More Snaps from Up North

I know that I already blogged some shots from our most recent family weekend in Carmel, but I can't resist doing it again... Please excuse me while I indulge myself, and I apologize if you find this kind of stuff boring...

Since we're in the Monterey area quite a bit, we have annual passes to the aquarium and hit it on most visits. Sometimes we stay for awhile, but we've also been known to stop in for just 20 minutes or so (even spending a portion of that time getting a snack in the yummy cafe).

On this particular weekend, my daughter really wanted to go, but the boys didn't. With the U.S. Open going on a few miles away, I was worried about crowds but offered to take her while the boys and their dad went to their favorite park. (Or perhaps more correctly, I took up my husband on his offer to hang out at the park, as it was cold and foggy and I was not in the mood to freeze my tail off.)

I was pleasantly surprised to find the aquarium emptier than I'd seen it in awhile -- maybe ever. I guess it makes sense that families would steer clear of booking their Monterey vacation on Open weekend, and all of the golf fans were on the course or huddled around a TV.

Anyway, I highly, highly recommend a visit to the Monterey Bay Aquarium if you're ever in the area. It is SUCH a remarkable place, and the opportunities for learning are abundant.



Their newest exhibit actually focuses on global warming. Among other things, it includes an interactive feature that allows you to pledge to take personal steps to help the environment; you can even snap a photo of your face and watch "yourself" in a video of your pledge. Here's my girly watching the videos of herself and of me unloading groceries from my reusable bags and chopping my locally grown vegetables:



You can even email your video to friends and family. Pretty cool!

And one final non-aquarium image and thought... We spent TONS of time playing the board game "Cathedral" that weekend. We have an original version in hilarious 70s packaging (complete with a smiling John Davidson practically winking at us from the box). Amazon has the same game, though sadly it doesn't include John or his dimples anywhere on the box.



All three of my kids loved this game. It's great for developing spatial awareness skills, and when they get tired of it, they can just use their imagination to build a little town. Such a refreshing break from the Wii!