Stratford

Our last stop on our whirl wind tour of Southren Ontario is one of Miranda and mine most favorite places to be, Stratford Ontario.


A Stage for Miranda

It is one of those towns that you fall in love with and end up having your favorite spots to hang out in or eat in or shop in everytime you go.

AND I love the plays and I love Shakespearian Plays. I didn't get to see any this time but Miranda and I did get to see Cyrano de Bergerac and West Side Story. Jack and Miranda seen MacBeth. Nathan is still too young to sit still through a play and his interest does not lay there yet, but maybe one day, then we can all go. We take shifts going to these plays. Last year I did a Road Trip with Miranda and a friend, this year it was just us.

Cyrano de Bergerac was awesome! Colm Feore and he was amazing in it. He is a long time presence at Stratford over the years and he is well worth going to see. I can only hope and pray that Miranda has a wonderful career there as he has over the years. He is also playing in MacBeth which I am told was awesome but Miranda was upset becasue she has never read the play and you really need to have first hand knowledge of the play most times to get it.

West Side Story ...well let me say was TOTALLY AWESOME. The dancing and the singing and of coures the acting was outstanding but I expect this for this festival. I am never dissappointed when I go. I had to laugh when Tony was shot the shot rang out and scared the heck out of the whole audience and wee young thing sitting behind us said in the clearest voice after the sudden silence "Why did they kill him" I love hearing kids at theatre performances. It was perfect.

I also did some people watching and as you should know by now I love to watch people. This time it was worth it. One early morning walk with Miranda I seen this face I thought I knew but I wasn't sure who it was till I was passing her and heard her speak...it was the actor Cynthia Dale out having a walk and a coffee with a friend. Miranda of course didn't see her. And Coming out of West Side Story I seen Canadian Funny Man Colin Mochrie....and of course Miranda didn't see him, until I said it and she jumped up on a bench and did.

Here's a few shots of our visit there

Playground Fun at the Festivale Theatre site.


Daddy and Nathan Try together


Miranda's turn


What's a trip to Stratford with a walk by the River.






Miranda's Future Place of Work and Nathan


Time to head out and head home.

One Last Look and off to Family

After a last look at the Falls and a trip under to see them
We were off to see Jack's Brother in Simcoe and to celebrate Canada Day.
Let me say here I just love my Sister in law, we have a hoot together and my nieces and nephew is great!
So here a a few shots of those couple of days.

Under the Falls


Feel the power!


One of my Favorite floats from the Port Dover Canada day Parade


And my Favorite Band.


Girl cousin feet


Cool Cousins


The Family Dog Pile...but the Moose the dog was too small to pile on. ;)

We had a great time...tomorrow Miranda and my favorite place to be....Stratford

Marineland

After a wonderful nights sleep in a great hotel and a early morning walk with Nathan we ate a huge late breakfast and was off to Marineland.
I think I will let the photo's speak for themselves. Needless to say we had a blast and the last time I was there (over 25 years ago) it was no where near as much fun.
Oh but first a few shots of Mr. Man that I think are pretty darn cute.


Nathan and Horseshoe or the Canadian falls


What do you think of the Falls ...AWESOME MOM!

Now Marineland...there is so much to do there and there were few lineups so it was great for us.


Talented Seal


I could watch Dolphins jump all day


Caught it!


Mr. Man


Nathan loved the Walrus


Nathan about to be startled


So beautiful


:)


Baby Beluga...we could have fed these and touched them but they weren't hungry at the time. I sooo wanted to and so did Nathan.


Time for some rides and Nathan says I won't scream Mom..>I think he was the loudest. LOL!


Bye Mom


Miranda taking a little break


The End of a great Day at Marineland...No we didn't do the screamer... I didn't bring a change of clothes.

One Week Of Vacation

FUN! FUN! FUN!
We had a great week off as a family something that I say we need to more of, well if we could afford it.
Sunday we left for Niagara Falls, a place we have been before and yes all 4 of us but we love it there and will continune to go back and explore. This time we wanted to go to Marineland and MAN it was a blast.

We left home early afternoon and arrived at this hotel (which I got a great big deal on) we checked in when it was dark.

Who's that Camera


Miranda in the lobby a wee bit flagged.

We were supposed to have a room on the city side of the hotel; but when we opened the door to our room, we'll let me say after we seeing the bags on the floor and the Flat Screen t.v. on and a couple of feet in the bed, we slowly backed out of the room saying sorry to have interrupted. (We were in the honeymoon capital of the world) We went back down, chuckling all the way. Needless to say the people at the desk were horrified and bumped us up to a fall view room. NICEST room I have ever been in. Thanks to a small mix up. :)
Here's the view at night.

Skywheel


Clifton Hill


Skylon


Nathan had a hard time settling and finally fell asleep at Midnight and was up bright and early the next morning. SO what do you do when you see this our your window at 7 a.m.?

The view from our Room

You get mommy up to get a coffee at Starbucks and go for a walk to take pictures (and let the other slugs sleep)

Our Hotel in the morning light


Niagara in the morning light...beautiful

We have given Nathan my old point and shoot to use on this trip and he took many great shots that I will share with you someother time. Just a quick post for today.


My Young Photographer


Nathan shooting everything and everything


Good Morning Buffalo!


Garabage Cans?


As close as we got at this point, we were getting hungry and went back to wake the others up.

Marineland... Tomorrow!

Just a Sec while I ...

do one more thing.

I'm sorry I have been MIA in the last few weeks. I cannot believe how long it's been since I blogged.
Quick Highlight Reel
Had a midterm and passed but forgot to answer one whole question so my mark was not what I expected. So sad really that I am an air head.
Nathan had Track and Field day and I have to give him credit he tried his hardest and made me very proud even though he did not win anything. He is faster than he used to be and stronger.
Miranda graduated and was named Validictorian. She also won an award that seems to have been given to her in error we are waiting the out come on that one.
I am about to start my final assignment for my summer Art History Course.
And after that is handed in we are taking a week as a family to go and do some summer fun stuff.
And after that I start my summer American lit course
I promise to write a better update when I get my essay well underway.


Here's alittle tease of Miranda and some Friends waiting to accept there DEC's.

Until later my friends

So called Reality

As you know I’m not much of a television person. I rarely watch due the fact I find there is nothing on worth watching. I guess I get bored easily but who can watch anything with so many reality shows on television these days.

The only reality show I watched was the Mole and that was because Anderson Cooper was host but that has been taken off the air. I watch Canadian Idol when it’s on and American Idol when I have the time, Yes, I know they are a reality shows but at least you are seeing entertainment and not what they will do to each other. I don’t really watch much else. I did watch a bit of Project Runway Canada but that was because it was filmed in Ottawa and I knew one of the models and a friend of mine had another relation on the show. I still wasn’t fond of all the cattiness and stuff that went on in any of the shows.

But lately my daughter has been watching a lot of these types of shows, Jon and Kate plus 8, Next Top Model, both countries, and a few others. It’s got me to thinking why do we want to watch some else’s lives and what is happening to them. Isn’t there enough drama in our own? Isn’t there enough going on in the news to enough of enough this idea of what humans can do to each other? It seems now everyone who was once somebody is now getting a reality show to show how miserable their lives have been because of fame and make some money because they are broke or want more. Cooking shows where becoming a chef means being used and abused and swore at…hey I can do that to you for free and not on TV. Are there cooking shows where they just cook now adays? What we can do to survive with people watching and filming it? I can’t stand shows that show the depths humans will go to win or anything to manipulate lie and cheat. They are making sport of human lives...and yes they choose to go one, but are they really thinking about all the repercussions that can and could happen after it is all over? Not all are bad as this but then again, some are worse. I can’t believe how popular they are. What is it about these shows that make us want to see how miserable we can be to get what we want? Has humanity dropped into a pit of total callousness and lack of caring for the other humans on the planet all in the name of fame and fortune and this is supposed to be entertaining for us to watch.
What made me think of all this was my daughter talking about Jon and Kate Plus 8. I have seen the show but I'm not one that watches regularly and if I do it's only for a few minutes while I run off to do something else. Apparently the season finale was sad, due to the fact that the parents are haveing martial troubles, and this makes good TV? How sad is it that those little kids have the paparazzi following them all the time? Is that a normal life? And what has the show done to the parents? Seems so very sad to me. Miranda was telling me about Canada’s Next Top Model and saying how the show is dividing them into camps on purpose so she says to create more drama than need be. Is this really necessary? And what moreover is why do we want to see what goes on in there lives, why are we watching? Is there nothing out there that can entertain us more than seeing others be mean and nasty or go through hardships? I have a hard enough time in my life with friends going through troubles and trails of there own. NOT to mention the things that go on in my life, that I don't even talk about here. I used to enjoy TV more when I got 3 stations not 300.

This blog is usually for normal life, day to day stuff that I want to share. Maybe this blog is the same as reality t.v. but somehow that seems worse only a few read here, I don't have a big blogroll and that is ok. I do this for me to think, but millions don't tune in weekly to see what horrors are happening in my life. My life is just not that interesting and I don't post my most difficult trials here. I do blog about some things to get help that may work in my life and that in itself is amazing! I can get advice from the best people in the world. People who are caring and willing to help. BUT Who helps these people? After the producers make there money and that season is over...what then?

Maybe I am just a soft hearted moron who can’t see the entertainment value in this when it seems so many others do.
Tell me what do you think? Because…
I JUST DON’T GET IT.

Tulips

A week back...I went out and shot some tulips with a Friend (Hi Wendy) at the Tulip Festival
I got sooo many great shots it's hard to choose. I have a few to post here while I write about other things that are going on in my life.



I have started my summer session courses and I must say I am loving my Art History class. SO MUCH has been discovered and changed in pre history since I last took this course. So much more information, I was shocked. I just went though those notes last summer.
The class is smaller much more informal and more discussion is happening, 3 hours whip on by. The only downside is the blasted text book is not in. They are supposed to come in today, but a limited number and I was not going to drive all the way up for a text book when I am there tomorrow. I'll just make sure I go and see if they have any left.



I have been enjoying going in early to a smaller campus body. Not as many people means more room for me to sit in the Library Coffee shop and enjoy the quiet and read for my class. It has been nice. OH the Professor has a copy at the library so we can read it there. NICE. I've actaully ran into a few of the young adults (I have to quit saying kids) that were in some of my other classes. They actually talk. It's nice.



I have having problems getting back into re writing my notes. I seem distracted lately. I guess it's all the stuff that is happening in my life that is distracting me. I will work it out.



Even though my Art History text is not in, my American Lit Text books are and I don't start that class till July. I bought them yesterday and now I can sit on my back deck and read and get ready for that class which is going to be a whirl wind of Literature. Luckly I have read some of the stuff from my FYSM but that's ok. I know we did not go indepth as we could have with some of it. Looking forward to it. I have to read 4 novels in 6 weeks...I better get cracking. LOL! I have already read A Street Car Named Desire...now on to the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Never read it, so I get to read it with my new ability to see what the author is getting at.



And the big news of the summer...I should be finally get to see STYX! They are coming to Bluesfest and I am going to see them...and maybe KISS! Just for fun! Plus yesterday I learned that AC/DC is making an Ottawa Stop, I'm hoping I get tickets to that one too. Shook me all night long, is what I am expecting from them. LOL!



Now the only thing I have to say....IS PLEASE WARM UP...I'M FREEZING ALL THE TIME.
Great for Tulips though




Enough Chatter back to work...I have my first Midterm on June 4th!