Canadian Buffoon's Sweet 16 Celebration - Update 01/28 - The End

Only a week (or three)!
That's pretty good!




And now you're doing them both within 2 months!



Tough one.
I found Universal to be more
geared to a slightly older crowd.
Sorry, can't really help.
Haven't been there enough
to offer suggestions.

@franandaj any thoughts?

My tentative plan is to hit up a beach for a half day. Hit up a couple parks and let kids run around. Do either legoland or sea world one day. Got three nights at grand California so will hit up Disney 2 or 3 days.

My wife’s uncle lives in Laguna Beach, so we’re going to likely stay in that area. Her dad (grumpa) and possibly her sister will be joining us, so our tour group is somewhat large.
 
My tentative plan is to hit up a beach for a half day. Hit up a couple parks and let kids run around. Do either legoland or sea world one day. Got three nights at grand California so will hit up Disney 2 or 3 days.

My wife’s uncle lives in Laguna Beach, so we’re going to likely stay in that area. Her dad (grumpa) and possibly her sister will be joining us, so our tour group is somewhat large.
Sounds like a plan.
You say "couple parks"
Which ones?

Not a kid alive who
doesn't like the beach. :)
 
Sounds like a plan.
You say "couple parks"
Which ones?

Not a kid alive who
doesn't like the beach. :)
By parks I just mean green space with playgrounds. They’re all over the place in Laguna.

Believe it or not, both my kids hated the beach the first few times we went. They couldn’t stand the sand. Or any kind of dirt for that matter.
 
By parks I just mean green space with playgrounds. They’re all over the place in Laguna.

Oh! :lmao:

Well, that works too!
Cheaper!


Believe it or not, both my kids hated the beach the first few times we went. They couldn’t stand the sand. Or any kind of dirt for that matter.

Really!!!

I'm surprised.
I thought that was a universal
(as opposed to Universal) thing.
 


When they're doing badly
I tend to not follow as much.
This year, I am a bit more.

More than I follow.

I assume they'll make the playoffs
and I'll watch that when I can.

I can't even say that much about the Hurricanes. I know my freshman year of high school we won the Stanley Cup. And, uh, yeah, that's about it.

Skimming through and saw that Kay had surgery. Please pass along my well wishes and know we're praying for a full and speedy recovery. I thought about her the other day, because my aunt tagged me in a post about a place in SoCal where you can actually swim in a pool with otters. It's on the bucket list now.
 
More than I follow.

Not by much!

I can't even say that much about the Hurricanes. I know my freshman year of high school we won the Stanley Cup. And, uh, yeah, that's about it.

Better than me!
I've been following the Jets
in one form or another
for over 40 years.
And they've been in the NHL
from 1979-1996
and again from 2011- present.

And not a single Cup.
Heck, as far as I can recall,
they've never even made it
to the finals.


Yep. Checked.
They've only gotten out
of the first round twice.
And then lost in the second.


Skimming through and saw that Kay had surgery. Please pass along my well wishes and know we're praying for a full and speedy recovery.

Thanks, Annie! :)

I thought about her the other day, because my aunt tagged me in a post about a place in SoCal where you can actually swim in a pool with otters. It's on the bucket list now.

Ummm....

Could you post that link? :)
 
Ummm....

Could you post that link? :)

If it is the same place that I've heard of, it's Nurtured by Nature, but you have to be 18 for the encounter.
http://nurturedbynature.org/otterswim2/

"During the three plus hour group guided tour you will be in the pool with a group of playful otters who will be as fascinated by you as you are by them! Laugh, giggle and have a whole lot of fun as you encounter these magical creatures like never before and gain an amazing insight into the species. You’ll also have an opportunity to meet, feed and/or directly interact with a variety of other incredible creatures such as a kangaroo, sloth, armadillo, porcupine, lemurs and more. This is a wildlife experience like no other that puts you right in the center of the action with exotic creatures. You’ll take home a permanent grin and memories to last a whole lifetime."
 


If it is the same place that I've heard of, it's Nurtured by Nature, but you have to be 18 for the encounter.
http://nurturedbynature.org/otterswim2/

Shoot! That rules me out. :(


Wait....
Is emotional and mental immaturity okay?


But... thanks for the link! Looks amazing!

Also of note... They are completely booked
for 2018!


"During the three plus hour group guided tour you will be in the pool with a group of playful otters who will be as fascinated by you as you are by them! Laugh, giggle and have a whole lot of fun as you encounter these magical creatures like never before and gain an amazing insight into the species. You’ll also have an opportunity to meet, feed and/or directly interact with a variety of other incredible creatures such as a kangaroo, sloth, armadillo, porcupine, lemurs and more. This is a wildlife experience like no other that puts you right in the center of the action with exotic creatures. You’ll take home a permanent grin and memories to last a whole lifetime."

Permanent grin...

Yes, I could definitely see that. :)
 
Last edited:
Whoops, I forgot to check on this thread for a few weeks and finished very abysmally (is that a word?) in the standings. I read through your whole report though, and enjoyed it! You are such a nice dad, seriously! I'm glad you both had a good trip, and it was fun to see your pictures of my home town. ;-) (Mesa, AZ - we love Organ Stop Pizza about 2-3 times a year. Any more than that would be overkill. And it's way busier in the winter when all the snowbirds are here! :) ) Thanks for sharing your fun trip!
 
Why couldn't you shave?
I can't see that as negatively
affecting training??

It was probably more psychological than anything. But the idea was that you had to work harder because the hair would drag you down. It did feel different when you were clean shaven and slipping through the water.

Is that because the resistance to
body motion was greater,
the water resistance, or both?

Well part of the situation was that the chlorine would eat away our suits so they developed holes. If we were lucky the holes didn't overlap. Since the suits had extra ventilation, they captured a fair amount of water and dragged us down as we swam.

How far did you make it?
I presume you didn't make it
past Far Western?
How close did you get to Nationals?

To be honest i don't remember. But i don't think I was anywhere near it. I don't even remember what my times were. Plus when you got to Far Westerns and above it was long course (meaning the pool was Olympic size, 50m long). Most of our meets were short course (25 yards). I hated meters, it felt so long from one end of the pool to the other. The thing is times in meters were usually slower than times in yards. There was a conversion formula, but I think I remember comparing my time in yards to the qualifying National time (in meters) and still not being close. Its really hard to shave even a second off your fastest time.


@mustinjourney I'm not one who can suggest many good places for kids in LA as i dont have any and not many of my friends do. But the CA Science Center comes to mind. Its free, and they have the space shuttle Endeavor (I believe). Then again, aren't you in Texas? You can see one in Houston.

I did a quick google search and found this. I thought it was pretty comprehnsive.
https://la.curbed.com/maps/things-to-do-kids-los-angeles
 
@mustinjourney I'm not one who can suggest many good places for kids in LA as i dont have any and not many of my friends do. But the CA Science Center comes to mind. Its free, and they have the space shuttle Endeavor (I believe). Then again, aren't you in Texas? You can see one in Houston.

I did a quick google search and found this. I thought it was pretty comprehnsive.
https://la.curbed.com/maps/things-to-do-kids-los-angeles

Yes. We’re in houston, so I’d skip the space museum. Good memory!

Thanks for the link. I’ll check it out.
 
Whoops, I forgot to check on this thread for a few weeks and finished very abysmally (is that a word?) in the standings.

It’s a word. :)

And yes you did...

And yes, you did.


I read through your whole report though, and enjoyed it!

Thanks! :goodvibes

You are such a nice dad, seriously!

Nah. I just write myself
that way.

IRL I’m an absolute ogre.
Ask around.
Some have me.
They’ll back that up.


I'm glad you both had a good trip, and it was fun to see your pictures of my home town. ;-) (Mesa, AZ - we love Organ Stop Pizza about 2-3 times a year. Any more than that would be overkill.

Aww.. we could have met up!

Then again, I think
I maxed Kay out
in LA.
:faint:

And it's way busier in the winter when all the snowbirds are here! :) )

Whoops!
That’d be me!


Thanks for sharing your fun trip!

Glad you enjoyed it! :)
 
Yes. We’re in houston, so I’d skip the space museum. Good memory!

Thanks for the link. I’ll check it out.

If its any consolation its not a space museum. Most of the exhibits that i have seen are about CA and its geography, ecosystems, etc. I've been there for several special exhibits, but those can be pricey. I've seen Pompeii, Pixar and we have tickets to King Tut in March. There are lots of neat places on that list. Some that I've still never been to and I've lived here since 1983.
 
It was probably more psychological than anything. But the idea was that you had to work harder because the hair would drag you down. It did feel different when you were clean shaven and slipping through the water.

Ah! Okay, I get that.

Well part of the situation was that the chlorine would eat away our suits so they developed holes. If we were lucky the holes didn't overlap. Since the suits had extra ventilation, they captured a fair amount of water and dragged us down as we swam.

Yes, I'm familiar with the chlorine eating.
Don't know how many suits my kids
went through.

I dunno... I think I could learn
to appreciate overlapping holes.


:rolleyes1

To be honest i don't remember. But i don't think I was anywhere near it. I don't even remember what my times were. Plus when you got to Far Westerns and above it was long course (meaning the pool was Olympic size, 50m long). Most of our meets were short course (25 yards). I hated meters, it felt so long from one end of the pool to the other. The thing is times in meters were usually slower than times in yards. There was a conversion formula, but I think I remember comparing my time in yards to the qualifying National time (in meters) and still not being close. Its really hard to shave even a second off your fastest time.

Yeah, it's a long way.
Shaving a second off
when time's are measured
in hundreds....

I can see how that'd be
a wee bit of a challenge!


@mustinjourney I'm not one who can suggest many good places for kids in LA as i dont have any and not many of my friends do. But the CA Science Center comes to mind. Its free, and they have the space shuttle Endeavor (I believe). Then again, aren't you in Texas? You can see one in Houston.

I did a quick google search and found this. I thought it was pretty comprehnsive.
https://la.curbed.com/maps/things-to-do-kids-los-angeles

Thanks Alison.
 
Hey there, Friend!

Hope you're well! Just making the rounds and cleaning up my watched threads list and saying hi to friends near and far.
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!





Top