Garden Time Again ...

August 11, 2016

The beginning of August ... and the garden was exploding ...

with produce that was starting to ripen ...

A new recipe was made ...

with my Kohlrabi ...

a little oil ... salt and pepper ... sprinkled over french fry sliced Kohlrabi ...

then bake in the oven ...

until the Kohlrabi was tender ...

Parmesan cheese was tossed in and bake for a few more minutes ...

until they were golden brown ...

They were delicious ...

perfect for our side dish with dinner ...

October 18, 2016

Today mom came out to hike up ...

to dads quiet ... peaceful resting place ...

It's been 8 years since dads passing ...

We spent time talking about dad ... and the life they had together ...

so many memories and good times ...

Mom & dad ... spent a lot of time at their favourite spot ...

He will be forever in our thoughts ...

and in our loving hearts ...

XOXO

 

VW Motor Assembly ...

August 10, 2016

Mike was busy in the shop ...

the motor reassembly now in progress ...

pedals and carburetor cleaned and painted ...

and new brake lines installed ...

Continuing the assembly of the engine ...

Parts from Brazil do not fit perfectly ...

so adjustments took a bit of time ...

The new flywheel was installed ...

as well as the clutch and pressure plate on the motor ...

The motor was installed back on the pan (chassis) ...

plus the brakes were adjusted ...

and ready for wheels ...

Won't be long now before the tires will be put on ...

and it will be ready to roll out ...

in order for Mike to work on the car body ...

 

32 Rebuild ...

August 20, 2016

Ian continued working on the interior ...

it's been quite a project for him ...

and he loves every minute of it ...

Ian sent the update on the 32 Ford ...

"Finished the firewall and floor supports,cleaned up the wiring and built a bracket for the steering column. Also finished templates for the floor so should have floors any day."

Amazing work Ian ... !!!

 

 

First Day at Preschool ...

August 17, 2016

This is Nixon's first day at the Redd Preschool ...

He spent time here for the summer program ...

Nixon loves all the animals and especially ...

riding the horses ...

It's hard to believe that we are already at this stage ...

in his life ... !!!

After a busy day ...

the boys had a great time at the play centre ...

I sure wouldn't want to mess ...

with that tough little guy Nixon ... !!!

 

Beets & Beans ...

August 9, 2016

The beets were picked ... washed ... pealed ...

and packed into cannon jars to be processed ...

Next on the agenda was to deal with all the beans ...

yellow and green beans ...

packed into jars and ready to be processed as well ....

Canning process completed ...

and ready to be stored in the cold room ... with the other jars of produce ...

The shelves are filling up ...

to be enjoyed thru the cold winter season ... !!!

 

Down to the Garden ...

August 7, 2016

Today we were heading down to the garden ...

I wanted to check out the potato boxes ...

to see how the potatoes were growing ... Mike opened up one of the boards ...

and there in front of us ... were a few potatoes ...

They were growing ... !!!

We picked a few and left the rest to continue growing ...

I continued working in the garden ...

so much produce to be gathered ...

Love this time of year ... !!!

This was my first time ...

growing yellow zucchini ...

They are ready to be picked ... the apples are ripening nicely ...

and the spaghetti squash are getting bigger too ...

What a difference a few hours make ...

a beautiful clear sunny morning ...

turned to a cloudy dark sky with a torrential downpour ...

washing the gravel down the road ...

leaving a large puddle at the bottom of the driveway ...

The rain had stopped ...

and the deer moved into the yard ... to munch of the moist grass ...

I enjoyed watching the fawn ... frolicking around ...

It was time to make dinner ...

tonight we were going to have bread dumplings with baked chicken legs ...

and Oma's homemade Cabbage Salad ... yummy ...!!!

It was quite a day ...

 

 

It's Alive ...

August 6, 2016

Ian had been working hard on Kendall's car ...

the motor installed and ready to be started up ...

Watch the start up ...

Here

This was so exciting ...

it needs some fine tuning ... before it runs smooth ...

next he will be working on the interior ...

 

Heading Out ...

August 3, 2016

We decided to go fishing this day ...

needing a day to relax ...

I thought I would check the Robins' nest ...

only to find that the last egg did not hatch ...

It's amazing where these birds build their nests ...

It was a beautiful day out on the lake ...

plus having another successful fishing day ...

We enjoyed every moment cruising up and down the lake ...

having our picnic lunch on the boat and chillin' ...

 

 

Some Pics from Kendall ...

July 31, 2016

Love all these pictures ...

Nixon all dressed up for his school theme day ...

just check out his muscles ...

Daigen and Kendall taking a selfie in the car ...

on their way to school ...

Nixon having fun jumping in the foam blocks ...

We miss all of you ... hope to see you soon ... !!!

 

Harvesting the Garlic ...

July 30, 2016

Another few hours in the garden ...

picking beans and raspberries ...

a few leeks ... carrots ... and onion to make a soup ...

then a ripe apple to snack on ...

It was time to harvest my garlic ...

I was amazed at how large the bulbs were ...

most of them only had 3 cloves that were the size of 3-4 small ones together ...

Hidden in between the garlic was a potato plant ...

it was dug up for this evenings dinner ...

The garlic will be dried and a few bulbs set aside ...

to be planted in October for next years crop ...

 

 

The Long Wait ...

July 29, 2016

We left our place ... to go meet Nathan in the Crowsnest Pass ...

the timing would be around 4:00pm ...

We were there in plenty of time ...

so we decided to go to the park and let the kids run around ...

after our drive ...

It was a great little park with the swimming pool next door ...

We stayed for a while ... waiting ... we finally heard from Nathan ...

he was stuck in traffic on #22 Hwy ....

quite a distance from the turnoff and did not understand why ...

We then had heard that there had been an accident on the #3 Hwy ...

a semi had overturned and was in the ditch by the weigh scales ...

We contacted Nathan and told him what had happened ...

we then decided to go for dinner and wait for him there ...

Over 2 hours had passed and finally Nathan arrived ... we did not visit very long ...

he had to get back home as he was heading out of town ...

After saying our goodbyes ... Mike and I were on our way home ...

 

Another Fun Weekend ...

July 25, 2016

The grandchildren came back to BC with us ...

The first thing they did when they arrived at the house ...

was to check on the robin eggs (first picture was taken on July 13) ...

the kids were so excited to see that two had hatched ...

We kept checking for a couple days ...

and the third egg did not hatch ...

A trip to the garden to pick one garlic plant ...

this bulb only had 3 extra large cloves ...

After dinner the kids wanted their banana split ice cream ...

James was surprised to see a spoonful of cookie dough ...

that looked like a goat ...

July 26 & 27, 2016

Since a town trip was needed on this Tuesday ...

to pick up a few groceries ... we decided to go to an afternoon matinee at the movies ...

to see the "Secret Life of Pets" ...

 

The next day ...

we went down to the garden to gather some produce for our evening meal ...

It was great that the kids wanted to help ...

Ella saw the marshmallows and Rice Krispies ...

and wanted to make squares ...

With a little guidance she was on her way ...

measuring the ingredients ... buttering the pan ...

and putting the marshmallows into the pan ...

The marshmallows melted ... vanilla added ... and the Rice Krispies mixed in ...

then the mixture was poured into the pan ...

and with lightly buttered hands ...

it was spread and pressed down to fill the pan ...

and it wouldn't be complete without a few sprinkles put on the top ...

A job well done ... !!!

After dinner ... James was first in line ...

to have a taste of the Rice Krispies Squares ...

then off for a swim and a soak in the hot tub ...

on their last night here at Grandmas and Grandpas ...

 

 

Robert's Family Arrive ...

July 23, 2016

Mike and I drove to Alberta for the weekend ...

Jake and his family arrived this night ...

to spend the weekend visiting Nathan and his family ...

It's a good thing I made a batch of spaghetti sauce for dinner ...

these girls were starving ...

Craig ... James ... Ella and a friend ...

were having their dessert on the deck ...

while Jake and Maren were tucking the girls into bed ...

 

July 24, 2016

Sunday morning and it was decided that we would take the children to the zoo ...

The first stop was seeing the penguins ...

So many animals to see ...

We took a break and listened to the talk about tigers ...

and watched the trainer work with this tiger ...

Then off once again touring the grounds ...

By now the little legs were getting tired ...

and the bellies were growling ...

It was lunch time ...

stopping at the picnic area ... enjoying our meals ...

The girls decided it was the perfect place to practise doing their cartwheels ...

Craig and James were trying to help Ellie ...

After lunch ...

we went to the Butterfly Conservatory ...

The butterflies gently float between the flowers ...

landing on them ...

absorbing the warmth and energy from the sunlight ... to give them flight ...

It was a thrill for the kids when some of the butterflies landed on them ...

It was a truly beautiful peaceful place ...

Ella relaxing by the garden beds ...

waiting for all of us to head to the next area ...

Checking out the monkeys ... reptiles and lions ...

Ellie had enough of sitting in the stroller ... so ...

Craig decided to take a break and sit in the stroller ...

Ellie thought it was great and started to push the stroller ...

with a little help from daddy ...

We were headed to the ice cream shop ...

for another break ...

All these little (and big) legs could use a rest ...

Ice cream is always a delicious treat ... !!!

It was time to get up and get going ...

the sugar-high had kicked in ...

We still had about another hour of walking thru ...

the forested pathways of the Canadian Wilds exhibit ...

We were fortunate to see the grizzly and black bears ... cougars ...

bison ... bighorn sheep and mountain goats ... wolves ... eagles ... owls ...

These are all animals that reside in the beautiful ... unspoiled wilderness ...

which includes the prairies ... sub-alpine forests ...

and Rocky Mountains ...

We then arrived at the starting point ...

stopping to make sure everyone used the washroom facilities before

heading back to the house ...

Ellie spending this time with daddy ... and the giant Penguin ...

The kids were gathered ... on the couch ...

taking a few minutes to play on the iPad ...

before dinner was served ...

Jake and Maren had tucked the girls into bed ...

then came out on the deck to kick back and relax ...

Jake fooling around with the boys ...

not quite sure why he was tossing Craig around ...

(perhaps needing to do a few arm curls) ...

It looked like they were having fun anyways ...

It was getting late ...

Maren figured she should get a good night's sleep ...

as they were heading out early in the morning ...

on to their next adventure ... camping in the parks ...

The guys were still visiting ... all the kids had gone to bed ...

I heard the guys mention that they needed a snack ...

so I figured the one sure way that they would eat and then go to sleep ...

was to make the traditional "Grillers" ...

Jake had mentioned not to let Maren know ...

that I had made "Grillers" ...

This would not make her very happy ...

as she loves them as much as the guys do ...

We had so much fun this weekend ... !!!!

The next morning ... at breakfast ...

Jake couldn't keep it from Maren ... he had to tell her ...

(it was a mean thing to do) ...

I wish I could have gotten a picture ...

with the look of disappointment on her face ...

I'm so sorry Maren ...

I promise to make "Grillers" ...

when you come to our house in a couple weeks for a few days ...

after Jake returns home to go to work ...