Visiting Oma ...

July 14, 2014

It was great to have the grandchildren ... visit with Oma ...

they were invited for lunch ...

and spend a few hours with her ...

 while Mike & I had some business to take care of ...

Later in the day ... Grandpa and James continued to work on the Lemonade stand ...

and then Craig helped with removing the body of the VW ...

pushing the chassis out ...

so they could drive the flat deck trailer in to take the car body away ...

James and Ella cruising around the deck on the little bike and skateboard ... !!!

Another wonderful day ... !!!

Produce and Fish ...

July 27 & 28, 2014

Going into the garden to pick on Sunday ... started to process them ...

froze them overnight and packaged them up ...

in vacuum sealer bags today ...

Also picked raspberries on Sunday ... 

all these just from one side of 4 raspberry bushes ...

still have the rest of this side then the whole other side to pick ...

We decided since it has been so busy around here ...

that we would go fishing early in the morning ...

just after 3 hours ... we had our limit ...

even though it was really rough waters and overcast today ...

the fish were still biting ...

the weather did improve in the afternoon ...

 clouds moving on and the sun appearing ... 

headed home to clean and package up the fish ...

once again in vacuum sealed bags ... ready for the freezer ...

Since I was on a roll ... busy in the kitchen ...

I decided to continue with making Raspberry Jam ...

with the berries that I had picked the day before ...

Think I have done enough the last couple days ...

time to sit back and relax for the evening ...

I'll be heading back into the garden to pick more produce tomorrow ... !!!!

Nixon's New Ride ...

Nixon was getting to big for his other bike ...

so this is his new pedal bike ...

interested to hear how he is doing using the pedals ...

just love his spiky bike helmut ...

Daigen and Nixon sharing time together ...

with their new Peppa Pig Playhouse ...

they both love that show ...

Nice to see them playing together ... !!!

Fishing on Lake Koocanusa ...

July 13, 2014

We were up early ... had our breakfast and were on the road to go fishing ...

as soon as the first rod was put out ...

we had a fish ...

Each of the kids took turns ... catching ... reeling in and bonking the fish ...

The kids were so excited each time a fish was caught ...

Craig and Ella were getting a little hot ...

so they sat on the back of the boat  ...

dangling there legs in the water ...

The kids really wanted to go for a swim ...

out in the middle of the lake ...

so Grandpa stopped the boat ...

and the four of them jumped into the water to cool off ...

Once they were all in the boat ...

it was time to head to the island ... and have our picnic lunch ...

it also gave them time to play in the sand ... 

and finding an old waterlogged burnt log to ride ...

They loved playing in the sand ...

each of them taking turns ... to be buried in it ...

so before going back in the boat ... they had to rinse out their swimsuits ...

Craig decided to have a little rest ...

while James and Ella ...

helped Grandpa clean the fish ...

In no time at all ...

we had our limit of fish caught ...

this gave us the opportunity to fire up the big motor ...

to cruise up and down the lake ....

the kids loved going fast and going over the waves from other boats ...

We had a wonderful day at the lake ... !!!

Angel In Heaven ...

July 21, 2014

Our thoughts and prayers are with the family at this time ...

Teresa was so special to us ...

she will be missed ...

our memories of her will live on ...

A Day At Home ...

July 12, 2014

It has been extremely busy and hot around here ...

so today we decided to have a stay at home day ...

in the afternoon ...

when it was too hot to be outside ... the kids wanted to build a fort inside ...

they had so much fun ...

and it kept the occupied for quite a while ...

Later on they went outside to the shop ...

and James was busy ...

building a lemonade stand ...

(with Grandpa's help of course)

James did the measuring and sawing ... then Grandpa used the nailing gun ...

to put the first of the pieces together ...

Mike continued to work on the VW ...

Ella was giving him a hand ...

glad she was wearing hearing protection ...

when Grandpa used the nailing gun on the lemonade stand ...

Off To The Beach ...

July 11, 2014

Mike and I decided we would venture down to Saunders Beach ...

to let the kids play and go swimming ...

and also for us to a check out Lake Koocanusa for Kokanee fishing ...

Craig was busy digging a hole to secure the umbrella pole ...

he did a great job ...

James & Ella were busy searching for unique little rocks ...

hidden under the water ... 

We were surprised to see our friend Sarah ... who lives in Fernie ...

having a wonderful visit ...

then grandpa found a crayfish ...

and called the kids over to have a look ...

Sarah also showed the kids ...

 how to pet them and put them to sleep ...

Grandpa took the boys on a hike around the lake ...

to see the painted turtles ... fish and other interesting things ...

it took them 2 hours to do the hike ... 

only because they stopped so often to check things out ...

Ella and I stayed and played on the beach ... and in the water ...

waiting for the guys to come back ...

One last swim with Grandpa ... Ella way out in the water ...

and Craig diving into the water off the dock ...

then after stopping in at the Jaffray Pub ... for pizza ...

we to the store down the road ...

to get an ice cream cone for dessert ... !!!

It was a wonderful day out at the park ... !!!

Packed Day Of Activities ....

July 10, 2014

Wonders of nature ...

butterflies all around ... kids able to catch and hold them ...

Oma and Kurt came for a quick visit ...

had to check out the tree fort  ...

and then go down to the garden ... admiring the produce that was growing ...

and snitching a few pea pods and raspberries ...

The kids decided it was going to be a bonfire ...

roast hot dog day ...

James wanted to learn how to use the chair saw ...

to cut logs for the fire pit ...

He did a great job ... with Grandpas guidance ...

Fire started ... lots of hot coals ...

for cooking the hot dogs on the whittled sticks ...

AND for dessert ...

I made their favourite cake ....

Crazy Cake ... with lots of icing and sprinkles ...

It was a great evening ... just hanging out ... !!!

Let The Work Begin ...

July 10, 2014

After breakfast ... it was time to go work on the VW ...

now that the tires were put back on ...

the crew were able to push the VW into the shop ...

This is going to be a huge project ... 

even trying to find a place to put the hoist arms was difficult ...

as the floor of the VW is completely rusted out ...

Grandpa and Craig managed to work together ...

and eventually the VW was hoisted  up into the air ...

for them to get a closer look at how they were going ...

to remove the body from the chassis..

While the guys were busy in the shop ...

Ella was giving me a hand in the house ...

helping with the laundry ... putting dirty clothes in ... taking clean clothes out ...

then handing the clothespins to me ...

to hang them on the line ...

Once the laundry was hung out on the line ...

it was time to venture down ...

to the garden ...

to pick a few strawberries ...

 and other vegetables needed for our evening meal ...

All in all it was a very productive busy day ...

Thanks to our 3 big (little) helpers ... !!!

Time To Rescue the VW ...

July 9, 2014

Craig is bound and determined ...

to resurrect my sister's VW ...

which has been a project of Mike's to do ...

once he had time to work on it ...

Well it seems ... NOW ... is the time ... !!!

First of all ... they needed to find tires that would fit the rims of the VW ...

the tires were found in the pile out behind the shop ...

Grandpa and Craig switched them over ... only to find that those tires had a small pin hole in them ...

they decided these tires were still better than the flattened ones ...

as long as they would hold the air in them ...

until the VW was in the shop ...

and put on the hoist ...

You can see how busy James and Ella were ... TV and snacks ... lol 

After a busy day of work ...

it was time to chill out ...

with watching a movie and popcorn ...

I had remembered that we still had the manual for the VW ...

on the book shelf ...

Grandpa and Craig searched for more information on the computer ...

on how to remove the car body from the chassis ...

This was on the project for the next day ... !!!!

Picking Up the Grandchildren ...

July 7 & 8 , 2014

It's been a couple of crazy days ...

since we picked up the kids from their journey from Mexico back home ...

first thing was for the boys to get haircuts ...

some shopping ... packing up the toys ...

travelling back to BC ...

stopping at DQ for dinner ... which was quite the ritual ...

as each one of us wanted something different ...

I mean really different  ... James wanted McD's ... Craig A&W burgers ...

so we decided to get them and have our dinner in one spot ...

with all of us wanting a  DQ ice-cream ...

(yes and we did tell them this would be the last time we were having a buffet all over town ... )

Finally arriving at the house ...

first things ...

were getting the toys up and running ...

Oh NO ... !!!

Grandpa forgot the keys for the quad and dirt bike ...

but ... no worries ...

 Grandpa was able to get them started ... and we contacted Katie to mail the keys ...

After riding around for a bit ... it was time to jump in the pool ...

then heading in for bedtime snacks ...

and slumberland ...

zzzzzzzzzzzzzz

A Faire Day ...

July 5 & 6, 2014

It was a great weekend ...

going to see Dagmar ... at the Kootenay Vintage Faire ...

in Nelson, BC

There were many beautiful and interesting displays ...

I was so pleased to see Dagmar ...

it had been almost a year since I had travelled to Kelowna for a visit ...

I finally had the pleasure of meeting ... in person... her dear friend Cindy ...

The two of them had shared this booth ...

to sell some of their treasures ...

I had looked around at quite a few things of interest ...

and saw this Pancake dispenser ...

I thought it would be perfect for our outdoor grill to make pancakes ...

for the gang ...

I had not noticed these little Corn Skewers until someone had picked them up ...

as there wasn't a price on it ... Dagmar needed to contact Cindy ...

the lady interested in them was going to come back the next day ...

in the meantime ... I had mentioned that I would love to have them ...

apparently the lady did not show up ... so Cindy was so kind to save them for me ...

I also mentioned that I once had a little rolling pin as well ... in conversation ... 

was so delighted when Dagmar sent me the picture of the skewers and the rolling pin ...

from Cindy ...

to be delivered to in August when Dagmar travels east for a visit ...

Thank you both Dagmar and Cindy ... I love them ... !!!

It was an extremely hot ... humid day ...

so while the girls were busy at the Faire ...

I decided to head down to Kootenay Lake ... for a walk by the water ...

dipping in my feet to cool off ...

a beautiful place to relax ...

Dagmar was surprised to see her sister Caroline and her husband ... 

travelling over for a visit ... 

Dagmar and I spent some time with them at their campsite ...

I had the pleasure of staying with Dagmar ...

at Cindy's little cabin and Cabana on the lake ...

we sat out on the deck in the early morning ...

with our coffees ... enjoying the quietness and the beautiful view ... 

After our breakfast and visit ...

it was time to head home ...

I decided to take the Balfour Ferry across the lake ... instead of the Kootenay Pass again ...

as I drove ahead to the line-up at the Ferry terminal ...

I was surprised to see Caroline and Larry ...

parked right in front of me ...

we had a great visit ... enjoying a cup of coffee and fresh Cinnamon Buns ...

before we were off ...

sailing across the beautiful lake ...

I had an awesome weekend ... !!!!