July 2006
These digital images were taken between May and July, 2006.
Last Update: 26 Aug 2006
Now we are six... a portrait of Thalia on her sixth birthday, 13 May 2006. This was the second of two parties she had that day, the first at the Dinosaur Choo-Choo Express with friends and the second at our humble Ellison Park home.
Thalia Elizabeth and coins...
First, here she is at the Meinhart Speaking Contest, 18 May 2006; an annual event held by the Rochester Numismatic Association, at which members of the Rochester Junior Numismatic Association are invited to speak. And Thalia is obviously a Junior Member! In fact, it was reported that Thalia was the youngest speaker in a long time, and certainly the youngest girl to ever give a talk. And her talk was on Queen Elizabeth-- as those of you who have read "Thalia and the Queen" in Irwin's Journal Online may already know! In the poster you can see a photo of her with the birthday card sent to Her Majesty-- the photo was also sent to Buckingham Palace. Special thanks to Scott Fybush for the photography while Dad held the poster. (Yes, a rare picture of your Webmaster!)
Playing the part of a loon on a very enlarged Canada Dollar Coin! This was at the Canadian Numismatic Association's National Convention in Niagara Falls, Ontario, 22 July 2006.
And showing off two other offerings from the Royal Canadian Mint (also very enlarged to show detail!). The "Pink Ribbon" quarter on the right was sold this year to raise money for cancer research. And how about that dramatic depiction of Toronto on the left!
Kieran and roller coasters... specifically, the one at Marineland, Niagara Falls, Ontario... the smiles say it all!
The previous shots of Kieran were taken on 20 May 2006, the opening day of Marineland for the season. The next day was pretty wet and dreary, but we were already there, and the kids almost had the place to themselves! Part of this escapade was eight consecutive rides on the childrens' roller coaster, four of which were just for them. As you can see... Fortunately for the park, perhaps the most family-friendly one we know-- would you believe you can bring in your own food?!?-- the next visits found the place considerably busier.
Permit me a bit of pride... I just love this photo of Thalia. Taken at her "bridging" ceremony, at which she crossed over from being a Daisy Girl Scout to a Brownie, 15 June 2006. Start queueing up for those Girl Scout Cookies!
Kieran, with "long" hair-- well, for him, anyway!-- on the same day.
So, how many of you can say that you've been on the Welland Canal? This is the view from a passenger ferry that shuttles people across at Port Robinson, where there was once a bridge. Normally the Welland Canal is used for commercial ships and boats that need to cross between Lakes Erie and Ontario without going over Niagara Falls. When I found out that there was a way for us to travel on the canal, I couldn't resist.
Oh, and here's the passenger ferry in question. Our understanding is that this is the only ferry of its kind anywhere on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence system, and possibly in the world. You can see the entire travel distance in this shot; look for the landing on the other side of the canal just to the right of the blue covering. We thought it was really cool! So do the local residents; they aren't willing to give it up either!
By the way, this is what you would more typically see on the Welland Canal...
A family portrait: Kieran and Thalia with their paternal grandparents in New Jersey.
Whee! The end of one of several runs down the Super Slide at Keansburg Amusement Park in New Jersey, 3 July 2006.
And we end this page with a scenic sunset over Raritan Bay, although that view could be just about anywhere that the sun is in the right place and there is sand and surf. And speaking of sand and surf, we'll go to the other side of the country for more of both, next...