Showing posts with label lighthouse. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lighthouse. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 08, 2018

Lima, Peru

We arrived in Lima around 6:30 this morning, and by the time we got out of the airport and our Uber driver arrived, we were just about smack dab in the middle of the morning rush hour. Our apartment is only 9 km (5.5 miles) from the airport, but it took us more than an hour in harrowing traffic to make our way here. But we did make it and then immediately crashed since most of us didn't get any sleep on the plane. By about 2:00, we were ready to explore. We are staying in the  Miraflores district, which is a lovely area right on the coast with a ton of parks and a wonderful malecon (walking path) that winds through many of them. There are workout stations and playgrounds sprinkled throughout, and the views are amazing! We walked and played and walked and rested and walked some more. Eventually, when we were worn out and starting to get a little hangry, we made our way to Mangos, an all-you-can-eat buffet with an expansive patio overlooking the Pacific Ocean. We enjoyed getting to try lots of local foods as well as Peru's famous Pisco Sour drink. The view, the weather, and the sunset were absolutely amazing, and we had such a wonderful time!

The Peruvians aren't messing around when it comes to produce!
The mangoes and papayas are gigantic and so good!

We loved the beautiful tile wall around Parque de Amor.
 
Parque de Amor is for lovers!

Views from the malecon

The boys insisted on stopping at every
workout station along the malecon.

Faro La Marina

We also stopped at several playgrounds.

Dinner at Mangos

Sunset over the Pacific

Friday, June 23, 2017

Future of Flight and Puget Sound

We spent much of the day at the Future of Flight Museum and Boeing factory, and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Jeff and the three older kids got to tour the factory, which includes the largest building in the world. They all absolutely loved the tour and were completely fascinated with the process and the immense scale of everything. There was a height restriction which kept Clay from participating in the tour, but he and I enjoyed the kid's area of the Future of Flight Museum while everyone else was touring.

The largest building in the world, and Mt. Baker

Mt. Rainier at the other end of the runway

Having a blast in the Kid Zone

Pilot and co-pilot

Taking a ride in the flight simulator

Boeing

In the late afternoon, we headed over to Mukilteo, a little waterfront town on Puget Sound. We grabbed a bite to eat at Diamond Knot and then went down by the water to see the quaint lighthouse, watch a ferry come into port, and observe a guy doing jumps on his jet ski. It was big fun!

Clay was thrilled to get to make his own pizza!

Mukilteo Lighthouse

The ferry coming in

An awesome hunk of driftwood

Playing leapfrog in the grass

That's how you know it was a good day!

Thursday, June 23, 2016

The North Side of the Island

Today, we visited the north side of Kauai and were so privileged to see Hanalei, The Queen's Bath, and Kilauea Lighthouse. Each spot was so lovely, and we made fantastic memories! Of all the Hawaiian islands I've visited, I think Kauai is truly the most beautiful.

Hanalei Valley

I fell instantly in love with this little church in Hanalei!

The charming Hanalei chocolate store was just barely
big enough for the six of us to squeeze into!

Queen's Bath

A handsome guy in a beautiful place!

Swimming in the frigid Queen's Bath

Following his sister's lead

A conversation about who should jump first

Leap of faith

Racking up some extra style points

We were thrilled to see one of Hawaii's monk seals
frolicking in the waves just beyond the pool!

Queen's Bath was a little rough and deep for the younger guys,
but they still enjoyed the little tidal pools...

And climbing all over the huge rocks!

Kilauea Point

Kilauea Lighthouse

Matchy-matchy at Sam's Oceanview Restaurant for dinner



Saturday, May 21, 2016

Wellington Waterfront

We spent the day at the Wellington Waterfront and had a great time. We first visited the Underground Market, where we enjoyed looking at all the wares on offer and eating some good old-fashioned international street food. We were actually surprised we didn't get kicked out since, not once but twice, we knocked down folding screens between booths. We're definitely leaving our mark on the world.

After lunch, we walked around for a while, taking in the sights, and eventually found ourselves at the Frank Kitts park, where the boys disappeared into the wonderful playground and weren't seen again (figuratively speaking) until the sun was going down. I put in a little time at the playground but then kept wandering around the waterfront until I found the free-to-enter Wellington Museum. Later, Ruth and I visited a little coffee shop in an effort to escape the cold. On our way back to the parking garage we accidentally happened upon the Wellington Night Market. We didn't see any of the crazy things we saw at the night market in Beijing, but it was a fun atmosphere, with lots of international offerings.

My favorite sight of the day was this seagull with his sea star snack

Another of the world's awesome playgrounds

It was fun to watch the helicopter tours take off and land from one of the docks

The rowing club was out practicing

And, there were plenty of sailboats, too

Lots of fun sculptures along The Waterfront

A wealth of seafaring history in the Wellington Museum

The view across the harbor

My little monkeys

Fountain + Art



Friday, April 22, 2016

Down Under

Internet has been rather elusive for us in OZ, but good times have been easy to come by. Since leaving Hamilton Island almost a week ago, we have been making our way down the east coast, staying in very large houses, in very small towns, in some incredibly scenic locations. We have spent some time sightseeing and some time just lounging around wherever we happen to be calling home. We even got to spend a lovely day with one of my friends from high school and her family as we made our way to Sydney today. We really love Australia and can't believe our time here is almost at an end. 

Our lovely and enormous house and yard in Charlotte Bay

The kids would have been happy with just a yard,
but the trampoline was definitely the icing on the cake!

The Cartwheel King

We took a wonderful little hike up to the Sugarloaf Lighthouse

Redneck Port

This little guy was showing off for us at the Blackbutt Reserve in Newcastle

So excited to pet the bearded dragon

New friends and new foods

This goanna lizard is not a permanent resident at the wildlife reserve
but just moseyed in looking for a snack and caused quite a stir. 

The ANZAC walk on ANZAC weekend
(ANZAC Day is similar to our Veteran's Day and will be celebrated in OZ on Monday)

Enjoying the beautiful day and trying not to blow away

Such a fun reunion with a friend I've known since
9th grade and haven't seen in ten years

We were thrilled to see a pod of dolphins as we walked along the coast

The Merewether Ocean Baths

So much fun exploring the rock pools