Camping (Part2)

After such a successful camping trip in July with John's family, my kids were more than happy to have a repeat Waterton excursion in August.   We sat down in front of the calendar in hopes of choosing the best possible group of days, only to find out that we had only one slot of time with nothing going on.   August 13-15th.   Before that...after that...all filled up.  August was spent!  Done!  Before long, school would be starting and summer would be over.  

I took a moment to freak out and then I wiped my tears away and booked our site.   

This little family camping trip took on new meaning for me now.  

It wasn't just a summer camping trip.

It was our final summer camping trip. 

The last hurrah!

This time around I had asked all of the kids to pack their own bags for a change.  I mean, why do I always insist on doing everything for them anyways?  I felt 100% certain that they were all, each and every one of them, more than capable of packing their own essentials for a two day period, no?

Nate was packed in two minutes tops.  Luckily, I checked his suitcase before leaving, which gave me the opportunity to explain to him, with a little more clarity, just what exactly "essentials" meant.  haha.  The second picture shows his bag after my little tutorial.   Still a whole lot of extra stuff, but hey- underneath all that, there was a pair of skylander underpants, one change of clothes, and his red plaid pajamas.    Fine with me!

John and I are always amazing at how much we seem to pack when we go camping.  I mean, how can we ever think we are "roughing it" when we haul more for a three day stay then we ever actually use at home?  It's CRAZY!!!   Though I'll admit, filling the van to the roof did cut down on the noise and arguing as we travelled.  Everyone had there own little designated pocket of space in which they had enough room to stare ahead and breathe;)

Before long the kids were released from the confines of our filled to the roof van and we had spread our things out rather nicely in the beautiful big outdoors!!!    All that time spent preparing all morning?   #worth it!

I loved unzipping the tent each day and finding the kids' stuffies laying nicely on their sleeping bags.  I totally remember camping with my favorite stuffed Taradactyl "Petrie" when I was there age.   

We had a wiener roast for dinner and Abby reminded us of how fun it is to cook the wiener in a squiggly shape.   It holds that shape even once it's put in the bun, which of course, makes it taste all that much yummier!!!

We did a couple of fun things that evening.   First, we drove up to the Prince of Whales hotel to explore a bit.   Jasmine Low was playing the harp and it was nice to sit there and enjoy the music and beautiful scenery.   We all spent way too much time in the gift shop, compiling long lists of things we suddenly realized we need.   (ie: T-shirts, grizzly bear flashcards, and wildflower seeds!)

After supper we made our way to the head of the lake so John and Sam could feed their fishing addiction.  (Just kidding, we all enjoy it, but they just enjoy it on a whole other level.)   While they fished, Jessica showed us the most enchanting little tree fort ever!  It's right at the head of the lake and has probably existed in that grove of trees for the last couple of years.   We've been missing out!  

I could have sat in there all day.   (Though John took one look at it and said, "Well that's a forest fire waiting to happen.)   Some people see a magical tree fort - others see timber and kindling.  

While John and Sam fished, the rest of us went and watched a live show at the Falls Theatre where we learned all about some of Waterton's toughest creatures.  (ie: the mountain goat and surprisingly the teeny tiny mouse like Pika.)   The kids were fascinated and the walk back to our tent that night was spent talking about how cool little Pikas must be to with stand the cold Alpine conditions.

We got back to the campsite just time for some hot chocolate and cookies.
 This has got to be my most favorite part of camping! 

Things get magical in Waterton, when the sun goes down.  The kids love watching the sky for bats and constellations.  Our voices get softer as we all whisper about the highlights of the day and our plans for the next.  

It's dreamy.

We did notice though that camping in August is significantly cooler than camping in July.   Our hot chocolates were a welcome thing on this night when the low dipped down to 5 degrees! 

As much as we love the whole "mug up" thing, we were all pretty excited to don our toques and get into those warm sleeping bags;)

Morning couldn't come soon enough.  It always takes me one night to adjust to sleeping outside, but falling asleep this particular night was even more challenging thanks to a noisy couple camping beside us.   They sat outside their tent and talked until 11:30.   They talked so loud I felt like I was right there, a part of the conversation, and believe me, it was the most ridiculous conversation I've ever not been a part of!  haha.   Finally they quieted down and I was able to fall asleep to the rustling of the wind and babbling creek.

In case you didn't know - that's how one is supposed to fall asleep in Waterton.

And for the record, one is also supposed to wake up in the same zen like manner.  

That's why as soon as the sun started to rise (and before anybody else in town woke up) I made my way down to the head of the lake for a bit of yoga.    My little buddy Nate came to and played on my phone while he waited.  (I think that's how he meditates;)   

(For the record, this is one of three yoga poses that I know.   

John's the real Yogi in our house, but don't tell him that I said so;)  

The forest fires to the north and west and south and south west of us (seriously, fires everywhere) have made for a pretty smoky/hazy sky the past couple of weeks.   There was even a forest fire in Waterton while we were there.  Though it was isolated to the far end of Waterton/Goat Haunt area, a couple of popular hiking trails were closed as a result.   This provided some extra motivation for us to try something new.   Lower Rowe Lake!

As you can see, we started the hike bundled up in sweaters, blankets and toques.   An hour later, we'd shed all of our layers and stuffed them in the hiking backpack for John to carry.   

The hike into Rowe Lake was a beautiful one and this trail quickly became a new favorite of mine.  

The walk up begins with some beautiful waterfall views before climbing up and through a meadow eventually leading to this lower lake. 

I think my favorite part about hiking is always the lunch we have when we arrive.   Ham Sandwiches, granola bars, fruit and hummus with crackers could not have tasted better!  This giant rock we are all leaning/sitting on is what we chose to use as our table.   Due to the slant of it though I think we spent more time catching our food then eating it!

 Nate, John and Sam all spent some time fishing.   Unfortunately, this was not a very ideal lake for fishing.   Not a single nibble, jump or bite.  The kids noted that there weren't even minnows in sight.  W

hat it lacked in fishing it made up for in beauty;)

The back drop behind the lake consisted of a steep wall of rock and shale which provided a good hours worth of fun, right there.    The chipmunks were as friendly as they are atop Bears Hump and we even heard and spotted, you'll never guess - 

...a PIKA!!!

(a million dollars to whoever can find it in this picture;)

Pika's live in the sub Alpine/Alpine regions in Waterton and fair much better in the harsh cold winter temperatures then they do in warmer temps.   Abby was the first to recognize the sound of it (thanks to the lecture we'd attended the night before) but it didn't take long for us all to spot it too.   It's small like a mouse or squirrel but is actually a part of the Rabbit family.   It was pretty darn cute, I have to admit.

Though it took us two hours to get up to the lake, it was probably a 50 minute walk down.   And every second of that time was spent walking hand in hand with Jess and she did her very best to negotiate with me a way to get a pet.  (Preferably a Pika!)

Other highlights of this trip included:

* watching the kids play badminton with neighboring campers

* going to Big Scoop and letting the kids order WHATEVER they wanted.  (That never happens;)

* Swimming late into the eve at the hotel pool 

& 

* Enjoying the absence of telephones, computers and ipods!  

On Wednesday morning as we enjoyed our last meal there we all sat around and considered the possibility of staying at least a couple of more days.   The kids all wanted to.   John wanted to.  

I wanted to!

In the end, practicality won out and we packed our things and headed home as planned.

But not before agreeing that next year - we'd go camping for a whole week!!!

Thanks Waterton.  You've been so very good to us this summer;)

Sam's Birthday and a couple of A.W.O.L frogs

Our Sam man had a birthday last week!    We were so very thrilled to get to celebrate this 10 year old of ours, but we were also so very tired of all the parties we've been having.   

It's hard, partying all the time, you know?

In our family though, we alternate between "friend Parties" and "Family Parties" and unfortunately for me - this happens to be the year for friend parties.  

I tried to talk Sam out of it, suggesting alternative ideas, offering to pay HIM what I would have spent on a party ... all to no avail.  He wanted his friends and that was that!

About four days before his birth date, I finally buckled down and faced the reality that there was one more party to plan and worry about enjoy;)  Luckily, we had the most genius, last minute idea EVER!

...Wallys Beach!!!

If you've never been to Wally's beach before - well...you've obviously not come to visit us.  It is where we take all of our family when they come to visit and we can't think of anything else to do.  

It's fun.

It's laid back.

It's sandy.

It's.....

...usually much much wetter than this!

When we arrived with Sam and his friends, we were shocked to see just how low the water had gotten.   You see that pile of rocks, right there?That used to be covered in water.
 (In fact, just a few weeks earlier, we had been paddle boarding on that very spot!)    You can see the trees off in the distance that mark the Island that the kids often talked about swimming out to.   Of course, on this day, all it took was a dry, hot, sandy stroll  -and they were there.   Crazy!!!

Thankfully, there was still some water to be enjoyed.

We recently heard someone refer to Wallys beach as Cardston's Caribbean.   It's a suiting nickname.   

We spent a chunk of Sam's party playing in the sand, swimming in the water, soaking in the mud and catching frogs!  (the receding water has made for great swampy areas - perfect for frog hunting!)

As an extra effort to make Sam's party fun - John was equipped and ready to feed us all burgers or hot dogs, watermelon and more!  Mmmmm....

It ended up being the most relaxing birthday party we've ever thrown.   How could that me?

I was inwardly super thrilled when, on the way home, as I was buying them slurpees before dropping them off, I heard one kid tell Sam, "This has been the coolest birthday party ever!" 

VICTORY!!!

Listen up parents - I seemed to have figured out the key to throwing a successful party and I am willing to share it with you now:

1. zero planning

2. marginal effort

3. Mud

4. Water

5. Sand

6. Slurpees

It really was a pretty fun day and I enjoyed watching Sam with his buddies, all of them are such fun boys!

If I had to point out any negative part of the day it would be that many of them returned home with frogs in tow.  

 Nate had one stored up in a paper cup and I really don't know when he decided to not care about it anymore, but I've not seen it since taking this picture.   One friend of Sam's apparently brought several home in his water bottle.   We didn't know this at the time, but figured it out much later that day as we were cleaning out the van and found a piping hot bottle of water under the back seat.   (it was gross and quite frankly a tragic way for a bunch of frogs to die.)   Jessica actually brought two frogs home, made a Tupperware container cage for them and took loving care of her new found pets for the entire day!    We were relieved to find that at least someones frogs had survived.  

Sadly, the next morning we woke up to Jessica's confused exclamations that her two frogs had gone missing.  A few things I'd like to point out at this time:

1.  A Tupperware container is NOT a cage

2.  I have said it before and I'll say it again - we are not a PET kind of family.

3.  There is not a thought more gross to me then to wonder where, in my house, those two frogs could be.  Sometimes, as I fall asleep at night, I worry that I'll wake up in the morning with one of them staring me in the face.   

Oh for the love - that day had been almost perfect.

Now, please excuse me while I go search for some missing frogs!;)

The Meadows

Nestled in a charming little valley just below the majestic Chief Mountain is a happy little chunk of land (owned by a few very cool people) called "The Meadows."  Our friends, Curtis and Mandi, have a trailer here and this past week we were invited to join them for a day of fun!

I wish I had taken a picture of this road from the top as we afraid.  It is crazy steep and I was genuinely afraid that our van would start doing somersaults all the way down.  Once we safely made it down, I wondered if our van would ever make it back up to the main road.  As it would turn out, I soon discovered that this wouldn't be a bad place to be stranded after all!

The Creek that runs through it was so warm and shallow enough for Nate to safely navigate his way through any part of it.    The kids all had a blast splashing and swimming.   Sam spotted several fish just a few feet from him.

...and Jess found that a luxurious mud bath was more her cup of tea;)

Mandi's Dad (who is an amazing local photographer) took John and I on a ride to see the meadows from a couple of different angles.  He clearly knew where all the best views were!  I don't know what was more fun- careening through the forest and up and down hills in the Ranger, or stopping for every spectacular shot we saw.   It was beautiful!

It was pretty fun talking with Mandi's Dad about photography.   You learn a lot listening to him, and occasionally he pulls out one of his cameras for you to test out;)

After supper we went for a walk up that big steep hill we drove down when we arrived.  

And my original assessment was right - this hill was ridiculously steep and we would probably never be able to leave.  Sigh...what a pity;)

We reached the top, just as the sun was starting to set, which made for the pretties, softest light.

I LOVE Chief Mountain!  One of these summers I am going to hike that mountain.  

For now, I'll stick to photographing it;)    I actually am trying to photograph it every month for the next year, from a different location each time.   It has been fun to see it from different perspectives and notice the changes with each season.  

(Curtis and Mandi are such a great couple ever and I love how well our kids play together)

Mandi's Dad didn't just give John and I a ride around the property, he graciously hauled around any kid that was willing, or brave enough, to hop on.   Nate made me laugh because he was initially so worried that the ride would be too fast.   And it was fast, but every time Nate passed by us he was biting on the rim of his hat and grinning from ear to ear.   For the rest of the evening he constantly asked for "another fun ride on that red thing!"

We stayed until after the sun had gone down and just until the mosquitoes really came out.   

It was a perfect day of eating, swimming, exploring and visiting with some of our favorite friends.  

The Meadows is a pretty magical place to be on a Summer Evening!

Parade Day!

I am convinced that John and I are creatures of habit.  

We love our schedule, our routine, and our holiday rituals.   

This became especially apparent to me a week or two ago as we celebrated our local Heritage Days.   

John's sister Sarah (and her son Mala) came up to visit and the day was pretty much set in stone, whether any of us knew it, or not;)

It started with the annual parade.

And, of course, we had to all draw our poop circles.

(It's our favourite part about attending a parade.  You draw a circle on the road with chalk and if a horse poops in your circle, well - you win!  How fun, eh?;)

After the parade is finished, we made our way over to the agridome to watch the annual Mod Bog and Ranchers Rodeo.    It was a sweltering 30 some degrees outside and way too hot for any sane person to want to sit out baking while watching others race a bunch of old trucks through the mud - 

but this is what we do every year.

In the evening we always attend the annual Chinook Rodeo.  

(We love the bull riding and other events, we love the smell of hay and manure, and we love watching our local farmers and ranchers compete.   And, it's just what we do every year!)

The culminating event of the day is always the fireworks.   We always go sit on the hill to watch.   We always sit in the same spot.  We always pick out our favourite fireworks.  

See?  Creatures of habit.

I suppose a few things were different this year.   

For starters, we shared the day with company which is always nice.  Then, thanks to a malfunctioned firework, dry conditions and a strong wind - there was a tense moment in which five grass fires began, putting an immediate halt on the fireworks display.   We'd certainly never seen that happen before.   And finally, we enjoyed the most delectable and unforgettable Huckleberry Cobbler (a recipe of Sarah's) as a bedtime snack.   It was a divine way to spend our annual parade day.

For this reason alone, I am now convinced that it is ok to throw in a little variation every now and then.    Especially if it comes in the form of company and fresh Huckleberry Cobbler!

Cameron Lake Adventures

If we were to chose one thing that our family loves to do together (like really LOVE to do) it would be fishing in Glacier or Waterton.   Sadly there have been a couple of devastating forest fires in Glacier that have prevented us from going down there so we've been forced to enjoy some lovely evenings in Waterton exclusively.   

One particular evening awhile back, we made the last minute decision to fill the cooler with all the fixings for a wiener roast, and drive up to Cameron lake.   Just shy of Cameron lake is a great little pullover/cooking spot called McNealy's.  It has quickly become a favourite place of ours in part because it is just minutes from Cameron Lake, but also because it is secluded enough for us to enjoy the tranquility while we eat.   

I believe (with all my heart) that food tastes better when cooked outside and this meal did not disappoint.   It didn't take long for my little family to polish off a dozen hot dogs and we were back in the van and headed on up the road to Cameron Lake.

Because of the forest fires south of us, there was a smoky hazy that covered the sky, but the weather was good and the lake was calm.

It had initially been very busy when we arrived, with more tourists walking around then I had ever seen!!   Within minutes though of setting off on the water, people began to leave.   When I looked back a short while later to see how far we were from the dock, I could tell there were just a few of us left up there.   I much prefer Cameron Lake when we are the only ones there;) 

We had to divide our family up into two groups which meant there was a girl boat and a boy boat.  (Classy of the guys to take the one with the motor, don't you think?;)

We didn't mind.  Us girls felt invincible in the dingy. (...for the first 30 minutes at least;)

Soon we were smack dab in between both ends of the lake, all was quiet, and I was tired.

And my legs kept cramping up.

And blisters were forming on my hands.

And my elbows hurt.

And the boys had long since past us, leaving us dismally alone. 

I wanted to throw my ores in the lake and yell "stupid, dumb, boring, hate it" until someone came to pick us up.   But Jessica was worried enough and I knew it likely wouldn't be an effective way to handle my frustration - so we rowed on.   

And on.

And on.

And on.

We reached John and the boys at the far end of the lake and watched them fish.   I began to feel my bad mood dissipate as I reminded myself of how much fun these fishing adventures are and how much we love doing things like this as a family.  (Granted, I'm not usually the one doing all the stinkin' rowing but perhaps this was a good chance for me to, you know, walk a mile in John's shoes and stuff like that.)   

Whenever I get to this part of Cameron lake I like to just sit and listen to the waterfalls and scour the shore in search of grizzly bears.   It is so lush and quiet and gorgeous here!   

The highlight of the night came when us girls made it back to the dock alive  Nate caught his first fish EVER!!!    (A beautiful brook trout, which was actually a fairly decent size for him.)  He often called out to us from across the lake to let us know that he'd caught a fish and it was cute to see how territorial he was over it.     But for good reason.  Nate has waited a long time for this fish, his whole life in fact, and we were all so proud of him! 

  

 

John and I both feel hopeful that now that he has experience the thrill of a catch, he will feel more inclined to actually join us when we go fishing in the future.   That's right, no more laying in the van wasting our data plans away watching movies on my cell phone.  Woohoo!

Heritage Park

One day, early in August, I looked at my calendar (for the first time in weeks!) to see that I had an appointment in Calgary in just a couple of days.   John and I debated for probably a total of thirty seconds before deciding that it would be fun to take the whole family!  We had a lot of options when it came to fun things to do.  Calaway park?  The Zoo?   Heritage Park?   

In the end, I got online and searched for coupons.  Whoever offered the best discounted admission would get this families business for the day - so Heritage Park it was!!!  haha

It ended up being the perfect place for these four and offered a little bit of something for all of them.

We started by taking an old fashioned train ride into town. (Fun!)

We got off the train just in time to board this old boat for a ride around the reservoir.  (Double Fun!)

There were canoes and dragon boat racers out on the water, which was fun to see, but I'm pretty sure that Nate's favorite part of this boat ride was being able to walk around and explore every deck.  

 A parent could get sea sick just trying to keep up with him! ;)

As soon as our boat ride finished, the kids headed straight for the old time fair, which consisted of all sorts of fun ring toss style games that are designed to suck every last penny from you and old fashioned rides.    My favorite ride of the day was the Caterpillar ride, which consisted of a line of cars that could hold 1-2 people in each car.   The cars would race around a track that went up and  down small elevations.  What made it cool though is that part way through the ride, a vintage green curtain unfolds and expands over the entire train of cars giving you the feeling that you were actually in a tunnel.   It was the kind of ride where you could steal a kiss or two from the person next to you and nobody else would ever know.   Lucky for me, John was sharing a car with me so we did our best to take advantage of the opportunity;)  Carpe diem, you know?

All of the kids enjoyed the swings and I love this picture of Abby and Jess.   It depicts perfectly how well my kids get along when we go places like this.   It doesn't matter if we are camping, hiking, at the mall, or taking in an amusement park.  If it is new to them - they are so full of happiness and excitement.  It's contagious and just spills out of them in a lovely and harmonious way.   

It's bliss. 

Us girls insisted on riding the Ferris wheel.  What a charming ride!

I had to sit alone though because Jess and Abby wanted to share, so I had the opportunity to listen to them scream behind me every time one of them leaned forward just a tad too far.  It was so relaxing;)

I was actually really enjoying the ride (so long as I stayed completely still;) until I noticed this sign posted on a part of the contraption.  The numbers 1905 & 1922 stood out to me and made my heart race.  Suddenly the realization that I might be sitting high up on a 100 year old ride had me feeling a little panicky and I longed to be with my boys down on solid ground.  

They were hardly mindful of the danger I was in though as they were all too busy snacking on a large order of fries.  Of course the ride ended just fine and all was well, but later in the day when Jessica asked if we could ride it again, I did my very best to dodge that bullet!

The rest of our time was spent meandering through the streets, buying candy at the old Claresholm General store, attending school in the old school house and touring through old homes, many of which belonged to some of Alberta's prestigious settlers.   I could have looked through those homes all day long!   The kids enjoyed stumbling upon a evolving re-enactment involving "Earnest" an entertaining criminal who somehow managed to evade the RCMP every time. 

I'm pretty sure John and I would have loved growing up in this era:)

We spent most of the day here, only leaving for a picnic lunch.   Even when it was time for my appointment we decided that I would leave for it and then come back to them here.   The kids did NOT want to leave!!!

The park closed for the day just as a massive storm loomed over us menacingly.  

We hurried to a nearby shopping mall to have dinner in the food court and watch the storm roll by.
Even though it was barely after 5, the city seemed so dark and many mall patrons stood at the windows anxiously watching the sky.  (They'd apparently had a tornado in Calgary the week before)

One last stop at the Lego Store for some window shopping and wishing and we were on our way!!

As we drove home John and I basked in the perfectness of the day.   It was just so fun to be away from everything that had been distracting us and weighing us down and just play.   For the kids, it was a day full of things they rarely get to do.   Carnival rides, boat rides, train rides, restaurants and more.  

Definitely a day to remember!!!

Party Hardy Part 4 - The Extended Version

Towards the end of July, after cousin camp and shortly before Rachel was to leave, we went to Stirling AB for two days to celebrate the lives of John's Grandpa and Grandma, who both bast away a couple of years ago.  John's Grandpa would have been 100 years old this year!

We gathered at the church in town where, for two days, we enjoyed yummy food, fun games and lots of mingling!   This picture shows some of John's cousins as they tried to line up in order of age.   (John was, for the most part, the only one from his particular family that was able to attend this event, so there are at least 7 cousins missing;)    It was cool to watch John catch up with so many of his relatives and listen to them share stories and reminisce.   Johns Aunt Elaine arranged a beautiful slide show that consisted of many of Grandpa and Grandmas photos.

Because John's Dad had to leave after a couple of hours (to embark on a trip to Alaska!) he put John in charge of the rope making station.   Max had been sure to walk John through it the night before just to make sure he'd be able to make one the next day.   I think John was impressed and pleasantly surprised with how well his demo went.   He managed to successfully make a rope, convince us all that he was an expert at it, and then make another one for good measure!!! ;)

They needed lots of hands and help to make such a long rope.   

Perfect for a game of Tug-a-war!!

The next day we all needed to be at the church before 10 to get ready for the parade.   Everyone was to be in it!!   

Our "float" consisted of a group of people walking in front with a banner that read:  

"The Lyman and Mildred Hardy family says...."

Behind those kids a truck pulled a trailer with all of Lyman and Mildreds kids on it.  That banner continued the message with, "Stirling - Thanks for our Heritage"

And then behind that was this semi pulling all of Lyman and Mildreds Grandchildren, Great Grand children and Great Great Grandchildren, with a banner that finished, "We have shared it with the World!"  All those who had travelled for missions or any other reason were encouraged to bring a flag representing where they have gone.   

It was a pretty powerful though and this was an impressive enough site to earn the 1st Place entry!!  

As a result, we got to be the first float in the parade:)   haha

John made me (and everyone) laugh because his flag was by far the largest one on the float.   What would else you expect though considering he served his mission in Texas! ;)

After the parade we had a final dinner together and let the kids do some zip lining before leaving for home.   It was a fun couple of days and I'm glad we were able to go.

The partying didn't end there though!

Because there was so much family in town for that reunion, many of Kendal's siblings remained for another week longer.    Jewel and her Mother in Law Deanna were so gracious and invited my family to join them one day at the Magrath campground.  

 My kids enjoyed the water slide built in the hill and I loved watching Jewel and her in laws.   

They are a laid back group of people who are full of fun ideas and just genuinely seem to love being together.   Unlike I had done, no one seemed to be fretting about meals or other hosting logistics.  

I took that as a sign that I could probably relax a little when company comes and enjoy the moment a little bit more.

Clarke and Deanne pulled out some balloons and had each of the kids write a thoughtful message or a wish for someone down on a peace of paper.   The messages went into a balloon which was filled with helium.   My kids and I didn't stay long enough to see this done, but later that day they all gathered together to release their balloons.   I love this image of dozens of happy wishes going out to others!   

I think this is the key to happiness.   Family and sharing goodness with those around us. 

No wonder it was such a joy filled weekend!!!