Camping and more...

Blog updates are few and far between these days. I feel like the days and weeks speed past these days. We are still trying to embrace the summer days and since it is 37C with the humidex today that isn't hard. (I of course just imagine what it feels like from the 12th of PLace du Portage).

We just returned from a great camping trip to Bon Echo park. Nana Lou joined us which was great (and i hope that she thinks so). We arrived Friday night with a pop-up palace a.k.a the really big tent. At about 10 p.m. it started to rain - both inside and outside the tent! I don't think that heather, as a self-described gear head, has ever faced a technical failure of this magnitude. For my part, the puddles in the corner of the ten took me back to my childhood. Luckily the kids slept right through it (or mostly - it would appear that Keira does not love sleeping on the ground). On Saturday we stocked up on a really big tarp (for a really big tent) and we were fine. We enjoyed nice swims, especially at our favourite spot "Turtle Rock". Jason and Keira really seemed to have a lot of fun. I can't even think of all the funny things that came out of Jason's mouth, although a memorable line as we surveyed our stuffed-full car upon departure was that he had also added a "box full of chihuahuas". Keira learned the word "hot" from Nana - or more like "ot" when she says it.

A couple of weekends back, we enjoyed the Ottawa folk festival,and also a trip out to neighbour Sue's farm and our friends Clare, James and David.

We have a brand new camera and someday new pictures will appear....

Keira's adoption finalized!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

CAS just let us know that Keira's adoption was finalized as of August 1!!!Horray!!

super interesting NYT article

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/16/garden/16treehouse.html?ex=1344916800&en=77fb30c38a627194&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

Port Stanley

Sorry about the CO2 but we did enjoy the big van for a few days!
At the beach
Meeting Aunt Sue
Can you jump like this?

Some of the younger gang

Our summer vacation

Our vacation is over! We have been away close to 5 weeks and sadly it has drawn to a close.

It started off with a jaunt to Southern Ontario to celebrate Heather’s Gran’s 90^th Birthday. It is the first time the whole crew has been together since 2000 (Christmas in Cuba). There are seven great grandchildren ranging from Keira to a seven year old. They were a formidable posse, and it was a lot of fun. For our kids, Port Stanley would qualify as a high power adrenaline packed vacation. For instance, on one of our days, we went to the beach, swam in the pool, went on a train ride, out for dinner in a restaurant (where Jason got the waiter and ordered his own drink – cranberry and orange juice mixed), the park, sparklers, and fireworks. Phew!

As many of you know, we then were supposed to drive but hallelujah for Air Canada (and I never say this) for their one-day July 4 seat sale. We left the next day. We spent 2.5 weeks at the cottage, some time on the South Shore, and about a week total in Halifax. It was glorious. We swam in the Northumberland Strait, Minas Basin, and the Atlantic, and in Ponhook Lake. By day two at the cottage Keira learned that at low tide you walk along the sand bars, find shells and pick them up for everyone to say. Or you let people know, “Crab!”. Or you bury jellyfish.She also liked tasting the water and would stick her index finger in the salt water and then suck on it. Jason’s theme for the summer is swimming. First one, last one out in Port Stanley at the pool. Swimming lots in the ocean. And he finally got to go fishing with Grandpa for the first time.

Since we were with grandparents most of the time, we even got to read some books and talk to other adults!

I will post some pictures soon.