Science World

Then we spent an afternoon at Science World.I'm not sure what day it was but it was full of kids. And it's hard to have fun when you're playing with something and there's a kid breathing over your shoulder to take a turn. Because the fact of the matter is this is THEIR playground. Not yours. 

Some kids even have no qualms about stepping right in front of us in line. 

By the way the parents don't stop them. They grunt or say there name quietly as if to pretend they care that their child is being inconsiderate. And then give a little smile as if to say, "What can you do? He's adorable." But then they just let them do whatever they were doing.

But I don't let these kids bother me. They'll get theirs. Later on the playground. Where the justice of their peers is harsh. 

Whistler

We took a day trip to Whistler, and really Whistler in the summer is pretty dead. It's a ski lodge town mostly. Though there is rafting to do there. It really wasn't something to do on a day trip; we ended up just having hot chocolate at a hotel. 

But the trip was totally worth it because on the way we discovered an awesome waterfall 

with a restaurant across the street.

It's worth it to eat there for the view alone but the food was really good. I think it was the best meal we had this trip. We were big fans of the poached pear. 

By the way this sign is no joke. 

After returning to Vancouver we learned the next morning that this happened:

We were on this road only hours before. And I thought driving in Ireland was scary.

Capilano Suspension Bridge

The good news is you get a discount on the ticket price if it's raining. 

And you get a free disposable parka.

The bad news is it's rainy. 

Kind of a bummer you're not aloud to throw anything down. Because I happened to bring one of those little plastic parachute guys. (Would've been sweet.) He never saw flight. I even chickened out throwing him off the balcony of the hotel. 

And here's the hotel. Kinda rustic.

Like I'd really put my hand so close to a giant owl's beak. If I saw an owl that big I'd probably pee. Then run.

Here I am visiting the Ewok village of Endor.

Vancouver

First thing we did upon arriving in Vancouver was go to Granville Island. 

Stopped at the big farmer's market they have there and bought some produce for the room, like knobby little carrots. 

No parking is enforced by ninja.

There was an awesome sushi place about a block from the hotel. We ate there about five times.

Beth has an aversion to cilantro and coriander so that pretty much kills Indian food for her and pretty much us. (Except for Gulab Jamun) But there is still takeout. Here I'm having tandoori trout.

By the way when you finish with your fish remember to flush it down the appropriate drain.

Emmys

I know I'm supposed to be writing about Vancouver now but I just had to make a short report on the Emmys.

It was a fun night. Gervais stole the show. And I got to run into an old friend.

Did I ever tell you that John Krasinski and I both did our first pilot together? It ended up being called "The Originals" and it was for UPN (back when they existed). We had a nice little moment of "can you believe our lives?!"  

Ireland's Last Leg

So from Clifden back to Dublin. We looked at the map and pointed at what looked like the halfway point. That was a town called Athlone. Not much info about Athlone, we were on our own looking for a place to grab a bite. We stopped here. But it was a big mistake. We walked in and they informed us that they were currently out of Guinness because their delivery didn't come in. Okay maybe that was a red flag. (Or a red car, they seemed really popular in this parking lot.) Beth made the biggest mistake by ordering the chicken curry. I tried to warn her. 

When we finally got to Dublin we were exhausted. Look at the map. 

We did this all in one week. We should have done half. We ended up just staying in the hotel the rest of day. The next day we flew home.  Whew! So that was my Irish trip. Next up Vancouver...

Ireland: Quay House

Pronounced "Key Haus" this place was a charming little B&B in Clifden. The owners were super friendly. But be warned, we nicknamed this place the "museum of death" because it is chock full of exotic hunting trophies. Way too many in my opinion. I mean sometimes you see one or two but this was insane. If dead animals bum you out, avoid this place.

And then there's the fish...

This one lost it's protective case.