Just got back from California tonight — the family and I went to Disneyland for a few days and had a wonderful time. My oldest daughter got a hug from Snow White and Alice in Wonderland, while my youngest daughter got to see Tinkerbell fly from the Matterhorn down to Sleeping Beauty’s castle and set off the fireworks, so it was a magical adventure for both of them. (My 3-year-old son stayed with Grandma and Grandpa and had the time of his life here in Peoria.) Anyway, I’m back now and have a stack of newspapers to peruse.
While I was on vacation, I got some reading done (we took the train to California, so I had plenty of time to enjoy the scenery, play games with the kids, and read). I’ve been reading The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt by Edmund Morris. I had started it some time ago, but never got very far. This trip I was able to nearly finish it, and I’m already looking forward to Morris’s follow-up book, Theodore Rex. What an interesting and remarkable man Mr. Roosevelt was!
Well, it’s good to be back home. I’m not sure what the joke is with all the song lyrics on one of my previous posts, but whatever. From reading Billy Dennis’s blog, it looks like not much has changed since I left — he has several more posts slamming the library expansion plan. Too bad he hates books and literacy so much. [/joking]
Talk to you all soon!
Welcome home CJ. Glad you got to spend some great time with your family. You went to one of my favorite places. I was there the day they opened Disneyland. The magic never ends there.
It was pretty quiet around here while you were gone.
Welcome Back, CJ (That’s what I like, a babysitter that covers for ya, Thanks Diane!)
So your dad and mom watched your son? That’s more work than your dad has done in the last 10 years.
(Pass that one along to him)
In 4th grade we had to read a biography of anyone and give a little presentation, I chose Theodore Roosevelt because we had the same birthday! All I remember is he and his sons played a game call, “up and over, and never around”. I don’t suppose that is a plot point in “The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt”
Welcome back….I can’t believe you took the train to California!?!?! Last person I knew that did that vowed NEVER AGAIN; hope your experience was better. I love the short train trips (to Chicago) but can’t take the longer ones – planes all the way for me!
Peo Proud — The only thing I would do differently is I would spring for the sleeper car instead of trying to sleep in coach. Sleeping in coach really only works if you can lie down across two seats; otherwise, it’s pretty hard to sleep.
Other than that, the train was a great way to go. The scenery was beautiful — it was so interesting to see it change as we went west. At one point in the observation car, they had a park ranger explaining the history of the area through which we were traveling, and they had a little “course” that kids could take to become “junior park rangers.” My daughter did that and enjoyed it — she got a “Jr. Ranger” pin at the end of it and learned about the Sante Fe Trail in the process.
Flying was a lot more expensive, and driving was quite a bit more expensive as well with gas prices being as high as they are. Incidentally, in Missouri, the price per gallon is/was around $3.96, but in California it was around $4.57-$4.60. Quite a difference in prices depending on where you were in the country.
Mazr — Will do. He’s probably already seen it, though, since he has nothing else to do these days than read my blog. 😛
BeanCounter — So far, no mention of the game to which you referred, but the guy did have a ton of children. So many, that the author sort of mentions their births in passing (paraphrasing: “he came back to Sagamore Hill for a couple of days while his wife gave birth to another son, then back to” New York/Washington/wherever). It’s sort of like, ho-hum, another child.
The National Park Service has GREAT children’s programs. My daughter did the Junior Park Ranger course recently when we toured Ft. McHenry in Baltimore. A great way for kids to learn history and information with a little inducement (earning a nice certificate designating her as a Jr. Park Ranger and the badge/pin).
I posted this on P.I.’s blog, but does anyone know why all the old trees on Sheridan Road have been cleared out?
It’s the lot across the street from Stride Rite and Little Caesar’s, on the same side of the street down from the old Bell.
I think Southside Bank owns that lot and is moving from Sheridan Village to their own building.
Another thing I think is CEFCU is going to take the building that Super Pets and Shoe Carnival just moved out of at the Village and make it a real branch with a drive-thru. In the JS this morning they indicated in the story about the Village renovations that they(CEFCU) would be relocating so they can tear down that wing of the center.
Missouri always has some of the cheapest gas in the country. It also has some of the crappiest roads in the country. Correlation?
Knight, a few years ago my brother-in-law, who lives in KC MO, mentioned that he knew when he had entered Illinois because the roads were so much better.
On the other hand, I love the cheap cigs and the 70mph speed limit on the Missouri Interstates.
My daughter went to Mizzou and it was great to hit Missouri’s speed limit on the way down there. Columbia is like a little oasis in the middle of nowhere. However, I decided to cut off at Springfield, Ill once and was lost for hours in Missouri. I ended up driving on some of the craziest roads I’d ever encountered!