Sunday, July 24, 2016

Legoland, California


Imagine a world full of Lego.  Lego people greet you, mostly inanimate ones, though there are a few live-action versions as well (for little girls, the live action Lego Friends were exciting).  Although it's not (quite), it seems like the whole world is made of Lego:

North and South America, in the parking lot of Legoland
But, it's fun.  And not too much of a rip-off.  If you are planning to go to an amusement park with your 2-10 year old child(ren), I recommend this one. In addition to the Lego-everywhere feeling (see Elephant, below - not pictured, many other Lego animals, including dinosaurs), there is also Miniland, which is pretty amazing - recreations of California (San Francisco Victorian houses, Golden Gate Bridge, a California mission), New York, Las Vegas, and other landmarks.  Plus a special "Star Wars" feature section.

The Lego New York Skyline, from the "Coast Cruise" boat
It is amazingly detailed.  But sometimes something happens to break your reverie that you're actually in New York harbor...like extra-large seagulls. I also took a picture of ducks looming large near the Brooklyn Bridge, but it didn't turn out so well.


As we marveled at the  impressive Lego buildings we found ourselves flashing back to the Durham Cathedral fundraiser - build the cathedral from Lego - that we saw in 2015.

Partially complete Durham Cathedral in Lego

They even had "stained glass"!
In addition to amazing Lego structures, Legoland also had things you'd want in an amusement park - a few roller coasters (which the 48"+ child could ride all of, and the almost 40" child could ride most of).  The tame (but fun) roller coasters were our highlight on Day 2 (Yes, there were 2 days - the "let's try to see eveything" day, and the second day included in our AAA multi-pass, which we were glad for because it made Day 1 somewhat less stressful because we knew we had another day coming up). We discovered that between 10 and 11 am is prime time to ride with short lines...after that, it starts getting crowded.  But, there were plenty of non-ride things to do, including the Water Park (also included in the AAA ticket, and not pictured due to a lack of waterproof camera) and other water features in the park.

Water feature in Heartlake City, home of the Lego Friends
There were also several playgrounds and many kids rides, including a fair few that involved flying or driving.

Getting ready for takeoff
Driving School for 6-13 yr olds...I love that it looks like that Lego guy is ready to valet park her car
In conclusion, we found plenty to keep us occupied for two days in Legoland, California.  We didn't go on every ride, but we visited most parts of the park.  The kids LOVED the Water Park. We loved that they let us bring our picnic lunch in, and that there were a lot of options in the park that meant you weren't constantly standing in lines. We may not go back every year, but it was a fun vacation!

Driving Lego boats in Miniland
Nothing to see here!


Monday, July 4, 2016

The Highlands of Arizona

So here I sit, on the fourth of July.  So far, the day has been pretty uneventful - I worked on paper revisions while Paul played with the kids.  Then I made lunch for the kids while Paul started working on learning Z-brush.  Yes, we must be back in America, because this is what we do on a national holiday...work. At least a little.  Then shoot off some fireworks once it gets dark, just to mark the occasion. (And to celebrate that fireworks are now legal in Arizona, which is a change from 5 years ago, although I'm still not sure it's the wisest thing in the world to legalize fire-y explosives, even temporarily, in a dry desert.)

Yesterday was really our celebration, though - we packed a picnic and went up the mountain to the Highlands of Arizona - Mt. Lemmon.

It's about an hour drive, and the terrain changes fast.  First you drive through the city of Tucson, then the outskirts.  Finally you reach the mountain foothills (or the "low mountains" as Audrey was calling them yesterday). Then you start traveling up - once through the foothills, it's switchbacks all the way up, which can lead to some lovely nausea if you're sensitive to that kind of thing...which everyone in our family is.  But you persevere, and finally you're mid-mountain, and there's a rest area:

Windy Point Vista, Mt. Lemmon
Exploring
In addition to using the restroom, this is also a good place to practice your expansive "I own this place" look:
Audrey,Windy Point VistaClaire, Windy Point Vista
Or, indeed, tell a fantastical story about how the rock on top of this rock is a secret book that was given to you by "the brothers" because you were "the little one," and you placed it here at Windy Point in the time before you were a part of this family (which sounds mysteriously like the plot of the Book of Kells animated film that Claire did not watch with us...but it could also be one of the plots of Winx...)

The book given to her by "the brothers"
Once you have done all your resting, it is time to get back in the car to seek the true Highlands, that area where it is cool and pine-forested, where there is even the Southern-most ski resort in the United States, which conveniently, runs the ski lift during the summer so the can still stay in business (being the Southern-most ski resort in the U.S. not exactly being a 100% winning business model).
Going Up!Look who rode up behind us!
Elevation at the topFlowers and ladybugs
Heading down the mountainAudrey headed down
Once we rode the ski lift, we drove down the mountain a little and stopped at the Butterfly Trail.  Though mid-summer isn't quite the right time for butterflies, it was still a lovely (fairly flat - important with the kids) trail.
Butterfly Trail
View from the Butterfly Trail
We walked on a big log, investigated (and frightened!) a blue log-bug, and built a fairy house using found materials in the shade of a fallen log.
The completed fairy house
Finally it was almost time to head back home, but first there was the obligatory "King and Queen of the Forest" picture! Happy 4th of July!