Summer Hike

Before we had kids, we loved to hike in the mountains. We wondered if we would still be able to hike when we had kids. Then, Matthew was born. We wondered if he would even walk properly. Then, when he did, we wondered what he would and would not be able to do. Then, he started to do everything. We stopped wondering if he would do things, and started to wonder when he would do things.

This past weekend, we did a big hike. We took the boys to the Plain of the Six Glaciers at Lake Louise, better known as the Teahouse Hike. Here are the stats.

distance 5.5 km (3.4 miles) to the teahouse - 11 km (6.8 miles) roundtrip
elevation gain of 420 m (1380 ft)
time 2 hours up, 1 1/2 hours down

Both boys did this no problem and are asking what hike we can do next.

So, for those of you with kids with clubfoot, or leg length discrepancies, or anyone interested, here are some pictures.

Coming round the end of the lake. Chateau Lake Louise in the background.


Taking a breather...maybe Matthew is catching a nap.


Some of the wildlife


A rare family photo with the lake and chateau in the background


enjoying some hot chocolate at the teahouse


more wildlife...well, maybe not too wild


getting ready to head back down


And to end our day

In The Yard

Sharing a few pictures from around the yard and garden.

My first cauliflower crop.

The weather has been very cool here so everything is late, but still growing.

Tomatoes.


Green pepper trying hard to grow

Green leaf lettuce

red leaf lettuce

head lettuce

Spinach


Ivy Geraniums


Can never remember the name of these flowers



My clematis grows like a weed. I just love it.

A Trip To The Farm

We are back from the farm in Saskatchewan with enough time to do laundry, have physio, run errands, and buy groceries. Back out we go, this time camping in Kananaskis.

Just some quick photos of the past week.

On the farm.
Stepped off the quads, straight to the cats.




A little target practice.

Ryan is actually a really good shot. He can't wait to go hunting with his dad.

Summertime Fun

Been a busy summer.

Here's a peak at the boys' skateboarding lessons.

Matthew


Ryan


Ryan trying to drop in


Matthew


Looks like Matthew is no longer afraid of rides.


Only a few more weeks before they go back to school. I thought I would be cheering. I'm not. Still have so much left to do.

Fate?

I really don't believe in fate. I truly believe that we are in control of our own actions. That said, I am left to wonder if there isn't some greater force out there guiding us, providing hints as to the direction we should take. It is either that or I am having a mid-life crisis and everything is being over analyzed.

Case in point.

We always drive straight through. Always. We go as far as we can without stopping. It is the way it was when I was a kid, it is how I do it now.

When I drove the boys out to Vernon, we made the 6 hr drive in 6 hr 45 min. We made two extra stops due to upset tummies and malfunctioning videos, that and the road construction. I was not impressed.

At the B&B we stayed at, the owners chatted with us a lot. He was originally from a small town only 45 min from my hubby's home town. Makes for lots of chit chat. The morning we left, he said

"When you drive home to Calgary, stop. Go for a hike. Stop for ice cream. Whatever it is, stop."

I took this as advice from some one who had lost his wife to cancer. The 'stop and smell the roses' speech from one who definitely has the life experience to give this advice.

So, this time, we did.

We stopped at the SkyTrek Adventure Park. The boys had the best time!

Strapped in, ready to go.




They start them off easy...




And before you know it, you are they are 10 feet above you, reaching for things so they don't fall.



It isn't long before they are pushing themselves...with some encouragement from below.



It was a great place to stop. I can't wait til they are old enough to go through the adult course and all 4 of us can go. The boys will need to shout a lot of encouragement to their chicken mommy...

Now, I mentioned fate.

We arrived just west of the town of Revelstoke to a dead stop on the highway. We had an idea something was up when a trucker flashed his lights at us. We were there for an hour before hitting the Big Eddy Rd that led us through the back end of town. We thought we had bypassed what must have been some horrid construction and were high fiving as we got back onto the highway...only to meet another flag person.

This time, we talked to her, after giving the poor girl a bottle of water. There had been an accident on the #1 highway. Multiple vehicles involved. Multiple deaths. The highway was closed for the next few hours.

Did I mention fate? Had we not stopped...we would have hit that section of the highway at around the same time. The profoudness of the situation did not slip by me. Seriously. We NEVER stop.

Except for this time.

Call if fate.

Call it fluke.

Call it whatever you like.

At the urging of a virtual stranger, we decided to stop. And we are all safe. The message was not lost on me.

We ended up sitting at an outdoor patio for a few hours. The boys caught grasshoppers, we had nachos. When the road reopened, it looked like this.


and more of this



But it didn't matter that it took us 12 hours to get home. We were safe. The seriousness of the situation was not lost on us.

And, I have to say, the boys took the trip better then expected. They never complained, never fought.

Maybe the secret was the chocolate...



Was it fate? Was it luck? Had we drove straight through would we have even realized? Doesn't matter. The fact is, we did stop. We did find out about the accident. And we are all safe.

And, I am leaning towards some sort of force that leads us...if we choose to follow.

More on this topic to come.