Kelowna

This is a little taste of what we did on the weekend.  Sightseeing,  eating,  more eating  (Memphis ribs, vietnamese, italian.....)  and then finished it all up with some swimming.    Speaking of swimming that's where we are off to on day one of our 7 day count down to the last day of summer vacation!!!

Getting out of Dodge

We escaped this weekend.   I realized that we only had 10 days left until school on Friday.   So I said to Eric we needed to make the most of the summer time left.   So we took off to Kelowna to just explore get a few things we hadn't been able to find in Kamloops and just feel like being on summer vacation.   Eating, exploring, going slow,  enjoying life.    This is a heritage site in Kelowna.    Free to the public or coin donation.   It was  a little gem in a busy town.   We then did a circle tour of some markets, and orchards. 

So now it is Monday and I was planning to do something everyday so the last week would be fun and interesting.   Instead we are cleaning.   But laundry is done.  House is clean.   Kids are all organized for school.   We went through all the clothes that were too small and how found out we still need to get  a new pair of running shoes for indoor use and some of our water bottle are cracked.  The kids have played in and outside all morning.   Now they are enjoying lunch and a movie.   Quiet day but they aren't bored and we are primed to make the next 7 days a blast.  

Need a break mom!

Cycling 2km around McArthur Island is a little tough mom.   I just need a second to rest and some water okay?   Then we can keep going.   

Beautiful Blue Skies

So great to see after last weeks overcast smoke filled skies.   I'm at peace again.   Enjoy your day.

We've officially become Kamloopians......

How do we officially become Kamloopians do you ask.  Well you buy toys.   Boats, skidoos, more then one vehicle.    Like Eric's new toy.   A 4WDing truck.  So we can get stuck in mud.  Here's his baby with new mud tires up on Buse  Lake Provincial Park Lookout.    So now for me to buy my new toy.   A new camera body.   Soon I'm hoping. 

A good sunflower can just cheer you up.

Water Hose Fun

My munchkins have figured out how to turn on the tap and spray each other.   All fun until someone is soaking wet and needs new clothes.

Farm Life

We drove to Sicamous, BC yesterday to get some tires for Eric's new project.    We stopped at the Dutchmen's Dairy.   You can go in and touch the Holstein's and the calves and have an ice cream.   I was struck by how far removed we've come from the farm life Eric and I grew up with.   Spending everday helping on the family farm.  Driving tractors,  cutting hay,  working from morning to late into the evening.   My kids instantly went ooh what is that smell and ooh poop!   What's this and I've never touched a cow before.   Meanwhile Eric and I had  kicked,  shoved,  fell into and been side swiped by a steer by their age.     I was instantly sad and wished we had bought a farm when we moved back to Canada.   I wish they were growing up with the same values we had.  Work ethic and respect for animals.  Exploring the barn for kittens and making forts, playing hide and seek.   I don't want the history of our ancestors that has been hundreds of years working farms die with my children.   I just don't know how to get them back to it.   When Eric's career is so far removed from farming.  More down feeling for me this weekend.   I'm in a huge black funk. 

I little down ....... it just happens.

Or is it that Seasonal Affective Disorder?   You know when there is no sun for three days because of a thick layer of smoke?   Or......   well there is a lot of things but I won't go there.   I'm just missing a morning tea session with about 5 or 6 women and about 10 kids running around with their heads cut off.   Not to mention the food,  tea and oh it's arvo bevi time.

Poor Air Quality

I had promised to take the kids to the pool yesterday.   But this greeted us.   Couldn't see anything.  The smoke from all the forest fires north of us have made the air quality in Kamloops horrible.  They haven't had it this bad since 2003.    So it was too bad to go to the pool.  Instead we went back to school shopping and get lunch at Wendy's.    Today is no better with the smoke.   Makes for hard to entertain kids.   Thank god for playdates.

Clean Faces...........

I wonder if I'll ever see one.   It seems to be permanently like this.    But I suppose the teenage years will be here before I know it and then he'll be taking a million showers a day.  

The "Cheese" Smile

Morning and Afternoon

So this happened while eating breakfast in the morning.      And this...........

Happened in the afternoon with a little help from mom.    I think the poor toothfairy will be broke tonight. 

Not Impressed........

but man he is cute and those eyes.......  If looks could speak.    He would have much rather been riding the tricycle with Owen that having me with a camera in his face.   

The Show

We have driven past the show all week.  So this weekend we decided to go.   Some difference from Australian shows.   No show bags,  get a wrist bracelet and you can go on the rides as many times as you want.   Which works out cheaper then tickets and if your kid isn't right height and adult has to accompany you the adult rides for free!!!!!    So it was a great day.   Next year though it's on with the bumper cars.   This year the girls were an inch too short to go by themselves and Owen couldn't go on at all because he was an inch to short to go with an adult.   So next year.   Mom and Owen against the girls!!!

Sunshine

Boots

“Love is the thing that enables a woman to sing while she mops up the floor after her husband has walked across it in his barn boots.”

I always remember mom putting down newspaper or mats so dad could answer the phone with his manure caked barn boots.    Makes me smile.   So here are my munchkins boots sitting outside drying inside and out.    

Rain has stopped back to sun

Was reading an exposure photography book and author said get out in the rain you can still get good shots.   So I got out and got a shot I like.   So now the sun is back and I will try and get some shots in the sun as well. 

Memories

It has been raining the first days of this week.   Which we needed to get rid of all the smoke filled air.   The temperatures have dropped and it is those days I like.  When you can cuddle in with a book and watch the kids play.    They yanked all the little people downstairs and set up a town and began role playing and I was struck with memories of my brother and I doing this in our living room.    Great memories and I'm glad the kids are enjoying the little people like I did as a kid. 

Gold Panning

On the past weekend.   We went with our friends to go Gold Panning.  Could be why I forgot to post as we were all tired after.     Mostly it looks like a lot of tiny flakes that you would find in Goldschlager.    Kids got soaked.     Dog barked and scared a bear that was coming at us.   Scared the bear across the river and up into the trail right up beside some English Tourists.   Needless to say they had a great story to go back to England with!!!    And yes no photos of the bear as we were all a little stopped in our tracks watching the bear.  

He brings me flowers

Hopefully I will teach him that bringing flowers is a good thing.   Because it made my heart flutter.

Let it Go

Wow I'm still in a funk.  I forgot to post yesterday.    Need some inspiration,  rethinking everything,  where do I go from here?
Maybe I just need to "Let it Go"

Mount St. Paul

Okay I'm struggling.  I haven't picked up my camera all week because we have just be on the go or I haven't had the urge.   So I have pulled out this photo.   When we were taking the train ride of the Kamloops Heritage train we went over this bridge.   We were told a lot of history of the area and this mountain/hill in the background was named after a Native tracker that helped Kamloop people out in the 1900's especially tracking Billy Miner.   So they named it Mount St. Paul after him.   Hopefully I can escape by myself sometime this weekend and get some inspiration somewhere.