Sonora

Our first week in Sonora has come and gone. We arrived to beautiful sunny weather which lasted the entire week. It was gorgeous - just like spring - and we reveled in it day after day. Unfortunately, it's started to drizzle and the remainder of our stay looks fairly unsettled. At least we go one nice week!




We are staying in Jamestown, which is a small, western-themed town just west of Sonora. We've rented a small cottage at a hotel in town. It includes a full kitchen, which is always best for us since we can cook meals and store lunch food. Every other day, we go to Jailhouse Rock, a basalt cliff about 15 miles distant. The cliff is a 30-minute uphill hike and, since Elise just keeps getting bigger and bigger, I'm getting a good workout each day! Fortunately, we can stash our climbing gear at the cliff which lightens our load considerably. The climbing is very steep and the routes tend to be long, so the sessions are physical and tiring. We have a nice view from the crag and have seen vultures, eagles and peregrine falcons. One hazard specific to this area is poison oak, and we've learned to identify it and keep Elise well clear. I got poison oak on my leg the last time we were in this area and it was not a pleasant experience. The hike to the cliff is very pretty and the trail wanders through small oak trees on a grassy hillside. Each day we pass horses, which delights Elise to no end. There is a small creek we cross and each day we stop on the way down to relax, wade and look for crayfish!



We traveled to Yosemite Valley early in the week and had a great time. The scenery there is truly incredible and the day was gorgeous - we took lots of pictures. Highlights were a picnic lunch on the banks of the Merced River, a hike to Lower Yosemite Falls and a climbing session (for Elise) on Swan Slabs. This was the perfect setting for her - I set up top-ropes on the low-angled slabs and she scampered up them with zeal! We finished with a walk through the famous Camp 4 boulders, socialized with lots of people and helped Elise do some bouldering. It was a long day, but well worth the effort.



Another interesting outing involved a hike to some natural bridges in a small gorge. The bridges were actually underground limestone caverns through which a small creek flowed. The terrain was dramatic and we enjoyed a 2-hour hike, all of which Elise did on her own. She's become quite a bit more capable and is enjoying tackling these activities independently. (If only I could convince her to hike to the cliff on her own!) After inspecting the caverns, I let Elise take some pictures with my camera, which always delights her. She took pictures of "mommy" and they actually turned out okay.



Other than the climbing and sightseeing, we are just enjoying being away from work and relaxing. There are some good playgrounds in the area and we've toured them all with Elise. She went to story time at the library the other day and made a very nice mask. Tonight we are going to the Candy Vault - an old-fashioned candy store in Sonora - if Elise will eat her dinner. We hoped to head into San Fransisco, but it's a tad far so that may not happen. We are following the Olympics from afar, and are pleased that Canada has had some success!

We return home on the 28th and don't relish leaving our relaxing routine behind.

Marc

Elise's Fourth Birthday

Elise's fourth birthday has come and gone, and what a week it was! Grandma Bourdon came for a visit and we had a busy time with lots of activities.

The week started with a ski trip to Blackcomb. Elise is progressing in leaps and bounds and this day was special. She skied down beside the Magic Chair three times on her own without any physical contact from either Grandma or myself. She was visibly pleased with herself and kept exclaiming, "I'm doing it all by myself". It was a great time, but Elise was not pleased when I told her we'd have to wait until after the Olympics to try again, due to the incredibly restrictive parking regulations that are about to go into place.

Riding the Magic Chair with Grandma.


Skiing "Hocus Pocus" with Grandma.


This movie shows Elise skiing Hocus Pocus, her first time down the run without any help.

The next event was the Olympic torch relay. We learned that the relay would go past our house so we made a point of trying to get out and see the display. There was a lot of vague communication regarding the timing so we wandered around the neighbourhood and waited on the corner for some time to no avail. Pam went off to an appointment and Elise, Grandma and I went back inside. We heard quite a commotion from the street, so we dashed back outside just in time to watch the torch parade make its way down Guilford, right beside our house! It was a moment to remember, for sure. Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures as it was after dark.

Elise, Pam and Grandma waiting for the Olympic torch on the corner of Guilford and Westway in Valleycliffe, Squamish.



Elise has been attending gymnastics classes at our local recreation centre. It seems to me that her climbing skills are not translating very well to proficiency at the various gymnastic tricks, but part of that problem seems to stem from her lack of focus. She rushes from apparatus to apparatus and rarely tries to be very careful about what she is doing. Also, her listening skills need work. While the other kids watch the instructor carefully, Elise tends to spin around and look at the ceiling, rarely keeping her focus. Maybe she just has too much energy!

Here she is hanging from the bars. The instructor had them squeeze a stuffed animal between their legs and "throw" it into a hoop. This proved to be a challenging coordination test for most!


This is Elise on the balance beam, which is covered in stuffed animals. Elise tends to rush and occasionally jumps off the beam just for fun. She doesn't seem to understand the staying on the beam is the goal. As long as she's having fun...


The final, and most important, event of the week was Elise's fourth birthday. She's at an age where she totally "gets it" and we counted the number of sleeps all week long. She loves to party and was beside herself with anticipation.

She woke early on the 7th (her birthday) and we went out for a pancake breakfast at White Spot. Afterward, we came home and opened gifts. She got so many wonderful presents it's impossible to list them all here, but thanks to everyone for the thoughtful gifts. Here she is opening her Russian doll (a wooden doll that has multiple layers).


Here she is posing with two of her other gifts, a princess dress and a glass dolphin.


We spent the rest of the morning baking her cake. Pam did the grunt work (baked the cakes and made the frosting) and I did the structural design. She requested a starfish cake so I made a template and built a five-legged creature. It was tedious work, but it seemed to turn out quite well and was a hit at the party. After her nap, I took her to the pool for a pre-party swim, which was a nice father-daughter activity before the mayhem of the evening commenced.

The party started at 5:30 pm and the kids really enjoyed playing together. We had a pot luck dinner while the kids tore around the house and formed a loud marching band in the hallway. Here Elise is waiting for her cake. Kayan (the little boy in front) couldn't contain himself and had to help blow out the candles - all four of them!


The party went well and there were no major incidents. The kids tore apart Elise's room (as was to be expected) and the adults enjoyed socializing. Afterward, we cleaned up the house and read Elise some stories from her new books. She was thoroughly exhausted. At bedtime, she asked me, "how many sleeps until I turn five?" I replied, "just enjoy being four for now Honey, five is a long way off". As she lay down she said, "next year can you make me a rainbow trout cake?" Now that will be a challenge!

Elise learns to snowplow!

I promised to update this blog when Elise finally started to snowplow, and that time has finally arrived! Today was likely our seventh trip to the Blackcomb base area to "ski" and I was starting to have serious doubts that she'd pick up the skill, but perseverance finally paid off...for both of us.

What a professional ski instructor could have likely accomplished in an afternoon, took me close to one month, but today I saw the light at the end of the tunnel. The "light" I'm referring to is our family skiing in the mountains together, enjoying the fresh winter air and excitement that goes with this invigorating sport.


The Details
Although Elise had been making very small, incremental steps towards learning to snowplow, today was a big leap forward. We made our way up to Blackcomb mid-morning and were greeted by glorious sunshine. It wasn't cold, the day was just perfect for being outside. After a small incident in the parking lot where I literally bowled Elise over onto the pavement (she crept up behind me while I was rushing around the van), we made our way up to the Blackcomb base area. We rode up the Magic Chair, which she loves, and made our way over to the Magic Carpet lift.

The carpet is like a conveyor belt on the snow and can be seen in the background of the video at the bottom of the page. To warm up, I carried Elise partway up the slope and let her slide down the gentle incline. She immediately started to try her snowplow and was successful! After a number of short runs, we boarded the carpet and rode to the top. She was able to ski most of the way down without me rescuing her. She was visibly pleased with herself and you couldn't wipe the smile off my face (insert more proud father comments here).


The day wasn't without incident. There were a few falls, some tears and a bit of whining about cold hands, but overall the experience was very positive. To relieve the pressure, we stopped for a break to make snowmen and throw snowballs before skiing all the way down under the Magic Chair to the lodge. A brief lunch and hot chocolate got us fueled up for one more ride up the Magic Chair and a final run. I provided Smarties as rewards for reaching various landmark goals on the way down but, truth be told, I also did a fair amount of skiing with her in my arms to give her a break from the stress and fatigue of trying so hard.


So, the leash is gone and she's on her way. The video may not look like much, but for a snow-phobic 3-year-old, this was a big accomplishment. Learning to ski, much like climbing, is quite scary - my hat's off to you today Elise.

Skiing!

It's been almost three weeks since we got back from California and settling back in to life's necessary routines has been tough. Pam is back at work 3-4 days per week and Elise has two days of preschool. Pam has a tough class, but seems to be getting into the rhythm of things and Elise is enjoying her days with the other kids. She was nervous at first, but there was never any drama and the second week went quite well.

On Wednesdays, I've been taking Elise skiing to the Blackcomb base area. It's been an enjoyable father-daughter bonding experience, but teaching her to ski has been much harder than I would have anticipated. The problems likely stem from a snow-related "incident" that occurred a couple of years ago. Upon returning from our sunny European fall vacation, we found Squamish blanketed in fresh snow and decided to get Elise outside for a nice sledding session with her friends. This was her first contact with snow and it ended with a high-speed face plant into the powder, and a lot of tears. After two months in sunny Spain, this was a rude slap in the face, quite literally. Since that outing, she's not demonstrated a real fondness for the white stuff, and since Pam and I don't really recreate much in the snow, exposure to the cold and ice has been minimal.

Bundled up in the lodge...


History aside, she's been doing quite well at Blackcomb. She really enjoys riding the lifts (a carpet ride and a triple chair) and is getting less fearful of contacting the snow, although she still refuses to touch it with her bare hands. I've been using a leash system, which allows me to snowplow behind her and control her speed. I put her climbing harness over her ski suit and attach a thin climbing rope to her hips. This has worked quite well, except it's already turning into a crutch, both physically and mentally - she's not able to slow down on her own and is terrified of what might happen when I take it off. We regressed to the bunny slope yesterday (no leash), but she still wasn't able to learn the snowplow, despite me skiing backwards in front of her and holding her ski tips together. I am seriously considering a proper lesson - I feel as though my efforts are handicapped because I'm her father and she has me emotionally wrapped around her little finger. She might respond very differently to another adult who's an authority figure, but not a parent.

Her favourite part of the day - hot chocolate in the day lodge!


The leash is visible trailing off her hips on the left of the photo.


Regardless, it's fun and I try to keep the mood light. After some stressful leash-free snowplow practice, we stopped and built a snowman and a snow caterpillar (her idea). I put some lichen on the snowman, which looked like a beard, and she declared that the snowman was definitely Grandpa Bourdon! I'm not sure if that's flattering or not...


We will continue our ski outings and I'll be sure to post a message the instant she starts snowplowing on her own. That will be a red letter day.

Enjoy the winter!
Marc

Christmas in Orange County

We arrived in Orange County on Friday, December 18th. The drive from Vegas took about four hours and was pretty mundane, except for a thick and beautiful barrel cactus landscape in a mountain pass about halfway to the coast. Mike and Liz Plumb (Pam's brother and sister-in-law) live in Orange County's gorgeous Newport Coast and we were shocked at the warmth when we stepped out of the car - it was easily in the 70s. The plan was to spend the afternoon at Disneyland and we wasted no time dropping off our bags, getting reacquainted and hitting the road for the park. It was the last Friday of school before Christmas and the park was seriously busy, but Mike and Liz did an amazing job of negotiating the crowded Disney landscape. They took turns waiting in line so we could go from ride to ride with minimal downtime, and they used their mobile phones to do on-the-fly logistical planning - it was impressive. I have no doubt that if we'd been there on our own, we wouldn't have tried half as many rides.

I think the highlights for Elise were the Christmas parade and a submarine adventure. The parade had life-size characters from some of her favourite books (Winnie the Pooh, Cinderella, etc) and she waved vigorously as they glided by, looking a bit stunned to see them in real life. The submarine dove into a large pool and there were replicas of ships, divers and fish with very lifelike sounds and motions. We know Elise is obsessed with underwater life and she kept asking me if things were "real" (the answer, unfortunately, was no). The highlight for me was the pitch-black roller coaster ride, Space Mountain. I'd not been on a roller coaster since I was 12 and it was quite a rush. It felt way scarier than rock climbing and I couldn't believe 8-year-old Elena braved the entire ride with both arms thrust into the air. I was hanging on for dear life with white knuckles and sweaty palms, and was relieved when it was all over! It got quite cold in the park after dark but we persevered and hung out for the fireworks at 9:30pm. As the last explosions lit up the night sky, we made our way home, thoroughly fatigued.

The next day we explored our beautiful condo near the ocean. Here's a photo of Elise touching the carp at the pond out front.



Since the day was sunny and warm, so we spent the morning at Laguna Beach with Mike and his kids. We had a great breakfast on an outdoor terrace above the beach and watched dolphins cruise up and down the shoreline. After breakfast, the kids played at a beach-side park before going swimming and shell collecting on a small peninsula. The coastline was beautiful and it was a spectacular, warm, sun-filled day. Elise thoroughly enjoyed playing with her three cousins at the beach and in their very well-stocked playroom at home later that evening! We had a nice dinner and enjoyed their company.

Breakfast...


The cousins (below) from right to left: A.J, Jason, Elise and Elena.


The beach...



Pam's brother, Mike, with the kids.


Sunset over Catalina island.


On Monday, we decided to take a day and tour Joshua Tree National Park. It's a world famous climbing area with over 3000 routes, and is also a spectacular (and very large) desert preserve. Our day dawned cloudy, but we pushed on anyway, leaving the apartment at 7:00am. The park was a 2-hour drive from Newport Coast and we stopped on the way for pancakes (Elise's favourite breakfast, of course). Luckily, the winds were relatively calm because J-Tree has a reputation for ferocious gusts, especially in winter. We checked in at the visitors centre, got some park information and purchased our souvenir - a bag of Joshua tree seeds that Elise can plant when we get home to Squamish. We toured the park and I did a climb that I'd been keen on for awhile, a famous finger crack called Equinox. It was cold, but I persevered and managed to climb it successfully, although I tore a few holes in my fingers in the process. The rock in Joshua Tree is granite, but laced with jagged, pea-sized crystals that can slice your skin to shreds in seconds - climbers beware. Regardless, the desert landscape was starkly beautiful, and we hiked through bizarre corridors of rock surrounded by forests of Joshua Trees. We saw one specimen that was 40 feet high, which translates to approximately 500 years old! We toured a Cholla cactus "garden" and finished the day by watching a blood-red sunset over the desert. A long drive got us home just in time to have dinner with Pam's parents, Ron and Sharon - a nice way to end an eventful day.







Christmas is coming and the kids are bursting with excitement. We plan to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at Mike and Liz's place and it should be a crazy time! There will be lots of presents, lots of good food and lots of excitement.



Merry Christmas everyone. We hope you are all happy and enjoying the holidays, wherever you are!

Goodbye, Las Vegas...

Our pre-Christmas week in Las Vegas has come to an end. We enjoyed beautiful sunny weather (apart from the first day) and had a great time climbing in Red Rocks. Grandma Bourdon and her sister Anne visited for three days and we enjoyed having the company. Since they spent the day doing activities with Elise, we revelled in being "child free" and were able to go climbing with much lighter backpacks! Since our friend Jeff was visiting as well, we climbed as a threesome and had a few glorious days out. We all did some good climbs and Jeff and I climbed a 1500 foot route on Rainbow Mountain, Solar Slab, on our final day. I couldn't believe we were multipitch rock climbing in light pants and a T-shirt on December 17th! It was a pleasant way to finish a nice week.

Jeff at the Panty wall.


Pam on a 5.10c in the Black Corridor.


Climber in the Black Corridor.


On the huge terrace halfway up Solar Slab on Rainbow Mountain.


Jeff climbing the first pitch off the terrace on Solar Slab.


Elise didn't get to climb in Red Rocks, but she did enjoy the desert environment - we went on a cactus adventure to see how many we could find and identify. She touched some new growth at the base of a prickly pear and got many thread-like spines in her fingers. It was nothing serious - but the spines were a little painful and tedious to remove. She also enjoyed swinging on the rope and "fishing" in the puddles leftover from the rain. With Grandma B and Anne, she visited the MGM Grand and saw the lions! She also enjoyed eating at the funky Rainforest Grill, visiting the Las Vegas Childrens Museum and checking out Circus Circus where she won a stuffed green starfish and a Nemo!

Rock formations above the Sandstone Quarry parking lot. If you look very closely, you can see Jeff in the Red Rock near the peak.


Elise beside a great Prickly Pear cactus.


Beside a Barrel cactus.


Fishing by the Stratocaster wall.


Other than the climbing, we just enjoyed relaxing in our apartment and visiting with friends and family. There was a small pool and hot tub on the roof of the tower, so Elise and I spent cold evenings soaking and "swimming" in the hot tub. Grandma B joined us a couple of times and Elise really enjoyed showing off her "swimming" skills. In fact, she introduced herself to strangers in the hot tub one evening with, "Hi, my name is Elise, and I'm a really good swimmer". It was fun being up there, especially since we could see the lights of Vegas and watch helicopters circling overhead.

We spent the last night visiting with our friends Rich and Senja from Vancouver who were on an extended winter climbing trip down south. We socialized in the apartment, drank wine and ate lots of cake well into the eveing. It was a nice way to finish a nice week.

On to Los Angeles!