August ~ memories and moments

August came and went...

the good and the hard.

 

And now it is looking and feeling more like fall every day. 

On the last day of the month we cycled on a trail covered in leaves.  

 

We did a lot of cycling in August...

both near home and on dyke trails a little further away.

 

 

We have missed the usual outdoor concerts and events of summer this year...

so being part of a small safe-distance concert/picnic a few weeks ago was a real treat.

It almost felt like ‘the good ole days’.

 My dad had his ups and downs this past month...

and that is all the more difficult when we could not go see him. 

 

I have been taking him to his essential medical appointments and he had three of those in August.

His last phone appointment with his family doctor took place in our back patio and included coffee and cinnamon buns. :)

I'm a little late in posting this and will add that he started September with an ambulance ride to the hospital.

 

He is wondering whether he can make it to his 98th birthday two weeks away. 

 

 

We have been meeting with our care group for Sunday morning church all summer.

 

We watch the online service together on a patio.

 

It may not be church as we are accustomed to...

but it is good fellowship.

 

And sometimes we take out our ‘Sunday-go-to-meeting’ car. 

 

We had a family birthday celebration / pool party. 

 

When the birthday boy does not like cake...

you have a watermelon cake.

 And Rollkuchen, of course!

 

Our corn fields are looking much different than they did one month ago.

Harvest is just around the corner. 

 

 

 After a hot dry spell...

the corn fields needed the heavy rain that arrived a week ago. 

 

We ended the month on a little camping trip to Hornby Island and Vancouver Island.

I’ll add our vacation photos sometime soon.

Let me just end this post by sharing the one event that overshadowed everything else.

 

 

On Sunday, August 30th my sister Bev of McAllen, Texas passed away after a valiant battle with brain cancer.

 

In the end, it was Covid 19 that took her life. 

 

We were not able to be with her when she needed us most, 

and she spent her final days here on earth  all alone.

 

 

I treasure my visit with her in February...

before travel restrictions came into effect. 

 

Bev is now free of suffering and pain...

and I know that our ‘good-bye was not forever’.

 

Until we meet again!

 

What a day that will be!

 

 

 

July ~ Good Old Summertime

Let me start with an iconic 'summer on the farm' pic...

the view from my front porch last week as the neighbours baled hay on the hottest day in July.

We never strayed too far from home most of the month...

but discovered a lot of beauty of beauty nearby.

This 'field of dreams' called for a quick photo stop while riding bike the other day.

There were many bike rides this month...

an easy way to get out and stay a safe distance from everyone else.

One sees so much more on a bike than in a car.

Things like a lovely garden on the roof of the barn.

Or a symphony of flowers on top of a piano.

The mighty Fraser River usually peaks in early June...

but 2020 is not a usual year in any sense!

The river peaked and flooded three times this year.

We cycled the dykes next to the river...

...and saw corn fields under water.

Even our corn fields which are far from the river...

were not off to a good start this year.

It seemed the rain just kept coming...

and the fields were mud.

It was a bit of a stretch to say the corn was 'knee high by the first of July'.

The grands were waiting for the corn to be tall enough to play hide-and-go-seek in.

We celebrated three birthdays here early in July...

and I guess they decided that if they got down on their hands and knees

they could hide in the corn field.

Maggie's cast would never be white again!

Sweet Lucy turned nine this month.

They posed with the Covid Smart sign...

but in reality it's hard to keep Lucy and Maggie apart.

Sisters and best of friends.

Between showers...

...the grass came off the fields once again.

Breakfast is always on the patio...if it's not raining.

Spending time with friends is pretty special these days...

after months of 'isolation'.

We have enjoyed cycling with friends...

...and watching our on-line church service with our care group on the back patio.

What a treat to have an outdoor brunch with  friends last week...

a group of us that had not been together since Christmas.

I am thankful that it is summer...

and that we can meet up safely outdoors in small groups.

What is an orange float...they wondered. 

I told them to come in once they were good and hot...

and I’d make them each an orange float.

That is my favorite summertime ‘blast from the past’ treat.

Last month dad was hospitalized and not doing so well. 

This month he felt up to going out for some fresh air on his scooter.

Let me leave you with one photo taken at Whistler,

where we ended the month.

We celebrated our 49th wedding anniversary on the last day of July...

with a little hiking n the mountaintops.

I am documenting our time in Whistler in a separate blog post (scroll down or click on the link).

And that is just a little glimpse into life here this past month.

Hope you are all enjoying the summer!

Whistler 2020

We are just back from a delightful camping trip to Whistler.

We have been there often...

but I can't help but take more photos every time we go.

It is just such beautiful part of our province.

We took the RV and our bikes...

and camped at the Riverside RV Resort not far from the village.

We had company shortly after arriving.

He seemed to be on a mission and just walked on by.

There were three bears in our campground this morning...

just before we left.

We spent some time cycling the Valley Trail every day...

...and watched others out on their kayaks and canoes.

Whistler has many little lakes...

Green Lake is the largest.

We ate lunch on the patio of the clubhouse right next to the lake.

 

We rode the gondola up Whistler Mountain and then did some hiking.

As we often do...

we built a little inukshuk to mark our visit.

No sooner was it complete...

then he had company.

A tourist from Quebec wanted a photo of the inukshuk with her traveling duck...

and a couple from Vancouver document all their travels on instagram with a teddy bear.

Next we boarded the Peak-to-Peak gondola for a ride across the valley to Blackcomb Mountain.

There we hiked the trails of the Alpine Meadows.

The wildflowers up there were amazing!

Our Whistler experience was quite different this time than ever before.

Masks were required inside all gondolas and line-ups.

We never spent much time in the village as it was packed with summer crowds...

and there were long lineups for shops and restaurants.

But...we did brave the line-up for Cows ice-cream cones.

It was a great way to spend our 49th wedding anniversary.

'Grow old with me...

the best is yet to be.'