Sabbel&Jenton Posted Dec 12, 2011, 10:53 am |
Hello there!
I´m Shooga! My new parents adopted me today! I´m so happy! As they went through the shop where I lived I heard them talking about finding a new ToyVoyager and from that moment I wanted them to buy me! I jumped up and down in the shelf to get their attention and finally they noticed me. I told them that it is my biggest wish to discover the whole world and without any deliberation they bought me! As soon as we came home we ordered a Travel Tag for me and took some nice photos for my profile so that I can start my first journey soon! Bye Shooga |
Sabbel&Jenton Posted Dec 12, 2011, 11:04 am |
Hi!
Now that I have arrived at my new home I first had to get to know it. I was greeted very friendly by my "brother" B.o.B. who is the first TV from my parents. He is so nice and showed me the guinea pigs living here. They all came to say hello and I think we will be very good friends. Right know it´s raining all the time and I decided to stay inside and take a look at Stotzheim through the window. Best wishes Shooga |
Sabbel&Jenton Posted Dec 19, 2011, 11:49 pm |
Hi!
Today we visited my grandparents for dinner. We had a barbecue and some different salads. It was delicious! And I took some photos from the christmas decoration in the courtyard. Best wishes Shooga |
Sabbel&Jenton Posted Dec 19, 2011, 11:54 pm |
Hey!
Today we had the first snow this winter! Everything looks so beautiful now! It made the 4 advent sunday much more cosy and the candles on our wreath looked so beautiful! Love Shooga |
Sabbel&Jenton Posted Dec 19, 2011, 11:56 pm |
Hi!
I´m getting ready for my first journey! I will visited Löwenscherz and after christmas I will go with a friend from her to Norway! I´m very excited!This will be my first big adventure! Best wishes Shooga |
Löwenscherz Posted Dec 23, 2011, 9:21 am |
Hey Mum, hey Dad!
I arrived! Safe and sound! First I wasn't sure what is awaiting me so I've checked the surrounding area. But everything was fine! There was a big sheep, a little little dog and an odd-looking guinea pig who welcomed me very friendly! But I was so curious to get to know the real guinea pigs that I visited them in there houses, they were still very tired. After that we had a delicious breakfast. Till then your Shooga |
Löwenscherz Posted Dec 26, 2011, 4:51 pm |
Hey guys,
today we decorated the Christmas tree and visited the Christmas market in Göttingen! It was beautiful and very homely! I'm getting very excited about tomorrow... Shooga |
Löwenscherz Posted Dec 26, 2011, 5:09 pm |
Christmas Eve!!!
We visited my host mums grandma and had a great Christmas dinner!! And you know what!? She has a lot of mice! Do you find me?^^ She's called "Mause-Oma"! A few hours later we drove back home where the presents were waiting under the Christmas tree! There was even a present for me! Merry Christmas, I hope you're doing well! Best wishes Shooga |
Löwenscherz Posted Jan 22, 2012, 6:17 pm |
Hey mum, hey dad!!!
Finally here I am!! In Norway, and how beautiful it is! So much snow!!! Today I visited my hosts work station: "Stiftelsen Voll Gard", an experience farm for children where she is working with a lot of animals: cows, sheep, goats, chicken, pigs, cats, rabbits and horses!!! The one on the pic is Ari, I was afraid he could eat me, but he didn't! And in the afternoon we walked through Trondheim, a beautiful city! See you soon!! Shooga |
Löwenscherz Posted Mar 13, 2012, 11:46 am |
Hey mum & dad!
I'm sooo so sorry that I didn't inform you daily about my adventures in Norway, but I don't know how a computer works and my hosts friend didn't had much time left to do it... When I'm back you have to teach me how I can update my Travelog by myself! So, the most time I watched my hosts friend how she was feeding the horses and other animals... She didn't even had the time to go to the city on weekend! I'm glad to see you soon, but first I've got to travel to Löwenscherz again because I forgot my Christmas present... Till then Love Shooga |
Löwenscherz Posted Mar 15, 2012, 8:31 pm |
Hey Mum & Dad!
It's me, one more time from Billingshausen! Today is my hosts brothers birthday and his little son was visiting. (He will be 2 years old tomorrow ) Because he treated me very gently I think he liked me very much. "All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go..." So, hope you look forward to our reunion just as me! Loooove Shooga |
Sabbel&Jenton Posted Apr 2, 2012, 6:43 pm |
Hey!
I´m back home! After this wonderful trip to Norway and visiting Löwenscherz it´s nice to be home again. But I really had a great time, thanks a lot to Löwenscherz! I met a new guest TV, her name is Ursel and she is a very cool mouse! We get along very well and decided to make a a girls´ night with Sex & the city, sweets and Hello Kitty champagne! It was a lot of fun! Greetz Shooga |
Sabbel&Jenton Posted Apr 2, 2012, 6:53 pm |
Hello!
We visited the Hardtwald and the Hardtburg! It was quite a long walk so I climbed into my moms hood from where I had a very good view. In the forest Ursel and I saw a interesting vehicle for transporting cut down trees. It was very big and looked impressiv! The walk around and through the castle was really fantastic. We had luck that we could still go inside the castle because soon it will be closed until fall because birds nest there. I hope you can see on the photos how high everything is! Bye Shooga |
Sabbel&Jenton Posted Apr 2, 2012, 6:59 pm |
Hi there!
Today I helped my mom to prepare the breakfast for the guinea pigs. The piggys where very hungry and happy as I brought them their food! Best wishes Shooga |
Sabbel&Jenton Posted Apr 2, 2012, 7:01 pm |
Hey!
We visited the riding stable where my mom used to ride. There were a lot of young foals wich were born in the last few weeks. They are so cute! My mom also introduced me to Bill Hickock, the horse she used to ride. He was a bit shy but very nice. Greetings Shooga |
Sabbel&Jenton Posted Apr 2, 2012, 7:08 pm |
Hey there!
Something very sad happened today! On of the guinea pigs died! We are all shocked and no one had expected this! RIP Mupfel! :´( Her best friend Ruki is very ill right now and now we do really everything so that she will get better soon! Here is one of the last photos of Mupfel and me together. Greetings Shooga |
Sabbel&Jenton Posted Apr 2, 2012, 7:20 pm |
Hi!
Finally I had the chance to visit cologne together with my parents. I loved traveling by train and was very impressed by the Cathedral! It´s so big! I met a very nice street artist who allowed me to take a photo with him. We went for some shopping and had lunch at Pizza Hut. We chose a salad so that we could also eat some delicious desserts!^^ Greetz Shooga |
Sabbel&Jenton Posted Apr 4, 2012, 1:56 pm |
Hi there!
Today I said goodbye to the guinea pigs, Ursel and my parents! I will start a long journey and first I will visit Olgamaus! I´m very excited and can´t wait for my new adventures to start! Love Shooga |
Sabbel&Jenton Posted Apr 4, 2012, 2:01 pm |
Hi!
I´m very sad! Just got a message from my parents. Ruki died today. The vet had to euthanise her. She was very ill! RIP Ruki! :´( Bye Shooga |
olgamaus Posted Apr 4, 2012, 8:41 pm |
Hi Mummy,
after a rather short trip I arrived in Remscheid today. There was already another ToyVoyager awaiting me, Tamina. My new host Katja was happy that I brought some delicious sweets with me. Katja already knew that two of our guinea pigs died recently. She asked me if I wanted to meet her pets. Of course I wanted to meet them! Really? They are predators, cheeky little things. Ferrets! These are Brighty and Shiva ... ... and this is Zaehnchen. Katja warned me to get too close to them ... they were always hungry. If they were really predators, they were extremely cute predators Bye for today Shooga |
olgamaus Posted Apr 7, 2012, 2:13 pm |
Hi Mummy,
unexpectedly the weather was fantastic today, so my host went out with Tamina and me to take walk in the outskirts of Remscheid. There are not many bushes blooming, only forsythia in the neighbour's garden. I am living in a rather old quarter, the houses in the neighbourhood are looking like this. They have a large water tower in the city. The city centre of Remscheid is situated on top of a hill. The drinking water is pumped here from a dam in a nearby valley. Remscheid is surrounded by woodland and rural areas, you can see part of it in the background. Katja told us that our walk would take us to the opposite side of the valley which was visible from here. This was already looking "rural" We played hide and seek in the fresh grass. Can you see the city centre with the water tower on the next photo? The second tower belongs to the city hall, it is 48 m tall. You can find small hamlets embedded in the lovely landscape. Those houses are typical for this region called "Bergisches Land". They are half-timbered houses or covered with slate. Traditionally they have a green door and green shutters. This house is being restored. You can see that the house is built in the traditional style, with clay-filled segments which will be painted white later. We couldn't resist to take a photo of this pink rubbish container We walked through a forest than. Walking through a valley we found fish ponds. This house is decorated with historic items. We met sheep! We found a lovely place for resting in the sun. Even this small barn was restored perfectly. Many industrial sites are situated in this valley along Morsbach, that's were industrialization started in middle ages in this region. There are still many historic sites, some of them still in use nowadays. We went back home them, walking uphill forever (as it seemed to me). This is the police headquarter with a small park in front of it. Almost home .... After three hours walking my feet were aching, so I spent the evening on the sofa, doing absolutely nothing Bye Shooga |
olgamaus Posted Apr 9, 2012, 10:54 am |
Hi Mummy,
Katja asked me and two other girls, Schnatterchen and Creamsheep to help baking a torte. First we looked for a receipe in a book. We planned to make a buttercream torte, so we decided to make a cake with almonds first. We needed eggs, wheat flour, sugar, ground almonds, butter and baking soda. First we had to stir the creamy butter with sugar, than the eggs were added, later flour and baking soda. We filled the dough into the prepared baking pan. As it seemed to be too much dough, we also made five cupcakes. After 30 minutes baking the cakes were ready. Tomorrow we will decorate the torte and take it with us to Katja's sister to celebrate Easter. Bye Shooga |
olgamaus Posted Apr 9, 2012, 11:12 am |
Hi Mummy,
today we finished the torte, also with the help of Katja's daughter. In the morning we already filled the cake with cherries. We also cooked vanilla flan for the buttercream. It has to cool down to room temperature. In the meantime we stirred butter with icing sugar for about 5 minutes. Than we had to add the flan spoonwise. Katja's daughter helped us to decorate the cake with the cream ... ... and also the cupcakes. Here is the perfect Easter-calories-bomb |
olgamaus Posted Apr 9, 2012, 11:26 am |
In the early afternoon we went to Katja's sister. Today we could see the cherry trees at the station blooming.
So many delicous sweets! You won't believe that I met many relatives here I also met this monster in the garden. Bye Shooga |
olgamaus Posted Apr 14, 2012, 10:44 am |
Hi Mummy,
let me show you my latest pictures from today's walk in the lovely surroundings of Remscheid. Today we went to the districts in the South of Remscheid, there are also forests and valleys. While we went there we saw lovely old houses. We reached the bottom of the first valley. You can see that there are housing areas and allotment gardens. They are having lots of allotment gardens here along the steep slopes of the valleys. When we went uphill to the other side of the valley we saw the city centre, completely different from I saw until now here. The central station is nearly opposite of us and you can see all those industrial sites close to the station, mostly steelworks. Here is a zoomed photo. This is a very famous industrial site, formerly known as Mannesmann Röhrenwerke. Hollow structural sections were created here. A part of the historical factory building is still here, combined with newer buildings. We walked through a forest than for some time. Katja told us that we would walk to Eschbachtalsperre than, the oldest drinking water dam in Germany. Before we reached the concrete dam, we came along a large pond. In a tunnel underneath the A1 motorway we found colourful graffiti. We climbed a steep path next to the dam and had a good view to the barrier lake than. It was opened in 1891. Later we walked through a rural area. We walked until we reached the district Lennep, about 12 km from our starting point in the city centre. They have a route for cyclists and pedestrians here, also built on a closed railway track. We followed it until we reached the station. From here we went home by bus. What a walk! Bye Shooga |
olgamaus Posted Apr 21, 2012, 7:22 pm |
Hi Mummy,
today we visited a medieval castle in the neighbour city Solingen, Schloss Burg, It is situated high upon a hill above the River Wupper. We had to walk all the way up to the castle, through narrow streets with those old timber-framed houses. Schloss Burg was built in 1133 by Count Adolf I von Berg on a hill above the river Wupper.That's why this region is called "Bergisches Land". Many people believe that it's name refers to the landscape with hills and valleys. (For those who do not speak German: The German word for mountain or hill is "Berg", so many people think that the name "Bergisches Land" means "land of many hills" ) About a hundred years later it was enlarged by Count Engelberg II von Berg. This is the man on the horse in the courtyard. In Thirty Years War (17th century) large parts of the castle were destroyed. It was rebuilt then, but it was used for industrial purposes for many years. In the end of the 19th century they began to rebuild it as it appears today. In the castle courtyard you can find souvenir shops and shops whose owners are doing an "old" handcraft, for example handmade brushes, brooms, soap, lovely yarns and wooden knitting needles, toys like swords and helmets and much more. The round tower was the powder tower, it was restored about two years ago. When we walked back to the car, we saw some of those lovely half-timbered houses which were built in 17th century. Bye for now Shooga |
olgamaus Posted May 1, 2012, 5:06 pm |
Hi Mummy,
Katja's sister Ina invited me to join the MPS-Festival in Weeze. MPS is a travelling medieval show with markets, camp, craftspeople and concerts. It was taking place on a festival area close to Weeze airport. I visited several craftsmen ... ... had a lot of fun ... ... had a yummy beer ... ... visited some tents ... ... and met Grim Reaper! Huhhh ... I was a bit scared! Later, in the evening, the concerts started. We found a place close to the stage ... there was black all around me! The band you can see on stage is called "Feuerschwanz". This back belongs to the singer of the band "Saltatio Mortis". Late that night we drove home. Bye Shooga |
olgamaus Posted May 1, 2012, 5:26 pm |
Hi Mummy,
today I took a walk in the old town of Lennep with Ina, my host's sister. First we had a quick look from the her parent's balcony on the 7th floor. Lennep is an historical city, the city's history going back to 12th century. In 1746 nearly the whole city core was destroyed in a great fire. In World War II Lennep was not destroyed, so many houses from late 18th century still can be found here. We went to visit the lovely narrow lanes than. Every house should wear such a sign This is the market place, a farmers market is taking place here twice a week. Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen, founder of the x-rays, was born here in 1845. What a lovely mailbox! Hi goose! There is also the Roentgen Museum in Lennep, with this giant X at the front door.(It would look much better without the traffic sign behind it.) Tomorrow it is time to return to Katja Bye Shooga |
olgamaus Posted May 1, 2012, 5:44 pm |
Hi Mummy,
our host was celebrating her birthday today. She got a book and a handmade keyring from her sister. Bye Shooga |
olgamaus Posted May 2, 2012, 9:23 am |
Hi Mummy,
after having lunch Katja took me and Pelly out for a walk. First we helped Claire Tamias to pack her things, she had an invitation to visit Thuringia. She came with us, but already in her envelope. First we went to the municipal park, only a short walk, maybe five minutes. This is the police headquarter with a small park in front of it. Soon we reached the municipal park. There you can find a pond with ducks and some turtles living there. You can find an observatory in the park. We enjoyed the sunshine, between dandelions and cuckoo flowers. Katja showed us this memorial, dedicated to the dead of several wars before WW I. There are allotment gardens in the park. In the valley you can see the district Hasten, we went there to say good-bye to Claire Tamias. We reached Hasten than, one of the oldest districts in Remscheid. You can find a lot of old traditional houses here. This house is a good example for houses of this region - covered with slate and green shutters. You can also find many half-timbered houses here. This lovely Patrician villa is containing a museum, the house was built in late 18th century. The German Tool Museum is also situated on this estate. They have some outdoor facilities, so you can see some old machines without visiting the museum. From here we had to walk uphill at least for 30 minutes to get home. Bye Shooga |
olgamaus Posted May 4, 2012, 6:35 pm |
Hi Mummy,
today I said good-bye to my friends in Remscheid. Katja helped me to pack some Haribo candy and to write a postcard. I hope my trip will not last too long Bye Shooga |
Cheshire Posted May 18, 2012, 6:29 am |
Hello Mom and Dad,
Guess what! I arrived in Canada today! I was greeted by Mr. Furrington, BineHH and Viper. Can you see me? Here I am! We did a group hug. They are all really friendly. I took out the candies I brought with me. My new friends and host were happy to see them and said thank you! Then I said hello to one of my host's cats, Gaby. I'm glad to finally have arrived here, I'm sure I will have lots of fun with my new friends! I hope you are doing well Mom and Dad, Love, Shooga |
Cheshire Posted May 31, 2012, 5:59 am |
Hello mom and dad!
The weather was warm and sunny today so we decided to go outside! We went to Mount Saint-Hilaire, which is about 30 minutes from my host mom's house. There are a few trails that go to the top of the mountain. We chose to take the "Rocky" trail, which is the longest. It takes 4.8km! After a while we saw some water... it was a lake! It's called the "Hertel" lake. I didn't think there would be a lake on a mountain! It was nice. We decided to rest a little. I wanted to stay longer but we had to leave if we wanted to get to the top! Hiking up a mountain is tiring! We had to take a few breaks to be able to keep going. Suddenly the trail started going down... Had we taken the wrong path? We kept going... Suddenly we started going up again! Yay! (though our legs were tired!) Only 0.5km left! And here we are! Isn't it nice? It's so high! We can see the Yamaska rivers and all the houses and fields from up here! It looks like we're closer to the clouds! We rested a bit because we were tired... And decided to make our way down. ...And we were finally back down the mountain! It was a lot faster to go down than up. Time to go back home now! I was glad to get back home and rest though, I was so tired! I hope we can do more activities like this soon, we had a lot of fun. Love, Shooga |
Cheshire Posted Jun 13, 2012, 3:48 pm |
Hello mommy,
Today our friend Bine had to leave us to travel to her next host. We were sad to have to say goodbye to her, but I hope she will have a lot of fun in her future adventures. |
Cheshire Posted Jun 13, 2012, 4:31 pm |
Hello mommy and daddy!
Today my host mom and I decided to go to the shopping center! The sky was covered in gray clouds when we got out... so we brought an umbrella just in case! The shopping center is about an hour walk from my host's house, so we didn't want to get caught in the rain without an umbrella! On our way we passed by a school called "Institut de Technologie Agroalimentaire", which could be translated by "Agribusiness Technology Institute". And then there was another school! The Veterinary Medecine Faculty of Saint-Hyacinthe. My host mom has a few classes there. It was pretty big! This is the main school building, but there are actually several buildings since it is also an animal hospital. They treat pets, but also big animals, birds of prey and all kinds of zoo and wild animals. It must be exciting! We continued walking and got to a small park. I noticed a weird smell... like burnt chocolate! I asked my host mom what it was and she told me there was actually a chocolate factory over there, in the dark building behind the fence! So it smells like chocolate around here sometimes. We continued walking. We had to go under a small tunnel. Some trains pass on top of it! We passed in front of the hospital. There was a strange arch sculpture! And then we saw a small map, so we decided to take a look. We're at that little yellowish star! My host mom said the shopping center was just across the "Casavant Ouest Blv"... almost there! Here we are! Look, I'm riding with Tom and Jerry! We decided to walk around in the shopping center. It's a small town so the shopping center isn't really big... Can you see me Mom and Dad? And I even got to ride on a carousel! It was starting to rain a lot outside, so we decided we should start walking back home... But then on our way out we saw this elephant... and a meerkat was on its back! So I asked if I could go on the elephant with him and he said yes. He asked me what I was doing here, taking pictures in the shopping center, so I told him about ToyVoyagers and all my adventures! He was really excited to hear about it, so my host mom asked him if he would like to come back home with us and start travelling too... He said of course! It was raining a lot when we got outside. But fortunately, we had an umbrella! We heard thunder and saw lightnings! So we quickly walked back home. That was a fun day, even though we wish we could've walked around more... The weather wasn't really nice. :/ But at least we had fun and I met a new friend. I hope you are doing well Mom and Dad! Love, Shooga |
Cheshire Posted Jun 14, 2012, 3:41 am |
Hello!
We decided to do a cake today! So we looked through some recipes and my host said we should try making a mayonnaise chocolate cake. It sounded really weird to put mayonnaise in a cake! But she said it didn't taste weird and it makes the cake really moist so we agreed to try it out! We started gathering the ingredients: flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, chocolate chips, mayonnaise, water and an egg. Then we gathered a bowl, utensils, measuring cups and a measuring spoon. Now we were ready to begin! First, Viper preheated the oven. Then my host mom's new TV, Axel, started with the flour. Then I got to add the sugar! Viper put some cocoa powder. Mr. Furrington decided to add the baking powder. I added the baking soda. And then I had to mix all these together before we added more ingredients! Axel took some mayonnaise to add it to the mix. And Mr. Furrington poured some water. I added the egg... Almost done! Viper mixed the ingredients again. And then Axel added the last ingredient: chocolate chips! Mr. Furrington mixed everything one last time. My host mom poured the mix into the mold and then we added some more chocolate chips together! It's ready to go into the oven now! It's cooking slowly... And... all done! It looks really yummy now! But it's late now, so I think we should wait for tomorrow before we eat it! |
smaug Posted Jul 24, 2012, 5:03 am |
Hi Mum, hi Dad!
Guess what, I arrived on the other side of Canada ! I spent quite a few days in what seemed to be an abandoned mailbox , until today someone grasped my envelope and suddenly I felt a lot of activity around it . As I came out I found a crowd of TVs welcoming me in Calgary . They are Sweetsy, Melek, Elisa, Tatanka and Tucker from Germany like me , Commodore Quack from Wales and sammino, a stay-at-home TV who introduced himself as my host here in Calgary . Of course, they were all impressed by the lovely card that I brought with me from Quebec . But while it was welcome time for me, today it was also goodbye time as we wished a safe trip to Melek who jumped in his envelope and started travelling to his next host. |
smaug Posted Jul 30, 2012, 2:33 am |
Hi Mum, hi Dad,
Today the weather didn’t look too good, but it was actually quite warm, so we headed to the mountains for a little hike...hoping not to get drenched by rain . The first part of the day wasn’t too exciting, until we started to see something between the trees. Eventually we reached a ridge were the view was much better : we had some nice rock walls in front of us... ...and could see the Bow valley far in the distance. We asked sammino if that peak was our destination, but he told us that it was just a little hump along the ridge . On the way we got distracted looking at the many flowers, we really like these little ones . At last we reached the top where the view was a bit of a disappointment . It was so foggy that the only thing we could barely see was the ridge that we had just walked up from. Interesting enough, despite the elevation, it was full of mosquitoes...and fairly vicious ones too. So we hastily found cover in the bag and left the blood thirsty bugs to feast on smaug . |
smaug Posted Jul 30, 2012, 4:33 am |
Hi Mum, hi Dad,
For once the weather was gorgeous during the weekend so, of course, we headed to the mountains. After a bit of walking we reached our first view point, where we had the side of Mt. Glasgow just in front of us . From here our path followed this nice valley... ...that soon became very wide. At this point we had Mt. Fullerton towering above us. From here the valley started getting narrower... ...and then even narrower and narrower . But the view improved: we had a good look at the back of Mt. Fullerton... ...and some glimpses of the top of Mt. Howard. Eventually we reached a nice little cirque where we had a great view... ...and could also see the headwater of the creek that we followed the whole day, with Mt. Howard slopes on he right. As we were ready to start heading home sammino told us that we were going to be bold and push for the summit of Mt. Howard. We were not that convinced about this being bold business , but once we reached the top the view was wonderful in every direction . What a day ! |
smaug Posted Jul 31, 2012, 3:47 am |
Hi Mum, hi Dad,
Today was a big farewell day as we all gathered together to say goodbye and wish a safe journey to Elisa, Tatanka and Tucker who are all moving into new adventures . |
smaug Posted Aug 20, 2012, 4:31 am |
Hi Mum, hi Dad,
Today the weather was gorgeous, so we headed deep into in the mountains . We actually left fairly early and slept comfortably in smaug’s bag until he woke us up (rather abruptly ) and told us that it was time to take some photos. So we came out and found ourselves on some sort of slope with a nice view on the opposite side of the valley . Still we got a bit concerned as our presumed destination seemed a touch out of reach. But we went on and, as we gained elevation, we started seeing Peyto Lake in front of us... ...and Bow Lake far in the south...it looked like this mountain was actually going to live up to its name . And the summit didn’t look that far anymore. Eventualy we got to the top and the view was spectacular . We could see Bow Lake and the Wapta Icefields in the south,... ...Peyto Lake just below us... ...and the valley heading north to Saskatchewan Crossing. At this point, disappointingly, sammino told us that we had just reached a false summit and that the true summit was at the end of that ridge. So we moved on and reached the real top, where the view was still good, but probably not as good as before . But it was a nice sheltered place for lunch . While eating we checked our daily progresses and noticed we were well above 3000 m, so we asked sammino if we were going to need oxygen masks , but he said that we were likely going to survive without them. Eventually it was time to go back, but we took a final photo of our “conquest” before jumping in the car. What a day ! |
smaug Posted Sep 4, 2012, 12:10 am |
Hi Mum, hi Dad,
Today the weather wasn’t really nice, but still it was warm enough to go out for a short hike...hoping not to get pelted with rain . After some time between trees we started having a nice view of the Elbow valley in the east... ....and west . Later we found a nice view spot along the ridge that we were following. Eventually we reached the highest spot on the ridge, from where the clouds in all directions seemed to be getting darker and darker ... ...so we decided to hastily move back to the car . |
smaug Posted Sep 4, 2012, 12:22 am |
Hi Mum, hi Dad,
Today we all said goodbye and wished a safe journey to Sweetsy, who is ready to travel home . |
smaug Posted Sep 4, 2012, 1:07 am |
Hi Mum, hi Dad,
Today we went for a gorgeous trip to the mountains . The drive to the trailhead was bit long but, after the first usual boring tree covered part of the trail we reached Sherbrooke Lake where the view improved. Here we had our first glimpse of our target for the day ...and the reflections in the lake were beautiful . As we gained elevation we passed by some wonderful waterfalls . Eventually we reached a little pass from where we could look back at the final section of the valley that we just left... ...and on the opposite side we could see glaciers . The summit of Mt. Niles seemed definitely out of reach, but sammino insisted that it was going to be a walk in the park , so we pressed on. And we made it! The view, of course was amazing . We could see Emerald Lake and the Little Yoho Valley in the west,... ...the Waputik Icefield,... ...the peaks along the Continental Divide in the north,... ...Sherbrooke Lake far in the south... ...and even the Bow Valley in the distance . Of course, we all signed the summit log . Once back at the car we took a final photo at Wapta Lake with the sunset light, then we fell asleep and left smaug to take care of getting us back home deep in the night . What a day ! |
smaug Posted Sep 4, 2012, 1:23 am |
Hi Mum, hi Dad,
Today we said goodbye and wished a safe journey to Commodore Quack who is travelling to his new host . |
smaug Posted Sep 4, 2012, 2:34 am |
Hi Mum, hi Dad,
Today, once again we went over to the mountains . The trail wasn’t really exciting until we reached this waterfalls and the canyon originating them . Later we reached the second Memorial Lake...smaug explained to us that we skipped the first one, but we were going to see it anyway from a vantage point. After gaining a bit more elevation we reached a saddle overlooking the third lake. From here we could see the impressive shape of Mt. Bogart. sammino offered to take me up there , but the idea of having all that air below be with just his talons to keep me safe wasn’t that enticing, so I politely declined the offer . We decided to walk down to the lake and roam a bit around the shore . And, guess what, we actually had a chance to see the first lake , tugged down there in the middle of the valley. |
smaug Posted Sep 10, 2012, 4:51 am |
Hi Mum, hi Dad,
We spent the last few days packing boxes to help smaug moving, hard work . Eventually today we went to new place where we found a new guest waiting for us. His name’s Chino and he comes from Germany too . Of course we let smaug to deal with the boxes and found a quiet spot near the window to chat about our travelling . |
smaug Posted Sep 17, 2012, 3:01 am |
Hi Mum, hi Dad,
Today we went for a short hike near Calgary . Most of the trail was between trees but we had the occasional view of the Elbow River... ...and of the mountains. Eventually we reached the top were we could see the prairies in the distance... ...and mountains in every other direction . Still, it was very windy , so we quickly jumped back in our bag and headed home. |
smaug Posted Sep 17, 2012, 3:16 am |
Hi Mum, hi Dad,
Back home we were about to start fixing something for dinner when we heard a knocking at the window and when we checked who it was we found an eagle waiting outside . sammino quickly talked with him in "eagleish" , explained to us that he had to go on a rescue mission for a couple of days, and then they both flew away . |
smaug Posted Oct 1, 2012, 3:52 am |
Hi Mum, hi Dad,
Today was another lovely sunny day, so we went hiking around Lake Louise . As we emerged from the trees we had the first glimpse of Mount Richardson, our destination today,... ...and of Mt Temple in the opposite direction. Later on we reached the lovely Hidden Lake . As we gained elevation we had a better view of Hidden Lake, not so hidden from up here . We could also see Kicking Horse Pass... ...and the summit of Mount Richardson, getting closer and closer. Eventually we reached the top from where we had a great view of Merlin Lake and valley (but no round table knights ),... ...of Mount Hector in the north, ... ...and of Lake Louise and Mt Victoria . We could also see the backbowls of the Lake Louise ski area. According to sammino, the area just behind my head has the best runs in the whole western Canada and it’s called, of course, Eagle Ridge . On the way back we stopped to take a final photo of Mount Richardson from Hidden Lake and then headed back to the car . |
smaug Posted Oct 11, 2012, 4:20 am |
Hi Mum, hi Dad,
Today we went hiking again around Lake Louise. Our destination was a nice little lake called O’Brien Lake . As we were feeling energetic we went up the slope at the far end of the lake and found a couple of lovely little tarns . We asked sammino if we were going all the way up the valley but he explained that, despite the blue sky, the forecast called for rain and we didn’t want to get soaked higher up the valley...and guessed what, we were not even halfway back to the car when it started pouring down . |
smaug Posted Oct 15, 2012, 4:58 am |
Hi Mum, hi Dad
Old man winter might arrive at any time so sammino said that we have to make the most of every decent day while we still can and this morning we found ourselves at a trailhead near Lake Minnewanka at a very ungodly hour of the day. So after taking that photo we decided to get another short nap (just over a couple of hours ) and woke up when it was time to leave the trail and follow this gully. As it turned out, the gully was way steeper than we first thought... ...but once we reached the top we could see the lake again, this time far below us . From here we could see two peaks that seemed easily accessible and asked sammino which one was our destination... ...but he told us that we were actually aiming for the bigger one covered by the clouds . So we started walking again and after a few more long hours we reached the top and the clouds had been kind enough to open up for us . Of course, it was freezing cold and the wind was almost gale-force , but the view was incredible . We could see Banff,... ...Lake Minnewanka,... ...the Ghost River valley and even the prairies in the distance ,... ...and some very dark and concerning clouds in the north. So we decided not to linger and quickly headed back. We reached the shore of the lake just when the sun was setting over the trees in their fall colours ... ...and by the time smaug brought us back to the car, the night had fallen and we were deeply asleep . What a day ! |
smaug Posted Nov 5, 2012, 12:49 am |
Hi Mum, hi Dad,
The weather is turning cold at an alarming speed , but today we were very brave and decided to go hiking anyway. Early in the morning it was a bit dark, but we still had a good view of the Three Sisters... ...and of Mt. Lougheed and Mt. Allan in the south . As we gained elevation we started seeing Canmore... ...and the Bow River below us . Once we reached the summit the wind strong enough to chill us to the bone . Still, before strategically retreating to more a sheltered spot along the summit ridge , we managed to take a few shots. We could see almost as far as Banff in the west... ...and countless peaks in the south . On the opposite side we had a great view over more piles of rubble ... ...and we could even see the prairies in the east . |
smaug Posted Nov 5, 2012, 1:32 am |
Hi Mum, hi Dad,
smaug has been a bit too busy at work over the last couple of weeks and has almost abandoned us , but over the last few days we entertained ourselves watching the first snowfall of the season . Hopefully we’ll soon be out there playing snowballs battles . |
smaug Posted Nov 14, 2012, 5:15 am |
Hi Mum, hi Dad
It did snow most of the week, but just in the time for the weekend the weather was kind enough to get better and we were able to go for a short walk on the mountains . This side of the ridge was well exposed to the sun and the wind so the snow had already mostly gone . On the way we stopped to check where we were on this map. Eventually we reached the nicest panoramic point of the day from where we enjoyed the view of the Rockies in the west . As we crossed to the opposite side of the ridge, it got colder and the trail was still covered with snow...a good time to go back in the backpack and find something to eat . |
smaug Posted Nov 18, 2012, 4:40 am |
Hi Mum, hi Dad,
It’s been snowing again this week, and quite a bit, so when today we went to the mountains we were not surprised to walk between trees loaded with snow . And the mountains in the distance were clad in white too . As we moved on, it looked like the snow was getting even deeper making progress slower and slower... ...so we decided to rest a bit under this tree . Eventually we reached the summit . From there we could see the prairies,... ...the ridge that we just climbed... ...and beautiful mountains covered by snow in every other direction . |
smaug Posted Nov 26, 2012, 3:54 am |
Hi Mum, hi Dad
After a few freezing, very freezing days, today it was suddenly well above zero degrees, so we made the most of it and headed to the mountains . After a bit of walking in the trees we reached our first viewpoint from where we could see Powderface Ridge (where we were just less than a week ago),... ...Nihahi Ridge... ...and the Rockies in the west . With another little effort we reached the summit. From there we could see the Elbow Valley making its way north-east,... ...the prairies in the distance,... ...and the Big Elbow and Little Elbow valleys . Near the top we found this impressive cairn . As it happens nobody told the wind that it was supposed to be a warm day and up there it was actual freezing cold . So when sammino suggested that the cairn was probably taller than smaug, we took his word for that and, rather than engaging in a proper survey to find out if he was right, we quickly found some shelter . |
smaug Posted Dec 3, 2012, 3:44 am |
Hi Mum, hi Dad,
Today we celebrated Tatanka’s birthday . First we blindfolded him and lead him to he kitchen... ...where we sang Happy Birthday for him and partied all day with a delicious cake . |
smaug Posted Dec 3, 2012, 4:06 am |
Hi Mum, hi Dad,
Today we got excited as a smaug came home with a little package saying it was for us . And as we opened it, a nice turtle came out of it: Pepita , one of smaug’s TVs who has come back to spend some time at home. She showed us the lovely card that her last host gave her and then we spent the night up listening about her travels , it’s been over two years since she last was in Canada . |
smaug Posted Dec 9, 2012, 3:56 am |
Hi Mum, hi Dad,
We got even more snow today ! So we went for a walk around the river where all the trees were covered in frost . Later we found this nice trail... ...that took us close to the Peace Bridge, where the river was mostly frozen . On the other side of the bridge there was open water. sammino explained to us that it has not been cold enough yet for everything to be frozen solid . At that point we decided that maybe the river wasn’t going to freeze completely very soon, but we were about to , so we quickly went home where we enjoyed the afternoon looking at the snowfall from the window and sipping a delicious cup of hot chocolate . |
smaug Posted Dec 11, 2012, 4:32 am |
Hi Mum, hi Dad,
We were getting a bit bored of being stuck in town by the weather , so today we convinced smaug to take us to the mountains even if it was freezing cold . We walked for some time at the bottom of a nice and snow covered little valley . Even the map seemed to be a bit frozen . Eventually we reached a nice viewpoint . From there it looked like the sun was trying to show up, but the wind was turning my nose in a block of ice, so I quickly went back in smaug’s pack and stayed safely in there until we made it back to the car . |
smaug Posted Dec 16, 2012, 7:30 pm |
Hi Mum, hi Dad,
Great news, I’m going on holiday ! smaug and sammino have been very cagey when I enquired about our destination , so I guess I’ll find out when we get there . |
smaug Posted Dec 23, 2012, 3:38 pm |
Hi Mum, hi Dad,
Guess what, I am in Italy ! And it’s just like being still in Canada, there’s snow everywhere . As soon as we arrived sammino introduced us o some of the local residents...a group of fairly imposing fellas, but they seem very friendly . Anyway, now I urgently need some sleep , so I’ll explore around tomorrow. |
smaug Posted Dec 23, 2012, 4:13 pm |
Hi Mum, hi Dad,
We didn’t have much time to explore around as today we went skiing . First, of course, we got a proper sugar-loaded breakfast . Later we drove to Selva di Valgardena where we started a round trip that took us over 4 passes and into 4 different valleys . We had some lovely views of the small valleys carving their way into the Sella Group . From one of the gondolas that we used during the day we could see the Saslong Group... ...and the mountains lining Val di Fassa. As we reached Passo Pordoi we had an even better view of the Saslong... ...and on the opposite side we could see as far as the Tofane Group, looming over Cortina d’Ampezzo . All the way we had the imposing walls of the Sella Group looking down at us. Later we reached Passo di Campolongo, where we entered Val Badia. Eventually we reached the last pass of the day, Passo Gardena. From here the view opened on to the west... ...and eventually we saw the other side of our friend Saslong . And from here it was all downhill back to Selva, what a day ! |
smaug Posted Dec 24, 2012, 2:32 pm |
Hi Mum, hi Dad,
A few more guests arrived here today: Orpheus, Landroval and Sigfrido have come home to spend the holidays with us . And they even brought along some delicious TV-made sweets , so we spent the evening chatting and, mostly, eating . |
smaug Posted Dec 24, 2012, 3:08 pm |
Hi Mum, hi Dad,
Today we went for a short hike on a mountain just next to Trento . After trudging along a narrow and shadowed trail we reached a nice ridge from where we had a great view of the valley both north... ...and south. Some passage along the trail looks a bit scary , but fun too . Eventually we reached the top, from where the view to the north opened up a bit more. And we could see the whole Trento just below us . |
smaug Posted Jan 14, 2013, 2:09 am |
Hi Mum, hi Dad,
Tonight there was a lot of action going on under the Christmas tree, but our attention was mostly focused on how to open the pandoro . It was a bit of work ... ...but we eventually managed to get our well deserved slice . Merry Christmas !! |
smaug Posted Jan 14, 2013, 2:37 am |
Hi Mum, hi Dad,
Today is our last day in Italy so we went for a short walk on the side of the valley next to town . The path was a bit steep so we occasionally stopped to get some rest. Eventually, just before the sun started setting, we reached a nice spot from where we could see the mountains to the north... ...and east of town . |
smaug Posted Jan 14, 2013, 3:08 am |
Hi Mum, hi Dad,
Today, in the wee hour of the morning sammino waked us all up and said it was time for travelling again so we said goodbye to all our friends here in Italy . Eventually it was really time to leave and sammino showed up with what was supposed to be the bus to the airport . It seemed a bit undersized, but somehow we all managed to "comfortably" cram ourselves on it, it could be a long trip to the airport . |
smaug Posted Jan 14, 2013, 3:38 am |
Hi Mum, hi Dad,
I’m back on native German soil ! Well, only for a stop on the way to Canada . The stop is actually a bit of a long one, so smaug told us to watch the planes and behave like well mannered TVs . Actually watching planes turned out to be freaking boring, so we decided to spend the time in a slightly more entertaining fashion by sampling some local delicacies . |
smaug Posted Jan 14, 2013, 4:00 am |
Hi Mum, hi Dad,
I’m back in Canada ! We arrived just before midnight in time to celebrate the new year . Actually we were so tired after the trip, that we quickly took advantage of what we picked up at the duty free and went straight to bed . |
smaug Posted Jan 23, 2013, 4:02 am |
Hi Mum, hi Dad,
Happy New Year!! This morning we were so jet-lagged that we were up very early in the morning , so smaug decided to take us for a quick trip to the mountains . It was a bit dark when we started walking, but soon we saw that the day was going to be gorgeous . And our destination was already basking in the early morning sun. Eventually we reached the summit where, with not a single cloud in the sky, the view was great . We could see the prairies almost all the way to Calgary... ...and the Rockies on the other side . |
smaug Posted Feb 18, 2013, 1:04 am |
Hi Mum, hi Dad,
Today we all gathered together to say goodbye and wish a safe trip to Chino who is travelling south to the US . |
smaug Posted Mar 4, 2013, 4:36 am |
Hi Mum, hi Dad,
Today it was unusually warm, so, after spending weeks stuck at home tending smaug’s ankle , we convinced him to put on some very stiff boots and try to take us out for an easy walk. The weather was quite cloudy, but the sun was kind enough to suddenly show up when we reached a nice viewpoint . Later we spent some time under this imposing ridge... ...and had to cross the stream down in this large valley . For some reason, during the crossing over the half broken ice, smaug used adjectives that I don’t feel comfortable repeating in my blog . Eventually we reached the back side of Prairie Mt and we knew that we made it almost all the way back to the car . |
smaug Posted Mar 11, 2013, 2:39 am |
Hi Mum, hi Dad,
Today we all gathered together to say goodbye and wish a safe journey to Landroval who is travelling to his next host . |
smaug Posted Mar 11, 2013, 3:53 am |
Hi Mum, hi Dad,
This morning we got a big snowfall , so, as soon as the snow started falling, smaug took us out to take some photos along the river . The snowfall was so heavy that from the north bank you couldn’t even see downtown . Later we crossed the river to take a look at the Peace Bridge... ...and noticed that there was a narrow channel of open water. Even from here downtown was invisible. Eventually we started feeling a bit cold, so we decided to watch the snowfall from a location where we could both stay warm and chit chat at pleasure ...back home on the window sill, of course . |
MamiTig Posted Mar 15, 2013, 3:23 am |
Shooga arrived safely in Iola, Kansas! |
MamiTig Posted Mar 15, 2013, 3:33 am |
Host mom finished the orange cape that she was making for her oldest daughter. It's so warm and cozy, perfect for TVs to snuggle in |
MamiTig Posted Mar 17, 2013, 5:52 am |
Host mom took us to the north lake over her lunch hour. We explored the old stone shelter building and then took a look at the lake. It was nice to get out in the fresh air! |
MamiTig Posted Mar 18, 2013, 3:35 am |
It was chilly today, but that didn't stop us from going to the park to see the historic Carnegie building and log cabin, and playing with some children that we found at the park! |
MamiTig Posted Mar 20, 2013, 1:32 am |
Host mom got a special new T-shirt that she's all excited about! It's for Elio motors... she says she can't hardly wait until she gets her Elio in 2014. It will be the first car of its type made and marketed in the USA! |
MamiTig Posted Mar 20, 2013, 4:10 am |
Today we went to the Kansas City airport to drop off one of the host family kids, so she could go visit her grandmother for spring break. We got there early because host mom was worried about the long airport lines that had been reported. We waited a long time so we got to do lots of people watching! |
MamiTig Posted Mar 20, 2013, 12:44 pm |
Host mom had been looking at a lot of blogs about repurposing clothing and decided to give it a try. Amazing how a pair of old hand me down capri pants from her oldest daughter turns into a cute summer shirt and skirt for a younger daughter! |
MamiTig Posted Mar 23, 2013, 2:20 am |
Host mom took us to work at her Garnett office today. She told us the story of these lovely violets that sit in the windowsill of the group room. About 10 years ago, they were in little tiny pots looked all dried up. The office manager at the time, Marlys, was going to throw them away, but noticed they weren't completely dead, so she decided to put them in bigger pots and see if she could revive them. You can see that she did a wonderful job, because while Marlys retired about three years ago, the violets are still lovely! |
smaug Posted Mar 25, 2013, 2:14 am |
Hi Mum, hi Dad,
Today I said goodbye to my friends here in Calgary and got ready to start travelling to my next host in the US . Before I left, sammino gave me a big hug and wished me a safe journey . |
MamiTig Posted Mar 25, 2013, 4:55 am |
Back to the Kansas City airport; spring break is over! It sure is chilly and gray for spring time, but inside the terminal there were lots of interesting posters to look at and learn about Kansas City's jazz history. |
MamiTig Posted Mar 29, 2013, 3:22 am |
We had a delicious lunch at Pizza Street before heading back home! |
MamiTig Posted Mar 31, 2013, 5:34 am |
Host mom is working on costumes again! She got two pairs of pants done today, and is working on a third. She said this set will take a while, and she seemed very excited! I wonder what they will be? |
MamiTig Posted Apr 2, 2013, 2:33 am |
We went on an amazing adventure! Host mom took the afternoon off from work and surprised the kids by picking them up from school. She told them that it was adventure time. One of the kids asked, "A good adventure or a bad adventure?" "A good adventure, for sure!" she replied, with a twinkle in her eye. She drove us for about two hours, then we stopped at a Thai restaurant called Thai Smile. Host mom called it a "hole in the wall" because it only had 14 seats in the whole restaurant. The host family filled more than half the restaurant! Host mom said you get the best food at a hole in the wall, and she was right! It was fantastic! After that, we piled back into the car and drove to downtown Wichita, for our final destination for the evening: the historic Orpheum Theater, where we watched the Trey McIntyre Project perform amazing contemporary dance! Yes, it was a good adventure! |
MamiTig Posted Apr 6, 2013, 12:28 am |
We went with the host family to enjoy a huge Easter celebration at a local park. It was really crowded, with around 1200 people there, but everyone had a wonderful time! |
MamiTig Posted Apr 8, 2013, 5:33 am |
Host mom has been sewing plushies in her spare time, to sell as a fundraiser for the local middle school's History Bowl team. They won in the regional competition and get to go to Washington DC to compete in the nationals next month! |
MamiTig Posted Apr 10, 2013, 4:17 am |
Now host mom is sewing bow ties for the History Bowl fundraiser! They are so cute, and the middle school kids love them! |
MamiTig Posted Apr 16, 2013, 4:00 am |
We enjoyed youth group... there were cup cake crafts, hay stacks for dinner,and songs! |
MamiTig Posted Apr 22, 2013, 5:27 am |
Springtime is slowly getting here and the host family took advantage of a sunny afternoon to start getting their garden ready |
MamiTig Posted Apr 25, 2013, 4:26 am |
Yay, yummy Mexican food! We went to El Charro's to celebrate a birthday with the host family |
MamiTig Posted Apr 30, 2013, 5:13 am |
I met a flock of colorful ninjas! (host mom made them) |
MamiTig Posted Apr 30, 2013, 5:15 am |
We found ourselves back at El Charro, celebrating another birthday! |
MamiTig Posted May 4, 2013, 8:14 pm |
We visited the amazing Deanna Rose Farmstead! It was so fun to explore all of the different things |
MamiTig Posted May 6, 2013, 5:33 am |
After a fun time at the farmstead, we went to eat veggie burgers at Red Robin! They have the world's best veggie burgers (we think) and all the french fries you can eat |
MamiTig Posted May 9, 2013, 4:14 am |
It was a beautiful day, so we went down to the Neosho River to play! Lots of people were out to fish and throw rocks in the water! |
MamiTig Posted May 13, 2013, 5:24 am |
We helped a high school student campaign for treasurer in her school's student elections (she won)! |
MamiTig Posted May 15, 2013, 5:21 am |
Road trip! We headed on an adventure today and our first stop was to see the historical marker at the spring in Eureka, Kansas. |
MamiTig Posted May 18, 2013, 12:54 am |
Our next stop to stretch our legs was at a pretty bridge in El Dorado, KS. This little site is tucked just off of the highway and is very peaceful. |
MamiTig Posted May 19, 2013, 7:15 pm |
Once we got to Wichita, we found a lovely Chinese restaurant for dinner. The name of the restaurant was Kirin and they were having their grand opening. We ate an amazing vegetarian feast including cream cheese wontons, lo mein, ma po tofu, fried rice, white rice, and chow mein. |
MamiTig Posted May 20, 2013, 2:16 am |
After dinner, we drove downtown to the Orpheum Theater, to watch the Wichita State University Contemporary Dance Recital. They don't allow pictures inside the theater, but we got there early enough that we were able to wander around downtown and admire the art and architecture. We found an amazing horse sculpture that was made entirely out of old car bumpers. There were also pigs made out of bumpers, but they were inside of a building that was already locked for the night. |
MamiTig Posted May 21, 2013, 6:15 am |
It was a beautiful evening and we very much enjoyed the middle school's musical performance on the town square! |
MamiTig Posted May 22, 2013, 5:22 am |
We attended the 5th grade graduation at a local elementary school. The gym was sure full of excited children and their families! The flag on the right is the Kansas state flag. |
MamiTig Posted May 23, 2013, 3:03 am |
We got to play with some baby hedgehogs, under the watchful eye of their mama! |
MamiTig Posted May 28, 2013, 4:19 am |
I went to youth group with the host family. We had fun making melted pony bead sun catchers and eating a yummy fellowship dinner! |
MamiTig Posted May 29, 2013, 4:50 am |
Mmm! I always enjoy Sabbath supper at the Seventh Day Adventist church! |
MamiTig Posted May 31, 2013, 5:48 am |
Host mom showed us one of the country storm shelters... we were curious about them after the tornado sirens went off last week. The host family live in town, so when the tornado sirens went off, they went to the local arts center, where a huge basement room, two stories beneath the ground, was opened up for people to stay until the storm passed. In the country, people have their own little shelters, like these. Host mom said that the ground here is very wet, so not very many people have basements, in spite that it would be really convenient when the threat of tornadoes come! |
MamiTig Posted Jun 1, 2013, 11:57 pm |
Host mom was on call on Memorial Day and had to go to Erie. She was looking for the metal dinosaurs that are supposed to be on display in the are, but found the Osage Nation plaque instead. |
MamiTig Posted Jun 4, 2013, 5:03 am |
Host mom set her GPS to get to and from Erie for her on call visit. The GPS decided to take her off of the highway and down gravel roads. She came across this pretty community building in the middle of seeming nowhere. It had just the building, a storm cellar, and a small playground. When she got home, host mom looked up Odense, KS. Apparently, it is a township so small that she couldn't find a listing of the population anywhere! |
MamiTig Posted Jun 6, 2013, 5:02 am |
Our next stop was to look at the wildflowers near Elsmore, KS. Sometimes it's a good thing when the GPS takes you off the highway and into the wild! |
MamiTig Posted Jun 8, 2013, 1:41 am |
Host mom got to stay home for about half an hour before getting called out again. We helped host mom's friend, who is helping host mom paint her living room! |
MamiTig Posted Jun 8, 2013, 4:26 am |
Host mom showed us what most Americans do on Memorial Day: Visit the cemetery to pay respects to loved ones who have passed, especially honoring those who have given military service to the country. |
MamiTig Posted Jun 11, 2013, 5:45 am |
Host mom's last call was in Fort Scott, so she took us by to see the Fort Scott National Historic Site. It was closed for the evening, so we only got to look at the outside. Host mom explained that the bricks that line the streets and the walkways in old town Fort Scott were locally made, back in the 1800s! |
MamiTig Posted Jun 12, 2013, 2:14 am |
It was picture day at the host family's kids' dance studio. All of the kids looked like they were having so much fun showing off their costumes and playing while they waited their turns! |
MamiTig Posted Jun 12, 2013, 4:19 am |
Oh goody, a birthday! Watching presents being unwrapped is the most fun part of the day! |
MamiTig Posted Jun 13, 2013, 5:34 am |
Shooga is traveling! |
Aleksandra_Sunny Posted Jun 19, 2013, 10:36 pm |
hello dear parents!!
I came to France today!!!!!! I'm sooooo happy about it, even if the weather is awful... My new friends were very pleasant with me, they told me about my new host family and helped to start to speak with the cat Inna, the real queen of this home!! Inna let me to eat from her plate and to play in her house! we passed a very nice evening with other TV Chou and Kroupchen discussing the Toy Voyagers' life, our hostfamilies and countries which we have visited. I'll give my new soon! Bye! |
Aleksandra_Sunny Posted Jun 27, 2013, 9:36 pm |
Hello mummy!
Yesterday I've been to Paris with my host mother! We took a train together, then we walked in the Latin quatrier and on the brides of Seine! I've seen the Notre Dame de Paris! And also we have been to Defense, it's a very big business district of Paris, which looks really like New York!! I liked it very much! |
Aleksandra_Sunny Posted Jun 27, 2013, 9:37 pm |
Hello mummy!
Today it's Lille who has arrived from Germany!! It's a small lamb who came with many chocolate!!! We made a small diner, it was very nice! Saturday we'll go to the countryside, far from Paris!! We'll spend a week in the village with many montagnes around, I'm very impatient! till soon, Shooga |
Aleksandra_Sunny Posted Aug 8, 2013, 2:15 pm |
Hello mummy!!
I'm really sorry for not giving my news for a soooo long time... We've been to the country-side, very far from everything... Internet worked very very bad and I wasn't able to write you... In July with my host parents we have been to Switzerland! We visited Geneve and Lausanne, two cities not far from the French border. On the way we could take a picture behind Mont Blanc!! The weather was very nice and we could walk all day long!!! We've seen the lakes and the rivers, old steets and United Nations building. I liked our trip very much! Our host-mother was very sad because the big Olympic museum was closed for the rennovation... But we could visit a small exposition and met there a very strange person came from London.. I'll tell you more about my vacations soon!! Shooga |
Aleksandra_Sunny Posted Aug 8, 2013, 3:50 pm |
In one of sunny summer days we visited Besancon, the capital of Franche-Compte region in the Eastern France.
We made a long trip in car and in bus, and finally we came to the principal sight of Besancon, a great citadel made by Vauban in the beginning of 18 century. During World War II it was the Nazis who occupied the citadel, that's why now there is a big museum of the occupation. Also, we visited Franche-Compte museum and a small zoo |
Aleksandra_Sunny Posted Sep 29, 2013, 9:40 am |
Hello mummy!
Last week end we have been to a wonderful place, the true paradise for ToyVoyagers! It calls "France miniatures" and it's a great outdoor park in the shape of France that contains about 160 outdoor 1/30-scale models of major French monuments and landmarks. We could visited all French regions, and thank to our size, we could be much closer to the monuments than the "big" visitors!! All monuments are placed in the park to correlate approximately with their real-world locations in France, so we made a real trip to all French territory! Many of the models are animated, and we could hear the real sound of animals, tractors, boats, sings... Next week Lille will leave us for Austria, but our host mother sais that new voyagers would come soon! |
Aleksandra_Sunny Posted Oct 27, 2013, 6:26 pm |
Hello my dear family!!!
Today we met the new toy voyager Cuty who is a cat as me We got wonderful presents from Finland and they were very glad to talk him about the life here! And the other Toyvoyager Lille has left us for Austria. I'm looking forward for the new adventures!! Shooga |
Aleksandra_Sunny Posted Dec 15, 2013, 4:51 pm |
Hello dear family!!
I'm really sorry to make you wait for my news for a very long time.. Our host-mother hasn't been feeling herself very well and she wasn't able to take us to Paris... But now she's better and she promised to go to the city tomorrow! We'll say good bye to Krippchen who goes to another country! Today we prepared the flat for Christmas! We worked very hard and now the Christmas tree and the other decorations are ready! I wish to see Paris with Christmas decoration too! We'll do it tomorrow! Sorry again, Shooga |
Aleksandra_Sunny Posted Dec 23, 2013, 12:08 pm |
Hello mummy!
And here I am, with some photos of our walk in Christmas Paris! The weather is very nice here, but I'm very sad without snow... My host mother said that there aren't any hope to have a "white Christmas" this year... She is very upset about it too, her native town is St Petersbourg and there are always many snow in December.. . I've seen the Arc of Triumph, the Louvre museum and the Defense district which looks a little bit like New York.. I'll write again soon for talking about our Christmas evening! Huges, Shooga |
Aleksandra_Sunny Posted Jan 2, 2014, 2:51 pm |
We wish you a Merry Christmas!
We wish you a Merry Christmas! We wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!! Joyeux Noel!!! С Новым годом!! Prettige kerstdagen en een Gelukkig Nieuwjaar! Here are some pictures of our Christmas evening which was very quiet and cosy! The dinner was very well and than we played differents games all together! Hope your Christmas passed well too and I wish you wonderful 2014 year!!! Shooga |