Yesterday was my first day off since I went back to work. Five days! I have to say though, I went back to work relaxed. Even though I was busy on my vacation, it was a good, real holiday. What happens most of the time when I have a couple of weeks off is I start to get stressed out about going back. The stress usually starts three to five days before I actually go back to work. By the time I finally have to be at work, I am a miserable basket case -- at work and at home. This vacation was very different. I had every day planned from the very beginning and each of them was busy so I did not have time to get worked up about going back to work. The resulting first week of work turned into a very good week. I suppose that the key to a good vacation is to keep busy.
Busy like yesterday. I woke up at 9:00am -- it was nice to sleep in -- and did some reading and writing before cleaning the house. In the afternoon, the girls (Laura's cousins had a sleep-over) wanted to go swimming at the pool. Kyle had a football game with his friends to attend in the afternoon as well. I spent hours, it seemed, running a taxi service; dropping kids off and picking them up again. It was worth it though because everyone had a good time. The last taxi run was to pick up Kyle from his friend's house. Susan was home by then so she went for a ride, stopping at the grocery store to pick up hamburger fixin's for dinner.
By the time dinner was done and the kitchen was clean again, I finally had some time for a little writing. I am finding that I really have to force myself to write a lot of the time. It will be for the best in the long run though. My typing speed has almost doubled and it seems that words flow out of my pen with a lot more ease. I just have to remember that to be a writer, I have to write and write and write some more. If I am not writing then I am not a writer. What a concept! What a day!
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Saturday, July 22, 2006
Camping at Manning Park
We reached Manning Park sometime in the afternoon on the 16th of July. We set up camp right away and then went for a walk after having a little snack. We walked almost half way around Lightning Lake and by the time we got back to camp, everyone was really hungry so I cooked some hamburgers.
After dinner we went down to the lake for a swim. It was c-c-cold, but we all went in up to our necks except Kyle who dove in. It was great though, because there was no one else in the water.
We went back to camp and got into some dry clothes. Laura and I then walked over to the campsite amphitheatre where they were having a discussion about trees and nature in the park. It was very interesting and we learned a lot that we did not know before. One interesting fact was about all the dead trees all over the forest. They are lodgepole pine trees and they all die from the pine beetle. It is actually a natural cycle of life in the forest, just like forest fires which help to keep the forest healthy. The only problem is that the winters are not getting cold enough to kill the pine beetles so they keep killing the trees.
After the forest lesson, we headed back to camp to roast marshmallows - roasting them is one of the best parts of camping. Because of wood rations ($6/small bundle) our campfire soon went out so we went back down to the beach to look at the stars. It is amazing how many stars one can see without the light pollution of the city to obscure the sky.
In the morning I cooked bacon, eggs and hash browns - a good camping breakfast - and then went down to the boathouse to rent a canoe. Departing onto the lake at 11:30am, we struggled our way up the lake against the wind which had picked up considerably. We stopped once to have a drink and put on more sunscreen, then continued on our way.
We went as far as we could go and then I talked the kids into a 0.5km portagé to Flash Lake. We found a place where we could put the canoe back into the water but once we started paddling, found our way was blocked by logs which were lying just under the surface of the water. We were not about to mess around anymore so we just headed back to Lightning Lake; what a great adventure!
Once we were back in the main lake, we found a little beach where we stopped to have some lunch and skip some rocks. Everyone was exhausted from the portagé, so we started back to the boathouse. Along the way we saw a Loon with two babies, an eagles nest and a duck with seven ducklings trailing behind her. By the time we got back to dry land we discovered that we had been paddling for over four hours and boy our arms were sore.
We roasted hotdogs over the campfire for dinner and then marshmallows until we ran out of wood (I should have just bought another bag of wood.) Laura and I then went back down to the amphitheatre to watch another discussion, this time on fungi and again, very informative and educational. When we got back to camp, everyone was tired from the day of adventure so we turned in early.
In the morning, we all woke up early - everyone a little homesick - and packed up camp. We were out of there just after 7:30am. The last thing we did on our way out of the park was to stop at the west gate to take pictures of the kids standing on the Manning Park sign. The sign has a large carving of a Hoary Marmot, which we originally thought was a Beaver. See the education we received from going to the campsite amphitheatre.
After dinner we went down to the lake for a swim. It was c-c-cold, but we all went in up to our necks except Kyle who dove in. It was great though, because there was no one else in the water.
We went back to camp and got into some dry clothes. Laura and I then walked over to the campsite amphitheatre where they were having a discussion about trees and nature in the park. It was very interesting and we learned a lot that we did not know before. One interesting fact was about all the dead trees all over the forest. They are lodgepole pine trees and they all die from the pine beetle. It is actually a natural cycle of life in the forest, just like forest fires which help to keep the forest healthy. The only problem is that the winters are not getting cold enough to kill the pine beetles so they keep killing the trees.
After the forest lesson, we headed back to camp to roast marshmallows - roasting them is one of the best parts of camping. Because of wood rations ($6/small bundle) our campfire soon went out so we went back down to the beach to look at the stars. It is amazing how many stars one can see without the light pollution of the city to obscure the sky.
In the morning I cooked bacon, eggs and hash browns - a good camping breakfast - and then went down to the boathouse to rent a canoe. Departing onto the lake at 11:30am, we struggled our way up the lake against the wind which had picked up considerably. We stopped once to have a drink and put on more sunscreen, then continued on our way.
We went as far as we could go and then I talked the kids into a 0.5km portagé to Flash Lake. We found a place where we could put the canoe back into the water but once we started paddling, found our way was blocked by logs which were lying just under the surface of the water. We were not about to mess around anymore so we just headed back to Lightning Lake; what a great adventure!
Once we were back in the main lake, we found a little beach where we stopped to have some lunch and skip some rocks. Everyone was exhausted from the portagé, so we started back to the boathouse. Along the way we saw a Loon with two babies, an eagles nest and a duck with seven ducklings trailing behind her. By the time we got back to dry land we discovered that we had been paddling for over four hours and boy our arms were sore.
We roasted hotdogs over the campfire for dinner and then marshmallows until we ran out of wood (I should have just bought another bag of wood.) Laura and I then went back down to the amphitheatre to watch another discussion, this time on fungi and again, very informative and educational. When we got back to camp, everyone was tired from the day of adventure so we turned in early.
In the morning, we all woke up early - everyone a little homesick - and packed up camp. We were out of there just after 7:30am. The last thing we did on our way out of the park was to stop at the west gate to take pictures of the kids standing on the Manning Park sign. The sign has a large carving of a Hoary Marmot, which we originally thought was a Beaver. See the education we received from going to the campsite amphitheatre.
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
Gramma's in Penticton
My holiday is broken up into two sections. The first two nights we stayed at my Gramma’s apartment in Penticton and the next two nights were spent camping in Manning Park. The first installment here is our time in Penticton.
We made it up to Gramma’s house at about 2:00pm, quite a long trip. It was fun though. Laura talked non-stop for about half the trip, the first half. We stopped at the Hope Slide; I had to stretch my legs. Once we got through Manning Park, we really noticed a temperature difference. Hot!
Gramma made us hamburgers for lunch when we got to Penticton. After that Kyle, Laura and Gramma went swimming in the pool. I sat by the side of the pool and Eric stayed in the apartment and watched television. Laura and Kyle swam for almost two hours. They had so much fun together. We had roast for dinner and watched a football game. I also cleaned up Gramma’s computer for her.
The boys slept on the balcony and Laura and I slept inside on the couches. Eric got up in the middle of the night and was lying on the kitchen floor because it was too hot outside for him. Gramma found him and gave him a blanket and some cushions to sleep on.
In the morning Gramma made us bacon and eggs for breakfast. Everyone was up before 9:00am if you can believe it. My teenage boys usually sleep until noon. After breakfast we went out to the pool to swim for a couple of hours. In the afternoon, Gramma took us for a drive down the main strip in Penticton, giving us the city tour. We saw the beach on Okanagan Lake and then had lunch on the balcony of a restaurant behind the casino. It was a great lunch. Gramma and Laura shared ribs, Eric and I had burgers and Kyle had a steak sandwich. On the way back to the apartment, we stopped in the mall to shop around – Laura was having withdrawals. When we got back to the apartment, we went for another dip in the pool and I took pictures this time.
Gramma made chicken for dinner and then she showed Laura how to make fudge, Mmm. I finished tinkering with her computer and then Gramma went to bed around 9:00pm, (I think we were wearing her out.) The kids asked me if we could all walk down to the 7/11 so we went for a pleasant evening walk.
In the morning Gramma made us pancakes for breakfast. They were so good with real maple syrup! She then showed Laura how to make chocolate fudge while the boys and I got things straightened up around the apartment.
I went to the store to get food and supplies for camping. We then packed up the car and thanked Gramma for letting us stay with her. It was such a good visit!
We made it up to Gramma’s house at about 2:00pm, quite a long trip. It was fun though. Laura talked non-stop for about half the trip, the first half. We stopped at the Hope Slide; I had to stretch my legs. Once we got through Manning Park, we really noticed a temperature difference. Hot!
Gramma made us hamburgers for lunch when we got to Penticton. After that Kyle, Laura and Gramma went swimming in the pool. I sat by the side of the pool and Eric stayed in the apartment and watched television. Laura and Kyle swam for almost two hours. They had so much fun together. We had roast for dinner and watched a football game. I also cleaned up Gramma’s computer for her.
The boys slept on the balcony and Laura and I slept inside on the couches. Eric got up in the middle of the night and was lying on the kitchen floor because it was too hot outside for him. Gramma found him and gave him a blanket and some cushions to sleep on.
In the morning Gramma made us bacon and eggs for breakfast. Everyone was up before 9:00am if you can believe it. My teenage boys usually sleep until noon. After breakfast we went out to the pool to swim for a couple of hours. In the afternoon, Gramma took us for a drive down the main strip in Penticton, giving us the city tour. We saw the beach on Okanagan Lake and then had lunch on the balcony of a restaurant behind the casino. It was a great lunch. Gramma and Laura shared ribs, Eric and I had burgers and Kyle had a steak sandwich. On the way back to the apartment, we stopped in the mall to shop around – Laura was having withdrawals. When we got back to the apartment, we went for another dip in the pool and I took pictures this time.
Gramma made chicken for dinner and then she showed Laura how to make fudge, Mmm. I finished tinkering with her computer and then Gramma went to bed around 9:00pm, (I think we were wearing her out.) The kids asked me if we could all walk down to the 7/11 so we went for a pleasant evening walk.
In the morning Gramma made us pancakes for breakfast. They were so good with real maple syrup! She then showed Laura how to make chocolate fudge while the boys and I got things straightened up around the apartment.
I went to the store to get food and supplies for camping. We then packed up the car and thanked Gramma for letting us stay with her. It was such a good visit!
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
First Camp
I have to say that I live in the most beautiful place in the world. Vancouver Island has it all; rivers, lakes, ocean, wilderness, forest, and you don't have to drive very far to get to any of them.
We ended up camping in Chemainus and not Goldstream as I had originally planned. We had the best time. The weather was mild and the river was warm. It was overcast for most of the time but it only rained on us for a minute this morning. It was a perfect prelude to our longer trip later this week.
One story that I want to tell here is about my daughter in the river. She was having fun, swimming around and I was on the shore watching her. She yelled out when she saw something that looked like a lobster. I later told her that it was probably a crayfish. She thrashed around a bit and quickly regained herself but her sandal was floating down the river. She called out to me so I started the race to try and catch it.
I was running as fast as I could down the side of the river. I was keeping up with it but I was running out of shore. I had my cell phone on my belt (can't get too far away from technology) and I didn't want to fall in with it. I also didn't want to get my leather sandals wet. I knew how upset my daughter would have been if I didn't catch her shoe, so I decided to chance it and waded across the river to the other side, where I had more room to run. The water only came up just past my knees. My sandals now were very sloppy and squishy and I had lost sight of the runaway sandal. I quickened my pace to reach a slow moving part of the river and sure enough, I spied the sandal floating along lazily. I grabbed a stick and dropped my phone on the shore. The thing with slow moving parts of a river is that they are a lot deeper than the fast moving parts. I managed to snag the sandal and save the day! She was so grateful and I'm so glad that I caught it. What a great adventure!
We ended up camping in Chemainus and not Goldstream as I had originally planned. We had the best time. The weather was mild and the river was warm. It was overcast for most of the time but it only rained on us for a minute this morning. It was a perfect prelude to our longer trip later this week.
One story that I want to tell here is about my daughter in the river. She was having fun, swimming around and I was on the shore watching her. She yelled out when she saw something that looked like a lobster. I later told her that it was probably a crayfish. She thrashed around a bit and quickly regained herself but her sandal was floating down the river. She called out to me so I started the race to try and catch it.
I was running as fast as I could down the side of the river. I was keeping up with it but I was running out of shore. I had my cell phone on my belt (can't get too far away from technology) and I didn't want to fall in with it. I also didn't want to get my leather sandals wet. I knew how upset my daughter would have been if I didn't catch her shoe, so I decided to chance it and waded across the river to the other side, where I had more room to run. The water only came up just past my knees. My sandals now were very sloppy and squishy and I had lost sight of the runaway sandal. I quickened my pace to reach a slow moving part of the river and sure enough, I spied the sandal floating along lazily. I grabbed a stick and dropped my phone on the shore. The thing with slow moving parts of a river is that they are a lot deeper than the fast moving parts. I managed to snag the sandal and save the day! She was so grateful and I'm so glad that I caught it. What a great adventure!
Saturday, July 08, 2006
Camping
I am on holidays. Along with that comes...CAMPING! Yay! I am so excited. We, my three children and I will be camping for three whole days along the shores of the Goldstream river. Next week we will be driving to Penticton to stay for a couple of days and then off to Manning Park for a couple of nights. Everything is scheduled around my son's football practices which are on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I will have one day at the end of it all to rest before I have to go to work. It will be so much fun. I am really looking forward to it. Last year we did not end up camping at all because it rained for my entire two weeks off. Such is life I suppose.
We are getting everything ready right now. I have drawn up a budget for the entire holiday so that I know what we are going to spend. Camping is not cheap!
Off I go now, I will post when I come back to tell of all our adventures.
Wish us luck.
We are getting everything ready right now. I have drawn up a budget for the entire holiday so that I know what we are going to spend. Camping is not cheap!
Off I go now, I will post when I come back to tell of all our adventures.
Wish us luck.
My first blog
I've finally done it, I've entered the wonderful world of Blogging. Everyone is doing it so why not me. I don't have anything witty or brilliant to say today, it is just a start. I will woo you all later, in future posts.
But seriously, there are so many blogs out there right now and it seems that they are all competing for readers to bring them into their lives, no matter how boring or mundane they may be. I am not saying that what I have to say will be any different than what anyone else has to say, but it will be what I have to say. (Probably what everyone else is thinking.)
Don't love me or hate me, I don't even know you!
Always remember what Martin Luther said, "How soon not now becomes never."
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