Musandam

"And when that summer sun starts to beatin' down
And you don't know what to do
Grab your swimming trunks, ice up that old Igloo
And drive until the map turns blue" - Brad Paisley

In May we got together with a bunch of good friends and headed North to Musandam, Oman for a day cruise. The boat was charming. The kids had fun playing simon-says or trying to stand on one leg with the waves a rocking. The scenery was captivating, the water was perfect, there were lots of snacks, drinks, and munchies... plus, we got to spend an entire day out with good friends. Totally worth it.

Leaving the Harbor

 

Headed out to Sea

How's your balance?

Simon Says: "Give me 10 push-ups"

 Jumping off the boat deck

Too much fun

Hanging with cousin Lorie Lee

Queen of the World

This guy loves the water.

 

Wadi Showka

"Put a little gravel in my travel
Unwind, unravel all night long" - Rodney Atkins

We headed up to the mountains a couple weekends ago to get a little escape from the Emerald City. Wadi Showka was the destination. It was fun to get out with some good friends. The kids loved exploring and climbing all over the rocky mountainside. We sang songs with the ukulele around the campfire. We chased lizards, centipedes, spiders, and other creatures. We watched the moon rise over the mountains in a beautiful star-filled sky. We roasted food over open flames (why does normally mediocre food taste so much better when camping?). We listened to uncontrollable laughter as kids bounced around recklessly without seat-belts in the overstuffed backseat of a Land Rover driving up a rocky dry riverbed. We were invigorated as we jumped off the cliffside into cold, fresh water pools. We had fun.

 

 

 

Birthday Dreams

"But my words, like silent raindrops fell
And echoed in the wells... of silence" - Simon & Garfunkel

- Imagine a dream where you walk outside and realize that you are the only one left... no people anywhere.

OR

- Think of a horror movie that takes place in an old amusement park or a crazy carnival.

OR

- Picture a post-apocalyptic world with all the evidence of a once bustling civilization slowly being overcome by rust and decay.

That is what we experienced when we took the kids to "Wonderland" for the girls 5th birthday.

First of all, there isn't much that could possibly more exciting to two 5 year old girls than their birthday. They have been counting down the days since Christmas. There has been lots of planning, excited discussions, dreaming, and smiles during January related to their birthday. It is fun to watch. We decided that instead of just toys, we would take the kids somewhere for their birthday to create some fun memories. "Wonderland" seemed like a perfect place. It has amusement park rides for adults and children, plus it also has a decent sized water park with lots of slides. Double the fun.

We arrived at the park when it opened at around 10AM. We got the first indication that this would be a different experience when we realized that out of a huge parking lot, we were the only car. We then walked up to a large row of ticket counters to find that only one ticket window was open. We purchased our tickets and entered.

We stayed for most of the day and.... we were the only visitors there! To be honest, in the afternoon at the water-park we did see one couple sitting near a pool on the other side, but that was it! It was surreal.  I mean a huge park with dozens of rides, shops, games, buildings, eateries... and we had it all to ourselves.  It was cool, but also kind of creepy. The ride operator(s) would just kind of wait around to see where we walked to next and then walk over and fire that ride up just for us. What made it even more eerie was that none of the rides had any music or sounds!  I mean can you even imagine a carnival, fair, or amusement park without the blaring music and sound effects?  ...Nothing.  Just the whirring sounds of machinery and hydraulics. There was booth after booth of carnival games all set up and ready to play, with no lights and no one there convincing you to 'win it big' or test your skill. No people. No sounds. Yeah, eerie.

The kids loved it. They got to go on any ride or slide they wanted with no lines. Want to ride again? just let the zombie-like Bangladeshi workers know and they push the button for another round. Did I mention NO LINES? Yvonne and I also enjoyed the grown-up rides we went on. Have you ever ridden a roller coaster where you were the only rider? Some of the rides were a great thrill... but often it was more the scare that the ride might break down rather than the thrill of the ride itself. Without music, you notice a lot more of the bangs and clanking noises... not to mention, these rides were just plain old.

In the end, the outing was success. The kids had fun. The parents had fun. We all made some great (although slightly creepy) memories. Plus, the kids got to ride a real camel.

What the Heck?

Talon Learns to Swim

"Never been so happy
Never felt so high
And I think I might have found me my own kind of paradise" - Zac Brown Band

Talon thinks he's pretty much just as old as the girls are.  He thinks he can do anything that they can.  So, when they learned how to swim without arm floats, he figured he could do it too.  At first I was a little skeptical because when he tried, he would sink like a rock.  He is smaller, less coordinated, and a lot denser (less buoyant).  Apparently, he didn't realize any of this and about a month ago proved it can be done.  He still doesn't have to the come-up-and-take-a-breath thing figured out, but he has the swimming part down pretty well and can make it as far as one huge breath (and lots of gasping when he surfaces) can take him.  Luckily, our pool isn't that big so he can swim about anywhere he wants.

Here is the photo and video evidence.  Not bad for a kid who is just a little more than 2 1/2 years old.