Special Cookies ...

Aug 2, 2015

Today it was going to be a baking day ...

I decided to make some gluten free cookies for Daigen ...

his favourite cookies ... gingersnaps and shortbread ...

as well as regular cookies for the other children ...

I wanted to have them all baked before the family arrives from Houston ...

for a holiday at grandmas and grandpas ...

 

Since the oven was already on ...

and with extra company arriving in the next few days ...

figured I might as well continue baking ...

deciding on making Zucchini bread and mini zucchini loaves ...

A taste test was called for ... by me ...

and, I must say the cookies and mini loaf were delicious ... !!!

 

A Beautiful Wedding ...

Aug 1, 2015

Craig, James and Ella ...

came down to the garden to see how the baby Robin was doing ...

before they left for their holiday ...

Mike and I were invited to attend the celebration of marriage ...

of our friends ...

Ramona and Glenn ...

which took place at their home ...

It was a beautiful outdoor country ceremony ...

We were delighted to meet the rest of their families and friends ...

We had a delicious home cooked meal ...

The BBQ pork was absolutely delicious ...

along with all the other dishes ...

After dinner ... we enjoyed goodies from the dessert table ...

the wedding cake was cut ... toasts were made ...

speeches and stories told ...

and a lot of laughter was in the air ...

Once this part of the celebration was finished ...

it was time to get out on the grounds ...

and do some dancing ...

to the music provided by a fun DJ ...

who really got the party hopping ... !!!

We had a wonderful time at this celebration ... !!!

 

 

A Quick Visit ...

July 31, 2015

Nathan and his family arrived to spend the evening with us ...

as they would be heading to Silverwood Amusement Park ...

in Sandpoint, Idaho for the weekend...

We had the pool warmed up and was ready for the gang to go for a swim ...

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

Craig was showing grandpa ...

how he has mastered the Rubik's cube ...

Enjoying the evening ... watching the full moon rise ...

soaking again in the hot tub ...

then sitting by the campfire ...

roasting marshmallows and munching on popcorn ...

A perfect night ... !!!

 

A Day To Ourselves ...

July 30, 2015

Mike and I decided to take a day off from working ...

around the house ...

and head for the lake ... for a day of fishing ...

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

After taking care of the fish ...

I headed to the garden to gather up the garlic bulbs ...

and hang them in the woodshed to dry ...

 

Another Busy Day ...

July 28, 2015

It was time to give the picnic table a new look ...

the old boards were so warped and uneven ...

it was hard to find an area to set a glass down ...

Our beautiful renewed picnic table ...

the cedar boards ... treated ...

should stand up for many years ...

Mike also built a new cover ...

for the sandbox ...

in the playground area for the children ...

I had gone down to the garden ...

and saw that the young birds had left the nest ...

only one was able to fly ...

the other one was on the ground ... acting a little strange ...

After taking a closer look at this little bird ...

I discovered that it did not have eyes ...

Mother robin was on the fence post ... so I left the garden ...

and watched from afar ... letting Mother Nature take over ...

While Mike was working on the picnic table ...

I was busy in the kitchen ... processing another batch of beans ...

Love the blossoms on the Eggplant plant ...

 

Catching Up ...

July 22 - 24, 2015

I love watching the hummingbirds gather around the feeder ...

Mother Robin was perched on the fence post ...

I was able to take a couple pictures of the two baby birds ...

their nest is in the plum tree ...

Due to the fire ban in the area ..

We decided to go and purchase a propane fire pit ...

placing it in the area by the hot tub ...

It felt good to get back into the garden ...

and gather some produce that was ready for the picking ...

Mike and I waited until nightfall ...

to sit out on this beautiful night ...

around the campfire ... !!!

 

Saying Goodbye ...

July 22, 2015

A beautiful morning ...

to take a few more pictures with Klaus and Resi ...

before heading to the airport ...

The whole time visiting us ...

Klaus and Resi wanted to see a bear ...

well... the only one we could find ...

was at the airport ...

This will be the only picture with a bear this time ...

perhaps when they come for a visit again ...

we may see a real one ... !!!

Safe travels ...

hope to see you again ... !!!

 

Last Day Together ...

July 21, 2015

A lazy morning ... enjoying breakfast outside ...

later on during the day ...

Klaus tried his hand at trying to find water ... using the witching wands ...

He was amazed at how well it actually worked ... !!!

Resi started cooking in the afternoon ...

we all wanted her to make a "Bradl" (pork roast) and flour dumplings ...

the kitchen smelled so good ...

while it was cooking ...

Oma and Joe joined us for dinner ...

it was sooooo scrumptious ... !!!

We really felt special to have this "Sunday" dinner on a Tuesday ... !!!

Enjoying an ice-cream cake for dessert ...

Bon Voyage Klaus and Resi ... !!!

It was a very enjoyable evening ... reminiscing of all the activities ...

as well as going thru lots of pictures ... past and present ...

We'll be heading to the airport in the morning ...

 

Hike Around The Lake ...

July 19, 2015

Hiking trails around the area of Island Lake Lodge ...

Heading on the path ... Oma joined us for a short distance ...

and went back to the lodge to wait for us ...

The view from the other side of the lake was breathtaking ...

A perfect spot to have a bench ... on the other side of the lake ...

to enjoy the view ...

Klaus was amazed at the size of some of the fir ... cedar and larch trees ...

in this old growth forest ...

This larch tree was huge ... guessing to be over 150 feet tall ...

We were in awe of this pristine forest ...

 

This was an amazing day ...

travelling over the mountain on the back roads ...

then hiking around the lake ...

finally making our way home ...

sitting out on the deck to watch this beautiful sunset ...

Absolutely perfect ending to a perfect day ... !!!

 

On The Back Roads ...

July 19, 2015

This was our day for an adventure ... over the mountain ...

travelling to Fernie ...

First of all heading up the Bull River Road ...

to Sulfer Creek ... onto Dickens Rd ... then on the Hwy#3 to Fernie ...

Stopping along the way ... taking pictures ...

and checking out the pools of water for fishing ...

We stopped on the bridge to watch a fly-fisherman ... casting his line into the pools ...

The water was so clear ... we could see the fish swimming to the flies ...

This is one place I really want to come back to ...!!!

Taking a break along the way ...

We toured around Fernie townsite ...

hoping that the Fernie Brewery was open for a tour ...

Unfortunately it was not ...

So we continued on our way to Island Lake Lodge ...

for lunch ...

Klaus really liked the Fernie Beer ...

and was delighted to have a glass or two ...!!!

We enjoyed a delicious lunch at the lodge ...

before we went for a hike around the lake ... !!!

 

Everyone Working ...

July 18, 2015

It was my job to get all the fish canned today ...

Canned Kokanee after processing ...

The other crew ...

were out splitting up the pieces ...

that were cut the day before ...

Some of the pieces were so heavy ...

it took both Mike and Klaus ...

to lift them up unto the splitter ...

The firewood was loaded into the truck ...

and hauled over to the woodshed ...

where they unloaded and stacked the wood ... !!!

It was great to see this part of the woodshed full ...!!!

Klaus driving "old blue" with Resi riding in the box ...

unloading some of the bark and wood scraps over the edge ...

Resi was a little concerned about getting so close to the drop-off ...

Cleaning up the rest of the bark and hauling it away with the tractor ...

out to the field to be burned at a later time ...

A job well done ...!!!!

Resi and I spent some time gathering produce ...

from the garden ...

Resi prepared her speciality dish of "Cheese Dumplings"

served along with European Weiners and fresh vegetables ...

After our delicious dinner ...

we were relaxing out on the deck ... !!!

As you can see ...

Joe was very relaxed laying out on his (my) lounge chair ...!!!

It was a beautiful day for all of us ...