June 9, 2009 by Barbara.

We went to the Museum of Civilization right after breakfast at Eddie’s on Sunday. I was determined to get there right at 9:00 to avoid any crowds. We made it at 9:15, only to discover that the museum doesn’t open until 9:30. I always try to get there at 9:00 but obviously I’ve never made it. There was a nervous-looking security guard that seemed to think that Uncle Roger and I were going to load Reid onto Grandma Joyce’s wheel chair and make a break for the Canada Hall before the museum opened. We went outside to admire the view of the back of Parliament Hill and the Library of Parliament while we waited. Once the museum was opened, we went straight to the Mythic Beasts: Dragons, Unicorns and Mermaids exhibit. Reid was a bit like a bee in a flower garden - spending lots of time here and there but moving along quite quickly. We watched 3 videos, each of which focused on beasts of the air, sea or water. Reid liked the video with a mer-bunny in it but said the others were boring. Reid liked the representations of mermaids and also the unicorn and Pegasus. She found the dragon and sea monster near the entrance to be intimidating. I was struck by the description of the Japanese myth of the Kappa. One of the panels explained that the Kappa sometimes takes the form of child and encourages children to pull its finger as a game and then pulls the child underwater and eats them. The old “pull my finger” joke takes on a whole new meaning.

We spent some time decorating dragon scales but Reid wasn’t willing to leave her artwork behind on the community dragon. Uncle Roger and Reid each designed a dragon or three on the computer and watched them fly across the overhead screens. Reid surprised me a bit in that she started by trying to find the “right” body part in each instance. Rather than trying for a silly or colourful dragon, she wanted it to be a coherent whole. It made me think of a quote from Pablo Picasso that we saw in the children’s room at the Art Gallery of Ontario back in March:

Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.

Seeking the “right” piece seems more adult than artistic.

Reid led us next to the Canadian Children’s Museum. She was eager to perform on the stage in the theatre with Uncle Roger. I’m not sure if he was as eager for that to happen but he went backstage and put on a costume when asked. I managed to steer Reid past the main studio because how many tissue paper-on-bamboo crafts does one family need? We visited the Building Brainstorm travelling exhibit and Reid spent quite awhile on the computer designing her dream bedroom. Perhaps she’ll be an interior designer when she grows up. Uncle Roger, Grandma Joyce and I all looked at Look-Alikes: The more you look, the more you see!  by Joan Steiner and I’m going to try to find it at the library to read to Reid. We didn’t spend time at the dollhouse, blocks or layout planning and spent only little time building a tent. A repeat visit will be required.

Reid and I planted seeds in our garden on Sunday afternoon. I’d forgotten how tiny carrot seeds are and how many come in a package. Reid wanted to plant them all but we didn’t have enough room. Am I the only one who is surprised that carrots grow from seeds? We also planted wax beans and zucchini, which grow from nice big seeds. We planted all of the seeds in the packages. We might have way too much of both, especially once the beans need staking. I was worried that my seed drill, aka Reid, wasn’t planting the seeds deeply enough. Plus, we’re not the world’s greatest weeders. We also have lots of critters who dine in our garden and grass and we don’t discourage them since they make for good viewing from our dining room table.

I know Reid had fun with Grandma Joyce and Uncle Roger while Ken and were out for supper and a movie but the details are vague. I know they ate supper on the front porch. Reid is obsessed with picnics, which she defines as meals eaten away from the dining room table, especially those that take place outdoors. Uncle Roger and Reid went to the park near our house and she rode her bike. As long as Reid tired at the end of the day, it’s a good day.

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June 9, 2009 by Barbara.

I read an article on the Internet on Monday that said that Obama travels with a food tester who samples everything before the president eats it. This might be a career for Reid and/or Uncle Roger. While Uncle Roger was barbecuing chicken for supper, he sampled a piece of the peanut butter-chocolate Rice Krispies squares that Grandma Joyce had just finished making. Reid asked, “What are you doing, Uncle?” He told her that he was testing the Rice Krispies square to be sure that it was good enough to eat at supper. Reid quickly asked to “test” a piece as well. No moss grows under Reid’s feet - or tummy. As I’m sure you’d expect, Grandma Joyce’s baking passed the test.

Posted in Food, Barbara's family | Print | 1 Comment »

June 9, 2009 by Barbara.

We went to the Museum of Civilization right after breakfast at Eddie’s on Sunday. I was determined to get there right at 9:00 to avoid any crowds. We made it at 9:15, only to discover that the museum doesn’t open until 9:30. I always try to get there at 9:00 but obviously I’ve never made it. There was a nervous-looking security guard that seemed to think that Uncle Roger and I were going to load Reid onto Grandma Joyce’s wheel chair and make a break for the Canada Hall before the museum opened. We went outside to admire the view of the back of Parliament Hill and the Library of Parliament while we waited. Once the museum was opened, we went straight to the Mythic Beasts exhibit. Reid was a bit like a bee in a flower garden - spending lots of time here and there but moving along quite quickly. We watched 3 videos, each of which focused on beasts of the air, sea or water. Reid liked the video with a mer-bunny in it but said the others were boring. Reid liked the representations of mermaids and also the unicorn and Pegasus. She found the dragon and sea monster near the entrance to be intimidating. I was struck by the description of the Japanese myth of the Kappa. One of the panels explained that the Kappa sometimes takes the form of child and encourages children to pull its finger as a game and then pulls the child underwater and eats them. The old “pull my finger” joke takes on a whole new meaning.

We spent some time decorating dragon scales but Reid wasn’t willing to leave her artwork behind on the community dragon. Uncle Roger and Reid each designed a dragon or three on the computer and watched them fly across the overhead screens. Reid surprised me a bit in that she started by trying to find the “right” body part in each instance. Rather than trying for a silly or colourful dragon, she wanted it to be a coherent whole. It made me think of a quote from Pablo Picasso that we saw in the children’s room at the Art Gallery of Ontario back in March:

Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.

Seeking the “right” piece seems more adult than artistic.

Reid led us next to the Canadian Children’s Museum. She was eager to perform on the stage in the theatre with Uncle Roger. I’m not sure if he was as eager for that to happen but he went backstage and put on a costume when asked. I managed to steer Reid past the main studio because how many tissue paper-on-bamboo crafts does one family need? We visited the Building Brainstorm special exhibit and Reid spent quite awhile on the computer designing her dream bedroom. Perhaps she’ll be an interior designer when she grows up. Uncle Roger, Grandma Joyce and I all looked at Look-Alikes: The more you look, the more you see!  by Joan Steiner and I’m going to try to find it at the library to read to Reid. We didn’t spend time at the dollhouse, blocks or layout planning and spent only little time building a tent. A repeat visit will be required.

Reid and I planted seeds in our garden on Sunday afternoon. I’d forgotten how tiny carrot seeds are and how many come in a package. Reid wanted to plant them all but we didn’t have enough room. Am I the only one who is surprised that carrots grow from seeds? We also planted wax beans and zucchini, which grow from nice big seeds. We planted all of the seeds in the packages. We might have way too much of both, especially once the beans need staking. I was worried that my seed drill, aka Reid, wasn’t planting the seeds deeply enough. Plus, we’re not the world’s greatest weeders. We also have lots of critters who dine in our garden and grass and we don’t discourage them since they make for good viewing from our dining room table.

I know Reid had fun with Grandma Joyce and Uncle Roger while Ken and were out for supper and a movie but the details are vague. I know they ate supper on the front porch. Reid is obsessed with picnics, which she defines as meals eaten away from the dining room table, especially those that take place outdoors. Uncle Roger and Reid went to the park near our house and she rode her bike. As long as Reid tired at the end of the day, it’s a good day.

Posted in Pastimes, Books, Museums, Barbara's family | Print | 1 Comment »