Santa Cruz

Riley had a band competition in Santa Cruz yesterday, so we all went. Quinn skipped his baseball game to go, and my mom and dad went as well.

 There's a Monterey Bay visitor's center in Santa Cruz. It's free! They let us use their potty too! This whale tail is just outside.  Fun for kids of all ages!

We walked up to the judging area and waited for American to parade.

 This is the percussion competition, down the street some. To follow the band, you do a LOT of walking.

 There was a raised street, so we took advantage and got some good pictures. This was my favorite.

 The "Free Play Zone" was right along the Boardwalk! Super cool! There were 55 Jr. High and High School bands who participated in yesterday's competition.

 After the competition, the bands and families got to spend time at the Boardwalk. Since Riley was off with friends, we just had Quinn. He did a little fishing.

 Coconut Grove building. Quinn got to play some arcade games in there, and air hockey.

 We walked out to the wharf. The sun had finally come out, and it was beautiful.

Quinn, doing tricks

Isn't this guy cute? There was an area where you could walk down some steps to a dock, and there were tons of sea lions. This guy (and others) were sleeping just below! So cute!

LOOK at the size of this guy!!

The Boardwalk from the wharf.

We were trying to watch a wedding on the beach. We had to leave before the nuptials. Quinn enjoyed climbing on this huge ball though.

Quinn's New Bed

Quinn had been asking for a loft bed for quite awhile. He apparently had an idea of what his room should be like, including a TV, a sofa, and the loft bed.


We decided to get him the bed. We found one at Ashley Furniture. My parents came over and helped to put it together.


It was not an easy task, putting that bed together. Perhaps Ashley Furniture needs lessons from Ikea.



Together!!! Finally!!!


One happy boy!!


Even Maya "helped."


This boy loves his new bed!!


He got new dressers too. Red. We like the red.


Now he has a decent space for homework and playing Minecraft.


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Feste Del Mar Band Review

Saturday the American High School Marching Band participated in the Feste Del Mar Band Review, in San Jose, CA. They had a parade competition and a field show competition.

Getting ready to perform for the judges.

Our drum major is awesome!!!

Their music is from Carmen. It's very peppy.

 American did very well in the parade competition. They won two 1st place finishes, a 2nd place and a  3rd place!! They celebrated with happy cheers, then it was off to get ready for the field performance.

It's amazing to me that so many band members can move around and play their instruments, and they don't collide! 

We have a color guard too!

You can see Riley, row on the right, second from front.

Traveling around, while playing. Can you spot Riley again?

I am pretty pleased with this action shot. Riley, playing the clarinet while moving.

American had a 1st and 2nd place finish in this competition too! Way to go!!!

Cal Berkeley High School Band Day

Riley had his first performance with the AHS Marching Band. Saturday was High School Band day at UC Berkeley. We had to get up at dark o'clock, to be at the school by 5:00 am. The entire band and assorted parents, took Bart into Berkeley. The bands rehearsed with the Cal Band, then found their seats in the stadium, for the football game. We also got a tour of the Berkeley campus. We all watched the football game (Cal vs. Southern Utah), and at halftime, the high school bands got to perform!! 

This is Cal's band. There are over 100 people in their band! They played Call Me Maybe, for one of their songs. The band is very talented, and they look like they have a blast. Can you see what they spelled out? Cal. 

Riley, getting ready to go down to the field, for the halftime performance.

The bands had to run to their places on the field.

The back side of the AHS Band, as they performed.

There were 22 high school bands present. They all played together: Livin' on a Prayer (by Bon Jovi), Rollin' in the Deep (Adele), and the Cal fight song, with the Cal Band. They sounded like they had been playing together for years.

When they finished their three songs, they had to run off field. I don't know why I find this so funny, but I do. It's just funny to me.

After the game, we all stuck around so that the band could march through campus. They sounded really great! There's another High School Band Day this weekend. SJSU is the host. The next weekend (9/22) , they will perform in their first parade, for Newark Days. If you are local, you should go and watch them. It's really very cool.

It was a very long day on Saturday, but it was lots of fun. Cal ended up winning too, so I guess that's a bonus (even for a Stanford fan, and since they weren't playing Stanford).  To see the rest of my pictures, CLICK HERE.

Star Wars Day With the San Francisco Giants

We went to a Giants game today. Not just any Giants game. It was Star Wars Day!!! Tons of fun!


These big baseballs are always a hit! They are in the McCovey Plaza. I am sure tons of kids jump all over them.


Willie McCovey statue, with AT&T Park in the background.


Star Wars Day came with a giveaway. Our free gift was a Death Star baseball!! Super cool!


The boys, wearing Star Wars shirts, ready for the game to begin.


It was a beautiful day in San Francisco today!


Quinn, goofing around with his orange finger.


The game went into extra innings (well one extra inning), and the Giants came out ahead!! They won 9-8.


Everybody wants to leave as soon as the game ends. Major people jam.

Today was our last family outing of summer. We had a nice summer. I think we are all ready to get back to school. We get that chance on Wednesday! To see the rest of my pictures, CLICK HERE.

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Riley spent two weeks at band camp this summer. He is in the marching band at the high school. YES, I said high school. Riley is in high school. That still sounds so very strange to me! Anyway, the camp was not a sleep away camp, it was just during the day. They put in LONG hours though: MWF 8:30-5:00 and TTH 8:30-8:00. The culmination of the two week band camp was a performance for the families and a BBQ. I was amazed at what they accomplished in just two weeks time!!

The band marched out onto the track. Note all of the geese. Freakin' geese are EVERYWHERE in Fremont. They poop all over. 

Color guard. More geese.

The band as they came around the track. Riley is the second line in, from the back. Left side, second from the end. He's the small one there. 

Assembled for their field show.

That's the drum major there, on the platform thing. 

Riley, playing his clarinet. 

After the performance, the band leaders gave out awards to some members of the band. Riley got an award for his hard work and progress during band camp. We already love the band. Such an accepting group of kids! We look forward to Riley's first season of marching band. We will be very busy, but it's going to be a great fit for him (and for us).

Disneyland

Last week we went to Disneyland. We couldn't wait to experience the new Cars Land. It did not disappoint. It is spectacular! All of these pictures were taken with my iPhone.



Some sights around Cars Land.



The Radiator Springs Racers ride is so much fun! Such a great great ride!!!


It was HOT the entire week. Mid to high 90s, and there was even humidity, which we did not expect. We sweated our butts off every single day of our visit. Luckily we bought this fan/spritzer. Best $17 I ever spent!!


The boys watching the Radiator Springs Racers ride.


You may wonder why all of these cars are empty on the Radiator Springs Racers ride. Well, one morning we went to this ride at park opening (with 20 billion others), instead of getting a Fastpass. It took 45 minutes to get into a vehicle. Not too bad actually, but we were literally buckling in and the ride went down. Poop. We were told to get out of the car and we waited at the gates. It was silly to get out of line as we would be the first to ride once it was going again. We waited for over an hour. First they were fixing the ride, then there was ANOTHER earthquake (there was one the night before too), which shut down ALL rides at both parks. By the time they checked the ride for earthquake damage, and then got it working, it was over an hour later. We exited the ride at almost 11 in the morning. Needless to say, we did a Fastpass the next day. The crowds are just too big to try and walk on that ride, unless you are in line an hour before the park opens, or you don't mind using up your entire morning waiting. The ride is fussy and it's been down a lot. They have to work out the kinks. It's still worth the wait though. It's a really good ride.



The castle, at night. We didn't spend as much time at Disneyland this trip, because we wanted to experience all the new stuff at DCA. We did our favorite rides though.



Quinn, on a cone, at the Cozy Cone. I think I was enjoying my apple freeze at this time. Yummy! It's Disney's version of Butterbeer, only apple flavored.



Waiting for DCA to open the morning we left for home. Kevin got Fastpasses for Racers and the boys and I rode Soarin'. We didn't have to wait at all. Walked right on.



Mickey's Fun Wheel. Kevin, Quinn and I rode a swinging gondola this trip. Never again! It is just too freakin' scary!!

If you want to see the rest of my REAL pictures, CLICK HERE.


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