Summer Joys

Other summer adventures that didn't get a post of their own include:

Going to the Carriage House Theatre and watching "Little Women."

Meeting with many of our Beazer relatives. 

What awesome people!

Growing a garden and getting to spend absolutely NO time in it this summer. 

Neglected peas, neglected tomatoes, and neglected radishes!

Summer nights in the hammock were what my dreams were made of.

Swoon!

My super cool nephew (Caleb) set a personal goal to bike from the northern tip of Alaska to the southern tip of South America. Like...really?!

He rode through town one summer day and we were thrilled to get to cheer him on as he arrived.

Abby has been home for the summer and, on this day, she revealed to me that she had made the decision to serve a mission. She wants to keep it a secret for a little while, but it is so exciting to see her working and striving toward something. 

It definitely made me want to soak up my time with her even more!

After seeing the Northern Lights in July, I've been trying extra hard to see more of them. 

The last couple of months have provided some exciting shows - this particular one being sometime near the end of August.

Annual Family Photo Shoot

It was such a treat to have Abby home with us for the summer. 

When she is home, I take advantage of that fact. When she is away, I miss her terribly. 

Shortly before Abby was scheduled to return to Edmonton for the new year, I made the fam come out to Waterton for a quick family photo session. 

As you can see - it went well.

The kids cooperated perfectly. 

Smiled at the camera when asked. 

In no way was I frustrated with any one of them. 

They were all unanimously on board with what I had in mind. 

 

Perhaps my sarcasm has gone unnoticed. 

Truth be told, our family photo sessions have grown much too redundance for my kids.

 

Perhaps the only one who really appreciated being out in Waterton with me, that evening, was Radar! 

Eventually, I realized that my days as a photographer of my family were done. These kids weren't going to listen to me one bit!

The rest were taken by Sam:

I see how it is.

Waterton Days in August

Inspired by the girls' Triple Crown Challenge - Sam attempted one of his own ...the BIGFOOT Challenge!

This challenge requires participants to start at the Rocky Mountain Pop Shop (in Waterton) and run to the top of Bearshump, carrying a wooded bigfoot on your back. You're to take a picture of yourself with Bigfoot, and then run back down to the Rocky Mountain Pop Shop and down a 44 oz pop. 

ALL in under 40 minutes. 

Both Jessica and Sam set out to accomplish this feat. Jess was 5 minutes over the required time, but Sam pretty much rocked it. Can we just stop and pause to acknowledge Sam's physical fitness.  

He has worked SO hard to build muscle and live clean. He's kind of inspirational to me. 

Wanna know what else I've found to be inspiring?  

Hammocks, dark clouds, and late evenings watching the sun go down.  

17 years

This boy turned 17 in August. A friend of his threw him a surprise party, and I don't think Sam knew how to handle that gesture. He doesn't like being the enter of attention and it made me smile to see how uncomfortable he was with it al.

But c'mon. This kid is a big deal! 

We tried our very best to celebrate him in every way.

 

Crypt - Crowns officially conquered!

The day after doing Akimina Ridge, the team set out again, this time to complete the third (and final) trail of the challenge.  Crypt Lake. 

I love Crypt. I hiked this one year ago, just before my body fell apart due to Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Crypt has become something that I closely associate with that experience. Nate surprised us all by wanting to join them, and I was SO excited to hear how this Fab Four enjoyed this beautiful trail. 

Again- I really can't speak of the fun they had, only to say that they came home raving about the beautiful scenery, the cool lake they all swam in, and the boat ride to and from Crypt Landing. 

I guess we will just have to trust the old adage that "a picture is worth a thousand words."

Speaking of pictures - this one, with these two girls, joy-filled faces, holding their hard-earned Triple Crown T-shirts - says it all.

Mission accomplished!

 

Akamina Ridge

Akamina was the second hike associated with Abby's "Triple Crown" challenge. John, Abby, and Jessica did this hike a week after we had conquered Carthew Alderson. I was afraid my knees would not be able to handle it, so I stayed home.  I wish I had not done that though. It sounds like it was a SPECTACULAR trail! I wish I could share more about their experience on this hike, but I really don't know too many of the specifics about this journey. 

 All I know is that this hike was a favorite of theirs. It was hard, and a little bit scary at times. They saw wildlife (including a moose) and bonded with each other in a way that made my heart ache. 

What an experience!

Carthew-Alderson Hike

Earlier in the summer, Abby announced that she wanted to do the "Triple Crown Challenge" which involves hiking three extensive hikes in Waterton, in one season. Abby's original goal was to hike these hikes back to back, but she did do one of them a few days before the other two. Still- very impressive!

I joined Jess, Abby, and John on the first hike - Carthew Alderson. 

This hike starts up at Cameron Lake, ascends for 1/3 of the way, and then descends for the final 2/3 of the trip. I thought this meant it would be easier, but I have learned that descending a mountain is just a different kind of challenge.  My knees were screaming at me by the end of the day, but man, what a day it was!

One of the things that I LOVE about hiking is that I get to see places that I would not normally get to see. Take this view for instance. From now on, whenever I am up at Cameron Lake, I will know that THIS is what it looks like, on the other side of the mountain. 

I'll remember what it felt like to scale the ridge and have lunch at the peak. 

I'll remember how fun it was to stop at three lakes on the way down (Carthew and Alderson lakes) and sit in the icy cold water while John fished. 

I'll remember where the wildflowers flourished, and where my favorite spotted saxifrage grew.

All these new sights and views that I wouldn't have been able to see without the climb. 

(Cue Miley Cyrus;)

Parade Day

Jessica and Abby were IN the parade this year, riding on the float for the pool.

Sam couldn't attend the parade as he had to work, down at Home Hardware.

Thank goodness the relatives joined us. 

The best part of "parade day" is the company!

Can Cooker Fun Night

 We broke out the can cooker only once this summer. 

I am convinced that you can measure the success (and joy) of a summer by the number of times the can cooker is used. Clearly, we have room for improvement. Next year, I aim to live better. 

Still- this one time was pretty awesome!

Jewel and Crystal (and their families) joined us, as did a friend of Sam's. 

The food was good, the water play never stopped, and the laughter flowed freely.

What more is there to say?

Cameron Lake Date

There was one day this summer when John and I were able to sneak away for an actual date. I use the term "date" generously. John wanted to fish and I wanted to paddleboard, so it is more like our busy summer schedules collided serendipitously, but I'll take it!

We made our way to the end of Cameron Lake where John did the whole "Wim hof" thing (look it up) and I tried. The water was SO cold, which was perfect on a scorching hot day. 

 Standing below a waterfall and eating my picnic lunch on a paddleboard rank right up there with my favorite summer experiences.