Making a splash

More than two years ago we visited a "wax museum" and found J.K.Rowling there (looking a little like our Girl) along with a bewildering range of celebrities, past and present.

Tonight I was there again (alas, still no Man around) admiring some of the same noteables as before (Shirley Temple, Thomas Edison) and also one much loved British Olympic diver - Tom Daley - decked out in goggles and Hawaiian swim-shorts (not Speedos).  Though they may not share the same haircut, the Boy did a fine job of representing him.

He wasn't the only less-well-known-in-America athlete present (there was one from Costa Rica, and a speedwalker that I wasn't familiar with).  Baseball, basketball, American football and ice-hockey stars were there in force - but sorry, I didn't know any of them;  politicians such as JFK and Clinton (Hillary Clinton, that is); various rockstars; Justin Bieber (a nice bit of cross-dressing); stars of screens big and small; several beauty queens, but also (aspiring to something more substantial) women artists and scientists.  Julie Andrews.  Bill Gates.  Elvis.  The Wright brothers. Frieda Khalo.  To name but a few.  Special mention to one of the Boy's good friends, who appeared as a rather magnificent Moctezuma.

The Man adds...I've been making a splash in San Jose too this week...conferences are tough work but someone has to do it.

And early morning snow

The forecast had mentioned snow, but seemed to suggest it wouldn't much affect our area.  So I was quite surprised to wake up to about three inches of the stuff, and surprised again to find out the schools were having a two-hour snow delay.  Apparently not everyone in the household found this pretty inconvenient.

The snow has stuck around, but only just.  It has been drizzling on and off all day.

With the Man (my usual taste-tester) away I've been having to try out new recipes on the Girl instead.  Tofu and vegetables in coconut sauce a la Wagamama on Monday (appreciated up to a point), and yesterday I cooked a Jamie Oliver version of Chinese stuffed pancakes - adding my own twist.  I omitted to mention to my daughter that the "meat" stuffing was the fake kind which she disdains.  Anyway, she really liked them - and liked them even more cold in her lunchbox.  She was quite peeved when I finally 'fessed up about the contents....but has nevertheless asked me to cook them again.

Also, in a shocking break with tradition, the I-don't-ever-ever-try-anything-new Boy ate a seasoned roast potato on Sunday night, without ill effects.  Progress!

Early morning ice

Tuesday is our early start day: the Girl has to be at the ice rink at 7am.  This can be quite a challenge for a not-naturally-morning-person (her or me? You may well ask) but we managed it today, just about.  When the Man's away I miss him most of all on Tuesdays - he usually does the ice run.

The Boy also has a relatively early start on a Tuesday, as he goes in an hour earlier than usual for band practice.  This is no problem as he is always up before his sister anyway, every day of the week.

The rest of my day was quietly busy, and this evening has been an enjoyable mixture of cooking and a meeting and helping make a baby blue whale.

Moby stick

The kids were back at school today, so a quiet house for me.  I got a few chores done, and this evening I've been helping the Boy with his whale project.  You know how some whales have that corduroy-looking ribbing underneath?  Well, we cunningly recreated that look with...yay!...corduroy (covered in black tissue paper and glue). 

The Boy has so enjoyed making his whale that he now has plans to make a baby blue whale to go with it.

Blue notes

I saw bluebirds in the backyard this morning (a Five Rivers friend has told me that this early in the year they'll be males, scouting for nesting sites).  It's a sign that Spring is at least thinking of heading our way - even it won't really arrive for quite a while.

The Boy has started on his blue whale model - a monster made out of soda bottles and tissue paper.  It will, I'm sure, be magnificent.

And a touch of the blues for us all, as we waved off the Man on yet another trip.  He's probably watching the Oscars by now in actual California.  Sunshine, pavement cafes...  It snowed again here this afternoon.  Chiz.

Overshooting

Troy Farmers' Market - garlic, parmesan crackers, barbecue seasoning, excellent bread.  We ran into an old friend selling hummus.

The Y - Girl skating, Man running.

Library - recipe books and such, and reading matter for a journey.

Archery - the Girl borrowed the Boy's bow and managed to shoot three of his four arrows over the fence into next door's yard (where luckily no-one was playing - hm.  We will be reviewing backyard archery arrangements).

Not so mean hunter

The Boy had another session at the archery range this morning.  While he was busy with his bow, I kept an eye on a computer screen in a corner on which a TechnoHunt was playing out.  Virtual hunting.  Two guys in the next alley were taking turns firing crossbow shots at video clips of animals in the wild.  After each go the screen flashed up an image of the animal with a cartoon arrow stuck in it, and scores were allocated.  I thought my soft hearted vegetarian Boy would be appalled by this game, but he surprised me by saying he'd quite like to try it - "Because it's not as mean as real hunting."

Later, the Girl and I met up with a couple of the refugee kids in Albany and we went skating on the Empire State Plaza ice rink.  It's free to use the rink, and on Fridays, thanks to Hannaford Supermarket, it's also free to borrow skates.  The thirteen year-old boy had skated before and knew what he was doing.  His eight year-old sister was on the ice for the first time.  She started by chugging around holding onto a traffic cone.  Then she did a few turns around the rink holding first my hand, then the outer barrier.  But after about an hour she was proudly skating without any support - we were very impressed.

This afternoon, a late lunch out and a visit to the second-hand bookstore, and then a jolly time and a cup of tea with the Exiles.  It's hard to believe we're about to hit the weekend and the end of the kids' week off school - we haven't done that much, but it's gone by fast.