Tomorrow is Memorial Day here in the USA, which is also often considered to be the "unofficial" start of Summer! I am going to exercise my rights as a US resident, and post an abbreviated blog in lieu of the holiday! But I will leave you with a 50+ photo slideshow of what we did today!
This morning, we all piled into Liesel's car just before 9am to head out to the African Safari Park in Port Clinton, OH, just an hour away! It was a beautiful drive and we were one of the first people to arrive at the Park. The Park should be renamed to the African and American Safari Park, since we saw Giraffe, Zebra, Kudu, Gemsbok, Duiker, and Springbok, but the majority of the animals were from North and South America, such as Reindeer, Bison, Alpacas and Llamas!
The park has 2 parts to it, a drive-through reserve filled with "tame" herbivores, and then a walk around section that has a host of other animals, pony and camel rides, pig races, and some educational shows! We started with the drive-through part, and were handed a container of feed at the gate to feed the collection of reindeer, alpacas, llamas, bison and giraffe! So driving cautiously through the park, Liesel bravely held the container of feed out the window to feed the creatures, when all of a sudden the car was surrounds by these hungry herbivores, each one trying to get his/her share of the feed. Reindeer were kicking one another, and one decided he preferred the rubber beading around the car door than the feed in the container! Liesel was soon overwhelmed by this herd of huge hungry heads by her window, and in their aggression, caused her to drop the container. It was the perfect distraction, and we managed to maneuver our way out of the unrest! The next section of the reserve contained mainly younger deer, who were not able to get their heads into any windows! Finally, we could wind down our windows in the 80 degree (27C) weather, and Josh started relaxing, without having huge nostrils breathing against his window! Enjoy the show!
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Post-Apocalypse gratefulness
In lieu of being "left behind"; I thought it would be highly appropiate to use this "borrowed" time to reflect on several things the McCarthy household is eternally grateful for. So instead of the standard blog, I present you with my list......
We are grateful for (in no particular order):
We are grateful for (in no particular order):
- Liesel, who dedicates all her time to raise our wonderful two sons. Besides that, she also takes cares of our nutritional needs, and keeps our home running smoothly!
- The summer weather that we have been longing for since October.
- Air-conditioning for #2 above.
- Volleyball leagues (indoor and sand)
- The huge variety of ice cream flavors (especially because of #2)
- The Samsung Galaxy Tab that Google gave me. This blog is being typed on it!
- That my mom is coming to visit us for the Summer vacation!
- That our 3 month old nephew and niece in the UK are doing well
- Nathan's leg cast is being removed tomorrow
- High speed Internet
- Being able to work from home for 3 weeks which really helped us save on gas (petrol) bills!
- Friends
- Skype
- Our first official summer vacation at the beach in less than 5 weeks!!! (see #7)
- Spending time outdoors (again, related to #2)
- Going for family bike rides
- Fishing
- Liesel's home made Creme Brulee
- Apple computers
- eBay (and worry-free, reliable shipping)
- That we found imported Aero chocolates at our local grocery store!
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Rain, rain, go away!
After spending most of the week in San Francisco for work, I returned home in the midst of a thunderstorm. The rain gave us a break on Friday, but then returned and set up camp for the remainder of the weekend (and according to the meteorologists, most of the coming week too!) Fortunately I got my lawn mowed on Friday, after we the boys were put into bed. Friday was the McCarthy family fun night, and I took the family to our favorite frozen yoghurt store, Spoon Me. We each had a delicious frozen treat, which was very welcome in the hot and humid evening!
Saturday started off with some sunshine. Liesel headed off to breakfast with a friend, and I stayed at home with the boys, enjoying a very lazy morning. When Liesel got home later that morning, and she got to work in the kitchen making delicious homemade doughnuts! There was also a bit of sunshine left for us to work in the back yard. While Liesel pulled weeds, I cut down some annoying tree branches, before we joined forces and covered one of the beds with mulch, as the rain started falling. Meanwhile, since Liesel had loosened the soil of the one bed, Josh was enjoying his new favorite past-time, Earthworm Hunting. The rain didn't dampen his spirits, and after the excitement of hunting, he still wanted to swing in the rain....
We woke up to a dreary Sunday, filled with more rain showers. We headed to church as usual, and caught up with a few friends. We spent the rest of the day indoors and got to speak to some family on Skype. It's always wonderful seeing our little 3 month old nephew and niece doing so well in the UK. Later that evening, I got the opportunity to go and play guitar with some former worship team members, and had a great time playing, singing and laughing together!
Below is a slide show of some photo's I took in San Francisco earlier that week.
Saturday started off with some sunshine. Liesel headed off to breakfast with a friend, and I stayed at home with the boys, enjoying a very lazy morning. When Liesel got home later that morning, and she got to work in the kitchen making delicious homemade doughnuts! There was also a bit of sunshine left for us to work in the back yard. While Liesel pulled weeds, I cut down some annoying tree branches, before we joined forces and covered one of the beds with mulch, as the rain started falling. Meanwhile, since Liesel had loosened the soil of the one bed, Josh was enjoying his new favorite past-time, Earthworm Hunting. The rain didn't dampen his spirits, and after the excitement of hunting, he still wanted to swing in the rain....
We woke up to a dreary Sunday, filled with more rain showers. We headed to church as usual, and caught up with a few friends. We spent the rest of the day indoors and got to speak to some family on Skype. It's always wonderful seeing our little 3 month old nephew and niece doing so well in the UK. Later that evening, I got the opportunity to go and play guitar with some former worship team members, and had a great time playing, singing and laughing together!
Below is a slide show of some photo's I took in San Francisco earlier that week.
Sunday, May 08, 2011
Happy Mother's Day!
The day of the year where we celebrate our mothers, has already come and gone for 2011! It seems like such a short sliver of time to show love and appreciation to the ladies who have dedicated their lives to care for us. Well, the McCarthy family made the most of the day, and gave Liesel a special day. We (I) started on Saturday morning, by working in the yard. Besides mowing the front and back yards, I added some fresh mulch to Liesel's rose garden (after she weeded it).
I also edged 3 garden beds, added mulch to our largest tree, and turned the compost heap. By the end of the day I was exhausted! So after a refreshing shower, we took mom to Moe's for dinner! The food was great and even Josh was relatively well behaved. Afterward we made a quick stop at the store to pick up some groceries for the week. Outside the store we ran into some good friends of ours, and it was fun catching up in the parking lot. Once inside, Nathan spotted a school friend, and the two of them spent some time catching up (since Nathan hasn't been to class since breaking his leg 4 weeks ago). So the shopping trip ended up being an enjoyable social networking exercise! Later that evening, once Josh was down to sleep, we had our family fun night, which was a game of Monopoly. I obviously need a lot more practice (and luck?) since my 6 year old son managed to bankrupt me!!
Then Mother's Day rolled in, and I gave Liesel instructions that she must not get out of bed until I tell her to :) So I got Josh in the morning when he woke up, and that also gave me the opportunity to start on Liesel's breakfast which consisted of a cheese omelette, slice of toast and a hot cup of coffee! Then with Nathan and Josh, we served breakfast in bed along with some gifts and cards, all of which she loved! Mission accomplished!
Once everyone had breakfast, we headed to church, where Nathan and his class mates had prepared a couple of songs for all the moms in the congregation. On Sunday evening, the weather was perfect for having our first dinner on the patio this season. Liesel prepared a delicious shrimp entree. There is nothing better than enjoying the food and company outside in the fresh air. After dinner we headed to a playground to let Josh get rid of some of his excess energy. While I chaperoned Josh, Liesel and Nathan had a leisurely walk around the Westlake Recreation Center. It was a great finish to a great weekend!
I also edged 3 garden beds, added mulch to our largest tree, and turned the compost heap. By the end of the day I was exhausted! So after a refreshing shower, we took mom to Moe's for dinner! The food was great and even Josh was relatively well behaved. Afterward we made a quick stop at the store to pick up some groceries for the week. Outside the store we ran into some good friends of ours, and it was fun catching up in the parking lot. Once inside, Nathan spotted a school friend, and the two of them spent some time catching up (since Nathan hasn't been to class since breaking his leg 4 weeks ago). So the shopping trip ended up being an enjoyable social networking exercise! Later that evening, once Josh was down to sleep, we had our family fun night, which was a game of Monopoly. I obviously need a lot more practice (and luck?) since my 6 year old son managed to bankrupt me!!
Then Mother's Day rolled in, and I gave Liesel instructions that she must not get out of bed until I tell her to :) So I got Josh in the morning when he woke up, and that also gave me the opportunity to start on Liesel's breakfast which consisted of a cheese omelette, slice of toast and a hot cup of coffee! Then with Nathan and Josh, we served breakfast in bed along with some gifts and cards, all of which she loved! Mission accomplished!
Once everyone had breakfast, we headed to church, where Nathan and his class mates had prepared a couple of songs for all the moms in the congregation. On Sunday evening, the weather was perfect for having our first dinner on the patio this season. Liesel prepared a delicious shrimp entree. There is nothing better than enjoying the food and company outside in the fresh air. After dinner we headed to a playground to let Josh get rid of some of his excess energy. While I chaperoned Josh, Liesel and Nathan had a leisurely walk around the Westlake Recreation Center. It was a great finish to a great weekend!
Sunday, May 01, 2011
Scientific Saturday, Sovereign Sunday
A couple of months ago, before there were broken fingers and broken legs, we promised Nathan that we would take him to Lake Erie Science Center to watch an IMAX movie about tornadoes. Since the Science Center isn't really designed around hyper-inquisitive two year olds, it was decided that I would take Nathan and Josh would stay at home with Liesel. So Nathan and I pulled up to the Center just after opening time! We had a wonderful time moving around the exhibits and in particular, enjoying the new NASA Glenn Research Visitor Center. Nathan and I had fun trying to land the space shuttle in the simulator, making vortexes, flying blimps and examining an Apollo module (and so much more)! Shortly afterwards, we made our way up to the IMAX theater and sat down to watch this larger than life movie about this weather phenomenon called Tornadoes! Both Nathan and I thoroughly enjoyed the show! Afterward, we were pretty hungry and headed to the cafeteria for lunch. Then after one making one more round past the exhibits, we headed back home that afternoon.
That evening, we had friends over for dinner. We had a great time together, Liesel (as always) provided an exquisite meal! We wrapped up the evening with a board game, which Liesel (as always :P) won!
Sunday started off like most Sundays, with the McCarthy family heading to Church in the morning. Sunday afternoon's itinerary was slightly different. Liesel was invited to her friends house, to watch the ENTIRE Royal Wedding! So the McCarthy boys were left to fare for themselves for a good solid 5 hour period! We had a blast, talking to family on Skype, and then watching Monsters Inc on DVD together. Liesel had a great time at her friend's too, enjoying scones, tea and other British specialties. SO all in all, a great weekend and with no visits to the ER or dentist necessary!!!
That evening, we had friends over for dinner. We had a great time together, Liesel (as always) provided an exquisite meal! We wrapped up the evening with a board game, which Liesel (as always :P) won!
Sunday started off like most Sundays, with the McCarthy family heading to Church in the morning. Sunday afternoon's itinerary was slightly different. Liesel was invited to her friends house, to watch the ENTIRE Royal Wedding! So the McCarthy boys were left to fare for themselves for a good solid 5 hour period! We had a blast, talking to family on Skype, and then watching Monsters Inc on DVD together. Liesel had a great time at her friend's too, enjoying scones, tea and other British specialties. SO all in all, a great weekend and with no visits to the ER or dentist necessary!!!
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