A Rollercoaster of a Different Kind: Adventures in Copper Economics for the Young Enthusiast

The last quarter of 2008 saw a devastating crash in the price of copper, coinciding with financial crises both in the US and in many other parts of the world. Starting in September the price of copper fell from above US$4 a pound to around $1.25 by the end of the year. In Novmber there were layoffs at our mine, followed by even more layoffs in the week before Christmas. For a small, close-knit community like ours it has been acutely felt. Conversations used to start with, "So, how are you doing?" but now it's, "So, are you still working?" The price of copper is on everyone's minds and we are hoping and praying that we will be lucky enough to get to stay on here for at least a while longer and continue our American adventure, at least until the end of our current visa (another 2 years). Fingers crossed and see how it goes.

California Dreaming Part 2

In early November we again made the pilgrimage west to California, this time with Mum on board, to revisit Disneyland and Legoland. For Mum it was very special to be able to share the magic and excitement of both those parks with her only grandchild. I wasn't sure if I would ever make it to Disneyland once in my lifetime, and now we've been twice in 6 months! In some ways it was much better to visit in November than in June (the height of summer); the crowds were much less and the wait for many of the rides was almost non-existent (except for the Nemo Submarine ride - N's favourite, of course - the wait for which was still extremely long, and no Fast Pass available) plus this November the weather was still warm and sunny so it really was very pleasant.

Disneyland was just as much fun to visit a second time and having been before we knew what we really wanted to see and do, and what to avoid, which helped to save a lot of time. Mum went on some rides that I hadn't really thought she would want to try - but once on the Pirates of the Caribbean was enough for her! Funnily enough, for someone who doesn't like heights or flying, the Soaring Over California ride was her favourite (if you don't know it, it's a simulator-style ride in which you sit in suspended seats in front of an IMAX-type movie screen, and it looks and feels like you really are flying over a whole bunch of California landmarks and scenic areas)!

Legoland was a hit again with our resident Lego fanatic. This time we went for 2 days, by the end of which we had seen absolutely everything at least a few times. The water park and some of the rides were closed for the winter but there was still a lot to keep everyone occupied and entertained. Legoland's new aquarium hadn't opened yet when we last visited so that added some variety and satisfied our junior marine biologist's thirst for all things sharky.

Given the expense and our plans for travel to Australia this year, I think it will be a while before we make it back to Disneyland again. But you should never say never...

Amusing Questions We Have Been Asked - Part 6 in an Occasional Series

"What is Santa Claus called in Australia?"

It's OK, it's a Corral - a weekend in Tombstone

At the end of September my mother came to visit us from New Zealand for 7 weeks. It was fantastic to have her here and for her to spend some time with N in particular (her only grandchild). One fun (long!) weekend trip we did while Mum was here was to visit Tombstone in southern Arizona. From Bagdad it was a 6-hour drive so it's almost as far away as California, and a very long way to go just for the weekend! Our visit coincided with the 117th anniversary of the gunfight at the OK Corral so that was as good an excuse as any to make the drive south and check it out.

We watched a re-enactment of the famous shootout (during which my cell phone, which almost NEVER rings, and which of course I had forgotten to turn off, rang - thanks Wendy!) and checked out some of the old saloons and historic buildings. It must have been a really wild place in the early 1880's. There are some fascinating stories and some very old buildings to explore.

Tombstone gave us our own funny story to take home. We were exploring the Bird Cage Theatre, a very famous Tombstone theatre that had closed exactly as it was in the late 1800's and wasn't opened again for decades. It is commonly held that the Bird Cage Theatre (and many other Tombstone buildings) is haunted by several ghosts. Walking around the ancient theatre and seeing the furnishings, curtains and furniture in its original condition, it's easy to believe that it could be true. Before we went to Tombstone we had told N that Tombstone is a cowboy town and to get the most out of the experience he insisted on wearing his checkered shirt, cowboy hat (from the 4th July parade) and jeans all weekend. So when he walked around he looked like a little cowboy, and fit in very well (especially since it was the anniversary of the shootout at OK Corral, there were lots of people in Tombstone dressed in period costume). So we were walking around in the Bird Cage Theatre, taking it all in. The theatre is split-level, and stairs lead to the lower level which is just behind the stage. While we were there, another group of visitors was walking around in the lower level. From the upper level N noticed a small window covered with mesh that allowed a view of the lower area, so he knelt down to have a look (the window was just above the floor). At the same moment that he put his face to the window, a boy on the lower level looked up, saw what he took to be the ghost of a small cowboy looking back at him from the window, and nearly jumped out of his skin. It was just so funny, N really had this boy scared and thinking that he'd seen a real ghost. Check out this link if you want to find out more about the real ghosts and some more historic information about Tombstone:

http://www.legendsofamerica.com/AZ-TombstoneGhosts.html

One thing that I really wanted to do when we visited Tombstone was to go to the Boothill Cemetary and pay my respects to Lester Moore. His must be one of the most well-known epitaphs in the world (see the photo above) and it really strikes a chord with my sense of humour. The first few years of the 1880's must have been a bumper year for the Tombstone undertaker as it seemed like almost the whole cemetary was filled in 1881 and 1882. Many of the headstones tell how the person buried there had died, and so many of them had been killed in one dispute or another, or had been shot by someone who had not long afterwards been shot by someone else, and there they all were in the cemetary together. That was how they settled arguments in those days: whoever was left standing was the winner.

This Dump is a Place

At the beginning of August we were given the opportunity to move into a different house, on top of a hill overlooking Bagdad. This was a privilege that we thought might not come along again in a hurry, and wanting to get away from the microscope in the middle of town, soon accepted. It's a smaller house than where we had been previously living, and there's a lot of wildlife around which we really like. But the house has one feature that as I like to say, "you don't find everywhere": the backyard has an unobstructed view of one of the mine's waste dumps. When I first started telling people that we were moving to the top of the hill, several of them laughed because they knew how close the house is to the dump. But then someone said something to me that I thought was pretty smart: when they look out the window and see the waste dump, they don't see something ugly. They see a reminder that they are employed and can provide for their family, which I think is absolutely right!

California Dreaming - Part 1

In mid-June we hit the road with friends and made the journey south to California for the first time. We had a very busy, fun-filled week of theme parks, sightseeing and our first visit to the ocean in just over a year.

The thing that struck me immediately about California was the air. Almost as soon as we crossed the border, the smog seemed to hang in the air. Soon after entering California we drove past a huge wind farm of giant turbines. California has set many precedents for making progressive environmental laws aimed at reducing vehicle emissions and developing "green" energy projects, and it seems like they certainly have their work cut out for them to make it a success.

About 6.5 hours from home we arrived at Anaheim where we spent 3 amazing days at Disneyland. We stayed across the road from Disneyland so we just had a short walk to get to the park each day. June of course is mid-summer, the middle of the school holidays, so we couldn't have picked a busier time to visit the world's favourite playground, but it was definitely well-worth going. We had been warned to expect long lines of waiting for rides, and that was certainly true. Lucky for us, our friends had been to Disneyland before, so they could tell us things to avoid and things not to be missed. I went on my first and last rollercoaster: the Matterhorn. At first glance, it didn't look too bad. No loops, inversions or other crazy stuff, just riding round and round a track inside a fake mountain. My optimism soon disappeared as we turned the first corner on the ride: from then on I shut my eyes, hung on and hoped I wouldn't die. Of course N went willingly onto it too, not knowing what a rollercoaster was and just trusting Mum and Dad - he seemed to be fine at the time (he sat with P) but afterwards was suspicious of almost every ride. Our favourite rides were the Nemo Submarine (we managed to go on it every day, in spite of the wait of more than an hour), Pirates of the Caribbean, the haunted mansion, Soaring Over California, Grizzly River Rapids (I think that's what it's called; it's a raft ride at California Adventure) also the It's Hard to Be a Bug 4D show which had N screaming in terror - he screamed through every 4D show we went to (3 in all), even the Muppets in 3D was too terrifying for him. There is so much to see and do at Disneyland that it's easy to spend 3 days there and still not see everything. It was better than I had imagined and as much fun for adults as it was for the children.

After Disneyland we drove south to San Diego where we spent a long-awaited afternoon at the beach. We hadn't seen the beach since we left Queensland in April last year so it was quite a thrill to be able to kick our shoes off and walk on the sand. I would like to be able to say that the water was crystal clear and warm as bath water, but I'd be lying - even in the middle of summer the water was freezing. That didn't stop N from getting into it, although after getting dumped by a big wave soon after going into the water, he spent a long time wrapped up in his towel, just sitting on the sand. After 3 super-long days at The Happiest Place on Earth, it was very nice to be able to just relax and kick back for a little while.

What I liked the best about San Diego was the seafood. We made a point of eating seafood each night we were there, because in land-locked Bagdad, fresh seafood just isn't something that we can easily get. The nicest place we ate at was King's Fish House - easily the best seafood I've eaten in quite a long time. Happy days.

Our next objective in San Diego was Legoland. Legoland made the biggest impression on N, who is a die-hard Lego fanatic. Of the three parks Legoland is the most hands-on with lots of practical, "kid-powered" activities, which we all enjoyed. There are cars that kids can drive themselves, fire engine races, a huge water park, and of course, tons of Lego - blocks to build with, and some amazing models. Minitown USA is a fantastic park full of miniature Lego versions of lots of famous American landmarks: New York City, Las Vegas, New Orleans, Daytona, and so many more. As well as the models and activities there are lots of theme park-style rides, and even a rollercoaster or two. Of the three parks, N loved Legoland the best.

After Legoland we spent a day at SeaWorld, the last stop on our holiday. The highlight of SeaWorld was the orca show, which fortunately we saw AFTER the dolphin show. A word to the wise: while it might seem great to sit 2 rows from the front at the dolphin show, those seats are definitely NOT the best in the house. Those very naughty dolphins are trained to line up their tail flukes and DRENCH people with water, which they do very well! Not just once but several times, they stopped right in front of us, raised their tails and let us have it! N was lucky and could change into spare clothes afterwards but the rest of us had to just walk around in the sun until our clothes could dry out, but underwear and socks stayed wet the rest of the day - there was a plus-side to going there in summer after all! At the Shamu (orca) show were were smarter and made sure that we sat well outside the "splash zone" - we learned our lesson!

I guess that SeaWorld is competing for its share of the theme park market, because as well as the animal exhibits, there are plenty of amusement rides and activities for children. I had expected the focus to be more on the animals but it was definitely on tourist dollars, souvenirs, games and rides for children. Of course, SeaWorld also has a rollercoaster (Journey to Atlantis). Not for this little blue duck!

ConGRADulations!

At the end of May the school year ended and N "graduated" from his preschool class. There was a special ceremony on the last day of school. A large number of friends and family were there and the graduates all wore special felt mortarboard hats and received "diplomas" from their teacher. The class recited the alphabet, numbers and colours and sang songs. N loved going to school but he was very glad to be "never going to preschool again". He is very proud to be becoming a Big Boy. He will have to wait until August next year before he can start Big School.

About a week after N's graduation we were invited to the high school graduation of my boss's son from Bagdad High School. We had never been to a high school graduation before and it was quite an "educational" experience. This year's graduating class had 22 students, apparently that is a big class (a year or two ago, only 11 students graduated) for Bagdad. The graduates wear a mortarboard and gown in the school colours (blue and white) so that is very different to Australia or New Zealand. It is traditional to give money as a gift to the graduates, so if you are invited to a graduation ceremony or post-ceremony celebration, it's customary to give a gift of money inside a congratulatory card. After the graduation ceremony at the high school, the graduates and a group of supervisory adults (parents) go into "lock-down", which this year was held at the Bagdad community campus. The students and their chaperones are locked inside the building and must stay there all night, only to be released early in the morning. If they manage to stay awake all night, they receive gifts and prizes (for example, vouchers towards college fees, I-Pods, lamps and other furniture items that they might need for their college dorm rooms, etc, all of which has been fundraised for during the year by the school booster club). College fees are very expensive (some things are the same the world over) so I guess that might be why the gift of money for high school graduates has become a tradition.