London Tourists

After we finished getting settled in at the hotel, we decided to take a taxi into downtown London, specifically to the London Eye. I could have easily gone to sleep without any problem as jet lag had a strangle hold. The travel expert we used strongly recommended that we get out and walk in order to get our bodies tuned into London time. So I was good and we went for another adventure.

 

London Eye 

 

Our first tourist attraction was the London Eye. We were told to expect long lines and that it was best to purchase our tickets ahead of time. Well, on this very cold, damp London evening, there was no queue to line up in. In England, they line up in a queue, not standing in a line. We were grateful that we had not pre-purchased the more expensive tickets.

Literally everything here was decorated in blue lights...loved it! This is looking up the side of the eye before we boarded.

Scott checking out the sights

Me? I'm resting my poor feet

Steve and Stephanie playing with all the different settings in order to get the best shot of Big Ben

Not too bad...  :)

I thought this was the best of the bunch.

Trying for an artistic view looking at another car

On the way down, looking up the River Thames

 

At the base of the Eye there were several kiosks set up selling all sorts of things. Both Stephanie and Scott bought gloves, Stephanie also got a hat. It really was that cold!

 

 

We are in an Italian restaurant waiting for our food...jet lag has hit them

 

Love Stephanie's grin...the birthday boy is resting his eyes...

 

After a very fine dinner, it was back to the hotel to truly get the sleep we all craved. We stayed at the hotel next door to the convention center, the Excel in the Docklands, that will have the Dr Who 50th Anniversary Event.

 

Around the Hotel

 

Here are some photos taken around the hotel:

 

A  formerly working crane

 

Steve :)

 

Scott

 

This is a statue of the waterfront workers in years past. It's between the hotel and the convention center

The Tube



The old bricks in some of the Tube tunnels makes me think that they have been around since before WW2. I have read novels that indicate that these old stations were used as bomb shelters...I totally believe it.



Scott walking ahead and me in my wheelchair in the bottom right corner. I think as new trains got added to the Tube system that they became brighter. I have to say that I was partial to the old tunnels

Stephanie and her camera



In all the Tube stations, there were lots of decorative touches.

Just admiring the brickwork. Most of the times the lifts were in places tucked away from the crowds, which was the case here,

  Walking Around Town

The iconic red double decker bus :)

Tower of London across the river from us

 

This is where we had dinner one night...Gourmet Burger Kitchen.  YUM!

Scott is being the photographer here. The night lights made it difficult to get good ones.

 

 

This was the last of our official days of being a tourist in London. Saturday was our day for the Dr

Who Event...which I have already done a blog.

Traveling to our hotel in London on Scott's Birthday

We left Seattle on the 19th in the evening and arrived at Heathrow airport the "next" day. Poor Scott only got half a birthday as the day was half over. So after the attendants served us breakfast Steve and I gathered our gifts and with Stephanie we sang an off key version of Happy Birthday to him. He was truly surprised and loved the gifts. A book from Stephanie (which he finished on the plane ride home), a game for his 3DS and a storage case for it and the others he brought with him.

BritishAir was a dream to travel with! Totally recommend them! We all know that airports require lots of walking and patience in waiting in lines, but since I can't do that kind of walking/standing (all the fault of two surgeries on my foot which failed...not the doctor's fault either). So I was blessed with a wheelchair and an attendant. It made going through security and any other line a breeze as the attendant would push us through with skill and finesse. Even in London, we got through customs without any snags and the attendant stayed us until we bought our train tickets into London and on to our hotel which was south of the city next to the ExCell Center; this where the Dr Who Event took place.

I have to give kudos to Steve. He mastered the subway system quickly and even had both Stephanie and Scott figuring it out. With them on top of it, I just went along for the ride. Our first train ride quickly filled up with passengers and lots of oversized luggage. Ours were all sized to be carry-on, but between the 4 of us we had lots. Scott was a trooper as he ended up taking on my two bags along with his backpack (his choice instead of a traditional suitcase). Our route had us changing trains a couple of times, the first change was too much for me. According to the chart it looked like it should have been an easy change, but it was a long walk between the platforms. The 2nd change we thought would be much harder as the chart had us changing to a completely different line, but to our relief it was just a quick jaunt up the escalader and we were there. It was the walk to our hotel that finally did me in. Because everyone had luggage to deal with, I couldn't ask for help. It should have been a 5 minute walk, but my feet, back, hips and knees were complaining big time. Not once did anyone complain about it. They all knew that it was going to be hard for me, I just didn't realize how hard it truly was!

It was a very welcome relief to sit in comfy chairs while Steve dealt with the hotel staff.

A week before we left, Scott asked me if he was going to get a birthday cake. I told him that it all depended on where we had dinner and if the restaurant had cake on their dessert menu. He wasn't quite pleased by my response, but I really did not know how we could figure that out. It was two nights before we left when I stayed up really late and called the hotel and asked them if they could get a cake for us. After a few emails later it was confirmed.  The chef had agreed to make one.

Well, on our way to the room it was decided that the birthday boy should open the door and be the first one to enter. I loved his cheer of excitement when he saw his cake.

Happy Veteran's Day!

What Makes Our Country Great?
I think the scenery and geography is one of those things. This country is inhabited in many ways such as ponds, national parks, wet lands (etc.). Don't forget all the geography like mountains because it makes our country just more fabulous.
Our freedom is the next thing I'll talk about. It wouldn't be freedom with slaves so there are no slaves because we all deserve equal rights. But the thing that makes Freedom best is our liberty for all.
The final thing I'd like to talk about is democracy. We all have the right to speak up and protect your American dream. The last thing I'll say is that everyone's vote is valid. Those are the reasons why I think our country is great.
by Scott Jensen
4th Grade
Fryelands Elementary School



This was an essay Scott wrote in 2009 and he won 1st prize

Scott's Science Experiment

A few weeks ago Scott said that he wanted to do a science experiment, one that was listed in some of his Cub Scout pin requirements.

So he took a small pan filled with about a cup of water and froze it.

Then, using a hot pad, he brought it in from the freezer and we proceeded to turn ice into liquid and then to gas.
Melting...

Almost all liquid...


Making gas...

Stephanie had to be in on all the excitement...but we had a successful experiment.

An American Day

The morning started off early by getting Scott up to the church so that he could participate in the Flag Raising Ceremony. When we arrived, he jumped in and started helping by carrying out chairs that were then set up in a semi circle around the flag pole.

Scott is wearing his red vest and is leading the procession. This is his first time working together with the Boy Scouts in raising the Flag and was willing to get up early for the opportunity.

I love this picture of all the Scouts saluting the Flag.

Last night I tried to finish my bag, but my back rebelled and so it waited for me to do the ending details today. On the outside there are two big pockets to hold my calendar and journal, and pen and pencil pockets on the sides. Inside I put two patch pockets to hold my keys and cell phone. More importantly, I learned a new thing...by putting in a magnetic snap closure. Yeah...it works!

Just the right size for me. :)

Sure hope you are all having a fun and safe Independence Day!

Cub Scouts, Legos and Heat

Scott is a busy guy and here he is getting his "Leave No Trace" award at the Pack Meeting last week. For the summer, we have already agreed that he will work on three belt loops/pins in Art, Math and Music. There might be more, but that's a good start. He already has two pins, and when he starts the Webelo program in November, having a few pins to start with will be great.

During the school year, Scott was in the Lego Club and built some pretty impressive things. In fact, all the club members did a wonderful job and the volunteer in charge put their latest creations on display in the school hallway.

Scott and his friend Alex built the ferry and all the cars in it.

Here is the helecopter that he built.

Today Scott got his official summer haircut. It is really short around the sides and a bit longer on top. Sandy noticed that his calic on top is in a circle. When we got outside (very hot this week) Scott mentioned that the breeze really felt good on his head.

We have been going to Sandy for hair cuts since Scott was 3, so he knows her routine quite well, and asks for a particular shampoo each time...tea tree shampoo. It smells good and tingles on the scalp. At least, that's what Scott says.

All Tuckered Out

Yesterday, Saturday, we really did have a work day. The work started around 10 am for Steve and the children and I worked downstairs. The children were to totally and completely clean out their bedrooms!

Scott's first chore was to clear out any clothes he could find on the floor and to put them in the hamper in the bathroom. Next...and this was the big one...he needed to pick up all his Legos. And we meant ALL of them! Yes, he was allowed to keep intact any ongoing projects and those he had finished, but all the others were put in buckets.

After working hard for a couple of hours...Steve was the task master of the upstairs...I called for a break! It lasted for about 20 minutes. Their next break wasn't until I had lunch ready and then they were back to work. By this time, Steve had managed to halfway fill up the big garbage can in the garage and they were also sorting out things for us to put in our garage sale we hope to have next weekend.

At 6pm I called an all-stop! 8 hours of work, even with the breaks, was enough for anyone! Especially on just one task. What is sad is that their floors are still not done and my part of their rooms hasn't even started. I'm targeted to help them go through their clothes to determine what to keep and such. Scott has so many shirts, and he loves them all, but if I didn't wash any for a month, he would still have shirts to wear. :)

Stephanie had a hard time with sorting her horses...what to keep was easy...what to delete...that was hard. She also had probably 3 years worth of school papers to go through. Mind you, this is a girl that always makes her bed and you could always get through her room to the closet and the window...but all her surfaces were covered and the corners and the chair were full. So she too had issues to be dealt with. And no...she is not yet ready either for a clothes review.

Scott was seeing all the beautiful weather outside and really wanted to play...so out he went. But what did he do? He went next door and helped our neighbor, Jim, with his car. Then he helped Steve get some plants we had gathered this past week in the ground. They put the pumpkin, zucchini and cucumber in the front just in front of the porch. There were also some Hen & Chicks to plant up there. There was also a couple of flowers that needed to get into the ground. In the back they planted some coulious (don't know how this is spelled, and neither does spellcheck, but it is the pretty red and green leaves that loves shade) near the snowball bushes in the back. He then helped Steve mow the front lawn.

It was after 8pm when I finally got dinner on the table. And just before putting the chili on, we were waiting for Steve to come back downstairs, noticed that Scott was resting his head. We wore him out!

Their reward? They got to watch a movie while Steve and I went and did the shopping.

Whacky, Whacky West

Scott had his 3rd grade concert today and his part was to play the base xylophone. He is sitting on the bottom step wearing a tan shirt and black hat. At the end of the video, he even waves at the camera. Since I didn't know when he would be playing, I had to record the entire song. Enjoy!

You Can Call Me Al

Scott came home from school on Monday a bit later than usual due to Lego Club. So I had already been on line and saw that he didn't finish one of his assignments for the day. When he walks in the door, I asked him how things went in Lego club and I gather that the project he was working on there was quite complicated and he wanted to be able to finish it by going to the "camp" during Spring Break. I told him no as we didn't have the money, it costs $20 to attend the camp. So he was pretty sad about that as it was a project he was really, really wanting to finish.

Then we got on the subject of homework. He told me he had none, that he got everything done in class. So I asked him about Writing4, which Mr. Brown had listed as not being turned in. That's when Scott became quite agitated and started crying. "Mr. Brown told me I could put down my new nick name on the paper, so I did!" "What is your new nick name?" "It's Albert Einstein, or Al, because I knew all the answers today...I kept raising my hand with them, so Mr. Brown started calling me Al."

Okay, so you really got all the work done and you just need to let Mr. Brown know that you used your nick name on the paper instead of your own? Yes...okay...we won't stress out about it now, but you really need to fix it in the morning. In the meantime, if you do start using your nick name, please put your real name in parenthesis so that the teacher, and whoever does the grading, will know it was you...okay? Okay...crisis avoided.