Disneyland and California Adventure

We've spent two days at Disneyland and one at Disney's California Adventure and we plan to go back tomorrow. We're finding lots of fun things to do! We've been on all the major attractions at Disneyland, and some twice, such as Space Mountain and Thunder Mountain Railway!

Disney's California Adventure was good but some of the major attractions were broken down while we were there. A large roller coaster, California Screamin', a swings ride, Orange Stinger and a show called Muppet Vision 3-D were not working today. Gerald plans to go back to tomorrow to ride the roller coaster for sure and maybe some of his other favourites such as the Maliboomer!

We also found some fun shops and play areas. We each made a Mister Potato Head at a store called Imagine Ears. Also, we've been looking for funny and interesting hats and shopping for the perfect souvenirs. As well, there is character sightings to keep us busy. So far we have had our picture taken with Minnie Mouse and Goofy and we have spotted Pluto, Mr. Incredible, Mickey and Woody.

Tomorrow we plan to go back and see all of our favourites. We want to go on the Matterhorn Bobsleds as well as Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and probably Space Mountain, Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin and Mad Tea Party. We plan to cap off our trip to Disneyland by watching the fireworks display.

Our Great California Adventure

We've spent a day and half in California so far and it has been fantastic! Last night we spent the evening at Downtown Disney. We ate supper at the House of Blues and Gerald bought a great bowling bowling shirt at the merchandise shop. We also checked out the other shops and restaurants.

Today we spent the majority of the day at Disneyland. We had a great time on all the attractions! We started the day on Space Mountain and it was darker and faster than I expected, but still really fun. In Tomorrowland we rode on Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters and Star Tours. Then we moved over to Fantasyland and rode the Matterhorn Bobsleds, Alice in Wonderland, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, Peter Pan's Flight, Pinocchio's Daring Journey and Snow White's Scary Adventure. Then we went to Frontierland and rode on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. We finished the afternoon by watching the parade on Main Street.

This evening we went on Pirates of the Carribean and Indiana Jones' Adventure. They were both really great, even though I got drenched at Pirates of the Carribean! We also watched the fireworks tonight and completed the evening with a ride on It's a Small World.

Tomorrow we are going to use our early admission to the park which means we need to be at the gate before 7:00 am. We are hoping to get in line for Finding Nemo Submarine Adventure first to avoid the horrendous line up we saw today. Then we will see all the attractions we missed today and take in some shows.

Wendy's Yard

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

I finished reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows today. I wanted to read it slowly to savour the final installment, but I got worried about spoilers so I read it really quickly on Saturday and Sunday. I enjoyed the book, but I was disappointed in the epilogue. I wish J.K. Rowling had ended the boook with Harry, Hermione and Ron in Dumbledore's office. I preferred it when their futures were left up to the reader's imagination as opposed to explained in the epilogue. I imagine that she wrote the epilogue to end the possibility of another installment of the Harry Potter books. She has been firm about not writing more books, and the inclusion of the epilogue really finishes the story.

The Harry Potter books have been a wonderful gift to me and to readers around the world. J.K. Rowling is a masterful writer and she has the ability to tranport the reader right into the wizarding world. When you are reading the books, you are in the places that she is describing, you are experiencing all the emotions and adventures right along with the characters. I have not read any other author with such an impressive ability to create and sustain another world. I am so glad that I've read all of the books.

SSWP Concludes!

The South Saskatchewan Writing Project concluded today. The theme we selected is Writing Lasts, Writing Transforms, Writing Re-Visions. I think it is a good theme because it sums up our experience in the project. I started graduate studies because I wanted a tranformative learning experience, but I was beginning to doubt that I would ever find it until I participated in this course. This class really changed my thinking about teaching and learning. I think that Sandra accomplished her goal of having us reconstruct our understanding by overloading us with a flood of information and expectations. I certainly believe that my understanding of language and learning is transformed, not merely modified.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

So, we went to see Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix on Friday evening. I thought that the movie was pretty good, if a bit superficial. It lacked a certain suspense that makes movie goers sit on the edge of their seat. The outcome was pretty obvious throughout the whole movie. I prefer it if there is some doubt about the resolution of the events, as opposed to a foregone conclusion. I would have liked to have been more fully engaged in the struggles and celebrations of the characters during the movie. I realize that I already know what happens in the story because I have read the book and the ones that follow, but I try to treat the books and the movies separately and enjoy each for their gifts.

On that note, the final book, Harry Potter the Deathly Hallows, will be released on Saturday, July 21st at 12:00 am. I plan to pick up my copy at 8:00 am and then spend a good portion of the day engrossed in the book. I am so looking forward to reading for pleasure! It will be a wonderful treat.

The Taste of Summer

Tomorrow we will eat the first tomato from our Italian garden! Garden fresh tomatoes taste like summer sunshine. Their texture is absolutely perfect, and they have just the right balance of flesh to fruit. My mouth is watering with the anticipation of tasting the sweet juices!

Our tomatoes are growing extremely well, thanks to a great deal of watering and fertilizing from Gerald. If early indications are accurate, it promises to be a bountiful year for the red beauties. However, our herbs aren't fairing as well. They started off very slowly so we moved them to shadier spot and that seems to have affected them positively. It will likely be another two weeks before we can harvest any herbs.