2010 Olympics, Vancouver!

This morning we got up early and mobilized to get a group of 10 into Vancouver before the throngs of people that were projected to be there.

But first, let me back up and say that Don drove to Seattle yesterday afternoon to pick up Nathan, who flew in from Cordova for his 2-week holiday! They didn't get home until midnight, so we already had some tired people in the house.

So, after the prerequisite coffee Don and I started making a crepe breakfast complete with strawberries, cherries, and whipped cream. Dylan went to pick up Haley and Nathan went to pick up Naylene, a long-time family friend from 4-H who has been keeping in touch with Nathan recently. Everyone had their fill of crepes, we did a quick clean up, and then packed our backpacks with lunches and snacks for the day.

We were on the road by 9:15 and drove out to Surrey to catch the Sky Train into Vancouver. The Littles had never taken public transit so even that was quite an experience. The big kids, as you can see, were very helpful keeping the Littles corralled on the Sky Train and in the city.

We got off the Sky Train very close to the cauldron, and called Darlene, who was going to meet us there. On the way down to the torch, we saw this lovely eagle, and then we saw many others, but I didn't stop to photograph them. I'm assuming they'll be here past the Olympics, so there'll be other photo ops.

Here we are at the Cauldron. There are some other pics on Nathan's and Naylene's cameras.

The Murphy Clan.

All the kids with Darlene.

Sean, Nathan, and Jordyn with the communal sunglasses.

The Murphy Clan Jr.

Naylene and Nathan.

The Cauldron. I'm sure there are MUCH better pictures on the internet : )

After taking our torch portraits and visiting the washrooms, we walked around a bit as a big group.

But by noon the gold-medal game was beginning and the teenagers were interested in finding a big screen to watch it on. They are still there, having a great time I hope!

Darlene went with us and the Littles for more of a walk and we visited the North House, a gallery of life in the Northwest Territories. From there, Don and I took the Littles back on the Sky Train and we got home just in time to watch the end of the game to see the Canadians take the gold. I'm sure the kids are in the middle of pandemonium right now : )