Queen Mary

We were able to spend the night on the Queen Mary. We had the chance to tour parts of the boat at night time. We had reached the R deck of the ship. When you come out of the elevator there is a little platform and staircase (center). To the left there is a unique curved doorway (left). The R deck was the former first class dining and swimming pool area. We were the only ones down there. Ted and I were looking around. I turned and saw Travis still standing on the platform by the elevator. He looked petrified. When I got him to talk he ran off the ship and refused to come back to even get in the elevator. We had to go around the boat and enter from the main gangway. He said that someone bumped into him and laughed. He was so scared that when we went down to the R deck on our tour the next day I had to pack him and he shook the whole time we were down there. So I guess Travis had his own ghostly encounter with the ghosts they say haunt the area around the swimming pool.


There is also a Russian sub next to the Queen Mary. We toured the sub. It was EXTREMELY small. They said it held 75 people and since there wasn't even bunk space they slept in shifts. When you went from one section to another in the sub you had to go through these tubes (center). The bunks were all throughout the sub. They did not really have any rooms to sleep in. Many times the bunks where just out in the open (right).

Fort MacArthur Days - July 11, 2009

We attended the annual Fort MacArthur Days in San Pedro July 11, 2009. Fort MacArthur was a WWII outpost that over looked the Los Angeles Harbor Area. It was equipped with guns and artillery to defend the coast from Air or submarine attacks. Each year they have Reenactments of various wars and military displays from Romans to current times. The First reenactment of the day was the taking of Iwo Jima pictured above.

The theme for Ted's summer school this year is Rome, so he was very interested in the Roman villages. He spent several hours there telling the story of Remus and Romulas to all the people. He then learned that Romulas eventually killed Remus because he crawl over his wall he had made around the city.

Travis loved the reenactments. We saw 2 different WWII reenactments, the Spanish America War, and 2 Civil War battles. He got to see a civil war cannon and a gattling gun up close. He also like touring the Fort and the gun tunnels which are empty now. But large cement tubes can be eerie at times.

July 4, 2009

We went to the Joint Forces Training Base for the 4th of July. There were lots of military vehicles on display. We also saw a WWII reenactment. There were planes, tanks and machine guns in the battle between the US and the Japanese. There was also a small carnival at the event. Ted and Travis rock climbed, played laser tag and had a joust. Travis also did some bungy trampolining. We then stayed for the fireworks that night. Travis who is a military buff loved the war reenactment. Ted like the carnival more. So I guess everyone was happy.

Trip to Idaho

We traveled to Idaho for a week to see the grandparents and Sandra and Don and their three girls. This is a picture of the 5 cousins at Mattie's 13th birthday. (left to right Ted, Travis, Mattie, Lauren and Meryn). We returned to California on July 3.

End of the School Year

Tomorrow is finally the last day of school for the boys. Teachers still have school on Monday. We will be leaving for Idaho on Tuesday 6/23. We will return to California July 3rd. Ted has summer school during July and will continue his 5 hours a week of tutoring. Travis is taking some classes at the La Brea Tar Pits and the Aquarium of the Pacific. Both boys will be swimming in July and August. When summer school is over Ted will go to his first sleep away camp in the San Bernadino Mountains. So summer will be very busy for us.

We Want to be stars!

In April Ted and Travis competed in a local mall talent search competition. They each won a 1 year contract with Model Productions. They have also been interviewed by One Source Talent Agency. We have been busy getting their photos and resumes completed for the talent agency. They think they are going to be stars.

Our Spring Break 2009

For our Spring Break we went to the Grand Canyon. We spent the first night at Williams, Arizona. We took the Grand Canyon Railway to the Grand Canyon. We spent the night at the Maswick Lodge at the Grand Canyon. The first day we took a rim tour and a ranger nature hike. The second day we participated in the ranger fossil program in the morning and then we hiked down the Angel Bright trail. This is the trail that goes to the bottom of the canyon. We hiked down an hour and then hiked back up in 1 hour and 15 minutes because Travis ran all the way up the canyon and kept coming back to complain if Ted and I stopped to rest. We then took the train back to Williams where we spent another night. The boys enjoyed the outdoor activities.