The Conservatory.

Just a short post before bed. 

I recently took Babe to one of my favorite Vancouver places to take kids on a rainy day - The Bloedel Conservatory atop Queen Elizabeth Park. It's a great place to go for a walk and pretend to be on an adventure in a tropical rainforest. I used to nanny two toddlers and on rainy days we would walk up there and do a few laps inside. They called it "going to the jungle". It's cheap, educational, warm and pretty. It's small so you can just drop in for a few minutes or walk the same paths over and over - whichever works.

Anyway Babe loves plants and animals and since the Conservatory is filled to the brim with tropical plants and is also home to many birds, I knew she would like it. 

It was actually a sunny day, we just had some time to kill while we were in the neighbourhood. 

Here are a few pics of the trip. Babe was amazed. We even found a small parrot feather on the ground. You probably aren't supposed to take those but it's in Babe's baby album now. Sorry Bloedel staff.

The top of Queen Elizabeth Park.

Bamboo.

More beautiful flowers than I could ever post here.

Alberta.

So Babe and I joined my parents on a trip to Alberta last week to visit my Grandpa's farm. I haven't been back in over 10 years. It was great to see the farm again and to visit family that I rarely get to see.

Babe sleeping in the truck on the drive to Alberta. She fussed the whole way, so much that we decided that Babe and I would fly home.

Babe sleeping with her grandpa at the hotel restaurant the first night of the trip.
She was tired from a long day of crying.

View from the hotel in Salmon Arm.

Taking a turn driving the truck. (It was parked)

Babe's first train sighting. (Nice socks Grandpa)

Farm shack.

Babe on a walk in the field at the farm.

Giant dandelion.

Babe playing with the giant dandelion.

At Sylvan Lake in her blow-up froggy.

Lake time.

Playing peek-a-boo with her towel.

My dad and I went riding one day while Babe stayed on the farm with Coco (Grandma).

One of the horses had a blue eye.

Took Babe to the Calgary Zoo. She loved the elephants and the pink flamingos.

Watching the ostrich with Grandpa.

Checking out some tropical plants with Coco.

I really wanted to get a pic of Babe in this kangaroo but she wasn't into it.

Babe and her flamingos.

Butterfly.

Another butterfly.

A sleepy Babe in front of the camels.

The domestic terminal at the Calgary airport had two of these cool airplane sculptures. If you cranked the knob (below) the planes flew around like a merry-go-round.
Babe watched them for half an hour while I charged my phone before the flight.

Cranking the knob.

Waiting to board the plane. Calgary in the background.

I wanted to find a fun souvenir for Babe of our trip to Alberta.  I looked everywhere for a baby cowboy hat but I couldn't find one. So I got Babe this stuffed-animal deer head for her nursery. Strangely she is obsessed with it.

We are back home again but only for a couple weeks and then we leave for Hornby Island! There have been some big changes on the home scene. Stay tuned for an update.

The Trip To D.C.

So you might remember that back in June Babe and I went to go visit my friends in Washington D.C. I never got around to posting the photos from the trip so I'm just going to do that now. And next I'll post some pics from this week's trip to Alberta.

Babe got to see lots of cool things while we were in D.C. We were lucky that my friends were such willing tour guides. They were really good sports because of course they'd seen it all before.

Babe and I at the White House. Definitely one of the highlights of the trip. I so wanted to pick a clover  off the lawn for Babe's photo album but I too scared.

Who says a Canadian baby can't be president.

Babe in the Oval Office. The fake Oval Office.

We visited the Arlington National Cemetery and some beautiful memorials.

At the cemetery.

JFK Memorial.

World War Two Memorial.

At the Capitol Building. Babe got really fussy after this picture
was taken but a man played the trombone for her and she liked that.

At the Washington Memorial.

Babe and I with Albert Einstein.

The Lincoln Memorial.

Because I'm a newly graduated j-student I was really excited to go to the Newseum. My friend K's husband watched the babies while K and I went so that we could actually pay attention.

It's an amazing museum with exhibits of historic events from America and around the world. There is also a lot of informative exhibits about what it means to be a journalist, how important a free press is and how the industry has changed and influenced society over the years. I could've spent all day there.

An exhibit memorializing fallen journalists.

The girls fast asleep in the car.

Babe learned how to ride in the shopping cart while we were in D.C.

A squirrel. Not the highlight of the trip but his balance was pretty good.

Babe being American. All the Americans are wearing these.

WATCH OUT BEHIND YOU HONEY!

The girls at National Harbor. I guess I have to spell harbour with no u eh?

It was a great trip. I already wish I could go back.

Stay tuned: I'm going to be reviewing a stroller I bought on the trip soon.