Kimler Adventure Pages (http://randsco.com)

A classic Norman Rockwell moment, as Alex takes her ceramic piggy bank down to our local credit union "Island Savings" and opens her very first bank account. At age six, our girl is learning how to save her money! She deposited $54.40 in coins.

Alex's Opens Her First Bank Account - Chooses Island Savings Credit Union

It was classic Norman Rockwell. A six-year-old girl holding a ceramic piggy bank, sitting in the lobby of a bank, waiting to open her very first bank account. The girl was none other than our Alex and the bank was the small branch of a local credit union.

Earlier that morning, Alex asked, "Can I get a bank account?" (Since Dad is keen on personal finance - having retired at age 39 and opened his first business when he was 12 - his ears perked up).

Several questions later, it became clear to him that Alex understood the concept of banks (even though she couldn't name all the denominations of coins in her piggy bank).

Alex has a very special piggy bank, one given to her by her God-mother - a beautifully decorated and glazed ceramic pig, complete with Alex's tiny hand-print on it (Alex was two-years-old at the time "Wilber" was made).

That afternoon, Dad drove his 6-year-old daughter to the credit union in Cedar. It was a long visit. She signed multiple forms and it took time to count out her "life-savings".

It was a very big day for Alex and a proud one for her Dad (who was busy taking pictures of the event). The visit brought smiles to the banking staff, whe were very patient with Alex and treated her like a 'big girl' customer. Not every new account holder meets one of the Credit Union Board of Directors, but Alex did! She also learned the difference between tokens, coins and foreign money (as she had a few Pence and U.S. coins).

To learn more about Alex's first account, read on ...

Alex Breaks the Pig

Scott's Mom was honored last night in a gala event held in Washington D.C., where she was given the prestigeous "2009 - Mother of the Year" award, by the National Maternal Society of America. Beyoncé Knowles, British singer Seal and his wife, Heidi Klum, were among those in attendance. The presentation included a pre-recorded message of support, from President Obama. See the CNNBC news video, proudly posted on Randsco.

Marilyn Kimler Recognized as "Mother of the Year"

CNNBC News - Just in time for Mother's Day, the National Maternal Society of America, last night, awarded Marilyn Kimler - my Mom! - the prestigeous and coveted "2009 Mother of the Year" award.

In a star-studded event that included such celebrities as Miley Cyrus, Beyoncé Knowles, British singer Seal and his wife, Heidi Klum, the Master of Ceremonies, Robert Winthrop, presented the Marilyn's award and described her hard work.

"Our recipient's duties also include selflessly contributing 52-hours of every day to people other than herself," he said, to a packed audience.

To see the CNNBC neww video of the event - which also includes a pre-recorded message by President Obama - continue on ...

"You go Mom!" said Scott, during several telephone interviews, last night, with various press agencies, "You rock!"

Mother of the Year Award Presentation

Scott's application for the Tourism Queensland "Island Caretaker" position has been approved and is available for viewing. He's made a quick, holding post on the main blog, with the link. Check it out, if you haven't already. Check it out AGAIN ... if you have!

Queensland Tourism Seeks "Island Caretaker"

You probably heard about this amazing offer during the weather segment of your local news. The weatherman said something like, "How would you like a 'dream job'? Tourism Queensland, is hiring a 'caretaker' for the Islands of the Great Barrier Reef of Australia. It's billed as 'The Best Job in the World'. The successful candidate will live on Hamilton Island for six-months and must be willing to explore the other Great Barrier Reef Islands. The only catch: you must report back on your adventures to a global audience (via weekly blog updates, photo diaries and video snippets).

For consideration of their duties, the successful job applicant is paid $150K (AUS) for their six-months of work, provided with airfare and travel insurance, and will live in a 3-bedroom, ocean-view home (complete with swimming pool, golf cart and a computer with the latest video equipment).

Wow!

 

Scott's "Island Caretaker" Video Approved

It took Rachel thirty minutes to convince Scott that he should apply for the position. After that, it's been "Island Caretaker" nearly 24/7, as he drafted a storyboard for his 60-second video application, re-drafted it, watched competing videos and then finally taped his own, which he uploaded on February 7th. Approximately five days later, he received word that his application had been accepted and was "live" on the IslandReefJob.com website.

Watch the Video!

Scott then told as many friends, family, acquaintences and - embarrassingly enough - complete strangers about his quest to win the job. He'd tell people to, "View my video every day, vote for it twice a day and spread the link around - like you would spread manure!"

Kind of a crappy analogy, don't you think? We did.

Use the mini-menu below to read through a variety of front-page topics about Scott's "Island Caretaker" application. Head to the "latest news" section, to see all the gory detail. (We did warn you that Scott has been living 'down under', from 'way up top' - which has been, for the rest of the family - a little 'over the top'!)

 

Bowron Lakes Canoe Trip: Listed as one of the World's top 10 best wilderness canoe trips, we thought we'd give it a whirl. We dropped Alex off with grandparents in Vancouver and made the 9-hour drive to get to the renown park in central British Columbia. Follow along by reading the journal of our 6-day wilderness experience! (Pics, maps, video, a slide-show and resource section all - eventually - included).

A 6-Day Canoe Adventure in the wild Cariboo Mountains

The Bowron Lake Provincial Park, in central British Columbia, is a wilderness park that encompasses over three hundred thousand acres and contains a world-famous canoe circuit. The circuit includes six major lakes (Indianpoint, Isaac, Lanezi, Sandy, Spectacle and Bowron) and together with several other smaller lakes, streams, rivers and portages, makes up a unique, circular wilderness wetlands route. The circuit is 116 kilometers long (72 mi) and includes a total of 10 kilometers of portages. Most visitors take six or seven days to complete the circuit, though many linger - fishing, relaxing and enjoying the breathtaking beauty of this unique wilderness.

Bowron Lakes - one of the ten best wilderness canoe trips in the World.

- Outside Magazine

The area was classified as a game reserve in 1926, by the British Columbia government, thanks to efforts by Frank Kibbee and Thomas & Eleanor McCabe. In 1961, it was reclassified as a Provincial Park and named after John Bowron, a gold rush pioneer who later became the Commissioner at nearby Barkerville About Barkerville Barkerville is the largest historic site in British Columbia. Founded in 1862, Barkervilles was the "gold capital of BC". Burned down, it was rebuilt, but became a ghost town. It was restored in 1958 for the Provincial centennial and today, remains a town of discovery - a unique streetscape with over 125 heritage buildings, Royal Theater shows, exhibits, stage coach rides, street theater in the summer and unique shops, filled with Victorian-era merchandise. Open all year, the town springs to life in the summer months. Thousands of visitors come from all over the world to travel to this unique attraction. There are mining demonstrations, street interpreters, restaurants, gold panning and other displays. Click the green-shaded word to visit the Barkerville website (should open in a new window).  B.C.'s famous restored gold-rush town.

Both are located in the Cariboo Mountains in central British Columbia and accessed via Highway 26 from Quesnel, to Wells (90 km, or 55.8 mi, via a paved road). The Park can be reached by a secondary road (at this writing, a dirt road) that is another 30 kilometers (18.6 miles). Bowron Lake Provincial Park is - quite literally - at the end of the road.

Join us on our 6-day adventure. The journal is rich in detail and includes many photographs and a short video of a moose grazing. If you're planning your own trip, the slideshow will whet your appetite and the journal will provide some insight about what to expect. We've also included a useful "Resources" section at the end, which may aid in your planning. It includes a detailed contour map, which you can download and use.

For us, the Bowron Lake Canoe adventure is our first canoeing trip, though hardly our first adventure trip. It is also our only adventure trip of the year, without our four-year-old daughter - thanks Gran & Grandpa, for hosting Alex! - and we had an excellent time! Wildlife, scenery, people, paddling and the weather were all outstanding.

Enough preamble ... on with the adventure.

Alex caught her first fish (a rainbow trout), at Nora Lake, while visiting her grandparents in California, during our mid-June holiday. She had great fun fishing and catching her first slippery trout!

Alex Catches Her First Fish at Nora Lake, in Northern California

There's something very special about a kid catching their first fish! Funny though, because the Oop probably won't remember the event, as she's only four and a half. Nope, it's more a memory for the parents and - if your lucky - a great photo opportunity! (Wonder how many family albums contain grinning kids and their prize catch?)

The Oop didn't disappoint, in the photo department. Sporting rather cool-looking purple shades and gripping a decent-sized rainbow trout, Alex proudly showed off her first fish. Grinning gamely, she's gripping it tightly with a washcloth, in order to gain some traction against her slippery catch!

Alex's first fish came during a recent trip to California, with her Dad, to visit her paternal grandparents. The fishing expedition was suggested by Bill and Kitty, friends of the family and it was a huge relief to drive out of the (hot) northern valley and into the hills that surround Mount Lassen.

The weather was cool and the smell of pine trees permeated the air, as we drove past Grace Lake, driving over to nearby Nora Lake. Alex was excited to go fishing and eager to get her mitts on some ' Power Bait What is Power Bait? Powerbait (Berkley Trout Bait) is a moldable fish bait that comes in a small jar. It's effective for catching fish, but boy does it stink! Powerbait comes in a variety of bright colors and also comes as pre-formed nuggets. ', which she wanted to buy when we got home, as she was pretty certain that Tuxedo, our cat, would find it a delicious snack!

To read more about Alex's first fish ... continue on ...

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