EC 2011: Orange County Randomness

July 19, 2011

After another lazy morning, we ventured onto Franklin Street in Chapel Hill. My good friend Taunja walked over on her lunch break and joined us at the Mediterranean Deli. Then we went shopping for sandals in Carrboro (success!), and stopped at another store long enough for Jess to buy Ally a fairy book and for Cora to have a major rolling-on-the-floor-tantrum.
In the evening Jess shopped at Old Navy while the girls and I made some new friends. Ally bonded with the mannequins so much that she started calling them her "new family" and demanded a photo shoot. Cora ignored the people and focused on riding the dog.

Our last stop for the day was at Maple View Farms. I ordered an orange chocolate milkshake, Jess ordered a chocolate something-or-other milkshake, and Ally had a cookie dough ice cream scoop; Cora helped herself to whichever was closest to her mouth at any given moment. While we were rocking back and forth on the front porch and savoring our treats, Brittany (T's sister) magically appeared. It was fun to see her, catch up just a little, and to inform her that she was indeed on a double date. Ally and Cora had their picture taken next to the little cow again, and then they giggled and chased after bubbles on the front lawn as the sun went down.

EC 2011: That's What She Said (at the zoo)

July 16-18, 2011

On Saturday, night we hung out at the Lunger house. We ate pizza and then watched another firework show in their driveway. This one featured a glowing-eyed, fire-breathing dragon and a firetruck; both were smaller than real life. Paul and Norma were nice enough to drive Chris to the airport on Sunday morning so the girls and I could sleep in. Thus started the next phase of our adventure-- trying to have fun without Daddy for 2 weeks. Although we wish he could've continued vacationing with us, I think we managed alright without him.

We tried going to church in the afternoon, but Cora was way too chatty and loud so we left the services early. Grampy used all his lung power to blow up the kiddie pool for Ally and Cora to enjoy in the 105 degree (plus humidity) heat. In the evening, Grampy and Grandma Hoffman drove us into Raleigh and handed us over to my friend Jess for a few days. We visited with the Albrechts for a short while and then headed off to Carrboro.

We slept in on Monday. We were tired, feeling kind of lazy, and not in any hurry to spend all day in the record-setting heat. We drove to Ashboro in the afternoon and spent a few hours exploring Africa.

We rode the zebra-striped tram to the top of the hill and worked our way back to the parking lot. Along the way we rode on the carousel (twice), found a pressed penny machine, and watched the girls make "cylinders" on the air vents. Oh, and we also visited some of the animals.
We saw lemurs, white alligators, baby baboons, an elephant from a great distance, various birds, zebras, and giraffes. We also visited the flamingos, where a sign was posted: "The flamingos are in breeding season. During this time, please remain quiet as they are easily disturbed." After receiving a brief explanation about the meaning of breeding season, Ally stated, "I think it probably takes them all day to make a new flamingo." That was funny, but quite disturbing too.



Ally insisted that I take her picture with this sculpture and plaque. I didn't realize it until just now, but she had inadvertently stumbled upon an ode to "The Office".

Rest in peace, Michael G. Scott.

Star Performers

Every Sunday as we leave church, our girls stand in the grass and wait for me to announce, "Introducing your next American Idol, Miss Ally Hoffman and her little sister Cora." Then they run up to the light pole and sing their audition songs for whomever happens to be walking by.

Cora's favorites include "Sing Sing Sing", "I am a Child of God", and "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star."

Ally usually performs "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" or a variation of "If I Listen with my Heart". Yesterday she tried out a new composition that went something like this: "My heart helps me to live. My heart helps me to breathe. My heart is so special, it helps me not to freeze. . ."

I critique their performances, and I generally tell them they can continue on in the competition. Cora was so excited yesterday that she jumped down from their makeshift stage, ran down the sidewalk, and yelled,
"I'm going to Hollywood!"

11,975,521 Cubic Yards of Concrete

The view above: Lake Roosevelt and the mile-long dam

Pretending to be construction workers back in the 1930's

The Grand Coulee Dam

EC 2011: Beach Bums and Royalty

July 10-16, 2011

Ally loved going in the water-- something she's generally not allowed to do on the west coast since it's so cold. She had fun holding hands and jumping over waves, playing "spank bottom" by pointing her rear end toward the ocean and waiting to be slapped by the water, hanging around Uncle Jordan's neck for 2 hours in the deep, sitting in the sand at the water's edge as the waves came in and out, and helping Aunt Sarah overcome her fear of sharks, fish, and unidentifiable floaty things.

Cora's beach experience was quite different. She sat at the water's edge only a few times, visibly shaking for most of it. She very clearly stated, "I not like that water, Daddy." Well, okay then! She loves splashing and floating in the bathtub, but the ocean and its waves were too overwhelming for her. Cora chose to spend her time looking cute, pocketing every seashell she could get her hands on, and trying to bury Daddy with shovelfuls of sand.
Every evening, some part of the Hoffman clan went for a walk on the beach. The children busied themselves with collecting shells while the grown-ups monitored the skies for illegal fireworks and rockets that were being launched straight at them. (One night a huge shell casing landed 5 feet from Ally and me; another night something whizzed by Nate and Kenny's head.) We also experienced some fireworks inside the house-- thanks Jim and Kenny! That was the same night as the thunder and lightning out over the ocean. Not a huge storm, but beautiful.
On Monday evening, we drove into Myrtle Beach to see the giant ferris wheel. We also played around in the arcade, used the restroom at the Gay Dolphin, and ate ice cream on the boardwalk.

On Wednesday, we drove down to Broadway at the Beach to hitch a ride on the old Pavilion Carousel. Out of all the unique, hand-sculpted and hand-painted animals on this merry-go-round, Ally wanted to ride the pony. Cora rode the frog, which allowed her to chase the zebra. For the rest of the trip Cora would repeat, "Froggy go up and down, Zebra go up and down, Cora go up and down." Although it was deathly hot, we braved being outside for just a little longer so Ally could procure more souvenir smashed pennies for her growing collection. Then we met up with the Lunger clan over at Medieval Times for dinner and a show.

Daddy bought Ally a rose, and Nate got a sword. With our crowns in place, we were ready to cheer on our knight (Go Blue!) and eat some grub. We were curious how Cora would do since she has a recently-discovered fear of live horses; she thankfully did okay. The whole thing was pretty gimmicky (and the princess' voice was over-dramatic and extremely irritating), but it did have some highlights.

The show started with some swordplay in the middle of the arena. With all the clanking and grunting and people being "wounded", Ally turned to me with a concerned look and asked, "Are we going to see someone get cut in half?" When they released the live falcon to swoop through the air (just after serving everyone the main course of half a large roasted chicken), Ally told me, "I'm pretty sure that's a hummingbird." We saw a horse stand on its hind legs and another one dance. After our blue knight won the jousting competition, he kissed a a red carnation and then tossed it up to Ally.

On Thursday we had to visit Barefoot Landing to update our family portrait. Again, it was deathly hot, so we opted to return to the air-conditioned paradise of our house. Ally and Daddy briefly ventured back out to fly their kite on the beach. Later that evening, Chris and most the other guys went down to Molly Darcy's for their second night of karaoke. . . I mean playing foosball. The kids had a dance party in the driveway with Grandma and the aunts, but Ally spent most of the time making milkshakes in the pretend kitchen instead of shaking it on the concrete.




Sometime during the week, Ally wrote the entire lower and uppercase alphabet in the sand. On Friday afternoon, we made a sand volcano and decorated it with shells; when the top collapsed, we named it Mount St Helens. Also on Friday, we took a family walk down the beach. On our way back, the clouds were rolling in and so was the cold rain. Daddy and Cora were smart and made a beeline to the house. Ally and I stayed behind and took one last swim (and cold shower) in the ocean. That girl just wanted to spend every moment she could rolling around in the waves.

On Saturday, we finished cleaning the house and had a pancake breakfast. While everyone else headed out of town, we stopped at Jungle Lagoon for some mini-golf. Ally and Daddy took on the two course while Cora meandered about and I took pictures. We saw a cave with a waterfall, lots of animals, and real fig trees.

I guess that covers our time at Myrtle Beach with the Hoffmans.

The weather was great, the beaches were sandy and uncrowded, and the water was a perfect temperature. What more could you ask for? Being able to fall asleep to the sounds of the waves AND the glow of a full moon over the ocean as heard/seen from our bed every night? Yep, we experienced that too.

EC 2011: Bright Eyes for Grampy

EC 2011: Hoffman Family Photos

Here's a close-up of Baby Madison since her face is always hidden. Sorry we missed you Paul, Nick, and Michael!