So What Do We Really Do With Our Time?

Farewell to August!

And folks do actually ask what we do with our time, usually quickly followed by “must be nice”.  So first I must tell you yes it is nice.  Sorry to have to break that to you.  So now let me tell you about our nice August!

We spent the first week of August camping at Gregoire Lake Provincial Park, just south of FT. McMurray.  This is one of the classic old provincial parks in Alberta, maybe Tracy remembers our van camping trips back in ‘82?  LOL  Since our McMurray days the park has just matured and become even nicer.  The beach is huge, manicured and sandy, just like a beach should be.  Warren and Cherie, along with a friend Sheila form Ottawa, joined us on this adventure, but the best part?  So did Lindsay, Jeremy and CONNOR!!  Now that is one cute grandson.  I don’t know how the rest f you with grandchildren handle the cuteness of all of ours!!  ha ha  Days were filled with walks and cuddles, and good food and visiting.  It was a great extended long weekend.

By the time we got home that week, the rest f the days passed as many do, walking, having coffee with friends, visiting the Cameron family, etc.  Then it was out to Cross Lake for a weekend camping trip with Paul and Mary.  Beautiful weather and great fishing.  The guys limited out on perch so the eating was good too!

The week ahead was as busy as always.  I had an Audit breakfast with a client, more schooling at the ACSA office, this time Prime Contractor, completing the audit, a closing Audit meeting with the client, company year end with the Accountant, and working a hockey bingo for Blake.  And finally – the weekend!  One really cool activity was watching Blake run his first little marathon.  It was the Canadian Derby Marathon and Blake ran in the kids part – ABC For Kids.  It was so cute seeing him all ready to run with his water bottles etc.  He did fantastic…Right after his run on Saturday we decided to make a quick trip to Saskatchewan to see my mom for a night, then on to Lannigan to welcome Ken and Brenda’s first grandchild!  Little Blaire is a beautiful baby girl, congrats to the whole family!

And home again!  The kitchen and bathroom are getting new flooring but that always leads to new adventures.  This time I decided “we” would remove all the old bathroom wallpaper and use this opportune time to repair and paint the bathroom walls!  (Fast forward 2 weeks of Don working on those walls and it looks great!)  So as not to be in Don’s way (LOL) I decided to take a trip north to see the Stecyks.  I had the best week spending days with Lindsay and Connor.  It’s so great to see the recognition on his face when he sees me or hears my voice:)  Lindsay and I also attended Taste of Fort McMurray.  It was a first class evening, and we plan on going next year!  So again – home!  Just in time to help Don with the last minute work before the house became invaded by the flooring folks.  Floors go in and the bathroom priming and painting began.  As I said, the changes look fantastic and were well worth the efforts.

And August draws to a close.  Blake starts Kindergarten on Tuesday, Emerson is in playschool, and Reese is trying to keep up.  Lindsay is at the half way mark of her maternity leave, and time rolls on.  September is a vacation month for Don and I, and then his work will increase.

Follow us in September as we travel along the west coast!

You Have Got to be Kidding Me?!

Um – I do not know how else to say this – but where has the time gone?  June and July passed in a blur of activity and fun.
We left you after the quad trip in McMurray, and time raced on after that.  June finished with a work trip to the Bonnyville area with Don, a visit with Ivan who attended the comedian Brent Butt show with us, and a nice overnight visit, a couple of days chairing a Casino for the Friends of the Library, and some overnights at the lake lot.
Ivan is from Tisdale (same as Don and I) and so is Brent Butt, so we were excited to see the show.  His humour onstage is the same as on his recent show Corner Gas.  It was a great evening out.
July was full of so many awesome visits and travel.  After spending the long weekend at the trailer, we came back to town so I could attend my first in-class training.  This one was the Auditor Training, and the 3 days were intense.  Saturday we headed towards the Rocky Mountain House area to attend the wedding festivities for our friends Wayne and Regina, who were married in February in Costa Rica.  Weddings are always great to attend but this one had an extra something to it.  They are our age and have not only overcome the “normal” obstacles of melding lives together, but a few extra.  It was a great weekend, the most engaging host and hostess, and a fun time by all.  A generous friend offered the use of his acreage and so even the setting was representative of the couple, with RV’s and quads all over.
When we pulled out on Sunday we headed to Ivan’s home on the James River.  What a beautiful home and site he owns!  We left our trailer there as we had to head back for Don to attend to a work project, then went back to Ivan’s on Wednesday morning.  We had a fantastic visit and enjoyed an evening out at the Bear Berry Saloon – somewhere west of Sundre,  Great atmosphere and food.  You need to check this cool place out some day.
From there we headed to Saskatchewan, first to visit with my Uncle Michael and Aunt Doreen who live in Brownlee.  Love these people.  We enjoyed a 3 day eating and visiting marathon and great visiting.  I purchased a Family Tree program, and Aunt Doreen is the keeper of all births, marriages, deaths etc. in my mom’s family.  We sat and copied out her records, and I will spend a few winter evenings entering the information into the program.  Then sometime when we visit Don’s mom and dad I will copy her computer records (she uses the same software), import them to mine, and our children will have a record of at least 2 sides of their heritage.  Don’s mom has the Smith side completed for sure, and Don thinks maybe the Campbells.  I have a small amount of information on my dad’s side and I will add what is there.  Uncle Mike and Aunt Doreen are such gracious hosts, and the visit was very special to me. 
Then down the road to Moose Jaw for the traditional Smith Reunion.  This is Don’s dad’s side, and they have a reunion every three years.  The best part was seeing all of Don’s siblings and his mom and dad, with the exception of his brother Terry.  The added bonus was visiting with his extended family.
It is traditional to gather for a group photo at these reunions – here is this year’s:

So it is now ONLY mid July, and we are not done…
We retuned home on Sunday July 15, to do laundry, a grocery run, and re-pack the trailer.  Our friends Ron and Bev were on their way to join us at the lake lot for a week of catching up and quadding.  I was VERY excited about this, as I love spending time with Bev, and I love quadding.  The weather could not have been nicer for our plans.  We rode the Peace River Trail, and visited the Vega sand dunes, for 2 long days of 4 wheel adventure. Unfortunately Ron and Bev had to go home, and I had to go back to school.  This time for 2 separate courses – Safety Excellence and WHIMS.  And that brings us to the last weekend of July.
On Friday we picked Blake and Em up at their house and headed to the trailer for a couple days of what we hoped would be quad rides, etc.  It was a FANTASTIC time!!  They slept so well, the both rode the quads, and Blake got to enjoy some time fishing with Don and Paul.  Blake has been excited about riding the quad, but Em we weren’t so sure about.  Don and Blake headed out one afternoon, and pretty soon Em was watching for them, asking how long they would be gone.  I asked her if she wanted to go find them.  When she said yes I wasted no time putting on our helmets and gloves, and sure enough – she became a rider just like that.  She is not too fond of the bush, prefers the road.  LOL  And Blake showed Grandpa that he knows what the throttle does…  it was a great 2 days with them!
We had a special trip on the August long weekend, but that will be the next blog.  Enjoy August – days are getting shorter, nights are getting cooler…

Now This is the REAL Boondocking…

First let me say that although I have not blogged in a long time, we have been busy and enjoying every day.  I can’t even seem to remember how May and June have passed since our return home, but it has flown by and every minute has been precious.  We have celebrated Blake’s 5th birthday, had a week with Lindsay and Connor to ourselves, attended a year end pre-school party for Blake and Em, had ice cream and special coffee dates with the grandchildren, an amazing Mothers Day weekend, went to a wedding, enjoyed a traditional May long weekend camping trip, celebrated our 32nd anniversary, and the list goes on and on.
I have resigned from my Volunteer Alberta job (the 2nd one – it was just not the right choice) and decided to focus on my company.  And as well in a odd turn of events I am taking courses on behalf of Don’s company so it can receive its COR which is Certificate of Recognition, which is a “safety thing”.  LOL
But the exciting news right now is that Don went on a northern quadding and fishing trip with a few people, 2 of whom are our great son-in-laws, and has earned the right to say he really knows how to boondock!  The pictures in the album highlight the trip, and the SPOT shows the camp area.
If you want full trip details you will have to talk to Don, as I am the lowly writer, and myself spent the weekend with 2 beautiful daughters and 4 incredible amazing grandchildren.
We have our trailer at the lake lot and have enjoyed quite a few relaxing days and evenings there so far, and hopefully many more this season.  More to follow through the summer…

Six Lakes Quad Trip VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

What A Wonderful World

I decided it is time to learn to create movies and "stuff", so in an attempt to amuse myself on the long drive home, this is the result.  The video also includes audio:)

Last Few Days of Vacation:(

Wow – it has been a great month…  From meeting up with friends, to great conversations, sight seeing and shopping – who could ask for more.  Our last 2 days have been spent at Lake Utah State Park, a first visit for us, but definitely not the last.  It is a peaceful place in Provo, Utah.  You are truly removed from the noise and bustle of the cities around you, but just minutes away from everything as well.
The weather during this visit was exactly what we like – warm enough to cook outside, have evening fires, and not need the furnace or the air conditioning!
In true for to the name of the blog, Don drove me to an outlet mall, as well as numerous other sites.  Suffice to say the grandkids will receive their fair share of goodies.  And a few special things for myself as well.
In searching for trip souvenirs, I have decided to link my infallible love for Starbucks to my compulsive souvenir buying, hence resulting in various souvenir location Starbucks mugs.  This allows us to drive relentlessly around cities and states, in search of great coffee and the success and thrill of finding the mug.  Now the benefits don’t end there – of course my other love (my Tassimo coffeemaker) brews a mean cup of 12 ounce coffee, and wouldn’t you know it – these cups fit!  So see it is a win-win all around.
Not to be left out, we did make one special trip for Don as well.  He was in search of a Trimble hand held GPS, to replace one lost this winter.  Salt Lake City has a Trimble dealer, and they had exactly the one he wanted in their used inventory.  hmm – can you claim this as a business trip now?  Stewart – do you read this??
This will likely be my last vacation blog this trip, as we are on the road north now.  Today we are just taking a short day, staying in Idaho Falls.  Tomorrow we will cross and be home in Canada, with hopes to be home and able to see some of the grandkids on Friday for dinner.
Saturday is Blake’s 5th birthday and we want to take him shopping for his gift.  Saturday is also our friend Paul’s 65th birthday party, can’t miss that either.  We will see Lindsay and Connor on Thursday next week as they head down for a visit while Jeremy is away.  So between all that we will get caught up on cuddles with ALL the grandkids.
We are looking forward to our May long weekend camping trip, and getting the trailer out to the lake lot for a while.  Don has a few jobs to keep him busier than he needs to be – but I guess that is the life of a consultant.
Have a great week – we will continue reporting adventures as life offers them!

Checking Out the Canyons in Utah

I must admit I am weary of finding new words to describe the brilliance of the Canyons as we drive through them.  We have over 150 photos, but I am not even sure they do justice.  I wish each one of you was travelling with us, and we could ooh and aah along with us. As I said in a past blog, each view has its own merit.
Over the last 2 days we have travelled through Bryce Canyon National Park and Capital Reef National Park.  In many instances the “scenic route” we drove along to get there afforded more attractions and beauty than the actual canyons.
On Saturday we packed our lunch and headed through the park on Hwy 63.  We thought that was funny, as it was as different from Alberta’s Hwy 63 as you can get.  Bryce Canyon is full of incredible red hoodoos, not unlike those in Drumheller, other than the height and quantity.  It is so overwhelming to see them, and the drove allows you to stop and view from so many different angles.
Sunday we headed out again, ready to see Capital Reef National Park.  We were not sure what a reef was considered to be in this area, and must admit after the tour, still not sure why they chose that reference.  Capital Reef primarily allows you to drive rather than along the rim of the canyons, such as Grand Canyon or Bryce, along the river valley that created the wonder.  A totally different perspective.  Signs along the way warn you not to park in the river bed, or even enter,if there are any sings of impending storm.  As a side note, and not as an insult, it seems that Americans need to have posted warnings about everything in life.  You are in a raging storm and sitting in a river in your vehicle – you may want to leave!
Each of these day trips was so worthwhile.  I cannot believe how much new country we have visited this trip.  But also must admit I am done for the spring with red rock, canyons, and hills.  The truck must be wondering what we are doing to it.  The fields around Lethbridge will be welcome!
I will post pics as soon as we are in a more stable wifi zone.
Have  a great evening!

Lake Powell Country

We travelled yet again into new country on Wednesday – Page Arizona and Lake Powell.  Lake Powell is formed by the Glen Canyon Dam, built on the mighty Colorado River in the Glen Canyon Recreation Area.
The closest town, Page, was formed in 1957.  Page is a popular area for snowbirds, and the scenery is majestic and peaceful.  We stayed at the Lake Powell Resort.  Although a bit expensive for our taste, we do enjoy having services in the heat, especially electricity and the campsites had fire pits.  Fire pits are not easy to find in campgrounds!
Tonight we are packing up after spending 3 nights here – it is time to move on.  Our stay has been quite slow paced here, it seems we are starting to get the hang of doing nothing while feeling like we are busy.  We did a road trip each day, today’s was most interesting, travelling to see Lees Ferry and the Navajo Bridge on Route 89A.  At the Navajo Bridge they have the original bridge closed to traffic in 1938, adjacent to today’s current bridge.  The Lees Ferry was at one time the only river crossing on the Colorado for 600 miles!
The weather has been very cooperative for us, hovering in the mid 20’s, although the wind has been testy at times.  We have finally been able to have an evening fire, share a few stories, and make some new memories.
What more can a person ask for?
Tomorrow we are heading a bit north to the Bryce Canyon area.  Not sure where we will pick to stay, but I will let you know.
Have a great weekend – I know we will.

Page Arizona and Glen Canyon VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL