So, I took a few pictures in California.  Honestly.  Just a few.

No, but seriously. Once I finally got them all off the camera and had a look at them, I realized just how very few pictures I really did take.
Here's a small sampling of my meager offering.

When we came to Salt Lake in June, we left Mister behind in Norway.  The plan was for him to fly directly to LA and meet us at the airport there to start our grand Disneyland extravaganza together.  A plan which worked out perfectly except that the morning we were scheduled to fly out, Emma woke up with a fever of 102.  Headache, chills, the works.  Tylenol only took the edge off.  So this is the state she was in when she finally got to see her dad again.  His first words to me after our three week separation, "Just what in the hell have you done to my daughter?"

Em stayed sick for three days.  Happily by the next day she was well enough that a combination of Tylenol and Motrin were able to reduce the fever completely, so she was good to go as long as we kept her pumped full of pharmeceuticals, and didn't ask her to stay up passed 7 p.m.

I believe it was on Day 3 that we went to SeaWorld.  The kids, from left to right, are:  Boy, Ethan--of the fabled Chicago Ethans, Em, a presumably very hot costumed Penguin character, Missy, Emily--sister to Chicago Ethan, and Zoe--the only grandchild decent enough to have settled in the same city as the grandparents.

SeaWorld was a huge hit with the kids.  As I knew it would be.

Boy had some things to say to this dolphin.  I'm not sure, but I think he was giving her instructions to the nearest exit.

There was a Beluga whale in the tank behind Missy.  A lovely, graceful creature which she stared at for all of two seconds before she announced, "That's ugly.  You can take a picture of meeeee though...." 

The light was awful purdy behind her, so I did.

Meanwhile, back at Disneyland--

This one was taken on on the Jungle Cruise.  The last time we were at Disneyland, Boy was all of 4 years old.  He threw up 3/4 of the way through the line for this ride.  What a fun memory to revisit! 

No such mishaps this time around.  He loved everything about Adventure Land.  If I had been thinking, I would have found a way to record his orgasmic reaction to the Indiana Jones ride.  Seriously, to hear the kid talk you would have thought he'd just mastered the armpit fart version of "It's A Small World".

I tried my hardest to get Em to go on California Screamin'--the roller coaster at California Adventure--but it goes upside down, see, and she's a total wuss that way.  But that tall thing in the background--not the ferris wheel, but the other tall one--the one that pops you and your colon straight up in the air in a reverse bungee sort of action--that one she wanted to go on. 

I couldn't. 

I didn't. 

She shouldn't have.  Her hands were still jittery and she didn't have much of an appetite a full hour after doing it.

Boy was a pure delight to have on this trip.  He and Chicago Ethan got on famously, and he absolutely adored  EVERYTHING he saw, did, and/or heard while we were there--in all caps--ALL. THE. TIME. 

I like this picture because it looks so still and peaceful--a moment of quiet bonding between grandmother and grandson--but I can pretty much guarantee that he's talking a mile a minute, probably about the toy snake at the Indian Jones store that he's decided that Grandpa is going to buy for him, the awesome power of the loopdy-loop roller coaster, and the Yeti on the Matterhorn--in all caps--ALL. AT. THE. SAME. TIME. 

Precious.

And what would a trip to Disneyland be without a picture of the princesses with a princess.  For the most part we avoided the whole picture-with-the-characters ordeal because who wants to stand in that line when we could be standing in this other line with a ride at the end of it?  We just happened to stumble into a photo shoot with Cinderella here where there were only a handful of Japanese preschoolers to butt in front of the wait looked relatively short, so we stopped for it. 

And aren't we glad we did?

Pardon My Absensence

The problem, see, is one of alone time.

That is to say, it's summer, and I have none.

I had this great idea to disclose the particulars of our Disneyland extravaganza by parodying the absurdly long and involved online survey I was asked to complete after our visit. I'm sure as certain it would have been great--brilliant--an honest to God comedic homerun--if only I'd had 10 minutes to myself to compose the damn thing.

Alas. It's summer, and there are swimming pools to visit.

We spent a whole week in southern California, visited 5 theme parks, and met with family we haven't seen for over two years. There's plenty to say about all that. I took pictures even.

Alas. It's summer, and Mister has taken time off for some hard-core family bonding...plus fishing...okay, maybe slightly more fishing than family bonding...which means (for me) more swimming pools...because what the hell else is there to do in a desert in the summer? Lately, there's been some internal debate as to whether the Salt Lake valley constitutes a genuine desert. Me, I'm dubious, but it's 100 degress out there and if that ain't desert, the kids just don't know what is....So next year maybe we ship 'em off to Phoenix...and I finally get some alone time...

We'll be home the second week of August. I'd like to say I'll be able to resume normal posting then, but school doesn't start until the 17th, so no promises until then, 'kay?