The end of October, I had the opportunity to attend a special screening of Tron at Grauman's Chinese Theatre. The move Tron originally opened on July 9, 1982, the summer between my middle and high school years. I have to admit, I was not exactly enamored with the film. I enjoyed it, but also was very confused. Home computers and video games were still very much in their infancy and programming was a whole new language. However, I had grown to love the movie and was super excited when a sequel was finally announced 20-some odd years after the original release. I enjoyed Tron Legacy and was glad we make the trip to Seattle to see the movie in 3D at the IMAX Theatre. However, I felt Bruce Boxleitner should have had a much larger role in the film, after all, he is TRON! And I now wait impatiently for Tron 3. Hint-Hint, Disney. In addition, I also highly recommend Tron fans tune into Tron:Uprising. This animated series is state of the art, has spectacular and a bit edgy animation (a mix of Anime/Manga style), interesting story progression, great writing, and talented voice actors. It currently airs on Disney's XD channel. Check your local listings.
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Last weekend my family, my parents, my aunt and uncle and two of my cousins traveled to Victoria, B.C, Canada. I had always enjoyed Victoria and the warmth and charm the city presented; however, I feel the city has lost some of it's charm and has become too modernized, too touristy, and too expensive. We drove to Port Angles, parked the van in the overnight parking lot, and boarded the Coho Ferry, a private ferry line taking passengers and vehicles from Port Angles, Washington to Victoria, B.C. I had already checked online regarding prices, and shelled out $17.50 per person, each way. (Except Joey who was free, because he is under the age of 11). There are no student rates, nor senior rates. After a 90-minute ferry ride and a quick trip through immigration and customs, we stepped out of the terminal and walked to the bus stop. By the way, all Americans over the age of 16 are now required to present a passport to enter and leave Canada. Those under 16 need to present a birth certificate. We boarded a bus ($2.50 fare ) and rode to our motel about 20 blocks away. Of course, the motel was at a premium with it being summer. We stayed at a Super 8. Can't complain too much--although the rooms were a bit on the small size and we had to share two double beds with our two older boys (the youngest stayed in his grandparents room), the price included free breakfast, and the staff was helpful, stored our luggage in a locked room after we had checked out, and also called us a cab. all Our first afternoon was spent just walking around downtown, enjoying the waterfront and a quick tour of the old Empress Hotel. I had stepped outside to take a picture of the front entrance of the hotel and got caught in a deluge--becoming drenched in less then five minutes and I was only 50 feet from the hotel. Once upon a time, I thought the city had more character, the hanging flower baskets still hung from the lamp posts and horse drawn carriages still prance down the streets, but it was rare to see a double-decker bus. In addition, I used to think it was like visiting Europe without having to take a long flight over the Atlantic, but I feel Victoria has just become too commercialized and not as clean as I once remembered. Maybe it was the grey skies and the rain. After we did a little window shopping, we then stopped for dinner. Half the group went to a French Bistro, while the other half went to the Old Spaghetti Factory. We didn't think the boys would have cared for the French Bistro. After dinner, we took the bus back to the motel and went to bed. The next morning, we all ate breakfast in the lobby of the motel and after we checked out, boarded another bus for Butchart Gardens. The gardens were still as beautiful as I remember from my youth and I really enjoyed the Rose Gardens and Sunken Gardens. I think even the boys appreciated the brilliant colors and water displays. I know Joey's favorite part of the park was the Ross Fountain. My only complaint is the high cost of the summer rate for gate admission--$29 dollars for adults, $14.50 for youth and $3.00 for children, plus tax. Then the youngest wanted to ride the carousel which was another $2.00. We had lunch at the Blue Poppy Restaurant and visited the gift shop. I'm sorry the weather had not been better the day before and we missed the firework show--because Butchard Gardens puts on an amazing firework display in the summer. I'm sure the boys would have loved it. After lunch, the group split again, and half went to the Butterfly Gardens, while Ed and I took the boys downtown to see the Undersea Gardens. I admit it was interesting seeing the variety of marine life and watching the diver bring out the Wolf Eels and Giant Pacific Octopus, nevertheless the water is very murky and hard to see through the viewing windows. I would skip this one, not worth the cost or time. Next, we waited in line at the ferry terminal before going through immigration and customs again and boarding the ferry for our journey home. Had a great visit with my aunt and uncle and cousins. I don't see them very often, so it was good catching up with them. However, I'm not sure if I will make it to Victoria, B.C. again, anytime soon. Not as a family get-away anyway. Ever since I was a little girl I've dreamt of visiting Europe, and seeing the Alps and my very first castle. Then in the winter of 2008, Ed and I were able to go on a trip of my dreams as we toured the countries of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. We also took in the sights used in the filming of Scarecrow and Mrs. King, as well as, The Sound of Music. I wrote a day by day account of our trip (it's a bit long), but we had 14 wonderful days, just the two of us. However, I have to admit a few days into our trip, I really started to me the boys. Dropping beneath the clouds into Norfolk, I was genially surprised by the size of the naval base, much larger than Naval Base Kitsap. After debarking the plane, I found the air to be electrically charged and humid. There had been thunderstorms earlier which had delayed our flight by about an hour. We picked up our rental car and we immediately turned on the air conditioning, although it was only about 50 degrees outside. We were able to rent a car from Avis and for only a couple more dollars a day, we upgraded to the midsize. We have had some mixed experiences with rental car companies, but found Avis to very professional and accommodating. Kudos to Avis.
Although, far from being a world-class traveler, I have been fortunate enough to do some traveling, especially on the west coast. (Before anyone asks why I did not include the Grand Canyon. . . all I can say is I have not been there yet--it’s on my Bucket List). Under the cut is a list of my personal favorite vacation spots in the west:
I laughed out loud when I read an ad on my Facebook page that said I should include Tacoma, Washington on my bucket list. I've seen Tacoma. . . been there, done that. Not that interesting. However, it did get me thinking about a bucket list and what things I would want to do or see before I die.
I have ridden on the back of a Harley Davidson with my husband, been to Europe, been on a cruise to Alaska, taken the boys to Disney World and white river rafting on the Snake River, so I can check those things off my list. I have no want or desire to ever jump out of a plane, ride a bull, climb a mountain, or bungee jump, so I will not include those on my list. However, here are the top twenty things I want to do or see before I die; in no particular order: 1. Sell a screenplay to a movie studio. 2. Write a novel. 3. Tour the Canadian Rockies via the train. 4. Fly to Hawaii. Visit Pearl Harbor, attend a luau, see Diamond Head, rent a motorcycle and go cruising. 5. Visit Europe again. See Salzburg and Munich again. We missed Eagle's Nest and Neuschwanstein castle last time, I want to see those places. Attend a production of The Sound of Music at in Salzburg. Visit Paris and see the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre. Visit Hungary and the Czech Republic. 6. Visit the United Kingdom and Ireland (yes, I know it's Europe, but it would have to be a separate trip). One thing I really want to see in London is Kings Cross Station and platform 9 3/4 (silly, I know), as well as Big Ben, the Tower of London, and more. 7. Visit Italy and Greece. 8. Australia. Enough said. 9. See all three of my boys graduate from high school. 10. Earn a Master's degree in Communications. 11. I want to see my boy's achieve the goals they set out to achieve. 12. Direct Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. 13. Attend a Broadway play. 14. Own a Corvette. 15. See the Grand Canyon. 16. See the Pyramids in Egypt 17. Swim with the dolphins. (I always thought that would be cool). 18. Learn German. 19. Buy a travel trailer. 20. And finally having the energy, health, and strength to do the things I want to do. (I guess money would help, too). "Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all." ~ Helen Keller If planning a trip to Salzburg both my husband and I highly recommend the Bloberger Hof. A quaint and charming Bed &Breakfast, located outside the city, but right on the bus line, and just minutes from old town Salzburg. The rooms are very clean, have beautiful views of the mountains, and the rates are reasonable. Free wi-fi, parking, and breakfast buffet, with freshly baked pastries, variety of jams, boiled eggs, cereal, juice, coffee, and more. Their friendly staff helped us with all our arrangements from setting up our city excursion, to having a van come and pick us up, to even having a late night pizza delivered to our room. Should we return to Salzburg, we would most definitely stay there again.
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"Hey. . . it's me."I live in the shadows of the Olympic Mountains in the state of Washington and I love camping, boating, kayaking, hiking, and hanging out with my husband, our three adult children, and our Bernese Mountain dog, Henry. Tags
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