Spending the Night on the USS Midway, Part I
The weekend right after we went to Yosemite we went down to San Diego with some of n’s cub scout pack. We considered taking the train down, but opted to drive instead since we wanted to do some sightseeing on our own the next day.
We paid $10 for overnight parking and walked around a bit since we were a little early. Our tour did not start until 5:00, after they closed the ship to the public.
We walked around the aircraft carrier and were amazed at its enormity.
These mannequins were kind of creepy.
There were some other impressive boats along the waterfront as well.https://flic.kr/p/NJc6YG
I am not sure why I have a fascination with pay phones, but this “Free Calls” sticker caught my eye.
The last time we were in San Diego we ate at Carnitas’ Snack Shack. We noticed they have a waterfront location, so we stopped for some soft serve. It was nothing special, but a nice treat.
Then we queued up in front of the ship by pack number. There were several other packs attending, but the group did not seem overwhelming given the size of the ship.
Upside down rainbow in the sky.
Cleverly designed bike rack.
We lined up by squadrons, listened to introductions and rules, pledged allegiance to our flag, and were sent off to the make up our bunks in ten minutes. We were only to bring back flashlights, cameras and jackets.
The beds or “racks” were stacked three high. Adults were to sleep in the middle, and kids were to sleep on the bottom. Since we had four people, we occupied one row, so no one else was sleeping right next to us, which was nice.
Getting situated took some serious maneuvering.
There was not much head clearance at all, as you can see.
Some people were sent straight to eat dinner, but our group had a short scavenger hunt to complete first.
We then climbed down our first out of many steep flights of stairs to get our “Navy chow”.
Our main course was chicken breast with bbq sauce. I think everything else is self-explanatory. D was a little disappointed that the adult portions were the same as the kids’. Our kids must have been hungry and ate it up without complaint.
After dinner there was a little time for self-guided exploration.
Then, we were ordered back in our squadron lines, and our official tour was to begin!
Our Last FishFest?
Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre is closing, so this might have been our last Fish Fest. I was thinking back to our previous FishFests. Let’s take a look back:
2011
2014
2016
We were back in the lawn section after trying out the seats two years ago. The kids wanted to be able to spread out. I did not remember how steeply slanted the hill was. n kept sliding down, along with our picnic blanket. We also were able to save a spot for the family of one of k’s basketball teammates.
Blanca was the opening act.
n did not fall asleep this time. However, some things don’t change: Jeremy Camp was my favorite act and we were not able stay for Mercy Me. We also saw Phil Wickham and Matthew West.
Circus Vargas @ The Orange County Great Park
I won tickets to opening night for Circus Vargas at the Orange County Great Park. Unfortunately, D was traveling for work, and it was a school night (Thursday), but I took the kids anyway. We only stayed until about 8:30, so we missed the Grand Finale, including the Flying Trapeze, but it was fun.
The tent was not too large, which was great for sight lines, but poor in terms of air circulation. It was especially stuffy while we were waiting for the performance to begin, but seemed to improve once the show started.
Second row seats!
There was some amazing talent and stunts that made us cringe. We missed D’s loud reactions/funny comments.
Family Night @ Holiday Skate
The kids have been wanting to go rollerskating for a while now. k has gone several times with Girl Scouts/birthday parties, but n has never been to a rink!
We went to Holiday Skate in Orange for Family Night. On Sunday nights, from 6:30-8:30, it is $6.50, including skate rentals.
After trying to take a few blurry action shots, I realized I need video!
D and I took turns holding n’s hand. With each time around the rink, he became a little more stable. By the end of the session he was able to skate by himself on the straight aways!
D joined in on the dice game and made it through a few rounds.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BHbK9ubh2OL/?taken-by=limbylim
Too bad this Instagram video does not have sound. You need to hear Montell Jordan’s “This Is How We Do It” in the background to fully experience this moment. 🙂
Beckman High School Presents Wizard of Oz
k really enjoys plays/musicals, so I thought it would be nice for our family to see The Wizard of Oz put on by our local high school. The kids enjoyed it, and n managed to stay awake. n whispered to me with wonder, “How did the witch’s skin turn green?” So cute. There were some serious sound quality issues during some points, which I thought would have been resolved by the last performance. Overall, it was a fun (but somewhat pricey to me) night out. We will have to put the original Wizard of Oz movie on our to-watch list this summer.
If you are wondering why k is wearing a different dress in this picture, it is because we originally stood in line for tickets on a Friday night, only to realize that it was cash only. Being as we did not have $60 in cash on us, we had to return the following night after a trip to the ATM. They should really publicize that they do not accept credit cards! n opted for the same outfit both nights–haha.
Father’s Day @ Huntington Beach
We are officially on Summer Break! One of the things on the kids’ summer bucket list was to go to the beach. Even though it is not that far away, we rarely go. Saturday was the perfect day to go since we are in the middle of heat wave. The bad thing is that it seemed like everyone else had the same idea. Parking was a nightmare, but once we put our feet in the sand, it was all good. I actually needed a jacket because it was pretty breezy!
We ended up at Huntington State Beach. The kids did all of the classic beach sand activities:
Filling up their tunnel with water.
Burying someone in the sand.
n also worked hard on this tri-level sand recliner. Happy Father’s Day!
Exploring Beacon Park in Irvine
When I received a flyer in the mail offering $10 in food truck bucks at Beacon Park in Irvine for one of their “Friday Night Happenings”, we had to go.
We decided on dessert crepes at Crepes Bonaparte.
We ordered two “Spicy Apple Bottom” crepes, which made the kids laugh, of course.
I also scored a free scoop of vanilla ice cream for following them on Instagram.
The chunks of apple were huge! I would definitely recommend this crepe.
The main reason for the gathering was to entice people to buy homes in the new neighborhood. However, the models were closed, which I did not understand. Instead, we checked out the park, including this fancy basketball court.
They hung chandeliers in the trees–fancy!
The kids loved the park, so I promised them we would return. In fact, I have grand plans of exploring a lot of different parks in Orange County with them this summer.
Look at that tree house!
Mushroom Stools
The sky was so pretty that night.
Trees of Mystery
Klamath is home to a roadside attraction called Trees of Mystery. It is difficult to miss, as a gigantic and Paul Bunyun and Babe the Ox are sure to attract attention from all passers by.
It is kitschy to the max, but definitely fun for the kids.
The kids were into taking pictures with their toy action cams. I think we should upgrade them to real cameras in the near future.
The kids counted how many steps it took them to walk around the trunk…50!
The main attraction that you pay admission for is the gondola ride among the redwood trees.
The kids were in an especially good mood during the ride, so that was fun.
There was an observation deck, but the fog obscured the view. I played around with some filters.
The path between the gondola and the gift shop is quite nice.
It is not everyday that you can see such strange tree growths, like this candelabra tree.
n pretending to be a statue.
Sneaking In One Last Trip to San Diego Safari Park
Our San Diego Zoo annual passes expires January 31, so we took one last trip to the Safari Park during a student holiday the Friday before.
We had developed a sort of routine in the order of which we visited the exhibits. However, n wanted to see the gorillas since they were off site the last time we visited. I would definitely recommend going there first thing because you get to watch them eating their breakfast. It is quite a site! The baby was also riding piggy-back style on the mom’s back, which was so cute. Which made me wonder, why is it called piggy-back, when I have never seen a pig do that? I know…deep thoughts!
Aquarium of the Pacific in December
I won a couple of sets of tickets to Aquarium of the Pacific, so we went to their holiday celebration. We also were able to invite some friends to come along with us.
We saw some feedings.
This moray eel is so creepy!
My favorite—penguins!
When our friends came, the kids became braver about touching the animals.
Well, maybe not that brave. Look at the disgust!
Our trip was cut somewhat short because one kid in each family was not feeling well.
We did make a quick stop to slide down the small snow hill before leaving, though!