Model Airshow

On Saturday, we went to the Airshow. But not the big Airshow in Abbotsford that everyone was talking about... it was the model airshow at the Michell Air strip in Central Saanich on Vancouver Island. This annual event brings in talent from as far away as California. Also, model airplane pilots from BC's interior come every year to fly their planes and take in the festivities, as well as the local talent that belong to the Island model airplane clubs. This is the 3rd or 4th time we have been... I didn't go last year, but I was there the year before :) So, I should say it's Steve and the kids' 3rd or 4th time.

The Hospital Society was there making balloon animals, swords, planes, hats, you name it! for the kids. The show is entrance by donation, and all the proceeds are split between two local charities, one being the Hospital Society.



The planes that were being flown ranged in price from $300/$400 all the way up to $10,000. Wow. Amazing that a model plane could cost as much as a small car. But they were so cool to see. This one, pictured below, did all kinds of tricks, and when it put on the smoke show, it looked like we were watching a real plane, not a model.

One plane was large enough to carry a child, and our kids thought it might be kind of cool to go for a ride... I am sure they wouldn't be thinking that once they got in the air and were taken on some loop-de-loops!

Heritage Acres

Here are some more pictures from our trip to Heritage Acres. I made these ones all into sepia to give it an old fashioned feeling!

Old Fashioned Scrappin'

I stumbled across this old fashioned scrapbook last week. We were on holidays in Victoria, and took a trip to the Saanich Historical Artifacts Society, also called "Heritage Acres." This was just one of thousands of treasures in the museum building there. How fun to see that ladies "back in the day" collected keepsakes and stickers to scrapbook with the thought of pasting them in a book to keep for generations to come. I'm glad this lady did it (or perhaps it was a man that kept these treasures of his loved one - see how helpful a little bit of journaling can be for those who read your books down the line!!)... I love the old photograph, and just by this one page we can gather that she likes birds, traveling, and perhaps fashion.

The book was behind glass, so I couldn't peruse the rest of the pages, but seeing it there in the display made me smile. A piece of history preserved. It was nestled in with a display of children's toys, so maybe it was a child that made this book. In that case, I am even happier because it means a mother let her child have a creative outlet like scrapbooking.

Seattle's Underground...

We spent last weekend in Seattle... what an interesting history that city has. I have been there several times, but had no idea they had such a unique story to tell about the making of the city.

To get a very different presentation of the happenings in Seattle in the late 1800s, we took part in the "Underground" tour. Here is the link.... Bill Speidel's Underground Tour.

I wanted to share a few of the photos I took on the tour, along with a brief history of the area that is called "Pioneer Square."

Pioneer Square, before the fire of 1889. The fire was started in a carpenter's shop by a young apprentice named Jon Back. He was instructed to heat some glue, which boiled over and started some wood chips on fire. The fire burned the shop, along with 32 blocks of the city.

After the "Great Seattle Fire" the town was devastated, but it was a miracle that nobody died. They ended up seeing it as a blessing because they could rebuild their city the second time, and do it right this time. The first time the city was built, there were numerous flaws in the planning.

Notice how the train tracks are buckled from the heat of the fire.

Inside the old Saloon where the tour started.

Saloon floor.


Underground...
The sidewalks in the "Underground" were at the original ground level. When the city scape changed after the fire, the shop keepers didn't want to lose business, so they rebuilt right where they stores had been. Then the city planners decided to raise the streets due to drainage issues, the stores stayed in operation with the sidewalks a level down.

For 5 years the sidewalks were all a level below the streets. The merchants didn't want to lose out on business, so ladders were placed at each street corner on all 32 blocks that were destroyed in the fire. The roads had been built up a level, so horses and traffic were up there, and if you wanted to get to the store front, you had to climb down the ladder. After 5 years, they covered over the sidewalks and basically closed the underground until the 50s when Bill Spiedel opened it as a tour, in an attempt to save the old town part of Seattle. It worked, the old architecture was saved and a great historical tour was created.

Main floor shop windows, now sitting under the Seattle's sidewalks.



Stairs that used to go from main floor to second floor, now go from underground to first floor. Crazy!!

What soon happened was that crime escalated in the Underground tunnels, and since it was around the time of the gold rush, people were being mugged and killed in the underground when they came back from prospecting, and they would be on their way to spend $ in the saloon... people would attack and rob them, and sometimes they'd end up dead. So, the Underground bank started staying open 24hours so the men could deposit their money/gold as soon as they got to town. This was the Northwest's first ATM machine :)




I'm not going to get into the story about Mr. Crapper... (there really was a man with that name associated with Seattle's toilets - I'm not being vulgar!) take the tour and you will get the full story - and more!

In the late 1800s, I would have been standing on the sidewalk here, with open sky above me... now, it is a full level underground.


When the sidewalks were made at the new ground level, they put these light grates in so the underground could still have daylight, and business could continue in the underground shops.

The new first floor level... it was so bizarre to tour underground and then walk the new sidewalks, knowing that you are actually now walking at the second floor level.

My Kids

Just thought I would share a few pics of the most precious people in my life... We had some professional photos done today, but I took these on our way back to the truck. Thought while the kids were all cleaned up, I should snap a few of my own. When the professional photos are ready, I will ask permission to share a couple on here along with the link to the Photographers. I got to see a couple on the camera while he was taking them, and I liked what I saw!

FOUR YEARS...

How can my baby be FOUR? To say, "time flies" is an understatement. Just yesterday I was holding her on the operating table... and now she begs for her independence.

Over the last 4 years, Elise's personality has been forming... Determination. Strength. Fearlessness. Elise, you are a joy. We love you so much, and pray that as you grow, you will know that more and more each year.

ONE...



TWO...



Her first time tubing was on her 2nd birthday :)


THREE...



FOUR...