Gun Club ...

June 4, 2017

Mike spent the weekend in Mossleigh, AB ...

at a Trap Shooting Tournament ...

with his friends that he shoots with at the local Trap & Skeet Club ...

This was Mike’s first tournament ... 

This was this young mans first time shooting ...  at a Mossleigh Tournament ... He started this sport last year ... One of the rituals at the range is ...  if you shoot 25 straight shots in a row ... The guys grab your hat ... toss it up in the air ... and everyone takes a shot at it ... 

 

The last day in Mossleigh, AB ... the guys hanging out ... Mike said the accomodations at the Inn ... were quite comfortable ... and the homemade meals were delicious at the diner ... It was a great trip and Mike hopes to attend again next year.

 

 

Branding Day ...

June 3, 2017

It was going to be an exciting day for the Knight family ...

A new experience for the kids ...

It was branding day at Alana’s friends ranch ...

There were so many helping hands for this day ...

The kids were taking it all in ... waiting for the action to begin ...

Nathan paired up with one of the guys ... to get down and dirty ...

holding the calves ... while the others treated them ...

The kids were mesmerized watching the activities ...

The kids got tired of watching ... and headed out in the field to play on the hay bales ...

Then while the calves were being separated from the cows ...

the gang had to stay up on the fence for safety ...

As the calves were rounded up ... in the corral ... one got away ...

and Nathan captured the calf and carried it back ...

The horses were resting after rounding up the cows and calves ...

The kids were able to sit on the horses ... they were loving it ...

Alana was with one of her friends ... holding a sweet baby cowgirl ... 

There were 2 calves left ...

Craig wanted to try and wrestle down and hold a calf with his dad ...

He had a lot of guidance from the bystanders ...

Craig did a great job ...!!!

Craig also wanted to experience riding on a calf ... 

Once he was finished with the calf he was holding ... he went to the other one ...

and waited for that crew to be done ...

 

The team held the calf and guided Craig on the technique ...

to make his way onto the calf ...

AND HE WAS UP ...

“Hold on Craig” ... yipeeeeee ...!!!

 

Oh my ... whoa ...!!!!!

the calf has won ... Craig was on the ground ...

Whatba trooper ... he was up and smiling ...

It was a short but good ride ...

Way to go Craig ...!!!!

The boys went back to the tame horses ...

learned how to mount and dismount ...

as well as taking the reins and going for walk around the corral ... 

They loved it ...!!!

The calves were released back to be with the cows ...

They were all rounded up and taken out to the pasture ...   

The rest of us were all heading back to the ranch house ...

to enjoy a fabulous meal ...

of “Fried Prairie Oysters” and roast beef dinner with all the fixings ...

A good days work for all ...!!!

 

It was quite the experience ... 

and it brought me back to the days ...

when we used to have brandings in our area ...

with all the families and friends getting together ...

 

 

Wood ... Then Pool ...

May 31, 2017

Another day of getting a few loads of wood ...

On our last trip down the hill ... we blew a tire ...

Guess there was a little too much weight on the truck ...

We were able to drive it into the field ... where all the logs were stacked ...

Mike then nursed the truck up to the shop and changed the tire ...

The ground was so soft  that there wasn’t any damage to the rim ...

After Mike was finished with all his jobs ...

He decided to go for a swim ...

It was still a little to cold for me to jump in ...

Mike pushed the solar blanket out of the for now ... we were waiting for the straps for the blanket to be delivered ...

The pool reel will be installed later ...

Mike enjoyed floating around the pool ... it was so relaxing for him ...

after busy day ...

 

 

Gone Fishing Again ...

May 24, 2017

We had arranged to go fishing with Rod and Nicole earlier in the week ...

this would be their first time out on a boat and fishing ...

We had left our boat at Premier Lake after the long weekend ...

Even though it wasn’t a very nice day ... we had to go pick it up ...

We decided to leave the camper on the truck ... just in case the weather turned on us ...

and we needed a dry ... warm place ...

We had a great time ... it was a real learning experience for them ... they were so happy to catch some fish ... 

They would love to come back sometime and go again ...!!!

We were getting cold ... so it was time to go ...

Rod offered to help Mike load the boat on the trailer ... Mike backed the truck down the ramp ... 

Rod put on the hip waders to avoid getting wet ... the water was cold ...

Mike drove the boat unto the trailer ... it was tricky with the wind and waves ...

I was grateful Rod was there to help out ... !!!

Our original plan was to have a fish fry at the park ... but the weather turned nasty ... so we decided to drive home ...

and cook them up there where it was warm ...!!!

Mike and Nicole decided they needed some martinis to warm up ...

before dinner was ready ...

We ended up cooking the fish in foil on the barbecue ...

I had penne noodles with pasta sauce and corn on the cob ready to be heated ...

a quick salad was made and we were ready to have our dinner ...

Once the dishes were cleared and kitchen cleaned up ...

Nicole and I relaxed with our drinks in the living room ...

while the guys spent their time in the hot tub ... 

 

It was a busy ... thrilling day ... and us ladies were tired ...

We ended up going to bed early ...

Rod and Nicole were leaving early in the morning for home ...

 

We had a wonderful time and totally enjoyed their visit ...

hoping we can get together again ...!!!

 

 

Guests Arrive ...

May 23, 2017

It felt good to be home again ... we had a busy day getting organized ...

as we were expecting our friends Rod & Nicole ...

They were going stop here for a couple days ... on their way thru from Calgary ...

to there home in Kelowna ...

I love seeing the flowers blooming on my cactus plant ...

Since we were going to have company for dinner ... I thought I would go down to the garden ...

to pick some fresh rhubarb to make a rhubarb pie for dessert ...

Rhubarb pie is my favourite ...!!!

Rod and Nicole arrived later in the afternoon ...

We decided to take the quads touring a bit around our property ... 

We also went up to Oma and Opa’s special place on the edge of the mountain ...

We spent some time hiking around and admiring the wild flowers ...

We continued driving around ... giving them a tour on our road ...

It was nearing dinner time ... so we headed back to the house ...

Mike fired up the BBQ to grill some steaks ...

the side dishes were prepared earlier ...

We had a lovely evening ... catching up on all the news ...

 

 

 

Last Day of Fishing ...

May 21, 2017

All of us decided to go out on the lake ... to do some evening fishing on our last night in the park ...

Lindsay and Krista decided to come fish in our boat ...

as Rocco and Denise had a full crew ...

It was perfect so that everyone got a chance out on the lake ...

whether they were fishing or just cruising ...

When the sun was setting behind the mountains ...

We made our way back to the campsite ... 

and once again plunked ourselves down in our cozy lawn chairs ...

sitting around the campfire ...

It would be busy in the morning ... with everyone getting packed up to head back home ...

 

 

May 22, 2017

A few of us did go fishing one last time ... after we packed up our campers ...

It was another successful fishing day ...!!!

These 4 ended up finding there way into our freezer ... for us to enjoy another day ...!!!

 

This was the first May long weekend that we had spent camping ...

I am sure it won’t be the last ...

We’re hoping some of our other family members ...

might be able to join us ...!!!

 

We had so much fun ...!!!

 

Eric & Sharon Arrive ...

May 20, 2017

We started this day with another lovely breakfast that was made outdoors ...

We were waiting for Eric and Sharon to arrive ...

to spend part of the day fishing out on the lake with us ...

The weather has been incredible ... it was another warm sunny day ...

and the fishing was amazing ...!!!

 

We had a good time out on the lake ...

We decided to head back to shore and cook up some fish for lunch ...

Eric and Sharon stayed a few more hours ... visiting with everyone ...

before it was time for them to make their way home ...

We were happy that they enjoyed themselves ... here at the campsite ... 

plus seeing how we set up the camper that we bought from them ...

They were also thrilled to be taking some fresh trout home ...!!!

We spent the afternoon just hanging out around the campsites ...

having a great time ...

Soon it was time to start preparing dinner ... and Lindsay had just arrived ...

to take over making his special BBQ sauce ...

Ernie ... Lindsay and Rocco were the Chefs in charge of the BBQ ...

grilling potatoes ... steaks and lamb chops ...

The rest of us made all the other dishes for our meal ...

salads ... corn on the cob ... grilled vegetables ... and more ...

After dinner ... Rocco ... Lindsay and John went get some wood ...

for the evenings campfire ...

 

This was our relaxing evening sitting around ... having a few sociables ... talking about our days adventures ...

and other stories ... which left us in stitches with laughter ...

Soon it was time to call it a night ... the women made their way to the campers ...

the guys were not ready to end this wonderful evening ...

None of us were sure when the guys called it night ...!!!

 

 

Weekend of Fishing ...

May 18, 2017

Camper was loaded and we were off to Premier Lake ...

for the holiday weekend ...

to go camping and fishing ...

We arrived at the park and first of all we launched the boat ...

then made our way to the campsite ...

set off the boat trailer and then set up the camper and campsite ...

Once that was done ... we walked down to the lake to go out fishing ...

until the rest of the gang showed up ...

We spent the evening helping the other 3 families set up camp ...

 

May 19, 2017

We were up bright and early ... a beautiful day ...

the grilled fired up ... coffee brewing ... it was perfect ...

Mike was in charge of frying up the bacon and cooking the eggs ... 

while I set the table and made the toast ...

We enjoyed a lovely breakfast ...

John ... who was camped across from us ...

was the only one up and he decided to join us for a cup of coffee ... 

while waiting for the others to rise ...

The breakfast dishes cleaned up ... and a few other tasks completed ...

before we headed out on the lake ... to fish for a few hours ...

Returning to the campsite for a lunch-break ...

The fish were cleaned and ready for this evenings meal ...

We did go for anther cruise around the lake ... and fishing ...

It was a beautiful warm afternoon ...

After dinner ... 

all of us gathered around the campfire ...

spending a wonderful evening together ...

 

 

Lots of Beads ...

April 19, 2017

We had brought back a bag full of beads ... from Houston ...

The beads were from the parade we went to with Daigen and Nixon ...

then Aunt Kendall added quite a few more from her stock ...

We also found little bike license plates with their names ... when we were on Route 66 ...

in Williams, Arizona ...

 

So grateful for my outdoor cane ... to get around the yard ...

Ella and Grandpa were digging in the garden ...

to go fishing down at "Mac's Lake" ...

James and Ella also brought back a few Pussy Willows ... 

 

It was a wonderful day ...!!! 

 

 

Mini Holiday ...

March 31, 2017

We decided to head down to Eureka, Montana ... 

for a mini holiday ...

to pick up a package and check out Lake Koocanusa ...

for fishing later on in the season.  

We thought we might visit our friend ... but unfortunately he was not at the cabin ...

but he told us we could stay at the cabin ...

How fortunate for us ... !!!

We ventured off this afternoon ...

checking out a few areas in Rexford ... and checked out the water level ...

We were amazed at how low the level was ... 

when the water is released into the lake ... the level comes half way up the banks ...

The water is being held back at the dam ... waiting for the spring run-off ...

before they fill the lake ...

 

We contined on our way up the valley ...

stopping at one of the boat launches ...

It still amazed me ... when I stood at the top of the stairs at the Marina ...

to see the water level ...

We'll have to check out the lake ... later on in the season ...

We drove back to Rexford ... driving thru the townsite ...

stopping at the Frontier Pub ... for dinner ...

We enjoyed a delicious meal of fish & chips ... 

After dinner we drove back to the cabin ...

and settled down to a relaxing evening ...

 

April 1, 2017

This morning we went to Eureka for breakfast ...

before we made our way to Libby ...

Enjoying the scenery as we travelled along ...

The lake was beautiful ...!!! 

 

We arrived at the Libby Dam ...

It was spectular ... we will definately have to return ... 

to see this once the water level has risen ...

Pictures were taken of both sides of the dam ...

After touring the area ...

we drove across the bridge and made our way to the town of Libby ...

Stopping here for a short time for some refreshments ... before going back home ...

The water in the Kootenay River was high ... and fast moving ...

with the melt of the snowpack ...

We stopped on a bridge crossing to take a picture of the raging run-off water ...

We had a wonderful couple days ...!!!