Camping at Maple Bench

This weekend I took the Varsity Team up to Maple Bench for a night of winter camping. They all did well and stayed warm. I was surprised to find that very few of them had flashlights or pocket knives. They are so used to camping from a car they don't understand the basics. We're working on that though. Here is a picture of me and Zoe. Zoe did well with the hiking part, but I think sleeping in the tent freaked her out a little. Got to work on that.

Last day in Paris

Here is a video from the last day in Paris.

Paris - Day Five

See the video HERE.

Paris - Day Four

See the video HERE.

Paris - Day Three

It was cold, windy and rainy all day. We got a late start, but a good night's rest. (Finally) We started the day at the Musee d'Orsay where we saw many works by Monet, Manet, Van Gough, Rodin, and other notable artists. Lots of impressionist paintings. We spent the bulk of our day there. Not only was the art great, but the building itself was magnificent.

Afterward, we walked down Rue du Bac to find a recommended ice cream shop. 12 bucks for 3 scoops of ice cream, but it was delicious. We made it to the Musee Rodin for it's final hour of the day and enjoyed his sculptures, including the Thinking Man.

If you read yesterday's post, you'll be glad to hear I am not sick from dinner. The food was much better today; how could it not be since we had a bowl of ice cream.

Hopefully tomorrow's weather will be better. I think we will head out to Versailles and finish at a museum of photography tomorrow night. We'll see what happens.

Enjoy the slide show of some of today's sights.

View the video here

Paris - Day Two

We started the day at Sacre Coeur. It was a long hike up the hill and to the top of the dome. We also saw the St. Pierre du Montmartre church. We then wandered the streets in the Montmartre district, known as the artsy, seedy part of town. Monday seems to be the day for museums in Paris to shut down. We tried to go to Musee D'orsay and the Rodin Museum; both were closed. We ended up at the Louvre where we saw the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo (SP?) and a bunch of other cool things. Our feet were dead so we booked it home.

For dinner we stayed in Vincennes. A friend of mine said the French have the best food. I've not had much luck (with the exception of crepes and baguettes) with my ordering. The first night I had Foie Gras. I knew it was duck liver, but I figured I'd try it. It was awful. Tonight I figured I'd play it safe. I ordered steak and fries. I didn't know what the "tartare" meant. It was basically a raw hamburger with no bun. Look it up. I'm hoping I don't get sick. Apparently it's still considered gourmet here in France.

Tomorrow we will try to catch a local market and then head over to the Eiffel Tower. We'll see what the weather is like.

Again, couldn't get the movie to upload. Check it out here.

Day in Paris

We made it to Paris jet-lagged but happy. After attending church with the Paris Ward, we enjoyed the day exploring the area around there. We visited the Hotel de Ville, crossed the River Siene, and visited Notre Dame. We also visited Sainte Chapelle and the Palais de Justice, home of the French Revolution. We then wandered around the nearby streets in search of a good restaurant. Finally overcoming our fears of reading the French menus, we picked a spot. Ends up the waiter was Canadian, eh, and spoke English. We finished the day by making this video and eating a delicious chocolate eclair. Enjoy.

I couldn't get the video to upload to blogger. You can check it out here.

Karl Malone on New Years Revolutions

You know, Karl Malone gots to do what Karl Malone gots to do.

My brother pointed me to a very funny clip that I figured I'd share. The only thing I've missed sinnce Malone left the Jazz is all the stories on the local news about his hunting exploits, and his unique language style. You can find many Karl Malone spoofs on YouTube. Anyway, check it out here.

Happy New Year

Ushered in the new year by playing games and eating great food with my family. Here is a shot my wife took while I was making sushi.