Halloween 2005

I think everyone eagerly anticipates Halloween no matter how old you are ... even if Halloween was on a Monday. Anyhow, at Farrand, they have a yearly character parade where all of the students walk in a big circle in front of the school. It was REALLY cute. :O) We have some video if you're interested... just leave a comment or send a note.

We went trick-or-treating after dinner. The kids were Spiderman (Minnie) and a Princess (Anita). An hour into our travel, it started to sprinkle. By this time, the kids couldn't sling their bags over their shoulder. :O) If we could have stayed an extra hour, the kids' pillowcases would have had been filled all the way to the top. All and all, it was really good!


Anita's first Character Parade!


The Halloween Kids!

Greenfield Village

As part of my company's work initiative, they have formed a local commmittee to plan fun things to do to bond with colleagues. The first event was scheduled today at Greenfield Village. My company picked up the cost of the tickets for the family and paid for a wonderful buffet-style lunch. We had spent a GREAT afternoon there. The weather was perfect again: Sunny, mild, without a cloud in the sky. I had not been here in over ten years, so I was curious to see what it looked like now. I was really pleased and VERY impressed with the improvements and updates that have been done.

There were so many things to see and do like riding on the oldest operating train, riding in a two horse-drawn carriage, and visiting the houses of some of America's greatest luminaries:

- Harvey Firestone's childhood home: Tire magnate ... and great-grandfather to Mr. Bill Ford.
- Robert Frost: He lived in Ann Arbor!
- Noah Webster: Yes, he of Dictionary fame.
- Thomas A. Edison: Inventor (duh!) and a close friend of Henry Ford. Pretty amazing man!
- The Wright Brothers: From Bicycles to Airplanes!
- Of course, Henry Ford's childhood home and other fantastic buildings were open and available for viewing.

We were in a house from 1750 Connecticut (- the one by the windmill from Massachusetts -), and the woman who was in period dress described the types of chores that kids Yummers and Minnie would be doing. The woman concluded with "watering the garden" to which Yummers quickly interjected and said, "Oh, I do that already. I water our garden everyday!" to the sounds of amused laughter. Oh geez. ;O)

In another room, there were two other women who were in period dress who were washing dishes. I asked them if the herbs and spices that were drying were from their garden. After replying "Yes", Yummers asked them if they had any "Basil plants" which were her "favourite type of garden plants." They had plenty of basil plants that were already harvested which seemed to satisfy Yummers curiousity. :O)


Heading into the Village. This is actually about 15 minutes from my office in Dearborn.


Sir John Bennett's clock was brought by Mr. Ford to Greenfield Village. This clock rings on the hour. Unfortunately, we did not have a chance to watch this happen.


The Ackley Covered Bridge came from Pennsylvania and took 100 men to put together.


Here is the Connecticut house where Anita amused visitors.


Come on ... You know I'm cute! :O)


Henry Ford went to school in this very building.


Our trip was not complete without the ride on the "oldest train in the Midwest." It's powered by coal!

Erwin's Orchard and Cider Mill: Pumpkin Time!

Today was a beautiful Autumn day in Michigan. The weather was slightly warm, sunny with not a cloud in the skky. We decided that we would head over to Erwin's Orchard and Cider Mill to pick our pumpkins. It was a BLAST!

We took a ride on the wagon out past the apple orchards and were dropped off at the pumpkin patch. It was really busy at the mill with many kids playing in the hay maze, play area and petting zoo. Strangely enough, we were the only four people who were on the wagon at the time heading over to the pumpkin patch. After we made our selection, we waited in line and when the tractor came back, both wagons were full.

When we made it back to the mill, we had cider and (Pumpkin Spice) donuts at a picnic table by the kids play area. They were delicious! The kids had a great time jumping from one haystack to another in the hay maze, bounced around on the bouncy slide, and played in the play area. We were all pretty worn out by the time we left.

However, not too worn out to enjoy a nice time around the firepit in the backyard roasting marshmallows with our neighbor Susan and her nephew, Jack. It was a perfect way to end the day. Without further ado ... here are the pics!




I'm feeding bees honey!








The kids at the top of the bouncy air slide.

Grab a bear (beer) and let's attend training!

I had a SameTime conversation with a colleague from Germany. There's a training session today, and I thought part of the exchange was amusing. The beverage of choice should be "beer" (not "bear"), but I'm sure you get the gist. Love the Germans!

Minnie's Halloween Party # 1: Ms. Brandi's Class

Academic Gardens will have three Halloween Parties for their students. Today's party was for Ms. Brandi's class, and the kids look so cute (as you can tell by the photos. Here is the Snapfish link to see the other 42 pictures!

 
 
Minnie in his Spiderman pose.


Minnie and Nicholas the clown decorating cookies.

Monkfish are ugly

Fai just called me a minute ago from a restaurant that she and Jamal were eating at. We were talking about monkfish and how ugly they were. So, I just did a search on Google again ... well, judge for yourself from the sample I found below. Fortunately, they are very tasty fish. At least they have some redeeming value!


Hello handsome ...


This fisherman from Massachusetts captured this one off the Atlantic Ocean.

Google "Failure" and See What Happens

I found this on another blog... Try this:

1. Go to Google's website.
2. Type in "Failure."
3. Press the "I'm Feeling Lucky" button.
4. If the Google staff haven't changed anything, you should see the same results I did.


Before pressing the "I'm Feeling Lucky" button...

Editor's Note: Read Google's official position here.

15th Annual Pizza Pumpkin Night @ Farrand

The Farrand PTO plans such awesome events including the one we went to tonight. Today is the 15th Annual Pizza Pumpkin Night. The PTO have done this a long time which is why the event is organised well, and the prizes are nice. The first game we played was the fishing game. Yummer threw out her line and received a Hello Kitty purse. Then, it was Minnie's turn. He threw the line over so hard into the "fishtank" that he made one of the student assistants wince and say, "Ouch!" Oops ... :O) See the picture below.

We played some other games, ate pizza in the cafeteria and played more games. Yummer saw a lot of her classmates. She also won two games of Bingo! She picked out a pink Hello Kitty bag and a Bingo game. Minnie won the Haloween Cakewalk twice and received two boxes of a half dozen cupcakes. We're looking very forward to the next event!


The fishing game that injured the student assistants!


Anita and her self-portrait.


Minnie with the first cake he won in the Halloween Cakwalk game.


An extreme smile from Anita who won the first of two Bingo games.

Fai Leaves for Seattle

I received a call at 3.30 AM EST... "Peg, we're here." I get dressed quickly, head downstairs and outside. The whole family (mum, dad, Tien, Robin and I) were taking Fai to the airport. First, however, a breakfast at Denny's! It has been a while since we had breakfast together as a family ... Probably as long as I have been married!

After Denny's, we took Fai to the airport. It's really strange to think that she would be 2400 miles away from her family on the same day. She called and left me a voice mail while I was in a meeting to let me know that she made it OK in Denver. Then, she called me again while I was driving in the car that she made it home to Everett, Washington, headquarters of Boeing.

Thank goodness for AIM which brings Fai a little bit closer to home. I'm looking forward to more pics and video of the area.


Breakfast at Denny's.

5 Weird Habits About Myself

Fai's tagged me on her blog ... so, now I'm going to list the ""5 Weird Habits About Myself" (in no particular order):

1. I get annoyed when people say I have black hair ... It's brown, folks.
2. Occasionally, I play Sobics on weeknights until 3.00 AM.
3. I am very picky about spelling and grammar. I always point out things that are incorrectly spelled or if grammar is not used properly. (Depending on the social situation, I will cringe inwardly.)
4. I always wear sunscreen on any exposed parts of my body or cover up as appropriate. The sun is not my friend.
5. I am very frugal. I would rather go to a fast-food restaurant and snag napkins rather than buying them from a store.

Any others I might have missed? Let me know!

Old # 1: I have no hair or very faint hair on my forearms. Check them out (discreetly) next time you see me.

Brownie Troop # 84 Excursion: Maybury Park and Corn Maze

Brownie Troop # 84 took their first trip to the corn maze at Maybury Park. The whole family went, and it was FUN! :O) It didn't take us very long to go through the maze due to the kids' amazing ability to guide us through. In fact, it was still light when we finished!


Welcome to the corn maze!


Anita and her fellow brownies on the wagon back from the corn maze.

Free Roses from Freecycle!

Hell yeah! We're getting four or five free rose bushes from a Freecycler in Wayne today. I'll post some pics when they are in the ground. We're going to get them today after we pick up the kids.

I saw the post in one of the Freecycle digests I am subscribed to, and I immediately sent the person a note not thinking that they would still be available. The post was an hour old, and believe me, things go pretty quickly off the list. Ask Fai, who I helped today get rid of her stuff before she moves to Seattle (BOO HOO - but that's off-topic!)

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Editor's Note: Pictures of the roses will go here! :O)
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Stay away from Elevator No. 4 @ IBM Southfield

A funny thing happened to me today while I was at the IBM Southfield building. It was just like any other day... I followed two people into Elevator No. 4. They just came from the cafeteria and both got off at the 5th Floor. I continued on my journey up ... and up .... and up ... past my floor (10) to the 15th floor. Then, the elevator stayed on the highest floor of the building and then moved to the 11th floor. I waited for a few seconds, and then I pressed several floor buttons without avail. I could hear the other elevators on both sides of me going up and down.

Finally, I pressed the button that rings security.

Security: "Security!"
Peg: "Hi, I'm in Elevator No. 4... I'm stuck at the 11th floor."
Security: * Pause * OK, "We'll have to call the Elevator Engineer Company."
Peg: "OK, Thanks!"

After a few minutes, the elevator opened its door at the 11th floor. In walked another person who was talking on his Blackberry. I informed him quickly that this elevator was not working right. However, I thought that if the door opened, the elevator must be working... so, I stepped back in. (I used the analogy that this is the part in a movie, where I would yell at the screen, "Don't go back in there, you idiot!!!" Argh! :O))

In the midst of all this, I tried to call Michael (no answer) and then ended up calling and talking to my sister Fai. Finally, I had to hang up during this confusion.

After the man was done with his conversation, he and I introduced ourselves and exchanged plesantries. We eventually ran out of things to talk about, and we had to make a few phone calls to inform people that we would be late. I spoke to my one colleague, Patty, during this time and she said that she was also stuck last Friday in Elevator No. 4. ARGH!

Every now and then, Security would call:

Security: "Are you doing OK in there?"
Peg: "Yes. The door opened up at the 11th Floor. Someone is here with me now."
Security: "The next time the door opens: Leave the elevator. The Elevator Engineer will be here in 20 minutes."
Peg: "OK. Thanks!" (In my head, I'm thinking, "Why the heck didn't I do it earlier?!")

Finally, the Elevator Engineer arrived and pried the doors with his hands. Hallelujah! We both said "good-byes," left quickly and went to the other elevators. After all, I was helping set up a booth at the IBM Ice Cream Social today!

I IM'd with Patty, and we both looked up this guy that I was in the elevator with. Here is his title:



Here I was with a top-level Senior Manager, and I never knew it. Wished I was a bit more witty... but at least I didn't say anything inappropriate either. Phew ... :OD

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Editor's Final Note: It looked like they had fixed Elevator No. 4 when I left the building 'cos people were all filing in there. But, I'll skip to the other elevators from now on! :O)

Cherokee, NC: Part 6 (Cherokee Indian Reservation and NPS Working Farm)

Today is the last day of our trip and also happens to be Michael's birthday! HAPPY BIRTHDAY! :OD However, as always, it's always action packed. We decided to tag along with Grandma and Grandpa and head over to Cherokee, NC. They were headed to the casino. We were headed to see the reservation and learn more about Cherokee culture. Of course, I didn't realise how close we were to The Biltmore in Asheville, NC. Next time!

The first thing we noticed was that all of the street signs and stores (where available) had both English and Cherokee characters. Other than that, you would probably can't tell that the land you are standing on is part of the Indian reservation.

After our visit, we went to the working farm on the National Park Service property right outside of the Smokies heading in to Gatlinburg. We visited and observed a lot of different housing structures that always had a purpose. There were pigs and chickens as well. Some other NPS personnel were cutting sorghum plants down for the sorghum syrup making activity over the weekend.

With that said ... great, fun and educational trip overall. I hope you enjoyed the stories and pictures!



A street sign in English and Cherokee characters.


The Indian Chiefs at the first souvenir shop on the Cherokee reservation.


I wasn't sure if I should be insulted or laugh when I first saw this disclaimer on this doll.


The kids actually remembered the rhyme on this paddle the next day!


Minnie with a coon-skin hat and a slingshot. I weep for my future...


I *almost* bought a pair.


An interesting sign outside one of the many souvenir shops.


A Museum of the Cherokee Indian dedicated to the Cherokee Indians. Very interesting exhibits and stories. Definitely a must-do if you have a couple of hours.


Available at the gift store... You too can learn Cherokee which was created by the late great Sequoyah.


The kids outside of the Museum of Cherokee Indians with Sequoyah, creator and teacher of the Cherokee language.


One of the homes on the working farm managed by the National Park Service. Look at the size of the wood beams!


Believe it or not, these are public areas set aside by the National Park Service. Not sure how they all came about, but interesting indeed. This was outside of the farm.

Pigeon Forge, TN: Part 5 (Dollywood)

Today's adventure is at Dollywood conceptualized by the talented and great Dolly Parton. It is quite expensive to go there, but it was fun. My advice is to buy Dollywood tickets at the various discount ticket outlets that are in Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg. We were there from 1.00 PM until closing time at 8.00 PM!

Surprisingly enough, there are a number of arts and crafts booths spread throughout the property. There was a bee-keeping house, many live performances (some by Dolly's kin - but we did not see them), and lots of games and rides! Some of the rides we rode on included a Veggie Tales rollercoaster (pretty twisty), Ferris Wheel, Round-About, bumper cars (AWESOME!), a water soaker ride, and others. The weather was good, and there were not many lines. In some cases, we were able to ride on the rides multiple times!

BTW, The Thunderhead was AMAZING!


Michael and the kids near the entrance of Dollywood.


We're having a blast up here!


We're STILL having a blast up here!


The kids (and I behind Minnie) on the carousel. The colours were lovely!


I thought this was an interesting tidbit. When this question comes up on Jeopardy, I can answer it! BTW, Yum is eating a lollypop made out of sorghum.

Pigeon Forge, TN: Part 4 (Moving and Great China Acrobats)

Today, we moved out of the cabin in the morning and into the "Presidential Suite" of the Family Inn of America (FIA). My advice to you: Do *NOT* stay in the Presidential Suite at the FIA. In fact, it's probably better that you don't stay at any of the FIA brands. If you decide to visit Gatlinburg or Pigeon Forge one day, I would recommend that you do NOT stay at the FIA Twin Malls. The list of infractions are too numerous to mention here, but you can rest assured that I jotted them down and gave to Grandma to present to their "management." You are better off staying at one of the other name brand hotels. The Marriott and Holiday Inn looked especially good.

The Free Continental Breakfast was coffee, orange juice / fruit punch that was ONLY plugged in during the breakfast hours (6.30 AM - 10.30 AM EST) and glazed donuts. The free Breakfast Special was at another hotel called The Grand Hotel 10 minutes away. We went there and discovered that the free breakfast was either pancakes or biscuits and gravy. This did not include the drink. Here is the stickler: You had to pay for a drink to get either pancakes or biscuits and gravy for free. You could have upgraded to the breakfast bar for $ 4.00 and had some lovely canned fruit cocktail (ala Sysco), burned up hockey pucks (err, sausage) and limp pancakes. As Minnie sang later, "The Grand Hotel is not very grand." Indeed.

We convened a short family meeting and opted to go elsewhere. We decided to go to Shoney's, and interestingly enough, most of the waitstaff and managers were Polish natives. A lot of them were going to university or just finished their studies.

After Shoney's, we unpacked at the Presidential Suite and prepared to go to the Great China Acrobats show down the road. Michael's sister and her family went when they were in Gatlinburg, and it sounded like great fun. We went to the 3.00 PM show which lasted two hours with a fifteen minute intermission. The performances were outstanding overall, and the kids even had an opportunity to meet, shake hands and get autographs of the performers.

Of course, I know what you're thinking.... "What the hell are they doing in Pigeon Forge, TN?" You and I are thinking along the same lines, and I am not sure why they selected Pigeon Forge, but I do know that a lot more folks are more educated as a result of watching the show.

After the show, we had dinner at the Mandarin House. We received a 10% discount with a ticket stub. My only gripe about this buffet is that there was no dim sum or sushi. Oh well, it was fairly good for a Chinese buffet. Enjoy the pics!


The kids outside on the deck of the cabin helping us move out.


The kids with first group of the Great China Acrobats troupe.


The kids with the second group of the Great China Acrobats troupe.


The kids with the last group of the Great China Acrobats troupe. Michael said that he saw a number of them leave from the back entrance in street clothes pretty quickly!