Cruisin' to Ensenada

Once upon a time I wanted to go to Hawaii, but thought I'd never make it, so I bought the Magnum PI TV series DVD's instead. But then... guess what? I went to Hawaii!
I've also wanted to go on a cruise for years, but due to current life circumstances, I thought I'd never make it. Guess what? I went to Ensenada on a cruise ship a week ago! (My first time ever in Mexico! Ole!)
I went with my sister Carolyn and my sons Jeff and Brian and their families.

Carolyn loved the room service cheesecake!

We got a window dining table.

 They made the fruit platter look like a colorful little ship.

 Carolyn said one of her favorite parts was the food!

 La Bufadora blowhole at the edge of the ocean in Ensenada.

 I got my finger in the picture.

 Carolyn was scared to try zip-lining on the Canopy Tour, until she actually zip-lined! (Thanks to daughter-in-law Aspen for helping Carolyn along.) 

 Lunch seemed expensive, until you converted pesos to dollars. (Why they use a dollar sign for pesos, I never found out.)

 When you forget to pack a flower for your hair, you can improvise with colored curly plastic mosquito bands from your nephew's Texas wedding that you never cleaned out of your purse.

 Each night at dinner, a song played and we danced with the waiters. (It helped shake the food down so you could eat more!)

 Carolyn loved the towel animals left in our room. She even kissed a frog. (Hey, it couldn't hurt!)

 Customs made me take my hat off before they let me back on the ship. It must be a pretty good disguise if they didn't recognize me!

 Carolyn loves "pineapple" trees!

 Catalina Island golf cart rides are the best!

 Brian and Aspen using mad golf cart skills to maneuver the narrow streets of Catalina Island.

 Ocean Girls.

 Carolyn said she wanted to live in the cruise ship because it felt like home.

 Jeff was part of a cruise ship game show, but lost the grand prize to the little guy he's shaking hands with onstage.

 En route to the ocean at Yermo, California, we spied a GIANT ice cream confection that let us know WE'D ARRIVED at the "Eddie World" candy store, where you can find delectable treats such as Dog Drool Soda and gummy candy coated with hot pepper sprinkles.

Have you been on a cruise? How was it?

If not, would you like to go cruising? Where?

A New Year's Resolution I Can Keep

New Year's Resolution: to have Six Amazing, Astounding, Exceptional, Lovable Sons.

I can do that.

(Resolution kept!)

They don't look much alike, do they?

It's interesting how the siblings of some families resemble one another, like the brothers and sisters I grew up with. ("You're an Anderson, aren't you?" People I didn't even know would often say to me.) And then there are families like the one I have, with an interesting variety of features.

Does your family look alike?

Where do you come in your family lineup? (Which number of kid are you?)

When Jelly Beans Go Rotten...

 To celebrate Brian's birthday, here is a chronicle of his brave event.
It went down like this: he bought a bunch of "dare you to eat it" jelly beans, with "good" and "bad" counter part flavors that looked the SAME!

After tentative bites off the ends of various colors, Brian (left), his brother Jeff, and I deemed the rotten milk, masquerading as delectable coconut cream, as the worst flavor.

The challenge? Three white jelly beans were laid on a napkin. The three of us each picked one up with the directive to eat the whole thing, no matter what. No spitting out. No matter what.

One, two, three, GO!

The two brothers got rotten milk jelly beans! They appeared to permeate their whole heart and soul, lingering long afterward. It was painful to watch. That's why I hid behind my camera, taking photo after photo through my tears. (It sounded like I was laughing, but honestly, crying sounds like laughter sometimes, doesn't it?) 

Guess who got the coconut cream?

C'est moi.

(T'was me.)

See? My boys are nice to me naturally. They don't even have to try.

But I already paid my dues. My trial by rotten milk occurred the summer after I turned 13. Running into the house, I grabbed a milk carton on the counter next to where my father stood, and poured a glass. So thirsty was I, that I chugged three huge gulps before tasting the sourness of the milk.

Pulling the glass away from my mouth, I made disgusted sounds while my father cried along in sympathy, his concern sounding oddly like laughter.

"Did you know the milk was rotten?" I demanded.

"Yes."

Feeling poisoned, I asked, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"It won't hurt you," he explained. "In fact, it was already partly digested so now your stomach doesn't have to work as hard."

That knowledge didn't make the milk taste any better.

Has reading this reminded you of a flavor you hate?

(I'm tossing in my bid for liver-hating.)

Is there anything you've learned to like to eat over the years? (I decided I liked onions when I turned 40, and avocados finally won me over when I was 50.)

So what are your worst/favorites?

Bob Bahlmann Family Adventure at the Salt Lake City Outdoor Expo

Bob and Shirley Bahlmann

Brian and Michael Bahlmann

set up for the Salt Lake City Outdoor Expo last weekend.

EXPLORE THE OUTDOORS

From March 13-16 we shared information on the joy of going outdoors. We also let attendees touch the predator hides we brought from the Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR). Attendees also saw how tall various predators could be by reading their names (badger, raccoon, wolf, cougar, etc.) written on duct tape and applied at appropriate heights to a pole beside our booth. (Good idea, Brian!) The grizzly skull in front of Bob in the photo above came from a bear that could have stood 10 feet tall.

Shirley incognito... can you find her in the lineup of mannequins on the right? (Those mannequins gave us a start more than once, since they seemed to stare at us from across the aisle throughout the expo, even though they had no heads!)

LOOK FOR US THERE NEXT YEAR, and check out our website at outdoored.us!

Thank you