Leaving the Beach Behind

We spent the last of our ocean days at Cape Lookout State Park near Tillamook. In hindsight we should have spent more nights here and less around Astoria. The only reason being that this is the best walking beach, in our opinion. But it's a hard choice to make!  At any rate all the beaches have been near perfection and no regrets. 

Again this has been a relaxing stop with not much excitement to report. We made a visit to Mo's Restaurant to fulfill our clam chowder cravings.

This is a must stop if you are on the Oregon Coast. 

The weather here was outstanding and we had a great evening visiting our neighbour over the glow of the fire pit, sharing stories of American and Canadian health care and life. 

Look at some of the life we found on the beach. 

But as always the best part was being together and walking the ocean beaches. 

As always another great stop. 

Until next time. 

Back to a Favorite

When we decided to take mom on her trip then continue somewhere for 2 weeks it didn't take much consideration to know we were going to go back to the Oregon coast. With a limited time to travel we simply picked our "best of the best" state parks. That brought us to Cape Disappointment on the farthest south tip of Washington. This is the state park where can walk out behind the trailer and onto the beach. And it has great access to the peninsula and another favorite, Oysterville. After two nights here we moved across the state line to Fort Stevens park on the northern most tip of Oregon, Astoria. I total we have been here seven nights. Our days have been filled with beach walks, hikes, reading, Yahtzee and a few drives. It has been a wonderful slow pace and in that way a bit unusual for us. We did make an afternoon jaunt to Portland to visit a mall, but with our dollar the way it is, we didn't stay long. Also I see no sense in shopping at a store we have at home so that limits which ones I visit!  Which isn't a problem. LOL

The Astoria Bridge

A View of Astoria

We completed a 7 km hike around Leadbetter Point near Oysterville. The path went through both ocean shore and forest. Look who I saw on our hike!

And of course we had to stop in Ousterville for some seafood. 

Every morning we walked this beach. Today we are moving a bit farther south and will miss it!

Moving On

So after a week in Stony Plain our next destination on mom's road trip was to see her brothers and their families.

The first stop was at Ern and Meryl's in Rocky Mountain House. We picked a good time to be there as a 60th birthday party was happening and hence we were able to most of the cousins in that family, but missed a couple. 

After a couple of nights we continued on to Penticton to Frank and Gwen's place, and visited for a few days. Their son Cal came down for a visit from Kelowna as well. It was sure great to see everyone!

Our last stop with mom was Langley and her brother Ed and wife Ethel. Here we visited with Stu and Susan, Nathan and Alex, and from Frank's family Scott and Karen and Shelley and Terry!

I know by Sunday when it was time to go to the airport that mom was ready to go home but also full of memories and happy to have made the trip. 

I really want to say thanks to the "aunties" who made these possible. You are some of the best hostesses and ladies I have the pleasure of having in my life. I never dreamt when I joined this family all those years ago that I would gain so many beautiful souls in my life. And always thanks to Stu and Susan for being our west coast adventure tour guides. We can't say enough how we appreciate your company and look forward to our visits.

Don and I are on our way to the Oregon coast and will report back soon!

I'm so sorry we didn't take any photos of mom with her brothers!

The Adventure Begins

On Sunday August 30 we drove to North Battleford to pick up Don's mom.  His sisters met us there.  We were about to begin a road trip with her!  But first we had a week at home and the opportunity for her to visit with our girls and their families. I'm afraid we may have exhausted her with all our family dinners, visits, laughter and yes even a bit of shopping.

Everyone was so excited to have their grandma and great grandma around. This is a rare treat for all of us. I know mom missed dad but it was a very special time for us and we appreciate that she was able to be with us!

Speed Living

It's kind of like speed reading - imagine our life is a book and you have a limited time to read.

After we returned from the August long weekend with the Camerons my mom and I traveled to Saskatchewan for a little road trip to see my sister and some of mom's sisters.  It was a fantastic trip and we had such great visits.  We even were at Ginger's for her birthday!  Thank you to sis Ginger for the overnight, and to cousin Barb for an overnight at her place.  While there we were able to catch up with MANY relatives.  I hope mom had fun, I sure did.

The next weekend was on course for being one of the more fun ones of the summer. Friday night we had tickets to attend Edmonton Rocks, with the bands The Stampeders and Sweet. It was such a  good time I don't know why we haven't gone before but I know we will again. Then on Saturday we met Clifford and Cheryl at the Red Piano. It was a great meal, fabulous music and above all so much fun to be out with them again. For a period of our lives we practically lived on each other's door steps!

The next morning Don had to go to Red Earth to work, but I was not alone as I had our grand dog Heidi for a few days. Tracy and Cal were on vacation and Lindsay was dog sitting but unable to start until they returned from camping. Heidi is great company and she keeps me closer to home. So I stayed busy cleaning and baking. If you have not read The Life Changing Habit of Tidying Up, you should. That's all I'm saying.

Oh and Lindsay and I hung out quite a bit. We went to a hilarious movie called Trainwreck, and even fit in a visit to my mom. 

We visited St Albert Market and purchased enough fresh veggies to make some dill and carrot pickles. 

Two events that happened in our family that we are proud of and want to mention. Both of our son in laws are pretty cool guys and focussed individuals. Cal has been running and training and completed his first full marathon!  Jeremy has also been training for something a bit different but also challenging. Him and a buddy hiked into the mountains over 80km to hunt big horn sheep. Congrats to both of them!!

Don and I went camping for a few days at Cross Lake as well. Lindsay and the boys joined us overnight and Tracy and the kids came for the day. The boys did superbly sleeping overnight!  We had a fantastic boat day with everyone. All the kids took turns tubing and even Mason enjoyed his first tube ride. In fact he wasn't happy when it wasn't his turn. LOL

And I had a great girls night out on Monday. My friend Sharon won a sailing evening and dinner at a Silent Auction and I was invited along!  Our hosts were wonderful, we enjoyed a lovely evening of sailing, food and friends!

My big event of the year was attending Wanderlust 108 in Edmonton. Wanderlust is phrased as a one day mindful triathlon. I could not have had a better friend and partner to attend with than Mary. The day comprised of a 5 km, yoga and meditation. It was fantastic and we are going back next year!  I was so excited to practice yoga under the guidance of my yogi crush Eoinn Finn!!

So that brings us to the end of August. September is our vacation month and this year it will have a twist to it, so stay tuned!

Help! I'm Drowning

So July?  Yes it happened!

We are not really people who celebrate occasions often, such as July 1st, but this year we had two events to attend for just that reason.

First Lindsay and Jeremy hosted the 1st Annual Stecyk Beach Day on June 28th.  They live in the Summerside Community and there is a lake and beach club right there! It was a hot one out, so a perfect place to spend the day.  After hours of playing in the sand and water, everyone headed back to their house for a BBQ.  Great hosts and great fun!

Next some friends from my wine group host a July 1st BBQ annually, and this year we were home and decided to go.  The great thing about this BBQ is that it is on June 30, which means that most people can stay and enjoy themselves and not worry about work the next day.  We had such a great evening, meeting new friends, seeing old friends, and enjoying a night out.  The fireworks were amazing and the food beyond compare, as potlucks usually end up.

Thursday and Friday I was in courses, renewing my safety certifications,  Some classes can be taken online but when able to I prefer in class instruction.

The weekend was spent relaxing as we prepared for our annual Family Vacation, this year held again at Ole McDonald's Resort near Stettler.  What a great week it was.  We spent days on the beach, riding bikes and go-carts, of course the train and tractor rides, and just enjoying each other's company.  We love this time with just our family.  I even snuck in a massage on the beach!

The next week at home was pretty quiet.  We needed a bit of that as we were headed to a Saskatchewan wedding and a family reunion.

We pulled what we refer to as "an Uncle Ed" and arrived at Ken and Brenda's just before midnight.  This is a phrase from Don's Uncle.  Throughout his visiting and RV years he would show up at any time of day or night, and we would always tease him.

Anyhow, Friday was spent on wedding set up, etc, Saturday the AMAZING wedding, and Sunday cleaning up then relaxing.  Monday we made a quick trip to Tisdale to see Dad, then back to Ken and Brenda's for our camping trip.  We spent 4 days at Saskatchewan Landing Provincial Park on Diefenbaker Lake.  HIGHLY recommend this campground.  Lots of great walking opportunities, a weekly fish fry at the clubhouse, full facilities, etc.  The days flew by and Ken and Brenda were wonderful camping partners.

Friday we headed to Swift Current for the last Smith Family Reunion.  I say the last because the extended family of Louise and Jim Smith have decided to stop hosting reunions.  There are many factors related to this, but mostly the fact that all the families have grown, some having challenges even collecting their own immediate families together.  This reunion was hosted by the Seymour Smith group, and they did a fine job.  As always excellent food and fun for all.  Kind of bittersweet, but we all agreed that as we host our own families in the future, we will always extend open arms to our cousins and their families.

We headed home on Sunday as Don had a couple of days of work to complete, and of course we had another camping trip planned!

We spent a 4 day long weekend with the Cameron  family at Long Lake Provincial Park.  We were all excited about the "new" boat.  Well a new motor on the old boat.  It ran splendidly and added to the fun we always have on these trips.  The kids could spend hours on the tube behind the boat, and Blake even tried water skiing.  He made it up once but the inexperience of what to do worked against him.  After that attempt the water and waves did not cooperate again, so a goal for next summer has been set.

So I am not really drowning, because this is all fun and a great way to see July speed by.  But I could use some time to clean house etc.  But that is somewhat overrated anyway!

August isn't looking any slower and I can't wait to tell you all about it.  Talk to you in a month!

You Can't Be Sad When You're Eating Ice Cream

That caught your attention didn't it?  LOL

Sorry we haven't posted since the May long weekend, but rest assured we've been keeping going and yes there has been some ice cream!

First we attended the wedding party of our niece Michelle and her husband Austin in Lannigan SK. This was a flying one night trip with our daughters Tracy and Lindsay sans husbands and kids. It was kind of fun being just with them. And we had great visits with Don's family as well.

The next adventure left in May was a long weekend with the little Stecyk men. Lindsay and Jeremy were off to a wedding on the island. We had fun with Connor and Mason. I love living closer to them but that means not enjoying longer visits like when they were still in Fort McMurray. It was a great few days with them. I had plans for spray parks and stuff but it was honestly just fun to be home with them and enjoy their antics. And let me tell you Mason has some moves. 

According to his mother he doesn't normally sit this quiet for long ( she's 100% correct) but the Cheerios captured him in this case!

The Cameron's were out for a visit as well so story time on grandpa's lap was full!

I almost forgot at the same time we had a visit from Ron and Bev!  As always a great visit but I was especially glad to have Bev for a day as I had fallen and really hurt my right knee and she was such a help. 

So on we move to the next weekend, and another Saskatchewan road trip. This time to Tisdale for the wedding of Meghan and Levi ( Don's niece). We stayed a few days arriving on Friday and staying until Monday. It was a relaxing trip and lovely to stay at sister Kathy's. 

Friday night dinner at BP's with mom and Kathy. 

And the beautiful new Mr and Mrs Savage. 

We had time for a visit with Ron and Bev, and several visits with Don's dad in his home. 

We had a week at home after this, filled with all the usual things like coffee and suppers with friends, yoga, little bits of work, seeing the kids, etc!

Then off on a week long fishing and camping vacation. Neither of us had any work to take along which was a real treat. We loaded the boat and trailer and off we went. The first four days were with Lindsay and Jeremy and boys. We were all pretty excited to get the boat in the water and off. Sadly though as we were crossing the lake the motor ceased. So did the fishing. To make a long story short Don and Jeremy took the boat for repair and picked up Jeremy's Zodiac. We were still able to fish lots and totally enjoyed the time. 

The Stecyks packed up, we moved to a new site, and Paul and Mary joined us. Thankfully they have a boat as well, so the fishing could continue!

These are the best times out with the Scotts. So lucky to have friends that we can have this much fun with!

The fishing was pretty amazing and I can actually say now I'm no longer an amateur. Ha ha. 

And as all good things come to an end, it was finally time to leave and face the reality of what we would do with the boat. After much consideration we decided to put a new motor on it. The boat is in fabulous shape and we live it. Now it has a motor with 6 years warranty and we can just move forward! 

Well that basically wraps up June!  July is so busy, but I will try to keep up. Enjoy summer while it's here!