July ~ Part 1

It's summertime...and a hot one at that!

The plants are always thirsty

and the watering seems endless.

On Canada Day we took in the classic car show at Pioneer Park in Hope...

 and then walked the Rotary Trail along the Coquihalla River.

Another great trail close to home. 

Elmer had his 'Class of '68 reunion' earlier this month.

  

Sandy Jacques (who was my childhood next-door-neighbour) came all the way from New Zealand to be at the reunion.

  

We spent a day touring the old haunts with her.

We had a great time remembering 'the good old days' together!

Maggie was competing in a BC Athletics provincial track meet in Nanaimo earlier this month...

so we packed up the motorhome and went to island to cheer her on.

We stayed at a 'hipcamp' RV site for the first time ever. 

It is rather like Airbnb...

but for camping. 

We camped on a private property right near the ocean.

It was great!

We cycled the paved trails of Nanaimo in the mornings...

and spent the afternoons at the track.

We took note!

One day we met up with good friends at the Crow and Gate...

and had a lovely long lunch on their patio.

We don't meet up often...

but it's always so good to carry on where we left off.

We laughed when we realized that we were dressed 'in uniform'.

And the guys were dressed alike as well.

Two weeks ago we enjoyed a bike ride on country roads with long-time friends.

Carol and I were best friends in high school...

and it’s always good to reconnect and carry on where we left off last time. 

We have been on the road for the last part of the month…

the road to the prairies.

I’ll post ‘July - Part 2’ once I am back home again.

*****

For those of you who have been following my blog for a long time, you may know of my friend, Vee. We both started blogging at the same time and became friends from the start. I met Vee in person when we were in Maine while on a road trip to the US east coast.  On Sunday, July 23, 2023, Vee passed away peacefully after a four year battle with cancer. She had a strong faith and trusted God to the end.  She will be missed!

One of the last scriptures she posted was: "Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness." Isaiah 41:10

With Vee in her garden.  August 2013

June ~ Memories and Moments

It's summertime!

The lavender fields are in bloom...

and the berries are ripe for the picking!

We took the motorhome out for a few camping trips close to home.

At he beginning of the month,

we camped at Brae Island in Fort Langley.

It was fun to have good friends camping there as well.

We went on bike rides...

shared meals...

and played games in the evening.

Camping meals are better shared with friends!

We were camped in Fort Langley so that we could take in the BC High School track meet...

 which was happening at McCleod Stadium in Langley.

Maggie was there representing GW Graham in several events. 

She crossed the finish line of the 800 meter race with her personal best time...

and realized that she had just qualified for the national track meet in Quebec in August.

Oh, what joy!

While we were camping...

this mysterious orange dragon showed up on our front sidewalk.

Moving it was no small feat...

since it weighed a ton! (almost)

We eventually found out that my brother-in-law Terry had deposited it there...

and eventually he came to retrieve it.

In the meantime...

we already had several people waiting in the wings to take it off of our hands.

And then there was another surprise on 'my front porch'.

Emme is working in Berlin until fall...

so what was she doing here?

She had a week off work,

found a cheap flight,

...flew home for a week to surprise us all!

Her mom had no idea she was coming...

and neither did Spencer.

I didn't know they could ever keep secrets from each other!

She made the most of her week at home!

Ranen had her Irish dance year-end production earlier this month...

and then played with the Abbotsford Youth Orchestra at two performances that same day. 

She manages to pack a lot in!

Lucy walked from Chilliwack to Abbotsford (some 30 kms) to raise funds for Himalayan Life.

That was a tall order for an 11-year old...

but she did it and raised over $3500.

Her mom kept her company.

We spent a few days in Whistler...

at the Riverside RV Park.

We cycled the Valley trail...

and spent some time in the village.

Here at home...

we have been dealing with the twinning of the pipeline for quite some time now.

Traffic delays.

Loud noise.

And even a lake across the road from the farm.

It will all be over in a few months time...

we are told.

No small feat!

We cycled to Harrison Lake earlier this week...

where it looked like the geese were ready for the Canada Day parade.

The lagoon that was my favorite swimming spot as a teen...

is now home to many Canada geese.

Rainbows.

Hope for tomorrow...

and prayers for our country as we celebrate Canada Day tomorrow.

Happy Canada Day to you all

...or July 4th to my American friends!

The Merry Month of May

It's been a lovely month here in the valley.

Sunny and dry...

and very hot for a spell!

We have enjoyed the blooms of spring...

...and the smell of freshly mowed grass.

The first crop of grass  is in the bunker...

 and the corn fields are planted and thriving at the moment.

Everything is beginning to look thirsty though and we hope for rain soon.

We had a few birthdays.

What better way to celebrate a milestone birthday with Broni than with a special lunch at Revive Bistro with 'the girls'? 

We took Ranen out for her birthday lunch before her shift at a local farm attraction ...

where she has been helping host school groups.

She manages to fit work into her daytime schedule, 

when evenings revolve around violin and Irish dance. 

She just received the coveted 'N' and is now driving on her own!

Where have the years gone? 

So thankful for all the good memories we have made together!

Who knew that Lucy could jump? 

She competed in hurdles and high jump at the district track and did great.

She may be short, but she has spring!

We have close friends with a special adult son who lives with them.

Chris discovered that we had a 'gangster car' and was wondering if he could have a ride sometime.

Last week Elmer picked him up and took him to DQ for an ice-cream treat.

That made his day!

After years of planning and many disruptions...

the twinning of the Trans-Mountain pipeline is finally happening in our neighbourhgood.

It makes getting around a little tricky at times.

The work is happening right across the road from the farm and through property that is leased for cropping.

We ended the month with a little get-away on the beautiful Sunshine Coast.

We stayed in Sechelt overnight...

and took a tour up the Princess Louisa Inlet from Egmont the next day. 

It is really a beautiful place,

accessible only by boat or air.

I shared more details of our Sunshine Coast adventure in the preceding post.

There is so much to see 'just around the corner'...

right close to home!

'The world is big and I want to have a good look at it before it gets dark.' ~ John Muir