Getting a Boost

Char moved out of her "baby seat" and into her "booster seat" on Sunday. She is really excited about the change, and Char has asked more than once, "Do I look like big girl, now?" I have to say yes. 

Honestly, it is a bit of a shock to look over my shoulder and see how much she has grown. 

 But what she doesn't know is when I look at her in the back seat, I also see this.

And then my chest tightens a bit.

Day Three at Oceanside: Disneyland

I looked at the bathroom mirror's reflection of my pillow creased face, exhaled slowly, and whispered, "Okay Brent, this is gonna be one looooong day." It was 6:10 am.

The Disneyland 35th anniversary watch was a promotional product that Kodak film gave away back in 1990. Allegedly collectible, I found this watch at the thrift store for two bucks, and a battery from Walgreen's got it going. I thought it would be fun to wear it while we visited Disneyland.

We entered the park at 8:34 am.

The drive to Anaheim took an hour. We spent 15 minutes on the shuttle bus, and then we were standing in line for the bag check. That sucked 19 minutes of our lives away. Our line might have moved faster, but a mother in front of us got caught trying to sneak in a "selfie stick", despite the "No Selfie Sticks Allowed" pamphlet that was handed to everyone. I kinda hated her for slowing us down, but standing in a long line surrounded by sweaty strangers was going to be the theme for the day. Better get used to it.

The one attraction that didn't have a line was the Haunted Mansion. The time slot said it was a five minute wait, but it wasn't even that long. We just walked right in.

The spooky narration that welcomed us into the mansion scared Charlotte, but as the ride progressed she warmed up. When the ride was over she shouted, "I want to do it AGAIN!" This also would be a common theme to the day (tears, then cheers). Here we are celebrating our survival of the Haunted Mansion.

The best part of the Haunted Mansion was that Charlotte was there, and I could experience this through her eyes as well as my own. It was as if five-year-old Brent and 46-year-old Brent were riding it together for the first time. Both of us had a blast.

With my one goal accomplished, the rest of the day was up to Daphne and Charlotte. I was just along for their rides.

Exploring Tarzan's tree house was kinda fun.

But boating into the mouth of Monstro was more exciting.

Daphne took one for the team and rode with Char on our only "go around" ride. Thanks, babe.

Disney had the castle all decked out for their 60th anniversary.

We thought that "Pixie Hollow" was going to be a ride, but it turns out it was a meet and greet with Tinker Bell and various pixie pals. I've watch the new Pixie Hollow movies with Char, so I recognized this pixie as Fawn. I'm not proud of that. We gave her a hard time about bringing the NeverBeast into Pixie Hollow, but she argued that in the end the NeverBeast saved everyone. Charlotte conceded that point, but as we walked away I told Fawn I thought she had just gotten lucky. She laughed.

We then walked ten feet to meet Tinker Bell.

We visited Toontown next. I'm sorry, Mickey, but Toontown is by far the seediest part of Disneyland. The ground was full of litter and the concession stand employees were one step away from being rude.  This visit was our first and last.

Char sat in a pretend car in Toontown.

But the "real" cars in Autotopia were much cooler to drive.

In all, I think we rode about 17 rides at Disneyland. That a lot of rides and a lot of standing around on a hot summer day. We were a bit nervous about how Char would handle the long lines, but she was a champ. She didn't complain once, and that's more than I can say. We stuck around for the "Paint the Night Parade", but we were all getting tired.

We didn't wait to watch the fireworks. We still had an hour's drive before we could rest, and I wanted to get out of Disneyland as quickly as we could. Luckily, the lines to leave hadn't begun, and we could hop right on the closest shuttle bus. Once we got seated, I checked my watch: 9:34 pm. We were in Disneyland almost exactly 13 hours. No wonder we were tired. Charlotte was asleep before our car was started.

I smiled at the bathroom mirror's reflection of my sun browned face, exhaled slowly, and whispered, "Okay Brent, we made it." It was 11:10 pm. 

Tomorrow, we beach!

Watching TV on the Couch...

... can be a team effort.

Our Oceanside Vacation: A Brief Aside

Before I post some memories from our trip to Disneyland I want to admit two things.
Admission one: I don't see colors very well.
Admission two: I'm not that smart.
There. I've admitted it. Don't ask me to repeat it because I'll deny I ever said it. But there you go: two truthful admissions.

My hometown is Inwood, Iowa. Inwood's population hovered around 550 during my elementary years, and it isn't much bigger today. I knew that town the only way a kid can: from the bottom up. That's the way a child grows, and if an adolescent or an adult moves to the town there is no way they will ever know that same town in the same way. You have to be born in a place and grow along with it to really feel its heartbeat.

First you meet the front steps to your house. Then you learn the backyard. Once you've become accustomed to that green grass play mat, you tackle the sidewalks that enclose your block and the alley that slices it down the middle. After navigating that square of homes, you progress to neighborhood exploration. Eventually you discover, and then memorize the whole town. This takes several years, but when you finally earn your hometown degree, you'll be a part of the town and the town will be a part of you.

By second grade I knew which driveways and sidewalks in Inwood would have the best jumps for my bicycle. I knew how to hide inside the conical merry-go-round so I could win hide and seek games in the park. I knew which washing machine in the laundry mat was most likely to have dimes underneath. I knew which church's back door would be open so you could slake your summer thirst in the bathroom sink. I knew which shower nozzle in the pool's dressing room stung the least. By second grade Inwood was mine, and I knew I was its king.

But I didn't know that the Mickey Mouse Club wasn't a current show.

A tiny town like Inwood didn't get the best TV reception, and the closest TV station was located across the Minnesota border. Although I didn't know it, that station ran afternoon programming that was decades old. Wedged between playing summer rec baseball and swimming in the public pool, many of my summer hours were filled with the black and white images of I Love Lucy, Leave it to Beaver, My Three Sons, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, Flipper, The Many Loves of Dobbie Gillis (isn't that Gilligan?), Dragnet, and the previously mentioned Mickey Mouse Club. It's weird, but when I started teaching in '92 I could be sitting at lunch with teachers that were 20 years my senior, and we could all remember being seven and watching the same episode of the Honeymooners.

Let's go back to admission number one. I didn't pick up that these shows weren't new; black and white TV looked fine to me. When the station shifted to color programming like the news at 6:00, I didn't notice that the haircuts and fashion of the people on TV had dramatically changed. See admission number two.

I can vividly remember wearing nothing but my swimming trunks and laying across a vinyl beanbag in our living room while being glued to the TV as Art Linkletter helmed the opening day festivities for Disneyland. I really did think I was watching it in real time, not 21 years after the fact. When I watched a special about the opening of the Haunted Mansion I was enthralled. That was one ride I knew I wanted to try. Ghosts, spooks, and creepy music? It'd be just like Halloween! I couldn't wait to see it. I just didn't know it would take me almost 40 years to get there.

But I did get there.

Day Two at Oceanside: Sea World

This picture was actually taken at the end of our day at Sea World, but it seems like a good place to start this post.

The first stop was to visit the killer whales. We just took pictures here; we didn't stay for the Shamu show.

Char's not the only poser at Sea World. This guy knew how to sit for a camera.

Speaking of posing, here's a conversation we had while waiting for Mom to bring Char a snack.

"Dad, take a picture of me, and I'll pretend a tornado is coming!"

"Okay." (I don't even ask why anymore. I just go with the flow.)

The Blue Horizons show was up next. As you can see, watching these shows is serious business.

Char was too afraid of the Manta Rays to to touch one. She thought they looked like sharks (stupid airplane program). Daphne didn't let the opportunity slide by, though.

We really liked the tv-themed Clyde and Seamore show, "SLL" (Sea Lions live). Here's a clip from "Dancing with the Pinnipeds"

One of our last stops was to see the beluga whales.

Before heading to the beach we stopped at the Cabo Grill and Cantina. We ate here three times. The food was pretty good, and we really enjoyed the rooftop seating. 

Charlotte liked her cheese quesadilla, but she enjoyed dancing to the live DJ more. Since she was the only one grooving, the DJ twice pointed at Char and gave her two thumbs up. Work it, girl!

Day One at Oceanside: Meeting the Beach

I don't enjoy flying. I'm not afraid of heights; I'm afraid of falling from them. But I didn't let Charlotte in on my fears, and so she was pretty excited for her time on a plane.

The first flight took us to Denver, then we had 35 minutes to get on the next plane to San Diego. We made it without any problems, and by the afternoon Charlotte and I were looking at the Pacific Ocean for the first time in our lives. That was pretty dang cool.

This was the only day I brought the camera down to the beach. It's a pain having to worry that it might get wet, broken, or stolen. But I wanted to capture Char's first few minutes in salt water.

If I had any complaints about our first day of traveling, then it would be about the flight out of Denver. The seats on the plane had video monitors installed in the backrests, and for two hours they broadcasted a Discovery Channel program about shark photographers. Even with the sound turned off, the slow motion images of sharks exploding out of the sea with their jaws violently snapping were pretty jarring. We turned off the monitors in front of us, but the show kept playing on all the other seats. Doesn't United Airlines think kids fly too?

On the first day, sharks were on Char's mind.

But she got over it... kind of.

Summer Sunset

After earning miles on our family credit card for over a decade, we decided to take Char on a plane and have an actual  out of state family vacation. Here's last night's sunset in Oceanside, California. 

There's more pictures and stories to come. I just wanted to post something now that we're back home.

We Are Fair People

I don't remember much about the conversation, but a student once told me, "Monson, we [his family] are not fair people." His tightened face was smeared with disdain.

Wow. Not only was he turning his nose up at the Iowa State Fair, he had put those who attend one of Iowa's most celebrated events into a category. And he considered that category of people beneath him. I was a little offended by his attitude.

That's certainly not a viewpoint that we're going to teach Charlotte. We love the fair! In fact, we like attending the local county fairs as a warm up. A couple of weeks ago we drove over to Adel to check out the Dallas County Fair.

I had thought we'd spend our time looking at the animals in the barns, but the free entertainment was too good. The first show was the Pat Davison and Family circus act (juggling, plate spinning, hula hoops, and unicycling). Char thought they were cool. Up next was illusionist Adrian Van Vactor. His act was sharp, and his illusions were impressive. Char turned and told me, "He's magic."

In between the two shows, we visited balloon artist Mr. Nick for a princess crown.

Since the carnival wasn't open, Char was content to take a horse ride. 

When the ride was over the owner encouraged Char to brush the horses that weren't in the lineup. She spent some time making Wild Thing "pretty".

We shared some freshly cranked ice cream, and then it was time to go home. What a fun and easy-going afternoon. The only hiccup was that Char didn't want to leave, and she got upset as we walked to the car. That didn't last long, though.

Now that I think about it, I shouldn't have felt offended by what my former student said. I should have felt sorry for him. Look at all the fun he missed.

Dinner and a Show

The Iowa National Guard hosts a series of free concerts at Camp Dodge in June. All you need is an ID to get in, and you can bring your lawn chairs, coolers, and picnic baskets. Tailgating is allowed, but we buy dinner from the concession stand. 

The food is prepared by Trostel's Greenbrair, and Daphne and I get the grinder made with Graziano sausage and topped with a gooey cheese sauce and pickled jalapeños. I go for the candied bacon for a side (really healthy, I know). Luckily, the handmade chips are good for you. 

The Tony Valdez Large Band show was rained out, but they were rescheduled on July 2 - my birthday! Charlotte grooved to the Latin beat all night. Here she is getting creative with the camping chairs' carry bags.

I love how Char's dancing evolved into a magic act.

Some Views from June

The blog has been still for awhile, but we haven't. In June I took two classes for grad credit and Daphne took one. Char's been to Zoo Camp, Safety City, and St. Charles. Here's some other stuff we've been doing.

This one of my better ideas for killing time. I trace a few chalk outlines of Char's body, and then she gives herself some chalk outfits.

Char's newest favorite color is yellow.

We spent an afternoon in Story City during their Scandinavian Days celebration. After lunch in a local church we headed over to check out their carousel.

We're posers.

When we're at the Des Moines Arts Festival Charlotte is distracted by the downtown water features. This is how she got the one-day nickname, "The Girl from Soggy Bottom". She didn't like the name, but I thought it was funny.

American Dream Machines has an open house during the Arts Fest, and I like to do a little window shopping. The two VW Beetles for sale are much nicer than the one in my garage, but the '57 is priced at $26,900 and the '66 is $19,900, so I think I'll be driving mine for awhile.

Char likes the water, Daphne like the art, and I like the cars. What we can all agree on is the food. "I don't know much about art, but I know what I like." Yum.

Adventureland has been a popular destination, and although I don't enjoy them at all, the Dramamine medication does let Daphne and I to join Char on the "go around" rides that she loves. Lady Luck, Der Flinger, The Lighthouse, and the Scrambler are among Char's favorites.

For my money, the Sky Ride is the most terrifying ride in the park. I'm fine riding solo, but when Char sits next to me the chairs seem so flimsy, and my mind fills with worst-case scenarios. I put on a brave face so Char won't catch my fear of heights, but nothing feels better than the moment when our feet touch the ground.

 We spend a lot of time in the local libraries (I have six different cards). It's always a bonus if they have superhero capes for you to wear.

Char likes to pick out her own books, but I look them over before we take them home. Here's one we left on the shelf.

Sorry Ruby Roth, your illustrations are cute, but I'm not teaching my daughter that consuming milk and eggs is mean or disgusting.

I guess "P" is for Propaganda.