I’m pretty excited about progress this summer. FYI the front of the house was done summer 2007 (not counting the trim). This year we have managed (so far) to get the back of the house done (not counting the trim). On the whole I’m not overly concerned about the sides as they are virtually invisible to the street or back lane. And the trim is going to be white anyways – so mostly we are almost there!
Between all the travel we have managed to spend a little time at home and the lake enjoying summertime. Uncle Matt comes and goes now and then. Biking with the Chariot has been great. Aunt Mary has been out kayaking with us a couple times now. Cousin Jasmine is always willing to come out and play too! And most fun of all – Thomas went for his first Laser Sailboat ride! Good Times!
Mid July we headed East again 8 hours to Friendly Manitoba…The Canola was in full bloom. For those who have always wondered…canola is what I work on.
Arriving in Winnipeg we stayed at Grandpa and Grandma Marianne’s house. Grandpa had set up a whole trolley system for the jolly jumper so that Nathaniel could jump from one side of the house to the other…WooHoo! We drove 5 minutes out to LaBarriere Park and flew the kite. It didn’t take long for Grandpa to get right into it! The weather was a bit rainy early on so we opted to visit the MB Children’s Museum one day.
The trip was mainly about seeing old friends. Michelle Annandale and husband Bob had us over for a delicious Spanish meal, including a side of hot dogs for Thomas! Yummy all around. A day later we drove an hour north to Clandeboy MB to Roberta Brown’s Wedding. It was a lovely affair out of doors. One notable moment during the ceremony – vows were being said and the cameras were clicking away and suddenly Thomas starts yelling ‘I want to take pictures of ME! I want to take pictures of ME’. So it goes. I made a quilt for Roberta’s special day.
The end of the trip saw visits with old sailing buddies. Laurel Snyder, and Robin Campbell out in Clearwater Bay. Oddly Laurel and Robin and I all had babies within 3 weeks of each other this past winter – which made for a busy visit! Nathaniel hit it off well with 3 week older Aneira, while Thomas and 3 month older Kiri had a blast in the boats. The last day of our visit was spent with Sharlene Telles-Langdon and family. The cannelloni were to die for, however amidst the chaos of the day – cameras were forgotten…next time!
Upon our return from the East in Late May, with the brand new Toyota Sienna in hand, we spent 3 weeks in Sask reorganizing and then hit the road West again aiming for Vancouver Island. First stop was the Dinosaur Museum in Drumheller, AB. Thomas was impressed, but later when asked if he liked it, admitted he found it a ‘bit scary’. Click on the thumbnail to see a full size version of the picture.
We opted to take it slow and camp our way through the mountains via Calgary (where a brief stop at the US Embassy saw Nathaniel officially become and American Citizen). Some of the camp sites we hit included – Lake Louise, Herald PP (Near Salmon Arm) and Paul Lake PP (near Kamloops). They were all lovely locals and we did manage a few short ‘hikes’ (strolls). While Thomas loved it all, the weather was generally less than favorable.
Upon descending into the Fraser Valley our first stop was Lory Senft’s place in Chilliwack. Turns out her daughter Isabella and Thomas had more than a few things in common (love of motorcycles, runner bikes, swings and slides!!) and good times were had by all. From there it was 20 minutes further West to Abbotsford for a visit on Sunny Slope with ‘Great’ Grandma. Following that we hit the BC ferry scene and hopped over to the island where we visited with Kris Valka and family in Comox.
Further south in Parksville we visited with Grandma and Grandpa John. We spent some good times on the beach, combing for seashells and flying kites. Other highlights included a petting farm where Thomas went on his first pony ride and a wildlife rescue site where bears and eagles were recuperating.
