There is an engaging emotional component with the car and quest. There is a interesting plot thread involving the women of these stars. There is also an engaging emotional thread in following how each of them use their rivalry to improve their race performance.
Captain Phillips
The true story of Captain Richard Phillips and the 2009 hijacking by Somali pirates of the US-flagged MV Maersk Alabama, the first American cargo ship to be hijacked in two hundred years. Tom Hanks plays the Captain as he attempts to protect his crew and his ship from the Somali pirates that board his ship an attempt to hold it for ransom. The interaction with the pirates and the interdiction of the navy and the seals make this one a real intense movie.
I think that this movie brings new awareness of our shipping business of these enterprises as they travel around these dangerous corridors. I was impressed by how inventive the captain was in protecting his ship before boarding. The toughness of trying to protect his ship from people who had so little to lose was amazing. Each side developed constructs from which to negotiate their side.
This is a beautifully made intense movie.
Rush
Ron Howard directed this masterpiece of 1970's racing culture. It highlights the rivals for world championships racing for the McClaren and the Ferrari teams. The rivals are as different in personalities as possible. Ferrari, represented by the Austrian, Niki Lauda and, McClaren, represented by James Hunt. James Hunt has the character that we all suspect as formula one drivers. Niki Lauda has the character of the scientist driver moving into racing. The racing scenes are pretty authentic looking and the deeper character building of using your opponent to spur your recover was pretty significant in this film.
This is an engaging film on several levels. Its a snapshot of the middle 70's both in race cars and in fashion. There is an engaging emotional component with the car and quest. There is a interesting plot thread involving the women of these stars. There is also an engaging emotional thread in following how each of them use their rivalry to improve their race performance.
Captain Phillips
The true story of Captain Richard Phillips and the 2009 hijacking by Somali pirates of the US-flagged MV Maersk Alabama, the first American cargo ship to be hijacked in two hundred years. Tom Hanks plays the Captain as he attempts to protect his crew and his ship from the Somali pirates that board his ship an attempt to hold it for ransom. The interaction with the pirates and the interdiction of the navy and the seals make this one a real intense movie.
I think that this movie brings new awareness of our shipping business of these enterprises as they travel around these dangerous corridors. I was impressed by how inventive the captain was in protecting his ship before boarding. The toughness of trying to protect his ship from people who had so little to lose was amazing. Each side developed constructs from which to negotiate their side.
This is a beautifully made intense movie.
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