Camping 2011 - Scotts Flat Lake!

I have a lot of pictures and not a lot of time. So you might have to think of witty captions in your head, should some of these pics be caption-less. Sorry!

We went camping earlier this month at Scotts Flat Lake in Nevada City, CA!

July 7, 2011. Kids in a tent!

Uncle Phillip and his tent. In 20 minutes he had put up his tent and unpacked most of the gear from the truck.

Excited to be camping at last!

Derek starts to assemble our new tent.

Helpers!

Why. WHY did I come camping with the Alffs???

Phillip is a Master of the grill. Terri tries to look like she's helping.

The Master.

Enjoying nature, and the mosquitoes.

July 8, 2011. Morning! The kids go exploring in their jammies.

Then they pretend to be prehistoric predatory reptiles.

THIS WILL BE DINNER

Fire... fascinating.

A trip to the sandbar!

Derek after a mishap involving an overturned cooler, a slope, and water rushing toward our tent.

The troops, back from the beach!

Maren and Uncle Phillip.

Afternoon: fishing!! Uncle Phillip gives Deacon some tips.

Elias: catch #1 of 14! He was the undisputed champion.

Deacon caught a fish, too - here it is!!

Fisherkids.

Maren's catch! #1 of 2!

Wearing his trusty 99-cent flip flops, Deacon eventually slipped and sustained an abrasion on his foot.

Happy to be fishing!

Another catch for Uncle Phillip and Elias!

Maren hauls in a baby trout!

Off-camera, Derek is trying to lead the gang in a rousing rendition of that campfire classic, The Battle Hymn of the Republic. All 8 verses. Really.

Later... Jiffy Pop!

Neighboring campers can be very, very loud, very, very late into the night. All except Maren ("I slept great!!") found the conditions to be less than restful. So on the morning of July 9th, the weary campers set their sights on the oasis of civilization that was this IHOP in Grass Valley, CA.

Back in Fair Oaks! Now to unload...

Terri will be leaving tomorrow morning for Sacramento, Part II (Electric Boogaloo).

Derek will be joining us on August 6th to see the kids in The Jungle Book (info above right!) Deacon plays the King of the Monkeys, and Maren plays the Coconut Tree. Don't miss it!

Quality Control

As an employee of the Walt Disney Company, it's Derek's job to make sure all Disney products are of the highest quality.

So yesterday Derek and I went to Disneyland and did nothing but ride the new Star Tours ride. Field testing, for the sake of you, the consumer.

Terri had some problems with security, but we were glad to see they were on the job.

Arriving at 8:00 AM, taking a lunch break and leaving at 9:00 PM, we were able to ride Star Tours 9 times.

Elements of the ride are randomized, but we think we managed to see them all. Here is a breakdown, for our own documentation/amusement:

Ride 1: Star Tours Terminal, Hoth, Yoda, Coruscant

Ride 2: Star Tours Terminal, Kashyyyk, Admiral Ackbar, Coruscant

Ride 3: Millennium Falcon Escape, Kashyyyk, Yoda, Geonosis/Death Star

Ride 4: Star Tours Terminal, Hoth, Admiral Ackbar, Coruscant

Ride 5: Star Tours Terminal, Tatooine, Yoda, Naboo

Ride 6: Star Tours Terminal, Tatooine, Admiral Ackbar, Coruscant

Ride 7: Millennium Falcon Escape, Hoth, Princess Leia, Naboo

Ride 8: Millennium Falcon Escape, Hoth, Admiral Ackbar, Coruscant

Ride 9: Star Tours Terminal, Kashyyyk, Yoda, Coruscant

Also, Derek was selected as the Rebel Spy on Ride #5!!

It's a great ride, all elements very entertaining but in particular the Millennium Falcon Escape and the Naboo location were outstanding. We also appreciated the musical arrangements of various familiar Star Wars themes that ran under the "travel brochure" video clips while the line wound around inside the terminal.

Now that we've done this, we can go to Disneyland like "normal" people, ride Star Tours once, and not feel like we've missed out on anything.

4th of July 2011

Hope you all had a great Fourth of July!

Derek and I are back in town for a couple of weeks while the kids bask in the full attention of their grandparents in Sacramento, so I thought I'd catch up on blog entries.

First up: Fourth of July 2011!

After planning to attend a fireworks show out of town, with the heat and dust and joys of stacked parking, we decided to stay home on the recommendation of our new neighbor Kathy, who said that we had a perfect view of the Burbank Starlight Bowl fireworks from our very own driveway.

So just like that... it was a party! Fortunately Maren the Decorating Committee came through in a big way.

Because nothing says Celebrating America's Independence like... Angry Birds.

Wow, neighbors past and present! Susie enjoys an Alffburger in the VIP Seating Area.

Molly, Cassie, Deacon, Jeni and Maren.

Derek always makes sure he's camera-ready.

Mmmm, fudgesicles!

Susie, Molly and Cassie enjoy fudgesicles, too.

Jeni and Deacon and... fudgesicles.

I like this pic. It reminds me of every single picture from the block parties of my youth.

Roasting marshmallows for s'mores over the, er, campfire!

The big show! Blast your own music, and you're all set!

Jeni and Maren, covered in glowsticks.

Whether it's Thanksgiving, Superbowl Sunday, the Fourth of July or Christmakwanzaahanukkah, Susie's sparkling personality and fabulous devilled eggs make it a great event.

Next post: Camping in NorCal!!