A Golden Weekend

What better way to celebrate fifty years of marriage than with those who are nearest and dearest?

I remember when fiftieth anniversaries were called 'golden weddings'.

My parent's fiftieth celebration was like a wedding...

complete with formal invitations, a catered event with a lengthy program.

It was lovely and memorable...

but I so prefer our 'golden getaway' with our children and grandchildren.

Since our anniversary falls on a long weekend...

the cabins at Tigh Na Mara in Parksville were booked far in advance.

They were in fact booked before pandemic restrictions were in place...

in February of 2020. 

Whether our planned celebration would be happening at all was still in question a few months ago.

But as of last month...

we were free to travel outside our region and make the trek to Vancouver Island.

As it turned out...

we were not the only ones wanting to get on the ferry for the long weekend.

Despite having reservations for all four families...

it was not an easy feat to actually get to the ferry with the traffic backed up on the causeway to Tsawwassen ferry terminal.

We made it!

Once on board...

we took over one corner of the dining room.

Seeing whales as we ate was a bonus!

Thankfully our log cabins were all next to each other...

making meal time parties easy.

What a surprise to have deliveries to the front door of our cottage....

flowers and fruit.

The flowers were the perfect touch on the table...

and the fruit basket was enjoyed by all!

They all found their favorite place...

...to hang out.

That's what hammocks are for, right?

Dylan...

...and Micah.

They always find the skate park!

Micah took Grandpa on a crabbing expedition.

Beach time.

Cousin time...

And storytime too!

Who knew Micah was a storyteller?

Uncle Jeremy was a good listener.

We happened to have cabins right next to the tennis/basketball courts...

a bonus for all.

There were some serious ping-pong tournaments as well.

I think Ryder actually met his match!  LOL

I'll just add a few pic's from our photo session at the beach.

With the original three. :)

Kris & Lina.

Dylan, Ranen, Micah, Holly & Brynja (l-r)

Jeremy & Broni

Spencer, Ryder and Emme

Tim & Heidi

Lucy and Maggie

I am so thankful that we could all spend the weekend together at this beautiful spot.

Awhile back, Ranen tried on my wedding gown...

and it fit perfectly.

The plan was for her to model it at our anniversary celebration.

I brought the gown along...

and then we totally forgot about it.

But for the record...

...here is a picture of my granddaughter wearing my gown.

And of course...

a cake!

Fifty years went by so quickly.

We have no idea what tomorrow may hold...

but are thankful for God's faithfulness 

and look forward to the journey ahead.

(This is actually 'part 2' of my July post....

in case you missed my monthly re-cap.)

July ~ hot and dry and memorable

There was no doubt that it was summertime in our valley!  The sun shone every single day...

...and set over the cornfields at night.

Not only did we break all-time high temperature records...we have had no rain for a very long time.  The corn fields are thirsty and tasseling far too soon. 

Three of us went for a bike ride and met up with friends at the park in Yarrow one day.

We were leaving for home when we passed by Mighty Moose Ice-Cream. We did a quick u-turn and went back for a cone before the ride home. We called it lunch!  So good.

Sweet Lucy celebrated her 10th birthday this month. 

We let her pick where we would go for lunch...

and she chose Earl's. 

Maggie joined us and we had the nicest time together.

She may be tiny...

but she put away a big lunch and a massive ice-cream sundae. 

She may just be the most organized 10 year-old I have ever met...

one who looks after all the details and is never late for anything if she has her way. 

Jeremy and Broni celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary earlier this month...

together with friends and family in their back yard. 

The Crazy Gringo food truck provided Mexcan fare for all... 

...and Emme made up a candy charcuterie board for dessert.

She knows her dad well!

Another hot evening found us at Harrison Lake...

where we cooled off with ice-cream while the geese begged for treats.

Another evening we drove up the eastern hillsides and explored a property where Elmer's friend once lived.  The log home is till there...

along with horses, deer and evidence of bears.

Uncle Jake and Aunt Maggie celebrated their 65th anniversary a few months ago.

We had told them we would take them out to celebrate once the pandemic restrictions allowed us to.

So that happened last week.

I was flower girl for my uncle and aunt 65 years ago.

Uncle Jake was an usher at our wedding 50 years ago..

They are such an encouraging couple...

a blessing to all those around them.

We ended the month by celebrating our 50th anniversary with the whole family at Tigh Na Mara Resort in Parksville.

Our family is our dearest treasure...

...and it was the best way to celebrate the occasion.

Our precious grands!

On July 31, 1971 we said 'I do'.

We still do!

Our story isn't done yet...

but we are so thankful for the journey together so far.

Thanks to Janyhyh Wright Photography for the family photo memories.

I'll re-cap our weekend celebration on the blog soon...

but here is a review of July for now.

June ~ one for the record books!

As the sunsets on the month of June...

let me share a few snapshots of 'the month that was'.

Despite having a very dry spring...

the fields looked green earlier this month.

We were praying for rain...

for more than the wee drizzle that we encountered on a Sunday afternoon walk at Cheam Wetlands Park.

On the night that I caught this blue heron at the end of the rainbow...

we actually had a downpour over the farm.

Short and sweet but it helped the crops.

Before school ended for the year, I picked Ranen up after school on a very hot day.

A DQ 'chocolate cherry love blizzard' hit the spot...

and a walk along the beach at Cultus Lake was a good way to spend our time together.

Ranen found a cottage that she loved...

and thought maybe it was actually meant to be hers since it had her initials.

Emme arrived back home from her missions trip to Uganda...

but not without a lot of drama. 

She could not board her original flight home as she tested positive for Covid.

Her and three teammates were left behind...

to fend for themselves in a strange place that never felt real safe.

A few days later, the Ugandan president announced a 42 day lockdown for the nation. 

Unless they had a negative Covid test within days, they would be in Uganda until the end of July.

A lot of prayers went up on her behalf...

and it was nothing short of a miracle that they passed the Covid test last minute and left Uganda just before all travel halted.

Emme, along with two YWAM friends, isolated at home for 14 days...

as required by Canadian regulations.

They had permission to get fresh air and exercise in the back yard of the farmhouse.

The backyard soon expanded to include the entire acreage...

and exercise involved an ATV.

Spencer joined their trio, 

since she had just recovered from Covid herself...

and the foursome came across 'the backyard' for a patio visit.

Their isolation is now over...

the friends have travelled on to their homes in Alberta...

and life continues closer to home for Emme.

The experiences of the past six months will not soon be forgotten!

Once the travel restrictions eased in B.C., we booked a campsite in Midway...

on the recommendation of friends.

We packed up the RV and left mid-morning for a trip to 'Boundary Country'...

with plans to be there by dinnertime. 

We had a leisurely drive...

stopping for groceries along the way, 

passing by a new wildfire just east of Hope, 

lunch in Manning Park, 

cherries in Keremeos,

checking out the business ventures of former neighbours in Cawston.

Just east of Osoyoos we discovered that the highway east was closed until further notice due to an accident.

We were advised to find shade and wait.

Once it became clear that the highway wouldn't likely be opening before midnight...

I turned to Google to see what the options might be.  

I learned there was route north to Oliver...

then east over the mountains which would eventually get us to our destination.

It all looked very simple on Google maps.

And for the first while...

we were thrilled with our scenic detour.

But before long the road turned to bumpy and dusty gravel...

and we yielded frequently to cattle.

This was not the type of road we would have chosen to travel with our motorhome!

We passed by Mt. Baldy ski resort...

one of BC's highest elevation ski resorts. 

With no cell service and no 'old fashioned maps'...

we certainly hoped that we were on the right trail!

How thankful we were to reach paved roads once again...

and arrived at our destination well before dark.

We set up camp along the Kettle River in Midway.

The closed highway never re-opened until the following day...

which made us thankful for our bumpy detour of the previous day.

Midway was once a bustling rail hub in the West Kootenay region of our province.

It is now a sleepy little village...

but a beautiful one!

Midway is Mile 0 of the Kettle River Railway and to the east lies another rail trail...

the Columbia and Western Rail trail.

We cycled east to Greenwood one day...

and west to Rock Creek the next. 

We opened and closed gates...

...lifted our bikes over fallen logs 

...cycled through a logging operation and past farmer's fields

...swerved to miss marmots and rabbits

...while deer grazed peacefully beside the trail.

Of all the paths you take in life,

make sure a few of them are dirt.

~John Muir

I couldn't agree more.

We explored abandoned cabins and outhouses.

And we got very hot!

It was extremely warm to be cycling last week.

I found a way to cool off.

Temporarily!

Once again we enjoyed cycling a few pieces of the rail trails of British Columbia.

There are many more waiting for us to explore.

Another time...

when it is a little cooler!

We circled around to Kelowna on our way home...

spending a night camped on the shores of Okanagan Lake.

It was nice to visit with family there that we hadn't seen in a long time due to travel restrictions.

We made it home before the extreme heat event of 2021.

I guess it would qualify as the extreme heat event of the last century.

For several days running we broke all-time high temperature records here in British Columbia.

We are not used to temperatures of 43C (110 F)! 

We are thankful for a cool house when being outdoors is unbearable.

Tomorrow is Canada Day.

And yes, we are flying our flag!

I am thankful to live in this great country...

even if there is much in our history that I am not proud of.

God bless this nation evermore

And help that it may stay

A land of right for all mankind...

This may we ever pray!

Those were the last few lines of a poem I wrote for Canada Day 1967.

Canada's Centennial year.

I will say 'amen' to that prayer again this year...

54 years years later.

Happy Canada Day...

and thanks for stopping by.