Annual Pilgramage

As per usual we headed up to Oroville mid-August to spend our allotted week there.  I was somewhat organized this year and so we stopped for a picnic lunch at Bromley Rock.  I remember stopping here as a little girl for a pit stop each summer too.  Memories.

 

 

Pizza buns and monster cookies.  VERY healthy!

 

Keith must be thinking about our upcoming 19th anniversary.  I keep my own feelings hidden on the matter!

 

And throwing rocks is definitely a part of visiting Bromley Rock.

 

We also enjoyed watching large group of people floating down this lovely river with coolers in hand.

 

 
 

The walk back up to the car is a chore in the heat.

First order of business is a dip in the lake.  The warmest lake in Canada....it's true!

Spaghetti with a side of flies for supper.

This mountain to the south of us caught fire by a lightening bolt the night before we arrived and was on fire off and on for a few days.  A bit of a thrill to watch at night.

 

 

Keith and Andrew took it upon themselves to trim the north willow tree.  It takes a village to keep the property in tip-top shape.

 Our guests for four nights was the Nickel family.  They brought their boat and all sorts of equipment for lots of water sports.  They are all extremely talented in wake-boarding, wake skating, knee-boarding....you name it!

 

 Delayne looking ever so professional.

 Liam even got in on the action with  tube ride with Justin & Andrew.  He had previously only ridden on an upright tube so this was a new thing for him and he was a tad nervous.

 Isn't life grand...we are blessed beyond measure!

The boys...friends for so long!  Chad attempted knee boarding a few times but it not used to deep water starts.  He gave up rather quickly and then adamantly would not try one more thing.  It was frustrating because he loved knee boarding last year.

These two fabulous shots of Nate were taken with their 'Go-Pro' camera which was mounted on the end of the knee board.  Cool, or what?!  Nate was doing 360 degree spins after just a few runs.

Best view off the boat although after looking backwards for a few hours I was starting to feel a bit green around the gills.

And whee!  I had go on the kneeboard which was quite fun and I was proud of myself to going outside the wake.

Andrew and Justin were both naturals.

 

 

 The rest of the week I took up my position as spotter.  I don't need big thrills to have a good time!

Keith and Andrew had many attempts at wake skating and wake boarding on the boom which was easily done but couldn't quite make it up behind the boat.  No pictures, sadly.

Our ferry system.

Oh Chad....I hope you can overcome your water fears once and for all!  You look good behind that boat.

 

 Liam had Uncle Andrew wrapped around his finger and had many rides on the windsurfing board.

Andrew gave a few lessons to both Clayton and Delayne and they found it quite challenging.

 Liam played hard and napped hard every afternoon.

 Dutch blitz is an Oroville classic.

 Not at all ashamed to be a land-lover.

 Prince's donuts are simply the best although Clayton tells me that there is a bakery in Ladner that is even better.  I think I'd better conduct some comparison experiments.

 

Delayne being taken to the boat...she didn't want to get her shorts wet.  It was a very wobbly ride and I was sure she was going to fall in!

 

The gang.

 After four nights the Nickel family left and Andrew's friend Eldon came up.  As usual he generously shared his Sea-Doo with us.  We had to get in a few more tube rides.

 

 Nate attempted to knee board on the relic from the crawl space but after using the Nickel's newer model it was a poor substitute!

 

I think that we want Santa to bring us one of these for next summer.  It's a versatile machine that can tow a tube, skier, kneeboarder and is just plain fun on it's own.

 And then it was time to say good-bye for another year.  We love coming here!

 We always stop at the Osoyoos lookout on the way home to dump our garbage in the big tourist bins.  There isn't any garbage service at the Klassen resort. 

 

 Around 6 pm on the way home the boys all started to want some dinner but no one was interested in anymore junk food.  The options are very limited on Hwy 3 so we decided to check out the Booster Juice in Princeton.  We like!  Delicious, healthy smoothies that filled up the tummies until we got home.  Home sweet home and memories to keep us going all winter long.

 

Been Keeping a Secret!

This was taken back in June at MEI Middle.  See that girl on the far right?  She's our newest office staff member!

After not being co-workers for five years we are now again reunited.  We are an excellent team and look forward to proving that in the coming months and years at MEI Middle.  Going to work just got THAT much better (and I already thought it was pretty darn amazing!).

Planes Galore!

One of the items on my summer bucket list was to take the boys to the airshow.  I knew that Liam would be thrilled with all the planes and I wasn't wrong.  Sadly, Nate couldn't join us as he had to work.  That's life!

 

 We arrived to find the Canadian Army putting on a tactical demonstration.  Afterwards there was time for a photo-op.

 Liam enjoyed getting up close and personal with all the aircraft.

 I found it funny to see this man fixing the side of this plane with duct tape.  I know our army is constantly under budget cuts but really!?  Keith assured me he was just probably covering up some sensitive radar equipment.

 Red Baron Snoopy...how cool!

 I caught Liam yawning as Keith and this pilot had an extended chat about emergency ejection procedures.

 Sadly, due to US budget cuts there weren't any American jets at all.  It made the static display a lot smaller and for me...I missed seeing the pilots!  Ha ha!

 We 'splurged' on reserved seating this year and had wonderful seats with a perfect view of all the explosions, jet-car racing, parachuters etc.  It was definitely worth it.

As you can see it was very hot as it generally is on a treeless airstrip.  Liam lost his will to remain upright mid-way through the afternoon so we rigged up a little shady area for him. 

It was a great day and we enjoyed ourselves but I think it will be a few years before we go again. 

BC Day Outing

 

 

 

We like free outings and so on Monday we took advantage of the free admission to Burnaby Village.

 

 This garden beside the restored farm house was so lovely.  I wish I had such a lovely plot.

 Checking out the restored street trolley.

 And unlike two years ago, Liam was super keen to go on the carousel!

 This house sits on it's original foundation.

 The very same picture that inspired me to get my own copy!

 For the 1920's this was a fancy bathroom.

 Say what?

 Corn flakes with cream?!  Wow...that would be rich.

 Looks tricky!

 

 A piece of advice for our generation!

And a picnic lunch in the shade of the train depot.  It was a lovely day out.  If you haven't already, you should check this place out sometime!

Mini-Makeovers

Something had been bugging me for a while.  We had beds in our house without head or foot boards.  They were just mattresses with box springs on a metal bed frame to get them off the ground.  It didn't look right...unfinished.  I had it in my head to at least get William and Chad's beds 'finished' this summer.  I scoured the web to discover that these items are not easy to come by when one is on a budget!  Even Ikea let me down. 

I kept my eye on Craigslist too without any luck.  Then I heard about a moving sale not too far from our home and we actually knew the family that was moving (read:  I am fussy and like to buy used items from people I know) AND they had posted pictures of the items that would be for sale online.  I immediately spotted a single bed that looked like a good possibility for my plans.  Fast forward to the moving sale and we discovered that not only was there one bed for sale, but two since they were bunk beds at one time.  We snapped them both up for $50!  One was painted grey and one was the original white and in pretty good shape.  Solid wood too!  We immediately drove to my parents to raid the paint closet and came home and started sprucing up the headboards.  We decided to leave the foot boards off the beds because the boys are tall (and getting taller!) and it's better if they can stretch out and dangle their feet off the end if need be.

 

 Here's one of the headboards after I cleaned it.  If you click on the picture you can see some 'graffiti'!

 Sanding in preparation for priming and painting.  Keith basically did all the work after that.  I tried my hand at painting (it LOOKS easy and fun) but discovered I don't really have a knack for it.

 And the finished product in Chad's room.  The bed just looks so much better now.  Chad also took this opportunity to rearrange his room.  I like it!

 Below is William's headboard and his mattress is missing!  We took his mattress and gave it to Liam since we are buying him a new mattress before he comes back in September.  Liam had been sleeping on a foam type mattress that was 10 plus years old and really ready to retire.  We'll keep it in storage for sleepovers.

Now we just need to finish Nate's bed and the guestroom bed.  If you hear of any good deals around...let me know!

Checking Out the Newest

Did you know that Abbotsford has a new library?  It's in the new Abby Senior Secondary school and replaces the old Centennial Library in downtown. 
It's a spiffy new library, full of natural light and high ceilings.  Mind you, Liam was much more enthralled with the toys than the books.  Not sure this is really my child!

Goose Poop Beach

I took Chad & Liam to Harrison last week.  Looks nice doesn't it?  What you cannot see is that the stupid Canadian geese have taken over the lake.  There is poop everywhere and the water is unsafe for wading or swimming (according to the signs at the waters' edge).  This used to be the best beach around!  Not so much anymore.  We made the best of our time there but I'm not sure we'll be back...unless they shoot the geese!

 

Rodeo Time

I received a delightful phone call this afternoon from my parents.  They wanted to take the boys to the Agrifair Rodeo.  I said yes without hesitation.  I love my boys...I really do, but being with them every day, all day since July 6th is wearing me down.  Nate's at work during the week and usually he's the peace-making referee between Chad and Liam.  Now it's my job and I'm growing weary! 

Keith and I took advantage of the few hours alone by walking to Moxie's and having a nice dinner on their patio. Keith used a gift card from his birthday last spring and it was deeelightful to have an uninterrupted dinner conversation. 

So, thank you mom and dad!  You saved the day.