Busch Gardens - Howl-O-Scream - Day 1

I'm back!!! Now that things are quieting down... I'm going to blog about our summer experiences.


Wow! What a AWESOME time at Busch Gardens, Virginia Howl-O-Scream!

"Beauty by Day, Fright by Night"


We bought a 2 day ticket for each of us for $66 and went during the weekend 22-23 October. It was worth every penny! NOTE: Parking is an additional $13 (per day).

We met up with our good friends from FL. They had the easier commute I think (even though it was the same distance) and the teens had a great time.

During the day it is still the same Busch Gardens that you experience in the summer. Saturday was absolutely MOBBED but we had a good time. We waited about 45 minutes for Alpengeist coaster. (NOTE: The coaster is similar to Hersheypark's the Great Bear but longer and better!!!) Forget Griffon that had an hour+ wait. The park was heavily decorated in fall and Halloween tradition. We had several photographers in our group and we constantly stopped to take pictures. Just a relaxing time walking through the park. It was not elbow to elbow (like Disney's Magic Kingdom gets). We stopped and got some souvenier popcorn and drink cups. $.99 cents refill.

The adults attended the Fiends show in the Germany Octoberfest pavillion while sipping on our favorite brews. The show has caused some "internet" controversy but I didn't see any issues (perhaps Tampa is different). No nudity at the BGVA show. In fact I thought the show was a bit boring and the actor could not sing.

We ate at buffet for dinner in the Festivas Italy... mediocre but filling food at best for $11.99. When we came out the park transformed into Howl-O-Scream!

Our first night we went through the "Fear Fair" outside haunted house with the evil clowns! Totally Awesome! I loved the themeing that BGVA did. There was one house that had dead chickens (simulated) with a really really bad smell. This probably is NOT appropriate for children under 10. My 7 year old went through it and cried. Although he went through more haunted houses the next night.

Avoid Backwoods Family Campground

Backwoods Family Campground in Rumney, NH is one campground to avoid.


That's Camping Thread

Yelp Review

If you have been taken advantage by Backwoods Family Campground please contact me at rconnellii@comcast.net

Jerusalem Countdown - now playing at the MVCFF

Jerusalem Countdown Review

Christian movies have come a LONG way in the past 5-10 years since I've attended the Christian Festival way back in Salem NH theaters (which is now a Babies R Us). Gone are the days of a movie made for TV vcr being projected on the big screen. Gone are the lousy cheesy poor quality soundtracks and questionable acting. These modern day Christian films are now filled with action, special effects, high quality sound track, high quality big screen viewing, and features well known favorite actors. The goal of these movies have not changed, the message is still same spreading the good news of the Gospel and the loving salvation message of Jesus Christ. This exceptional movie is no exception!


Without giving the plot away too much. Jerusalem Countdown is an "end times" story (which I believe we are currently living in) which involves a plot of "terrorists" who plan to setoff nuclear bombs at strategic locations in the US in order to neutralize the govt. and economy so other countries can attack Israel. The movie features a pair of detectives (experienced actor David A.R. White and ??) who use their FBI detective skills to stop this.

One of my favorite female Christian artists Jaci Velasquez ("God so loved the World..") had a small part in the movie as well as Randy Travis, Lee Majors, and Stacy Keach.

There are some slow points in the movie and some parts that need better clarification but overall the movie has action, explosions, gun fights, a surprising twist, and an interesting rapture scene at the end that will have you talking for quite some time.

At the end of the movie as usual President and Director of Christian Film Festivals Mr. Tom Saab gave an excellent short Christian message strait to the point. This is always an eyeopener! The boys and I talked about the rapture, salvation, etc. all the way home.

Old Christian movies from the 1980s that my wife had from her parents were what changed my way of thinking of my life, this world, my political views and ulitmate and most importantly provided salvation. I highly recommend these movies to everyone.

The Merrimack Christian Film Festival is going on through and including Easter! ALL MOVIES ARE FREE!!! The popcorn is NOT!

Merrimack Christian Film Festival Starts Tomorrow!!!

Christian Film Festival!!! starts Tomorrow at the Lawrence, MA Showcase cinemas!

ALL SHOWS ARE FREE

Stay tuned for reviews!!!

Niki's step mother passed away -

Our daughter Niki (Nichole Francoeur from Barre, VT) stepmother Sheila Thain (age 40) from Berwick, ME suddently passed away this Friday evening 4/8 due to hardship from enduring breast cancer, MS, migrane headaches, and depression.

Her obtiuary can be found here:

http://www.autumngreenfuneralhome.com/cgi-bin/autumn-obit.cgi?Name=Sheila Lititia Thain

Niki is now trying to collect and organize funds to support her Dads walk (Phil Thain) in the Boston Breast Cancer Awareness Avon walk (which Sheila originally signed up for)! If you can afford $5 or more it will be much appreciated.


Please support Niki & Phil for Sheila Thain's Avon Breast Cancer Awareness walk

Direct donation form:
https://secure2.convio.net/avon/site/Donation2?2200.donation=form1&idb=1116377349&df_id=2200&FR_ID=2020&PROXY_ID=5922227&PROXY_TYPE=20

Boston Chowda Co

After the great ice show we took a short walk down to the Faneiul Hall / Quincy Market. The kids and wife got some pastry's from one of the many vendors.

The New England Clam Chowder caught my attention at Boston Chowda company. For $6 I was able to get a medium size clam chowder with oyster crackers and small soda. This was really really good and hot which was appreciated on a cold winters day! Best Clam Chower in Boston for 2 years strait and I can see why!!! Lots of bits of clam and potatoes in a white creamy sauce.

Glad to hear they have a new location in North Andover! Will have to scout that out to get more chowder and try their other menu items including lobster roll.

Toy Story 3 on Ice review

We took our kids to see 1pm performance of Toy Story 3Disney On Ice at the TD Garden in Boston, MA. I orderedd my tickets online through Ticketmaster saved 25% by using the TOY3 code. Check mousesavers for new or additional savings. I ordered the tickets the night before the performance and picked it up at the will call window. The TD Garden and Ticketmaster tacks on all these other charges but overall our family of 5 went for about $25 each which isn't bad since 3D movies at your local cinema these days run $15 and up!

Our seats were good. We were way off to the left so we could barely see the main prop where the skaters came out of but we saw everything perfectly on the ice. Also the actors were mainly focusing on the audience at the front of the ice (as you can see in the picture above). Overall it was a great show with lots of skating.

As with every Disney ice show (that I have been to at least), Mickey, Minnie, Donald Duck, and Goofy introduce the play.

The first act tells the story of Andy going to college and the toys contemplating the move. Woody, Jessie, Buzz, Bullseye, Mr. & Mrs Potato head, Slinky, Rex, and the Hamm (the Pig) all make an appearance. I was amazed with how they got the pig and slinky on the stage. That must of taken on some coordination and lots of practice. Woody, Jessie, and Buzz take on their human look instead of the character look as they appear in Disney Parks. This act has a lot of wonderful group performance which gets started with the invasion of the green army men even some being parachuted from the ceiling, followed by then the three eyed alien men - buzz lightyear and the claw, and finally Woody's roundup which I really enjoyed the costumes, dancing and music. Each major skit had a large amount of people.

Intermission gives you plenty of time to use the restroom, grab another snack, and stretch your legs.

The second act tells the story of the Toys adventure at Sunnyside Daycare and overall had more of a plot. Barbie is introduced along with Ken, Lotso, and Stretch. The couple skating between "Barbie" and "Ken" was truely amazing (Olympic quality in my opinion) to Dream Weaver. There was times when the male skater lifed the female skater over his head. There was a bit of concern because some of the other male skaters had some near falls. The scene with Ken trying on clothes was a riot!!! The rest of the story was wrapped up in about 15 minutes including the jail scene, Buzz lightyear reprogram, and the toys being trapped in the furnace. To wrap up at the end with all the characters coming out including Mickey and friends.

With intermission this is two hour show.

Overall, a great show, awesome costumes, great choregraphy and music, everything you expect with a Disney production. There was some but there didn't seem to be as much smoke, lasers, pyrotechnics, etc. compared to other shows weve been too. The skating and performances makes up for this! I believe all ages will love this. A great family event.

TIP: Each lunch before hand. The TD Garden does not provide many options and the ones they do is NOT healthy and very pricey. A lousy hot dog costs $4.50 and a small Uno's pizza is $10! A water bottle is $4.

Toy Story 3 on Ice runs through February 27th in Boston and then moves to other locations

Cameras and video cameras are allowed. You can use them only for your benefit though. I'm going to try post some pictures on my Webshots account. Stay tuned!!!

Chunky's Movies

Tonight we visited Chunky's in Pelham, NH for dinner and a movie.

Dinner:
- I had the chicken quesadilla's and unfortunately the chicken was under cooked and the tortilla around it was overcooked even burnt in some areas. I have not liked other dinner items that I've had.
- My wife ordered tea but never got sugar or a spoon. It toook me asking two "waiters" before I was handed two sugar packets and a plastic stirrer.
- The waiters were really busy and never checked on us after the meal was served.
- The meal was served during the movie in the dark (although I'm sure if we got their early enough we could have eaten before the movie)
- My wife and had the chicken finger/fries plate. This was good.

Movie:
- We saw the Green Hornet in 3D. Chunky's (like other theaters) charges $3 extra for 3D which comes with glasses in packages. I think this movie would have been just as good without the 3D. In fact I thought the 3D made it a bit dim.
- It was a good B movie action flick. Although understand who's who was a bit confusing. If they cleaned up the language a bit this could probably be a PG movie.
- This time around the soundtrack quality and the movie was in Chunky's was really good condition. My wife and I saw Alice in Wonderland here and it had an annoying repetitive bubble appearing in the upper right hand corner.

Overall, a good time but definately not fine dining. I may go for movie and a desert next time.

LaQuinta Harrisburg / Hershey

There are some good things about this hotel. Location is OK and it is convenient to Hersheypark (8 miles away) and I283 (there are closer hotels to Hershey at higher prices). Staff seem friendly, quick checkin however this place is OLD, OLD, OLD! Even the key cards to enter the room are from the 1980s!

The beds fortunately have been updated and were comfortable but very small (doubles) so a good night rest was not had. Room was very warm and we had to open the window part of the night. The TV is also ancient and a bit fuzzy. The bathroom was right out of the 70s and had water stains on the wall and tub. However it was functionable with plenty of hot water. The floor in the room had weird groves. Free Internet connection is available. We didn't use that for our quick stay.

Not a great value especially at the rate of $74 during the off season which we got at a last minute stay and the hotel was not even 1/2 full.

Pets are allowed in for free which is the main reason why we like LaQuinta. Its been hit or miss at these hotels.

LaQuinta has upgraded several of their hotels recently and this is definately one that needs a makeover desperately on the inside. There are lots of hotels in the Hershey/Harrisburg area that I would consider before returning here again.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

I lost 8 lbs and lower my blood pressure between Thanksgiving and Christmas (believe me this wasn't easy especially when neighbors and friends are dropping off delicous deserts and food). Got some work ahead of me but I believe this is a great motivator!

SparkPeople motivated me to keep track of what I'm eating and to make positive choices.







Join the Web's Only Nutrition & Fitness Program Just For Teens!

Diet

Doggie Travel Trip #1

Dog Travel Tip #1 -

Don't feed dogs anything out of the ordinary if you don't want wierd smells! The Christmas snacks that Santa brought is not agreeing with Mowgli. Had to put him in the other room!

Or was it the Turkey scraps? Either way keep to their strict menu and strict times... :->

Marriott Residence Inn Newport News Review

The Marriott Residence Inn Newport News is in a wonderful location just off of I64, convenient to several restaurants, shopping, etc. Carrabba's and Cheeseburger in Paradise chains are within walking distance (for the young at hear). The airport is also nearby. Typically only small planes and helicopters fly into this region.

Room:
- We had a very beautiful very spacious and modern one bedroom suite with 2 very comfortable queen beds. The sofa pulled out into a sofa bed. This suite could sleep up to 6. The beds were very comfortable. There was plenty of bureau space to unpack. The room also had a table with four chairs for serving dinner and a separate desk area. Just perfect for my wife and I to read, relax, and connect with our online connections.
- This room had a full size fridge, microwave, toaster, 2 burner stove top, sink, and dishwasher. I was able to prepare meals most nights including a precooked Christmas Turkey.
- The room also had 2 beautiful full size HD flat screen televisions. Easy hookup to our game system that we brought which the boys took advantage of in the 1st bedroom.
- The bathroom was adequate and clean. Showers were always hot.
- Free High speed internet was wonderful. It did get a little bit slow Christmas evening when people where checking in and the following day when people were grounded because of the airport being closed due to the snow storm.
- The room was always warm... in fact a bit too warm for us Northerners... attempts to turn down the heat failed so we shut off the system and opened a window (and we were fine).





Pet friendly
- This Marriott is pet friendly but they do charge a $100 flat fee. If you are here for more than one day it acceptable (any less than 3 nights is unacceptable). Upon check in they provide you a water dish and a bag holder with some doggie doo-doo bags.

Pool / Gym / Laundry:
- The pool was broken (67 to 63) during our entire 5 night stay. The Marriott Courtyard is right next store and we were allowed to use their pool and hot tub. I believe we were the only ones that did that. It was a bit chilly.
- We did use the exercise equipment. They have 2 treadmills, 1 elliptical trainer, and one bike (with TVs attached). There are a few free weights. All in great condition!
- I did laundry - $1.50 per load and you'll need to run it through the dryer at least twice. ($3.00)

Breakfast:
- This one was of the better Marriott Residence breakfast I had. Although I wished they served bacon one of the days I was there (and off my diet). Plenty of fresh eggs with optional toppings such as cheese, salsa, and sour cream. Real Thomas’ English muffins. Breakfast also included a wonderful yogurt, fruit, granola combination and make your own waffle. Real minute maid OJ and fresh coffee!!!

Staff:
- This is the only real complaint about this hotel.
- First I had booked this room over 1 month in advance and requested extra towels and an oven to cook a Christmas ham in. I got neither and the oven was not available when I checked in.
- I was constantly running out of shampoo, toilet paper, etc. (even when the room was serviced) and had to send the kids down to get supplies.
- The snow removal around the property after a big storm was awful. I can understand that this is southern VA but when 2 days go by without walks (and more importantly stairs) being cleared is totally unacceptable especially when you see staff standing around smoking at the back door (give them a shovel!). The back door was also broken for several days of our visit so we would have to make phone calls to let the kids in (when they took out our dogs).
- To top it off when I went down to ask to buy quarters and laundry detergent from the evening staff member I got an attitude and was told that quarters wouldn’t be available until Monday! I walked over to the Courtyard and got a totally different attitude. The host was very gracious where I bought my quarters and even gave me complimentary detergent and dryer sheets! I avoided her for the rest of the trip (even when I wanted to extend my stay).
- The main breakfast hostess was an exception, she did a great job and had a friendly mood and conversed with her patrons.

Overall, great hotel, staff could use some improvements in some areas. I travel to this area often on business and wouldn’t hesitate to stay here again or better yet, the Courtyard. ws.

Busch Gardens Christmas Town Review

A must see event if you live in the Southern VA area or like to travel to theme parks.

FULL REVIEW with pictures coming soon.

Harrows Chicken Pie

My wife instructed me to head to Harrow's in Reading, MA after church and bring home a big FRESH chicken pie with potatoes and carrots. I also got some rolls and a blueberry pie. I've passed this place many times in the early 90s but never once eat a pie from there. It was very popular in her family.

I brought it home and put in a preheated over at 375. I made up some mashed potatoes, squash, and some cranberry sauce. I'm not a big chicken pie fan (the ones you get a supermarkets) but boy was this one good! Lots of juicy pieces of shredded chicken, big pieces potatoes, and small little cut carrots. The jumbo pie cost about $20.00 and this feeds a family of 5 or 6. We had left overs which we will have for dinner. The crust was very good as well (not terribly thick just the right texture). The rolls were out of this world as well.

I even found nutritional information on SparkPeople.com my new favorite social network for helping you track your nutrtion. Although I'm not sure if the sodium count is right here.

I don't believe they have a restaurant (I didn't see one). They also have potatoes, squash, and other side dishes.

SparkPeople Chicken Pie

Journey to Bethlehem review in Windham, NH

Last week we went to the Journey to Bethlehem at Windham Bible Chapel in Windham, NH. This is a fun filled and FREE event which focuses on the REAL meaning of the season. The birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (NOTE: This event is over with for the 2010 season). This event ususally occurs the 1st weekend in December (Thursday through Saturday).

We arrived around 7PM on a Saturday evening and were greeted with "Shalom" from the greeters dressed up in Sheppards clothing. This year there was no line during this time (in years past we have waited up to 35 minutes in line). The "pre-show" takes place inside the chapel's sanctuary. Once inside you are seated in one of the rows of chairs with your group.(Depending on what time you are seated is what part of the show you see.) There is a combonition of continuous live action skits during the time of the prophets from Moses to Mary (along with a slide presentation). During the presentation the guides usher one row out of the santuary at a time out into a small room where you are given name scrolls. Your "family members" (also dressed up in hebrew garb) arrive and you get going on your journey. The rest of the event is an outdoor walking event.

There are several stops including the map maker, roman guards, three wisemen, sheppards, and finally to the Bethlehem inn and stable. The last scene is of Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus. Each stop has a roaring warm fire where you can gather around to keep warm! Each station there is a small presentation (about the Christmas story) that takes about less than 5 minutes. The paths are lit up by candlelight in pails. Hot chocolate is served in the lobby of the church an another even bigger fire is in the front of the church.

We have been going to the Journey of Bethlehem for quite some time now. Each year it seems to be getting better and better. The Roman Guards are move animated and more involved (even have two new stopping poings) so make sure you hold on to your name scrolls. There seems more barn animals.

Unfortunately the Journey to Bethlehem is over for this Christmas season.

Overall this event is wonderful, free, and like I mention celebrates the real reason for the season. Only advice - dress WARM dress very warm!

Boyden Valley Wine Tour & Tasting

My wife, oldest daughter, and I visited Boyden Valley Wine Factory in Cambridge VT. This location is located in a pristine location of Northern Vermont with large fields all around surrounded by scenic mountains. It takes about 30-40 minutes to travel from Burlington, VT.

The tour is free and takes about 10-15 minutes to complete. The tour takes place in the basement of the main store. The tour guide describes the process of fermenting the wines in the oak barrels and stainless steel barrels (which 15 years ago was used for milk). The tour guide gave us descriptions of the fruit and grapes wines and show you their bottling plant machine, which to me didn't seem very big but can bottle up to 1000 wines per hour (I may have this number wrong but it was impressive). Most of the grapes for the wine is grown on their farm (and the vineyards are close by). Some grapes are imported from PA and other farms in VT. The tour is nice and informative but think it could be refined or retooled to describe the process from harvest to bottling. When we arrived they were had a bit vat of cranberrys fermeting for their cranberry wine (which was cool to see). The tour guide correctly answered all the tough questions from my NECI student (daughter) had for them.



Also at Boyden Valley you can spend $6 to sample a variety of wines. They start off with the white wines. My wife and I enjoyed the Cow Tipper wine which is a dry Riesling and my daughter liked this as well (even though she is not a fan of this type of wine). I like the Seyval Blanc but the girls didn't. This is a Sauvignon Blanc wine with grapes grown from PA. The Glogg wine is a red wine and is best served warm (designed to warm you up after a day after skiing). We tried a variety of fruit wines. I liked the Blueberry the best. The cranberry wine would definately go good with Thanksgiving dinner.

We tried the Ice wines where the grapes are crushed after they are frozen. These types are wines are popular in Northern regions including Canada. Workers wait for the first real frost in VT and capture the grapes. The wine is more fruity and tends to have more alcohol content and more residual sugar (also to me it seems to be thicker and sweeter). Both my daughter and I thought the Vermont Ice Red tasted more like cough medicine. However both girls really enjoyed the Vermont Ice which is made from Le Crescent grapes.

To end the our we tried the new Vermont Ice Apple Creme. This is not a wine but similar to an Irish Creme! Yum! Yum! We bought a bottle to enjoy over the holiday season. It may be available at your local NH Liquor outlet soon but will be more difficult to get into Mass. Also your glass that you sample comes with the wine tasting fee so we have two cool new glasses to remember our visit and to enjoy our wine that we bought.

Boyden Valley Web site

Campmor's Tip #13

On Twitter Campmor stated:

Camping Tip #13. Dress in layers. As the temp rises or falls, you will be able to remain comfortable by adding or removing layers.

Camping Tip #13

Boy is this true during winter and fall camping...

I start with a T-shirt, Long Sleeve shirt, Sweatshirt, second sweat shirt, coat, etc. Lots of socks too! It may be COLD outside but nice and toasty in the camper :->

For summer camping I suggested the following:

@Campmor - how about camping tip #13A - bring lots & lots of T shirts when hot; its gross but I sweat through them (and enjoy "the change")