Now You See Him Now You Don't

Yesterday my photo editing class was very fun. I learned how to clone out unwanted objects/people. I have to practice this method right away otherwise I forget the process. The example we worked on in class was small and toward the background so we didn't have to worry about being perfect since most people wouldn't notice the change. I selected a more ambitious picture at home and I'm happy with my first attempt.

We were at the Biodome in Montreal and goofing around. I saw the cayman display and had Tyler stick his head in there. Unfortunately, Hector was in the background distracting from the subject. I cloned Hector out and tried as best I could to duplicate the rocks which look kinda funky but at first glance you just notice Tyler which is what I wanted to achieve.

Quebec City

Quebec City is a charming small city that has a old world European feel. I really enjoyed strolling through the streets admiring the architecture and window shopping. Even the kids had a good time walking around all day and they were great for our 90 minute lunches. We tried crepes and French onion soup. The food can be pricey but H noted that all the food is bland. He didn't have heartburn once during our trip. The pictures can't show the charm of the city enough so if you get a chance you must stop at Quebec City. You wont be sorry.

First Sock

I finished my first sock!! Pictures to follow later and now I need to psych myself up to do the next one before I forget what I did. Tyler has his autobiography oral report tomorrow so we've been trying to get him in the 3 minute range. He needs to cut out his pauses and okays but heck he is only in 2nd grade so I won't make him do too much. Can't have a stressed out 8 year old in my house!

Hector is off to the hockey game with M tonight. Hopefully the Kings will get their act together. Earlier today we went bowling and I did awful. By the 3rd game, I was improving and I eeked out a win over Hector 111 to 109. Wow. I think this is a first for me although he says I've beat him before. :)

The fires in SoCal are wrecking havoc all around us. The sky is smoky and it's hot, windy and dry. I pray that there will be a quick containment and for the safety for all those involved. Today Tyler was supposed to have a study trip to the fire station but it was cancelled. He is starting to understand what is happening to those around us more.

On the good news front, Tyler passed to the next level of swim class so we're happy for him. He gets to move on to the Fish level and after that I think that will be it. Pretty soon baseball will begin and we'll be involved with various activities.

Feeling Neglected

Shortly after Joshua was born, Hector bought me my dream car. A BMW 525. I said that I wouldn't let the kids ride in it and no food or drinks inside. Well, I eased up on the kids riding in the car and had to cover the seat backs from dirty shoes scuffing up the gray leather. Still no food inside and I can have my drinks but not the kids. When I worked part-time I drove my car back and forth and sometimes during the week when I ran errands. Over the last 4 years, it was driven less and less but not because I didn't want to but because it usually was a hassle to get it out of the garage. I had to move Hector's truck which is no big deal but for a while Hector's motorcycle blocked the garage and there was no way I could move that!

The last time I started my BMW was a couple of weeks to drive it to my photo class and even then it had a hard time starting. It must have been a month since I really drove it. So we leave for vacation and return when I'm thinking I should start it up again. Today was that day and you know what? The battery is dead dead dead. Great. I can't open the doors or the trunk. Darn electronic locks. Hector called the service department and after another attempt was able to open my car. Fortuntately my battery is located in the trunk so he jumpstarted my car easily. I had to drive it around for bit which suited me fine so I drove over to Cerritos and back. Meanwhile Hector finished installing the baseboards in our kitchen. Yeah!

We also went to Costco and loaded up on staples like toilet paper, batteries and food. I wanted a portable hard drive to back up all my music and pictures and we found a 250 GB for about $140. I thought it would be about the size of those CD cases that hold about 64 cds but this thing is about the size of a 3x5 card and less than an inch thick. So far I'm loading my music on which is taking a while but I can't complain. I have about 26 GB of music to transfer so we'll see how it goes.

How do you like your eggs??

I'll combine our days left in Montreal because right now they're blurring into one. I did manage to write in my travel journal which I still have to complete the final 2 days...ooops. Montreal was an interesting city; about 50/50 speak English/French but it is polite to start off in French and ask if the person speaks English.

It did rain a little while we were in Montreal but lightly and that didn't bother us one bit. We were not doing all that great in the restaurant department until Hector took us to Eggspectation (recommended in a guide book). To sum up, yum. Normally I am not a breakfast person and I will have no problem eating a non-breakfast meal in the morning. From the name of the restaurant you can figure out that they specialize in eggs. There is an entire section devoted to Eggs Benedict (10 varieties) plus other egg dishes and regular lunch fare. Well, if I'm in the mood for eggs Eggs Benedict will be perfect and this was pretty awesome. The kids enjoyed their pancakes too. We enjoyed Eggspectations so much we went back every morning while in Montreal. I did try their cheeseburger and Bageldore both of them delish.

Montreal Trip

Day 1: Our first stop is to Vieux Montreal (Old) and the kids already love the Metro (subway). The day was gray and overcast but that didn't stop us from exploring and enjoying our time. We wandered to whatever drew our interest; I did want to do our own walking tour but most of the times we just go with the flow and throw out structured plans.

We walked along the river and let the kids play in the park. We tried going to the observation clock tower but it was closed for the season. Boo. We did find the Basilica Notre Dame and it was pretty awesome. The kids can't handle that much culture very long so we caught a caleche (horse carriage) for a 30 minute tour. The driver gave out carrots to the boys so they feed Charlotte the horse before the ride and after too. At this time Hector realized he left his hat in the church and went back to look for it. Bummer, this was his LA Kings hat and he couldn't find it but the woman suggested he come the next day to look again.

Later in the afternoon the clouds began to burn off to allow better light for my pictures. Yay!

Montreal

Just a quick note to say that we arrived safely in Montreal. The flight went smoothly and we have settled in nicely at the Sofitel hotel. We already have visited Old Montreal yesterday and today took a peek at the underground city after breakfast.

The weather is gray, overcast and chilly but that didn't stop Hector from running around in shorts and t-shirt. That's it for now...we'll relax a bit at the hotel then hopefully the clouds will burn off so we can go to Mont Royal to take in the view....