Visiting with Ian ...

July 16, 2016

We traveled to Alberta ...

taking the grandchildren home ...

then continued on our way to meet up with Ian in Leduc ... for the weekend ...

We were so excited to see him ... it had been a long time since we last saw him ...
He had travelled back to Canada for a couple weeks ...
to do some work in the Oilfield ...

We had a great time ... catching up and visiting ...
On Sunday we spent the day with Lorraine and Barry ... (Kendall's parents) ...
We also went out for dinner to the famous Sawmill Restaurant ...
enjoying a delicious meal ... their speciality of Prime Rib ... !!!

We were so happy to have spent this time with Ian ...
and hoping to see the whole family soon ...
Perhaps they'll be coming home for Christmas ... !!!

 

A Day at Home ...

July 15, 2016

Today was a day to take it easy ...

just hanging around the house ... riding quads ...

and maybe getting some twigs for the fire pit ... using Opa's homemade trailer ...

Lunch time ... waiting for the coals to be ready for roasting hot dogs ...

Craig was playing with his RC car ... driving it up and down the slide ...

Enjoying our lunch ... sitting around the fire pit ...

roasting a few marshmallows for dessert ...

After lunch ... it was time to cut the lawn ...

Craig wanted to learn how to work the lawn tractor ...

so after a few rounds of teaching him how it works ...

he was on his way by himself ...

Craig did an awesome job of cutting the lawn ...

his was so eager to help out ...

From now on when Craig comes for a visit ... this will be one of his jobs ...

After a busy day of playing and doing odd jobs ...

it was time to sit back and relax ...

in the hot tub ...

Mike and I had brought back a few souvenirs from Austria ...

and this was our first chance to give it to them ... before they headed back home ...

A small beer stein for the boys and a glass globe for Ella ...

plus some chocolate and honey candy from the Bee Store ...

They loved it all ... !!!

 

 

Fun On The Water ...

July 14, 2016

It was a beautiful ... calm day to go fishing this morning ...

the kids were so excited ...

as soon as the fishing lines were put in the water ...

it wasn't long before James had caught the first fish ...

and then Ella ... then Craig ...

these fish were hungry for their breakfast ...

Each of the kids used the bonker and place their fish into the water bin ...

to be cleaned later ...

We decided to go to shore ... and stop the boat ... in order to clean the fish ...

it gave the kids time to play in the water as well ...

Each of them taking their turn in cleaning the fish ...

they are becoming well trained fisher people ... !!!

Fish all taken care of and put on ice ...

we decided to have our lunch heading back to the boat launch ...

to pick up the tube ...

Grandpa went up to the truck to bring down the tube ...

attaching it to the boat ...

the kids couldn't wait to jump aboard and go for a ride ...

Oh my goodness ... !!!

Grandpa gave it gas and away they went ...

laughing and yelping ... thumbs up to give it more gas ...

Grandpa goosed it and swerved over the wake ...

and turning in circles ...

and at one point loosing all three kids ...

Good thing I was the spotter ... letting Grandpa know how they were doing ...

They loved every minute of it ... !!!

Grandpa needed a break ...

so the kids just floated behind the boat ...

waiting until they could fly around the lake again ...

 

We ended up going to the island to have a break ...

the beach there is sandy which gave the kids a chance to play and swim ...

Craig had dug himself a hole ...

and climbed into it ...

Ella helped bury him ... and soon there was only his head exposed ...

It gives me an uneasy feeling ... not sure I would be able to do that ...

It took Craig awhile to pull himself out ... and then he needed to go for a swim ...

to rinse off all the sand ...

We had some snacks and relaxed ...

then off on the water again for a last go around on the tube ...

before heading home ...

We had a delicious meal of fresh panfried Kokanees ...

fresh garden salad and roasted potatoes ...

Everyone was exhausted after our thrilling fun day on the lake ... !!!

 

Pool Time ...

July 13, 2016

It was a warm day ... perfect for spending time in the pool ...

I had picked up handles for the noodles at the Dollar store ...

the kids had a noodle sword fight ...

having a fun time ...

The grandchildren were amazed at the Robin's nest on the support by the shop ...

hoping to see the eggs hatched within in the next few days ...

Grandpa had dragged out the family Christmas gift ...

hoping to take the tube to the lake the next day ...

First grandpa needed to check out the rope ...

to make sure it would fit on the boat ...

Next it was time to unpack the tube ...

and fill it with air ...

The kids decided that it would be a good idea to put it into the pool ...

and try it out ...

So they all helped packing it over to the pool ...

They had a blast playing on it ...

trying to climb onto it was a challenge ...

and then trying to stay on it was another issue ...

I actually think they made it more complicated than it actually was ...

They sure had a lot of fun ... and were excited to take it to the lake ...

on our fishing and play day ...

 

Our Old Home ...

July 11, 2016

On our way back from Alberta ...

we also drove by our home in the Crowsnest Pass ...

we spent 4 years in this little town ...

The grandchildren were eager to see it ...

some changes had been made ...

The first picture is of what our home looked like without the fence ...

and the deck on it ...

One of the new owners after us ... built the deck ...

The owners that live there now ...

had taken part of the front stucco off ... to expose the logs ...

We were surprised to see that the original log home ...

in the backyard had been torn down ...

Apparently it was no longer a safe structure ...

Nathan, Ian and their friends loved playing there ...

this was their domain for their dirk bikes ...

and other toys ...

The new owners saw us drive up to have a look at the house ...

They thought we were stopping to check it out ...

as there was a For Sale sign in the front yard ...

I had the car window open ... pointing in the back yard ...

telling the kids about it ...

The owner came down towards the car ...

and we told him that we used to live here ...

and the grandchildren wanted to see it ...

The gentleman had said that there had been a lot of changes in the house ...

that they had done within the last few weeks ...

they had actually just moved in that weekend ...

He invited all of us into their home ... the kids were so excited ...

We were surprised to see the changes ... a few walls were torn out ...

to open up the space for their living room ... and the new wood stove ...

Walking thru we remembered how it was ...

our bedroom was now part of the living room ...

The computer/laundry room is now the dining room ...

the kitchen was exactly the same ...

except for the painted walls ...

We then ventured upstairs ... on the very, narrow steep stairs ...

we talked about some of the shenanigans... that when on ...

In fact ...

the owners mentioned a defect in the wall at the bottom of the staircase ...

They said that the renters had damaged it ... Mike and I chuckled ...

we told them that it was a friend of the boys ....

that had slid down the stairs on a sleeping bag ...

and put a large hole in the wall ...

The only difference in the two bedrooms was the color of the walls ...

We had a lovely visit ... and fond memories of years gone by ... !!!

 

 

Helping Out ...July 12

July 12, 2016

Our grandchildren are always willing to lend a helping hand ...

of course there is usually some fun time included ...

We needed the trailer to help out one of the residents at Joseph Creek Village ...

The kids helped grandpa unload the snow blade for the quad off the trailer ...

and they really enjoyed the ride back down to the house ...

The kids were a big help with moving the dresser and chest of drawers ...

out of the apartment for Liz ...

and helping grandpa tie it down on the trailer ...

Liz was grateful to have the furniture taken away ...

as she no longer needed it ... she was moving to her daughters home ...

It was nice to have this photo opportunity as well ...

Liz will be missed at the Village ...

It seems the new choice of dessert is a banana Sunday with all the fixings ...

and once again ... as it was a messy dessert ... the shirt covering apparel was used ...!!!

After our dinner ... it was time to go for a swim ... hot tub ...

and warm up by the campfire ... roasting marshmallows...!!!

It was a very eventful day ...

 

 

CNP Interpretive Centre ...

July 11, 2016

We had travelled to Alberta to pick up Grandpa ...

he was helping Nathan out ...

We stayed overnight then headed back home ... but ...

as we approached the Crowsnest Pass ... once again on their many trips ...

passing thru ...

the kids had asked about the Frank Slide ...

We decided to stop and go to the Interpretive Centre ...

Their dad and Uncle Ian did this tour ... when they were in grade school ...

while we were living in Blairmore ...

We toured the centre and watched a couple of movies ...

explaining what had happened on that scary morning in 1903 ...

We then went outside ... to hike along the trail ...

Everyone was so good to wait for Grandma ...

as it took me a little longer to walk with my injured foot ...

The kids were amazed at the size of the boulders ...

and how much area it consumed ...

They loved climbing and exploring along the rocks ...

Nearing the end of the trail ...

one last photo opportunity among these boulders ...

It was time to venture on for home ...

 

 

Fishing For Bass ... July 12

July 12, 2016

The grandchildren wanted to go down to the lake ...

to do a little fishing and go swimming ...

It was so nice to see them taking turns ...

Craig was there to help Ella ...

They all had a few bites ...

but were not able to land any ...

They had a fun time with Grandpa ... !!!

 

 

Picnic Stop ...

July 10, 2016

We were on our way back to Alberta ...

stopping in Sparwood ...

to have pitstop and picnic ...

by the Largest Truck in the World ...

The kids love to climb all over this massive truck ...

Having another little break ... before heading back to do some more climbing ...

We toured the grounds and the museum ...

then continued on our way ...

 

Garden Time ...

July 9, 2016

The morning was spent in the garden ...

gathering the broccoli ... peas... cauliflower ... Kohlrabi ...

a few potatoes and carrots ...

The kids taking time out for some lunch ...

then back into the pool ... swimming around with their snorkels ...

Ella helped out with hanging up the towels ...

while I was busy in the kitchen ...

There were afternoon showers ... with a beautiful rainbow over the field ...

we headed back down to the garden ...

to pick fresh raspberries ... lettuce and peas ...

perfect for our evening meal ...

The vegetables were prepared and vacuumed sealed ... ready for the freezer ...

then it was time to get dinner prepared ...

the kids were starving ...

Craig finally made it back to the house ...

from his canoeing trip ...

and James and Ella went up to Marysville for the night ...

Craig was determined to check out the box ...

that had been stored in the white shed out back ...

These little toys had been tucked away for years ...

Craig spent a few hours going thru them all ...

tossing out the broken ones ...

then hauling the good ones downstairs to be washed and disinfected ...

He was amazed at what their dad and Uncle Ian collected ...

most of them were from the Happy Meals from McDonald's ...

 

It was nice to spend the evening with Craig ...