Travel Log for All!

[mmichaelson]

Wowee! We took 856 pics while gone!!! Have to get them printed after work today, but they're all on my computer and they're just gorgeous!!

[OperaTenor]

Hey Piq,

I just realized we already have a new version of Hula Lula, i.e. a lawn gnome to take to pose in our travel photos, and this one won't be stolen by our fellow travelers: ALTOID!



'bout time she started being good for something!

[piqaboo]

You just realized we have Altoid???? <wayyyyyy raised eyebrow>

[OperaTenor]

Originally posted by piqaboo:
You just realized we have Altoid???? <wayyyyyy raised eyebrow>

[sheepish] Truth be told, I'd been wondering what all the fuss, and the mess of kid's stuff in the house were all about. [/sheepish]

[DavidS]

[sheepish] Truth be told, I'd been wondering what all the fuss, and the mess of kid's stuff in the house were all about. [/sheepish] [/QB]

This may depress or elate you (take your choice): In 20-odd years' time, you are likely to find similar kids' stuff cluttering your house up - belonging to Altoid's offspring.
The voice of experience speaks...

[piqaboo]

I sure hope so!

[Selma in Sandy Eggo]

Well, it's real. I just rented four night's worth of way overpriced econolodge housing, in someplace called Sharon, MA, that I've never heard of before. Ah, the wonders of modern communications. I can rent an unseen room with unreal money over a virtual connection.

I gotta go to that drum corps thing now. I just spent money for a room.

Anyone in the area want to drop in? Any restaurant suggestions? Sightseeing, of the morning type?

[Serenity]

Selma I was going to PM this info but others may benefit too.

The website "http://www.boston.com" is the Boston Globe newspaper's website. One of the tabs is Travel where you can find links about current events around Boston and New England in general. Check the site to see what catches your eye.

The renowned Newport Jazz Festival is in Rhode Island that weekend.

[Schmeelkie]

Did a quick trip this weekend to Canada for my husband's aunt & uncle's surprise 60th birthday party. We hadn't seen them since our wedding 5 years ago, and they're just north of Toronto - don't know why we hadn't visited sooner (been in Rochester - 3.5 hours away - for almost 3 years now). For those in the area - no we did not take the new fast ferry. Although the trip might have been easier on Pumpkin (2.5 instead of 3.5 hours and ability to walk around, play, watch a movie), the cost was a little more than we wanted to pay. Might take it sometime...

Anyway, we left at about 8am on Sunday, I sat in the back with Pumpkin and read to him and watched for interesting stuff out the window (construction equipment, animals...). So the first 1.75 hours were good. Then we stopped for a 1/2 hour - good, then drove for another 1.5 hours - and Pumpkin screamed for much of the last 1/2 hour. Stopped for lunch - only time I've ever been happy for a long line - Pumpkin got to run around for about 20 minutes before eating. then he passed out in 5 min after getting on the road. Had a good time at the party - at a farm about 1.5 hours north of Toronto. Pumpkin got to run around a lot, see horses, cows and chickens, play in the sand and on an antique fire truck. Stayed at a B&B (Avalon Clearview - very good!!) and took our time back home. Stopped at Niagra Falls - first time for Pumpkin. He didn't seem too impressed - did try to throw stuff over the edge though (found a hair band on the ground and successfully threw it over, but wasn't too happy when I wouldn't hand him his sippy cup or try to pick up the hair band...). Just too hot to stay too long and we had a good drive back to Rochester.

Here's a picture of Pumpkin in the pool in CT on our last trip.
[img][IMG]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/schmeelkie/Alexinpool6_05.jpg[/img][/IMG]

[Schmeelkie]

I'm not seeing the picture there - let me try again...
[img]<img%20src="http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/schmeelkie/Alexinpool6_05.jpg"%20alt="Image%20hosted%20by%20Photobucket.com">[/img]

[monkeymd2b]

Well, now that my daily trek up to OHSU is just about over (tomorrow is my last day on pediatrics and also a call day/night), I can honestly say I'm glad I did not choose the OHSU family residency. The thought of traveling up there on a daily basis is nauseating. My experience was great though so I will miss the folks I met up there. And in a couple of weeks I'll get to write about a real travel experience - going home to hawaii!!! I'll get to see my little niece again and sleep until my body feels ready to wake up. ahhhhh sleeeeeeep.....so close and yet so far away!

[DavidS]

"When someone annoys you, it takes 42 muscles to frown, but it only takes 4 muscles to extend your arm and whack them on the head."
ie: Don't get mad, get even!

<small>[ 07-30-2005, 11:30 PM: Message edited by: DavidS ]</small>

[Schmeelkie]

Well, this weekend is our big DC jaunt. Flying again. Last time we went to DC (March '04), Pumpkin was almost 6 months old, not eating real food yet, but having issues nursing - took us 9 hours to drive, when it should have been about 6 hours. got a great hotel/air package on Orbitz, though - works out to about $100/head for the flight, and $100/night in hotel! Not bad for DC.

Anyway, we have two free mornings - going to the National Zoo on one - any kid-friendly ideas for the second morning (Sunday)? (fyi-Pumpkin's almost 2)

[BigJon@Work]

Smithsonian Air and Space almost always puts kids of all ages in awe.

[Schmeelkie]

Did actually go to the Air and Space museum. Partially because I had been looking in stores and online for a toy plane for Pumpkin and couldn't find anything that wasn't too old (mostly age 6+) or too blatently baby... Anyway, did get him a plane there and a little space shuttle (it said ages 3+, but it's one solid piece, can't see where it would pose a hazard). He seemed to like the museum. It went over a bit better than the zoo - he wanted to go and pet all the animals and got frustrated when we wouldn't let him climb into the elephant exhibit. He was really more interested in chasing the pigeons and other birds around the food court area. Oh, well. Makes me glad I never got around to getting a membership at our local zoo. maybe when he's older.

[piqaboo]

We found a great plane for sale during our flight on Ryan Air, for a little under $10.
Flashing lights, the works. We got one for my friends 2.5year old. I wanted one for the Altoid, but there werent enough in inventory. Oh well, she'd have found a way to eat it.

Come to think of it, I'd like to pet all those animals too! Good thinking, that Pumpkin!

(Doesnt it just grit you when they scream and cry about something that was supposed to be fun for them? I'm a sissy. I'll just turn tail and run. That activity is over for today. I have no stamina for crying baby.)


Monkey - hows it going?

<small>[ 08-23-2005, 04:24 PM: Message edited by: piqaboo ]</small>

[Marye]

Schmeelkie: Just north of Toronto? Whereabouts please? And I haven't seen the Fast Ferry for sometime. I think it is up for sale...

<small>[ 08-23-2005, 05:53 PM: Message edited by: Marye ]</small>

[monkeymd2b]

Well, I went home to hawaii last week and it was fun. Sunday we had a family and friends get together to celebrate my graduation since most of those folks weren't able to go to new orleans in May. I discovered that my niece has stranger anxiety in large groups...I don't blame her. The family all came at her at once in the fight for who gets to hold her first...no one. I hung out with my best friends from high school who are still in hawaii. One of them just bought a condo and so we did some window shopping for her place. I had tons of saimin and won ton min and manapua (it's like a dumpling with meat inside; my fav is the chicken curry) and rice cakes. I think I gained 10 pounds in just that one day since I kept eating the stuff when I got hungry and since the manapua and rice cakes are mostly carbs, that hunger kept coming at fast regular intervals. Screw south beach! I spent half of one day at the ER with my gramma when she had her first bout of severe gallstone pain...of course at the moment, my main fear was something cardiac and she looked like crap (highly medical term). Now I know why I get calls for admits at 1 am when a patient arrives in the ER at 6 pm - it takes sooooo long for anything to get done down there! Oh and the best part was they finally decided to give my gramma some pain meds 3 hours later when her pain had pretty much gone away. So next week she'll have her 2nd surgery in 5 months - the first was for a colon resection from cancer. She's not too thrilled about that but we watched a laparoscopic cholecystectomy (gall bladder for those not wanting to think in the pm...I know the feeling) and she was pretty impressed - it was on TLC.
The next day was fun cause I helped take care of Payton. She still likes me...or I should say she likes playing and pulling on my hair. And she goes berserk in her jumper toy. She's crawling...sort of - it's the drag the body starter crawl phase. And when she is bored of a particular location, she rolls over 360 to a new spot. Then she became the demon child from hell at nap time. It was a fun day and it will have to sustain until god knows when since my next vacation is in april and who knows when my bro and sister in law can come for a visit (they're thinking april). So I'll miss her 1st birthday and she'll be walking by the time I see her again. I threatened to make a mobile for her crib with my picture. I don't think they'd hang it if I did.
And so now I'm back at work but this easy month is quickly running out and next month will be very busy. Actually, all my next rotations will be busy so hopefully I'm energized to last until april. I sometimes wonder if maybe I should go home to work but financially I'll be better off here. It just costs too much to live there and the wages in any profession down there aren't adjusted enough for cost of living. My friend's condo was $228,000 for 800 sq ft and my house, at 2000 sq ft cost $233,000. That's sick! I know, california is worse. okay, enough rambling.

by the way, the air and space museum was THE best smithsonian in my opinion.

[monkeymd2b]

Wow, I wrote a lot up there. Anyway, here's a photo of me and my niece:
<img src="http://www.geocities.com/caralck/IMG_1442.jpg" alt=" - " />

And here is a picture of her playing with my hair

<img src="http://www.geocities.com/caralck/IMG_1444.jpg" alt=" - " />

[Selma in Sandy Eggo]

Payton keeps getting cuter, and cuter! Good pix.