Puddle Fun

I'm not sure which season I like best in Canada.  Winter is great fun - lots of snow fights, snuggles and snowboarding.  Spring is ever so pretty with warmer days and the earth waking up after a long rest which is inspiring to watch.  And summer?  Loooooong warm days, cracking good storms of an afternoon, loads of unbelievably good fresh produce to eat and opportunities to lap up all this deliciousness by the water. (Oh and no lunch boxes to pack and homework to complete!!!)

Nope - I can't choose - I'll take them all.  

The day before heading off to the Rockies was spent lapping up the glorious sunshine which welcomed our stay in the puddle.  We drove out to a cabin at Tyee Lake owned by our friend Laureen and enjoyed a few hours by the water.  We were even lucky enough to see a family of Loon on the lake.  

aaaaaah - this is the life (Cest la Vie) 

Oh and afterwards Bren and Caleb got their  biking fix at a nearby park.  

Boy Stuff 101

As any mother of boys will tell you, one needs to develop a taste for fart jokes, dirt, high thrill pursuits and anything with wheels that goes fast (or has the potential to) if one is to remain in that mysterious inner circle related to boy hood.  So it is that I am beginning to know the make of cars according to their badge, have a couple of fart jokes in my joke repertoire, and am not averse to the boys playing outside until they are covered in a thin film of grime (I am sure I heard somewhere that it helps them develop their immune system!).

Whilst in Williams Lake I undertook further study into the mysteries of boyhood by attending my first speedway event.  The smell of dust, grease and oil and the sound of suped up speedway cars accosted my senses as we drove into the speedway venue and found a parking space close to the track.  As we did not come prepared to view the event with appropriate seating we improvised and took the back seats from the back of the van and used them.  I'm not sure if this should be classified as 'redneck' or not.  All I know is is that it was an awesome way to avoid bottom cramps from sitting on ones derrière for too long. I think it would be fantastic seating for a drive in movie - almost like the gold class cinemas we have in Australia (perhaps it could be named 'redneck class').

Thankfully for me my study into speedway events needed little in the way of explanation or rules.  Basically it's go flat out around the track and try to get past the finish line first.  I did observe however that it requires quite a bit of skill on the drivers part to negotiate his/her way past the other competitors and to avoid collisions and other accidents.  Unfortunately one driver had a nasty accident during his race and wiped out on a sidewall - his car exploding on impact.  Incredibly he escaped relatively unharmed save for a few burns.  There were a number of intensely frantic minutes where no-one in the crowd knew if the driver was ok or not.  It was during this time that I came to the steadfast conclusion that my boys WILL NOT be partaking in this kind of thing for as long as I have anything to do with it (which unfortunately for me if I am to be a realist about these things may not be for all that long).

I have also posted a gratuitous picture of a rainbow which appeared over Williams Lake on our way home after the speedway.  1.  because its very girly and very pretty and 2.  because maybe its a sign of hope that I'll be able to "get" the boy thing one of these days (as much as any mother can).

Yee-hoo in the Cariboo

They sure do breed em tough in the Cariboo. Not only do they have to endure long, cold hard winters but  then in the summer they have to do the mosquito slap dance with an enthusiastic vigour.  We got first hand experience at performing the slap dance on our first night of camping at Birch Lake Campground which is on the way to Williams Lake.   Not only was it our first night of camping but it was our first night in our lovely tent trailer - aptly named C'est La Vie (which is french for "This is the life", or "Stuff happens (I have young people reading this so I'll keep it PG).  We are already in love with our TT.  It goes up in a flash and is mighty comfortable.  It may not be as gigantic and palatial as some of the RV's touring around Canada but it's our version of pamper camping - it's well and truly a step up from the four man pup tent and swag we are used to.  It even has a portable loo which sure beats peeing in the woods while whistling or making loud noises (of the verbal kind) in the middle of the night to avoid a potential encounter with a bear!!!  

Our second and third nights in our TT were spent in Williams Lake where we got to see some really tough cowboys from all over Canada and the US compete in the 87th annual Williams Lake Stampede. These boys and girls put on an amazing show of skill and bravado which was enthralling to watch. 

Yeehoo Cariboo!!!! Cowboy up...... 

She's Here......

What a trooper!! Mel arrived safely last Friday night after a long flight via LA.  We let her have a sleep at a hotel near the Vancouver International Airport before nabbing her and dragging her along on one of our (becoming) famous mini roadtrips.

Jetlag didn't even have time to get a look in as we drove north from Vancouver to the ever beautiful Whistler along the Sea to Sky Highway.  This stretch of road is notorious for accidents - probably because people are gawking at the wonderful scenery along the way.

Thankfully we negotiated it safely, stopping off at a few landmarks along the way.  Shannon Falls was one of the highlights.  The falls are nestled only a 5 minute walk from the freeway but are superb and definately worth a look.

In Whistler we watched as thousands of "Tough Mudder" participants walked gingerly from busses to the village after completing a 16km obstacle course designed to test the physical and mental capabilities of even the fittest of those taking part.   They poured into the village creating a very vibrant and jovial atmosphere.  Mel was in awe of the architecture and landscape design of the area.  She had every right to be.  Caleb however was in awe of the mountain bikers making their way down the mountain - all he wanted to do was be on a bike.  He couldn't have cared less about the manicured gardens and mass planted flower pots.  Poor love.  We hope to return in the Fall and let him actually experience the thrills of riding down the mountain.

After Whistler we made our way to Pemberton and stayed there for the night in a dodgy hotel with lumpy beds and not even enough room to swing a chipmunk (for those not in the know these little critters are about a tenth of the size of a cat!!!).  Bren and I drew the short straw and slept in the same bed as Seth.  I love that child with all my heart but sleeping with him is like sleeping with a hyperactive octopus.  I really couldn't say how much sleep we got - but it wasn't much.

The next morning we rose from our lumpy, broken slumber to a beautiful day and drove further north along the Duffy Lake Road.  We stopped countless times to admire the scenery - particularly the lakes and glacial covered mountains.

Eventually we made our way along the mighty Fraser River to Hell's Gates.  It was here that Mel summoned up an enormous amount of courage and not only took the tram to the other side of the Fraser River, but walked across a bridge that spanned its raging waters. Initially Mel wasn't going to come with us on the tram but a little encouragement from Seth, "I'll give you $1 if you do it Mama!" and a great deal of internal fortitude encouraged her across. 

Where the Thompson and Fraser Rivers meet....

From Hell's Gate we made our way home to Kelowna - all of us a bit more than exhausted from a full weekend of travel (and lack of sleep).
During the next week we will be showing off Kelowna and packing for our mighty big road trip.  Summer holidays are fast approaching and we are so looking forward to spending it road tripping and having fun together.  
Until next time think on this...
A picture is worth  a thousand words but an experience is worth a thousand pictures!!!!