Adventure at Taste of Edmonton

Last week, Lucas, Dan & I went to Taste of Edmonton for "dinner". The moment we walked on site I knew this was going to be a bad idea, as Dan does not like crowds. It's in a new location this year, due to the construction around Churchill Square, so I thought they would work out some of the major issues from previous year's festivities. They did okay, but there is still room for improvement.

First you have to try and find where to buy food & beverage tickets. All the ticket booths are in a centralized location this year, and if memory serves, there were less booths than in previous years. I think this is because you can buy your tickets ahead of time online, so they anticipated less people using the onsite booths. From the lineup we watched snake through the crowd throughout the night, I think it's going to take a hot minute for this to catch on.

TELL ME ABOUT THE FOOD!
We spent $67, which got us 40 tickets. Each item ranges in "price" from 3 to 6 tickets, and six tickets doesn't always mean you get a bigger item. I have no idea how many vendors there were (no more than 100 I think), and each vendor decides which of their menu items to offer to a maximum of two items. It looks like some vendors offer specialty items that aren't on their regular menus, or a smaller version of a standard. The variety of items is high, as Edmonton has been expanding our variety of restaurants in town overall. I remember when the "variety" used to be Chinese food and maybe an Indian joint! You can get bar fare like burgers and deep fried pickles, "pan-Asian" items like green onion cakes - an Edmonton original - tempura, and sushi. And there Indian, Ethiopian, and fancy hotel fare. And the ice cream line ups are always long! The vegetarian options are sparse, but not impossible to find. And thanks to the addition of a few vegan restaurants to the Edmonton scene, there were some easy choices for those folks as well.

40 tickets got each of us a couple of "entrees", a dessert, and beverages for the guys. I brought my own water because I am trying to be thrifty! Lucas wanted to eat and run. No exploring, no waiting for the band to start. He ate his last item (beef & sesame sauce on rice) and said "okay let's go". And then we went home and made soup, because we were still hungry.

PROS AND CONS
Cons: Crowds and lineups. Expensive for the amount of food you get. Generates a lot of garbage.
Pros: Experience restaurants that you might never go to otherwise in a casual atmosphere. Free music. Beer garden. You can bring your own reusable dishes.

PLAN FOR NEXT TIME
If there is a next time...but who am I kidding, there will be a next time. I'm going to leave the boys at home, grab a friend and a beer, a fun new snack, and catch a band or two!

xo

p.s. I do think they could benefit from some sort of organized queue system at each booth...

One Little Word - September New Year!

I read on another Lisa's instagram that for her September feels like the New Year. It is a great time for her to feel renewed and work on her goals and intentions for the year. I definitely get that. I think it has something to do with the feelings I have about "Back To School", a moment that was a big deal in my life for many years. I still get this feeling of excitement, anxiety, and nervous anticipation when I see the school supplies set up in stores, and we start talking to Dude about his first day.

And now all of a sudden it's the last week of September, and I'm like "what the fuck happened to September?!"

So Dude & I went for a walk...

The trees in the neighbourhood and the Ravine are a glow with the colours of autumn. The temperature is just right for an evening walk. And Lucas is in the mood to explore!

I LOVE it when we come across a steep hill or an obstacle, and I ask "do you think we can do it?" and he says "yes of course!"

There is a Poke-stop at Hazeldean playground (it is also a gym because all gyms are Pokestops now Mom! .......) so we head there at the end of our walk so he can replenish his Pokeballs.

Everything is Poke-something in my house right now.

At the end of the night, when we were laying in bed doing our reading, he told me that he had a great night. Thank you September for still being awesome even when I think I've missed all the good parts.

Photos taken in Argyll, Mill Creek Ravine, & Hazeldean
Monday, September 25, 2017

Tell A Story - Mountain Climbers

And I'm not talking about that exercise. I'm talking about climbing actual mountains!

During our 5 day stint in Jasper, Lucas & I did a lot of hiking. In fact, we were off on our first hike within an hour of arriving at the campground! I thought if I was going to get Dude hiking with me, I would just have to throw him into it. He complained a lot on that hike (up Old Fort Point - highly recommended), but we made it through!

And that was just the warm up to the big hike I had planned the next day! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

We woke up, ate our breakfast, then jumped in the van and headed south on the Icefields Parkway. Destination, Parker Ridge. The parking lot was already starting to fill up by the time we got there, and I could see all ages (and abilities) of hikers unloading their gear. We laced up our hiking boots, grabbed our water bottles and a snack, and headed out.

I had a Winningest Mom moment on our way back down. Lucas told me he was really proud of himself for getting all the way to the top!

Summary
Parker Ridge
Trailhead: ~100km south of Jasper townsite (the hike is actually in Banff Ntl. Park)
Distance: 5km in total (out and back)
Elevation Gain: 289m (elevation at the top is 2275m!)
Time: We did it in just over 3 hours and that included a lot of breaks, and a snack at the "top" (we didn't make it to the official top, but we went as far as Lucas would go!)
What to Take: Windbreaker! It gets so windy up there, as there is no tree cover. Water. A snack/lunch. Camera. Hiking poles if you have them.
View: WORTH IT!

xo

Tell A Story - Board Game Cafe Confidence

Lucas chose Tabletop Cafe as our after dinner activity one night, so after dinner we jumped in the car and headed over. He had been once before with Russel & Heather, so I told him that made him the expert and that he would have to show me what to do and take the lead.

We signed in at the front counter, and got a bit of info from the staff there, found a table right at the front, and then Lucas was off to grab our first game: Exploding Kitties.

After a couple of rounds, we switched out the game, and ordered an orange slush. Everything you buy goes on your tab that you settle at the end of the night, including your games fee. It's only $5 per person, and you can play as long as you want. And there is no pressure to order food or drinks. We also ordered some soft pretzels, so all told, our night cost us around $17.

We played three different games that night: Exploding Kitties, Sushi Go Party & Blokus. The first two are great for two players, but Blockus is designed for 4 people, so it wasn't really a challenge. But Lucas likes it, and recognized it, so we had to try.

They have so many games! The ones you see behind us in the photos are for sale. The playable games fill the back wall and are organized by number of players (I think.). Lucas was in charge of getting our games, so I didn't really get to the back of the store.

If we had needed recommendations or help figuring out how to play a chosen game, the staff was on hand to assist.

I made sure to let Lucas order our pretzels without any help or interference for Mom. It's hard knowing when to step in and when to let your kid just figure shit out, but I think some sort of balance is totally achievable! It's nice going to a place where your kid doesn't feel left out, or is treated like a nuisance. I am hoping that the more we go together, the more comfortable he will feel to go on his own once he is old enough.

He was so happy, and I think we could have spent a lot more time there. Just me and my Dude, hanging out and getting blown up by kitties.

Tabletop Board Game Cafe
Staff: Approachable, knowledgeable, friendly
Age Appropriate: ANY age
Cost: Depends on if you want refreshments. Game fee is $5 per person.
Food selection: They have alcohol (beer & wine), coffee, tea, pop & slushies. Hot food is along the lines of paninis, soft pretzels, grilled cheese. They also have popcorn and a variety of candy! Looks like they have also added fresh fruit and veggies to their menu.
A++ highly recommend for a fun and inexpensive night out!

Summer Adventure - Parks Day at Elk Island

The following photos were taken on July 16, 2016 in Elk Island National Park just outside of Edmonton & Sherwood Park, AB.

Astotin Lake, the beach. View from our picnic lunch.

Mom & Dude, the Adventurers

Canada's National Parks have installed these bright red double Adirondak chairs at points within their parks that have "great views". Well, we found one! And the view was great.

The View From The Red Chairs

There were SO MANY BOATS on the lake this afternoon! It was a spectacular site to see.

My main goal on this mini road trip was to get the NEW BIKES out of the city. The Parks gal recommended a good trail, mostly paved, and we were off. I got to teach Lucas about shifting gears to make it up those tough hills. It's his longest ride to date, and he did so great! I definitely recommend the Shoreline Trail, even though you don't actually really ever see the lake. Hmmm.

Before the ride vs. after the ride. As a reward for our most excellent bike ride, we treated ourselves to an order of Drift Truck fries! Mmmm I miss these fries.

Notes about Elk Island Park...
- It's about a 45 minute drive outside of Edmonton on HWY 16. If you want to avoid some of the Henday construction, I recommend cutting through Sherwood Park.
- Astotin Lake is the big lake we were hanging out at. There are boat (canoe & kayak) rentals, a small beach, and lots of picnic spots with fire pits and/or shelters close by.
- There are many great hiking trails in the park, so make sure you get a map! Most are easily accessible from the main road, and have their own parking lots. These are usually much quieter than the area around Astotin.
- You can buy a visitor pass from the Visitor Centre or from the drive up kiosk. For Lucas & I it was around $11 for the day.
- Please keep in mind that while this park is so close to the city, it is still a National Park filled with WILD ANIMALS! Apparently, it's mating season for the bison right now, and one of the Park's recent tweets was something along the lines of: "you wouldn't want to be interrupted would you?..."

xo